Why the Giant Sequoia Needs Fire to Grow
Giant sequoias are the largest trees on Earth. They can grow for more than 3,000 years. But without fire, they cannot reproduce.
Newt Mating in the High Sierra | Yosemite Web Exclusive
Sierra newts spend most of their lives on land, in the moist parts of the forest, but once a year they return to their place of birth to seek out a mate. The minute she enters the water, males are upon her in an instant and the competition is fierce.
Yosemite | Preview
Yosemite Valley is a land forged in wildfire and sculpted by water; the delicate balance of these two elements is essential to the creatures and trees that call this land home. But with climates changing and temperatures rising, the Sierras are under siege. Scientists, experts and adventurers head into Yosemite to see how these global changes are affecting one of America’s greatest wildernesses.
Spy in the Wild | Episode 5 | Meet the Spies | Preview
The final episode explains how the concept of the Spy Creatures evolved at John Downer Productions from the original Bouldercam to the Penguincams that inspired the next-generation “spycams” featured in this series. It shows the painstaking work that goes into building the lifelike models and how the team deploys and operates the robotic cameras on location all over the world.
Getting Under a Spy Creature's Skin
Get a glimpse under the skin of the robot cameras featured in the NATURE mini-series "Spy in the Wild". The design and engineering that goes into these 'spy creatures' is simply stunning.
Spy in the Wild | Episode 4 | Bad Behavior | Preview
Spy Creatures infiltrate the underground world of animal mischief, crime, and retribution. Spy Monkey is caught between crossfires as real monkeys fight over beach bar alcohol. Spy Egret is also a waterhole victim when elephants throw mud everywhere.
Skua Steals 'Spy Egg'
Skuas are large sea birds that have a talent for poaching eggs. Go along for the ride as a skua grabs what it thinks is a penguin egg, but is really a hidden 'spy camera'.
Dolphins Behaving Badly
Teenage male dolphins are notoriously ill-behaved. A 'Spy Turtle' and 'Spy Pufferfish' keep tabs on all of their bad behavior.
Spy in the Wild | Episode 3 | Friendship | Preview
Spy Creatures and their new wild friends rely on each other to look out for predators. A Spy Meerkat babysits meerkat pups while a Spy Cobra pretends to attack the mob. Spy Crocs witness a convenient partnership between real crocodiles and birds.
Spy Bushbaby's Funniest Moments
"Spy in the Wild" series producer Matt Gordon recounts the humorous behavior of some wild chimps as they interact with an animatronic bushbaby.
Fearless Meerkat Takes on 'Spy Cobra'
Meerkat sentries protect the group by keeping a watch out for potential predators. A female sentry spots a cobra and tries to run it off. Little does she know, the 'cobra' is actually a sophisticated fake outfitted with a hidden camera.
Is the Dikkop the Bravest Bird in the World?
The water dikkop (Burhinus vermiculatus) locates its nest close to the nest of the Nile crocodile for protection from other predators. However, Nile crocs are extremely territorial and being in such close proximity leads to some feather-raising situations.
Orangutan Learns to Saw Wood
A female orangutan shows off her sawing skills in a contest with an animatronic 'spy orangutan.'
'Spy Sloth' Meets Real Sloth
A robotic 'spy sloth' gets a close-up view of the mini-ecosystem contained in a sloth's fur. Eeeww...gross!
Spy in the Wild | Episode 2 | Intelligence | Preview
Spy Creatures infiltrate the world of animal intelligence, ingenuity, and creativity. Watch our spies disguised as animals observe a gray squirrel stealing Spy Nut, a sea otter cracking open a meal, and an orangutan washing with soap.
Crocodile Mom Scoops Up Babies in Mouth
In Uganda, a Nile crocodile comes ashore to gather her babies. Despite having the most powerful bite in nature, she carefully gathers them in a throat pouch beneath her deadly teeth and shepherds them to the water. An animatronic 'spy croc' tags along for the ride.
Chimp Makes Orphaned Genet Cat His Pet
'Spy Bushbaby', an animatronic camera, is helping document a unique event. A chimp has adopted an abandoned baby genet cat and is keeping it for a pet. He treats it gently, mindful not to hurt it.
Spy in the Wild | Q & A with Spy Creatures and Creators
NATURE’s Executive Producer Fred Kaufman and Director John Downer discuss the making of SPY IN THE WILD
Spy in the Wild | Episode 1 | Love | Preview
Spy Creatures explore the rarely seen emotions of animals, revealing if they are as strong and complex as our own. Join the “spycams” as they are accepted into a wild dog pack, witness elephant love, and are mourned by a troop of monkeys.
Coming Soon: Spy in the Wild, A NATURE mini-series
This most innovative series employs more than 50 animatronic "spy cameras" disguised as animals to secretly record behavior in the wild. Featured robotic look-alikes will infiltrate the natural world to film surprisingly human-like behavior, such as chimps that keep pets; dolphins that bear gifts; meerkat babysitters; birds that try to impress the females; and much more.
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