Learning to Swim: Otter Pups
In Learning to Swim: Otter Pups, narrator Gordon Buchanan describes how a baby otter learns to swim in the Pantanal, Brazil’s tropical wetland. While the mother transports the pup gently in her mouth, the large otter family helps support the pup when it gets tired and sounds an alarm when a jaguar is spotted. The mother returns the pup to the safety of the den. This video is excerpted from BBC's Animal Babies, a heartwarming show that follows the first breaths, first steps, and first feeds of some adorable baby animals, revealing the challenges they face to survive in some of the toughest but most beautiful places on the planet.
Lesson Express
Q: What is surprising about giant otter pups?
A: They don't actually like the water!
Q: How do otters use their cries to communicate?
A: The mother calls for the pup to come out of the den; an otter sounds an alarm when it spots the jaguar; the otters shriek at the jaguar so it gives up trying to attack undetected.
Q: How does the large otter family support the pup?
A: They help hold him up when he’s tired from swimming; the mother takes him to the den when the jaguar is spotted; the others shriek at the jaguar to protect the pup.
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In Giant Otters: Reaching Adulthood, narrator Gordon Buchanan explains how young giant otters begin to transition from relying on their otter parents to being independent adults. As the otters grow, they take on more responsibility for finding their own food. The end of the clip describes how other young animals become more self-reliant in their water habitats. This video is excerpted from BBC's Animal Babies, a heartwarming show that follows the first breaths, first steps and first feeds of some adorable baby animals, revealing the challenges they face to survive in some of the toughest but most beautiful places on the planet.
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In Giant Otters: Reaching Adulthood, narrator Gordon Buchanan explains how young giant otters begin to transition from relying on their otter parents to being independent adults. As the otters grow, they take on more responsibility for finding their own food. The end of the clip describes how other young animals become more self-reliant in their water habitats. This video is excerpted from BBC's Animal Babies, a heartwarming show that follows the first breaths, first steps and first feeds of some adorable baby animals, revealing the challenges they face to survive in some of the toughest but most beautiful places on the planet.
In Otters and Skimmers: Growing Up on the Water, narrator Gordon Buchanan explores how two kinds of animals, otters and skimmers (birds) begin to learn survival skills at a young age. Giant otters in Brazil follow the lead of their parents to learn their toileting routine early on before learning to catch fish. African seabirds, appropriately called skimmers, move along the water’s surface, snapping their long bills shut when they catch their prey. This video is excerpted from BBC's Animal Babies, a heartwarming show that follows the first breaths, first steps and first feeds of some adorable baby animals, revealing the challenges they face to survive in some of the toughest but most beautiful places on the planet.