Customer Reviews

The Shape of Life

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Whoa. When I first saw this series on PBS I wished that I could rewind it to see some of this crazy stuff again. So now that I have the DVD I can watch that starfish insert its stomach into the mussel or the anemone catch the fish as many times as I want.

I have never seen such wild creatures. They are truly alien, yet they live on this planet. A lot of the action takes place underwater and it inspires me to go learn scuba diving! If you are sick and tired of the Big Animals and Crocodile Hunters seen on cable these days, then this series will be a refreshing view of "the others" that never get their screen time.

The best part of the series is that it weaves in and out between hard-hitting science and just pure eye-candy.

Great content and easily navigated menus.

This video is about the organisms in the animal kingdom grouped according to their common ancestry and assemblage of traits defined as: " phylum". 98% percent of all animals fall into eight main ones and each episode features one of these eight phyla. Scientific evidences and discussion with researchers are used together with detailed 3-D computer generated drawings and captivating images of exquisite undersea creatures to explain the structure, origin and evolution of them. In addition to the highly valuable scientific information there are also beautifull and astonishing closes of creatures such as sponges, jellyfish, crustaceans, nautilus and sea stars. This is the highest level documentary and the best quality image I have ever seen.

This outstanding series (originally presented courtesy of Public Television) explores the origins, development, and relationships between major life forms here on Earth. Narrated by Peter Coyote, this set of programs smartly outlines the basic structures and functions within an animal group, to give the viewer an easy to understand, front row seat to the battle for survival.
Had trouble with Biology in high school? This colorful and elegant show highlights the competition between species and follows the paths of innovation that allow an animal to overcome the obstacles put forth by another group - making Biology (specifically Zoology-the study of animals) fun and interesting!
Are we the best designed organism on the planet? You may be surprized to find the answer! New information on the lives and activities of members of the Animal Kingdom are displayed to the public for the first time in this series. See newly discovered (and beautiful) species of deep-sea squid, watch animals use their specially designed weapons to capture prey, and escape from predators.
Get to know more about the world we live in! The Shape of Life is a great way to start. Entertaining and very educational, this series is worth the price!

This is one of the best natural science DVDs I have seen. This particular series talks about the evolution of animals. (If you want something on evolution in general, get the PBS evolution series. It is very good).

Each episode focuses on one particular phylum of the animal kingdom like sponges, cnidarians etc. The way each episode paves the way for next episode is very good. There is no break in the train of thought/narration from episode to episode.

I highly recommend this series for people who are interested in nature and evolution. Very enjoyable and informative.