7pm SEA OF CREEPY MONSTERS - Nature
Located north of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the Lembeh Strait is a hotspot of marine biodiversity. In the fascinating documentary SEA OF CREEPY MONSTERS, two wildlife filmmakers use macro cinematography to bring viewers up close with the countless amazing creatures that thrive in this underwater ecosystem, including miniature seahorses, mantis shrimp, and even a previously unidentified species of sea slug.
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8pm NATURE: Natural Born Hustlers - When it comes to the most important goals in the animal kingdom, learning how to survive and raising the next generation are right at the top of the list. This may seem clear cut, but the lengths to which some animals go to achieve these objectives can often be downright devious.
IN THIS EPISODE: The duplicitous ways in which animals try to secure their next meal is the subject of the second episode, The Hunger Hustle. Singled out is the devious drongo, a South African bird. In winter, he has to rely on grubs and insects that live underground, but other animals are far better equipped to dig them up, so the drongo devises a con. He serves as lookout while vulnerable social weaver birds are on the ground digging up food. If a predator is spotted, he sends out an alarm call and the weavers head for safety until they get an all clear call from him. But the drongo also issues fake alarm calls, allowing him to eat food the weavers have dug up before issuing an all clear to return. Among other segments: the orchid mantis, which attracts insects by mimicking a flower and why it is even more successful than the real thing; how killer whales use sound to manipulate the behavior of herring to their advantage; and how and why gray squirrels practice sleight of hand to protect the nuts they’ve gathered to get them through the winter.
9pm FORCES OF NATURE: Elements - Science - Forces of Nature illustrates how we experience Earth’s natural forces, including shape, elements, color and motion in each of its four episodes. Although we can’t immediately feel the motion of Earth’s fundamental forces, we witness the consequences, such as tidal bores surging through the Amazon rainforest or the intense and ruinous power of hurricanes.
IN THIS EPISODE: The forces of nature make Earth a restless planet, but they also turned our ball of rock into a home for life. How did our planet’s ingredients, the chemical elements, come together and take that first crucial step from barren rock to a living world?
