Episodes
-
Watch Salamanders Skydive!
S11 E11 - 3m 47s
When a hungry bird comes near them, wandering salamanders can jump off the tallest trees in the world, California's coast redwoods, skydiving to a safe branch. Researchers decided to put them in a wind tunnel to investigate their daring moves in slow motion.
-
How Can These Flies Live in Oily Black Tar Pits?
S11 E10 - 4m 45s
In the sticky oil seeps known as the La Brea Tar Pits, the tiny petroleum fly and their larvae thrive in the natural asphalt that oozes up to the surface. The larvae hunt among the fossilized bones of dire wolves, mammoths and saber-toothed cats.
-
Watch This Starfish Protect Her Babies From Danger
S11 E9 - 5m 15s
Six-rayed sea stars make great moms! Unlike most sea stars, mama six-rayed sea stars are VERY involved in their kids' lives, caressing and protecting their babies for months. When they're big enough, the youngsters venture out on their own to ruthlessly hunt down their tiny prey.
-
Fly Metamorphosis is a Beautiful Nightmare
S11 E8 - 4m 12s
Like the beloved butterfly, a house fly goes through an incredible metamorphosis. To make its grand entry into the world, it deploys a specialized, fluid-filled balloon on its head called the ptilinum (till-EYE-num) to break open its pupal casing, freeing itself to buzz around your kitchen.
-
Stingless Bees Guard Tasty Honey With Barricades, Bouncers and Bites
S11 E7 - 6m 15s
The honeybee that sweetens your tea isn’t the only kind of bee that makes honey. More than 600 bee species across Mexico, Central and South America, and other tropical regions worldwide, also make the sweet stuff. But they don’t have stingers to defend their precious product. So, how do they keep thieves away? And what does their honey taste like?
-
Meet the Bug You Didn't Know You Were Eating
S11 E6 - 5m 16s
The cochineal is a tiny insect deeply rooted in the history of Oaxaca, Mexico. Female cochineals spend most of their lives with their heads buried in juicy cactus pads, eating and growing. After cochineals die, their legacy lives on in the brilliant red hue produced by their hemolymph. Dyes made from cochineal have been used in textiles, paintings, and even in your food!
-
Watch Ferns Get Freaky
S11 E5 - 3m 44s
Look at the underside of a fern leaf. Those rows of orange clusters aren’t tiny insects; they’re spores waiting to be catapulted away. Once a spore lands, it grows into a tiny plant, from which fern sperm swim away, searching for an egg to fertilize. Think of *that* next time you’re hiking in the forest.
-
These Solar-Powered Carnivorous Flatworms Divide and Conquer
S11 E4 - 5m 16s
Tiny marine flatworms called acoels hunt for prey in coral reefs. They're referred to as “plant-animals'' because they've got a partnership with photosynthetic algae that live inside of them. But this acoel's real superpower is its ability to regenerate any part of its body!
-
That's Not Rain, That's Super-powered Pee!
S11 E3 - 3m 57s
Sharpshooters survive by guzzling a lot of plant sap. But drinking all of that liquid nutrition presents a problem for these tiny insects: How do they move it all out? Easy. They've perfected a super-propulsive urination technique using a special catapult in their butt.
-
Witness the Nighttime Magic of Spawning Coral
S11 E2 - 4m 36s
When the moon, sun and ocean temperatures all align, an underwater "snowstorm" occurs. Corals put on a massive spawning spectacle by sending tiny white spheres floating up the water column all at once.
-
Why Does This Fly Live in Your Bathroom?
S11 E1 - 3m 58s
Ever wonder how those tiny, jumpy flies got onto your bathroom wall? Well, they came out of your sink drain after growing up down in the pipes. A goofy, long “mustache,” fuzzy wings and some aquabatics help them survive in that soggy environment.
WETA Passport
Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.
Similar Shows
Autumnwatch New England
Science and Nature
Wild Metropolis
Science and Nature
The Brain-Gut Connection with Dr. Emeran Mayer
Science and Nature
Life on Fire
Science and Nature
Life on the Reef
Science and Nature
Lion: The Rise and Fall of the Marsh Pride
Science and Nature
Living Wild: Plant-spiration with Hilton Carter
Science and Nature
Wild Rivers with Tillie
Science and Nature
Great Yellowstone Thaw
Science and Nature
The Gene
Science and Nature