In Navigating the Dark Depths of the Ocean, narrator David Attenborough highlights the deep ocean, where no sunlight reaches, and animals have adapted to survive in total darkness with minimal food. The Dumbo octopus glides effortlessly through the water, conserving energy. The vampire squid uses bioluminescent bacteria to create light patterns that confuse predators. In this extreme environment, creatures must rely on special adaptations to detect food, avoid danger, and navigate the dark depths. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Explore the impact of human activity on our oceans with this comprehensive lesson collection. Featuring curated BBC video clips and printable activities, these resources dive into topics like pollution, overfishing, and ocean habitats, helping students understand the challenges facing ocean life and inspiring them to become ocean conservation advocates.
In Subtle Signs of Life on the Seafloor, narrator David Attenborough journeys over two miles beneath the ocean's surface, where the pressure is immense — 300 times greater than at sea level. Here, marine snow, tiny organic particles drifting from above, slowly settles on the seafloor over months. This vast, flat expanse stretches for thousands of miles, with subtle signs of life visible in the soft sediment. Sea urchins sift through the accumulating snow, while shrimp carefully pick out edible particles. The monkfish, nearly indistinguishable from the sand, patiently waits for prey to be lured toward its deceptive trap, sometimes going days between meals. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In A Sea of Doom Beneath the Pacific, narrator Sir David Attenborough investigates the world of the deep ocean, where only a small amount of light shines and animals have evolved in interesting ways. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In Life Around the Mid-Ocean Ridges, narrator Sir David Attenborough showcases the animals that live around vents deep in the ocean, far from sunlight. Learn about tube-worms, crabs, and other animals that are densely packed and live on bacteria. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.
In The Mysterious Nautilus, narrator Sir David Attenborough highlights the nautilus, a fascinating marine creature that spends its days hiding over 1,300 feet (400 meters) deep in the ocean. Unlike its close relatives, the squid and octopus, which have lost their shells over time, the nautilus retains its protective spiral shell. This shell contains gas-filled chambers that control its buoyancy. Propelling itself backward using a water jet, the nautilus must rely on chemical sensors in its small tentacles to detect both prey and predators. One of its main predators is the octopus, a master of disguise. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Unique Underwater Ecosystems of Submarine Mountains, narrator Sir David Attenborough goes deep beneath the ocean surface, where volcanic eruptions have built enormous submarine mountains — some taller than Mount Everest when measured from the seafloor. These underwater peaks create unique ecosystems, as powerful ocean currents sweep nutrients up their slopes. This influx of nutrients supports vibrant marine communities, including soft corals, whip corals, and giant sponges that filter nourishment from the water. Though these ecosystems thrive in complete darkness, they rely entirely on the energy transported by deep-sea currents. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Exploring the Ocean Trenches of the Deep Sea, narrator Sir David Attenborough highlights what explorers are learning about the seafloor. Watch deep sea divers in the Alvin submersible observing animals in the deep sea. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.
In Nine North Creates an Extraordinary Ecosystem, narrator David Attenborough goes deep beneath the Pacific Ocean near the Galápagos Islands, to examine the hydrothermal vents known as "Nine North." The vents release superheated water, creating an extraordinary ecosystem. Towering mineral chimneys support a thriving community of giant tube-worms, some growing up to three meters long. These deep-sea creatures rely on the energy from the vents to survive, making them some of the fastest-growing marine invertebrates. However, this environment is unpredictable—vents can suddenly go dormant, leading to the rapid extinction of entire micro-worlds. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Amazing Story of Convict Fish Survival, narrator Sir David Attenborough ventures deep in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where the convict fish has a mysterious and puzzling life. The adults never leave their mazelike burrow under the sand, while thousands of baby convict fish swarm out to gather plankton. Scientists believe the youngsters might feed the adults in return for a safe place to live, but the truth behind their teamwork remains a fascinating mystery! This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In The Creation of the Andes, learn how the Andes were created by forces deep in the Earth's crust. The subduction of the ocean floor causes molten rock to rise, creating volcanoes — almost 200 of them along the west of the continent. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.
In Navigating the Dark Depths of the Ocean, narrator David Attenborough highlights the deep ocean, where no sunlight reaches, and animals have adapted to survive in total darkness with minimal food. The Dumbo octopus glides effortlessly through the water, conserving energy. The vampire squid uses bioluminescent bacteria to create light patterns that confuse predators. In this extreme environment, creatures must rely on special adaptations to detect food, avoid danger, and navigate the dark depths. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Explore the impact of human activity on our oceans with this comprehensive lesson collection. Featuring curated BBC video clips and printable activities, these resources dive into topics like pollution, overfishing, and ocean habitats, helping students understand the challenges facing ocean life and inspiring them to become ocean conservation advocates.
In Subtle Signs of Life on the Seafloor, narrator David Attenborough journeys over two miles beneath the ocean's surface, where the pressure is immense — 300 times greater than at sea level. Here, marine snow, tiny organic particles drifting from above, slowly settles on the seafloor over months. This vast, flat expanse stretches for thousands of miles, with subtle signs of life visible in the soft sediment. Sea urchins sift through the accumulating snow, while shrimp carefully pick out edible particles. The monkfish, nearly indistinguishable from the sand, patiently waits for prey to be lured toward its deceptive trap, sometimes going days between meals. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In A Sea of Doom Beneath the Pacific, narrator Sir David Attenborough investigates the world of the deep ocean, where only a small amount of light shines and animals have evolved in interesting ways. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In Life Around the Mid-Ocean Ridges, narrator Sir David Attenborough showcases the animals that live around vents deep in the ocean, far from sunlight. Learn about tube-worms, crabs, and other animals that are densely packed and live on bacteria. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.
In The Mysterious Nautilus, narrator Sir David Attenborough highlights the nautilus, a fascinating marine creature that spends its days hiding over 1,300 feet (400 meters) deep in the ocean. Unlike its close relatives, the squid and octopus, which have lost their shells over time, the nautilus retains its protective spiral shell. This shell contains gas-filled chambers that control its buoyancy. Propelling itself backward using a water jet, the nautilus must rely on chemical sensors in its small tentacles to detect both prey and predators. One of its main predators is the octopus, a master of disguise. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Unique Underwater Ecosystems of Submarine Mountains, narrator Sir David Attenborough goes deep beneath the ocean surface, where volcanic eruptions have built enormous submarine mountains — some taller than Mount Everest when measured from the seafloor. These underwater peaks create unique ecosystems, as powerful ocean currents sweep nutrients up their slopes. This influx of nutrients supports vibrant marine communities, including soft corals, whip corals, and giant sponges that filter nourishment from the water. Though these ecosystems thrive in complete darkness, they rely entirely on the energy transported by deep-sea currents. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Exploring the Ocean Trenches of the Deep Sea, narrator Sir David Attenborough highlights what explorers are learning about the seafloor. Watch deep sea divers in the Alvin submersible observing animals in the deep sea. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.
In Nine North Creates an Extraordinary Ecosystem, narrator David Attenborough goes deep beneath the Pacific Ocean near the Galápagos Islands, to examine the hydrothermal vents known as "Nine North." The vents release superheated water, creating an extraordinary ecosystem. Towering mineral chimneys support a thriving community of giant tube-worms, some growing up to three meters long. These deep-sea creatures rely on the energy from the vents to survive, making them some of the fastest-growing marine invertebrates. However, this environment is unpredictable—vents can suddenly go dormant, leading to the rapid extinction of entire micro-worlds. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In The Amazing Story of Convict Fish Survival, narrator Sir David Attenborough ventures deep in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, where the convict fish has a mysterious and puzzling life. The adults never leave their mazelike burrow under the sand, while thousands of baby convict fish swarm out to gather plankton. Scientists believe the youngsters might feed the adults in return for a safe place to live, but the truth behind their teamwork remains a fascinating mystery! This video is excerpted from BBC's Life, a show that explores the remarkable strategies animals and plants use to ensure their survival.
In The Creation of the Andes, learn how the Andes were created by forces deep in the Earth's crust. The subduction of the ocean floor causes molten rock to rise, creating volcanoes — almost 200 of them along the west of the continent. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.