A Perfect Planet

Weather

17 Jan 2021


Species features in each Sequence

1
Straw-coloured fruit bat
2
Tropical fire ant , Pond skater sp.
3
Arrau turtle
4
Desert rain frog, Termite sp.
5
Wild Bactrian camel
6
Christmas Island red crab
7
Red-billed quelea, Nile crocodile, Southern carmine bee-eater, African fish eagle
8
Cape hippopotamus

# Species by IUCN Conservation Status

1
Straw-coloured fruit bat
Eidolon helvum
NT
Straw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherStraw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherStraw-coloured fruit bat (Eidolon helvum) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Kasanka National Park, Zambia

2
Tropical fire ant
Solenopsis geminata
NE
Tropical fire ant  (Solenopsis geminata) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherTropical fire ant  (Solenopsis geminata) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherTropical fire ant  (Solenopsis geminata) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Tapiche River, Peru

I reached out to Tapiche Reserve [1], who confirmed to me that the species filmed was Solenopsis geminata
[Link 1]
2
Pond skater sp.
[family Gerridae]
?
Pond skater sp. ([family Gerridae]) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherPond skater sp. ([family Gerridae]) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherPond skater sp. ([family Gerridae]) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Tapiche River, Peru

3
Arrau turtle
Podocnemis expansa
NT
Arrau turtle (Podocnemis expansa) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherArrau turtle (Podocnemis expansa) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherArrau turtle (Podocnemis expansa) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Guaporé River, Brazil

This sequence was filmed on the banks of the Guaporé River according to the "A Perfect Planet" book. The IUCN Conservation Status is "Lower Risk / Conservation Dependent" but I've opted to slot this is as "Near Threatened" on the scale I've been using.
4
Desert rain frog
Breviceps macrops
NT
Desert rain frog (Breviceps macrops) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherDesert rain frog (Breviceps macrops) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherDesert rain frog (Breviceps macrops) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Namaqualand, South Africa

Assistant Producer Sarah-Jane Walsh confirmed that the species of desert rain frog shown here is Breviceps macrops [1]. However, the coastal range of that species is inconsistent with the Namaqualand filming location.
[Link 1]
4
Termite sp.
-
?
Termite sp. () as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherTermite sp. () as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherTermite sp. () as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Namaqualand, South Africa

5
Wild Bactrian camel
Camelus ferus
CR
Wild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherWild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherWild Bactrian camel (Camelus ferus) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Great Gobi National Park, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

The Gobi Desert is one of the driest deserts in the world. Here, during the winter, temperatures can reach -40°C - too cold for liquid water to exist. This poses a critical challenge for the 1,000 or so wild Bactrian camels that live here. These camels, however, have an acute sense of smell and are able to detect moisture from 30 miles away. A lead bull drives his herd towards an area of the desert where wind has blown in snow from Siberia, joining with other herds along the way. When they finally reach it, they begin to eat the snow to quench their thirst.

6
Christmas Island red crab
Gecarcoidea natalis
NE
Christmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherChristmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherChristmas Island red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Christmas Island, Australia

Christmas Island red crabs depend entirely on the seasonal monsoons to time the spawning of their eggs. Each November, the first storms bring rain to the dry forest interior of the island, triggering the emergence of around 50 million crabs that have spent the past four months sheltering in damp burrows (the crabs' gills require moisture to function). The crabs begin a mass migration to the coast where, despite their inability to swim, readily plunge themselves into the ocean at high tide to release their eggs. A month later, trillions of baby crabs, having hatched out at sea, have returned to the same shores where they were spawned. The sheer abundance of animals coats the beaches bright red. Before the wet season ends, these tiny crabs must venture back into the forest to find shelters as their parents did to await the next monsoon.

7
Red-billed quelea
Quelea quelea lathamii
LC
Red-billed quelea (Quelea quelea lathamii) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherRed-billed quelea (Quelea quelea lathamii) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherRed-billed quelea (Quelea quelea lathamii) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Luangwa River, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

7
Nile crocodile
Crocodylus niloticus
LC
Nile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherNile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherNile crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Luangwa River, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

7
Southern carmine bee-eater
Merops nubicoides
LC
Southern carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicoides) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherSouthern carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicoides) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherSouthern carmine bee-eater (Merops nubicoides) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Luangwa River, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

7
African fish eagle
Haliaeetus vocifer
LC
African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherAfrican fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherAfrican fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Luangwa River, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

8
Cape hippopotamus
Hippopotamus amphibius capensis
VU
Cape hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius capensis) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherCape hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius capensis) as shown in A Perfect Planet - WeatherCape hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius capensis) as shown in A Perfect Planet - Weather
Luangwa River, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia