Rise of Animals:
Triumph of the Vertebrates

David Attenborough investigates one of the greatest stories in Natural History – the rise of the vertebrates, the group of backboned animals that dominate our planet

David Attenborough embarks on an epic 500 million year journey to unravel the incredible rise of the vertebrates – animals with backbones. This journey takes him on his first filming trip in China, to investigate the discovery of a series of remarkable ancient creatures that are being hailed as key missing links to our evolutionary past.

This two-part series is the epic story of the astonishing evolutionary advances that have created the dazzling diversity of animals that dominate the planet – including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. This group has produced the largest, the fastest and the most intelligent creatures the world has ever seen. Brand new discoveries of ancient fossils, the latest scientific analysis of living animals and cutting edge CGI enable Attenborough to tell the fascinating story of how animals came to be the way they are today, and ultimately led to us.