In a land of dangers, plant-eating animals are always at risk, and never more so than at the time of their birth out on the open they are vulnerable and there are few places to hide. But luckily some are born to run …
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Three times in the past two decades, the Chiemsee area has experienced "once-in-a-century" floods. Climate, wildlife, and landscape have changed, and it seems this transformation is accelerating. Species living in the flood zones are developing sophisticated survival strategies. Knot ants, for instance, place their queen in the middle and form a raft with their bodies, even conquering new habitats. Flooding is less of a disaster for nature and impacts humans more significantly.
A few thousand years ago, there were bare moraine ridges and barren meltwater valleys here. A landscape born in the last ice age, characterized by the edge of the Alps, gentle hills, moors, and lakes. And by cultural richness, not only on the islands in Lake Chiemsee, with their famous monasteries and castles. Long before King Ludwig II, the first people settled in the Chiemgau region. Finds of hunting weapons from the Neanderthal era prove that the land was inhabited even during the ice age, probably because there was plenty of game to hunt. During the Bronze Age, one of the most important trade routes from the mountains to the Alpine foothills passed through here. Then came the Celts and the Romans.
Watching the graceful movement of these gelatinous animals is almost hypnotic. Although their bodies are 98% water, jellyfish are deceptively clever and dangerous. But where do these primordial creatures come from? How do they reproduce and how long do they live?
The 115 islands and islets that make up the Seychelles present a breath-taking variety of plants, rare animals and beaches laced with palms. This is where the leg-endary Coco de Mer palm nuts grow with fruits weigh-ing up to 20 kilos and giant wild land turtles nibble away at mangrove fruits to their hearts content. The archipelago was first settled at the end of the 18th cen-tury. Today, a very colourful potpourri of peoples in this dwarf state proves just how peacefully different cultures can live side by side. Three times a week, the steamer "MV Espoir" completes the trip from the main island of Mahé to Praslin and back. A ship for every-one and practically everything: Used cars, toilet paper, horses, bicycles, furniture - you name it, the Espoir transports goods of all kinds. Coconuts sometimes pose a problem as there are far too many of them. What to do with them? The best place to send them is undoubt-edly Hubert Roumien's Virgin Coconut Oil Laboratory, hidden away in the Mahé jungle. Straw turns into gold at Seaweed Seychelles! There, Benjamin Port Louis collects seaweed and extracts liquid fertiliser from it.
On February 15th, 2013, out of the blue, a meteorite exploded in the earth's atmosphere above the Russian region of Chelyabinsk. The event is a reminder of the ever-present 'Meteor Menace' and the need to understand more about these missiles from outer space.
It's a water world and life couldn't survive without it. And thanks to it, a mind blowing diversity of creatures thrive beneath the surface. 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, all must overcome the obstacles and fulfil their destiny, all are born to swim! Of all the habitats on earth, the ocean is perhaps the most challenging. Here salt, 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 beats the odds. They have overcome the challenges and become some of the most beautiful and graceful of creatures. But any baby born to swim has a lot to learn… All over the world there are creatures born to swim, and though humans are not, we seem determined to join them. Perhaps we are envious of their grace. Maybe we are all water babies at heart
In a land of dangers, plant-eating animals are always at risk, and never more so than at the time of their birth out on the open they are vulnerable and there are few places to hide. But luckily some are born to run …
Baby animals beguile with their innocent charm. But while some remain harmless, others have a deep-rooted instinct. It may take weeks or months of training to hone their skills. Their landscapes and lifestyles maybe very different, but these babies are born to hunt.
As contrasting as the landscapes of the 15th meridian east, so different are its animal inhabitants. What are the living conditions like in the heat of the Namibian Damaraland, in Lusatia or on the coast of Norway? Which challenges do elephants, whales or kingfishers have to master together with their companions from north to south?
The cornfield - just an area for producing food… or a land full of secrets? This doc portrays a little recognized habitat right next door. The spectacular visuals filmed with state of the art equipment introduce the surprisingly large diversity of field inhabitants. We follow a hamster family through a season full of adventures and are drawn into an unknown world – a world of which we thought we knew everything about. In the western industrial nations cornfields and woods take up the greatest proportion of rural land. But how much natural life dwells in a cornfield? Why are some cornfield inhabitants harmful and others useful and what do the colourful flowers at the edge of the field promise us? We follow a hamster family through a season full of adventures and are drawn into an unknown world – a world of which we thought we knew everything about.
The Inner Hebrides surprise with green hills, fine sandy beaches and a mild climate, at least as far as Scottish conditions allow. This is ensured by the currents of the Gulf Stream, as well as the Scottish archipelago being protected by its sister islands, which belong to the Outer Hebrides. More than half of the almost 80 islands are uninhabited. Loneliness has made the people rather inventive. On Tiree Island, mathematics, history and physics from the mainland arrive in the classroom per mouseclick. Dr Mauvis Gore and Prof. Rupert Ormond cast off from the island of Mull, after setting a course to encounter a basking shark. The cetohinus maximus is the world's second largest fish and the two scientists are absolutely convinced that the waters surrounding the Mull constitute the mating grounds for the basking sharks. A logistical challenge takes place on the Isle of Easdale each September. Then, around 400 people populate the tiny slate island. Donals "Mellon" Melville organises the World Skimming Championships, a World Cup in jumping stones. This is all about the distance they are thrown and they must only hop above the water twice.
The first part of this journey through Scotland begins in the colourful and vibrant capital, Edinburgh. It takes us through the rolling hills of the Scottish Lowlands, en route to the wild, picturesque east coast and Aberdeen. There are new and exciting views behind every bend: heath-covered hills with a magically purple glow, beautiful lakes and forests of the deepest shades of green. The breath-taking camerawork for this documentary received the Columbus Film Award.
Spirits, Kings, Lemurs – Madagascar treats Ami to a multitude of new impressions and spectacular pictures. Director Christian Schidlowski and his team accompanied her on her trip.
Renaud Van Der Meeren is a photographer and paramotor pilot. With his motorised parachute he goes on expeditions to the remotest corners on earth to photograph people and landscapes from the air. Renaud wanted to be a jet pilot, studied music at the Sorbonne, became a ski instructor, model and photographer's assistant before he found happiness in his current vocation. He especially likes to do his job in Mauritius – nowhere else does he find so many motifs as on the "sweetest pearl in the Indian Ocean". This time he's working on a photo book about Mauritius – by land, by water and in the air.
Photographer Matthias Ziegler is an Africa specialist. He has visited nearly every country on the continent on assignments for international agencies. Zanzibar, however, is new territory for him. He's come to the former slave island for a photo book – and this time he's not alone. To see the Tanzanian archipelago from the air, he has enlisted the services of ultralight pilot Richard Meredith-Hardy of England to fly him around in his FIB, or flying inflatable boat. Perfect conditions for an adventurous journey: as a world champion ultralight pilot, Richard and his FIB can take off and land practically anywhere – in theory.
On the wild coast of Patagonia, the nature calendar describes the most diverse visiting times of fascinating animals, from the southern right whale and other large whales, via the sea lions and elephant seals up to the orcas and millions of penguins. The encounters with whales and their babies are spectacular. Hardly anywhere else on earth can one experience both the brutal and the delightful sides of nature so vividly and so close. The trip to the hot spots for animal watchers and researchers leads us inter alia to the Caleta Valdez. This is where, during the mating season, the southern elephant seals bring their babies into the world, mate and enjoy a little sunbathing on the beach.
With the aid of modern technology, reveal the unknown behaviour of some unusual species of shark: lemon sharks and their white-tip reef counterparts. Our film trip begins on the Bahamas. To be more precise: in the turquoise-blue waters of the Grand Bahama Bank, in an exactly fixed location. In the spring, 70 – 80 pregnant lemon sharks arrive here. This huge shark population was first discovered just a few years ago by shark researcher, Professor Sam Gruber. Many of the females are tired and rest on the seabed. Pregnant tiger sharks swim in the midst of this group. Without any protection whatsoever, our cameramen shoot their footage, surrounded by sharks and succeed in capturing images hitherto unseen. We continue our journey to Gainesville, Florida, to meet Gordon Hubbell, the leading shark denture expert with the world's largest shark denture collection. He knows everything about the evolutionary history of the lemon sharks, in addition to those of the white-tip reef variety off Cocos Island, Costa Rica. Here, we encounter large schools of fish, unprecedented numbers of stingrays, as well as hammerhead sharks. However, it is the white-tip reek sharks that make the biggest impression. Their performance begins late at night. Marauding, they patrol in large groups through the reefs and hunt everything that moves. Scales and dead prey fish float above the reef – a welcoming change of diet for the ubiquitous barracudas.
We are on the verge of a new age of exploration: besides the plans of NASA and other space agencies, over the next years also privately financed teams are going to send unmanned vehicles to the Moon. The goal is to find a cheap and efficient way to travel there on a regular basis, and in the long term to build a permanent human base.
Hong Kong translated means "fragrant harbour". The days of the spicy smoking ceremonies have passed, but MareTV has discovered many delightful contrasts between the metropolis and Mother Nature. In for-mer times, the rare eagle wood tree grew here. Its wood put the spice into the Taoist smoking ceremonies. The fragrant harbour: what sounds so charming is today a huge metropolis in the sea. No other tiny piece of land is more densely populated. Star Ferries have been commuting between the Kowloon Peninsula and central Hong Kong for the past 125 years. The British colonial masters are long gone, but on the ancient ferries, virtually nothing has changed. Most of the ships are still clad in British Racing Green and the crew still wears the old, decorative uniforms.
Idlewild - Avalon - Belle of Louisville - these three names stand for the last still roadworthy, historic sternwheeler in the USA. In 1914, the ship was built as "Idlewild" for the West Memphis Packet Company as a passenger ferry. With a draft of only 1.50 m and a robust steel hull, the boat is suitable for almost all navigable rivers of the Mississippi River system. Today, the "Belle" is the most traveled steamboat in American history. In the course of her eventful life, she has called at 130 places in 19 states.
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