The Research Behind the Documentaries
Polar bears occupy a unique niche in the Arctic. They are extraordinary terrestrial hunters who prey on some of the largest aquatic animals found in the Arctic, including beluga whales and ringed seals, the main source of their diet. Blue Planet portrays the increasing struggle that polar bears face: feeding their offspring and themselves in... Continue Reading →
It’s hard to get the girl. In the case of the marvelous spatuletail hummingbird (Loddigesia mirabilis), males need more than just pretty looks — they need stamina, as shown in Episode 5 of David Attenborough’s Life Season 1. Males of this species are unique in one particular feature: their spatules (or rackets) [1]. The male... Continue Reading →
The first episode of Blue Planet II features an intriguing segment in which the Asian Sheepshead Wrasse (Semicossyphus reticulatus) changes from a female to a male and then competes with other males for territory and mates. The fish has male and female organs, which enables it to change from a female to male during its... Continue Reading →
In Blue Planet II, Episode 1: One Ocean, we are introduced to the Kobudai fish, an example of the sexual fluidity of fish. After 10 years, a large female Kobudai fish undergoes a several month-long transformation into a large, bulbous and aggressive male. These are known as sequential hermaphrodites, and in the Kobudai fish case,... Continue Reading →
In Season 1, Episode 4 of the Hunt, Attenborough describes how Magnificent Frigatebirds, Fregata manificens, take the opportunity to snatch flyingfishes when these poor fishes glide over the sea to avoid predation by mahi-mahi, the dolphinfish. Interestingly, as seabirds, frigatebirds seldom touch the ocean, because their feathers are not waterproof [1]. However, they can travel... Continue Reading →
In the video The Hunt, Attenborough describes how dolphins work together to concentrate fish together so that they can catch and feed on the fish more easily while preventing the fish from escaping the area. The video shows that dolphins not only use sonar to communicate with each other, but that they also use loud... Continue Reading →
“When caught out in the open and vulnerable, this octopus does something truly extraordinary,” David Attenborough narrates. In Blue Planet II, Season 1 Episode 5, the camera captures a strange and fascinating sight: a common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) swiftly surrounds herself with a pile of shells, creating an impenetrable armor to shield herself from the... Continue Reading →
There are many misconceptions regarding the physiology of one of the most bizarre denizens of Africa’s plains: giraffes. First and foremost amongst these misconceptions is the origin behind the giraffe’s elongated necks. Several different theories exist to explain this physiological oddity, though none of them have been conclusively proven as the primary reason for the... Continue Reading →
In episode 1 of David Attenborough’s Natural Curiosities Season 1, one sees chameleons change their colors to either camouflage or communicate. Through multiple experiments, researchers observed a common sequence of defensive behaviors that the chameleons employed. They would first slowly turn behind the branch that they were perched upon to further hide themselves; then they... Continue Reading →
The “Seasonal Seas” episode of Blue Planet utilizes a trope commonly used in nature documentaries to raise tension: an unwitting prey being chased down by an unceasing predator. In this case, it is a large, smooth Navanax sea slug trailing behind a Janolus sea slug like the monster in a horror movie. However, this is... Continue Reading →
The Evolution of Planet Earth 