The Best Episodes of Nature Season 12

Explores the selection process among different species for choosing a mate, whether it’s for life or just for the day.

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The two-hundred-foot walls of ice in Glacier Bay overwhelm the senses, but they also surround the most beautiful sights Alaska has to offer — the Northern Lights, the roaming grizzly bears, and the humpback whales. The glacier itself is also creating new life — it has retreated some 70 miles up the bay, wiping the ecological slate clean, allowing new plants and animals to start again from scratch.

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Explores the various influences on mating and courtship, from the sun, the moon and the change of seasons, to the specific behaviors within species.

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A look at the reproduction process from conception to birth of a wide variety of animals.

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A look at the parental process of all sorts of earth’s creatures.

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This program looks at the varied ways in which life reproduces. Whether a species has one sex, two sexes, both at once or none at all, the urge to procreate is there.

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Timothy Dalton searches for wolf habitats in North America to learn more about the animal

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An investigation into the origins of human sexuality and sexual roles.

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The history of llamas, alpacas, vicunas and guanacos in South America.

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"Nature's Great African Moments" features clips from episodes focusing on the continent and its abundant wildlife. Included: wildebeests, zebras, lions, giraffes and flamingos.

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"Anima Mundi" offers images of the natural world set to music; "Before It's Too Late" examines zoos' efforts to preserve endangered species. Included: attempts to restore near-extinct mammals to mainland Australia.

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A study of the goshawk, a bird of prey that has been restored to the Scottish woodlands after being pushed to the brink of extinction. Included: the goshawk's courtship ritual; how chicks learn to fly.

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"A Sea Otter Story---Warm Hearts & Cold Water" examines a California aquarium's efforts to raise an otter and teach it necessary survival skills. Also: the impact of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill on Alaskan otters.

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"Toadskin Spell" examines frogs and toads and how the qualities of their skin help them survive extreme climates. Included: toad-derived poisons, medicines and hallucinogens.

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