NHK - Life Force (2011) Part 3 Australia

LIFE FORCE is a celebration of the power of evolution. An exploration of the forces that shape life in all its unexpected glory.

This breath-taking series is a groundbreaking cross-genre fusion of blue-chip natural history and cutting edge science documentary. Viewers are transported to six strange worlds within worlds where it seems as if nature has thrown the rule book out the window.

But LIFE FORCE goes in for a closer look, and reveals how the magic of evolution and the forces of nature have together shaped eccentric animals, eclectic lifestyles and unorthodox patterns of behavior. Each place has a unique personal history and suite of extraordinary characters.

NHK and NHNZ's multi-award winning film-making partnership combined to use the latest technologies to cast a spotlight on six far corners of the planet, to reveal these rich and surprising natural worlds.

Part 3: Australia

Australia is a floating laboratory whose ancient origins, continental drift and changing climate forced its inhabitants to evolve and adapt, culminating in over 200 species of pouched marsupials. The story of Australia's iconic red kangaroo and how it evolved to survive and thrive in the desert, represents the journey of its many marsupial cousins, which are all equipped with astounding survival features and behaviours enabling them to dominate every niche across this vast continent.