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    LONDON - Veteran British nature broadcaster David Attenborough is to show the first filmed sighting of the rare pink iguana, in a television series on the Galapagos Islands which begins Tuesday.

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    The 86-year-old filmed the rare Conolophus Marthae iguana in June last year for his new series "Galapagos 3D", which goes out on Britain's Sky television. It was only identified as a separate species in recent years and it will be the first time the creature has been seen on screen.

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    It was filmed on the island of Isabela in the volcanic Ecuadoran archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. "It was a privilege to see it," said Attenborough.

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    Series executive producer Geffen added: "When he finally came face-to-face with the iguana it was just one of the most extraordinary moments that I've ever experienced: here was the world's greatest naturalist coming face-to-face with a new species. In the footsteps of Charles Darwin but almost 200 years later, David Attenborough was capturing the rare species on film for the first time."

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    "It's a remarkable thing in this day and age when you think about the number of scientists per square metre in the Galapagos, and yet suddenly we have discovered a new species. A little periwinkle or something which nobody has identified before is one thing, but this is more than that: it's a large, pink iguana."

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    Attenborough celebrated 60 years with the BBC last year in a career that has seen him win many awards and the respect of the scientific community.