Wild Ones

Episode Synopsis

The colossal elephant: The lush tropical forests of Asia hold within them some of nature's mightiest creatures. Each of these silent footsteps carries with it the immense weight of the world's largest land mammal.The sweeping plains of Africa are home to the only land animal bigger than the Asian elephant. Are these modern day mammoths really the biggest animals on earth? The intimidating bear: The sweeping meadows of sub alpine Alaska and the woodlands and forests of North American are home to some of the biggest of bears. Grizzly bears are enormous animals. Most weigh between 2 and 3 hundred kilos but the largest males can reach a colossal half ton. The largest of all bears, the Arctic polar bear is a colossus of power and the world's largest land carnivore. The largest land carnivore, could these white giants be the biggest animals on earth? The barrel-like hippo: Lumbering across land, the enormity of the barrel like hippo is without question. Other grass eaters are frail by comparison. Are these submerged barrels of power the biggest aquatic animals in the world? The towering giraffe: Standing taller than any other living animal in their towering majesty is the proud and elegant giraffe.With a grace of movement that defies its great height, adult giraffes stand 6 meters tall, their necks are two meters in length and their legs are higher than an average man. A fully grown male weighs over 16 hundred kilos. Each of the cervical vertebrae in their neck is over 25cm long! Could the towering height of this most elegant of beasts make it the biggest animal on earth. The gigantic whale: The Mighty whale graces our oceans with a size and strength unrivalled on land. Three times longer than the tallest giraffe and weighing more than a dozen hippos’ the beautiful humpback whale is most famed for its mystical and haunting song. The largest animal known to have lived at any time in the history of our planet, this gigantic creature can be over 30 meters long and lives entirely on tiny plankton.