VERY fishy behaviour! Parts of Sir David Attenborough's latest series Parenthood are filmed in a TANK, BBC admit
The beloved British broadcaster used tanks during key scenes that featured boxer crabs, skeleton shrimps and Banggai cardinalfish across the five episodes of Parenthood.
Airing its first episode on Sunday, August 1, the series promised viewers 'astonishing, never-before-seen animal behaviours in stunning ultra high definition, from the remote jungles of Bhutan to the grasslands of Botswana'.
The near hour-long programme by Sir David, aged 99, focuses on animal parents that are 'having to adapt to a world that is changing rapidly', with the creatures facing 'a unique set of challenges' that they must overcome.
It is the first BBC natural history series to focus on parenting, with the team using new technology to capture the weird and wonderful in the wild.
However, the BBC have now revealed parts of the unique show were not filmed 'in situ', as viewers may have initially expected, but instead were shot in manufactured environments such as tanks and incubators.
The decision was taken, the public broadcaster insists, due to the 'tiny scale of the animals, fragility of the environment and sensitive nature between parents and their young', The Times reported.
In an article published by producers Jeff Wilson and Olly Scholey it was revealed that during the five-minute opening of an episode that showcased turtle hatchlings, filming occurred in a specialist 'incubation project' in Brazil, rather than actually underwater.
The pair said that the use of the incubation project ensured that the eggs would not be disturbed while also allowing viewers to witness an 'unbelievable spectacle' that ultimately 'was crucial to the story'.
In the incredible scene, described as 'a seminal moment for the film', hundreds of young turtles are shown following their mothers calls to the safety of the river, acting as a visualisation of the unpredictability of parenting in the animal kingdom.
On Monday, the BBC told The Times that distributing the eggs in situ 'would've overstepped the mark'.
Insisting that filming underwater 'would mean risking the survival of the young', Mr Wilson and Mr Scholey also said that the decision to use tanks was taken to 'ensure that we got the balance absolutely right'.
Due to the 'incredibly fragile' animals, the filming crews sought to 'tread carefully' in order to avoid infringing on the natural wildlife.
As a result, a specialist tank set in Indonesia was also used during a five-minute scene of boxer crabs shown in the opening of the show's first episode.
Both Mr Wilson and Mr Scholey also acknowledged that several parts of the programme were indeed captured on location, with filming said to have taken place across locations spanning Botswana, Arizona, Tanzania, Namibia, southern Spain and Indonesia.
They added that unlike on land, filming underwater presents a host of unique challenges, with water visibility changing hourly, and divers forced to wade through water in search of the story.
A fascinating clip captured from the show's first instalment showed Attenborough's team as they attempt to build up a relationship with the unique silverback gorillas and their infants.
Described by Max Kobl, cinematographer for the show, as 'probably the most powerful of all primates', Sir David, narrating, warns that 'it isn't going to come easy' for the film crew as they attempt to get close to the sneaky gorillas.
Initially, the team face great difficulty even finding the animals, seen wading through thick swamps in order to locate them and using indicators such as the types of twigs on the ground.
Commentating, one member of the crew says: 'The swamps don't pose challenges for the gorillas, the swamps pose one of many challenges for us.'
In the insightful footage of their challenging trek, one member of the team is seen nearly toppling over due to the thick, knee-deep water. When asked 'you okay?', he simply responds: 'Nope'.
Sir David, narrating, adds: 'The team try as best they can to keep up and just as they reach dry land, the gorilla family has other ideas'.
In response, viewers took to social media to praise the 'stunning' new show, with one commenter on X gushing: 'All the contributors to Parenthood are amazing', while another added: 'Parenthood is another great programme. Congratulations once again Sir David Attenborough and the BBC'.
Meanwhile, a bone chilling moment during the programme captured the moment a colony of newborn African spiders turn to hunt their own mothers.
In the never before seen behaviour, a pack of African social spiders are shown hunting in packs and responding to the vibrations of their prey as they struggle in the webs.
The spiders move in unison, starting and stopping at the same time, freezing together in a sinister game of musical statues.
Even more disturbing, after displaying their hunting skills on their usual prey of insects, the 1,000 strong colony then turns on their own mothers and eat them alive.
Parenthood also features striking footage of the lives of orangutans, elephants and cheetahs, among many others.
Unique technology used across the five-part series includes military-grade infrared cameras mounted on gimbals on off-road vehicles and show hippos being chased by lions at night.
The BBC was approached for comment.
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