Andy's Baby Animals

Andy Day looks at the tricky first steps of baby animals such as polar bears, elephants and Mandarin ducklings.

Andy Day looks at baby animals as they learn climbing skills.

Andy Day looks at a selection of baby animals as they learn how to warm up and cool down. When king penguins are too cold they huddle together, but when they're too warm they cool down with a mud bath.

Andy Day looks at baby animals as they learn jumping skills. Springbok don't just jump, they pronk, the odd-looking Jerboa jumps to avoid danger, and the Arctic fox pups jump to help them burst through the snow to find food.

Andy looks at baby animals as they learn how to get around. Wildebeest can learn to stand just minutes after they are born. Adelie Penguin chicks must race to catch a parent for food, caiman need to be dug out of their nest.

Fishing lessons for young animals - Mum finds it easy, but fish slip away from young grizzly bears in Canada. Oriental darters practise with twigs. River otter pups watch Mum's sat nav guide her to the fish in North America.

Andy Day sees how young animals get a ride. In Madagascar, ringtailed lemurs get a piggyback from mum. Kangaroos have a special pouch to hold their babies, while tiny poison-dart frogs carry their tadpoles up into the trees.

Andy Day takes a look at young animals as they learn important skills.

Finding breakfast takes practice. Andy Day presents a young sea otter watching mum cracking shellfish open. Capuchin monkeys must learn how to break into yummy nuts, and an elephant calf learns how to use its trunk.

Andy Day knows every young animal needs a place to rest. Many young apes must learn how to make a bed out of leaves, while in Tibet, bar-headed geese make a soft, fluffy nest out of feathers on the hard rock.

Polar bear cubs in the arctic and langur monkeys in India all love to play. But the masters of playtime are the gorillas, who climb trees, roll around and try to beat their chests like dad.

Sand grouse chicks in Namibia rely on dad, whose feathers are like a sponge, while an elephant calf has to learn to drink with a trunk. And Ostrich chicks follow mum and dad to find water in the desert.

Californian ground squirrels use an old snakeskin to confuse a hungry rattler. The coconut octopus rolls away from trouble in an old shell, while the orchid mantis plays many tricks - even kung fu!

In Antarctica a wandering albatross chick masters the largest wings of any bird, while lar gibbons swing through the rainforest as if they are flying. Meanwhile, the great grey owl chicks leap from the top of huge trees.

The sengi is one of the fastest small mammals on earth - it even has a racetrack. In the Arctic, guillemot chicks leap from clifftop nests. And Chacma baboons walk upright to reach the best food.

This episode looks at how young animals talk. Andy Day learns that lions aren't born with loud roars. In Antarctica, a penguin chick can be heard by his mum amid 150,000 other penguins. A baby macaque must learn the value of funny faces if she is to fit in.

Andy Day explains how baby animals are great at teamwork. In Africa, young meerkats learn to look out for their mob. Emperor penguins work together to keep their chicks fed and warm. The fry of convict fish stick together in a shoal to fool bigger fish.

Young animals must learn to hide. Andy Day sees how coatis follow mum's tail to safety in the forest. Eider ducks keep a wolf busy while their ducklings find a safe spot. The big mouthed hap is strangest of all - the young fish hide in its mouth.

Andy Day looks at how young animals explore. In Antarctica, a seal pup takes its first journey under the ice. Leopard cubs must climb as they explore the river bank with mum. A tiny goby fish faces a huge obstacle - getting up a waterfall!

Andy Day explains about the favourite meals of young animals. For meerkats, a scorpion is a tasty desert treat. In Finland, raccoon dog pups stock up before winter arrives. Young capuchin monkeys learn how to hammer and roll shellfish to get them open.