Special effects-filled documentary beginning 49 million years ago. The world is heavily forested and birds rule the planet, preying on small mammals. Whales have not yet evolved and their ancestors walk on the land.

A pregnant basilosaurus, an 18-metre, carnivorous whale which lives in the Tethys Sea, is forced to kill the young of a smaller whale to ensure the survival of her unborn calf.

Going back 25 million years to the time of the indricothere, which was the largest mammal ever to live on dry land, being seven metres high and weighing 15 tons! The only threat to an adult would have been the hyaenadon which was the size of a rhino and had jaws that could crush a rock.

The beginnings of mankind can be traced back 3.2 million years to Ethiopia and the advent of Australopithecus, a type of ape which, like humans, was bipedal. These early members of the human family faced many dangers, including the sabre-toothed cat, malaria, and the 14-tonne delnotherium.

Revealing the exotic, oversized creatures that inhabited South America one million years ago, such as the deadly smilodon, the largest of all sabre tooth cats.

Looking at the depths of the Ice Age, following a group of mammoths who have been forced to travel south with the advent of winter. On a dangerous journey across the Alps, many become trapped in bogs or fall victim to predators. However, their most formidable enemies are waiting for them on their return journey - Neanderthals.