Search - Nature: Reptiles on DVD

Nature - Reptiles - Crocodiles & Alligators

Dijon | Brooklyn Center, MN USA | 08/21/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"An excellent edition in a great series of documentaries from PBS. It made me cringe a lot and glad I live in the Midwest, thousands of miles from the nearest of these reptiles. Very entertaining as well as informative. I highly recommend the entire Nature series."

Simply put, this is a fascinating trip through the reptile w

Kyle Tolle | Phoenix, Arizona USA | 09/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Covered in two parts, each one lasting about fifty minutes each, this PBS Nature series does a fine job of exploring the many facets of these reptiles' lives and leaves very little to the imagination.

Part One: Alligators & Crocodiles

Called the ultimate predators and reigning high on the food chain, alligators and crocodiles are evolutionary marvels in both their longevity and the variety of traits that make them unique.

In this first installment, the origins of these reptiles dating back to prehistoric times and moving forward shows the adaptability and survivability that has allowed them to flourish through history. Known as agile and stealthy hunters who attack from an ambush, plenty of video footage is shown of these animals in action and the images are both impressive and sometimes scary in their own right.

Although much is known about alligators and crocodiles today, they continually inspire fear and dread in many. Despite this fact, it's not difficult to be impressed by their abilities especially since it is shown that they are even more intelligent than we give them credit for. Further information covering distinct behaviors, group communication, and hunting and mating techniques round out this first half of the program.

Part Two: Turtles & Tortoises

Having been in existence for millions of years, turtles and tortoises owe their long life spans in part due to their excellent shell design and survival methods perfected over generations of time.

This second half of the program is a good examination of these reptiles covering such topics as feeding habits, evolutionary history, different types of species and their unique characteristics, mating and reproduction facts, and closing with a rewarding segment on rehabilitation and rescue of many of these threatened animals in the world today.

`Nature: Reptiles' can be best described as thorough in regards to its entire coverage of the subject matter and I found this to be a most impressive part of the documentary. As far as being educational and interesting, this program scores high marks in those respects also. Excellent camera work and quality narration compliment this feature from start to finish and I recommended this great PBS production to everyone.
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