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1999
The sand tiger, or ragged tooth shark, is a sinister-looking humped back creature with a mouthful of wicked teeth - the embodiment of nightmares. Yet it is hardly the vicious killer of our imagination and on a reef off the coast of South Africa divers have grown to love this ugly shark. In this episode we follow the ragged tooth shark from its summer habitat in the Cape to its winter mating waters in KwaZulu-Natal. (Diver/shark interaction to show how close divers actually get to the sharks)
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Nature's most remarkable feats on land, at sea, in winter and summer, are revealed in these five-minute documentaries.
Nature's most remarkable feats on land, at sea, in winter and summer, are revealed in these five-minute documentaries.
The Rivers of Africa shape the lives of those who call their banks home- in the African wilderness, there can be no life without water. The continents rivers are the focal point of the dramas of the bushveld- the same river that gives life also harbours death. For the many creatures that live along Africa's rivers - the need to quench their thirst is an essential part of their lives- but rivers such as the Mara in Kenya are a barrier for animals where death comes in many guises- but each animal has their way of navigating these treacherous waters.
Op Botswana se Linyanti-vlakte heers 'n groep broers onder die top roofdiere. Drie jagluiperds: vennote sedert geboorte, en een van die doeltreffendste jagkragte op die vlaktes.
The world's tropical waters are inhabited by a fish that dwarfs all others, yet the tiniest creatures fuel it. The whale shark spends its life pursuing rich upwellings of microscopic plankton. Off the east coast of Africa, the warm currents of the Indian Ocean carry with them a seemingly infinite supply of food. Each year, with the onset of spring, the gentle giants leave the equatorial waters of Seychelles and follow these currents southwards, on a remarkable journey, unique in nature, thousands of miles along the ocean's highways. Our story follows one whale shark on its trip to the southernmost tip of the continent to unravel the mystery of the whale shark's incredible journey.
The Swamp Pride is on its knees. Its mighty male was killed by poachers, leaving three mothers and their cubs defenseless in one of the toughest landscapes for a lion in Africa.
To the ancient Egyptians, the crocodiles of the Nile were river gods. Now residing in the Ndumo Wildlife Sanctuary on the South African Mozambiquan border, these prehistoric reptiles live a harsh and difficult life. When a young female crocodile risks her life to mate with the biggest male in the group, she is in direct competition with older and larger females. It is an ambitious strategy of survival that could pay off - if her young brood makes it to adulthood.
Hyena: the great opportunist looks at this super predator's social life and hunting ways and explains why they have often been so wrongly perceived. The Spotted Hyena has managed to hold its own amongst a savage world of competitive predators- but how does it achieve such a high status? The answer lies in its adaptability, family structure, physiology, and opportunistic behaviour. Second, only to the lion, the hyena dominates all other predators out on the African plains- obtaining meat while the opportunity exists is this bear-like scavenger's top priority.
White lions are rarer than the legendary snow leopard of the Himalayas, and they occur naturally in only one place on earth, The Timbavati Reserve in South Africa. Their future as a wild species is now questionable, but people are trying to change this. Linda Tucker, head of the Global White Lion Protection Trust, a carefully planned release project is underway to see the first four white lions return to the wilds of Timbavati.
This is the story of a courageous little seal who braves the ocean and all its perils - a real adventurer at heart who leaves the colony to follow one of the greatest migrations on Earth - the Sardine Run. Each year millions upon millions of sardines leave the waters off the southern tip of Africa to move en masse up the east coast of South Africa. They follow the cool winter currents for almost 1000 kilometres. For the sardines it's a perilous journey - their migration awakens a great following of formidable predators that attack from sea and air. Huge flocks of Cape gannets pursue the great shoals while thousands of dolphins strike relentlessly from the surface and hundreds of sharks mount the attack from the depths. Among the predators, there are a few adventurous seals that join this frenzied journey. To this day, what makes a seal embark on the sardine run remains a mystery.
Lions, cheetahs and leopards: each cat has its own special hunting strategies, family upbringing and survival techniques. We focus on their behaviour and competitive interaction in our quest to find out who the ultimate predator is in the daunting wilderness of Africa. We follow their lives as they play out like a game of chance.
Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyaenas, wild dogs, and crocodiles are extraordinary scenes of super predators hunting. Over three years, the Super Predators were filmed at Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa and on Kenya's Masai Mara. It captures some of the most extraordinary scenes ever seen on film of these super predators hunting and killing. Dramatic slow-motion action replays allow the viewer to observe all the subtleties of these magnificent hunters in action. The film includes a plea for the world's most notorious predator, man, to work in closer partnership with nature for our mutual benefit and survival.
John Varty, Gillian van Houten and Elmon Mhlongo track the secret life of a Leopard called Lula. They diaries the birth of her cubs, her triumphant hunts and her interactions with other lethal predators.
Captive cats become captivating predators in this intensely moving film about a family of caracal that regains their freedom through an alliance with the South African air force. The caracal is evasive, shy and solitary and these little known feline predators are seldom seen and extremely difficult to film. A special group of caracals has been enrolled in the South African air force to protect them from flocks of birds. First of all, though, they have to be taught how to hunt.
The Sardine Run - One of the most spectacular marine wildlife events in the world. Millions of sardines swim along the South coast of Africa pursued by thousands of dolphins, countless sharks and gannets, all competing for nature's bounty. Meanwhile, every fisherman on the south coast of Africa also races to exploit the generosity of this vast ocean. This action packed, visually spectacular film follows the passionate quest of director / cameraman, Peter Lamberti, and his dedicated crew as they chase the sardines racing along South Africa's Wild Coast shadowed by an assortment of predators. Sharks, dolphins, seals, gannets and many other animals join this gala, frantic to indulge in the great feast. Whales, sharks and game fish compete to keep up with this moving buffet. Inadvertently, the various predators start to act cooperatively. Copper sharks and Common dolphins team up, herding the shoals close to the surface, making it easier for the seabirds to plunge in and take their share. From the air and from below, the hunt is on. For the local Shark's Board it is a particularly tense time, having to remove the shark nets from the sea to avoid shark and dolphin casualties. As the sardines head up the coastline the action intensifies, on the Natal Coast humans join in the attack. Fishermen and local inhabitants wait all year for this bonanza. As the nets are hauled up on the beach, the frenzy continues with onlookers grabbing handfuls, stuffing fish in bags and pockets. Etiquette forgotten, fights break out as the people grapple with each other to seize as many fish as possible. The sensational under water footage of "The Greatest Shoal on Earth" reveals one of the most incredible spectacles of the planet's oceans .
Powerful. Deadly. Elusive. Manana is a wild leopard. She could kill a man with ease. Yet besides her sits JV, unarmed and unharmed no bars, no cage. She gently brushes past him, almost touching. Today she will allow him to join her as a hunter, a privilege rarely bestowed on fellow leopards, let alone a human. John Varty, wildlife cameraman, has a unique friendship with this wild cat and has gained access to the mysterious world of one of nature's most enigmatic animals.
Africa's Deadly Kingdom delves deep into the complex lives of the continent's most remarkable species and their never-ending struggles to survive.
On Botswana's Savuti Channel, two armies wage war. The Duma Tau wild dog pack and the Savuti hyena clan compete savagely for territory and prey to rear the next generation of warriors. These rivals must also cope with a scavenging resident jackal and their common enemy: the Selinda Lion pride. Then after twenty-five years of drought, heavy rains from Angola flood the battleground, and crocodiles arrive to seize the flowing channel. Old strategies fail, and now hunters must adapt or fall in defeat. Watch as predators confront each other, aggressive elephants, cheeky baboons and daring buffalos all to provide meals for their growing youngsters and to protect them from harm. The wild dogs struggle to overcome their fear of crocodiles while the hyenas take their stamina driven hunts to the water with ease. In an unprecedented epic finale, three wild dogs and a hyena work together as a team to make a kill. This stunning show of cooperation sees these arch-enemies feasting together - but for how long? Their truce is short-lived as they continue to fight for their survival on the Savuti Predator Battleground.
An exclusive peek into the lives of the most secretive creatures of Africa. We delve into the shadowy existence of animals rarely seen, let alone captured on television. They are the Serval, Aardvark, Pangolin, Genet, African wildcat, Civet and Porcupine.
In this episode of Aerial Africa, we fly over to the magnificent Kruger Park for a trip through its remarkable history and celebrate its 100 years of conservation. Where nearly 2 million hectares of unrivalled diversity of life forms fuse with historical and archaeological sights - this is real Africa. The world-renowned Kruger National Park offers a wildlife experience that ranks among the best in Africa, and we showcase its stories and history from the air.
The Aliwal Shoal off the Kwazulu-Natal south coast in South Africa is an exotic marine wilderness of outstanding beauty and one of the world's top dive sites.
200km from the southernmost point of Africa, where the water is chilly and harsh, runs the Breede River. Recently, reports have been made of a massive creature living in the river. Fish are being taken off fisherman's lines - but with a curious and sickening twist. Only the bodies are taken: the heads are being left intact. The picture that sends aquatic ecologist Andy Coetzee off on the quest shows the head of large kob that has clearly had its body ripped off by something even larger. With shark hunter and expert fisherman Hennie Papenfuss at his side, Andy sets out to discover the truth behind the tales and exactly what the monster could be. Following the science and the rumours, this dramatic aquatic adventure joins Andy on a journey that follows the coastline of South Africa from north to south, and the sharks who are in turn following the fish.
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