Water Life - Season 1 (2009)

Even in small quantities, water holds big surprises. Streams, gullies, and brooks are humble, yet extraordinary universes teeming with intense and vibrant life. Raccoons, polecats, water snakes, fish-eating birds, and turtles are just some of the diverse creatures that play vital roles in these food chains.

Rivers are a force of nature. This program explores one of the most varied and diverse ecosystems on the planet, where birds form mating colonies, trees disseminate their fruits to conquer new territories, and predators take cover to stalk their unsuspecting prey.

Freshwater ecosystems barely make up 1% of the Earth's surface, but 40% of the world species live here. There is non-stop drama in the calm and dense waters of the wetlands, beginning with algae that are the basis for a remarkably active food chain.

This program is a spellbinding portrait of water as master sculptor. From rocky mountain tops, to unexplored cavernous labyrinths, discover some of water's masterpieces, and meet the diverse and astonishing creatures that live in these challenging environments.

There is more liquid stored under our feet than is contained in all the lakes and rivers in the world. This eye-opening program explores the fundamental and surprising ecosystems found in wells and troughs that offer refuge, protection, and food for a vast array of species.

Experience life on the precarious boundary between the liquid world and the world above water. Here on the water's surface are ecological dramas worthy of the best playwrights. Strange communities are formed on top of this quivering film of water that plays a key role in the lives of many plants and animals.

Snow and ice put plants and animals to the supreme test, and some extremophiles pass with flying colors. Witness the remarkable ways in which they adapt to the changing seasons, and marvel at their ability to survive, and thrive, in the harshest environments. on earth.

Where once land looked like desert, wetlands appear in a sudden burst of life. In this elusive ecosystem, the lives of multitudes of beings, including primitive creatures more ancient than the dinosaurs, will be tied to these seasonal lagoons, pools, and ponds.

The harsh environments of the Sahara and Patagonia Deserts are home to extraordinarily tough and adaptable creatures, including the thorny-tailed lizard, the camel, the Saharan sparrow, and the nocturnal gerbil. Sure, deserts are barren, but they are not lifeless.

Rain forests are as much a mystery as the ocean depths. Explore the most fertile, varied, and surprising ecosystem on the planet, home to plants and animals still unknown to us. What makes the rain forest so unique? The answer is often water.

Discover one of the world's most fascinating ecosystems. Mangroves are forests that grow over water and attract countless animals searching for food and refuge in its branches and roots. Learn the salty secrets of the mangroves and meet the curious creatures that call it home.

Estuaries have the capacity to provide nourishment for billions of living beings. Its mix of fresh and saltwater creates a rich cocktail for diverse creatures whose lives are dependent on the tides that transform the landscape on a daily basis.

Salt mines, salt flats, and salt marshes would seem inhospitable, but these strange and solitary places, with their otherworldly landscapes, are home to genuinely tough creatures that have adapted to living in water with high levels of salinity.

For many creatures, life is no day at the beach. This often-hostile frontier between land and sea is an essential stopping place for penguins, land crabs, elephant seals, hermit crabs, sandpipers, and other creatures to feed, rest, mate, and breed.

Life can be rocky on coastlines that are constantly pounded by rough seas and crashing waves. Amazing communities of creatures whose lives are ruled by the relentless changing tides live clinging to the rocks, or seeking refuge in its crevasses.

The sea hides an infinite amount of creatures that defy the imagination, and which have learned to survive by remarkable methods. Their very existence depends on the sea-beds. Explore this little-known world, and discover the survival secrets of starfish, sea urchins, and swarms of catfish.

For many creatures, there is no better place on Earth than life on the cliffs overlooking the sea. The sea shapes the cliffs and creates a landscape whose nooks and crannies serve as refuge. But here, competition for space can be ferocious.

Stunning cinematography captures the extraordinary beauty of coral reefs. Millions of polyps construct these vast submerged cities of coral, where resourceful animals have developed ingenious survival strategies to avoid prowling predators.

The open sea is the largest ecosystem, and also the least known. It would take up to ten centuries of intensive work to inventory the marine species to be found here. Whales, sharks, jellyfish, and migrating sea turtles are just some of the awe-inspiring creatures featured in this compelling program.

Pollution, uncontrolled fishing, and other extremely consequential factors are having a devastating impact on Earth's ecosystems. As rain forests, rivers, seas, and wetlands are imperiled, so is the very existence of the species that inhabit them.

The golden toad, the first animal to become extinct due to global warming, is a ghastly symbol of Earth's climate change. Around the entire world, there is alarming evidence that the overheating of the atmosphere is impacting the water cycle.

In this compelling episode, scientists and representatives of the United Nations and the World Wildlife Fund provide urgent and eloquent testimony on behalf of water. They raise awareness of the threats to this precious, non-renewable resource, and the dire consequences to all living things.

Embark on an unprecedented global odyssey with the creators of Water Life as they follow water's liquid trail across the continents. From jungles and deserts, to deserts and caves, follow the courageous divers and camera crew as they face challenging and hazardous conditions to tell water's story, and to capture as never before how water generates life on our planet.