What can we expect from episode 3 of the epic new wildlife series Planet Earth III – and what stories will capture our imaginations? We take a look <\/p>
In episode 3 of Planet Earth III<\/a><\/strong> David Attenborough<\/strong><\/a> explores deserts and grasslands, where extraordinary life survives in unexpected ways, and nature puts on its most dramatic show.<\/strong><\/p> In the baked Namib desert, a pair of ostriches raise their family in the searing heat to keep them safe from predators \u2013 but time is ticking as the chicks<\/a> begin to hatch. <\/p> Outside the egg, the new-borns won\u2019t survive long in these temperatures, but not all of the clutch hatch at once; tragically, the parents are forced to leave behind an unhatched egg. As the family departs, a new-born emerges and the lone chick wanders the vast Namib desert calling for its family.<\/p> In the desert, life exists in a world with almost no water, which drives one troop of desert baboons on a continual quest to find it. A young mother who is low in the pecking order<\/a> must battle for her right to drink, as without water her milk will run dry and her new-born will not survive.<\/p> Where rain falls regularly, it can transform a desert into grassland. Grasslands support the biggest concentrations of terrestrial large animals on the planet, and this wealth of life in turn attracts predators.<\/p> Leopards are the most adaptable of big cats<\/a>, and a handful of special individuals have learnt to hunt by hiding and leaping from tree tops – some higher than the roof of a two storey house. When they jump, their prey doesn\u2019t see them coming.<\/p> Grasslands are one of the most widespread habitats on Earth and in the frozen north, herds of saiga antelope fight for their chance to win mating rights. 70% of rutting males die every year, in a battle that\u2019s been taking place since the Ice Age<\/a>.<\/p> Closer to the equator, a grassland paradise can be found – the Cerrado in Brazil. This is the richest grassland on Earth and home to the rare, fruit-eating maned wolf. <\/p> Little is known about this bizarre creature and for the first time ever, we glimpse inside the den of a wild maned wolf. A mother raises her three puppies, but their future is uncertain. The Cerrado is a vitally important grassland, home to thousands of species of plants and animals found nowhere else, but it is in danger of being lost forever. <\/p> This grassland is being destroyed more than two times faster than the Amazon rainforest to clear land for farming. Reduced to 50% of its former size \u2013 some predict it could disappear completely in the next 10 years.<\/p> But there\u2019s hope, in central Africa – one of the world\u2019s most spectacular wildlife gatherings is testament to what can happen if we help protect these precious ecosystems and allow nature to restore its own balance.<\/p> Main image \u00a9 BBC<\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n What can we expect from episode 3 of the epic new wildlife series Planet Earth III – and what stories will capture our imaginations? 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We take a look","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/33045"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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