How’s this for a power nap?

A new BBC series explores how mammals have adapted to live in every part of the globe – however precariously. Samuel Fishwick gets a preview

n Uganda, a pride of lionesses makes itself at home in cactus-like euphorbia trees, putting up with the plant’s spikes and abrasive sap to escape the heat of the day. They are also using them as watchtowers. Prey doesn’t expect to see lions up there, so it wanders too close. Then the big cats slink down and begin to stalk.

The lions join the all-star cast of Mammals. The six-part series – Dark, Cold, Heat, Water, Forest and The New Wild – explores how the world’s most successful animal group has adapted.

Amorous Argentinian armadillos court each other in an abandoned milk parlour. Polar bears hunt Svalbard reindeer for miles into the mountains.

IThe Siberian flying squirrel, as well as being unbelievably cute, has special skin flaps that allow it to glide from tree to tree. Then there’s series presenter

Sir David Attenborough, now 97 – a redoubtable mammal himself.

‘Mammals are nothing if not opportunistic,’ says producer Scott Alexander. ‘They’re found on every continent, in every ocean and pretty much every habitat. They run. They swim. They hop. They dive a mile into the depths, which is probably the greatest challenge for an air-breathing animal. It’s a real celebration.’

For us sofa-bound mammals, it’s a must-watch.

Mammals starts next Sunday on BBC1 and iplayer