Science and Nature

Planet California

A celebration of California’s wildlife and wild places, and their coexistence with the 40 million people who call it home. Famous for its beaches and Hollywood, California is also a wellspring of biodiversity. Bounded by mountains, deserts and the Pacific Ocean, here are iconic wild places like Yosemite National Park and Death Valley, as well as Baja California’s lesser-known wild beauty.

Close Encounters

52m 33s

From blue whales to kit foxes, spectacular images bring California’s wildlife into sharp focus. Natural forces reshape the land, yet some species - like the bristlecone, one of the world’s oldest organisms - persist, constantly adapting to a changing world. Still, in a space shared with 40 million people, is there room for all? Move over Hollywood - our wildlife stars are ready for their close-up!

Episodes

  • Close Encounters: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Close Encounters

    S1 E2 - 52m 33s

    From blue whales to kit foxes, spectacular images bring California’s wildlife into sharp focus. Natural forces reshape the land, yet some species - like the bristlecone, one of the world’s oldest organisms - persist, constantly adapting to a changing world. Still, in a space shared with 40 million people, is there room for all? Move over Hollywood - our wildlife stars are ready for their close-up!

  • Rivers of Gold: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Rivers of Gold

    S1 E1 - 53m 2s

    It is a land of extremes - tallest, deepest, highest, hottest. And home to the richest biodiversity in the Americas, from gray whales traveling the California Current to mountain lions in the Sierra Nevada and redwoods harvesting water from the air. In a rapidly changing and thirsty world, drought, dams and fire pose dire threats to an ecosystem connected by rivers on land, air and sea.

Extras + Features

  • Kangaroo Rat vs. Snake: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Kangaroo Rat vs. Snake

    S1 - 1m 39s

    Kangaroo rats dig the burrows used by many residents, and are also the primary prey of Carrizo Plains predators. But they hold their own against rattlers.

  • Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Preview

    S1 - 30s

    A celebration of California’s wildlife and wild places, and their coexistence with the 40 million people who call it home. Famous for its beaches and Hollywood, California is also a wellspring of biodiversity. Bounded by mountains, deserts and the Pacific Ocean, here are iconic wild places like Yosemite National Park and Death Valley, as well as Baja California’s lesser-known wild beauty.

  • Ocean Reef Restoration: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Ocean Reef Restoration

    S1 - 2m 20s

    A Baja California community shows how a reef devastated from overfishing can be dramatically restored to abundance.

  • Bighorn Sheep Relocation: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Bighorn Sheep Relocation

    S1 - 2m 45s

    Scientists are undertaking a daring experiment to increase Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep populations - relocating them to remote mountain areas by helicopter, where they will be safe from predators.

Schedule

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