Sir David Attenborough has revealed in a Reddit chat that nature is as mean as humans - and large parts of it is doomed

NATURE'S not all cute furry animals and exotic landscapes, Sir David Attenborough has revealed. It's also full of lies, murder and downright meanness.

On with the job ... David Attenborough's next documentary p...

NATURE'S not all cute furry animals and exotic landscapes, David Attenborough has revealed. It's also full of lies, murder and downright meanness.

In a discussion on social media chat site Reddit, the legendary nature presenter described some of the horrific sights he's seen over his 60-year career.

What was the natural history giant's most distressing moment? "Seeing chimpanzees kill monkeys, they do this to eat them", the octogenarian told one social media fan.

The incident he was referring to was when he witnessed a troupe of monkeys being attacked and massacred by chimpanzees.

"They chase them, set an ambush, catch them, and tear them apart," he said.

Chimpanzees were particularly 'human', he said. "A chimpanzee does in fact tell lies. If you can believe that.

"Also, when some Colobus monkeys find a very precious piece of food, it calls the alarm call that it would make if a snake were to arrive, and all the other monkeys run away and it gets the food," he wrote.

The observations were just some of the responses he issued in the marathon social media "chat".

Among his revelations were some of his favourite creatures - including the poison tree frog "because it has very interesting mating behaviour".

What's the one place he hasn't visited that he wishes he had?

"The central Gobe desert, I've always wanted to visit there because they have fascinating fossils there."

Sir Attenborough also revealed he has little hope for the future.

"It's not possible to reverse the damage we've done. We are undoubtedly exterminating species at a speed which has never been known before," he wrote.

"People should realise that waste of anything is something that we cannot afford in this overcrowded world….

"Cherish the natural world, because you're a part of it and you depend on it."

Sir Attenborough has just his latest film, the Jumanji-like Natural History Museum Alive.

His next project is a 3D film on the 350 million-year evolution of flight, due out for Christmas later this year.

On with the job ... David Attenborough's next documentary project.

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