BBC Life On Earth Disc 2: The Invasion of the Land (1979)

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Around 350 million years ago some fish crawled up onto land. Their fins became legs, they breathed with the help of their wet skins and simple lungs. Amphibians - frogs, newts and salamanders - still live this way but their young initially need liquid in which to swim. So some species return to water to lay their eggs. Others keep their eggs moist in mounds of foamy spittle, in pouches on their backs, or even within their throats.
Peter's DVD rating: 5.0 stars
David Attenborough surveys the amphibians in one of the best episodes of the series. Precious footage in this episode include a living Coelacanth, and Golden Toads mating (though again Attenborough does not identify the species, just saying they are "rare" - rare indeed, the Golden Toad became extinct about a decade after this episode was filmed.) Beware: the English subtitle mistakes "Caecilian" for "Sicilians". The Waxy Monkey Frog wins Most Hilarious award. Most amazing shot is the Darwin's Frog giving birth from his mouth - it took the cameraman 104 hours of waiting for this to happen.
1:30 Mudskipper walks in mangrove swamp 2:30 Coelacanth fossil 4:20Modern Coelacanth has lobe fin (Comoro Islands)
6:30 Lungfish in cocoon survives dry season. 9:00 Lungfish has blood-lined pouch to absorb oxygen 10:00 Eustenopteron has bony fin
11:30Ancient Horsetail fossilized into coal 12:30 Amphibian fossil in coal seam 13:45 Japanese Giant Salamander
14:10 Newt 16:30 Newt tadpole 16:50 Axolotl retains its gills (Mexico)
19:25 Caecilian has no limbs (Southeast Asia) 21:00 Goliath Frog (West Africa) 22:35 Flying Frog ? (Costa Rica)
24:20 Holy Cross Toad burrows in sand (Australia) 25:20 Grass Snake ? tries to attack European Toad 26:00 Fire-bellied Toad shows its stomach to predators as warning
27:40 Golden Poison Dart Frogs 28:10 Waxy Monkey Frog ? waxes itself Argentina 30:00 Toad blinks to help swallow prey
30:30 Toad tongue 31:45 Edible Frog call during the day 35:30 Golden Toads mating (Costa Rica)
36:00 European Toads mating frenzy in pond 38:25 Kaieteur Golden Frog hides in minute pool in a leaf (Kaieteur Falls, Potaro River, Guyana) 40:20 African Foam-nest Tree Frog ? lays eggs in foam (Africa)
42:30 Whistling Frog lays eggs on ground (Caribbean) 44:15 Midwife Toad male carries eggs on its legs (Europe) 44:35 Surinam Toad male places eggs on female's back
47:00 South American Marsupial Frog keeps eggs in pouch (Brazil) 47:45Chile: Darwin's Frog males keep eggs in vocal sac 49:00 Darwin's Frog birthing
49:45 African Viviparous Toad ? female gives birth after carrying eggs in oviduct (West Africa) 51:00 Australia Desert Frog ? eating membrane of cocoon (Australia)   
Oxudercinae
1:30 Mudskipper
Latimeria
2:30 Coelacanth fossil
Latimeria
4:20 Coelacanth
LOBE
4:20 lobe fin
Dipnoi
6:30 Lungfish in cocoon
Dipnoi
9:00 Lungfish
Eustenopteron
10:00 Eustenopteron
Equisetum
11:30 Horsetail fossilized into coal
AMPHIBIA
12:30 Amphibian fossil in coal seam
Andrias japonicus
13:45 Japanese Giant Salamander
Salamandridae
14:10 Newt
Salamandridae
16:30 Newt tadpole
Ambystoma mexicanum
16:50 Axolotl
Apoda
19:25 Caecilian
Conraua goliath
21:00 Goliath Frog
Phyllomedusinae
22:35 Flying Frog ?
Notaden benetti
24:20 Holy Cross Toad
Natrix natrix
25:20 Grass Snake ?
Bufo bufo
25:20 European Toad
Bombina bombina
26:00 Fire-bellied Toad
Phyllobates terribilis
27:40 Golden Poison Dart Frogs
Phyllomedusa sauvagii
28:10 Waxy Monkey Frog ? waxes itself
TOAD
30:00 Toad blinks
TOAD
30:30 Toad tongue
Rana kl esculenta
31:45 Edible Frog
Bufo periglenes
35:30 Golden Toads
Bufo bufo
36:00 European Toads
Colostethus beebei
38:25 Kaieteur Golden Frog
Chiromantis rufescens
40:20 African Foam-nest Tree Frog ?
Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides
42:30 Whistling Frog
Alytes
44:15 Midwife Toad
Pipa pipa
44:35 Surinam Toad
Gastrotheca
47:00 South American Marsupial Frog
Rhinoderma darwinii
47:45 Darwin's Frog
Rhinoderma darwinii
49:00 Darwin's Frog birthing
Nectophrynoides
49:45 African Viviparous Toad ?
Neobatrachus
51:00 Australia Desert Frog ?
   

Index Jan 11, 2006 CC BY 4.0 Peter Chen 2.0