Inside Nature's Giants

This new four-part science series uncovers the anatomical secrets of some of the animal kingdom’s most extraordinary species and answers such age-old questions as: How did the elephant get its trunk? And how did the whale evolve from a land mammal?

While most wildlife documentaries tell you how an animal behaves, Inside Nature’s Giants - made in association with the Royal Veterinary College - uses dissection, CGI and wildlife photography to show, from the inside out, how millions of years of evolution have enabled four species – the elephant, whale, crocodile and giraffe – to thrive in their environmental niches.

Veterinary scientist Mark Evans is our guide as experts in comparative anatomy, evolution and behaviour put some of the most popular and enigmatic large animals under the knife. Evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins traces the animals’ places on the tree of life and how they came to evolve as they did, while biologist Simon Watts puts their physiology to the test in the field.

The series uncovers some amazing facts about these remarkable creatures, including: crocodiles have changed very little since the age of the dinosaurs and have the strongest bites in the animal kingdom - but it’s teeth are hopeless for chewing; the giraffe has the highest blood pressure of all animals and a toughened skin that acts like a ‘G-suit’ to stop it passing out when it raises and lowers its head; the elephant’s trunk is the most versatile limb on the planet, capable of everything from picking up berries to ripping a tree from the ground; and the whale’s unique anatomy holds vital clues to its evolution – it’s closest living relative is the hippo.

Made by leading independent production company Windfall Films Inside Nature’s Giants also includes an extraordinary on-location dissection of a 60-ton, 65-foot Fin Whale.

Channel 4’s Commissioning Editor for Science, David Glover, says: “Traditional wildlife films tell you how animals behave and how they fit into their environment – but they stop short of revealing the changes that have taken place inside their bodies to allow that behaviour in the first place.

“This series offers an alternative take on natural history, giving viewers a unique chance to see for themselves how evolution has shaped the anatomy of some of nature’s most magnificent animals.”

Professor Alun Williams, Professor of Pathology and Infectious Diseases at the Royal Veterinary College, who features in the series, says: “The programmes help to demonstrate why wild animals are so fascinating and what can be learned for future research that can improve their lives and their environments.

“Maximising the educational value of the post-mortems through the series will help in extending the knowledge of anatomy and pathology for those in the veterinary and science sectors, for animal keepers and for the general public.”

The Elephant (First broadcast June 29th 2009)
The first programme in the series looks at how evolution has overcome the challenges of being as big as an elephant.

Elephants feed on plants with very little nutritional value for eighteen hours a day, so evolution has given them vast intestines as well as huge teeth and jaw muscles – and an equally gigantic head.

But this produces another problem: how to reach food on the ground. The solution is the most versatile limb on the planet – the trunk. Capable of everything from picking up berries to ripping a tree from the ground, the trunk is a wonder of evolution. It’s a Just So Story for the Darwinian age.

The Whale (First broadcast July 6th 2009)
In the second programme of the series the experts dissect a 65-foot, sixteen-tonne Fin Whale – second only in size to it’s ‘cousin’ the Blue Whale - which has died after being stranded off the coast of Ireland.

It’s a race against time as whale anatomist Joy Reidenberg flies in from New York before the animal’s decomposition causes it to explode on the beach. Veterinary scientist, Mark Evans, helps investigate why the animal died and explores its extraordinary anatomy.

Using whale-size machinery Joy and the team set to work amidst gale force winds, driving rain, blood, intestines, evil smells and freezing conditions. Meanwhile advancing tides threaten to engulf the whale, as the team struggle to complete the operation.

Beneath the blubber, the whale’s unique anatomy holds vital clues to its evolution. Using a combination of dissection and computer graphics we discover an animal whose closest living relative is the hippo.

Meanwhile evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins explains why the whale’s ancestors may have taken to the water and the evolutionary problems that had to be overcome to transform a land-based mammal into an animal that swims among fish.

The Crocodile (First broadcast June 13th 2009)
This week experts in anatomy, evolution and behaviour get under the skin of the crocodile, while evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins explains how little the crocodile has changed since the age of the dinosaurs.

The team uncovers the crocodile’s incredible jaw muscles as biologist Simon Watt travels to Florida to test the huge strength of the massive reptile’s bite - the most powerful in the animal kingdom.

But while crocodiles spiked teeth are excellent for gripping prey as they plunge into a death roll, they are useless for chewing. So how do these animals manage to digest large chunks of raw meat and bone?

As the experts dissect the digestive system and inspect the stomach contents for clues they reveal the bizarre plumbing between the heart and the stomach that might provide the key to this puzzle. And they also solve the mystery of this crocodile’s premature death.

And the programme reveals that despite its prehistoric appearance, the crocodile’s anatomy is far from primitive – it is perfectly evolved to be the ultimate predator.

The Giraffe (First broadcast July 20th 2009)
In the final programme of the series a team of experts investigate the giraffe. Creationists question how this extraordinary creature could have evolved such a long neck, but for evolutionary biologist Professor Richard Dawkins the anatomy of the world's tallest animal provides some of the best arguments in favour of Darwinian natural selection.

For example, one nerve takes a huge detour up and down the long neck, from the voice box to the brain, via the chest - hardly the work of an ‘Intelligent Designer’. And, despite its length, the neck still only has seven vertebrae – the same number as almost all mammals, from mice to humans and whales.

And it’s no wonder the giraffe has the highest blood pressure of any animal; with a heart not much bigger than our own it must pump blood at high pressure around a towering body. It has evolved thick skin that acts as a natural 'G-suit’ and a complex circulation system to avoid passing out when raising and lowering its head.

And as the dissection team piece together the remarkable evolutionary story of the giraffe, biologist Simon Watt observes them in the field as they eat, forage and fight.

Inside Nature’s Giants is a Windfall Films production for Channel 4 and National Geographic

More details and to watch again on the Channel 4 website.


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