
1996
Lake Tanganyika is an 'Ocean' in Africa. Millions of years ago it was colonized by a little fish called 'Cichlid'. Otters, crocodiles, cobras and cormorants all hunt the fish in clear water. How the Cichlid survived and evolved is an incredible story for, millions of years later, there are over 200 new species - all found only in Lake Tanganyika. Incredibly, they have evolved to look like coral reef fish. There are cichlid equivalents of tuna, snapper, gobies and goatfish. They have evolved bizarre methods of breeding with mouth-incubation, lekking and, unique amongst fish, there is even a cuckoo. Despite all their specialization over millions of years, if an opportunity presents itself, the little fish can behave like their unspecialized ancestor. In the climax of the film, they bang together to feast on a hatch of sardine fry. This is the story of how one little fish has conquered a lake.

Ian Holm
Narrator

Microcosmos

A Baby Reindeer's First Christmas

Troubled Waters

Super Hunts, Super Hunters

Spirit of the Mountains

The Last of the Nightingales

Les volcans tueurs : le pays aux 127 volcans

Narratives of Modern Genocide

Askania Reserve

The Living Desert

Pumas in Patagonia

Deep Blue

Koyaanisqatsi

Earth

Inside the Perfect Predator

The Cat That Changed America

Life and Death at Mala Mala

Cheetahs of the Linyanti

Seen From Here, I Feel Like Belonging

Wildlife in the Rockies