Islands of Wonder

In honor of their seafaring ancestors, Hawaii hosts one of the world’s biggest canoe races every year, the Na Wahine O Ke Kai or “Women of the Sea.” The teams race across 42 miles of open ocean from the island of Molokai to Oahu, where they finish at the shores of Oahu’s capital city, Honolulu.

Hawaii, the most remote island chain on Earth, offers sanctuary for wildlife that has reached its tropical shores. From humpback whales to waterfall-climbing fish, it’s home to an extraordinary wealth of wildlife.

White terns were once revered by the ancient Polynesians who believed that the sight of this bird with a bill full of fish was a sign of nearby land. Though it’s believed that the arrival of humans resulted in the near extinction of this animal, in the last 60 years their numbers have risen from a single pair to over 2,000 birds across Honolulu.

Hawaii’s upland rivers provide a safe haven from predators for young gobies while also acting as a resource for food. To access these waters, gobies must face a treacherous climb, pulling themselves up an enormous waterfall using the suction from their mouths and fins. The journey can take days and around 99 percent of these tiny fish perish before they reach the top.

On Borneo’s coast, the Bajau Laut spend much of their day hunting underwater. A tradition carried on from generations past, their bodies have adapted to these long days of diving. Their spleens are 50% larger than average, thought to provide their blood with more oxygen, and they can hold their breath underwater for over three minutes – longer than almost any other human.

Traditional fishermen Rajamil Wali and his son Pidel walk along Borneo’s shores collecting the trash that washes up from the ocean. Melting down the plastic they find, their handmade fishing lures are shaped like blue crabs. The key is to create a convincing crab both in appearance and movement to attract fish and octopus that will help feed their family.

Borneo, the third largest island on Earth, may seem like a paradise but its harsh landscape proves a struggle to survive. These challenges allow the island to host a greater diversity of life than almost any other island.

Twentinolosa spends almost every day with the orangutans that dwell in the canopies of Borneo’s rainforests. After following orangutan mother Indah for 14 years, he and his fellow researchers have made a remarkable discovery, learning that orangutans self-medicate with a medicinal paste made of leaves that they spread across aching joints.

The Grand Tsingy is home to over 500 square miles of sharp, limestone pinnacles, towering over 400 feet. The area’s deep ravines hold moisture and create pockets of fresh vegetation sought after by the Decken’s sifaka. With thick, rubbery soles and the ability to jump up to 30 feet, this species of lemur is able to cross the miles of exposed rock to feed themselves and their young.

In the spiny forests of Madagascar, ring-tailed lemur troops might spend up to eight hours a day looking for food. The hostile environment is home to the euphorbia plant, which produces a sticky sap rich in fat. While the sap is known to burn human skin, ring-tailed lemurs have adapted to resist its corrosive powers, and it now acts as a major food source for this species.

In Madagascar’s remote western desert, divers explore a hidden pool of water. Over 160 feet below the surface, this incredible underworld opens to over seven miles of connected tunnels and some of the largest underwater chambers in the world. Within these caves lies a graveyard carrying remains of now-extinct animals in Madagascar, including a lemur that once grew to the size of a gorilla.

In the village of Ampotaka, the dry season can last several months. In order to survive, its residents rely on the neighboring baobab trees passed on by their ancestors. When hollowed out, their trunks act as tanks to store water collected from the brief rains and can naturally hold over 20,000 gallons of water within their structures.