Water Life

For many creatures, life is no day at the beach! This often-hostile frontier between land and sea is an essential stopping place for penguins, land crabs, elephant seals, hermit crabs, sandpipers, and other creatures to feed, rest, mate, and breed.

Salt mines, salt flats, and salt marshes would seem inhospitable, but these strange and solitary places, with their otherworldly landscapes, are home to genuinely tough creatures that have adapted to living in water with high levels of salinity.

The golden toad, the first animal to become extinct due to global warming, is a ghastly symbol of climate change. Around the world, there is alarming evidence that the overheating of the atmosphere is impacting the water cycle.

Pollution, uncontrolled fishing, and other factors are having a devastating impact on ecosystems. As rainforests, rivers, seas, and wetlands are imperiled, so is the very existence of the species that inhabit them.

Stunning cinematography captures the extraordinary beauty of coral reefs. Millions of polyps construct these vast submerged cities of coral, where resourceful animals have developed ingenious survival strategies to avoid prowling predators.

The sea hides creatures that defy the imagination. Their existence depends on seabeds. Explore this little-known world, and discover the survival secrets of starfish, sea urchins, and swarms of catfish.

Life can be rocky on coastlines pounded by the sea. Amazing communities of creatures whose lives are ruled by the relentless changing tides live clinging to the rocks, or seeking refuge in its crevasses.

Water Life captures extraordinary locations and intimate animal behavior never before seen on film.

Estuaries have the capacity to provide food for billions of living beings. Its mix of fresh and salt water creates a rich cocktail for diverse creatures whose lives are dependent on the tides that transform the landscape.

Water Life captures extraordinary locations and intimate animal behavior never before seen on film.

The open sea is the largest ecosystem, and also the least known. It would take up to ten centuries of intensive work to inventory the awe-inspiring marine species to be found here.

For many creatures, there is no better place on Earth than cliffs. The sea shapes the cliffs and creates a landscape whose nooks and crannies serve as refuge.

Snow and ice put plants and animals to the supreme test. Witness the remarkable ways in which they adapt to the changing seasons, and marvel at their ability to survive in the harshest environments.

Experience life on the precarious boundary between the liquid world and the world above water. Here on the water's surface are ecological dramas worthy of the best playwrights.

There is more liquid stored under our feet than is contained in all the lakes and rivers in the world. This eye-opening program explores the fundamental and surprising ecosystems found in wells and troughs that offer refuge, protection, and food for a vast array of species.

This program is a spellbinding portrait of water as master sculptor. From rocky mountain tops, to unexplored cavernous labyrinths, discover some of water's masterpieces, and meet the diverse and astonishing creatures that live in these challenging environments.

Freshwater ecosystems barely make up 1% of the Earth's surface, but 40% of the world species live here. There is non-stop drama in the calm and dense waters of the wetlands, beginning with algae that are the basis for a remarkably active food chain.

Rivers are a force of nature. This program explores one of the most varied and diverse ecosystems on the planet, where birds form mating colonies, trees disseminate their fruits to conquer new territories, and predators take cover to stalk their unsuspecting prey.

This fascinating program follows water, the messenger of life, on its never-ending journey. Stunning cinematography captures the water cycle in all its phases, revealing water's many surprising faces and the astonishing ecosystems it creates.

Even in small quantities, water holds big surprises. Streams, gullies, and brooks are humble, yet extraordinary universes teeming with intense and vibrant life.

Dive into the Blue Planet and discover amazing and diverse worlds brimming with color and life. From tropical rainforests to coral reefs, miraculous and mysterious water holds the secrets to life on Earth in every drop.