Planet Earth II: Grasslands episode stars a buffalo fighting off lionesses and one very lucky harvest mouse
Here are the best moments from the penultimate episode
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Planet Earth II's penultimate episode took us around the world's grasslands and the creatures who inhabit it - from Asia's saiga antelope to the giant anteater of Brazil.
Beautiful timelapse footage of the grasses rising above the water after a huge storm shows the transformation which takes place in the Okavango Delta in Botswana: 5,000 square miles of grassland which is flooded every year.
Here we were shown three-month old lion cubs seeing water for the first time, along with one of the most impressive scenes of the series: a huge buffalo who shrugs off his literal weight 9900 kilos) in five lionesses.
"The biggest bulls don't run," narrator David Attenborough explains. "They're simply too huge to be scared of lions."
A bit closer to home for UK viewers was one adorable little harvest mouse in Norfolk, who made a slightly less impressive getaway from a hungry barn owl.
The way the Planet Earth team manages to get such close shots of the mouse going about its business is jaw-dropping, and the added sound effects make for some extra drama.
Jackson's Widowbirds made for an entertaining spectacle with their mating dance; using trimmed grass stems to create a stage (or "bachelor pad", as Attenborough calls it).
Getting us into the Christmas spirit, the team travelled to the snow-covered prairies of North America to see some hardy bison and a snow-diving fox.
Audiences were also able to see caribou during calving season: over 70,000 caribou babies are born in the space of a few days.
Soon after birth, they can already run faster than an Olympic sprinter - handy when you need to make a quick getaway from a hungry wolf.
The final episode of Planet Earth II takes a look at cities, and airs on BBC One on 18 December at 8pm
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments