Plot Synopsis

Using the latest camera technology, David Attenborough reveals the extraordinary ways in which animals use color: to win a mate, to fight off rivals, to warn enemies -- or even to hide and disappear into the background or trick and deceive its enemies. New camera technologies -- some developed especially for this series -- also allow viewers to see colors and patterns usually invisible to human eyes. Ultraviolet cameras reveal bright signals on a butterfly's wings and facial markings on yellow damselfish that are used as secret communication channels. Some animals can also detect polarized light, and specialist cameras can now show us how fiddler crabs see the world, and how mantis shrimp have strange polarization patterns on their bodies to signal to a mate or rival. In India, peacocks dazzle females with magnificent tail feathers; a tiny hummingbird in the deserts of North America unfurls his spectacular headdress as he dances for a mate; and in the darkness of a rainforest, powerful mandrill baboons signal their status with red and blue face masks, while tiny frogs warn of deadly poisons with brilliant colors. New science reveals how the Bengal tiger in central India uses its orange-black stripes to hide from its color-blind prey. In Kenya's Masai Mara, the zebra's black-and-white pattern confuses predators with an extraordinary effect called motion dazzle. And on the island of Cuba, a small snail uses colorful stripes in a surprising way to hide from its enemies. On Australia's Great Barrier Reef, a blue-striped blenny uses colors to mimic other fish and launch a sudden attack. In the grasslands of Zambia, the chick of a pin-tailed whydah mimics the patterns of its nest mates to ensure that it is not detected as an imposter. And specialist cameras reveal how a tiny crab spider uses bright ultraviolet colors to lure in its victims. LIFE IN COLOR had its U.S. premiere on Earth Day 2021 (Thursday, April 22), as Netflix released all three episodes of the series.

LIFE IN COLOR made its debut on U.S. linear television on Saturday, November 19, 2022 at 8pm ET/PT on BBC America.