As David Attenborough Turns 100, Watch His Greatest Moments on YouTube
Happy Birthday to David Attenborough. The legendary naturalist turns 100 today. Few people have done more to educate the world about wildlife and conservation.
Since the 1950s, Sir David has been presenting and narrating wildlife documentaries in his calm and reassuring voice. The camera crews who have worked with him have captured some of the most compelling and awe-inspiring footage ever recorded of planet Earth.
As a tribute, PetaPixel has rounded up some of the best David Attenborough moments on YouTube.
Gorilla Encounter
The program and moment that started it all. During the filming of Life on Earth in 1978, Attenborough somehow ingratiated himself with a family of mountain gorillas in Rwanda. The analog age meant that the film crew was hesitant to start filming until Attenborough started talking about how dexterous gorillas are.
“Well, you can’t talk about the opposable thumb and the importance in primate evolution of the grip if somebody is taking off your shoes, particularly if that somebody is two baby gorillas,” Attenborough later said.
Iguana vs. Snakes
In the new millennium, Attenborough became best-known for his series of shows: Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet, where he was the narrator.
During the making of Planet Earth II, a dramatic sequence showing a newborn marine iguana fleeing a den of racer snakes became a global sensation.
Birds of Paradise
Attenborough has covered the bizarre birds of paradise in Papua New Guinea numerous times, most recently for Netflix’s Our Planet.
While the modern footage is remarkable, there’s something magical about Attenborough being repeatedly interrupted by an exquisite bird as he tries to describe the species.
Great White Shark Breach
Ok, this one is more about the photography. When filming for Planet Earth in 2006, the crew pulled off what was at the time a miraculous filming feat by capturing a great white shark breaching spectacularly in slow-motion.
Polar Bear vs. Walrus
While there have been many heartwarming moments and technical triumphs, much of what Attenborough has talked about through the years is quite sobering. The broadcaster has warned of the dangers of global warming, and just how brutal the natural world can be, exemplified by the clip below in which a desperate polar bear takes on a massive walrus.
David Attenborough-led documentaries have championed steps forward in filming techniques, such as a few years ago when the Frozen Planet II crew filmed orcas hunting a seal from above using a drone.
Image credits: BBC/Creative Commons
