David Attenborough reflects on some of his most moving natural encounters

The legendary natural historian has had more direct encounters with wildlife than most people in history. As he turned 99, the Englishman recounts his favorite encounters with marine life, from whales to capuchin monkeys in mangroves. Despite the obstacles the environment faces, Attenborough believes in nature's resilience.

A list of some of the best episodes from David Attenborough's works and where to watch them

From the first steps of the long-eared jerboa—an animal not captured on film before "Life Story"—and bears catching salmon on their upstream pilgrimages to the bioluminescent sea creatures in the trenches of the ocean and Weddell seals giving birth, learn where to see some of the most remarkable moments in Attenborough's catalog.

Watch every episode of David Attenborough's 'Life on Earth' series

A three-year global expedition by Attenborough and his team produced the television series, which debuted in the UK in 1979 and documented over 600 species in 40 countries. The series is estimated to have been seen by over 500 million people in more than 100 territories, including within the US, where is debuted on PBS in 1982.

Watch David Attenborough catching a python on 'Zoo Quest'

The first series, hosted by the famed natural historian, was meant to be presented by Jack Lester, a curator at the London Zoo, who would be documented while they captured wildlife to bring to the institution. Because Lester became ill, Attenborough became the presenter and often participated in the capture of animals, such as snakes.

David Attenborough's career, from managing television programming to natural historian

Throughout his career, Attenborough's storytelling style framed nature as the stage where plants and animals were characters that audiences could connect with and become emotionally attached to. Before the breakout success of "Life on Earth" and working full-time on making programs about the natural world, Attenborough spent a decade in executive roles responsible for overseeing content on BBC channels.

Discussing his early life, David Attenborough describes how his TV career began by chance

Growing up on the University College, Leicester campus, where his father was principal, Attenborough uncovered specimens such as coiled shells in the rocks and limestone of the surrounding Midlands, which sparked his interest in nature. A week after not landing an interview for a radio job he had applied for, Attenborough was offered a position on "a new thing called television."

Listen to the music David Attenborough recorded during his expeditions around the world

During this audio documentary feature, Attenborough plays musical performances by communities he encountered while producing natural history series, including Gamelan orchestras in Bali, palace music in Tonga, and Aboriginal didgeridoo players. With each recording, he provides anecdotes about when it was made, decades ago.

A conversation with David Attenborough about his work, from his narrative style to technology

Although he began working in television before owning a television set, gaining experience as a producer in the editing room helped Attenborough develop an insight into creating engaging content with less dialogue. Among the technologies pioneered during his career were stabilized cameras for aerial shots, infrared and microphotography, and waterproof electronics for underwater cameras.

The history of David Attenborough's adopted Jewish sisters, taken in before World War II

Among the thousands of children who were brought to Great Britain from Nazi-controlled Europe during the Kindertransport rescue operation were Irene and Helga Bejach, who spent seven years living with the Attenboroughs. Irene contributed to David's interest in the natural world by giving him a piece of amber containing prehistoric creatures.

For 'Secret Lives of Orangutans,' David Attenborough became the oldest Emmy Award winner

In 2025, won the Outstanding Daytime Personality, Non-Daily category at 99 for his work documenting a group of apes in the jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia. The previous record had been held by Dick Van Dyke, who won at 98 for his guest appearance on "Days of Our Lives" in 2024. (Some readers may experience a paywall.)

View some of the species named after David Attenborough

Acisoma attenboroughi is a dragonfly from Madagascar named in honor of Attenborough's 90th birthday. Stating they liked watching Attenborough's documentaries with their family, the discoverer of a flightless weevil from Indonesia named it Trigonopterus attenboroughi in 2014. A Peruvian frog was named Prisimantis attenboroughi in 2014 to honor Attenborough for raising awareness of wildlife conservation.

Read 10 of the best quotes about nature from David Attenborough

From reflecting on the interconnectedness of life and humanity's shared responsibility to protect biodiversity to the power of young people in driving change and understanding nature's beauty and importance, this list highlights some of the most noteworthy things said by the famed natural historian.

Why David Attenborough was skeptical about global warming before bringing attention to it

Believing he was "experiencing the untouched natural world" in his early documentary series, Attenborough has admitted that many of his assumptions about human action were incorrect. It was not until attending a 2004 lecture on greenhouse gases and global temperatures that he became convinced of the science.

David Attenborough discusses creationism and his position as an agnostic

Attenborough argues that accounts of humanity's origins from different cultures cannot all be correct because they often differ, whereas geological records are consistent worldwide, meaning science provides the best understanding of the natural world. However, he acknowledges that, just as insects lack awareness of human goings-on, humans may be unaware of the existence of a deity.

David Attenborough received the 2021 Champions of the Earth Lifetime Achievement Award

The UN's highest environmental honor celebrated Attenborough as "one of the leading voices of the global environmental movement." For at least four decades, he collaborated with the UN Environment Programme by advocating for "efforts to counter the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and pollution" and addressing "world leaders at the UN Climate Change Conference" in 2021.

Watch a digital archive of David Attenborough's 'Planet Earth' miniseries

Created over five years, the production was the first documentary series to be filmed in high definition and, when released in 2006, the BBC's most expensive nature documentary series. The Emmy Award-winning series featured 11 episodes, each focused on a different Earth biome.

Watch David Attenborough's documentary on bioluminescent creatures, which have been observed using light for hunting, mating, communication, and self-defense, and number in the thousands of species.

See a wild bear observe fellow bears at the zoo

At the Sequoia Park Zoo in California, a wild bear visited the bear enclosure to see three bears in captivity. Zookeepers referred to him as a "polite visitor," adding, "He stayed on the boardwalk path, kept two feet on the ground, and didn't try to climb over the railings!"

Explore a searchable database of David Attenborough's works to learn where to watch any of the almost 5,000 episodes he has presented across 90 series.

The BAFTAs won by David Attenborough, the only person to win across five visual display formats

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts awarded the naturalist for programming in black and white, color, high definition, 3D, and 4K resolution, starting with his first BAFTA in 1961. The VR film "David Attenborough's Great Barrier Reef" also won a BAFTA for London-based Alchemy VR in the Digital Creativity category.

Chimpanzees are dying from human colds

For some great apes, the threat of human-borne diseases outweighs poaching or habitat loss. This article details the danger of reverse zoonoses, which refers to diseases that spread from humans to animals.

Researches have found that various monkeys have pet-like relationships with other species.

Wild chimpanzees have been spotted with leprosy lesions

In research published in 2021, scientists reported discovering cases of leprosy in wild chimpanzees from Guinea-Bissau and the Ivory Coast—marking the first time the disease has been found in any nonhuman species in Africa. They confirmed that leprosy was the cause of the deformities by testing the animals' poop for the presence of the disease-causing bacteria.

River dolphins manhandle an unlucky anaconda

The natural world around us is endlessly inspiring, and fascinating, and often very odd too: like when researchers snapped a photo of Bolivian river dolphins swimming around with a Beni anaconda snake in their mouths, for example.

Charles Darwin studied goose bumps by scaring zoo animals in London with a stuffed snake

Read the famous naturalist’s work from the late 1800s, detailing how he sought to draw comparisons between how animals and humans respond to fear. As part of that work, he exposed monkeys and a peccary to a stuffed snake and noted the animals’ hair-raising fear response.

In 2018, BBC crews filming emperor penguins decided to break their 'no intervention' rule and save the trapped animals from freezing with their young.

Watch how wild animals are projected into a mall

Centered around a dynamic, ever-changing watering hole, the experience allows you to meet a diverse range of animals from Africa to the Arctic as they graze, drink, and interact with the environment around them.

See ceremonial photographs from David Attenborough's second knighthood

After being granted the title of Knight Bachelor by Queen Elizabeth II in 1985, he was appointed the upgraded rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in 2022 by then-Prince Charles on behalf of the Queen.

Take a virtual tour of the Royal Research Ship named after David Attenborough

Operated by the British Antarctic Survey, the RRS Sir David Attenborough and its onboard tools and laboratories have investigated the biogeochemical cycles of the Southern Ocean, the stability of Greenland's ice shelves, and the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems. One of the ship's autonomous underwater vehicles was named Boaty McBoatface based on the results of a naming poll from the Natural Environment Research Council.

Across the animal kingdom, parenting can include adults carrying their young, providing their bodies for sustenance, searching for food and shelter for their children, and separating siblings who may eat one another.

Memos detailing the shows David Attenborough commissioned, including Monty Python

From 1965 to 1972, Attenborough was on a trajectory to become the BBC's next director-general while serving as Controller and Director of Programs, overseeing what would air on television. "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and "Pot Black," which popularized the cue sport of snooker in the UK, were among the eclectic mix of shows he commissioned.

Baby monkeys chose a soft, warm doll over a wire one with food

Harry Harlow performed controversial experiments with newborn monkeys, separating them from their mothers and letting them bond with stand-in mother figures made from either wire or figures covered in cloth—both with monkey-like faces. The work investigated touch, bonding, and attachment, and found that monkeys overwhelmingly preferred the cloth dolls over the wire ones in various stressful situations.

What ancient goat teeth reveal about ancient human-animal relationships

About 4,000 years ago, several goats with terrible teeth managed to outlive their better-teethed brethren. With such intense dental damage, the goats were likely fed higher-quality feed than the more dentally gifted herd members, a dietary shift that would've contributed to the difference in life span. These goat teeth underscore the hard truth that humans may inflict harm on the animals they care about most, regardless of intention.