''Really Wild Animals'' is an American children's
nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...
series, hosted by
Dudley Moore as Spin, an
anthropomorphic
Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology.
Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
globe.
Comprising 13 episodes, it was released between October 24, 1993, and March 6, 1996. It was nominated for five national
Daytime Emmy Awards and won one.
Released by the
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...
, the series educates children about many different species of animals. It goes to every
continent
A continent is any of several large landmasses. Generally identified by convention rather than any strict criteria, up to seven geographical regions are commonly regarded as continents. Ordered from largest in area to smallest, these seven ...
, describing the
wildlife
Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animal species (biology), species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous ...
on each one and also focuses on one specific group of animals, such as
dog
The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...
s,
cats,
endangered animals
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...
and
animal
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...
s of the
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n
savanna
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...
h.
Songs were written, produced, and mostly performed by Alan O'Day and Janis Liebhart. At the end of an episode, Spin says, "But (you know), there are lots more Really Wild Animals all across this wonderful world of ours, so be sure to join me on our next (exciting) adventure. Until then, this is your pal Spin. Spin ya later!"
Episodes
The series was released on
VHS and on August 2, 2005, National Geographic began releasing the episodes on DVD.
Notes
{{Reflist , refs=
[
{{cite web
, url=http://www.clicker.com/tv/really-wild-animals/#EpisodeList
, title=Really Wild Animals
, work=clicker.com
, publisher=Clicker
, accessdate=14 October 2010
]
Television series about mammals
Television series about birds
Television series about fish
Television series about reptiles and amphibians
American television series with live action and animation
1990s American children's television series
1990s American documentary television series
American children's education television series
Nature educational television series
National Geographic (American TV channel) original programming
1993 American television series debuts
1996 American television series endings