Episode 8 - Yosemite
43minYosemite National Park is a land of superlatives. Where else can you find granite cliffs 900 meters high and giant sequoias well over 1000 years old? Beneath these towering heights live animals that make Yosemite their home: bobcats, black bears, coyotes, golden eagles, and more. Follow Yosemite's inhabitants throughout the seasons in a unique portrait of this legendary park.
Episode 7 - Saguaro
40minUnder the wrathful heat of the Arizonian sun towers a legion of saguaros, their arms uplifted in a regal posture. These "desert monarchs" tower over an arid expanse of almost 150 squared miles, unfazed by perennial droughts, sky-ripping lightning, banshee winds, and most of all, the perpetually scorching sun. They are the proud occupants ofthis Arizonian DevilsOven theSaguaro National Park. AmongAmerica's newestnational parks, Saguarowas the first national monumentdedicated to protectinga particular plant species. Unsurprisingly, its icon is the Saguaro Cactus, but there is much more to the parks wildlife. In fact, a multitude of flora and fauna thrives in thesaguarosshadows. TheJavelinais a particularly well-known citizen of this blistering kingdom.Originally from South America,theJavelinasmigrated north into Southern Arizona a hundred years ago.Despite their resemblance towild boars, they are not closely related.More reclusive are the rattlesnakes, who prefer to dwell inthe crevices under and around rocks.In earlyspring,when the sunparches the ground, the snake sunbathesin front of their wintering den.Ruthlessly efficienthunters, rattlesnakes cansee with a second visual system besides theireyes, usingheat visionto hunt prey intotal darkness.This predation serves an essential purpose: by keepingthenumberof rats and mice low,they reduce the toll taken on the Saguaros by the rodents. Itseemsparadoxicalthat a landscape most famous for its dry and barrennature couldalso beknownforits vibrant wildlife. Join us at the base of Arizona, in a tour of Saguaro National Parks.
Episode 6 - Gates of The Arctic
38minAlaska "The last Frontier" - snow-covered mountain ranges, giant grizzly bears fishing salmon and mighty moose roaming through an endless wilderness. Places like the Denali National Park are world famous but the North of Alaska is little known. Beyond the rugged peaks of the Brooks Range lies the wide tundra of the North Slope and America's most inaccessible national park: "Gates of the Arctic". 34.287 km2 of trackless and untouched wilderness, far away from any civilization. Giant caribou herds are crossing this national park. There is no place on Earth where grizzlies can live so undisturbed like this. But the climate of North Alaska is extreme. The long and cold winter demands very special adaptations. The best example for this adaption is the arctic gopher: during hibernation they reduce their body-heat below zero degrees - absolute unique! The North of the "Gates of the Arctic" national park ends in a gigantic plain that reaches to the arctic coast of Alaska. There polar bears estivate and wait until the Arctic Ocean freezes over, so that they can finally reach their hunting grounds again. They are the real masters of the American Arctic.
Episode 5 - Great Smoky Mountains
41minThe Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts vast forests, lush meadows, and a kaleidoscope of autumnal colors. At once vibrant and mystical, the beauty of these mountains inspires fascination, curiosity, and wonder. If Middle Earth existed in our world, this would be it. Throughout the year, water vapor veils the summits of these mountains, leading to their iconic image and name. Under this perennial smoke, a staggering diversity of flora and fauna thrives. With the advent of spring, male turkeys vie for their mates' attention with unabashed, swaggering displays of vigor. After a long slumber, a male timber-rattle snake emerges from his den. As the summer night deepens, the forest shimmers with the glow of a million flashing fireflies. Yet often times, life in the Smoky Mountains is far from pretty. In the mountain's hills and hollows, male red deer bicker over a coy prospective mate. Not so far away, brother wild turkeys settle a blood feud. Somewhere in the forest, a mother black bear struggles to protect her young from hungry predators. Most of all, through the lives of creature that inhabit this smoky wonderland, we understand the ingenious efficiency of Nature: the Flycatcher uses shed snakeskin as a squirrel repellent to protect its nest, while the deer mice disperse the seeds of cherry trees throughout the park. As they say, no smoke without fire. Join us where the magic happens, in The Great Smoky Mountains.
Episode 4 - Olympic
43minOut of the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean rises the Olympic peninsula. Its rugged coastline, rain-drenched forests, and high summits are teaming with wildlife. Here, resident orca families, some of the best studied sea mammals in the world, hunt along the shores; deep sea fish surface to spawn in the tide pools; sea lions and otters relish the peninsula's bounty of food resources. The black bears, having an appetite for seafood, search for crabs under the rocks at low tide. In the seabird colonies, the bald eagles hunt with adroitness to catch both chicks and adult birds. The peninsulas rainforest is one of the most productive woodlands in the world. Its evergreen mild climate attracts herds of Roosevelt Elk. Their work of trimming the verge is obliterated by the busy Douglas Squirrel, which by stacking fur cones for food storage inadvertently re-plants the forest. The summits and glaciers of the Hurricane ridge is the realm of the marmots, who enjoy a short time of bounty in the summer before they disappear underground for the cold time of the year. All this makes the Olympic peninsula one of most diverse National Parks in North America.
Episode 3 - Everglades
43minRiver of Grass that's what Everglades means. But this "River of Grass" is no prairie: the landscape is dotted with cypress forests, pine lands, dense hardwood hammock forests, and mangroves. One of the largest wetlands on our planet, Everglades boasts a vast array of habitats and houses thousands of species. In this episode, the sensuous beauty of the Everglades is captured through the stories of three protagonists: an agile female American alligator, an uncanny Wood Stork; and a Key deer, all living in the dense impenetrable mangrove bushes of Florida Bay. For the female alligator, her home, a so-called alligator hole in a cypress dome, is a little oasis during dry season. It has been inhabited by generations of alligators, but when the drought intensifies, she is forced to vacate in search of water. Even as one of the largest wetlands of the planet, the Everglades can dry out rapidly. As fish are forced into small remaining ponds scattered in the Ever glades, the wood stork rejoices. It is on these small bodies of water that it raises its chicks during the dry season. Yet even so, its food supply is anything but stable: once the rainfall returns, it will flood these ponds, scattering the fish and making it difficult for wood storks to find them. A small, guileless creature ,the Key deer inhabits them an grove-covered islands of the Florida Keys .Skillful swimmers, they love the waters and could eat almost anything that grows there. But their lives are at risk; deer-eating Burmese pythons an invasive species brought here by humans - are steadily spreading across the Florida Keys. Will they survive the invasion of these predatory aliens? Filled with drama, this episode presents the struggles of wild souls in the River of Grass the Everglades.
Episode 2 - Yellowstone
42minOur national parks host millions of people a year, sustain countless species, and safeguard some of the most breathtaking landscapes on the planet. They preserve natural and cultural resources “for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.” Here’s how to make the most of your next national parks trip.
Episode 1 - Grand Canyon
43minSculpted by Nature over millions of years, the Grand Canyon is perhaps the best known natural wonder on earth. Yet, while the South rim has been and remains a famed destination for tourists, few know what lies beyond the lookouts on the other side. In fact, much of what happens between the North rim and the mighty Colorado River still eludes us today. In this episode, our film crew surveys the wildlife inhabiting the hidden crevices at the base of the canyon and running along its steep, treacherous cliffs. Here, wondrous creatures abound: the quasi-mythological California condor, among the worlds longest-living birds; the Bighorn sheep, whose fights embody persistence and awesome strength; even the acorn woodpeckers, who store food with an efficiency that would put most modern factories to shame. Along this rim roam bison, pronghorn, and multitudes of other animals, all part of this splendid mosaic of Arizonian wildlife that you can see, up close and personal, in The Grand Canyon.