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  The
Galapagos Islands with Richard DreyfussRichard Dreyfuss's voyage across 600 miles of glistening ocean will take him to the most unusual and fascinating wildlife paradise in the world, the Galapagos Islands, as Thirteen/WNET presents IN THE WILD: THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS WITH RICHARD DREYFUSS, September 26 at 8 p.m. (ET) on PBS (check local listings). Guided by friendly dolphins, the graceful ship Alta carries Dreyfuss toward his formidable destination. "I've heard stories about the Galapagos Islands that are full of mystery, myth, even murder," says Dreyfuss. "They are islands which inspired ideas about the origin of life itself." Full of anticipation, Dreyfuss finally arrives at his first island, a black volcanic wasteland. The only living thing on the bleak island is a mysteriously healthy cactus. It is incredible to Dreyfuss that less than five million years ago, these islands erupted out of the sea. If any life was to find its way here, it had to fight hard for survival. On the sandy island of Mosquera, Dreyfuss watches as sea lions demonstrate true "joie de vivre," diving in and out of crystal blue waves, riding the surf like teenagers. "Next to these able swimmers, I feel like a gorilla in a tutu," he says as he dives with them underwater.  Still trying to sort out the puzzle of "The Origin of Species," Dreyfuss sets out to see other wildlife. He observes two waved albatrosses in an extraordinary mating ritual that involves hoots, twisted necks, and beak-clicking. The waved albatross is unique to the Galapagos Islands, flying thousands of miles to the same spot every year to mate. Moving on, Dreyfuss finds additional strange species with even stranger behavior, such as bizarre masked boobies, frigate birds, and the flightless cormorant, which once flew and is halfway to becoming a specialized deep-sea fisher. Sitting on an ancient lava flow, flipping a coin, Dreyfuss muses about the fact that the earth is over four billion years old. Over an infinite amount of time, any chance event is possible, such as having a run of heads hundreds of times in a row. Dreyfuss realizes that any species could arise by chance. But one thing still puzzles him: Can one species turn into another? And if so, why isn't the world full of half-species? And where did the Godzilla-like marine iguana come from? Eventually he finds the answer for himself. IN THE WILD: THE GALAPAGOS ISLANDS WITH RICHARD DREYFUSS is a Tigress Production for Meridian in association with Thirteen/WNET in New York. The program was produced by Justine Kershaw and directed by Nigel Cole. Series producer for IN THE WILD is Jeremy Bradshaw. Executive producer for Thirteen/WNET is Fred Kaufman. The series is made possible by the nation's public television stations. TV Schedule | Feedback | Previous Features Teacher's Guides | Contest Winners | Puzzles & Fun PBS Online Thirteen Online |