Seven Worlds, One Planet

Icy Antarctica is a land of survivors enduring the most hostile conditions on Earth.

Asia is the largest and most extreme continent on our planet, stretching from the Arctic Circle in the north to the tropical forests on the equator. The animals here face the hottest deserts, tallest jungles and highest mountains found anywhere on Earth.

From the bone-dry deserts of the Atacama, where penguins weave their way through a minefield of snapping sea lions, to the lush cloud forests of the Andes, South America is full of unusual and ingenious wildlife.

Australia has been isolated for millions of years after being cast adrift at the time of the dinosaurs. The weird and wonderful animals marooned here are like nowhere else on earth, from kangaroos and cassowaries to tropical fish and sharks.

High above the city of Gibraltar, Barbary macaques, Europe's only non-human primates, live lives full of kidnappings and high drama; in the cemeteries of Vienna Grave Robbing European hamsters do battle with each other for food.

More than any other continent, North America is defined by extreme weather and seasonal change; for animals that live here this poses great challenges, but for those with a pioneering spirit it can also offer great rewards.