Canon U.S.A. has provided corporate underwriting for NATURE since 1990. Produced for PBS by Thirteen/WNET New York, NATURE has won more than 400 awards for its programs about wildlife and natural history. In 2007, NATURE won Emmy Awards for Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History and Christmas in Yellowstone. NATURE can be seen on PBS Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET (check local listings).
NATURE is public television's leading showcase for natural history and wildlife films. Now in its 26th season, this Peabody and Emmy Award-winning PBS series has raised the environmental consciousness of millions of Americans by celebrating the beauty, diversity and value of the Earth's species and habitats.
Check out the upcoming winter/spring NATURE schedule for June 2009–December 2009:
Jun 7 – Underdogs (R) Extreme doggie makeover, shot as 'reality style' television. Two pure-bred dogs are selected from animal shelters and adoption centers in the U.S. and England – a Bearded Collie (sheep herding) and a Bloodhound (scent tracking). With the help of trainers, they will each be taught to hone their skills as working dogs, then tested, to judge their success. By the end of the film each dog will have a new home. (widescreen and letterbox)
Jun 14 – Killers in Eden (R) The extraordinary story of interspecies cooperation between killer whales and whalers in Australia as they joined in hunts for migrating baleen whales. Rooted in historical fact and told by members of the community who witnessed the hunts, it demonstrates the incredible intelligence of the killer whales and the remarkable trust of the whaling community that was the basis of a partnership that lasted nearly 100 years. (widescreen and letterbox)
Jun 21 – Animals Behaving Worse (R) Our natural neighbors can be ingenious, brilliant and scrappy when sharing our cities and suburbs. We move into their backyard and they move into ours. It is survival of the shrewdest and the most tenacious... anyone who has tried to keep a squirrel out of their birdfeeder knows exactly how true that can be. This film presents new examples of animal/human conflicts based on the highly popular film from 2000, "Animals Behaving Badly." (widescreen and letterbox)
Jun 28 – Encountering Sea Monsters (R) Science fiction writers have come up with strange depictions of alien life but nothing to rival a creature with a beak like a parrot, no bones in its body, three hearts, blue blood, skin that can change colors, and arms growing out of its lips. Scientists call them cephalopods. We will enter the world of squid and octopus, where cannibalism is practiced daily, mating can involve amputation, trickery is everywhere and size means everything and nothing. We'll follow an extreme cameraman into the abyss and share his ultimate adventures with the planet's most cryptic and clever monsters. (high definition and letterbox)
Jul 5 – The Vanishing Lions (R) As the largest predator in Africa, the lion should have nothing to fear. But the king of the savannah is facing an uncertain future. While concentrating on the dwindling number of elephant and rhinos, nobody suspected the biggest of big cats was in trouble. When the number of lions turned out to be less than 30,000 and not 100,000 as previously estimated, it was clear that the great lion had become vulnerable. We hear from lion experts, farmers and Masai herdsmen as they explore solutions to the problems of saving lions and living with them. (widescreen and letterbox)
Jul 12 – Arctic Bears (R) Polar bears are living on borrowed time. They are the descendents of grizzlies, long ago evolved to live and hunt on the frozen ice of the Arctic, eating a specialized diet of seal meat. But the winters have become increasingly warmer, the ice is disappearing, and raising a family becomes a much more difficult proposition when hunting time is short and food is scarce. Grizzlies, on the other hand, are masters at living off the land, making a meal from a wide variety of foods – meats, seeds, berries, insects, fruit and honey. Their world is bountiful and expanding northward, converging with what was once the icy domain of the polar bear. As the two worlds meet, are the polar bears fated to become grizzlies once again? (widescreen and letterbox)
Jul 19 – Superfish (R) They slice through the water's surface with explosive power, sail, spear and a half ton of muscle flashing in the sun. Their journeys through the open ocean are epic, their life cycle, bizarre. They are the billfish – marlin, sailfish, spearfish and swordfish – largest and most highly prized of all gamefish. Rarely caught on film, their astonishing story has never been fully told. Emmy award-winning filmmaker and biologist Rick Rosenthal brings a lifetime of experience with these incredible sea creatures to the screen as he observes tiny billfish nurseries in the wild, dives deep into secret undersea canyons, films incredible color-changing behavior and embarks on a quest for an elusive thousand-pound "grander." Filmed and presented in high definition. (high definition and letterbox)
Jul 26 – Silence of the Bees (R) Honeybees first appeared on earth around 80 million years ago, and from the beginning have played a key role in our survival. Most fruit trees and vegetable species are entirely dependent on bees to produce, and there is no artificial replacement for natural pollination. But the bees are disappearing. Massive die-offs, first reported in November of 2006, are now the subject of international emergency research, as scientists race to discover the cause of this ecological disaster. Could it be a disease? Or is it caused by pesticides, genetically modified foods, or the radiation from cell phone towers? Whatever is happening, we must solve the mystery soon, and correct the problem, or face consequences we hardly dare imagine. (high definition and letterbox)
Aug 2 – Crime Scene Creatures (R) Meet a host of scientists and law enforcement agents who are enlisting crime-solving recruits from the natural world. Watch remarkable real-life case studies reconstructed to reveal the elegant detective work that animals and plants carry out. Flies and their maggots reveal how long a body has lain undiscovered, microscopic pollen can match a killer to the scene of his crime. Sniffer dogs can track distant criminals and detect tiny quantities of gasoline used to mount an arson attack. Even terrorists can be snared by animal crime busters – maggots found in the aftermath of an explosion can be analyzed for traces of chemicals, giving vital clues as to who carried out the attack. (widescreen and letterbox)
Aug 9 – Murder in the Troop (R) In a wildlife story with Shakespearean overtones, life becomes very dangerous for twin baboons in Zimbabwe when their father is defeated as alpha male of the troop by the dominant ruler of a neighboring troop, throwing the social order into turmoil and unleashing potentially deadly intrigue. Filmed along the banks of the Zambezi, one of Africa's largest rivers. (widescreen and letterbox)
Aug 16 – Horse and Rider (R) Every relationship between horse and rider rests on a few fundamental principles – understanding the animal, building trust, communication and working in unison. (widescreen and letterbox)
Aug 23 – Sharkland (R) In a stretch of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Southern Africa, a unique pattern of warm and cold currents brings together an astounding variety of sharks. Nearly 150 species of all colors, shapes and sizes gather there – including pajama sharks, leopard cat sharks, seven-gill cow sharks and the great white. (widescreen and letterbox)
Aug 30 – The Queen of Trees (R) The story of the sycamore fig and its tiny pollinator describes one of the most remarkable relationships in the natural world – between a tree and a wasp. It is a relationship of utter dependency and a triumph of co-evolution. The detailed behavioral intrigue of the wasps that live hidden inside each fig contrasts with the tree's prominence in the African bush, where it is central to the lives of many animals – from elephants and ants, to birds and crocodiles. It provides for all, in ways which are diverse yet connected. Ultra-macro photography makes it possible to tell a wildlife story which has never been told before. (high definition and letterbox)
Sep 6 – Life in Death Valley (R) It is a visual wonderland, where imposing mountains rise almost two vertical miles above sprawling salt flats, and canyons are painted in strokes of blue, pink, violet, and green from sunrise to sunset. This is Death Valley – one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. Nowhere else is a landscape so exquisite yet brutal, stunning yet harsh. Here, temperatures spike into the 130s, the earth cracks like broken clay, and when the hot wind blows, all you can taste is dust and salt. But, ironically, it is water that has shaped this super-arid home of true survivors. Shot in High-Definition. (high definition)
Sep 13 – The Good, The Bad, and The Grizzly (R) Once on the edge of extinction, grizzlies have made a remarkable recovery. But this fierce predator is no longer content foraging in the back country. Today, bears are everywhere. And everyone has something to say about it. The return of the grizzly is a conservation success story that comes with a price. (4x3)
Sep 20 – Violent Hawaii (R) Hawaii's breathtaking beauty was forged in fire, created by the awesome power of volcanoes on land and in the sea, by earthquakes, and tsunamis, natural wonders that continue to shape the islands today. Shot in high definition by a team of award-winning filmmakers who live on the islands, this spectacular film features volcanic eruptions, rivers of molten lava, monster waves, humpback whales, and perhaps most surprising of all, snow. (high definition)
Sep 27 – A Mystery in Alaska (R) Unexplained declines in many wildlife species have created a world class mystery in one of the world's most spectacular ecosystems – Alaska. (widescreen SD)
Oct 4 – Supersize Crocs (R) Tall tales of giant man-eating crocodiles inhabit a world between fact and fiction. The truth is that some crocodile species have been known to exceed 20 feet, such as Nile crocs, American crocs, and the Asian-Pacific saltwater croc, which has been reported up to even 23 feet – a truly huge animal. World-renowned herpetologist Romulus Whitaker attempts to discover the last of the leviathans. (high definition)
Oct 11 – Raptor Force (R) Armed with powerful beaks and razor-sharp talons, raptors are nature’s elite killing force – winged predators whose graceful beauty belies their stunning speed, acrobatics and precision. Dramatic original footage from cameras mounted on their backs shows why falcons, owls, eagles and hawks are masters of the sky, and why aeronautics engineers use their unique abilities and body designs as the basis of new aircraft technology. (high definition)
Oct 18 – Rhinoceros (R) Millions of rhinos once roamed the Earth. There were hundreds of species of all shapes and sizes. But today, the rhinoceros is one of the planet's rarest animals, with three of its species on the brink of extinction. While there is still a chance to save them, teams of experts work to protect rhinos from poachers, relocate them to better habitats, and breed them in captivity. (widescreen SD)
Oct 25 – CLOUD: CHALLENGE OF THE STALLIONS The returning saga of Cloud, the wild, white stallion finds us back in the Arrowhead Mountains of Montana. Cloud is now a confident band stallion in his prime. As he rules the mountains, gathering mares and expanding his reign, the story turns to his two sons. Bolder is his by birth – beautiful and golden, the success of his father and grandfather flowing in his veins. Flint, sired by another stallion, is the colt Cloud raised. Now, Bolder has gathered some mares of his own while Flint has joined a group of bachelor stallions, young guns roaming the mountains. Who will rise to challenge the mighty Cloud? Will nature or nurture produce the next great stallion of the Arrowheads? (widescreen SD)
Nov 1 – BORN WILD: The First Day of Life The most important moment of an animal’s life is its birth. It emerges from dark safety to find anxious parents clucking or mewing. The first hours are some of the most dangerous. The strongest emotions animals feel are between parent and child. This film follows the birth and first day, from marmoset to moose, to elephant and gorilla. It is a film of miniature drama and huge spectacle, and comes to some surprising conclusions about ourselves. (widescreen SD)
Nov 8 – BLACK MAMBA The black mamba is one of Africa's most dangerous and feared snakes, known for being very aggressive when disturbed. Rearing up with its head four feet above the ground, it strikes with deadly precision, delivering venom that is packed with three different kinds of toxins and is ten times more deadly than needed to kill an adult human. Without treatment the mortality rate is 100%, the highest among all venomous snakes in the world. Until now, little has been known about the black mamba's natural behavior in the wild because in Africa most people kill a black mamba on sight and feel lucky to have done so. But in the tiny country of Swaziland in southern Africa, a team of herpetologists has an entirely different "take" on these creatures and hopes their six-week study will change public perception of what they feel is the world's most misunderstood snake. (high definition)
Nov 15 – FELLOWSHIP OF THE WHALES The story of the first year of a humpback whale's life as she learns the lessons of humpback life from her mother. Together, they make the long journey from her birthplace in the suptropical waters in Hawaii to summer feeding grounds in the cold seas off Alaska's southeast coast. The youngster will meet dangerous orcas and sharks, and playful dolphins and seals. She will learn to use her flippers and tail to announce herself and to communicate with other whales. By the time they return to Hawaii for the winter, she will be ready to set out on her own and find her own place in her community of whales. (high definition)
Nov 22 – The Cheetah Orphans (R) Veteran filmmaker Simon King takes on the role of mother to two cheetah cubs, Toki and Sambu, orphaned when their mother was killed by a lion. It's a four-year emotional rollercoaster, from terrifying stand-offs with rhinos and leopards to some of the most intimate moments of cheetah life ever captured on film. The cubs transform into sleek hunters, spending more and more time on their own. But for Simon, it's a nervous time. Can they survive the dangers of the bush? (widescreen SD)
Nov 29 – The Desert Lions (R) The world's most extraordinary population of lions lives in the Namib Desert on Africa's wild and forbidding Skeleton Coast. Philip Stander, a Namibian carnivore specialist, first spotted these desert lions in the mid-1980s, watching in disbelief as a lioness killed a fur seal in the waves and dragged it five miles inland to feed her cubs. Before he had a chance to study them further, they disappeared, and Stander became obsessed with their fate and their story. Twenty years later, the lions reappeared, giving him a second chance to unravel their secrets. Filmed and presented in high definition. (high definition)
Dec 6 – The Dragon Chronicles (R) Ancient maps, legends, and fairy tales all tell of dragons in our world. In nearly every culture, we are taught as children that dragons are big and fearsome, that they fly, breathe fire, are found in caves and live nearly forever. Where did these stories come from? Are they based on real animals? And are there any dragons still to be found today? Romulus Whitaker, renowned reptile expert and conservationist, puts a bit of history together with documented science and some compelling contemporary reports, and sets off to find out. He encounters lizards large and small that can breathe life into medieval legends even today. (high definition)
Dec 13 – Shark Mountain (R) Underwater filmmakers Howard and Michele Hall have spent 25 years diving and documenting the most remote and beautiful underwater locations, always learning something new about the fantastic creatures that live there. Yet even these remote places and creatures are at risk in today's world, and being able to share their experiences with the rest of us is increasingly important to them, and to us. The Halls take us along on the dive of a lifetime, to a tiny outpost 300 miles off the coast of Central America – Shark Mountain. (high definition)
Dec 20 – Christmas in Yellowstone (R) As snow falls and Christmas lights glow in Jackson Hole, a holiday season of a different sort settles in just beyond the town, in the great winter world of Yellowstone. Breathtaking landscapes frame intimate scenes of wolves and coyotes, elk and bison, bears and otters, as they make their way through their most challenging season of the year. We journey in the footsteps of the man who first explored the park, and travel with his modern-day counterpart, on his own journey of discovery. From the unique crystals of individual snowflakes to the grand sweep of Yellowstone's Hayden Valley, this is a Christmas like no other. (high definition)
Dec 27 – Drakensberg: Barrier of Spears The Drakensberg Mountains are Southern Africa's Alps, rising more than 11,000 feet into the sky. But beneath their shimmering beauty lies an incredibly hostile environment for the creatures that manage to live there. Each Spring, drenching rains destroy the grasslands at the base of the mountains, and those who would survive must climb up sheer cliffs of volcanic rock, through gauntlets of storms and snow, to reach the carpets of new grass on the plateau. The baboons that make their home halfway up the heights may have the advantage of agility, but eland, the world's largest antelope, have long, spindly legs and heavy bodies, which make their climb to the top all but unbelievable. All have babies at their sides. And the vultures circle overhead. (high definition)
