Life – Reptiles and Amphibians

Hawaii is unique in that there were no land reptiles or amphibians able to colonize the islands on their own. In the opening sequence of this episode of Life, an aerial camera zooms in on a solitary Komodo dragon (the largest lizard) in the last place on Earth still ruled by reptiles. Komodo dragons hunt water buffalo (ten times their size) by preying on them in the dry season, and stalking it for three weeks while it slowly succumbs to a toxic bite, then stripping the carcass in four hours.

Though they may seem primitive, reptiles and amphibians still thrive thanks to diverse survival strategies. The pebble toad escapes danger by curling into a ball and bouncing down a rock face. The basilisk, nicknamed the Jesus Christ lizard, can literally run on water. Because they run so fast they create a bubble as their feet hit the water and then they push off from this bubble before it bursts. And the Brazilian pygmy gecko is so light it does not break the water’s surface. Extreme slow-motion photography reveals an astonishing image of a chameleon snatching insect prey with its extendible, muscle-propelled tongue. Niue Island sea kraits lay their eggs in a chamber only accessible via an underwater tunnel.

The video shown here is the opening sequence of the previously recorded version narrated by David Attenborough.