DVD BBC Life On Earth Disc 2: Victors of the Dry Land (1979)

BBC Life On Earth Disc 2: Victors of the Dry Land (1979)

Reptiles developed a dry skin and a waterproof covering for their eggs. So equipped, they were able to colonise the driest lands. As they spread across the continents, so they evolved into a multitude of species. Dinosaurs dominated the world. Although they disappeared sixty-five million years ago, their relatives - snakes and lizards - still rule the hot deserts of the world.

Peter's DVD rating: 4.5 stars

David Attenborough examines the reptiles. One minor error: he asserts that reptiles were the first creatures to develop real thirsts; making the common assumption that aquatic organisms don't have to drink, but in fact all marine fishes have to drink constantly in their hypertonic environment. Attenborough's explanation of the extinction of the dinosaurs is also dated; the Chicxulub impact crater that supports a meteorite cause of the extinction has not yet been discovered.

1:20	Marine Iguana (Galapagos)	2:15	Namib Desert Lacertid ? performs "thermal dance" (Namib Desert, Southwest Africa)	3:10	Thorny Devil and Shingleback (Australia)
4:25	Bearded Dragon	4:45	Frilled Lizard (Australia)	5:31	Horned Iguana (West Indies)
5:45	Gecko	6:00	Gecko toes	6:25	Madagascan Gecko camouflaged on bark
6:35	Chameleon	6:45	Earless Dragon (Central Australia)	7:15	Galapagos Tortoise
13:10	Marine Iguana diving (Galapagos)	15:45	Chameleon tongue	16:40	Anolis Lizard displays throat pouch
17:05	Green Iguana male and Green Iguana female (Fiji)	18:00	Galapagos Land Iguana nods to establish dominance	19:00	Galapagos Tortoises mate by internal fertilization
21:20	Skink baby emerging	21:30	Dinosaur fossil egg	23:20	Dinosaur fossils (Utah)
28:50	Triceratops fossil (Badlands, Montana)	34:10	Nile Crocodile gapes to regulate body temperature, but has no lips	39:25	Monitor Lizard raids Crocodile nest
43:35	Blue-tongued Skink (Australia) has small legs	43:40	South African Skink ?	43:55	Common Scaly Foot only has stumps (Australia)
44:10	Amphisbaenid is blind as well as legless	44:30	Pythos and Boas retain spurs	45:15	Puff Adder
45:30	Sidewinder (Southwest Africa)	46:55	Mud Snake catches a Siren (Florida)	47:05	Egg-eating Snake
48:00	Prairie Garter Snakes mate after emerging from communal hibernation.	49:40	Prairie Garter Snake giving birth (Canada)	51:10	Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Western US)
52:10	Blacktail Rattlesnake (Mexico)

1:20 Marine Iguana	2:15 Namib Desert Lacertid ?	3:10 Thorny Devil
3:10 Shingleback	4:25 Bearded Dragon	4:45 Frilled Lizard
5:31 Horned Iguana	5:45 Gecko	6:00 Gecko toes
6:25 Madagascan Gecko	6:35 Chameleon	6:45 Earless Dragon
7:15 Galapagos Tortoise	13:10 Marine Iguana diving	15:45 Chameleon tongue
16:40 Anolis Lizard	17:05 Green Iguana male	17:05 Green Iguana female
18:00 Galapagos Land Iguana	19:00 Galapagos Tortoises mate	21:20 Skink baby emerging
21:30 Dinosaur fossil egg	23:20 Dinosaur fossils	28:50 Triceratops fossil
34:10 Nile Crocodile	39:25 Monitor Lizard	43:35 Blue-tongued Skink
43:40 South African Skink ?	43:55 Common Scaly Foot	44:10 Amphisbaenid
44:30 Pythos and Boas	45:15 Puff Adder	45:30 Sidewinder
46:55 Mud Snake	46:55 Siren	47:05 Egg-eating Snake
48:00 Prairie Garter Snakes	49:40 Prairie Garter Snake giving birth	51:10 Western Diamondback Rattlesnake
52:10 Blacktail Rattlesnake


Index	Jan 12, 2006	Peter Chen