Wed, Apr 18, 2018
Size matters in wildlife, for species and individuals. As relative skin surface versus mass decreases exponentially with size, large animals have an advantage in the cold, hence Arctic species tend to be larger, like the polar bear, but a disadvantage in war weather, requiring adaptations in the tropics and deserts to cool down, gather or conserve water. Larger also means stronger, a better chance to fight enemies like predators or rivals for food and mating rights. Being large requires adaptations, which even puts limits on size, especially on land, to cope with gravitational problems like drinking with a giraffe's neck (allowing grazing high above herds). In the evolutionary arms race smaller species may however develop countermeasures, like poison to kill much larger preys.
Wed, May 9, 2018
For the last decade, a team of front line medics has been fighting to save Borneo's critically endangered orangutans. Armed with cameras, International Animal Rescue has documented their struggle: pulling apes from devastated jungle, giving emergency medical care, rehabilitating, and releasing the healthiest orangutans back into the wild. This is both the story of their life-saving work and of how one of our closest wild relatives has been pushed to the brink of extinction. Combining genuine rescue footage with contributions from experts throughout, this Natural World documentary looks toward the future and asks what hope remains to save the orangutan.