- 1 day ago
Episode explores the remarkable dedication, intelligence, and unique parenting strategies that marine animals must master to raise their young in a rapidly changing world....
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00Viewers like you make this program possible.
00:03Support your local PBS station.
00:38Incredible ingenuity, dedication, and extraordinary teamwork.
00:46This is what it takes to be a parent on our planet.
00:53Meet the hard-working parents, raising their families,
00:58doing all they can to protect and provide for the next generation.
01:07Discover the extraordinary ways animal parents navigate their world.
01:13But a changing planet is forcing them to adapt.
01:19Success for all parents has perhaps the greatest of consequences.
01:25It ensures the future of life on Earth.
01:32This is parenthood.
01:58A newly born bottlenose dolphin.
02:01Its skin still creased by the tightness of the womb,
02:06from which it has only just emerged.
02:22Its mother is devoted to it, and will care for it for the next five years.
02:31That is an unusually long time for any ocean-going animal.
02:40Most marine creatures simply abandon their young as soon as they appear.
02:48But those who care for them do so in some very remarkable ways.
03:08Coral reefs occupy less than 1% of the floor of the world's oceans.
03:15But they provide homes for over a quarter of all marine species.
03:25Indonesia's reefs are among the most diverse on Earth.
03:29Over 2,000 species of fish live here,
03:33and most reproduce in the simplest of ways.
03:39Females release their eggs and the males rush in and fertilize them.
03:46The young are then swept away and few, if any, will meet their parents again.
03:56But one fish behaves very differently.
04:01The Bangai cardinal fish.
04:07The adults spend most of their time among sea urchins,
04:12protected to some degree by the urchin's spines.
04:19When a female is ready to spawn, she leads a male away from the shoal.
04:32She displays to him, quivering her distended fins.
04:41And then she releases a mass of eggs,
04:46which he takes into his mouth.
04:55He hasn't swallowed them.
04:58On the contrary, he is protecting them.
05:07But for the next four weeks, he won't be able to eat.
05:19Starvation, however, is the least of his worries.
05:26There are predators around.
05:31Of many kinds.
05:44An unguarded baby fish would be quickly eaten.
05:48So the hatchlings stay inside their father's mouth.
05:57This anemone could provide the male with a home.
06:01For although its tentacles have stings, he is immune to them.
06:07But his predators are not.
06:11The resident anemone fish is also immune.
06:15But this one doesn't welcome strangers.
06:25This anemone, however, seems to have vacancies.
06:30The male picks his moment to leave the safety of the urchin's spines.
06:44Here?
06:46She's not alone.
06:57But this anemone fish doesn't mind sharing.
07:04He has found a new home for his young.
07:14But they seem unwilling to leave his mouth.
07:22So he gives them a little encouragement.
07:46But there's always one who is reluctant to leave.
07:58Here, among the anemone's tentacles, they will remain until an urchin appears who has vacancies.
08:10His 30 days of fasting have given his young an excellent start in life.
08:20But parental responsibilities extend far beyond providing shelter for the mammals that live around the reef.
08:38A bottlenose dolphin mother spends five years showing her calf the skills necessary for survival.
08:48And she does so through play.
08:54The lessons start with a trick.
08:58First, balance a piece of coral on your nose.
09:09Second, take it up to the surface.
09:14Third, drop it.
09:20And then, before it reaches the bottom, catch it.
09:36All adults can perform this trick.
09:42Perfecting it is, therefore, a rite of passage for this calf.
09:52First, balance the coral.
10:01This is not easy.
10:05Try again.
10:14Step one.
10:16Step one.
10:16Balance the coral.
10:22Or bite it.
10:25And skip to step two.
10:31Now, get it.
10:58Got it.
11:00Just in time.
11:03There are also other, more important skills that a calf must learn.
11:10The mother leads her youngster to one particular kind of coral that is almost hidden.
11:19One that has a special, extraordinary characteristic.
11:24It produces antifungal chemicals which dolphins rub on their skin.
11:32These dolphins, remarkably, medicate themselves.
11:38And they pass on this knowledge to their young.
11:42And they pass on this knowledge to their young.
12:06Is part of good parenting.
12:17The south coast of Australia.
12:22Here, the shallow sea, for 5,000 miles, is carpeted by dense seaweed.
12:35These underwater meadows thrive in the cold, turbulent water.
12:48And one remarkable fish has evolved here and exists nowhere else.
12:56The weedy sea dragon.
13:00It's marvellously camouflaged.
13:05And an exceptionally dedicated parent.
13:13In spring, male and female dance together.
13:21They mirror each other's actions.
13:43They mirror each other's actions.
13:50And they mirror each other's actions.
13:51The eggs are bright pink.
13:53And make him dangerously conspicuous.
14:15But within a few weeks, the eggs become covered by algae, and that makes them less obvious.
14:32After six weeks, his parenting duties come to an end.
14:39The baby dragons begin to hatch.
14:48They're just half an inch long, perfect miniatures of their parents.
15:00They share their micro-world with one of the strangest creatures in the seas, skeleton
15:10shrimps.
15:13They're seldom noticed, but they live in oceans worldwide.
15:21They're armed with formidable weapons, and they are remarkably attentive parents.
15:32About 25 juveniles cling to their mother until they're strong enough to grip the seaweed.
15:43She needs to feed them, and the best food is at the top of the seaweed.
15:54And that is where she takes them.
16:03Carrying as many young as this is exhausting.
16:09And if she stops, she risks everything.
16:18She falls onto an urchin, which catches her with its tube feet and starts transporting
16:26her towards its mouth.
16:35But she wriggles free and resumes her climb.
16:47Skeleton shrimps live in colonies and compete for the best feeding places.
17:15And she waits for something edible to drift by.
17:22This mycid is big enough to provide a meal for the shrimp's entire brood.
17:41Her young clamber over her head to claim a share.
17:53Once fed, they leave, giving her a break from the responsibilities of motherhood.
18:06Seaweed, wherever it grows, provides animals with both food and shelter.
18:15The Shetlands, the northernmost of the British Isles.
18:22It has the densest population of Eurasian otters in the world.
18:31These three cubs are five months old.
18:36They're still totally dependent on their mother for food.
18:47She finds it in the seaweed, where there are great numbers of small fish.
19:01The fish are well camouflaged and not easy to see.
19:12But she uses her whiskers to feel for them.
19:17The fish are the most important.
19:30Otter mothers usually produce one or two cubs at a time.
19:36Triplets, like these, are extremely rare.
19:39And each cub needs to eat a quarter of its body weight every day.
19:47So this mother has to catch a lot of food.
20:04She must also feed well herself if she is to survive the winter.
20:22The youngsters squabble over every fish.
20:37The biggest and most vigorous cub is the first to get food.
20:42And the smallest often goes hungry.
20:50This small male, however, decides to fish for himself.
20:55And joins his mother farther out to sea.
21:03He's caught something.
21:07Unfortunately, it's something that bites back.
21:17It's a crab, which is easy to catch, but not very nutritious.
21:28His mother has been too busy to notice that he has strayed.
21:42And now he is lost.
22:04Over a quarter of otter cubs don't survive their first year.
22:12Many because they lose touch with their mothers.
22:25All he can do is to keep calling.
22:31By the way, he will.
22:33the. Some
22:58small bears. Another
22:58strategy. Wow!
23:12Winter in Shetland is very cold
23:15and life becomes hard for otters, both old and young.
23:27The bigger the cubs grow, the more food they need, and soon she will leave them to find
23:33food for themselves.
23:48California's Channel Islands are surrounded by one of the richest of marine nurseries,
23:58a forest of giant kelp.
24:09This area has now been declared a marine reserve, where fishing is totally banned.
24:23As a consequence, over a thousand different species of animals now live here.
24:32Among them, giant sea bass, which elsewhere are critically endangered.
24:44On the floor of this submarine forest lives a particularly territorial species, a Garibaldi.
24:55This male has built his nest in the center of his territory.
25:00And here he cultivates a particular kind of red algae.
25:08He carefully prunes it so that the females can lay their eggs on it.
25:21Several have already done that.
25:25So now he has a potential brood of over 150,000.
25:33He devotes his time to keeping the eggs free from algae and driving off hungry intruders.
26:01Some visitors, however, are so big, they're best ignored.
26:08His most dangerous enemy, however, is in fact relatively tiny.
26:18A little blue-banded goby.
26:24Which takes advantage of the constant intruders.
26:32To steal the Garibaldi's eggs.
26:44But the biggest threat of all comes from the sea urchins.
26:52They eat virtually everything in their path.
26:57From the nest of a Garibaldi to the entire kelp forest.
27:07He does all he can to keep the urchins away.
27:20His neighbors help.
27:24Inside the reserve, there are enough fish to keep urchin numbers in check.
27:36But the reserve is tiny.
27:42Outside it, humans have caught most of the fish that once kept down urchin numbers.
27:58And that, combined with an ever-warming sea, has created a plague of urchins that have devastated the sea floor.
28:12They have destroyed the kelp forests along great stretches of California's coast.
28:20And now, we ourselves are adding to that damage by using our seas as dumping grounds for our waste.
28:34Many animals have changed their parental behavior in order to survive in this new world.
28:45Pale octopus are relatively short-lived.
28:50And this female has just over a year in which to breed and raise her young.
29:04To do that, she has to find a safe den.
29:19To do that, she has to find a safe den.
29:22Good dens are rare.
29:30A discarded toilet could perhaps serve...
29:35But this one is engaged.
29:42And is already being fought over.
29:48A squirt from its owner's ink sack makes things clear.
29:55She keeps looking.
29:59Many of the available den sites are too exposed.
30:07She wants somewhere a little more secluded.
30:13This plastic pipe is also occupied...
30:18...by a male.
30:25...by a male.
30:29But he...
30:30...is signaling his readiness to breed.
30:47But he...
30:49...is signaling his readiness to breed.
30:56...by a male.
31:14It's an irresistible performance.
31:20So she inspects his den.
31:23So she inspects his den.
31:38It may not look like much...
31:40...but to her, apparently, it will do.
31:49He nudges her into his home.
31:58She gives his den and him...
32:00...her seal of approval...
32:02...and the two mate.
32:12A few days later...
32:14...she starts laying her eggs...
32:16...inside the pipe.
32:19She will eventually produce about 500 of them.
32:35She strokes them with her suckers...
32:39...to keep them clear of algae.
32:44Her home will hide her...
32:48...and is easy to defend.
32:55But laying her eggs...
32:57...will be the last act of her life.
33:02All octopus mothers...
33:04...die in their dens.
33:18As her eggs hatch...
33:20...she takes her young in her arms...
33:25...and uses her siphon...
33:27...to propel them to independence.
33:59In their year-long lives...
34:02...13 million tons of plastic...
34:05...will have been dumped...
34:07...onto their ocean homes.
34:11Her final resting place...
34:13...was the home that she set out to find...
34:18...but perhaps...
34:19...not the grave...
34:20...that anyone might consider appropriate...
34:23...for such a dedicated parent.
34:30As our seas change...
34:33...those species...
34:34...with sufficient intelligence...
34:36...to adapt...
34:37...are finding new ways...
34:38...to support their offspring.
34:44And there are few sea creatures...
34:47...more inventive...
34:48...in their search for food...
34:50...than...
34:52...killer whales.
35:01They're powerful...
35:04...swift...
35:05...and agile.
35:08But the key to their success...
35:10...lies beyond their physicality.
35:17It comes from their sociability...
35:20...and the way they use...
35:22...their complex relationships...
35:23...to teach one another.
35:27Each family...
35:29...is led by its grandmother...
35:31...the matriarch.
35:38She may live into her 80s...
35:41...far beyond the age...
35:43...of producing calves of her own.
35:46But her responsibilities...
35:48...as a leader...
35:49...never cease.
35:55She plays a key part...
35:57...in teaching them all...
35:58...how to hunt.
36:05She initiates a chase...
36:10...and the rest of the family...
36:12...join her.
36:31But this is not a game.
36:39One deliberately stops swimming...
36:42...in order to enable the others...
36:45...to practice a particular skill.
36:49They push it beneath the surface...
36:52...and submerge its blowhole...
36:54...to prevent it from breathing.
37:00They are practicing the actions...
37:03...they will use to drown their prey.
37:08And these orca...
37:09...need to be on top of their game.
37:15They hunt...
37:16...the largest animals...
37:18...that have ever lived.
37:21Blue whales.
37:25Such prey are too big...
37:27...for most orca to tackle.
37:31But this matriarch has found one.
37:47The blue whale seems to have been caught off guard.
37:53Working as a team...
37:55...the orca keep their victims' blowhole...
37:58...beneath the surface.
38:03Exactly as the matriarch taught them to do.
38:24The hunting of blue whales by orca...
38:27...has only recently been documented.
38:31A new behavior...
38:32...that is a response to changes...
38:35...in their ocean home.
38:43But many animals today...
38:45...are finding it hard...
38:47...to change their habits.
38:52Atolla...
38:54...fishing off the coast of South Africa.
38:57It has attracted thousands of seabirds...
39:04...and hundreds of fur seals.
39:08The trawler's presence illustrates the problem...
39:12...that all these animals are now facing.
39:16They're having to compete for their food...
39:19...with us.
39:26This trawler has collected its fish...
39:29...from the ocean's depths.
39:35But such fish are low in nutrients.
39:40They're junk food for the birds and the seals.
39:52An adult Cape Gannet male is flying in this crowd.
39:57He's picked up what he can...
39:59...and now he must begin the long flight back to his family.
40:13His home is Malhas Island...
40:16...the world's second largest Cape Gannet colony.
40:29Using his own particular call...
40:32...he locates his lifelong partner...
40:34...and their chick.
40:57But the fish he has scavenged...
41:00...doesn't contain enough energy...
41:02...to nourish his chick.
41:06Gannet chicks need rich, oily foods...
41:09...such as sardines and anchovies...
41:12...the natural prey of these gannets.
41:17As the parents change guard...
41:19...the mother takes her turn...
41:22...and heads out to sea.
41:25She must find suitable food...
41:28...if their chick is to survive.
41:37Cape Gannets have nested on Malhas Island...
41:40...for generations.
41:43But due to our overfishing...
41:46...the gannets must now fly further out to sea...
41:49...to find what they need.
42:09At last, a hopeful sign.
42:14Common dolphins...
42:22...the gallant mother knows...
42:24...they will lead her to food.
42:25...they will lead her to food.
42:33And she's not alone.
42:47Sardines.
42:52She dives at 50 miles an hour...
43:00...but fails to catch anything.
43:07The dolphins now encircle the sardines...
43:14...and drive them upwards...
43:16...trapping them against the surface.
43:21For the Gannets...
43:22...it's the time...
43:24...to strike.
43:41They dive as deep...
43:43...as 65 feet.
43:53The mother makes one last dive...
43:59...and catches one more fish.
44:10Now she has enough food...
44:12...for her chick.
44:13The Dieu Catholic...
44:42...the ship
44:47This hard-won meal is the last she will give this chick.
45:03It's now ready for independence.
45:12The chick makes its way to the edge of the colony, where the wind is strongest.
45:21But first, she has to find her way through 40,000 neighbors.
45:33She joins dozens of others.
45:37All preparing for their first flight.
45:47She watches others make their attempts.
45:52Those who catch the wind lift off and are away.
45:59Those who don't have to face the fury of the Atlantic Ocean.
46:14And great danger lurks beneath the waves.
46:30Cape Fur Seals.
46:33Cape Fur Seals.
46:49Gannets aren't usually taken by seals, but in this depleted ocean, prey of any kind is worth having.
47:20The food she took from her parents will only sustain her for a further day or so.
47:26The food she took from her parents will only sustain her for a further day or so.
47:29She waits for a gust of wind.
47:49Her timing is not good.
48:03He's getting equipped with a fire.
48:05The fire is just a little bit while she is the captain of the group.
48:06He's getting up at night.
48:07A fire.
48:10A fire.
48:12A fire.
48:13A fire.
48:15Oh my god.
48:15There's a fire.
48:22A fire.
48:24Super fire.
48:24A fire.
48:25A fire.
48:26It's a fire.
48:31Safe in the shallows.
48:36Few get such a second chance.
48:53She must try again.
49:00All right.
49:01That's a good one.
49:09Yeah, our side.
49:10Easy.
49:13Easy.
49:18Easy.
49:20Easy.
49:30She's made it.
49:40The depleted ocean will remain a hugely challenging place for her.
49:47But the oceans are ecologically very resilient
49:51and they can recover faster than any other habitat on Earth,
49:57given the right protection.
50:00Gannet parents stay together for life up to 20 years.
50:06If their ocean home is given the chance to recover,
50:10the vast shoals of fish on which so many depend
50:13could reappear within the lifetime of these parents.
50:19And they could live to see a brighter future.
50:51Take off the horizon of the sea!
50:53When the ocean is not so cold but it's too heavy.
50:56If you need to make a better ocean of the ocean,
50:59you can easily dissolve that sea of the ocean,
50:59and you can easily dissolve that sea of the sea.
51:00An ocean of the sea is to come to the ocean.
51:00Was this really a little bit of food?
51:02Yeah, that's cool.
Comments