The Future Is Wild (2002) Episode 9 The Great Plateau Episode Title: The Great Plateau Episode Description: The episode is set in a plateau created by the collision of Australia and Japan, 100 million years into the future. The episode focuses on four species: (1) Silver Spiders, a descendant of modern spider that live in huge colonies and have a caste system based on the size and build massive webs across canyons; (2) Poggle, a descendant of the hamster and the last species of mammal on Earth at this time; (3) Great Blue Windrunner, a brilliant blue bird with wings on its legs which sees in ultraviolet and lives at the highest points on the plateau; (4) Grass Trees, Tree-like plants descended from bamboo. The episode explores the nature of this bizarre food chain, including how the Poggles are effectively farmed by the Silver Spiders. At the end of the episode, it's revealed that the increase in volcanic activity which caused the planet to warm up will also lead to a huge mass extinction, wiping out almost all life on Earth.