Plot Synopsis

Hosted by ecologist Chris Morgan, this three-episode series delves into the amazing flexibility animal architects display, the clever choices they make, and the ingenious ways they deal with troublesome habitats. Whether it is a bird's nest, bear den, beaver lodge or spider web, these are homes of great complexity, constructed from a wide range of natural as well as man-made materials. Throughout the seires, Morgan evaluates and deconstructs animal abodes, their materials, location, neighborhood and aesthetics. In addition to opening the doors of animal homes in the wild, he's also in studio showing examples of the incredible diversity of nests and their strength, even trying his hand at building a few. Plus, ANIMAL HOMES features a blend of CGI, animation, CT scans and signature blueprint graphics to highlight engineering principles inside the structures. A variety of cameras, including tiny HD versions, capture unprecedented views inside animal homes without disturbing natural behavior. When appropriate, filmmakers shoot behaviors in slow motion and use infrared and time lapse to reveal how animals create their structures over time and through the seasons. This series, which aired as episodes of NATURE, was filmed both in the U.S. and abroad. The U.S. locations include the Connecticut coast (ospreys and saltmarsh sparrows), North Carolina (ducks), Hawaii (albatross), outside Burlington, Vermont (ravens), Maryland (black bears) and Jackson Hole, Wyoming (beavers).