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

Index
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.jpg
1:30 Mudskipper
Latimeria-fossil.jpg
2:30 Coelacanth fossil
Latimeria.jpg
4:20 Coelacanth
LOBE-FIN.JPG
4:20 lobe fin
Dipnoi-cocoon.jpg
6:30 Lungfish in cocoon
Dipnoi.jpg
9:00 Lungfish
Eustenopteron.jpg
10:00 Eustenopteron
Equisetum.jpg
11:30 Horsetail fossilized into coal
AMPHIBIA.JPG
12:30 Amphibian fossil in coal seam
Andrias_japonicus.jpg
13:45 Japanese Giant Salamander
Salamandridae.jpg
14:10 Newt
Salamandridae-tadpole.jpg
16:30 Newt tadpole
Ambystoma_mexicanum.jpg
16:50 Axolotl
Apoda.jpg
19:25 Caecilian
Conraua_goliath.jpg
21:00 Goliath Frog
Phyllomedusinae.jpg
22:35 Flying Frog ?
Notaden_benetti.jpg
24:20 Holy Cross Toad
Natrix_natrix.jpg
25:20 Grass Snake ?
Bufo_bufo.jpg
25:20 European Toad
Bombina_bombina.jpg
26:00 Fire-bellied Toad
Phyllobates_terribilis.jpg
27:40 Golden Poison Dart Frogs
Phyllomedusa_sauvagii.jpg
28:10 Waxy Monkey Frog ? waxes itself
TOAD-BLINK.JPG
30:00 Toad blinks
TOAD-TONGUE.JPG
30:30 Toad tongue
Rana_kl_esculenta.jpg
31:45 Edible Frog
Bufo_periglenes.jpg
35:30 Golden Toads
Bufo_bufo-mate.jpg
36:00 European Toads
Colostethus_beebei.jpg
38:25 Kaieteur Golden Frog
Chiromantis_rufescens.jpg
40:20 African Foam-nest Tree Frog ?
Eleutherodactylus_cystignathoides.jpg
42:30 Whistling Frog
Alytes.jpg
44:15 Midwife Toad
Pipa_pipa.jpg
44:35 Surinam Toad
Gastrotheca.jpg
47:00 South American Marsupial Frog
Rhinoderma_darwinii.jpg
47:45 Darwin's Frog
Rhinoderma_darwinii-birth.jpg
49:00 Darwin's Frog birthing
Nectophrynoides.jpg
49:45 African Viviparous Toad ?
Neobatrachus.jpg
51:00 Australia Desert Frog ?
   
Index Jan 11, 2006 copyleft Peter Chen