This documentary takes a look at well-known species and studies their peculiarities, revealing interesting but little-known facts about them. It explores the ecosystems located around the equator to help us understand the great diversity amongst species.

This film also alerts us of the fact that several of the animals shown are endangered due to poaching and could soon become extinct. It then highlights the importance of the survival of these creatures for us. 

I enjoyed watching the section about the parrots in the documentary as it included wholesome facts about them. For example, did you know that parrots commit themselves to a life-long relationship with their partner and when one dies, the other dies of lovesickness shortly after?

Overall, I found this documentary really captivating as I learnt a lot of new facts about animals that I thought I already knew quite well.

Aimy Durand, Year 11

Summary

Discovery of ultra sensor cameras allow animal and plant activity to be filmed at night, as though it looks day. In this episode, we see how cheetahs and lions catch their prey, such as wildebeest or deer in the African savanna. It then goes onto a desert in Mexico, and how plants such as cacti and other flowers survive. Bats with long tongues suck the pollen out of the flowers due to no birds. Animals in this desert include some rats who eat the hairy lobsters, due to its fur protecting them from venom. It then moves on to seals in the hot Peruvian desert, who are hunted by sea lions and vampire bats at night. It then moves on to the Namibian desert, where white lady huntsman spiders use their incredible skills to map their path in the dark night. Male geckos create a call to impress a female, which goes to the one that beckons her. It also talks about how moles in the desert go into the sand to camouflage themselves and capture small foods, and hide themselves from foods. Finally, animals such as elephants, lions and rhinos all dwell at the lake to drink from the lake, where they don’t want to be distracted.

Impact on me

It made me realise how gifted some animals are at night, and how they use different senses to hunt or to get away from prey. It also amazed me how advanced our technology has become and that we can see things that we have never seen before, stuff that actually happens in the dead of the night in some remote areas of the earth. Overall, I recommend it as there is a whole series of different terrains and weathers etc.

Main message

Overall, the main message was to show that our technology is so advanced that we can see the things we have never seen before, in so much detail and great light, and how much we can infer from each different terrain.

Harry Adby, Year 10

Links to article: 

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12343

https://www.scienceopen.com/document?vid=62a2aa9e-39f5-4e0f-8f9d-1a472756a876

This article discusses the phenomenon of Humpback whales interfering with and possibly attempting to prevent the predation of killer whales on other marine species, some of which were also humpbacks but the majority of which were other cetaceans, pinnipeds and a few species of fish.

One of the first distinctions the paper seeks to make is separating killer whales into 2 ecotypes: mammal-eating killer whales (MEKWs) and fish-eating killer whales (FEKWs). I think that this is very important as the vast majority of interactions between the 2 species the paper is centred around involve MEKWs and there are very few instances of aggression between the 2 species when there are FEKWs involved instead of their mammal-eating counterparts with 1 observer even stating that the humpbacks and FEKWs travelled together for a short distance.

The main conclusion the paper aims to draw is that humpback whales will respond to MEKW vocalisations during a hunt and quite often will go to investigate what is happening. The paper hastily brushes away the idea that the humpbacks were participating in the kill as in spite of several eyewitnesses saying they observed the humpbacks hitting the prey (in most cases pinnipeds) with their flippers or flukes, the paper proposes that either they didn't actually make contact with the prey (which was on at least 1 occasion already dead), did make contact, but it was unintentional or were actually attempting to hit the MEKWs as one observer (who saw MEKWs chasing a Steller sea lion) saw the humpback appear to try to slice at the sea lion with its pectoral fins, but it was seemingly too late with each swipe. The paper suggests that this was not in fact the humpback being unable to hit the sea lion but actually slashing at the chasing MEKWs.

I believe that the evidence collected by the paper is reliable as it was made over 62 years by over 50 different observers. However, as the paper concedes early on, it is impossible for us to know how interactions between MEKWs and humpbacks would play out naturally as due to mass whaling, very few living people ever saw a world where the numbers of whales in the oceans weren't depleted, and it is possible that more MEKWs preyed on whales in the past but due to a lack of prey were forced to move to a new food source.

Overall, the paper fails to convincingly portray interspecific altruism as it suggests in the title due to the fact that the evidence presents the idea that humpbacks investigating MEKW vocalisations is due to a fight or flight response (humpbacks are widely considered to be too big and slow to flee so are considered to be a fight species) and not altruism. I believe this as while, when the species being attacked was a humpback (or another cetacean) the humpbacks would vigorously attempt to prevent the kill but when it was a pinniped or other species then the humpbacks were less enthusiastic, often being perceived as more curious than aggressive and hung back on the edge of the action, only occasionally getting involved. Observers also saw male humpbacks escorting females with calves on their migrations being just as protective of calves as the mothers when MEKWs threatened the safety of the calf, but it is theorised that the escorting whales are waiting for the female to enter the breeding season again. However, it is indisputable that humpbacks do seek out and interfere with MEKW hunts so while it may not be complete interspecific altruism, to some extent, they can be seen as helping other organisms with no gain for themselves.

In conclusion, I enjoyed reading this paper and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in zoology, marine biology, animal behaviour, or who just likes whales. This has broadened my understanding of both humpback and killer whales and serves to further our knowledge about cetaceans in order to reduce the belief that they are merely large, unfeeling creatures and cement in the public mentality that these organisms are capable of reasonably complex thought and feeling, and they should be treated as such.

Jonathan Welfare, Year 12