Freshwater covers only a tiny fraction of the earth’s surface, but it is a vital meeting place for many animals - the stage on which millions gather to find a mate. Yet with so little of it available, and often only briefly, the challenge for most individuals is how to overcome intense competition when your rivals are just as dependent on the precious freshwater for their success. Whether it is from melting ice, torrential rain or shrinking wetlands, the cycle of freshwater is the trigger for spectacular mating rituals and fierce combat.\n\nThe start of the rains in South Africa triggers a violent battle between male giant African bullfrogs. Rare hooded grebes in Patagonia perform one of nature’s more comical dances to seduce their partner, and a male cichlid fish builds a home for his harem from old snail shells, but a sneaky dwarf has the last laugh there.\n\nThe mating season for animals that live in freshwater is often determined by when is best for their new offspring - even if that moment is far from ideal for the parents. In the wetlands of Zambia, female lechwe antelope search for the strongest males while contending with drought, and in the Pantanal of Brazil at the end of the dry season, caimans congregate in huge numbers around the last remaining water to perform their spectacular displays.\n\nFor all those dependent on the cycle of freshwater to breed, timing is everything.
Source: BBC 1
Series 1: 5. Against All Odds
One basic need connects all life on earth - the need to breed. But for a few creatures, the odds of success are overwhelmingly stacked against them. Some must find a partner whe ...
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BBC 1
Series 1: 4. Freshwater: Timing Is Everything
Freshwater covers only a tiny fraction of the earth’s surface, but it is a vital meeting place for many animals - the stage on which millions gather to find a mate. Yet wi ...
01-10-2023
BBC 1
Series 1: 3. Jungles: In The Thick Of It
Jungles and rainforests are home to 80 per cent of all species on earth, but they cover just two per cent of our planet’s surface. To win the mating game here, you need to ...
24-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 1: 2. Oceans: Out Of The Blue
The ocean is where life first began, and where it first experimented with the mating game. All the creatures living here face the same challenge – how to find a partner in ...
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BBC 1
Series 1: 1. Grasslands: In Plain Sight
The grasslands of our planet are some of the most challenging habitats for playing the mating game. They are an open stage where potential partners and jealous rivals can witnes ...
10-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 1: 2. Oceans: Out Of The Blue
The ocean is where life first began, and where it first experimented with the mating game. All the creatures living here face the same challenge – how to find a partner in ...
17-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 1: 5. Against All Odds
One basic need connects all life on earth - the need to breed. But for a few creatures, the odds of success are overwhelmingly stacked against them. Some must find a partner whe ...
08-10-2023
BBC 1
Series 1: 1. Grasslands: In Plain Sight
The grasslands of our planet are some of the most challenging habitats for playing the mating game. They are an open stage where potential partners and jealous rivals can witnes ...
10-09-2023
BBC 1
Series 1: 4. Freshwater: Timing Is Everything
Freshwater covers only a tiny fraction of the earth’s surface, but it is a vital meeting place for many animals - the stage on which millions gather to find a mate. Yet wi ...
01-10-2023
BBC 1
Series 1: 3. Jungles: In The Thick Of It
Jungles and rainforests are home to 80 per cent of all species on earth, but they cover just two per cent of our planet’s surface. To win the mating game here, you need to ...
24-09-2023
BBC 1