Watch Superswarm

Superswarm from BBC, which premiered in 2008, seeks to help viewers understand the mechanisms behind the world's greatest natural events. The documentary uses cutting-edge technology to capture astonishing scenes of animal behaviour that are often missed by the naked eye.

Superswarm is a nature documentary series that exploits a blend of timeless natural history storytelling with the latest technology and scientific research to throw light on some of the most mysterious phenomena in the animal kingdom. Despite its title suggesting the shows would focus on phenomena concerning insect swarms, the episodes often delve into much broader aspects of mass animal behavior which gives the series its real charm.

Superswarm captures the thrilling scenes from high above, contrasting these scenes by viewing them from the eye level of the animals as well. The movements, group behavior, and unexpected actions of the swarms are slowed down for viewers to appreciate them in all their glory. Such scenes lend a unique perspective to the intricate nature of these mass events, most of which are happening right under our noses, yet we hardly ever notice or understand the intelligence and synchronization involved.

Across the series, we not only observe but also get to understand the mechanisms behind the coordinated movements within animal 'super swarms'. Superswarm proposes that our dimensional thinking of birds flocking or ants swarming is not unnecessarily chaotic