In pictures: Life in the Undergrowth
-
Sir David Attenborough returns to BBC One screens with a new series revealing the miniature universe of invertebrates. (©BBC/Keith Brust) -
Using the latest cameras, Sir David takes viewers into the realm of insects and their allies. For every human, there are 1.6 billion invertebrates – and we are dependent on their existence. (©BBC/Kathryn Booth) -
Sir David relates some amazing life stories, such as that of the leopard slug. It has a truly bizarre end to its marathon mating ritual. Both male and female slugs inflate huge blue penises and later lay eggs. (©BBC/Glen Carruthers) -
The series studies insect flight. In Hungary, we see the mass emergence of mayflies. As larvae, they spend two years feeding and growing underwater. When it is time for them to reproduce, they take to the air and race to find a mate. (©BBC/JL Szentpeteri) -
It is a series of incredible colour and beauty, such as iridescent butterflies, rainbow spider webs and bright red millipedes. "If the invertebrates were to disappear, the land’s ecosystems would collapse," says Sir David. (©BBC/Peter Bassett) -
No series on invertebrates would be complete without a section on spiders. The common wolf spider has no web, but the female is a gentle parent who encases her eggs in a silken bundle which she carries wherever she goes. (©BBC/JL Szentpeteri) -
One of the most remarkable creatures featured is the giant bat-eating centipede. This formidable predator lives in caves in Venezuela and can grow to 33cm long. The method of attack has been filmed for the first time. (©BBC/Tim Green) -
A velvet worm squirting glue to entrap its prey. "We've got tiny, tiny lenses which we can put on the end of a fibre-optic cable and get up close and tight. When you do that you see mind-blowing things," says Sir David. (©R Clarke/John Downer Prod.)