The Botos of the Amazon
In The Botos of the Amazon, narrator Sir David Attenborough introduces us to an unusual type of dolphin. The boto lives in a river, hunts fish in shallow water, and lifts rocks to impress females! This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
Lesson Express
Q: What makes the Amazon River “the planet’s indisputable super river”?
A: It carries as much water as the next 10 biggest rivers combined; it is over 4,000 miles long; it drains a third of South America; it transports a billion tons of sediment per year; it is home to more than 3,000 species of fish.
Q: How is the Amazon River a good habitat for botos?
A: There are plenty of fish to hunt; the murky water doesn’t hinder them because they use sonar; there are shallows where they can drive fish to catch.
Q: What do you think of the male botos’ unique courting habits?
A: Student responses will vary.
More Like This
In The Course of a River: Dangerous Waters, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that 13 million liters of water plunge over one of the widest waterfalls in the world every second. The river below teems with hungry piranhas, large-mouthed caimans, and dorados on the hunt. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How Energy Travels Across the Seas, geologist Iain Stewart explains why Earth is called the "blue planet," with over three-quarters of its surface covered by water. Explore how the ocean shapes coastlines and carries powerful energy across the planet, creating crashing waves that start as tiny ripples from a breeze. See the raw power of the sea in Hawaii and learn how tides form from the pull of the Moon and Sun. Next watch how this energy creates massive tidal waves, like the powerful tidal bore in the Amazon River, moving upstream and carrying more water than the flow of Niagara Falls! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.
In The Course of a River: Dangerous Waters, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that 13 million liters of water plunge over one of the widest waterfalls in the world every second. The river below teems with hungry piranhas, large-mouthed caimans, and dorados on the hunt. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In How Energy Travels Across the Seas, geologist Iain Stewart explains why Earth is called the "blue planet," with over three-quarters of its surface covered by water. Explore how the ocean shapes coastlines and carries powerful energy across the planet, creating crashing waves that start as tiny ripples from a breeze. See the raw power of the sea in Hawaii and learn how tides form from the pull of the Moon and Sun. Next watch how this energy creates massive tidal waves, like the powerful tidal bore in the Amazon River, moving upstream and carrying more water than the flow of Niagara Falls! This video is excerpted from BBC’s Earth: The Power of the Planet, a documentary series in which Dr. Iain Stewart discovers how Earth's forces can shape nature, species, and even the climate.