The world’s tropical waters are inhabited by a fish that dwarfs all others. Despite its massive size, scientists know relatively little about the elusive whale shark. We follow one female whale shark on a journey during which she encounters 16 different African shark species. Her story bears hardship, resilience and unsolved mysteries.

In the Brazilian rain forest lives a shy and enigmatic creature, the bush dog. Charles, a gregarious dog by nature, finds himself marooned on a patch of forest without a mate. A local conservationist introduces Olivia, a female bred in captivity. Nobody knows how she will take to the wild or, more importantly, how the two dogs will take to each other!

Virtually mammal-free, prehistoric New Zealand was a perfect place for birds, and species evolved with unique characteristics. One of the oddest is the giant, flightless parrot, the Kakapo. It’s nocturnal, has a face like an owl and booms and dances for its mate. But today it’s battling extinction.

Small, cheeky, endearing and tough, the Ground Squirrels have had to adapt more than most in order to survive in the Kalahari. Meet Scarlet, a shrewd little creature and leader of a small sisterhood of squirrels. Survival is all about adaptability and we see how these tiny creatures have figured out how to live in this remote part of the world.

The Antarctic Katabatic, the world’s most powerful wind, is an elemental force. Beginning as a breeze, the Katabatic slowly builds up speed across the vast white continent and whips down to the sea, shaping land and ice, influencing all life and spawning weather that will affect the whole planet.

Meet the ultimate lead character in a nature film – a cheeky parrot that lives high in the mountains amidst rock and snow. An intelligent and bold creature, dubbed by many “clown of the Alps”, this bird is both a joy and mischievous to the bone.

Deep in the equatorial heart of the remote Congo Basin lives a tiny colony of gorillas. These are the last survivors of earth’s largest primate species. Chloe Cipoletta has dedicated her life to study and protect them. This is the extraordinary tale of her struggle to help them acclimatise to eco-tourism in a last-bid attempt to preserve their kind.

The kiwi is unique to New Zealand and is one of the most unusual animals on earth. It is flightless, nocturnal, has hair-like feathers, and burrows into the ground to lay an egg representing 25% of its body weight. Although rarely seen by New Zealanders, it has become their national symbol.

New Zealand is so remote, so strange, that the legend that a god fished these islands from the sea could just be true. The wildlife is extraordinary: strange insects; frogs that carry their young; birds that cannot fly - including the national symbol of New Zealand, the kiwi.