Be Smart

We investigate a mystery. Millennia ago, while much of the Earth was covered in ice, enormous animals lived on every continent except Antarctica. Species like ground sloths, mammoths, gomphotheres, sabertooth cats, even wombats the size of cars! Today, Africa is the only continent where these megafaunas still exist. Why? What happened to the rest of Earth’s giants?

We meet some interesting bugs that use truly extreme senses to navigate their world. How do dung beetles use astronomy to roll their poo balls home? And what does a swarm of beetles descending on a packed football stadium have to do with forest fires? Welcome to the world of extreme animal senses.

We look at some surprising ways that species use teamwork in order to survive. Why is one African tree full of ants? Why are there birds nesting in giraffe armpits? What surprising guard animal keeps an endangered butterfly larva from becoming wasp food? Welcome to the world of mutualisms and animal partnerships.

We look at ecosystems at their largest and smallest scales of time and size from the Serengeti to Andrews Experimental Forestin Oregon. How does the cycling of nutrients and molecules make life possible on Earth? Who are these recyclers and scavengers? Sometimes this recycling happens fast and violently, and sometimes it happens slow and beautifully.

In this episode, we first study the complex family relationships of elephants in Africa’s Serengeti plains and how their shared knowledge can help them survive. Then we travel to San Francisco to discover how the intricate songs of birds have changed in the face of our own culture. How common is culture in the animal kingdom? And what role does it play in the survival of species?

We explore the universal rules of life that tie together Earth’s living systems. Traveling from Africa’s Serengeti plains to the nearly extinct prairies of the western U.S. to discover the unexpected species that determine the very existence of these places. Can an ecosystem survive without its keystone species? Can we restore endangered human cultures by bringing back a nearly-extinct ecosystem?

All 12 days in ONE video!