Wild Tales

Australia being the driest inhabited continent, its reptiles have evolved in almost incredible ways to survive and even prosper in the harsh conditions. There are big lizards and small skinks. Some geckos are fast, while others are so slow they hardly move in a day. Resourceful and adaptable, Australia's reptiles have diversified to live in ancient rainforests and even modern cities.

Follows a young male koala from birth to becoming the dominant male of a patch of eucalyptus forest, overcoming natural predators and surviving climate extremes that have been a part of the Australian ecosystem for countless millions of years.

A variety of possums live everywhere from the deepest of rainforests to the suburbs of Sydney. From the bossy brushtail to the leaping sugar glider, each has carved out a special niche for itself somewhere in Australia.

Half a billion years before ancient chemists tried - and failed - to transform base metals into gold and create a medicine to cure any illness, nature achieved its own alchemy: Venom and poison are cocktails of death as well as one of nature's great masterpieces.

Emus are true nomads, following storms they can spot from 100 kilometers, traveling the length of Australia in a never-ending search for scarce food and water. This male emu seeks a mate and to protect his tiny chicks from danger - battling dingoes, eagles, giant lizards, fire and starvation.