Nature

From PBS and Nature - Alongside the fastest, strongest, smartest animals are nature’s misfits, odd, bizarre and unlikely creatures that at first glance seem ill-equipped for survival. Left at the starting line in the race for life, these are the apparent losers in the story of evolution, yet somehow they manage to cling to life and in some cases even thrive. “Animal Misfits” reveals some surprising details about how evolution really works, demonstrating that all animals are remarkably well-adapted to their chosen way of life.

Sloths, once largely ignored, have become a hot topic of scientific researchers. Sanctuaries and rehabilitation centers are also springing up, as development often displaces these gentle creatures. Filmed in Panama, Costa Rica and Colombia, this is a story of friendship between a journalist and the sloth she named Velcro and a network of people working to learn more about sloths in order to protect them.

As the ice shrinks in the Arctic, polar bears are struggling to survive in a fast melting world. Although classified a marine mammal, the polar bear is not adapted to hunting in the water. And it is certainly no match for the world’s greatest aquatic hunter — the killer whale. In the last few years, scientists have noted an ever-growing number of killer whales in Arctic waters in the summer months. More and more have been attracted to these hunting grounds by the growing expanse of open water. They attack the same prey as the polar bears: seals, narwhal, belugas and bowhead whales.

In the heart of the Antarctic Peninsula there’s a unique British post office surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery including 3,000 Gentoo penguins. You will see their four-month drama unfold against the backdrop of their lives–primarily, cruise ships with enthusiastic tourists to photograph the penguins, and buy postcards to send to friends and family around the world–from the Penguin Post Office.

For centuries, the mysterious nighttime lives and uncanny hunting skills of owls have made them fascinating hallmarks of children’s stories and folk tales the world over. But what actually makes owls so special? Bird trainers Lloyd and Rose Buck and their very special family of owls, eagles, falcons, geese, pigeons, and two newly-hatched barn owls – Luna and Lily – provide a rare opportunity to learn more about these unique birds. Using the latest in camera technology, computer graphics, x-rays and super-sensitive microphones, we can take a brand new look at owls in more detail than ever before. The real stories behind how they hunt, how their vision and hearing works, and how they fly so silently are influencing 21st century technology and design.

Ecologist Chris Morgan travels to the jungles of Northern Sumatra to document the work being done to save wild orangutans. The scientists are there to study a unique social band of wild orangutans. For the first time, advanced cameras follow the orangs throughout the canopy to provide an intimate, clear picture of how these arboreal apes spend their days and nights and interact with one another.

Bird nests come in all shapes and sizes, crafted from a diversity of materials, including fur, grasses, leaves, mosses, sticks and twigs, bones, wool, mud and spider silk. Quite a few contain man-made materials — twine, bits of wire, even plastic bags. Each is a work of art, built with just a beak! All over the world, birds in the wild arrive at diverse nesting grounds to collect, compete for, reject, steal and begin to build with carefully selected materials, crafting homes for the task of protecting their eggs and raising their young.

Finding a good base of operations is key to successfully raising a family. One must find the right stream or tree, the right building materials, neighbors and sometimes tenants. In the wild, every home is a unique DIY project, every head of household a designer and engineer. Cameras chart the building plans and progress of beavers, tortoises, hummingbirds and woodrats, examining layouts and cross sections, evaluating the technical specs of their structures, documenting their problem-solving skills. Animal architecture provides insights into animal consciousness, creativity and innovation.

For some animals, living in the midst of huge colonies of their own kind is the most secure and rewarding housing arrangement. Icelandic puffins form nesting colonies of more than a million, providing shared information about food sources and reducing the odds of attacks on individual birds. But colonies are useful for predators, too. Social spiders in Ecuador work together to capture prey 20 times the size an individual might subdue on its own. For others, communal living provides multi-generational care-giving options or the opportunity to build enormous cities like the acre-wide multi-million-citizen colonies built by leaf cutter ants in Costa Rica, or Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, built entirely by tiny corals.

This is the true story of a family of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys living in the highest forests in the world. Only recently discovered, snub-nosed monkeys are hauntingly beautiful primates, gentler than others of their kind. Elfin-like, they seem both childlike and wise beyond their years. The family is led by a formidable fighter and his fighting force who guard a troop of 8-10 families. The survival of this unique monkey society, formed in response to the hardships of the Himalayas, depends on strong defensive strategies and the cooperation and interdependence of them all.

In every animal’s life, there comes a time when it must stand on its own, and face the world alone. For a few, this happens just moments after birth, others have the advantage of home schooling under the watchful eye. But growing up is never easy, and finding food, avoiding predators and making friends does not always come naturally. These are the trials of young animals all over the world, as they prepare to leave home.

One of the most overlooked ecosystems in the America West is a massive sea of sagebrush that stretches across 11 states. This spartan landscape supports more than 170 species of birds and mammals. Among those that have adapted to survive here are the Greater Sage-Grouse. Today, they must contend with wells and pipelines tapping the resources buried deep below. The sagebrush and the grouse carry on, but they’re losing ground.