BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-08)

88 BBC Wildlife August 2020

Fromhumblehousespiders

towhite-tailedeagles,Lev

Parikiantakesa closerlook

at nature,startingwithwhat

livesinhishome,before

travellingfurtherafieldto

experienceourmoreremoteBritish

species.Lev’sendearingchild-likejoy

at eventhesmallestofencountersis

infectious– thisbookwillhaveyou

peeringmorecloselyat thespiderin

yourbathroomorthewoodlouseinyour

garden,andfollowinghisadviceto“Look.

Lookagain.Lookbetter”.Thisis a

remindertoenjoythelittlethingsthat

naturehastoofferandtorespectthe

speciesthatweoftenoverlook– it may

evenleadtoanepidemicofmiddle-aged

menlyingininappropriateplaces.

Alex Pearce-BroomheadNature writer

Thisis a wonderfulnew

bookcoveringthebiology

ofsharks,theirecological

importance,andthethreats

theyface.Thoughit mainly

focusesonthe‘bigfour’(great

whites,tigers,makosandhammerheads),

McKeeverdoesshowcaseseveralother

species.Thebookgraduallyshiftsfrom

themisunderstoodpredatorsanddrifts

intotheimpactthefishingindustryhas

(overfishing,sharkfinning,etc)before

returningto thesharksthemselves.

Thebookis notnecessarilyperfectfrom

a scientificstandpoint– thetermapex

predatoris oftenmisused,forexample.

Still,it putsforthanincredibleamount

ofeffortintoeducatinga readerthathas

limitedpriorknowledgeonthe subject

• a fantasticbeginnerread.
  Melissa Christina MárquezMarine biologist

Intothe Tangled

Bank

BOOK

BY LEV PARIKAN, ELLIOTT & THOMPSON, £14.99

WILD STREAM

DOCUMENTARY

BigCats

Catsofallsizesgeta shareof

thelimelight– fromlionsand

leopardstothediminutive

rusty-spottedcat.

BBC iPlayer, until May 2021

YOUTUBE

BellaHummingbird’sNest

Highlightsfroma hummingbird

nestwebcam.

youtu.be/nv-pUx0hhwY

DOCUMENTARY

A WildYear

A lookatthewildlife(andpeople)

thatliveinthreeiconicregions

ofBritain– thePembrokeshire

coast,theFensandtheNorth

Yo r kM o o r s.

BBC iPlayer, until July 2021

EmperorsoftheDeep

BOOK

BY WILLIAM MCKEEVER, HARPERCOLLINS, £20

Hostofthepopular,award-winning
YouTubechannel‘TheBrainScoop’,
andholderofpossiblythebest-everjob
title,chiefcuriositycorrespondentfor
theFieldMuseuminChicago,Emily
GrasliehitstheroadinthisnewTV
seriesforPBSandWTTW.
Filmedovernineweeks(andsome
6,000miles)lastsummer,Emilyheads
totheheartofNorthAmerica’sfossil
country– theNorthernGreatPlains,
whichcoversmorethan 180 million
acres,andspansfiveUSstatesandtwo
Canadianprovinces.Here,shejourneys
backintimeandlearnsaboutthe
fossilsbeneathourfeetalongwiththe
rangeofprehistoriccreatures,plants
andecosystemsthatonceexisted,
includingprimitivebacteria,dinosaurs,
ancientfishandmammoths.
Shemeetstheexpertsstudyingthese
prehistoricspeciesandbringingthese
discoveriestolight.Eachepisodelooks
atdifferentgeologicperiods,beginning
billionsofyearsagoandcomingcloser
tothemodernday.Withhergenuine
enthusiasm,andexcellentpuns,Emily
canmakeanytopicaccessibleand fun,
anddoessobrilliantly here.
Megan Shersby

CATCHUPONWTTW.COM

TV

OURWILD WORLD

Prehistoric

Road Trip

Emilygetstogrips

withsauropodsata

quarry in Montana.