The Mating Game
David Attenborough narrates the stories behind the most fascinating, hilarious, and dramatic quests by animals to find a mate and leave a lasting legacy.
- 2021-2021
- 1 season
- Discovery+
- Documentary
David Attenborough narrates the stories behind the most fascinating, hilarious, and dramatic quests by animals to find a mate and leave a lasting legacy.
Season 1 Episode Guide
5 Episodes 2021
Episode 1
Grasslands: In Plain Sight
Sun, Nov 21, 2021 59 mins
Mating strategies and tactics are on display for all to see out in the open grasslands.
Episode 2
Oceans: Out of the Blue
Sun, Nov 21, 2021 60 mins
The ocean is where the mating game first began as life started there. Some of the most ingenious mating strategies of all have been developed there over time.
Episode 3
Jungles: In the Thick of It
60 mins
Jungles and rainforests are home to 80 per cent of all species on earth, but they cover just 2 per cent of our planet's surface. To win the mating game here, you need to be able to stand out from the crowd. For some it's all about putting on a show, whereas others must fight for their chance of victory. And for a few creatures, working together is the key. Chimpanzees are notorious for their brutality and violence, and for most this is the simplest way to secure a mate.
Episode 4
Freshwater: Timing Is Everything
60 mins
Freshwater covers only a tiny fraction of the earth's surface, but it is a vital meeting place for many animals - the stage on which millions gather to find a mate. Yet with so little of it available, and often only briefly, the challenge for most individuals is how to overcome intense competition when your rivals are just as dependent on the precious freshwater for their success.
Episode 5
Against All Odds
61 mins
One basic need connects all life on earth - the need to breed. But for a few creatures, the odds of success are overwhelmingly stacked against them. Some must find a partner when there are none to be found, while others must find a way to succeed without breeding at all. And some must try and adapt in a world unrecognisable from when they were born. These are animals that have evolved some of the most extraordinary mating strategies of all.
