Come and explore the darkest depths of the deepest oceans with Blue Planet II and Observant Scientist. Marvel at how life can thrive in places such as the Mariana Trench, the world’s deepest oceanic crevasse that can fit a whole Mount Everest inside it! Welcome to Episode 2.
Orcas and humpback feeding on herring in Norway, part of this sequence was aired by BBC in Blue Planet 2 opening episode 1 'one Ocean' Norway feeding frenzy by Atlantic Ridge Productions and Visualmondo - BBC Blue Planet 2 sequence on Vimeo. Blue Planet II is a 2017 British nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit. Like its predecessor, The Blue Planet (2001), it is narrated and presented by naturalist Sir David Attenborough, while the main music score was composed by Hans Zimmer. Nov 21, 2017 We were shown the legendary “boiling sea” where a flurry of sea creatures came together at once in a feeding frenzy. Large tuna fish take 40mph swipes at thousands of small lantern fish, with dolphins, manta rays and birds from the sky above joining in on the action too.
Feeding Frenzy 2
Top 7 Facts
- It is thought that the very beginnings of life formed at Mid Ocean Ridges (MORs) when the Earth and its atmosphere was still in its early development. MORs are areas where magma from deep within the Earth’s crust/upper mantle steadily makes its way to the surface (sea bed) and erupts on to the ocean floor as lava. As you can imagine, all of this lava makes for some pretty scorching temperatures. Hydrothermal sea vents that belch out heat that could melt metal lead can be withstood by specially adapted creatures (the episode showed crabs and shrimp). These beasties sometimes even feed on the hydrogen sulphide that leaks out of the vents too!
- Sea-toads are fish that have adapted some of their fins into primitive feet so that they are able to waddle along the sea floor! Think about it – why would it need extra fins if it spends its whole life scouring the sea bed for food? It would be much more pro-active and useful to develop feet to move around instead! Evolution at its very finest!
- We saw a feeding frenzy where several hungry six-gilled sharks dined on the carcass of a large sperm whale. In fact, it took just 12 hours for the scent of blood from the flesh of the whale to diffuse through the water to be detected by many other sharks. The feasting continued until there was not much more left than solid bone. However, zombie worms then took over the decomposition process by using acid to create holes to bore into the bone. After just a few years even the skeleton will completely rot away, leaving the sea bed clear once again.
- Humboldt squid were recorded hunting for the first time! Prey can sometimes be few and far between in the bleakest stretches of ocean, and being up to 2 metres long and 50kg in weight, these squid need vast amounts of energy in order to survive (around 10-15 times their body weight – daily!). It was (sort of) understandable then when we witnessed these brutal hunters turning on one of their own in order to survive.
- David Attenborough gave yet another subtle nod towards the impact that human activity is having on the planet. The episode showed the widespread death and destruction of coral reefs that had been mostly caused by trawlers or by rapid changes in ocean temperature.
- The BBC managed to capture extremely rare footage of an eruption of an underwater volcano! When the camera crew returned the next day, the volcano appeared to be dormant, signalling that the eruption that was witnessed the previous day was truly a one-off display. I particularly loved this scene as it literally looked like the sea-bed was continuously belching! A perfect reminder of the power that is constantly sitting just below the Earth’s crust, ever present and always active.
- I found it incredible how certain underwater creatures have adapted bio-luminescence in order to see or be seen. The twinkling display of light from hundreds of species of oceanic fauna was breathtaking to view and a wonderful contrast to the midnight black of their environment.
If you’d like to test your knowledge on the episode of “The Deep” then follow this link to take one of the BBC’s quizzes.
Finally, here’s another link to the full episode of “The Deep”.
Blue Planet 2 Full Movie
Featured image credit: http://www.mashable.com