Whales

Killer whales living off of Peninsula Valdes in the Patagonia region of Argentina actually hunt at its beach. They move towards the beach at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour, hit the shore, and grab unsuspecting South American sea lions. The whales judge the geographic features of the coastland, tide, and wind to pick the best time and place to hunt. NHK's high-speed cameras follow the hunts and reveal the high intelligence and hunting techniques of the killer whales that seem to be taught within the family.

Discover the evolutionary secrets of some of the world’s most majestic creatures. From voracious crocodiles and acrobatic birds to stupendous whales and majestic elephants, WHEN WHALES WALKED follows top scientists from around the world on a global adventure as they follow clues from the fossil record and change what we thought we knew about the evolution of iconic beasts.

On 12 September 2015, a 30-ton humpback whale breached and landed on Tom Mustill and his friend Charlotte Kinloch as they paddled a sea kayak in Monterey Bay, California. Incredibly, both survived the incident, but the near-death experience haunted documentary maker Tom and left him wondering if the whale was deliberately trying to hurt them. To find the answer, Tom returned to California in 2018 to investigate. Tom meets those who have survived similar hair-raising encounters and the experts who know the whales best. What he discovers raises far bigger questions, not just about what happened that day but also about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.

On the isolated North Atlantic archipelago of the Faroe Islands, the longtime hunting practices of the Faroese are threatened by dangerously high mercury levels in the whales, decimated seabird populations, and anti-whaling activists. The Faroe islanders consider themselves a canary in the mine, their tale a warning to the rest of the world.

"Whales & Nightingales" is a 1970 album by Judy Collins. It peaked at #17 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts. The album included material by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Jacques Brel and Joan Baez, as well as Collins' top-forty version of "Amazing Grace", and the traditional "Farewell To Tarwathie", on which Collins sang to the accompaniment of humpback whales. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 1971, for sales of over 500,000 copies in the US.

Explores how polluted oceans are posing a threat to hunting traditions on the Faroe Islands. In their remote home in the North Atlantic, the Faroe Islanders have always eaten what nature could provide, proud to put local food on the table. The land yields little, so they have always relied on harvesting the sea. Hunting whales and seabirds has kept islanders alive for generations, providing a traditional way of life to pass onto future generations.

The killer whale was long feared as a sea monster until, in May 1964, one was brought into captivity for the first time. This spawned a journey of discovery into the killer whale's true nature. It quickly became clear, these were not mindless killers - they were, in fact, highly intelligent social creatures. Today, our understanding is deepening still further and the latest revelations are among the most sensational - not only will these top predators 'adopt' and care for injured and abandoned orphans, but it seems there is no longer just the 'killer whale'.

Did you know that whales once walked the earth and crocodiles were once bipeds? Or that 95% of the bird population was wiped out in the last mass extinction? Or that elephants have grown shorter tusks to survive poachers? For generations, the histories of our planet's greatest creatures were a mystery, but thanks to new fossil finds and modern science, we're piecing it all together. Witness the surprising evolutionary stories of four remarkable creatures and the role humans may play in their next chapters.

On 12 September 2015, a 30-ton humpback whale breached and landed on Tom Mustill and his friend Charlotte Kinloch as they paddled a sea kayak in Monterey Bay, California. Incredibly, both survived the incident, but the near-death experience haunted documentary maker Tom and left him wondering if the whale was deliberately trying to hurt them. To find the answer, Tom returned to California in 2018 to investigate. Tom meets those who have survived similar hair-raising encounters and the experts who know the whales best. What he discovers raises far bigger questions, not just about what happened that day but also about our relationship with whales and their future alongside us.