This special Web companion to NATURE’S miniseries takes you into the bizarre, fascinating world of insects with amazing graphics. Read the articles to learn more about how insects reproduce, live together in society, migrate, and battle for survival. 

Show 1, “Hardware & Replicators,” takes a close look at insect design and examines their reproductive strategies. Show 2, “Battlezone & Metropolis” focuses on the constant war that insects wage for food and the complex habitats and social relationships they create. And Show 3, “Voyagers & War of the Worlds,” charts insect migration and explores the ways insects and humans wage war — and occasionally cooperate.

Online content for Alien Empire was originally posted April 1999.

In the 1960s, the bald eagle was on the brink of extinction caused by the pesticide DDT and other human pressures. Following their protection as an endangered species, bald eagles have come roaring back. But even in the best of times, life in the wild for these birds is a surprisingly tough struggle.

From the pristine wilderness of Alaska to the Upper Mississippi River Valley, American Eagle goes behind the scenes and into the nest to provide the ultimate bird’s eye view into the private life of an American icon.

American Eagle premieres Sunday, November 16 at 8pm on PBS (check local listings).

To order a copy of American Eagle, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Once the realm of the ancient Incan Empire, this place of myth and legend also has a rich, intriguing natural history going back to the Jurassic period, marked by an event of monumental portion—the formation of the Central American land bridge 3 million years ago. The creatures of the Andes set this land apart from all other places on earth. The Andes are home to the zorro, a “false fox” with adaptations that make it a successful inhabitant of the Andes. The flamingo, too, has developed utterly unique and specialized adaptations in order to thrive in an environment that doesn’t even seem livable—a salt pan.

Only a mountain range of extremes could harbor such a rich and diverse variety of life forms. Here you will find some of the highest, saltiest, wettest and driest terrains on the planet. Penguins, opossums, hummingbirds, llamas, pumas, foxes, condors, spectacled bears and many more have all managed to carve out an existence somewhere in one of the many worlds that we call the Andes.

To order a copy of Andes: The Dragon’s Back, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Andes: The Dragon’s Back was originally posted February 2007.

NATURE takes you an a whirlwind tour of the animal kingdom as we explore the World-Famous San Diego Zoo and Animal Park.

Every animal has a story…and so does the staff at the San Diego Zoo. NATURE’s presentation of Animal Attractions: Amazing Tales from the San Diego Zoo invites you to look through the eyes of those who work behind the scenes, making sure every animal is properly cared and provided for.

From tiny Imani, a prematurely born and desperately ill gorilla baby, to fiercely independent and aggressive Nola, a 25-year-old northern white rhinoceros, the animals at the Zoo have all experienced the nurturing care of its deeply involved staff. Involved not only in the individual animals’ lives, but in ensuring the continued survival of the Earth’s most endangered species, such as the giant panda and the California condor. Whether it means finding out the secret to encouraging Bai Yun and Shi Shi (the only giant panda pair on the continent) to mate, or introducing dramatic procedures into the relationship between male and female white rhinos, those who keep the Zoo running are determined to keep these populations alive and healthy.

Get caught up in the drama of veterinary medicine at the Zoo, celebrate each triumph and mourn each loss, all against the backdrop of life in the practically wild.

To order a copy of Animal Attractions: Amazing Tales from the San Diego Zoo, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Animal Attractions: Amazing Tales from the San Diego Zoo was originally posted February 2000.

NATURE investigates the sometimes exasperating efforts of people and wild animals to adapt to each other when their worlds collide in Animals Behaving Badly.

The escalating battle for space on this planet between people and wild animals has grown increasingly one-sided, as humanity asserts its domination. But a few intrepid species are successfully challenging, harassing, and even exploiting us on our own turf.

How people are dealing with these incursions — and what we can learn from them to the benefit of both wildlife and humans — is the amusing and enlightening focus of Animals Behaving Badly. The filmmakers traveled to various parts of the United States and Canada, and as far away as New Zealand and Australia, to show us examples of animals behaving “badly,” and of the varying human reactions.

To order a copy of Animals Behaving Badly, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Animals Behaving Badly was originally posted May 2003.

Charges of theft, property destruction, disturbing the peace, and even assault are on the rise — against animals. It’s become an all-out turf war, but just who is invading whose territory?

As cities sprawl into wilderness areas, animals are responding by exploiting human environments to their advantage — and doing so in devious ways. Foxes and squirrels have resorted to thievery in midwestern towns, stealing property from yards, while bears in California and gangs of baboons in South Africa burglarize homes for meals.

Though some animal intrusions may pose a mere nuisance, others are causing catastrophic damage. International travel and commerce have enabled wild invaders to easily cross borders and stake out new territories. Asian carp are poised to wipe out the Great Lakes’ native fish species, legions of red imported fire ants are wreaking havoc in the southern United States, and aggressive swarms of Africanized “killer” bees are terrorizing Arizonans.

This compelling sequel to NATURE’s Animals Behaving Badly is an amusing, yet cautionary tale that investigates the motives behind the mischief. What may appear as bad behavior is simply an animal’s natural response to our increased impact on the planet. As the boundaries between human and animal habitats blur, our actions may in fact be aiding and abetting these Animals Behaving Worse.

To order a copy of Animals Behaving Worse, visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Animals Behaving Worse was originally posted February 2006.

The Arctic is changing. As temperatures slowly rise and the ice recedes, the shore is getting further away. Food sources that the polar bear have come to rely on are becoming less plentiful. In this changing climate, the polar bear is already showing signs of distress.

While polar bears struggle, opportunistic grizzlies fare well, as they benefit from the melting Arctic’s effects on its ecosystem. While the grizzly moves into newly opened territories, the polar bear can only wait for the freezing of its one-time kingdom. If the changing world proclaims the grizzly the new king of the Arctic, what will become of the polar bear?

To order a copy of Arctic Bears, visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Arctic Bears was originally posted February 2008.

Who can resist the magnetic allure of a baby? The presence of little ones of any species invariably generates instant attention and concern from onlookers. In fact, it seems that both humans and animals are hard-wired to find youngsters adorable. The practical and essential reasons why the very young have an ability to play on our heart strings are explored in Baby Tales.

Baby Tales demonstrates how young animals learn and develop, and examines the role of “cuteness” in helping to forge and solidify bonds between mother and offspring. Many newborns in the animal kingdom are entirely dependent upon their mothers — and sometimes their fathers, as well — for survival. And, especially in the wild, nurturing and protecting the young can require enormous effort, courage, and self-sacrifice. The cuteness of offspring creates a strong visual bond that helps evoke a caring response in parents, which must spend months, if not years, feeding, protecting, and teaching their young to survive on their own.

To order a copy of Baby Tales, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for Baby Tales was originally posted March 2001.

On the Web site for The Beauty of Ugly, you’ll get an in-depth look at some of these intriguing creatures. You’ll learn about the remarkable sensory abilities of the weird little star-nosed mole and the unusual social system of naked mole-rats and their imperious mole-rat queen, discover the threats faced by the Cape Griffon vulture, and get a fish-eye’s view of the needle-toothed viperfish and other deep-sea creatures, as photographed by a unique undersea camera called the Eye-in-the-Sea, designed by ocean researcher Dr. Edith Widder.

To order a copy of The Beauty of Ugly, please visit the NATURE Shop.

Online content for The Beauty of Ugly was originally posted online November 2007.

NATURE invites viewers to share the inspiring beauty and harsh realities of survival in the land of the Big Red Roos.

They box and wrestle, kick with authority, and cover large patches of ground with powerful leaps. In fact, the red kangaroos of Australia’s Outback are among the finest athletes of the animal world. And that’s just as well, since the Outback presents one of the most challenging environments on the planet.

Some of the hardships kangaroos must learn to endure are summer temperatures reaching more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit; persistent drought that’s occasionally interrupted by deadly floods; powerful eagles that swoop down from the skies; lethal parasites borne by mosquitoes; and the ever-present danger of hungry dingos. Moreover, the rising human demand for kangaroo meat does little to brighten life expectancy for members of future generations. Yet kangaroos thrive by the millions. Big Red Roos provides an incisive look at how they survive, by following the adventures of a small group, which includes a mother and the young joey she must do her best to protect.

To order a copy of Big Red Roos, please visit the NATURE Shop.