People

Baby dusky leaf monkey (Trachypithecus obscurus) in a zoo enclosure, Bangladesh

Human Dragons! Fire Breathers at the Singapore Night Safari

I was in Singapore... the locals know how to heat things up. Practicing the traditional art of Thumbuakar (fire breathing) at the entrance to #Singapore zoo #Fire #Art #Firebreathing #Culture #People #Heat #EarthOnLocation #BBCEarth

Tengger people pray to the god of the volcano before throwing their offering into Mount Bromo's smoking crater.

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Monks gather for prayer at Phnom Udong Temple

I was at the ancient buddhist temple of Yapahuwa, Sri Lanka. A storm was fast approaching but the scene before me was incredibly dramatic. There was only one thing missing! I waited until a monk kindly paused in the doorway, allowing me to take this shot just before it started to rain heavily. This photograph became the title image for the BBC series

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Monks gather for prayer at Phnom Udong Temple

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I was filming in Cambodia... at the temple of Phnom Udong I noticed these two trainee monks watching as a storm approached. It was the onset of the Monsoon season and these frequent downpours brought with them a short relief from the heat and humidity. #BBCEarth #EarthOnLocation #Monks #Cambodia #Temple #Weather #Storm #Monsoon

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Monks gather for prayer at Phnom Udong Temple

I was filming on the Micronesian island of Yap... Agnes showed me some of the Rai stones close to where she lives. These giant circular stones are the traditional form of currency on the island. Hundreds of these giant coins stand across Yap - but they all originate from ancient quarries on the island of Palau 450kms away. They may have changed owership countless times but there's no need to move them - everyone knows who owns which stone. The value of a Rai stone is partly based on how easy it was to transport here. Bigger, heavier and more finely crafted stones are worth more than others, but the most valuable are those for which people had died during the journey to Yap. #BBCEarth #EarthOnLocation #Yap #Micronesia #History #Pacific #Betlenut #Money #Coin #Currency

Camels, Chinguetti

I was filming in the ancient Mauretanian town of Chinguetti, at the heart of the Sahara. 1,000 years ago this was a major outpost on the trade routes across North Africa. It prospered from the exchange of goods, culture and knowledge, but in the 15th century its fortunes were changed. Christopher Columbus's discovery of the circular patterns of the atmosphere and the reliability of particular winds, fuelled the rise of ocean trade routes. Chinguetti was eclipsed as the wealth moved to the coast and ports easily reached by Europeans. Today only a few hardy nomads continue to use Chinguetti as a place to rest, and it is slowly being swallowed by the shifting sands of the Sahara. #Chinguetti #Sahara #BBCEarth #BBC #EarthOnLocation #Camel #Desert #Mauretania #History

Every year the Tenggerese people who live in the villages around Mount Bromo gather to pay tribute to the god of the volcano in a festival known as Yadnya Kasada. They carry offerings up the volcano to throw into the crater. Some people however chose to risk their lives and climb onto the steep inner slope of the crater with nets. They run and jump to try and catch the offerings before they reach the choking heart of the volcano. The belief is that each item they catch is a blessing from the god of the volcano. This young man had covered his face to protect his identity from those throwing the offerings and to reduce the impact from the toxic volcanic gasses. #BBC #EarthOnLocation #Bromo #Kasada #Festival #Indonesia #Volcano #Offering #Java

Sir David Attenborough filming the BBC special Attenborough and the Sea Dragon. Following the excavation and scientific investigation into the antomy and life history of a giant Ichthyosaur fossil from the cliffs of Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK.

Sir David Attenborough filming the BBC special Attenborough and the Sea Dragon. Following the excavation and scientific investigation into the antomy and life history of a giant Ichthyosaur fossil from the cliffs of Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK.

Sir David Attenborough filming the BBC special Attenborough and the Sea Dragon. Following the excavation and scientific investigation into the antomy and life history of a giant Ichthyosaur fossil from the cliffs of Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK.

10 years ago I was filming for #BBCEarth on the remote Pacific island of Yap - famous for its giant round stone money. A local man, with a mouth stained red from the Betle nut he was chewing, was fascinated by our camera and so I let him have a go - he was focussing on his wife! #BBCEarth #BBC #EarthOnLocation #Yap #Micronesia #Pacific #Island #People #Camera #Technology