Secrets Of Bones
Secrets Of Bones is a TV show on BBC4. Evolutionary biologist and master skeleton builder Ben Garrod presents a six-part series looking at how bones have enabled vertebrates to colonise and dominate practically every habitat on Earth. The program has been available since 2025. A total of 6 episodes have been broadcast, most recently in June 2025.
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Secrets Of Bones
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6. Sex
Ben Garrod seeks out the big part that bones can play in reproduction. Through sexual selection, the skeleton has adapted to aid courtship, competition and even copulation.
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Ben Garrod uncovers the secrets of how vertebrates capture and devour their food using extreme jaws, bizarre teeth and specialised bony tools.
Ben Garrod delves into the surprising ways in which bone has evolved to help vertebrates sense the world around them, from wolves and sheep to the great grey owl.
Ben Garrod finds out how the skeleton has allowed vertebrates to take to the air, why the pigeon is an exceptional flier and how the albatross makes huge migrations.
Ben Garrod discovers how the skeleton has adapted for vertebrates to move on land in many ways and explores the role of the spine in both cheetahs and snakes.
Evolutionary biologist Ben Garrod Ben shows what bone is constructed from and how it can support animals that are both tiny (a frog) and massive (the blue whale).