The Ultimate Guide To

Birds of prey are born for the hunt - every part of their anatomy, from eyes to talons, works together to create an efficient instrument of pursuit and capture.

Peaceful, friendly, intelligent beings that swim as if the owned the sea, dolphins have long evoked our affection and fascination, but we know little about them. Ultimate Guide takes a fresh look at the world of the dolphins and meets up with scientists who are deepening our understanding of them.

This program explores the world of the Octopus - weird and alien creatures very different from man. Strange but extremely intriguing. Do they have personalities? Why are they so captivating? And frightening?

The largest creatures that ever lived and yet exquisitely graceful mammals, whales can dive a mile into the depths of the ocean. Learn about their past, discover their successes and failures, see startling comparisons of size and speed in this reference to the world's greatest living creatures.

Let's face it--snakes are cool. Even though most of us don't want to get too close to these limbless wonders, we still can't help but find them fascinating, and the Discovery Channel lets us explore their world with The Ultimate Guide: Snakes. Through close-up photography, computer graphics, and interviews with herpetologists, we meet the deadly bushmaster, the mesmerizing cobra, and their poor American cousin the rattlesnake. Learn about odd niches in the animal kingdom as you meet the tiny blind snake and the giant anaconda, each staking out its own unique territory. Eating, hiding, and reproduction are all important problems, and snakes have found some ingenious solutions.

Viewers who loved Jaws or those just wanting to learn more about these often fearsome creatures will enjoy this Discovery Channel video. It features such frightening animals as the goblin shark and the prehistoric-looking Greenland shark. The photography is both breathtaking and gripping. View such animals as the tiger, hammerhead, nurse, and wobbegong sharks. One man on this video even shares his harrowing account of surviving an attack by a Great White. He is now an authority on these mysterious creatures that often seem as curious about people as people are about them. This popular video provides helpful information about where some of the most dangerous sharks tend to gather around the world.

They can live for a century, wait a year between meals, and deliver 16 tons of crushing force with their jaws. Is it any wonder the ancient Egyptians revered the crocodile? Examine the unique talents - including infrasonic communication and suspended animation - that make the world's largest reptile such a tenacious predator and survivor.

They can outrun a race horse and swim sixty miles. Discover the astonishing real life of the diverse, highly adapted bear family and its wide range of habitats.

All the ants on earth put together would weigh as much as all the humans. Older than the dinosaurs, they are the rulers of the small places of our planet. With over ten thousand known species, and perhaps as many not yet discovered, ants display some of the most amazing adaptations in the natural world. With its trademark computer animations, The Ultimate Guide reveals the marvels of ant anatomy and, with stunning microphotography, takes viewers into their realm.

At times, dogs appear to move and react like wild animals. Yet they are, by definition, domesticated. In perhaps only fourteen thousand years, humans have modified and manipulated a single species to create more than four hundred breeds. But for all their variety of appearance, all dogs are simply mutations of their closest ancestral relative, the wolf. How did the dog come to be so successfully domesticated from its wild ancestors? Dr. Rodney Honeycutt discusses the genetics of domestication and some of the special qualities of the dog, such as its phenomenal senses of hearing, smell, and taste. A survey of strange and wonderful breeds of dogs is presented, from dogs that whistle to dogs that sing, and the vulpines (foxes) which can climb trees. Also, some of the unique jobs of dogs are explored, from sniffing out termites, to herding goats and finding missing persons.

Enter the elephant's world and discover provocative evidence that this intelligent beast has feelings and even a sense of humor!

Covering the domestic cat in great detail, The Ultimate Guide: House Cats is both informative and humorous. Illustrated in detail are how man and cats have become companions over the last 4,000 years and how the cat has never really been domesticated even though we think they've been. The familiar Ultimate Guide techniques are used to demonstrate why they can see in the dark, why they can jump so high and why they land on their feet. Also, explore a house with a 150 foot cat path that runs through the entire house, hanging from the ceiling.

The Earth is giving up its secrets: Mummies, people immortalized by ancient science or nature's whim, bodies that have hardly decomposed. Each one is an archaeological bonanza no matter how incomplete. Anthropologists pick over them inch by inch for the information they contain. Their preserved remains give us clues across millennia, silent witnesses that speak through their clothes, skin, and fingernails, telling us truths about the past, and giving up secrets long forgotten and what they are saying could help shape the future.

The great apes - ingenious, clever, perceptive - are the closest thing humans have to living relatives. These thoughtful and creative tool users continue to surprise researchers with their exhibitions of self-awareness and an apparent ability to reach into the minds of others. Explore the striking physical features, evolution, social structure, habitat, and communication skills of the great apes. Computer graphics, 3-D animation, and spectacular wildlife film footage give a detailed look at the lives of these endangered mammals. Scientists discuss the genealogy and evolution of the apes, as well as providing facts and stories about the unique qualities of these creatures who so closely resemble humans. Narrated by Will Lyman.

Using the latest satellite imagery and 3D graphic animation, trade-winds, tornadoes, lightning, monsoon, and hurricanes are examined in detail. From the aurora borealis to the bizarre downpouring of fish and frogs, we learn that the earth's atmosphere is a delicate and ever-changing environment. Finally we delve into the past to discover how earth's volcanic origins helped create weather as we know it.

Modern submarines, enormous ships that are self-contained wonders of technology, are able to produce oxygen and water for their occupants. They are equipped with their own power plants, and feature sophisticated food service, entertainment facilities, firefighting stations, and a place for worship. Ultimate Guide: Submarines demonstrates how the submarine has developed since its first appearance in the Revolutionary War. In addition, scientists are harnessing the power of submarine-like vehicles to investigate the depths of the oceans.

Examine clues to the lives of ancient societies from the most awesome of man-made structures - pyramids. Combining extreme mass with astonishing precision, pyramids overshadowed all other man-made structures for 4,000 years, yet they were built with simple tools made of wood and stone. From broken bones to cracked codes, The Ultimate Guide: Pyramids profiles the science behind these fascinating structures, while examining the powerful societies that produced them. From the religious rites of the Egyptians to chilling sacrificial practices of the Mayans and Aztecs, explore the pyramid's pivotal role in civilization.

Take a look at the latest volcanic survey data and marvel at the frightening number of volcanoes heating up around the world. Is this a simple, geological coincidence, or the sign of some larger, potentially deadly pattern at work? Join one group of scientists as they reveal a number of cutting-edge theories to explain the sudden surge in volcanic activity. Then, watch as they put those theories to the test at the summit of smoldering Mount Tungurahua in Ecuador. It's a high-stakes game of man versus the mountain; because if any of these theories prove correct, they could help forecast future volcanic activity and save lives all over the planet.

Exploring the life of the powerful and majestic horse, the program features beautiful footage of horses in running packs, horses being born, horses gently grazing, and more. Expert commentary provides an educational overview of the dynamic creature, its life cycle and daily habits.