The landmark series returns with all-new documentaries delving into octopuses, the wildlife of the Okavango Delta and more.
NATURE’s new season kicks off on October 2 with Octopus: Making Contact and continues through the spring of 2020 with exciting new episodes providing an awe-inspiring look into the lives of a diverse group of wildlife. Catch a sneak peek of a few of the upcoming films in the season preview above. Descriptions of each episode are below.*
OCTOPUS: MAKING CONTACT | Wednesday, October 2
Follow an Alaskan professor as he raises and studies a pet octopus in his home, making remarkable discoveries about its extraordinary intelligence, personality and skills. Octopuses are able to recognize faces and interact with other individuals.
THE SERENGETI RULES | Wednesday, October 9
Travel back in time, from the Arctic Ocean to Pacific tide pools, with a pioneering group of scientists who make surprising discoveries that transform human understanding of nature and ecology. Based on a book of the same name, The Serengeti Rules had its theatrical premiere at Tribeca Film Festival and has won awards at the 2018 Wildscreen Panda Awards and Jackson Hole Science Media Awards.
UNDERCOVER IN THE JUNGLE | Wednesday, October 16
Go undercover with a film crew on a perilous journey to the untouched wilderness of biodiversity in the Amazon rainforest. Meet some of the most incredible creatures, from pygmy marmosets to pumas, as the wild secrets of the jungle are revealed.
OKAVANGO: RIVER OF DREAMS (three-part miniseries) | Wednesdays, October 23 – November 6
Experience the wildlife of the Okavango Delta, an unlikely oasis and lush paradise in Southern Africa that connects and supports a wide array of creatures. Lions chase elephants, who chase hippos, who chase crocodiles. Filmed by the Emmy Award-winning duo Dereck and Beverly Joubert (Nature: Soul of the Elephant) and narrated by F. Murray Abraham.
Episode 1: Paradise presents the landscape and wildlife of the Upper Okavango River. A lioness severely injured by a buffalo is left for dead by her pride. Now handicapped, she has to survive in the swamp alone, hunting to feed her little cubs.
Episode 2: Limbo presents the landscape and wildlife of the “Middle World,” the delta of the Okavango River. A hyena and a warthog family share neighboring dens, helping each other by keeping an eye on threatening predators such as lions and leopards.
Episode 3: Inferno presents the landscape and wildlife of the Lower Okavango River, where the landscape is baked dry by the scorching sun. Large herds of zebra and wildebeest migrate to the dry plains in search of precious salt that these animals need.
NATURE’S BIGGEST BEASTS | Wednesday, November 13
Discover the ingenious strategies that nature’s biggest beasts employ to conquer their environments, from the Komodo dragon with a deadly bite to the tallest giraffe to the bird-eating armored ground cricket. These are their epic survival stories.
BEARS | Wednesday, November 20
Follow the adventures of bears across the globe, from grizzlies to pandas to sloth bears, as they draw on their brains, brawn and unique adaptations to survive. Find out what it really takes to be a bear in today’s ever-changing world.
THE WHALE DETECTIVE | Wednesday, January 8
Natural history filmmaker Tom Mustill investigates his traumatic encounter with a 30-ton humpback whale that breached and almost landed on him while he was kayaking. What he discovers raises far bigger questions about humans’ relationship with whales and their future.
HIPPOS: AFRICA’S RIVER GIANTS | Wednesday, January 15
Go beneath the surface and meet Africa’s river giants, the hippos. Discover an unexpected side of these aquatic mammals that can’t even swim as hippos protect their families, face their enemies and suffer in a drought. Narrated by David Attenborough.
WILD FLORIDA | Wednesday, February 12
Florida is home to white-sand beaches, coral reefs, pine forests, and the famous Everglades, but a growing human population and animal invaders are threatening this wild paradise. With the help of pioneering scientists, can Florida’s wildlife weather the storm?
THE MIGHTY WEASEL | Wednesday, February 19
The weasel family is often associated with unsavory behavior, but do these critters deserve this bad reputation? Follow the adventures of a first-time Stoat mom raising her kits and a tiny orphan weasel named Twiz on her journey back to the wild.
CUBA’S WILD REVOLUTION | Wednesday, April 1
In the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, Cuba stands as an emerald jewel whose history runs parallel with the natural world. As international relations thaw, what will become of this island paradise?
REMARKABLE RABBITS | Wednesday, April 8
Wild rabbits can be found all over the planet. There are 31 species of wild rabbits and 50 different domesticated breeds. Despite their remarkable ability to reproduce, many wild rabbits are in danger of being eradicated.
SPY IN THE WILD 2 (four-part miniseries) | Wednesdays, April 29 – May 20
The sequel to the popular Nature: Spy in the Wild miniseries will place even more “spies” in the middle of some of nature’s greatest events. Meet a Spy Komodo dragon, Spy puffin, Spy stork, Spy koala, Spy seal, Spy gorilla and more.
*Dates and information subject to change.