Watch Life in the World's Oceans

Name: Life in the World's Oceans
Genre: Documentary & Biography
Released: 2018-02-02
Cast: Sean K. Todd

2018
1 Season

Life in the World's Oceans is an awe-inspiring documentary series that explores the vast and diverse world of the oceans. Hosted by renowned marine biologist Sean K. Todd, this series takes viewers on a journey across the world's oceans, from the icy waters of Antarctica to the tropical reefs of the Caribbean.

Through stunning underwater footage and insightful narration, Todd brings to life the incredible creatures that inhabit our oceans, from the world's largest whales to the smallest plankton. Each episode focuses on a different aspect of ocean life, from predator-prey relationships to the ecology of coral reefs, providing an in-depth look at the complex and interconnected web of life that exists beneath the waves.

One of the most fascinating aspects of this series is its exploration of the deep ocean, which covers over 90% of the Earth's surface and yet remains one of the least explored regions of our planet. With the help of cutting-edge technology, Todd and his team are able to capture footage of deep-sea creatures that have never been seen before, shedding new light on this mysterious and fascinating world.

Another highlight of the series is its focus on conservation and the urgent need to protect our oceans from the many threats they face, including climate change, pollution, and overfishing. Todd explains how each of these factors is impacting ocean ecosystems and shares examples of successful conservation efforts that are helping to restore and protect these fragile environments.

Throughout the series, Todd brings his extensive knowledge and passion for marine biology to each episode, inspiring viewers to appreciate the incredible diversity of life in our oceans and to take action to protect these precious ecosystems. Whether you are a seasoned scuba diver or simply curious about the wonders of the natural world, Life in the World's Oceans is a must-watch series that will leave you in awe of the beauty and complexity of our planet's oceans.

Life in the World's Oceans is a series that ran for 1 seasons (30 episodes) between February 2, 2018 and on The Great Courses Signature Collection

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Seasons

30. Our Role in the Ocean's Future

February 2, 2018

Although there was a time when we treated the oceans as if they were too vast to feel our impact, we now know the truth: we have contributed to global climate change, ocean acidification, and overfishing. The results are potentially catastrophic - both to marine life and to our own health. But there is a bit of light at the end of this tunnel, and it depends in part on our own daily actions.

29. The Urban Ocean: Human Impact on Marine Life

February 2, 2018

Our high-tech use of the ocean for food, transportation, and energy has far-reaching effects, particularly on certain species. Focusing on issues from noise pollution to microplastics, we can mitigate our impact to provide better futures for ourselves as well as for marine life. The work begins with understanding the extent of our true impacts.

28. Marine Mammal Strandings

February 2, 2018

Most of us seem to have a natural instinct to want to help a stranded marine mammal, but it requires very specific skills to render aid without causing further stress and harm. Even with the best intentions and professional assistance, not all animals can be saved. What can we learn from these strandings-no matter how they end-and where are they most likely to occur?

27. The Evolution of Whale Research

February 2, 2018

Although the irony is unmistakable, our understanding of marine mammals increased tremendously by having access to carcasses during the years of industrial whaling. Today, we focus on species protection while learning as much as we can via SCUBA, SONAR, tagging, biopsy darts, photo-identification, studying animals in captivity, and examining stranded individuals when available.

26. The Great Whale Hunt

February 2, 2018

Over and over, humans have behaved as if a given resource were inexhaustible. That was certainly the case with worldwide industrial whaling of the early 20th century, when six species of whales were hunted to dangerously low numbers. In the near future, as their populations continue to recover, some countries are expected to promote a resumption of the commercial whale hunt.

25. The Charismatic Megavertebrates

February 2, 2018

Are marine mammals to be exploited as a resource? Or are they intelligent creatures to be revered with an almost religious admiration? Your answer might depend to some extent on your country and culture of origin. Our relationship with these impressive animals continues to evolve as we increase our understanding of their biology, cognition, and sociality.

24. Intelligence in Marine Mammals

February 2, 2018

Within their own species, marine mammals have developed sophisticated communication. In captivity, we know they can be trained to learn rules, which indicates higher cognitive function. And even in the wild, we have documented some extraordinary instances of learning and cultural transmission of information. But is their intelligence comparable to our own?

23. Marine Mammal Distribution around the Globe

February 2, 2018

With 60 million years of evolution on their side, marine mammals have adapted to the widest possible variety of marine ecological niches. Some live only in rivers or lakes, others only in waters over the continental shelves, and some in the open ocean. A few are even adapted to live at the poles.

22. Behavior and Sociality in Marine Mammals

February 2, 2018

From individual whales that corral their confused prey to highly coordinated bubble-net feeding and aunts who "babysit," marine mammals have developed an extraordinary variety of social and hunting behaviors developed over millions of years. If the energy expenditure does not support the goal of passing on genetic material, natural selection will eventually drop the adaptation.

21. Breeding and Reproduction in a Large Ocean

February 2, 2018

Semi-aquatic marine mammals exhibit behaviors quite different than those who live fully in the water. In the former, an entire female community in one geographic area can come into estrus simultaneously and needs relatively few males to reproduce. In the latter, reproduction appears to be one of the driving forces of whale songs that can be heard over thousands of kilometers.

20. Marine Mammal Interactions with Fisheries

February 2, 2018

With plastic and nylon lines and nets becoming common in the last century, by-catch became an even greater problem for the marine mammals. When the media picked up the story in the mid-1960s, the public became engaged, and the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed in 1972. But whale entanglement remains a problem, and some argue that even whaling was far less cruel.

19. Food and Foraging among Marine Mammals

February 2, 2018

Two things are clear: Almost all marine food webs are based on microscopic photosynthesizers, and only a small fraction of the energy available at any trophic level becomes available to the next level. Adaptations such as baleen, ventral pleats, and unique tooth morphology allows these large animals to meet their energy needs.

18. The Importance of Sound to Ocean Life

February 2, 2018

Sound travels much better in water than in air. In fact, low-frequency waves, such as those produced by certain whales, can travel through water uninterrupted for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers, allowing the animals to be "in touch" with their group over vast distances. But what happens when human-generated sound gets in the way?

17. Adaptations for Diving Deep in the Ocean

February 2, 2018

Not surprisingly, deep-diving marine mammals have evolved a physiology very different than our own. Adaptations including those related to blood chemistry, the location of stored oxygen, a variable heart rate, and articulated rib cages support the ability to go deep and stay long. But what about rising back up to the surface? How do they avoid getting "the bends"?

16. Mammalian Swimming and Buoyancy

February 2, 2018

For all practical purposes, terrestrial mammals live on a plane. Marine mammals, on the other hand, navigate a more viscous, three-dimensional environment with all its opportunities and challenges. We understand their propulsion mechanisms fairly well. But how do they control their buoyancy to position themselves in the water column? We don't yet have the answers.

15. How Animals Adapt to Ocean Temperatures

February 2, 2018

If you've ever jumped into frigid water, you quickly realize humans are definitely not adapted to life in the sea. What are we missing? In a word, it's blubber. In fact, blubber is such a successful insulator that marine mammals have evolved internal and external means for getting rid of all that heat, possibly even including planetary migrations.

14. The Taxonomy of Marine Mammals

February 2, 2018

Through tens of millions of years, evolution has resulted in a fascinating array of marine mammal adaptations. With the ability to process thousands of gallons of water each day or dive to a depth of almost three kilometers, and with numerous methods of locomotion or extraordinary social behaviors, these whales, porpoises, phocids, and more can thrive in varied environments around the globe.

13. The Evolutionary History of Whales

February 2, 2018

Marine mammals did not evolve from marine species. Rather, they evolved from land mammals who found a plethora of "suddenly" open ecological niches when the dinosaurs became extinct. Today's marine mammals might resemble each other because convergent evolution has led to similar adaptation. But best as scientists can tell, they have five separate lineages and no single common ancestor.

12. Marine Reptiles and Birds

February 2, 2018

While the reptilian evolution of the amniotic egg allowed animals to move completely from the sea onto land, some reptiles retained strong marine ties. These include sea turtles and sea birds whose wide variety of adaptations allow for drinking saltwater, remaining underwater for long periods, and flying great distances using very little energy.

11. Sharks and Rays

February 2, 2018

Fish certainly have good reason to fear these top-of-their-game predators, with their multiple rows of teeth and ability to detect electrical current better than any other animal. But while four species have been known to assault humans with no provocation, almost 99 percent of the many hundred shark species would rather swim away from us than attack.

10. Marine Megavertebrates and Their Fisheries

February 2, 2018

While humans have been fishing for hundreds of centuries, we have only recently had a significant impact on marine food webs. Industrialization has led to problems with by-catch and overexploitation of resources. Today, we are creating trophic cascades with long-term impacts we do not yet understand.

9. Fish: The First Vertebrates

February 2, 2018

Through 550 million years of evolution, fish have developed a wide variety of adaptations to the unique demands of living in a watery and mostly dark world. Learn how gills, swim bladders, bioluminescence, chemosensory glands, echolocation, and electrolocation have allowed fish to succeed in almost every type of ocean environment. Which fish are our ancestors? You might be surprised.

8. An Overview of Marine Vertebrates

February 2, 2018

Mammals are certainly represented in ocean life, but which species should be identified as "marine" when considering ocean productivity? The extremely complex marine food webs maintain long-term stability, even as they undergo natural perturbations over time. But when Homo sapiens enters as an apex predator, productivity can deteriorate, and systems can even collapse.

7. Invertebrate Life in the Ocean

February 2, 2018

The vast majority of animals on our planet are the gloriously diverse invertebrates. From microscopic organisms to the crab with a three-meter leg span, marine invertebrates exhibit enormous variety in form and function. They include sessile and mobile organisms, free-living and parasitic. They live at the surface and within the ocean floor sediments.

6. Phytoplankton and Other Autotrophs

February 2, 2018

When we think of healthy marine ecosystems, we should be thinking about phytoplankton. In many ways, we owe our existence to these diatoms, dinoflagellates, green algae, cyanobacteria, and others. Not only do scientists believe they are the ancestors of terrestrial plants, but phytoplankton continues to produce about half of all the oxygen available in our atmosphere today.

5. Life in Polar and Deepwater Environments

February 2, 2018

Phytoplankton form the base of almost all marine food chains, including that of the blue whale, the largest animal known to have ever existed. But far below the penetration of sunlight, a very different and only recently discovered food web relies solely on the chemosynthetic ability of bacteria.

4. Beaches, Estuaries, and Coral Reefs

February 2, 2018

Beach organisms exist with the constantly changing winds, waves, and tides (sometimes underwater, sometimes fully exposed to the air). Life in estuaries, where rivers meet the oceans, face constant fluctuations in environmental salinity. And hard corals are continually pummeled by wave action. Yet each of these physically challenging environments can be diverse and fecund ecosystems.

3. The Origin and Diversity of Ocean Life

February 2, 2018

How and where did life begin on Earth? The existence of both photosynthetic and chemosynthetic food chains points to the possibility that life could have originated through two different paths. While many questions remain unanswered, two things seem certain: Life began in the oceans, and bacteria are the most successful organisms on the planet.

2. Ocean Currents and Why They Matter

February 2, 2018

No matter where you live, your climate, weather, and even available foods are determined to a great extent by ocean circulation. The uneven heating of the Earth by the Sun and the Coriolis effect result in vast circulation cells of air above the Earth, the movement of huge water masses in the oceans, and resultant "hot spots" of marine life.

1. Water: The Source of Life

February 2, 2018

So much of what we take for granted about our world (from our body's access to and use of nutrients, to our planet's liquid oceans, to the ice floating in your glass of soda) is a direct cause of the structure and polarity of H2O. Learn how those specific properties make water the essential ingredient for life as we know it. #Science & Mathematics

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Where to Watch Life in the World's Oceans

Life in the World's Oceans is available for streaming on the The Great Courses Signature Collection website, both individual episodes and full seasons. You can also watch Life in the World's Oceans on demand at Amazon Prime and Amazon.