This is the low-down on African wildlife, where the famous large mammals are simply the backdrop to the diverse fauna. The spectacular footage from Germany's award-winning cameraman Dr. Rudolf Lammers was shot over many years for this series and opens a new eye on a familiar world.

Botswana's Okavango Delta is a swampy haven for African wildlife, but danger abounds. Animals as large as hippos and as small as carmine bee-eaters live in dense groups, defending their personal space against all comers. The lives of the residents intertwine in surprising ways, as the groundlings and the giants depend on each other for survival. But the same territory that offers a rich larder to the heron offers an even richer hunting ground to the lion. Large and small, these creatures create a unique and vibrant ecosystem in one of the wildest spots on the globe.

For the baboons that live in the bush near the Ewaso Ng'iro River in northern Kenya, the river is a lifeline. But it's a lifeline that can become distinctly frayed at certain times of year. During the wet season the river is a rushing torrent providing drinking water for baboons. But when the harsh dry season reduces the river to a mere trickle the baboons find much needed water by relying on their river cohorts-the elephants. The elephants dig with their tusks and forelegs to discover hidden groundwater channels. There excavations are raided by the rambunctious and thirsty baboons. Together these animals create a unique and vibrant ecosystem in one of the wildest spots on the globe.

The beautiful nyala and the beastly baboon make strange bedfellows. It's a little-known fact that they play a role in each other's survival, as do other creatures that make up the African mosaic, from the ground up.

If you're a warthog, danger is a familiar companion in the African bush. The main problem is that their young are simply delicious. At the waterhole warthogs seem idle animals but they show great ferocity when their family is endangered. The male's heavily armed head evolved mainly for tussles with rival males, but is a very effective weapon against predators. Surviving day to day, against stalking cheetahs, the warthog leads a way of life as old as Africa, strong and defiant in the face of enemies.

The biggest stars of the African Savannah -- elephants and lions, hippos and rhinos --would live in a very different world without the unseen help of a cast of supporting characters, working away behind the scenes. Africa's smaller inhabitants groom, clean up after, and even recycle the leftovers of their big brethren, such as the white rhino. Tiny dung beetles make good use of the rhino's leftovers, and keep the continent from being inundated. Rhinos are a mobile cafeteria for biting flies, so they tolerate piggyback rides by ox peckers, birds who help keep them groomed and comfortable. Rhinos also seek comfort in a good wallow at the watering hole, but they must vie for the territory with other animals.

The winding estuaries of Botswana's Okavango Swamp are part of a balanced ecosystem. There is enough food here to support an enormous range of animals --especially birds. Lakes, swamps and weed beds are home to a whole kingdom of specialists, where large mammals are generally absent. Birds are the principle carnivores, yet, in the grasses and on sandy banks, a stealthy predator lurks - the crocodile. These waters are plentiful with fish, allowing both animals and humans to share the abundance of the land. The birds of the Okavango delta are a perfect example of the rarely seen members of the complex community of African life, from the water surface up.

For over 100 years Umfolozi National Park has provided a safe haven for some of Africa’s most threatened species. The white rhino is one such animal that has made a remarkable recovery in park’s gently rolling hills. Life, however, is not always easy. To survive a young rhino must endure blazing bush fires and torrential summer rains that leave many animals for dead. But Umfolozi’s creatures are resilient and superbly adapted to their environment. Here, the constant cycles of life and death are clearly revealed. As thousands of insects feast upon carcasses left by the rains, tiny termites rebuild their homes, fresh vegetation emerges from the earth, and the young rhino prepares to take his place in this extraordinary ecosystem.