The Secret Lives of Animals on Apple TV Plus sees Hugh Bonneville talks us through some of the cleverest behaviour in the animal kingdom. Having hung around with a certain bear from Peru for a while, Paddington star Hugh may have learnt a thing about animal behaviour. And now, he’s narrating this stunning wildlife series that highlights some of the planet’s most incredible creatures. With some behaviours caught on camera for the first time, we experience everything from turtle hatchings chatting while they are still inside their eggs and an orbweaver spider that makes a self-portrait puppet to deter predators.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Apple Plus nature series The Secret Lives of Animals…
The Secret Lives of Animals release date
The Secret Lives of Animals is a 10-part documentary series that will launch worldwide on Apple TV+ from December 18 2024.
Is there a trailer?
Yes you can see all the wonders of nature and hear Hugh Bonneville's narration of The Secret Lives of Animals in the trailer below....
Narrator Hugh Bonneville on what happens in The Secret Lives of Animals
Filmed over three years, The Secret Lives of Animals showcases the ingenuity of the natural world. It shows never-before-seen behaviour and highlights animal intelligence across the world. There’s even a tale of an unlikely friendship between a dotted humming frog and a burrowing tarantula.
The Secret Lives of Animals shows anecdotal moments in the life cycles of 77 different species, following them as they leave home for the first time, find partners, raise families and protect themselves from danger.
"Animals do the smartest things through every stage in their lives,’ says Hugh Bonneville. "This is a world beyond imagination, where fish can fly, lizards walk on water, apes master tools and frogs disappear in plain sight.’"
Incredibly the frog Hugh is referring to can hide on a leaf, tricking a snake’s sharp senses by packing 90 per cent of its blood cells into its liver and shrinking its organs to a third of their normal size so its imprint on the leaf essentially disappears.
And the frog is not the only magician in the animal kingdom as we also meet a cyclosa spider that sculpts a supersized model of itself onto a web to detract predators. We watch as a young elephant uses skills passed down through its family to judge the current and make a death-defying journey across the swollen Zambezi River, somehow avoiding the mighty Victoria falls.
"He’s become one of an elite group of elephants that has worked out how to cross this river," says Hugh.
Elsewhere, there’s a sun bear that uses basketweaving techniques to build a bed and a wood mouse that makes its own signposts to ensure it doesn’t lose its burrow in a vast, featureless field. We also see how vervet monkeys have developed a highly complicated alarm system that tells the troupe exactly which predator is close by and whether they should stand tall, run into the trees or seek cover from an aerial threat.
"Vervets have three different alarm calls, each triggering a different life-saving reaction," says Hugh. "These monkeys have learnt that communication saves lives. The lengths animals go to to protect themselves is truly mind-blowing. They know when to stand their ground, when to run and hide and when to use brain over brawn. When your life is on the line it takes great intelligence to outsmart the enemy and survive."
The Secret Lives of Animals and episode guide
Here's a brief guide to all 10 episodes of The Secret Lives of Animals...
Episode 1: Leaving Home
A seal sets out on his own too soon and faces an epic battle with the ocean. A lizard and a fish defy gravity to find their next destinations.
Episode 2: Raising a Family
To feed her babies, a chimp crafts a termite fishing rod. Meerkats back each other up when danger comes calling.
Episode 3: Protecting Yourself
Vanishing in plain sight, a frog leaves a snake bewildered. An octopus adopts new armor. A spider constructs a dazzling decoy.
Episode 4: Home Making
A cockatoo finds a unique way to tell his mate he’s found their new spot. A sun bear assembles his own treetop mattress.
Episode 5: Finding Food
Dolphins master the art of fishing on land. A mantis shape-shifts to catch her prey. Crows rely on cars to crack nuts.
Episode 6: The Art of Deception
To fend off predators, owlets and caterpillars mimic snakes. A spider orchestrates a great escape.
Episode 7: Making Friends
Monkeys take an unusual approach to bonding: sticking their fingers up each other’s noses. Ants build bridges with their bodies to transport food.
Episode 8: Finding a Partner
A feathered courtship dance takes place on a lake in California and a mating competition commences for whales in the Pacific.
Episode 9: Mastering Your Talent
In the outback, a kangaroo goes to fight school. A long-tailed macaque scores a seafood lunch. A baby orangutan climbs to dizzying heights.
Episode 10: Growing Old
An elder baboon shows his softer side. A desert elephant leads a remarkable search for water. A tired tortoise embarks on an epic migration.
All about The Secret Lives of Animals narrator Hugh Bonneville
As well as starring in the much-loved Paddington movies, Hugh is well known for playing Robert Crawley in Downton Abbey. He’s also starred in I Came By, Twenty Twelve, WIA, Notting Hill, Douglas is Cancelled, W1A, The Gold, To Olivia and Bank of Dave.
