NATURE's 33rd Season: Sneak Preview
Catch a sneak peek of the upcoming season of Nature. New episodes include "Big Thinkers of the Forest", "Animal Misfits", "A Sloth Named Velcro" and "The Animal Home Show".
Bullfrog Dad Protects the Brood
The African bullfrog (Pyxicephalus adspersus) is the biggest frog in Africa and very aggressive. But in spite of that, it’s a devoted father. Bullfrogs spawn in little pools around the margins of larger ponds and after mating is over one male stays to keep watch. If the pool dries up the dutiful dad digs a channel to a new water source.
Golden Frogs Make Waves
The male Panamanian Golden Frog (Atelopus zeteki) has a subtle ways of attracting a females--it waves. This friendly gesture can attract the unwanted attention of a rival male, which often ends in a wrestling match.
Trailer: Fabulous Frogs
Sir David Attenborough takes us on a journey through the weird and wonderful world of frogs, shedding new light on these charismatic, colorful and frequently bizarre little animals through first-hand stories, the latest science, and cutting-edge technology. Frogs from around the world are used to demonstrate the wide variety of frog anatomy, appearance and behavior.
Emperor Penguins Huddle to Keep Warm
As the only creatures on earth to breed in the Antarctic winter, their survival, as well as those of their chicks, is put in jeopardy when the temperature falls to 40 below. So, instinctively, emperor penguins all converge on the same central point and begin to form a huddle. As those on the outside take the brunt of the cold, those on the inside take tiny steps that move the huddle in waves.
Gulf Grunion Beach Spawning
In Sonora, Mexico, thousands of Gulf Grunion fish act on a seemingly suicidal desire to breed out of water. The female grunion deposit eggs in the sand as far from aquatic predators as possible. The eggs remain buried in the wet sand and hatch in about 10 days, at which point the young grunion make their way back into the water.
Sardine Run in South Africa
The seasonal movement of billions of sardines along the coast of South Africa, the greatest fish migration on the planet, includes a stunning example of collective thinking to throw off predators. Synchronous movement by the sardines relies on a pressure sense that runs along their bodies to detect the movements of their nearest neighbors.
The Gathering Swarms | Preview
Get a look at some of the planet’s great gatherings, creatures that come together in inconceivable numbers — sometimes in millions, billions, even trillions. In the process, a kind of super-organism is created in which individual intelligence is superseded by a collective consciousness that shares information and moves with a single purpose for the benefit of all.
Beaver Rescue in Denver
Hairdresser Sherri Tippie, the top live trapper of the species in North America, rescues unwanted beavers in the Denver suburbs and then places them with farmers and beaver enthusiasts who eagerly provide new homes for them.
Leave It to Beavers - Preview
A growing number of scientists, conservationists and grassroots environmentalists have come to regard beavers as overlooked tools in the effort to reverse the disastrous effects of global warming and worldwide water shortages. View these industrious rodents, once valued for their fur or hunted as pests, in a new light through the eyes of this novel assembly of beaver enthusiasts and “employers.”
How Beavers Build Dams
Beavers are devoted to their work as dam builders and they are born equipped and ready for the job. Leave it to Beavers tells the story of beavers in North America – their history, their near extinction, and their current comeback as modern day eco-heroes.
Leave It to Beavers - Preview
A growing number of scientists, conservationists and grass-roots environmentalists now regard beavers as overlooked tools when it comes to reversing the disastrous effects of global warming and worldwide water shortages. Using their skills as natural builders and brilliant hydro-engineers, beavers can transform and revive landscapes.
Behind-The-Scenes of Snow Monkeys, Part 2: Post-Production
After two years in the field in Japan documenting the lives of a snow monkey troop, producer and cinematographer Joe Pontecorvo compiled over 700 hours of footage. In this segment, learn about the post-production process, from video and sound editing, to color correction, to music composition.
Monkey Babies Start to Explore
As winter months fade away, the forest becomes a nursery for this troop of snow monkeys: The newborns are full of energy and curiosity, and are blissfully unaware of dangers or troop politics. Snow Monkeys airs Wednesday, April 23 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).
Japanese Snow Monkeys Soak in Hot Springs
Japan's Jigokudani became a sensation when hot springs were constructed for the Hell Valley snow monkey troops. The monkeys get important help from the hot springs in the valley, fed by warm volcanic waters, but their survival is a communal effort in a complex society of rank and privilege where each knows their place.
Snow Monkeys Grooming
The troop that grooms together, stays together: Get to know the social ins and outs of individuals within a 160-member snow monkey troop led by Kuro-san, a young male still new to the job and something of a solitary grouch. Snow Monkeys airs Wednesday, April 23 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).
Behind The Scenes: Making of Snow Monkeys
"Snow Monkeys" producer and cinematographer Joe Pontecorvo sought to capture the life of Japanese Macaques deep within the snow-covered mountains of Northern Japan, in a valley named Jigokudani, meaning “Hell Valley”. Pontecorvo and his wife Nimmida Pontevorco followed a snow monkey troop, 160 members in all, for nearly two years to truly get to know these fascinating creatures.
Trailer: Snow Monkeys
In the frigid valleys of Japan’s Shiga Highlands, a troop of snow monkeys make their way and raise their families in a complex society of rank and privilege where each knows their place. Their leader is still new to the job and something of a solitary grouch. But one little monkey, innocently unaware of his own lowly social rank, reaches out to this lonely leader.
Mule Deer Family Rituals
A profound moment of bonding occurs for Joe Hutto when mule deer Rag Tag, the doe herd leader's daughter, begins to groom him, something that only occurs within a deer family. During his seven year journey of bonding with a wild mule deer herd, Joe Hutto came to appreciate the animals' profound intelligence, particularly during displays of curiosity. Touching the Wild airs Wednesday, April 16 at 8
True Acceptance From The Herd
Over two years of patience on Joe Hutto's part resulted in first displays of trust by a herd of wild mule deer. But once Hutto won full acceptance from the herd's leader, a doe he called Raggedy Anne, he could move among the individuals in the herd and no one paid attention. He had become part of the family. Touching the Wild airs Wednesday, April 16 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings).
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