Secret Nature (2004) - Season 1 Episodes and Ratings

Over the 120 million years of their evolution snakes have developed from lizard-like creatures to the most deadly assassins imaginable; discover the secret nature of these killer reptiles.

All spiders are carnivores and they have come up with a bewildering number of different ways to catch a prey. Most impressive of all is their ability to produce one of the strongest natural materials known - silk. And they have learned to use it for a variety of purposes, from building protective nests for their offspring to weaving elaborate traps and even deadly weapons to kill their next meal.

There's no two ways about it, flies disgust us. They bite us in our sleep, contaminate our foot, and spread diseases. But love-them or loath-them, flies have vital roles to play. So become a fly on the wall as Secret Nature spies on Incredible Flies.

We embark on a journey of the Planet of the Ants to witness the massacre of an army ant raid, to examine the intricate relationship between acacia ants and their host tree, and to marvel at the architectural prowess of weaver ants. Incredibly detailed photography bring the ants up close and personal, allowing us a glimpse of a secret world all around us.

The game of life takes on new dimensions when you play with the killers of the skies. Birds of Prey make up 10% of all bird species. They're designed to deal the card of death with speed, stealth and surprise. They're at the pinnacle of aeronautical design, adapted and refined into a huge range of killing machines.

Incredible macro photography brings us closer to the world of beetles, and takes us on a tour of dramas and life-stories normally almost too small for the human eye to follow. It unravels secret goings-on even in our own houses, gardens and parks, a myriad of trials and tribulations that take place all around us in Beetle Mania.

Butterfly's lives are incredible; by separating one life into a creature that feeds and another that breeds, butterflies and caterpillars avoid competition and can concentrate on what they do best: they're the Supermodels of the animal world; strutting their stuff from Caterpillar to Catwalk.

Amazing photography unravels the mysteries of frog life, following the development from egg to aquatic tadpole to fully-functioning frog or toad. The trials and tribulations of these amphibian battles against their environment and predators are brought to life as we witness the struggles of frogs and toads to Spawn to be Wild.

Plants are in a constant battle for survival. Their need to breed and feed has driven their evolution. Many couldn't survive without animals. They're hired as messengers, carriers of pollen. or provide meat to satisfy their hunger for flesh. Plants lives are more erotic and violent than you might think; we're talking, Flower Power.

Stunning macro photography reveals the secrets behind life at the surface of the sea. It is a journey into an unknown world where life and death is governed by the moods of the sea, where animals and plants live by riding the ocean currents. Stunning images tell the story of the world of the Ocean Drifters.

Mankind prides itself on being the most adept builder in the animal kingdom, and we're ingenious when it comes to finding new ways of transforming our world. But the essence of architecture has changed little since the dawn of civilisation.

Bees are not only impressive because they have given rise to complex societies - they are also absolutely essential for life on Earth as we know it by pollinating flowering plants. Incredible macro photography unravels secret goings-on even in our own gardens, fields and parks where life revolves around flowers when you're as Busy as a Bee.