Marvels OF MIDDLE EARTH

A stunning new wildlife series focuses on the creatures living on the equator – from Africa to the Amazon and all places in between

The equator covers only five per cent of the Earth’s surface, but is home to half of its animal and plant species – so what better subject for a major wildlife series.

Beautifully filmed and featuring amazing creatures in stunning landscapes, Sky’s six-part Equator could be the perfect way to forget about the world’s troubles, at least for a few hours.

Marvel at the wonders living around the middle of the world, from manatees and three-toed sloths in Amazonia in the west, to cheetahs in the grasslands of the African savanna and acrobatic apes and leaping lizards in the rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo in the east. It’s a fascinating, continent-by-continent guide to the climatic and evolutionary powerhouse of the world.

Equator begins with zoologist and film-maker Alison Ballance’s episode, Power Of An Ocean, with breathtaking footage from two locations, the Galapagos Islands and Palmyra Atoll, both in the Pacific Ocean.

Marine iguanas, penguins and albatrosses take centre stage in the Galapagos; 5,000 miles west on Palmyra, it’s the giant coconut crab grabbing the attention – and more besides! ‘While I was filming, one of the crabs was always wrestling with my water bottle, trying to steal it,’ says Alison.

Power Of An Ocean shows how the Galapagos and Palmyra are affected in different ways by the winds and ocean currents. Trade winds bring daily rain to Palmyra, creating lush vegetation, while the equatorial heat makes the Galapagos resemble barren desert islands. However, sun-powered sea currents bring nutrients and minerals to the waters around them, creating an ocean oasis.

Marine iguanas and green turtles feast on rich supplies of algae on the ocean floor off the Galapagos, but the presence of cold currents makes the islands an ideal habitat for the Galapagos penguin.

Elsewhere in the Galapagos, we’re treated to the mating rituals of the flightless cormorant bird – the male and female dancing around each other in the shallows of the ocean – and also the waved

albatross, the largest bird native to the islands. The frigatebird is more hostile and aggressive, spectacularly mugging another bird, a booby, for a stick to build its nest. ‘It grabs it, midair, as the booby passes by,’ explains Alison. ‘It’s an aerobatic thug.’

Amid the rich vegetation of Palmyra, coconut crabs live off the fruit from which they take their name while in the surrounding warm waters manta ray eat plankton and parrot fish feed off coral polyps.

Later episodes examine the abundant life of other equatorial regions, including the Andes and Africa’s Rift Valley. ‘The equator is more than a line on a map,’ says Alison. ‘It’s a rich and powerful force of nature.’

three-toed sloths These Amazon rainforest dwellers are our slowest mammals and so sedentary that algae grows on their fur. leopards Skilled climbers, they rest up trees on the African savanna during the day. They carry prey up there too, to stop hyenas stealing it.

waved albatrosses The monogamous Galapagos natives touch beaks to bond. The name comes from their wave-like wing pattern.

AMAZONIAN MANATEES This freshwater species lives off water lettuce and other vegetation growing in the rivers of the Amazon Basin.