David Attenborough's Madagascar

Like nowhere else on Earth, the mystery and magic of Madagascar leaves a vivid impression on all those who visit, and none more so than David Attenborough. Fifty years ago, Sir David went to film on the island for the early wildlife TV series Zoo Quest. With several return visits over the intervening years for numerous TV productions, the country and its wildlife has continued to capture both his and his audience's imagination. This video clip collection pulls together some of the best moments from those Madagascar films, captured over a time that has seen great changes both to the island itself and in wildlife film-making.

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63 video clips in this collection

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View all 63 video clips

Animals in this collection

  • An aye-aye holding on to a tree Aye-aye

    Aye-ayes are the largest nocturnal primate in the world.

  • Close up on the head of a Dumeril's boa Boas and pythons

    Pythons and boas are constrictors - snakes which kill their prey by suffocation rather...

  • Silhouette of an Oustalet's chameleon Chameleons

    Chameleons are famed for their ability to change colour, though not all species can.

  • Crowned lemur sitting on a branch Crowned lemur

    The only place crowned lemurs can be found is in the dry forests of northern Madagascar...

  • The extinct flightless elephant bird lived in Madagascar until around the 16th century. Elephant birds

    Madagascar's giant, flightless elephant birds were once a common sight on the island,...

  • Close-up of a fossa Fossa

    Fossas are the largest carnivores in Madagascar.

  • A group of male moor frogs Frogs and toads

    Frogs and toads are the most diverse and widespread of the three amphibian orders.

  • Male Labord's chameleon on a branch in a Madagascan forest Labord's chameleon

    Labord's chameleon has a unique and extreme 'live fast, die young' life cycle whose...

  • A gecko on a leaf Geckos

    Geckos are small lizards famous for their ability to walk up walls and other sheer...

  • Giraffe-necked weevil on a leave in Madagascar Giraffe weevil

    The curious-looking giraffe weevil gets its name from its enormously long neck, which is...

  • Giant striped mongoose foraging at night Giant-striped mongoose

    Restricted to the inhospitable, spiny desert of southwestern Madagascar, giant-striped...

  • Grey mouse lemur on branch in spiny forest at night Grey mouse lemur

    The beautiful little grey mouse lemur is full of quirky contradictions: it's the largest...

  • Dancing white lady spider 'dancing' in defensive threat display on sand dune Huntsman spiders

    Members of the 1000 species strong huntsman spider family frequently reach...

  • Indri in a tree Indri

    Indris are endangered, tree-dwelling lemurs native to Madagascar.

  • Alaotran gentle lemur portrait Lac Alaotra gentle lemur

    The critically endangered Lac Alaotra gentle lemur has one of the most restricted ranges...

  • A coelacanth swims over the seabed Coelacanths

    Coelacanths are living fossils.

  • Ring-tailed lemur group sitting on the ground Lemurs

    Lemurs are an old group of primates which evolved in near isolation after Madagascar...

  • Madame Berthe's mouse lemur on a branch in Madagascan forest at night Madame Berthe's mouse lemur

    The minute Madame Berthe's mouse lemur is believed to be the world's smallest living...

  • A giant millipede Millipedes

    Millipedes are a common class of arthropod with over 10,000 named species.

  • Portrait of a russet mouse lemur holding on to a branch Mouse lemurs

    Mouse lemurs, like all the other lemurs, are native to Madagascar.

  • Radiated tortoise from Madagascar, Africa Radiated tortoise

    With brilliant yellow lines radiating from the centre of each shell plate, radiated...

  • Red ruffed lemur curled around a tree branch Red ruffed lemur

    Contrasting coat colours make the red ruffed lemur one of the most beautiful lemurs.

  • A ring-tailed lemur Ring-tailed lemur

    Ring-tailed lemurs are the most easily recognisable of all the lemur species, they're...

  • Silky sifaka lemur hanging to a tree branch in Marojejy National Park, Sambava, Madagascar Silky sifaka

    With a population that may number fewer than 1,000, silky sifakas are one of the rarest...

  • A yellow streaked tenrec in Madagascar Tenrecs

    Tenrecs are a remarkable family of mammals that has recently been shown to share a...

  • Satanic leaf-tailed gecko on forest floor Flat-tailed geckos

    Flat-tailed geckos are some of Madagascar's most unusual creatures.

  • Verreaux's sifaka clinging to a branch Verreaux's sifaka

    Verreaux's sifakas are tree-dwelling lemurs of the Madagascan forests.

Plants in this collection

  • Tanzania at dusk with baobab trees Baobabs

    Baobabs are trees recognisable by their distinctive swollen stems.

Habitats in this collection

  • Coral reefs off of Fiji Reefs

    Reefs have existed since at least the Cambrian, although the familiar coral-dominated,...

  • The rainforest of Borneo Rainforest

    Rainforests are the world's powerhouses, the most vital habitats on the planet.

Adaptations in this collection

  • A hidden stargazer fish looking out of the sand Camouflage

    Camouflage is the art of not being seen, practised by predators, prey and plants.

  • Dry tolerant

    Dry tolerant plants and animals are able to cope with conditions where water is hard to...

  • Orchid flower from Papua New Guinea Flowering

    Flowering is definitely the most successful plant reproductive strategy and has opened...

  • A chimpanzee making a pant hoot call Acoustic communication

    Acoustic communication is the sending and receiving of messages using sound.

  • Kangaroo hopping over dry grassland Adapted to jumping

    Jumping is a method some animals have evolved to get around efficiently.

  • Juvenile lammergeier with meat in its beak and a griffon vulture attempting to steal it Kleptoparasitic

    Kleptoparasitic animals are thieves and bandits.

  • Tadpole sitting on a leaf Metamorphosis

    Metamorphosis is when a species changes body shape and structure at a particular point...

  • A red-fronted brown lemur climbs on a tree at night Nocturnal

    Nocturnal animals are primarily active at night rather than during daylight hours.

  • Red-eared turtle hatching out of its egg Egg layer

    Oviparous animals lay eggs, inside which the young then develop before hatching occurs.

  • Andean emerald hummingbird feeding at a yellow flower Pollinator

    Pollinators carry pollen from plant to plant and, often unwittingly, play a crucial role...

  • Cold tolerant

    Cold tolerant organisms have evolved various methods for coping with very low...

  • Common zebra showing the Flehmen response to scent Chemical communication

    Chemical communication is all about taste and smell.

  • Banded mongoose foraging for parasites on skin of a warthog Symbiotic

    Symbiosis is a relationship between two organisms that's beneficial to one (commensal)...

  • Two male gemsbok antelopes clash head on Territorial

    Territorial animals actively defend the area in which they live and more importantly on...

  • Fiddler crab showing off its enlarged claw in the mangroves Visual communication

    Visual communication transmits information to others through shape, colour and movement...

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