A Century of David Attenborough

"“Many of us might never have bothered with such bountifulness, or thought ourselves likely candidates to be gripped by it,” Lane writes, “were it not for the single human who brought it to our attention.”"

"“The Trials of Life” (1990) showed orcas deliberately beaching themselves on a Patagonian shore so that they could snatch a sea lion and retreat to the open sea. But they didn't immediately eat their prey. They tossed it around for a lark, 'exulting in triumph,' as Attenborough said. So, now we knew: killer whales could be player whales, too. The sequence left us pondering our pet cats and, for good measure, our worst selves."

"“Attenborough shows were appointment viewing in my household, and, in recollection, the episodes tend to blend together-one big comforting compendium of life on the green/blue/frozen planet. Still, one memory stands out: settling down with my parents, as an adolescent, to watch the mating ritual of the leopard slug-a scene from Episode 1 of 'Life in the Undergrowth' (2005). Onscreen, one hermaphroditic slug lays a trail of special-tasting slime for another to follow; nose to tail, they glide up to an ove"

David Attenborough’s wildlife broadcasting brought the natural world’s abundance into familiar living spaces for viewers in the United Kingdom and worldwide. His career spans more than seventy years, from early black-and-white programs to later revolutionary wildlife documentaries. He continues working, with a recent series about the secrets of British gardens running on the BBC. Viewers remember specific scenes that revealed surprising animal behaviors, such as killer whales deliberately beaching to catch prey and then playing with it. Other memorable moments include intimate observations of mating rituals, such as leopard slugs leaving trails of special-tasting slime for partners to follow. These images connect audiences to life on land, sea, and ice.

Read at The New Yorker