Seasons & episodes

S14 · E11Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees 1996-03-03 · 53 min＋

Jane Goodall introduces a program that charts a "sweeping family saga" as it plays out among chimps in Tanzania's Gombe National Park. Observed: how the younger offspring try to capture their mother's attention.

S14 · E12Victims of Venom 1996-03-31 · 53 min＋

A look at snakes, sea creatures and plants that employ venom, either as a defense mechanism or as a way to disable prey. Included: king and Siamese cobras; scorpions; rattlesnakes; and the Australian blue-ringed octopus.

Exploring the wildlife and terrain in the wilderness of Australia's Kakadu National Park, where years are divided between droughts and monsoons. Included: Gouldian finches, sulphur-crested cockatoos, magpie geese, dingoes and wallabies

Tracing the monsoon season when India receives most of its rain. Included: how the rains avert droughts on most of the subcontinent, but also cause massive flooding. Observed: gharial crocodiles; weaverbirds; Indian elephants; one-horned rhinos; langurs.

In the NATURE program SPERM WHALES: THE REAL MOBY DICK, the efforts of Jonathan Gordon and other researchers to study the whales' physicality, modes of communication, and social interactions contribute to our understanding of the underwater world.

Charting the declining fortunes of a pride of "Crater Lions" that lives in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater. Included: lion attacks on buffaloes; a young cub's encounter with jackals; efforts to repopulate the pride; wildebeests, elephants

S15 · E3Mask of the Mandrill 1996-11-10 · 53 min＋

Delving into the mysteries of the colorful monkeys called mandrills, as a troupe of the creatures are followed through the West African rainforests. Included: the travails of a lead male fighting off a rival; the females' role as group leaders; hammerhead bats and river martins.

S15 · E4The Joy of Pigs 1996-11-17 · 53 min＋

Exploring pigs, described by host George Page as “the world's most cosmopolitan characters,” with a focus on their adaptability to a variety of environments. Included: pigs as pets; hunters stalking a “bearded” pig in Borneo.

Following a family of elephants in Kenya's Amboseli National Park. Included: the family's matriarch giving birth, rescuing her kidnapped daughter and chasing away hyenas. Also: male and female mating rituals.

S15 · E6Wolves and Buffalo: The Last Frontier 1997-01-12 · 53 min＋

Observing wild buffaloes and gray wolves in the Canadian wilderness. Jeff and Sue Turner spent two years filming the ritual battles between these ancient adversaries in Wood Buffalo National Park, where the drama unfolds in the subarctic winter.

S15 · E7The Elephant Men 1997-02-16 · 53 min＋

Profiling the mahouts of southern India, who are skilled in the art of training wild elephants. Included: a journey north to stop herds of marauding elephants that are destroying villagers' crops and taking lives.

S15 · E8A Lemur's Tale 1997-02-23 · 53 min＋

Deep in the thorn forests of Madagascar live troops of ring-tailed lemurs, the most beautiful and most social of Madagascar’s extraordinary primates. Our story follows five baby lemurs as they try to make their way in the world. In an intimate portrait never before filmed, we learn of their high times, their sufferings, and the special bonds that hold their unique society together.

S15 · E9Extraordinary Dogs 1997-03-09 · 53 min＋

Tales of canine loyalty to humans, including segments illustrating how dogs detect people buried by avalanches, enhance the lives of prison inmates and offer "therapy" for seriously ill youngsters. Also: the use of dogs to assist people with disabilities; dog scouts and couriers.

S15 · E10Bower Bird Blues 1997-04-13 · 53 min＋

Profiling the bowerbird, an ingenious "architect" of the Australian rain forest that builds elaborate bowers of sticks to attract a female. Footage also includes the spiny echidna, which feasts on termite mounds; a bright blue crayfish; and carnivorous dingoes.

The four-part "Spirits of the Jaguar" explores the human and natural histories of Central America and the Caribbean. Part 1 focuses on the region's animal and plant life, and its volcanic origins some 150 million years ago. Included: iguanas; crocodiles; fossilized tree sap that offers a record of ancient island life.

Part 2 of "Spirits of the Jaguar" explores the "Forests of the Maya," where 1200 years ago an extraordinary civilization emerged in the Central American jungles. Included: Mayan ruins; exotic animals like the jaguar that permeated Mayan folklore; underground rivers and caves.

Part 3 of “Spirits of the Jaguar” recounts the evolution of the Taino civilization. The Taino were the first inhabitants of the Caribbean some 2000 years ago, and their way of life was destroyed with the arrival of European explorers. The hour examines marine life that provided food for the Amerindians.

"Spirits of the Jaguar" concludes with the story of the Aztec empire, which in the 1500s stretched from the Atlantic to the Pacific in what is now Mexico. Footage includes scenes of hawks that once inspired Aztec myths, and ruins of pyramids and temples.

S16 · E1Toothwalkers: Giants of the Arctic Ice 1997-10-12 · 53 min＋

TOOTHWALKERS presents extremely rare under-the-ice footage that reveals a complex and potentially dangerous side to this huge and often mysterious mammal.

S16 · E2Grand Canyon 1997-10-19 · 53 min＋

An unforgettable view. To see the Grand Canyon for the first time is an experience few people will forget. The canyon vista — with its incomprehensible size, deep color, and rich display of rock layers — is unmatched by any natural display on Earth. But while the rock formations may seem arid and lifeless, the Grand Canyon is home to an astounding variety of creatures. In its mile-deep plunge, the Grand Canyon’s terrain ranges from conifer forest to desert, with river niches in between.

S16 · E3Animal Attractions: Amazing Tales from the San Diego Zoo 1997-11-09 · 53 min＋

The birth of a baby gorilla, the flight to freedom of a California condor, and a panda's attempt at seduction are among the stories from the San Diego Zoo. Included: a black rhino's birth; the construction of a polar-bear habitat; preparing zoo meals.

Studying elephants' ability to adapt to varied environments. Included: researchers probe the myth of the pygmy elephant of the rain forest, and follow forest elephants that live in small family units in central Africa.

S16 · E5Orangutans: Just Hangin' On 1997-12-07 · 53 min＋

Examining efforts to save orangutans from extinction at a rehabilitation center in Borneo, where the apes are later released into the wild. Also: footage of an orangutan birth; a study in which apes learn communication with humans.

S16 · E6Yellowstone Otters 1998-01-18 · 53 min＋

Exploring otters as they frolic at Yellowstone Lake, a powerhouse of geothermal activity, where the warmth beneath the rocks sustains life, even in winter. Also seen: bald eagles performing an airborne bonding ritual.