Plot Synopsis

Host David Attenborough looks at the unique and constantly changing landscape and wildlife of various regions of Africa. Each one-hour episode highlights a different area, including: "Kalahari," located in Africa's ancient southwest corner, where water is in short supply but these deserts are somehow full of life, including black rhinos, ordinarily a very stubborn and solitary animal, that gather at the last great watering hole; "Savannah," the eastern part of the continent, where creatures must adapt as the region turns from wet to dry or cold to hot and filmmakers documented giant eagles stalking the largest mammal migration in the world; "Congo," in the heart of Africa, which is home to more species of plants and animals than any other place on this continent, including a teenage chimp with a sweet tooth using as many as four different tools to hunt for honey; "Cape," at the southern tip of the continent, which would be a desert if not for two great ocean currents and is home to Mozambique's newly discovered "Google Rainforest"; and "Sahara," in the northern part of Africa and covering one third of the continent, where some creatures, like the naked mole rat, avoid the heat by living a bizarre, underground existence. This series filmed a number of species, locations and behaviors for the first time, including: lizards in Serengeti, Tanzania, hunting for flies on the backs of sleeping lions; the nesting behavior of a shoebill, a bird that practices siblicide; a drongo manipulating a pack of meerkats with fake calls to snatch their meal; Dragon's Breath Cave, where experts found the largest underground lake in the world and where they discovered the world's rarest and most isolated species -- the golden cave catfish; and many more incredible filming firsts. Plus, the production team spent 1,598 days on location across 79 separate expeditions in 27 countries, while utilizing 21 different types of cameras to shoot more than 2,000 hours of footage. Discovery aired the U.S. premiere of this series on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 10pm ET. Two-and-a-half years later after the show's U.S. premiere, BBC America aired the network premiere of this series on Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at 9pm ET/PT, showing the program with a new title, PLANET EARTH: AFRICA.