Growing Up on the Water
In 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.
Lesson Express
Q: What are three ways that giant otters interact with their families?
A: The otters protect their territory, watch out for predators, and “babysit” by watching over other family members.
Q: What is something special that giant otters do in terms of “toilet behaviors”?
A: They use communal toilets (meaning the whole family “goes” in the same place) and mark their territory by rubbing their waste into the ground.
Q: Why do the young skimmers have only a short amount of time to learn how to skim the surface to catch fish?
A: When the rainy season comes, the sandbar area where they train will flood so the skimmer chicks must learn before that happens since they cannot yet fly.
More Like This
In A Sea Otter Comeback, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how sea otters were hunted and almost became extinct, as well as why they are an important part of the ocean ecosystem. 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 Sea Otters Keep the Kelp Forest Healthy, narrator Sir David Attenborough examines the giant kelp ecosystem and discovers how the kelp grow. Learn how otters live among the kelp and how they keep the kelp forest healthy. 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 Otters Find Strength in Numbers, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that, unlike most otters, Indian River otters live in social groups. Adults share food with the cubs, and the group forms an effective defense against a crocodile. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Otter Pups Learn to Swim, 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.
In A Sea Otter Comeback, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how sea otters were hunted and almost became extinct, as well as why they are an important part of the ocean ecosystem. 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 Sea Otters Keep the Kelp Forest Healthy, narrator Sir David Attenborough examines the giant kelp ecosystem and discovers how the kelp grow. Learn how otters live among the kelp and how they keep the kelp forest healthy. 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 Otters Find Strength in Numbers, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that, unlike most otters, Indian River otters live in social groups. Adults share food with the cubs, and the group forms an effective defense against a crocodile. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.
In Otter Pups Learn to Swim, 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.