The story of Our Planet II begins 60,000 years ago, when humans left Africa for the first time. Since then, as Sir David Attenborough narrates in the opening moments of the series, we haven’t stopped moving. We’ve infiltrated as many nooks and crannies of the Earth as we can find (and are also hospitable enough to have us). 

And we’re not the only ones. 

At any given moment, billions of animals are on the move by land, air and sea, making their way to food, water, shelter and survival by any means necessary. And in the modern age, their journeys are far more precarious than ever before. That need to travel is the central theme of Our Planet II, the new docuseries that captures the ancient legacy of transit in the natural world.  Filmed over roughly two years, the four-part series captures major animal migrations, all taking place at different times of the year.

“There’s no place on the planet where you won’t see an animal migrant, either arriving, moving through, or leaving,” says Silverback Films executive producer Huw Cordey, noting that each episode captures roughly three months of each species’ journey. “It makes the series relevant to everyone, no matter where you live in the world. It’s the piece of animal behavior that’s relevant to everyone.”

Below, check out a behind-the-scenes look at how the series was made, or head to Netflix and watch Our Planet II now. 

The Filmmakers Take You Behind the Scenes of Our Planet IIPenguins, polar bears and wildebeests, oh my!