Wildlife Laws: The Better Swimmer Wins | Free Docuementary Nature

it's a water world our blue planet life couldn't survive without it and thanks to it a mind-blowing diversity of creatures thrive beneath the surface some creatures want to keep their feet dry but there are others that can't wait to dive in born to enjoy the riches underwater they must master their body's adaptations learn to find food to escape danger and above all become expert swimmers whether it's in rivers on beaches or in the deep ocean or must overcome the obstacles and fulfill their destiny all are born to swim of all the habitats on earth the ocean is perhaps the most challenging here salt cold temperatures currents and predators can make life difficult it's not an obvious place to want to bring up your babies but even in these waters generation after generation beat the odds they have overcome the challenges to become some of the most beautiful and graceful of creatures but any baby born to swim has a lot to learn on a windswept beach a gracile mother prepares to welcome a new puppy the birth is easy he comes packaged for the waves in a streamlined sausage shape he's 14 kilos at birth only a tenth of his mother's weight she needs to get his coat clean and dry to keep him warm it's a cold birthday during these first moments a close bond is formed between mother and park the pups first challenge is to find his mother's teats her milks like clotted cream it contains 60% fat and will fuel the pups growth he'll gain 2 kilos a day mammals are often attentive mothers but others can be surprising a lumpsucker a slow-moving fish of the seabed carefully tends its nest though it didn't lay the eggs this is the father once the females found a protected spot to secure the brood she leaves him on guard lump suckers are coastal specialists used to the turbulent waves with specially modified fins they can form a suction company to help them grip the rocks his suckers also make good fans keeping oxygen-rich water moving around the eggs he works hard to keep them clean and healthy and he stays alert looking for any sign of trouble ready to see off any trespasser who might threaten his kids a crab is small-fry but there is no intruder this brave father won't stand up to even an alien invasion from another world we are not the best swimmers but we have learned to love the water and the strange behavior of its inhabitants thanks to our technology we have been able to enter this alien world in search of new friends even if we do get some funny looks from the residents the young seal seems very confused by the rubbery fins cold murky seawater clear blue reefs bottomless oceans and warm freshwater we lap it up and enjoy some incredible encounters and some animals seem to enjoy meeting us as much as we enjoy meeting them the crystal-clear waters of Florida are a great meeting place but the Florida manatees have a shy cousin who lives in the dark the waters of the Amazon are stained brown the rainforest overhead sheds leaves which rot and their tannins turned the water into a dark tea at less than a meter long the Amazonian Manatee curve feels his way around with whiskery hairs and paddle-shaped arms unlike the stiff flippers of a whale or dolphin the manatee limb still has joints like a human arm so that he can pull his way through the tangle of logs and roots or to be able to hug his mother like all mammals he must breathe air every few minutes and paddles his way to the surface for a long fall then it's back to his mother he needs to cling on to keep up with her a strict vegetarian mum must munch through 8 percent of her body weight each day in leaves the 10 kilo pups got a long way to go she's 25 times heavier than he is but on a rich milk diet he'll soon catch up he'll stay by her side until he's about 18 months old after that he'll be ready to explore the Amazon River alone the Amazon has one of the greatest diversities on earth and among its natural born swimmers are some of the most weird and wonderful the arowana fish uses its swimming fins to thrust itself from the water to hunt while the stingray uses electron therapy on its prey and the matter matter turtle does his best not to move at all and lets his prey come to him relying on the flesh growths on his shell to blend into the leaf litter and there are a few creatures that you might think were born to swim that have carved out a niche on land another dedicated parent the miniscule poison dart frog unlike most frogs that spawn in the water they lay their eggs directly onto leaves to try and keep them out of reach of predators the little ones quickly develop in their jelly-filled sacs they are born to swim and are supplied with built-in swimming pools but unusually for frogs their parents stick around to keep an eye on them and when the eggs hatch the tadpoles are in dire need of parental assistance so their parents offer them a piggyback carrying them one by one on their backs into the tree canopy they will search the forest until they find a tiny pool of water in the center of a plant this will be the paddling pool for just one tadpole to find its feet it feeds on insects that stray too close and the female will even lay spare eggs into the pool that it can eat it will live here in its personal pond until it grows legs and can explore the forest on its own it's a small and cozy nursery a far cry from the Bleak windswept Beach that's home to our seal pup luckily mum makes a good wind milk he might not be ready to swim yet but he's already born tailor-made for an aquatic life with a tubby streamlined body large eyes to help him see in murky water and sensitive ears that will be able to detect the presence of prey his fingers are webbed for paddling and his fine beard of whiskers will sense vibrations of fish when he's hunting and allow him to feel his way in murky water gray seals are always born in winter as a result the pup arrives with thick white fur it's a good barrier against the biting winds but it's not very waterproof his mother has a thick layer of blubber to keep a warm at sea short dense hairs make the perfect wetsuit the pup will molt in time for now he is stranded unable to put his swimming tools to the test by contrast his cousin the harbor seal is literally born ready for the waves more gregarious in the gray seal they breed later in the year and their pups come water ready with the short gray coats of their parents it seems she can't wait to get her fins wet riding piggyback helps build her confidence on her first swim with her built-in wetsuit she's ready for the waves just hours after birth because she can dive with mum she can get a few more weeks of milk supply before having to fend for herself there are lots of other swimmers she'll meet beneath the surface all with their own adaptations to master their medium the menacing form of a shark but the seal has nothing to worry about this is a basking shark the second largest fish on earth its giant mouth is built for eating nothing bigger than plankton thanks to the meter wide gaping more it strains tiny creatures from the sea it can process enough water in just one hour to fill two Olympic swimming pools like all fish basking sharks are born to swim and have a characteristic design a streamlined body with stiff fins and an upright tail that swings side-to-side to propel it along not a fish the Dolphins tail does the opposite beating up and down you can race along at 30 kilometers per hour dolphins have a unique tool their rounded head known as a melon focuses sound waves into intense beams the dolphin can listen to the echo of sounds bouncing of objects or even its prey to build up a picture of its surroundings in the murky sea it might even be able to see inside other organisms so when it spots the seal it can check him out with sound while the seal relies more on her large eyes she can't compete with the dolphin speed and seems to get a little shy heading back for a ride with her mother the mother baby bond can be a strong one but before any baby arrives to wet its feet adult swimmers must come together to breed and sometimes water-loving lovers go to great lengths to impress members of the opposite sex red-throated diver x' tread water to perform a romantic rumba when a spare wheel drops in two's company and threes competition it ups the breeding birds efforts proving to the outsider that they are perfectly matched they have demonstrated their devotion and will make good parents few mammals look better in water than on land but when they are courting otters rival the best synchronized swim team the underwater ballet will give the female the chance to test the dog otters Fitness only the best will do as a father to her next Cubs alien life-forms seem to occupy the deep but even these mysterious monsters perform an elaborate deep-sea dance male cuttlefish tends to outnumber the females so they arm wrestle for mating rights flushing their skin red to white aggressively males raise their arms to signal they are in the romantic mood if one lifts his tentacles at another a fight will erupt looking like miniature spacecraft without limbs ribbon like fins pulse to keep them hovering in place the winner will proceed to mate one of his tentacles is modified to transfer a packet of sperm into the female's body he will also dislodge the sperm of any males that got there first the female lays several hundred eggs over the next few days she'll anchor the clusters like black bunches of grapes to any structure on the seabed the male may stand guard to make sure none of the competition has the chance to dash in it would be two months before the eggs hatch sadly the mother won't get to welcome them her energy has gone into egg production her role is fulfilled and she passes away reproducing can really take its toll on animals and perhaps the most epic struggle takes place in Northern Rivers brown bears gather along the shore looking impatient they are waiting for the biggest feast of the year eventually their vigil comes to an end another batch of swimmers are on their way the salmon have arrived all salmon returned to their place of birth in order to breed after they hatched these fish swam downriver and eventually out into the open ocean where they spent up to four years maturing swimming great distances to feed but now their maternal instincts are calling them home the fish are put through their paces in the epic migration not just long-distance swimming but having to face Rapids the chemical changes of going from salt to fresh water and to top it off the awaiting barrage of predators the Bears may eat 45 kilos of the protein-rich fish every day a great boost as they build their body fat ready for hibernation the survivors of bear attacks set about spawning the female depositing eggs in shallow gravel nests fertilized by the males and harassed all the while by the giant fisherman in this world of predators the key to survival is mass producing each female will lay several thousand eggs though only a handful will live long enough to breed after their heroic efforts the fish are worn out 95% will die but it's not a complete loss their bodies fertilize and feed the forest and its streams creating a productive nursery where their youngsters will spend their first few years of life trying to make sure your progeny survive is at the forefront of all breeding strategies amid the weeds a flamboyant smooth new to is looking for love this less dramatic female is already laying eggs one by one newts go to painstaking lengths to safeguard their water babies none more so than the smooth newts larger cousin the great crested the female lacks the elaborate crest once they've made it the female carries both eggs and sperm into the vegetation she painstakingly lays each egg beneath a leaf to hide it from danger she folds the leaf and glues it in place the perfect nursery this individual care couldn't contrast more with that of their cousins the frogs though she doesn't seem to have much say in the matter a large female frog carries a male they have a date they are not the only couples out of the town tonight there are even a few Singleton's trying to round up a last-minute date even if they're females with baggage frogs enjoy an all-out orgy in early spring their hormones drive frantic mating behavior they get so excited there are even a few embarrassing cases of mistaken identity the fire-bellied toad seems have come to the wrong party and when a common toad is hit on by one of the horny frogs you can't get away fast enough once they finally got their act together the spawning begins thousands of eggs are pumped out by the females the male's clinging to their backs release sperm into the water trying to make sure they are in the right place at the right time to fertilize the eggs it's haphazard but the huge number of eggs are designed to beat the odds but not everyone at the sex party was on the guest list not born to swim but born to eat swimmers the bitten is a master of stealth amphibians are tied to the water to breed but wreck tiles have evolved to live on land and have new challenges to protect their eggs turtles bury their clutch in sand to keep them away from predators the youngsters must dig their way to the surface and make a dash to the safety of water their legs can carry them from birth but they are really designed for use beneath the surface the softshell turtle uses the same technique but unfortunately even being underground isn't enough to keep her eggs safe a raccoon dog is on the prowl this cunning Fox can pick up the faint scent of a Chinese soft-shelled turtles eggs - for the survivors of the raid a marathon begins this baby could fit in a matchbox but she's born to swim to stand any chance of survival she must make it to water danger lurks in the sand this naive young turtle is looking for a spot to sunbathe but she's being watched a hungry adult turtle doesn't think twice about turning to cannibalism but with the Beast busy our hatchling makes it to the shallows this is the first time she's ever been in the water but instinct kicks in born to swim she knows exactly what to do first she seeks cover there are many predators in the water who are bigger than she is dense lilies may offer some protection as well as a source of tray for she is a pint-sized predator herself and must find food she strikes it lucky carrion a free meal never goes amiss she's not the only one hunting a snakehead fish luckily our turtle isn't just born to swim she's born to dig as well there are some babies that are not born onto land but not born onto water either despite freezing temperatures a ringed seal is born directly onto the ice the thick white fur known as Lana goo will keep her warm thinning out as she gets older to look more like a sleek mother but she has more to worry about than cold feet polar bears are the biggest land predators and they dine almost exclusively on blubber rich seals though only a few days old the pup has an instinct for survival holes in the ice are their only chance around 30% of harp seal babies don't survive their first year but so far this youngster is doing well while a lot of the water here is frozen and seemingly uninhabitable the long days of summer make the Arctic a popular destination for our aquanauts swimmer's of all shapes and sizes team beneath the ice there are even a few giants like the slow-moving Greenland shark but while it can slowly explore the seabed looking for carrion others must actively seek out their food beluga are one of the most northerly of whales their white rotund bodies are wrapped in thick blubber that keeps out the cold carves really must swim from birth deliver tale first into the frigid seas like all mammals they need air and must surface every few minutes to breathe though to begin with the calf will be helped by his mum and the many ants in his family pod it might take the little one a while to master his built-in navigational equipment sonar that works by emitting high-frequency sounds and listening to the echoes that bounce back from objects in their path once he's got it sorted he'll be able to see in the dark and navigate the most murky seas his life will be spent beneath the waves but some of his blubbery neighbors enjoy sharing their time above and below the surface walruses the heavyweight cousins of the seals live around the Arctic forming pods that can number in the thousands though they enjoy resting on beaches they are most at home in the water and can dive to 80 meters and hold their breath for half an hour to forage for shellfish on the seabed they are cautious when they come ashore and for good reason they are not the only large marine predator when summer melts the sea ice even the polar bear is forced to swim it's not a problem though polar bears are often considered marine mammals and can easily swim for days covering 50 kilometers on home they might be the biggest land predators with immense power but their success on a walrus hunt is far from a sure when it's safe to do so the walrus pod ventures are sure the little ones still a fraction of the 2-ton bulls weight wisely tried to stick to quieter corners at the beach eventually tranquility descends though it might be hard to sleep in the Arctic summer the Sun never sets but as this 24-hour light that makes for such rich waters our gray seal pup has a much easier life on temperate Shores there are no sharks or polar bears to deal with his biggest threat is other seals his mother returns from a fishing trip to top of his tank but having her around can be a mixed blessing Rowdy bulls have come ashore to breed they have their eyes on his mother and they are not afraid to fight for access when the heavyweights have at it mum rushes her pup away she doesn't want him crushed by 300 kilo battling balls the victor goes to claim his prize the pup is just three weeks old but mother's ready to move on once she's mated she'll return to the sea still not ready to swim the pups on his own he faces several long lonely and hungry weeks on the beach waiting for his new fur coat and the chance to find some food ultimately hunger will be his greatest incentive it's not always a good idea to enter the water in the rivers of the amazon anyone might think twice caiman are 2 metre crocodiles that hunt the fish and other creatures of the Amazon the world's biggest rodents Labrador sized capybaras are also born to swim with their eyes and nostrils placed high on their heads basking on the beach will give them a break from the threat of caiman attacks however as the youngsters play they are being watched capybaras don't have many defenses the best way to remain safe is to stay in groups where there is always a pair of eyes looking for danger the youngsters will learn the different calls used to alert the group a mother picks up a scent top predator of the jungle is a Jaguar but diving for cover in the water isn't always a good idea this time the Cayman settles for a large catfish with 9 kilos of crushing pressure and dagger-like teeth the fish didn't stand a chance as night falls more natural-born swimmers emerge watched over by their protective mother she buried around 40 eggs in vegetation to keep them warm the temperature affects the sex of her young and this time it was cooler all of the babies are males there may be 40 brothers in the clutch all born ready to hunt there rather than the large prey of their mother the hatchlings will eat insects and shellfish miniature monsters they are born to swim and hunt with deep tails to propel them through the water ears eyes and nostrils placed so the rest of the baby can stay hidden beneath the surface he already has a mouth full of sharp teeth despite his fearsome appearance he's at risk of attack from his larger cousins time to go back to Mum their mother will watch over them for around four months until they are big enough to take care of themselves the Amazon rainforest lives up to its name during the height of the wet season the rivers swell to engulf the forest aquatic animals of the Amazon River suddenly become residents of the trees and can swim through the canopy not all creatures are so thrilled not every animal is cut out for a life in water and around the globe floods wreak havoc not just for animals but us too as water levels rise creatures are displaced and of course what comes up must go down water levels will recede and in some cases dry out altogether fish that had enjoyed more space and now left high and dry a fish out of water is easy pickings for predators when a young soul is pinned against the beach by a huge snakehead it's an opportunity that's too good for the softshell turtle to miss strictly carnivores the soft shells are usually ambush predators it's all a question of timing and a lightning-fast strike with a snake-like body almost a metre long the snake head can thrust himself mouth first at his prey and beaching is not a problem with modified gills he can extract oxygen from the air it's a fish-eat-fish world but even the hunters can become the hunted as the months pass our young seal is doing well he finally has his adult fur and puts it to good use he meets another swimmer all over the world there are creatures born to swim and we seem determined to join them perhaps we are envious of their grace it seems we are all water babies at heart

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

Views: 486,111

Rating: 4.7430134 out of 5

Keywords: Free Documentary, Documentaries, Full documentary, HD documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), nature documentary, Free, Documentary, adventure, nature, ocean documentary, sealife, shark documentary, shark attack, atlantic ocean, indian ocean, deep sea diving, shark diving, ocean diving, marine life, Seal, Seal Documentary, Polar Bear, Fastest Swimmer In the World, The Better Swimmer Wins

Id: zIdAyOq9CMA

Length: 50min 0sec (3000 seconds)

Published: Fri May 08 2020