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Fire & Ice

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  • Emperor penguins swimming underwater in Antarctica. These Emperor penguins almost never leave the sea at all. Their streamlined silhouette helps them speed through the water. And to help them dive, they have solid bones, instead of the light hollow skeletons of other birds. A layer of fat keeps them warm. Their adaptations make penguins world-class swimmers.
  • A walrus and it's baby in the arctic. A walrus mother has a profound attachment to its child. This calf was born on the ice just a few hours ago.
  • Walruses in the arctic. The new calf takes to the water readily, but like all young mammals, shes dependent on her mother.
  • A leopard seal hunting a Gentoo penguin in Antarctica. The leopards favorite prey is penguin including Gentoos.
  • A humpback whale coming out of the water. Since their ancestors first returned to the sea 50 million years ago, whales and their relatives have adapted to the most extreme conditions.
  • An orca whale hunting seals. They turn the beach into their hunting ground. To score a kill, the orcas put themselves into a situation that could kill them. Theyre after young prey sea lion pups that are just learning to swim in the icy surf. The orcas strategy is to hit the beach and grab a pup. Once an orca drags its massive bulk onto the sand, it takes a lot of effort to get back in the water. A beached orca is a dead whale.
  • The marine iguana looks like a dinosaur, but its something relatively new in nature. These are the only lizards that dive in the sea. They live on the rocky shores of the Galapagos Islands. Their ancestors were land iguanas that probably floated over from the South American mainland - 600 miles away. Marine iguanas are vegetarians. Here in the Galapagos, they eat the algae that grows along the shore. An iguanas flat snout and sharp teeth make it easy to scrape algae off the rocks. A marine iguana can stay submerged for more than half an hour.
  • A blue whale. Whales are the oceans biggest carnivores.
  • Humpback whales in Madagascar.

  • Super Swimmers

    Photograph by Galate Films

    Emperor penguins swimming underwater in Antarctica.  These Emperor penguins almost never leave the sea at all.  Their streamlined silhouette helps them speed through the water.  And to help them dive, they have solid bones, instead of the light hollow skeletons of other birds. A layer of fat keeps them warm.  Their adaptations make penguins world-class swimmers. 

  • A New Family

    Photograph by Galate Films

    A walrus and it's baby in the arctic.  A walrus mother has a profound attachment to its child.  This calf was born on the ice just a few hours ago.  

  • Learning to Swim

    Photograph by Galate Films

    Walruses in the arctic.  The new calf takes to the water readily, but like all young mammals, she’s dependent on her mother.

  • Seal v. Penguin

    Photograph by Galate Films

    A leopard seal hunting a Gentoo penguin in Antarctica.  The leopard’s favorite prey is penguin – including Gentoos. 

  • Jumping Whale

    Photograph by Galate Films

    A humpback whale coming out of the water.  Since their ancestors first returned to the sea 50 million years ago, whales and their relatives have adapted to the most extreme conditions.  

  • A Dangerous Game

    Photograph by Galate Films

    An orca whale hunting seals.  They turn the beach into their hunting ground.  To score a kill, the orcas put themselves into a situation that could kill them.  They’re after young prey – sea lion pups that are just learning to swim in the icy surf.  The orcas’ strategy is to hit the beach and grab a pup.   Once an orca drags its massive bulk onto the sand, it takes a lot of effort to get back in the water.  A beached orca is a dead whale.

  • Underwater Reptile

    Photograph by Galate Films

    The marine iguana looks like a dinosaur, but it’s something relatively new in nature.  These are the only lizards that dive in the sea.  They live on the rocky shores of the Galapagos Islands. Their ancestors were land iguanas that probably floated over from the South American mainland - 600 miles away.  Marine iguanas are vegetarians.  Here in the Galapagos, they eat the algae that grows along the shore.  An iguana’s flat snout and sharp teeth make it easy to scrape algae off the rocks.   A marine iguana can stay submerged for more than half an hour.

  • Big Blue

    Photograph by Galate Films

    A blue whale.  Whales are the ocean’s biggest carnivores.

  • Whale Tail

    Photograph by Galate Films

    Humpback whales in Madagascar. 

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