NATURE | The Story of Cats | Asia to Africa | Preview| PBS

The two-part mini-series “The Story of Cats” premieres November 2 & 9, 2016 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).
Cats are among the most feared and revered creatures on the planet. Their power, strength, and enigmatic nature have fascinated us for centuries. They’ve dominated human culture since the dawn of civilization. Go from the rainforests, to the savannah, to the mountain peaks all the way into the comfort of our homes. Get an in-depth look at this unique species and the evolutionary tricks and adaptations that truly make a cat, a cat.
In the first episode, we discover how the first cats arose in the forests of Asia, how they spread across the continent, and later came to conquer Africa. We reveal how they evolved flexible limbs to climb, giant bodies to survive in the cold, and super senses to catch prey. Ultimately we discover how becoming social made the lion, king of the savannah. Also featured in this episode are other larger cats such as the clouded, snow and African leopards, the Bengal and Siberian tigers, and the cheetah. However, the introductions of smaller and lesser-known species like the serval, the caracal, and the fishing, Pallas’s and sand cats are just as fascinating.