‘Planet Earth III’ Recap: ‘Extremes’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Still from Episode 106 of ‘Planet Earth III’ – ‘Extremes’ Courtesy of BBC America.

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘Planet Earth III’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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One particular truth about how humanity perceives the world that is coming to light via the BBC America series, Planet Earth III, is that… we see viability of life, based upon whether or not humans can thrive there. Ergo, if we cannot put a thriving city in the caldera of a volcano because of the risk of explosion and harm, it’s not a place where life can thrive. Or on the opposite end, if an environment is too cold for us to function and create a city, that too… is deemed not viable for life. But that is of course, incorrect. For while we cannot handle some climates and environments in the world, there are plenty of creatures and wildlife, that can. 

In fact, they thrive in those wild places and function just fine without help, and it just so happens that those particular creatures were showcased during this week’s episode of the show. For ‘Extremes’ wanted to make it clear, that every corner of our world is teeming with life, in some form or fashion and that’s why this story opened up… with a grandiose dive into a deep cave. A place that we think doesn’t offer an opportunity for life to function, because we can’t handle it there… when in fact, it most certainly can. For there are fish in the waters in caves that are doing just fine and have been in the dark for countless years and adapted accordingly and of course, they were but a sampling of the wildlife that thrives in places we’ve deemed uninhabitable. For this episode took us all around the world to showcase how resilient life on Earth can be.

Wherein we saw tiny monkeys and even tinier frogs figure out how to handle the extreme cold to either keep their family line going or just stay warm. Which for the monkeys involved getting into a cuddling position with others they know, post haste, to keep nice and warm and for the frogs… well they just needed to move with a sense of urgency. Plus, we saw predators and prey play delicate games of cat and mouse to survive because of how harsh their environment turned out to be, with both sides winning and losing to maintain balance. Not to mention, we even learned about the Monarch butterfly’s plight regarding how they handle migration and… we came to learn how seasonal fires can help life thrive. Which is incredible since fire is something all animals fear. But some species have evolved to use it.

But what was truly fascinating to learn, was that… some of the extreme environments that exist in our world, where we think we cannot live and where life cannot thrive… we have created. As though ironically, we have projected our own thoughts into those places by over farming and moving natural resources away from the animals that thrive in those areas. Which is bringing about suffering and death sadly, and a change for them. Wherein they understand they must move on post haste in order to find the food and water needed to thrive. When in fact, all that really needs to happen, is that we need to figure out a way to coexist with nature so both sides can get what they need.

A task that is of course tall and will take time to figure out. But while we wait for those solutions, we can celebrate another powerful, perspective changing tale from this series. Simply because this was proof positive, that we need to change our line of thinking and understand that just because humanity cannot set up shop in a cave or arid regions of the planet, doesn’t mean that nature cannot. For it is strong, and adaptable, and it needs to be left alone to go about its business. For it has figured out how best to handle life in such difficult places, and all we need to do, is support it and make sure it can continue to thrive. But also, we should appreciate the fact that we are living on a world, where the impossible can take place, courtesy of the wonder of evolution and the drive of life on Planet Earth. Until next time.

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