ANIMAL HOMES – NATURAL BORN ENGINEERS

This episode focuses on nests as an architectural and engineering marvel and the center of family life, reproduction, the raising of offspring, and the defense of the family. Most nests are built for one season, though some are refurbished year after year and can last for generations. As animals build with local materials, every nest is rich with evidence of its location. Presenter Chris Morgan tries to build a bird nest from branches, twigs and other parts of plants. Then, he meets with an engineer who puts Chris' nest to the test in his laboratory - with crushing results...

In this part, we will plunge deeper into the topic of location. A place that is safe, where it is possible to hunt and gather food, and which offers a secure start for the offspring isn’t found easily. we investigate the homes of the most successful natural landscape architect - the Beaver. For a bird nest, a tree seems a common location - but in the case of the Hooded merganser it's not the treetop: we witness a mother, making her nest in a cave in a tree trunk that has been created, perhaps by squirrels or racoons - and shaped by generations of Hooded merganser moms.

This episode investigates colonial homes in which animals live in dense concentrations - and where millions of individuals struggle to make a living. We explore what's going on in the Puffins' underground burrows and in the dense veils of sticky spiderwebbing draping down through Ecuador’s jungle trees. Gopher tortoises build their residences underground – and will soon have company: to find shelter against forest fires, rattlesnakes and rabbits, frogs and mice are relying on the tortoise and its underground homes. By sending tiny cameras into this remarkable compound, we experience a world unseen before.