BBC - List of Animals
The BBC Natural History Unit (NHU) is a department of the BBC dedicated to making television and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries. The NHU has been based in Clifton, Bristol since its formation in 1957. It currently exists as a specialist department of BBC Factual Production, which is itself part of the BBC's Vision Studios. Every year it makes about 100 hours of television and 50 hours of radio, making it the largest wildlife documentary production house in the world. In July 2009 the BBC announced that Andrew Jackson had been appointed as the new Head of the Unit, following Neil Nightingale's decision to return to front-line programme making. Jackson will take up the post in the autumn of 2009. A commercial arm of the NHU, Wildvision, produces a variety of programmes for both the BBC and external broadcasters, notably Discovery's Animal Planet digital channel, in which the BBC is a joint partner with Discovery Networks.
The Natural History Unit as a whole was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2001 Royal Television Society awards for its "outstanding contribution over the past 44 years to broadcasting about the natural world". It was praised for being a "a national resource for people's understanding and love of wildlife on our planet, and a symbol of both quality and talent in public service broadcasting". NHU filmmakers are regularly nominated and rewarded at film festivals such as Wildscreen, the Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and their output has been recognised by the wider broadcasting industry too, winning several Emmys and BAFTAs and the coveted Prix Italia on three occasions. Further details are provided in the relevant articles for specific series. Recognition has also come in the form of high audience viewing figures and audience approval ratings, particularly for 'blue-chip' series such as Planet Earth. When first screened in the UK it was watched by more than 8 million people. In 2008, episodes of Life in Cold Blood and the Wildlife Special miniseries Tiger: Spy in the Jungle both reportedly achieved the highest-ever audience appreciation index (AI) rating for a factual programme.
Walking with Monsters - Life Before the Dinosaurs
Moving Inland
530 million years ago - Cambrian - China
*Anomalocaris (Anomalocaris canadensis)
*Paradoxides (Paradoxides gracilis)
*Haikouichthys (Haikouichthys ercaicunensis)
418 million years ago - Silurian - South Wales
*Cephalaspis (Cephalaspis lyelli)
*Brontoscorpio (Brontoscorpio anglicus)
*Orthoceras (Orthoceras regulare)
*Pterygotus (Pterygotus anglicus)
360 million years ago - Devonian - Pennsylvania
*Hynerpeton (Hynerpeton bassetti)
*Hyneria (Hyneria lindae)
*Stethacanthus (Stethacanthus productus)
Clash of the Titans
300 million years ago - Carboniferous - Kansas
*Petrolacosaurus (Petrolacosaurus kansensis)
*Arthropleura (Arthropleura armata)
*Meganeura (Meganeura monyi)
*Megarachne (Megarachne servinei)
*Proterogyrinus (Proterogyrinus scheelei)
280 million years ago - Permian - Germany
*Dimetrodon (Dimetrodon grandis)
*Edaphosaurus (Edaphosaurus pogonias)
*Seymouria (Seymouria baylorensis)
Global Drought
250 million years ago - Permian - Siberia
*Gorgonops (Gorgonops torvus)
*Rhinesuchus (Rhinesuchus whaitsi)
*Diictodon (Diictodon feliceps)
*Scutosaurus (Scutosaurus karpinskii)
248 million years ago - Triassic - South Africa
*Lystrosaurus (Lystrosaurus murrayi)
*Euparkeria (Euparkeria capensis)
*Euchambersia (Euchambersia mirabilis)
*Proterosuchus (Proterosuchus fergusi)
*Aeshna (Aeshna speciosa)
Walking with Dinosaurs
New Blood
220 million years ago - Triassic - Arizona
*Coelophysis (Coelophysis bauri)
*Placerias (Placerias hesternus)
*Thrinaxodon (Thrinaxodon liorhinus)
*Postosuchus (Postosuchus kirkpatricki)
*Peteinosaurus (Peteinosaurus zambelli)
*Plateosaurus (Plateosaurus engelhardtii)
Time of the Titans
152 million years ago - Jurassic - Colorado
*Diplodocus (Diplodocus longus)
*Allosaurus (Allosaurus tendagurensis)
*Ornitholestes (Ornitholestes hermanni)
*Stegosaurus (Stegosaurus stenops)
*Anurognathus (Anurognathus ammoni)
*Brachiosaurus (Brachiosaurus brancai)
*Heterodontosaurus (Heterodontosaurus tucki)
*Othnielia (Othnielia rex)
Cruel Sea
149 million years ago - Jurassic - Oxfordshire
*Ophthalmosaurus (Ophthalmosaurus icenicus)
*Cryptoclidus (Cryptoclidus oxoniensis)
*Hybodus (Hybodus fraasi)
*Rhamphorhynchus (Rhamphorhynchus muensteri)
*Eustreptospondylus (Eustreptospondylus oxoniensis)
*Liopleurodon (Liopleurodon ferox)
*Perisphinctes (Perisphinctes plicatilis)
Giant of the Skies
127 million years ago - Cretaceous - Brazil, UK
*Ornithocheirus (Ornithocheirus simus)
*Iguanodon (Iguanodon bernissartensis)
*Utahraptor (Utahraptor ostrommaysi)
*Polacanthus (Polacanthus foxii)
*Tapejara (Tapejara wellnhoferi)
*Iguanodon (Iguanodon anglicus)
*Ornithostoma (Ornithostoma sedgwicki)
*Iberomesornis (Iberomesornis romerali)
*Plesiopleurodon (Plesiopleurodon wellesi)
Spirits of the Ice Forest
106 million years ago - Cretaceous - Queensland
*Leaellynasaura (Leaellynasaura amicagraphica)
*Muttaburrasaurus (Muttaburrasaurus langdoni)
*Fukuiraptor (Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis)
*Koolasuchus (Koolasuchus cleelandi)
*Istiodactylus (Istiodactylus latidens)
Death of a Dynasty
65 million years ago - Cretaceous - Montana
*Tyrannosaurus (Tyrannosaurus rex)
*Anatotitan (Anatotitan copei)
*Torosaurus (Torosaurus latus)
*Ankylosaurus (Ankylosaurus magniventris)
*Dromaeosaurus (Dromaeosaurus albertensis)
*Parksosaurus (Parksosaurus warreni)
*Didelphodon (Didelphodon vorax)
*Quetzalcoatlus (Quetzalcoatlus northropi)
*Deinosuchus (Deinosuchus rugosus)
*Triceratops (Triceratops horridus)
*Nanotyrannus (Nanotyrannus lancensis)
*Purgatorius (Purgatorius unio)
Walking with Beasts
New Dawn
49 million years ago - Eocene - Germany
*Ambulocetus (Ambulocetus natans)
*Gastornis (Gastornis sarasini)
*Godinotia (Godinotia neglecta)
*Leptictidium (Leptictidium tobieni)
*Propalaeotherium (Propalaeotherium parvulum)
*Formicium (Formicium giganteum)
*Mesonyx (Mesonyx obtusidens)
Whale Killer
36 million years ago - Eocene - Pakistan, Egypt
*Dorudon (Dorudon atrox)
*Basilosaurus (Basilosaurus isis)
*Moeritherium (Moeritherium trigodon)
*Andrewsarchus (Andrewsarchus mongoliensis)
*Apidium (Apidium moustafai)
*Embolotherium (Embolotherium grangeri)
*Physogaleus (Physogaleus secundus)
Land of Giants
25 million years ago - Oligocene - Mongolia
*Hyaenodon (Hyaenodon gigas)
*Chalicotherium (Chalicotherium goldfussi)
*Cynodictis (Cynodictis lacustris)
*Entelodon (Entelodon magnus)
*Paraceratherium (Paraceratherium transouralicum)
Next of Kin
3,2 million years ago - Pliocene - Ethiopia
*Ancylotherium (Ancylotherium hennigi)
*Australopithecus (Australopithecus afarensis)
*Deinotherium (Deinotherium bozasi)
*Dinofelis (Dinofelis barlowi)
Saber Tooth
1 million years ago - Pleistocene - Paraguay
*Doedicurus (Doedicurus clavicaudatus)
*Macrauchenia (Macrauchenia patagonica)
*Megatherium (Megatherium americanum)
*Phorusrhacos (Phorusrhacos longissimus)
*Smilodon (Smilodon populator)
Mammoth Journey
30 000 years ago - Pleistocene - North Sea, Belgium, Swiss Alps
*Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis)
*Megaloceros (Megaloceros giganteus)
*Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)
*Woolly Rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis)
*European Lion (Panthera leo spelaea)
Walking with Dinosaurs special - The Ballad of Big Al
145 million years ago - Jurassic - Wyoming
*Allosaurus (Allosaurus fragilis)
*Stegosaurus (Stegosaurus stenops)
*Dryosaurus (Dryosaurus altus)
*Othnielia (Othnielia rex)
*Ornitholestes (Ornitholestes hermanni)
*Diplodocus (Diplodocus longus)
*Jeholopterus (Jeholopterus nichengensis)
*Apatosaurus (Apatosaurus excelsus)
*Brachiosaurus (Brachiosaurus brancai)
Walking with Dinosaurs special - Chased by Dinosaurs
The Giant Claw
75 million years ago - Cretaceous - Mongolia
*Therizinosaurus (Therizinosaurus cheloniformis)
*Velociraptor (Velociraptor mongoliensis)
*Tarbosaurus (Tarbosaurus baatar)
*Protoceratops (Protoceratops andrewsi)
*Mononykus (Mononykus olecranus)
*Saurolophus (Saurolophus osborni)
*Azhdarcho (Azhdarcho lancicollis)
Land of Giants
100 million years ago - Cretaceous - Argentina
*Argentinosaurus (Argentinosaurus huinculensis)
*Giganotosaurus (Giganotosaurus carolinii)
*Iguanodon (Iguanodon dawsoni)
*Sarcosuchus (Sarcosuchus imperator)
*Pteranodon (Pteranodon longiceps)
*Ornithocheirus (Ornithocheirus simus)
Walking with Dinosaurs Trilogy - Sea Monsters
The First Monsters
450 million years ago - Ordovician - New York
*Cameroceras (Cameroceras trentonese)
*Megalograptus (Megalograptus welchi)
*Astraspis (Astraspis desiderata)
*Isotelus (Isotelus brachycephalus)
230 million years ago - Triassic - Switzerland
*Cymbospondylus (Cymbospondylus natans)
*Nothosaurus (Nothosaurus mirabilis)
*Tanystropheus (Tanystropheus conspicuus)
*Megapnosaurus (Megapnosaurus rhodesiensis)
*Peteinosaurus (Peteinosaurus zambellii)
360 million years ago - Devonian - Ohio
*Dunkleosteus (Dunkleosteus terrelli)
*Stethacanthus (Stethacanthus productus)
*Bothriolepis (Bothriolepis panderi)
Into the Jaws of Death
36 million years ago - Eocene - Egypt
*Basilosaurus (Basilosaurus isis)
*Dorudon (Dorudon atrox)
*Arsinoitherium (Arsinoitherium zitteli)
4 million years ago - Pliocene - Peru
*Megalodon (Carcharodon megalodon)
*Odobenocetops (Odobenocetops pruvianus)
The Natural History Unit as a whole was awarded the Gold Medal at the 2001 Royal Television Society awards for its "outstanding contribution over the past 44 years to broadcasting about the natural world". It was praised for being a "a national resource for people's understanding and love of wildlife on our planet, and a symbol of both quality and talent in public service broadcasting". NHU filmmakers are regularly nominated and rewarded at film festivals such as Wildscreen, the Missoula International Wildlife Film Festival and the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival and their output has been recognised by the wider broadcasting industry too, winning several Emmys and BAFTAs and the coveted Prix Italia on three occasions. Further details are provided in the relevant articles for specific series. Recognition has also come in the form of high audience viewing figures and audience approval ratings, particularly for 'blue-chip' series such as Planet Earth. When first screened in the UK it was watched by more than 8 million people. In 2008, episodes of Life in Cold Blood and the Wildlife Special miniseries Tiger: Spy in the Jungle both reportedly achieved the highest-ever audience appreciation index (AI) rating for a factual programme.
Walking with Monsters - Life Before the Dinosaurs
Moving Inland
530 million years ago - Cambrian - China
*Anomalocaris (Anomalocaris canadensis)
*Paradoxides (Paradoxides gracilis)
*Haikouichthys (Haikouichthys ercaicunensis)
418 million years ago - Silurian - South Wales
*Cephalaspis (Cephalaspis lyelli)
*Brontoscorpio (Brontoscorpio anglicus)
*Orthoceras (Orthoceras regulare)
*Pterygotus (Pterygotus anglicus)
360 million years ago - Devonian - Pennsylvania
*Hynerpeton (Hynerpeton bassetti)
*Hyneria (Hyneria lindae)
*Stethacanthus (Stethacanthus productus)
Clash of the Titans
300 million years ago - Carboniferous - Kansas
*Petrolacosaurus (Petrolacosaurus kansensis)
*Arthropleura (Arthropleura armata)
*Meganeura (Meganeura monyi)
*Megarachne (Megarachne servinei)
*Proterogyrinus (Proterogyrinus scheelei)
280 million years ago - Permian - Germany
*Dimetrodon (Dimetrodon grandis)
*Edaphosaurus (Edaphosaurus pogonias)
*Seymouria (Seymouria baylorensis)
Global Drought
250 million years ago - Permian - Siberia
*Gorgonops (Gorgonops torvus)
*Rhinesuchus (Rhinesuchus whaitsi)
*Diictodon (Diictodon feliceps)
*Scutosaurus (Scutosaurus karpinskii)
248 million years ago - Triassic - South Africa
*Lystrosaurus (Lystrosaurus murrayi)
*Euparkeria (Euparkeria capensis)
*Euchambersia (Euchambersia mirabilis)
*Proterosuchus (Proterosuchus fergusi)
*Aeshna (Aeshna speciosa)
Walking with Dinosaurs
New Blood
220 million years ago - Triassic - Arizona
*Coelophysis (Coelophysis bauri)
*Placerias (Placerias hesternus)
*Thrinaxodon (Thrinaxodon liorhinus)
*Postosuchus (Postosuchus kirkpatricki)
*Peteinosaurus (Peteinosaurus zambelli)
*Plateosaurus (Plateosaurus engelhardtii)
Time of the Titans
152 million years ago - Jurassic - Colorado
*Diplodocus (Diplodocus longus)
*Allosaurus (Allosaurus tendagurensis)
*Ornitholestes (Ornitholestes hermanni)
*Stegosaurus (Stegosaurus stenops)
*Anurognathus (Anurognathus ammoni)
*Brachiosaurus (Brachiosaurus brancai)
*Heterodontosaurus (Heterodontosaurus tucki)
*Othnielia (Othnielia rex)
Cruel Sea
149 million years ago - Jurassic - Oxfordshire
*Ophthalmosaurus (Ophthalmosaurus icenicus)
*Cryptoclidus (Cryptoclidus oxoniensis)
*Hybodus (Hybodus fraasi)
*Rhamphorhynchus (Rhamphorhynchus muensteri)
*Eustreptospondylus (Eustreptospondylus oxoniensis)
*Liopleurodon (Liopleurodon ferox)
*Perisphinctes (Perisphinctes plicatilis)
Giant of the Skies
127 million years ago - Cretaceous - Brazil, UK
*Ornithocheirus (Ornithocheirus simus)
*Iguanodon (Iguanodon bernissartensis)
*Utahraptor (Utahraptor ostrommaysi)
*Polacanthus (Polacanthus foxii)
*Tapejara (Tapejara wellnhoferi)
*Iguanodon (Iguanodon anglicus)
*Ornithostoma (Ornithostoma sedgwicki)
*Iberomesornis (Iberomesornis romerali)
*Plesiopleurodon (Plesiopleurodon wellesi)
Spirits of the Ice Forest
106 million years ago - Cretaceous - Queensland
*Leaellynasaura (Leaellynasaura amicagraphica)
*Muttaburrasaurus (Muttaburrasaurus langdoni)
*Fukuiraptor (Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis)
*Koolasuchus (Koolasuchus cleelandi)
*Istiodactylus (Istiodactylus latidens)
Death of a Dynasty
65 million years ago - Cretaceous - Montana
*Tyrannosaurus (Tyrannosaurus rex)
*Anatotitan (Anatotitan copei)
*Torosaurus (Torosaurus latus)
*Ankylosaurus (Ankylosaurus magniventris)
*Dromaeosaurus (Dromaeosaurus albertensis)
*Parksosaurus (Parksosaurus warreni)
*Didelphodon (Didelphodon vorax)
*Quetzalcoatlus (Quetzalcoatlus northropi)
*Deinosuchus (Deinosuchus rugosus)
*Triceratops (Triceratops horridus)
*Nanotyrannus (Nanotyrannus lancensis)
*Purgatorius (Purgatorius unio)
Walking with Beasts
New Dawn
49 million years ago - Eocene - Germany
*Ambulocetus (Ambulocetus natans)
*Gastornis (Gastornis sarasini)
*Godinotia (Godinotia neglecta)
*Leptictidium (Leptictidium tobieni)
*Propalaeotherium (Propalaeotherium parvulum)
*Formicium (Formicium giganteum)
*Mesonyx (Mesonyx obtusidens)
Whale Killer
36 million years ago - Eocene - Pakistan, Egypt
*Dorudon (Dorudon atrox)
*Basilosaurus (Basilosaurus isis)
*Moeritherium (Moeritherium trigodon)
*Andrewsarchus (Andrewsarchus mongoliensis)
*Apidium (Apidium moustafai)
*Embolotherium (Embolotherium grangeri)
*Physogaleus (Physogaleus secundus)
Land of Giants
25 million years ago - Oligocene - Mongolia
*Hyaenodon (Hyaenodon gigas)
*Chalicotherium (Chalicotherium goldfussi)
*Cynodictis (Cynodictis lacustris)
*Entelodon (Entelodon magnus)
*Paraceratherium (Paraceratherium transouralicum)
Next of Kin
3,2 million years ago - Pliocene - Ethiopia
*Ancylotherium (Ancylotherium hennigi)
*Australopithecus (Australopithecus afarensis)
*Deinotherium (Deinotherium bozasi)
*Dinofelis (Dinofelis barlowi)
Saber Tooth
1 million years ago - Pleistocene - Paraguay
*Doedicurus (Doedicurus clavicaudatus)
*Macrauchenia (Macrauchenia patagonica)
*Megatherium (Megatherium americanum)
*Phorusrhacos (Phorusrhacos longissimus)
*Smilodon (Smilodon populator)
Mammoth Journey
30 000 years ago - Pleistocene - North Sea, Belgium, Swiss Alps
*Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis)
*Megaloceros (Megaloceros giganteus)
*Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius)
*Woolly Rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis)
*European Lion (Panthera leo spelaea)
Walking with Dinosaurs special - The Ballad of Big Al
145 million years ago - Jurassic - Wyoming
*Allosaurus (Allosaurus fragilis)
*Stegosaurus (Stegosaurus stenops)
*Dryosaurus (Dryosaurus altus)
*Othnielia (Othnielia rex)
*Ornitholestes (Ornitholestes hermanni)
*Diplodocus (Diplodocus longus)
*Jeholopterus (Jeholopterus nichengensis)
*Apatosaurus (Apatosaurus excelsus)
*Brachiosaurus (Brachiosaurus brancai)
Walking with Dinosaurs special - Chased by Dinosaurs
The Giant Claw
75 million years ago - Cretaceous - Mongolia
*Therizinosaurus (Therizinosaurus cheloniformis)
*Velociraptor (Velociraptor mongoliensis)
*Tarbosaurus (Tarbosaurus baatar)
*Protoceratops (Protoceratops andrewsi)
*Mononykus (Mononykus olecranus)
*Saurolophus (Saurolophus osborni)
*Azhdarcho (Azhdarcho lancicollis)
Land of Giants
100 million years ago - Cretaceous - Argentina
*Argentinosaurus (Argentinosaurus huinculensis)
*Giganotosaurus (Giganotosaurus carolinii)
*Iguanodon (Iguanodon dawsoni)
*Sarcosuchus (Sarcosuchus imperator)
*Pteranodon (Pteranodon longiceps)
*Ornithocheirus (Ornithocheirus simus)
Walking with Dinosaurs Trilogy - Sea Monsters
The First Monsters
450 million years ago - Ordovician - New York
*Cameroceras (Cameroceras trentonese)
*Megalograptus (Megalograptus welchi)
*Astraspis (Astraspis desiderata)
*Isotelus (Isotelus brachycephalus)
230 million years ago - Triassic - Switzerland
*Cymbospondylus (Cymbospondylus natans)
*Nothosaurus (Nothosaurus mirabilis)
*Tanystropheus (Tanystropheus conspicuus)
*Megapnosaurus (Megapnosaurus rhodesiensis)
*Peteinosaurus (Peteinosaurus zambellii)
360 million years ago - Devonian - Ohio
*Dunkleosteus (Dunkleosteus terrelli)
*Stethacanthus (Stethacanthus productus)
*Bothriolepis (Bothriolepis panderi)
Into the Jaws of Death
36 million years ago - Eocene - Egypt
*Basilosaurus (Basilosaurus isis)
*Dorudon (Dorudon atrox)
*Arsinoitherium (Arsinoitherium zitteli)
4 million years ago - Pliocene - Peru
*Megalodon (Carcharodon megalodon)
*Odobenocetops (Odobenocetops pruvianus)
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