On the coast of Christmas Island a beach is painted crimson by the bodies of a million scarlet crabs, all choosing the same moment to lay their eggs in the sea. In East Africa an elephant calf is born and the females in the herd crowd around the newcomer, collaborating in looking after their young. On a Patagonian beach sea-lions lounge in supposed safety as a tall wave, concealing the huge presence of a killer whale, thunders towards the shore. Following the extraordinary series 'Life On Earth' and 'The Living Planet', David Attenborough surveyed the entire animal kingdom again in 'The Trials Of Life', the last in a trilogy of natural histories. This time he looks at animal behaviour itself, examining why creatures behave as they do and showing that their lives are a series of problems to be faced and overcome.
