Skip to main content

Planet Earth DVD Episode Guide - Episode 9 - Shallow Seas

The 9th episode of the Planet Earth DVD series is devoted to the many shallow seas that fringe the world’s continents. Although the represent only 8% of Earth’s oceans, they contain the most marine life. Planet Earth shows a mother humpback whale and her calf returning to their breeding grounds in the tropics. The young humpback whale will take in up to 500 litres of milk a day while its mother starves as they travel back to the poles to feed. This tremendous journey must be undertaken while they both have sufficient energy.

Planet Earth episode 8 also shows the coral reefs in Indonesia that are home to the biggest variety of ocean dwellers. Creatures found among the reef include banded sea kraits, which ally themselves with goatfish and trevally in order to hunt. Meanwhile, in Western Australia, dolphins show off their excellent swimming skills as they hydroplane in the shallowest waters to catch a meal. Far away in Bahrain, 100,000 Socotra cormorants rely on shamals that blow sand grains into the nearby Persian Gulf, transforming it into a rich fishing ground.

In the spring, the appearance of algae starts a food chain that leads to an abundant harvest, with marvelous creatures such as sea lions and dusky dolphins taking advantage. In Southern Africa, chokka squid are preyed on by short-tail stingrays while Cape fur seals that share the waters are hunted by the world’s largest predatory fish: the great white shark. On Marion Island in the Indian Ocean, a group of king penguins must cross a beach occupied by fur seals that do not hesitate to attack them.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Planet Earth DVD Episode Guide - Episode 4 - Caves

Episode 4 of the Planet Earth DVD series explores the Earth’s caves and tunnels; the “final frontier” of our world. The Earth’s biggest cave, the Cave of Swallows in Mexico, with a depth of 400 meters, is featured in this episode. Also featured is Deer Cave in Borneo, inhabited by three million wrinkle-lipped bats which live on the cave’s ceiling. The bats deposit guano onto an enormous mound on the floor of the cave. The mound is 100 meters high and is blanketed with feeding cockroaches. Planet Earth also offers a glimpse of other cave life, including a number of subterranean, eyeless creatures, such as the Texan cave salamander and a species of crab. The episode closes with beautiful footage of the Lechuguilla Cave which was only recently discovered. Footage of Lechuguilla Cave includes the ornate gypsum crystal formations, carved by sulphuric acid, found within the cave. Watch: Planet Earth - Caves Post adapted from Wikipedia. Content is licensed under the GNU Free Docume...
Post a Comment
Read more

Planet Earth DVD Episode Guide - Episode 7 - Great Plains

Step out onto the Savanna, steppe, tundra and prairie as episode seven of the Planet Earth DVD series looks at the resilience of grasses in treeless ecosystems. The vast grasslands on earth contain the largest concentrations of animal life. In outer Mongolia, a herd of gazelle is shown fleeing a bush fire and are forced to graze in other areas. Fortunately, grass can repair itself rapidly and the burned area soon recovers from the fire damage. Out on the Artic tundra, millions of migratory snow geese arrive to breed. Their young are heavily preyed on by the local Artic foxes. Meanwhile, time-lapse photography is used to depict the movement of a caribou herd as a young calf is killed by a wolf. South of the Artic, on the North American prairies, bison engage in the ritual of determining who is the dominant male. Far away on a Tibetan plateau, the highest plains in the world are home to the yak and wild ass, even though there is little grass that grows. The most numerous resident on...
Post a Comment
Read more

Planet Earth DVD Episode Guide - Episode 2 - Mountains

The second episode of the Planet Earth DVD set focuses on the Earth’s many mountains. Extensive aerial photography was used by the show’s creators to explore all the main ranges. Ethiopia’s Erta Ale, the longest erupting volcano (for over 100 years) in the world is among the mountains shown. Nearby in the highlands, geladas, the only primate whose diet consists almost entirely of grass, are shown inhabiting the slopes nearly 3 miles up. The most numerous of their kind, the Geladas troop numbers 800 members. Contrasted with the numbers of Geladas is the critically endangered Walia Ibex, which lives alongside them. Both the Geladas and the Ibex must be on a constant lookout for the predatory Ethiopian wolves which share the area. Far away in the Andes, which have the most volatile weather on earth, Guanacos are shown enduring a flash blizzard, a plight shared by a group of puma. Filming the normally solitary Puma in a group was one of the large accomplishments of the Planet Earth ser...
Post a Comment
Read more