Return to the Water
David Attenborough continues his major documentary series with a look at marine mammals that have returned to the sea - from sea otters to the blue whale.
From the roughest seas to the crystal clear waters of the Florida springs, David Attenborough swims with sea otters and dives with manatees, as he follows those mammals who, millions of years ago, left dry land and returned to the water to feed.
Attenborough races across the Pacific Ocean to find the largest mammal that has ever lived on this planet, the blue whale. As David says, 'nothing like that can grow on land because no bone is strong enough to support such bulk. Only in the sea can you get such huge size as this magnificent creature'. He also bounces through the waves off New Zealand to witness an enormous pod of high-speed dolphins pursuing their fish dinner.
Although some marine mammals like seals and sea lions still come ashore to breed, all porpoises, dolphins and whales have evolved to court, mate and give birth in the water. Indeed the sight of humpback whales mating is truly amazing, with the males wielding the longest penis in the animal kingdom - 12 feet long - and so highly mobile that it can seek out the female genital opening as she swims alongside.
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Clips
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Singing whales
Duration: 02:25
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Inside the blue whale
Duration: 04:01
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | David Attenborough |
Writer | David Attenborough |
Producer | Huw Cordey |
Series Producer | Mike Salisbury |
Broadcasts
- Wed 15 Jan 2003 21:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One London
- Mon 23 Jun 2008 21:00
- Tue 30 Dec 2008 08:30Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except East & Yorkshire
- Wed 17 Apr 2013 15:15Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two HD, Northern Ireland, Wales & England only
- Wed 17 Apr 2013 16:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Scotland
- Thu 2 Oct 2014 15:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Northern Ireland, Wales, England & HD only
- Fri 3 Oct 2014 15:00Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two Scotland
- Thu 3 Mar 2016 15:55Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two England, HD, Scotland & Northern Ireland only
- Tue 8 Aug 2017 16:15Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Two except East, Northern Ireland (Analogue), Wales (Analogue) & Yorkshire
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