Once life arrived in the Galapagos, it exploded into unique and spectacular forms. David Attenborough investigates the driving forces behind such evolutionary innovations. We learn that life must be able to adapt quickly in these ever-changing volcanic landscapes.
Volcanic islands eventually erode and sink back into the sea. The island of Espanola in the Galapagos is 4 million years old and sinking fast. But as it dies, it offers new opportunities for all sorts of animals.
The Galapagos Islands contain many unique species, with each species displaying a variety of different adaptations to the islands' harsh environments. It is the perfect place to see evolution at work.
Marine iguana of the Galapagos have evolved from eating leaves on land, to diving for seaweed. It is an adaptation that has helped this animal survive on the harsh, windswept shores of the islands.
David Attenborough looks at why no two islands in the Galapagos are the same. Featuring final footage of the islands' famous giant tortoise Lonesome George who recently died.
More than 150 years after Charles Darwin formulated his ground-breaking theory of evolution on the remote archipelago, Attenborough explains how life on the islands has continued to evolve in biological isolation, examining how the ever-changing volcanic landscape has given birth to species and sub-species that exist nowhere else in the world.