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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: Whales are the world’s
most intelligent giants...
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but they’re still a mystery.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: Only now are we beginning
to understand their secrets.
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BRIAN: Right there! Right there!
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SIGOURNEY: Three years of filming
reveal an extraordinary truth.
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Whales have culture.
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(whale whistles)
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SIGOURNEY:
Each family speaks a unique language.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: They love deeply.
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Play with joy.
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And mourn their dead.
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(theme music playing)
(whale whistles)
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SIGOURNEY: Whales are just like us.
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(whale growls)
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SIGOURNEY:
And one of the smartest of them all
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is proving that these social bonds...
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are the secret to their success.
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Series brought to you by Sailor420
!!! Hope you enjoy the Mini-Series !!!
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(theme music concludes)
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SIGOURNEY: They’re known as killer whales,
but their real name is orca.
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(whale clicks, whistling)
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SIGOURNEY:
They’re the ocean’s top predator.
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(clicking, whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: But their tough reputation
is because orcas put family first.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY:
Each pod faces unique challenges
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and its members work as one
to overcome them.
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One family in New Zealand
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has ruled its waters
for thousands of years.
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They’re tougher than any shark...
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as smart as any dolphin.
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But it’s how they work together
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that makes them different
from all other whales.
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This family of five’s favorite pastime
is a never-ending game of hide and seek.
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Three different rays
hide somewhere among these rocks...
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masters of disguise.
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These orcas need to find them
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if they want to eat.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY:
The first step is to spread out.
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(whale whistles, clicks)
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SIGOURNEY:
In this household, Mom's in charge.
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And she takes the lead.
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She learned everything she knows
from her mother.
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Like how to maneuver her four-ton frame
through the shallow channels,
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without getting stuck.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: Her sonar is more advanced
than any submarine's.
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It listens to her environment
and makes a map of the ocean floor.
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She’s most likely in her 30s.
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And by now,
she knows every inch of this area.
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She uses echolocation,
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a series of clicks that bounce off
her surroundings...
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(whale clicking)
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..and can identify something
as small as a coin.
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(whale clicking)
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SIGOURNEY: Found one, a stingray.
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Rays can disappear in an instant.
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-Mom can’t let it slip away.
(whale whistling)
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SIGOURNEY:
She uses a secret family technique.
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(whales whistle, click)
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SIGOURNEY: She flips the ray upside down,
which puts it to sleep.
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Only New Zealand’s orcas know this trick.
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(whale whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: Mom is this pod’s best hunter,
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and she provides for her whole family.
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She calls them to the table
with a series of chirps and whistles.
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(whales whistling, clicking)
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SIGOURNEY: Three generations,
from grandmother to the youngsters,
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come together to share the meal.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: The rich organs inside
hold the nutrients they need,
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so they work together to prep the food.
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(whales whistling)
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Mom cares for her kids and works hard
to keep up with demand.
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Her family can eat a dozen
or more rays a day.
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It takes a lot of fuel
to power their 15-pound brains.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: This traditional family feast
fills their bellies
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and strengthens their bond.
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But today, a new distraction
pulls them away from their meal.
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National Geographic explorer
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and renowned whale photographer,
Brian Skerry,
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hopes to join the orcas for dinner.
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BRIAN:
We have a unique population of orca here.
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How they relate to each other,
their dialects, all very specialized.
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I think that we can learn a lot from them.
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SIGOURNEY:
Skerry’s spent the last three years
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documenting the secret life of whales.
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But it’s his first time
with this New Zealand pod.
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BRIAN: Strategies for success
are all a little bit different
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depending on where orca live.
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And feeding is a big part of that.
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SIGOURNEY: His goal is to be ignored,
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and witness the orcas bonding over dinner.
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But things take a surprising turn.
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Brian is invited to share the feast.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY:
Perhaps mom sees him as an underfed orca,
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who needs to put on some weight.
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BRIAN: What I saw with these orca
was off the scale.
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This one female adult orca came in
and, you know,
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was sort of checking me out.
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It was kind of looking at me,
checking out the ray.
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It was kind of like, you know,
"Are you gonna have that, ‘cause if not,
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"I’m gonna go grab it."
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And then just sort of picks it up
and almost poses for me,
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just kind of lifts her head up.
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It was really remarkable.
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SIGOURNEY: It’s a rare glimpse
into the mind of an orca.
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BRIAN: When you see them underwater,
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you realize they actually have
very rich lives and complex behaviors.
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How they feed or what they know
about their local waters,
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how they socialize,
their parenting techniques.
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These animals have culture.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: New Zealand’s orcas
are friendly and curious...
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traits that help them adapt
to the world around them.
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But it doesn’t always serve them well.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: Nearby, another resident pod
plays among fishing ropes
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anchored to the bottom...
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY:
...when suddenly, playtime stops.
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The big male is trapped
in one of the lines.
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(whales whistling)
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00:13:22,300 --> 00:13:24,610
SIGOURNEY: Whales, dolphins, and porpoises
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all breathe air like we do.
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And nearly a thousand drown every day,
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tangled in fishing lines.
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He struggles for air.
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His family looks on, helpless.
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The National Geographic divers
decide they must intervene.
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The big male could easily
kill the diver...
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but he seems to understand.
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00:14:18,860 --> 00:14:22,430
(whale clicks, whistles)
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(whale whistling)
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SIGOURNEY:
For orcas, the dangers and challenges
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of providing for your family
depend greatly on where you live.
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BRIAN: Whales
are some of the most intelligent,
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sentient, cognitive animals,
that... that live on this planet,
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so it’s not surprising at all
that they would have rich cultures.
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Having shared these experiences with orca
in New Zealand,
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I can't help but wonder how their customs
might be different
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on the other side of the world.
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SIGOURNEY: Human cultures in New Zealand
are unlike those in Norway.
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And it just may be the same for orcas.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY: Two hundred miles
above the Arctic Circle,
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a very different pod
shapes its traditions around a fish.
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(whales whistling, clicking)
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SIGOURNEY: More herring pass
through the fjords of Norway every spring
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than there are people on Earth.
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(whales whistling)
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SIGOURNEY:
This pod is here to round them up.
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Just like New Zealand,
a matriarch leads this family.
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(whale whistles)
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SIGOURNEY: She uses pulsed calls
to talk to her pod,
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in a language only spoken by these orcas.
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(whales whistling, clicking)
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SIGOURNEY: Her goal is to herd the herring
into a ball.
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(whales clicking)
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SIGOURNEY: Once everyone is in position,
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her contact calls turn into directions.
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(whale whistles)
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SIGOURNEY:
She instructs her sister to go below...
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and flash her white belly
to frighten the herring.
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(whale clicking)
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SIGOURNEY: Another blows bubbles
to force the fish to the surface.
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Then, the matriarch slaps the ball of fish
with her tail...
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knocking them out.
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(whales whistling, clicking)
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SIGOURNEY: She’s the keeper
of this family’s time-honored tradition.
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But it's a changing world.
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There are new challenges.
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(birds squawking)
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SIGOURNEY: And new competition.
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A Norwegian fishing boat
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can pull up hundreds of tons
of herring a day.
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Instead of competing with humans...
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these orcas learn
to take advantage of them.
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It’s as easy as plucking fish
from the net.
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Work smarter, not harder.
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Thousands of years of tradition
change in an instant.
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(birds chirping)
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SIGOURNEY: Brian Skerry is here to see
these techniques for himself.
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(birds chirping)
(camera shutter clicking)
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BRIAN: These are not innate traits
that they're born with.
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They're teaching behaviors
that they need to survive in the ocean...
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just the way human mothers
teach their babies.
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SIGOURNEY: The next generation
is growing up with new traditions.
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But it can come at a heavy cost.
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BRIAN: I saw a family of orca,
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with what I think was probably the mom,
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carrying a dead calf.
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She was just pushing it through the water.
200
00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:31,870
SIGOURNEY:
We may never know why this calf died...
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but this female may stay
with her dead infant for days...
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even weeks.
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(birds chirping)
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00:20:58,560 --> 00:21:00,890
BRIAN: To see that empathy,
I don’t think there’s any other way
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00:21:00,990 --> 00:21:05,230
to describe that,
other than mourning and grief.
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00:21:10,570 --> 00:21:15,210
It speaks to the complexity
of these animals and their culture.
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00:21:17,670 --> 00:21:22,780
They are very sentient beings,
they are highly evolved,
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they possess cultures
that we don’t fully understand.
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Life is precious.
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That's what I’ve learned from the whales,
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that love and tenderness and family,
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and one another, that's all we've got.
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00:21:51,410 --> 00:21:53,050
SIGOURNEY: There is no solace
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00:21:53,610 --> 00:21:55,680
for a mother who loses a child.
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00:22:16,100 --> 00:22:19,470
Young orca
are a pod’s most precious resource.
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It takes the whole family to raise kids,
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00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,980
especially in the harshest place on Earth.
218
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The frigid waters
of the Antarctic Peninsula,
219
00:22:40,330 --> 00:22:41,700
in the Southern Ocean.
220
00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:59,310
The orcas in this pod
are among the smallest on the planet.
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And they spend so much of the year here
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that they change color.
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Their skin’s yellow hue is algae.
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The cold water prevents new skin
from growing.
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They can’t shed their old.
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00:23:23,470 --> 00:23:26,370
They’re among the world’s
most social orcas,
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with as many as 75 animals in one pod.
228
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They can live as long as humans...
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00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:36,750
but have very few calves.
230
00:23:37,550 --> 00:23:40,020
So, each newborn is cherished.
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(whales whistling)
232
00:23:46,290 --> 00:23:50,760
SIGOURNEY: In a pod this big,
that means all hands on deck.
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This teenage female
has a most important job.
234
00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:00,810
She is the babysitter.
235
00:24:02,010 --> 00:24:04,040
Much like a human teenager,
236
00:24:04,240 --> 00:24:06,150
while mom and dad are away,
237
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she’s in charge of the kids.
238
00:24:08,980 --> 00:24:13,120
(whales whistle)
239
00:24:13,220 --> 00:24:16,190
SIGOURNEY: She must keep
her younger siblings and cousins
240
00:24:16,420 --> 00:24:17,490
out of trouble.
241
00:24:23,530 --> 00:24:25,670
When young ones head out exploring,
242
00:24:26,230 --> 00:24:28,240
their big sister has to follow.
243
00:24:39,310 --> 00:24:43,220
The young orcas stumble upon
a large colony of seals.
244
00:24:43,780 --> 00:24:45,220
(seal growls)
245
00:24:48,020 --> 00:24:50,960
(seals chirping, bark)
246
00:25:00,500 --> 00:25:05,940
SIGOURNEY: The only problem,
this pod doesn’t hunt fur seals.
247
00:25:10,880 --> 00:25:13,880
So, the fur seals don't fear them.
248
00:25:17,990 --> 00:25:22,420
(seals chirping)
249
00:25:25,360 --> 00:25:28,360
SIGOURNEY:
One teenager with a bunch of youngsters
250
00:25:28,930 --> 00:25:31,530
can’t stand up to the angry mob.
251
00:25:34,070 --> 00:25:36,300
The fur seals attack.
252
00:25:51,650 --> 00:25:54,090
(seals growling)
253
00:26:07,030 --> 00:26:10,740
SIGOURNEY: The babysitter has no choice
but to gather the kids
254
00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,470
and retreat back to the larger pod.
255
00:26:17,280 --> 00:26:19,350
(whales whistling)
256
00:26:19,950 --> 00:26:22,080
SIGOURNEY: There is safety in numbers.
257
00:26:33,660 --> 00:26:36,760
The young female has passed a crucial test
258
00:26:37,230 --> 00:26:40,430
and taken her first step
toward becoming a matriarch.
259
00:26:42,000 --> 00:26:43,770
By the time she’s 14,
260
00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:47,070
she’ll find a male
outside her immediate family,
261
00:26:47,570 --> 00:26:49,440
and have a baby of her own...
262
00:26:50,410 --> 00:26:53,410
adding strength in numbers to the pod,
263
00:26:53,710 --> 00:26:57,520
and continuing their legacy
at the bottom of the world.
264
00:27:01,490 --> 00:27:03,760
While some pods rely on numbers,
265
00:27:04,420 --> 00:27:06,560
others don’t have that luxury.
266
00:27:08,330 --> 00:27:11,130
Smaller families must work
with what they have.
267
00:27:13,000 --> 00:27:17,300
Unique knowledge passed down
from one generation to the next.
268
00:27:31,380 --> 00:27:33,550
Nearly a thousand miles north,
269
00:27:33,850 --> 00:27:36,420
another brave mother faces a foe
270
00:27:36,720 --> 00:27:40,130
many times stronger
than Antarctic fur seals.
271
00:27:49,070 --> 00:27:53,010
To feed her family,
she will attempt to infiltrate
272
00:27:53,070 --> 00:27:56,680
the Falkland’s largest
elephant seal colony.
273
00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:00,450
(seals chirping)
274
00:28:12,290 --> 00:28:16,230
SIGOURNEY: These giants are way too big
for most orca.
275
00:28:17,900 --> 00:28:22,670
(seals growl)
276
00:28:24,540 --> 00:28:27,970
SIGOURNEY: A female elephant seal
weighs nearly a ton.
277
00:28:28,740 --> 00:28:29,810
(snorts)
278
00:28:30,310 --> 00:28:33,280
SIGOURNEY: A big male can weigh more
than a pick-up truck.
279
00:28:35,820 --> 00:28:37,980
(growls)
280
00:28:41,150 --> 00:28:44,160
SIGOURNEY:
The mother orca’s finely tuned strategy
281
00:28:44,220 --> 00:28:45,460
is an ambush...
282
00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:48,600
taught to her by her mother.
283
00:28:51,830 --> 00:28:56,400
She waits for sundown,
when elephant seals head out to fish.
284
00:29:05,780 --> 00:29:08,850
She knows where they get in and out
of the water.
285
00:29:17,620 --> 00:29:20,660
This is all about providing for her pod.
286
00:29:21,860 --> 00:29:23,200
If she’s seen,
287
00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:25,400
her family won’t eat.
288
00:29:25,570 --> 00:29:29,140
(seals growl)
289
00:29:32,740 --> 00:29:35,180
SIGOURNEY: Her top fin acts as a rudder,
290
00:29:35,610 --> 00:29:38,850
but for this trick,
she has to keep it hidden.
291
00:29:46,550 --> 00:29:49,760
Once she’s in position, she waits.
292
00:30:14,850 --> 00:30:18,020
Grabbing the creature
is only the first step.
293
00:30:22,460 --> 00:30:25,490
(whale clicking)
(seal growling)
294
00:30:31,100 --> 00:30:35,070
SIGOURNEY: Elephant seals are
heavily armed with teeth and nails...
295
00:30:35,700 --> 00:30:38,140
so orca mom calls for back-up.
296
00:30:38,470 --> 00:30:43,540
(whales whistling)
297
00:30:43,780 --> 00:30:47,250
SIGOURNEY: Her four family-in-training
rush to help with the fight.
298
00:30:55,290 --> 00:30:58,830
This hands-on test
is the key to their future.
299
00:31:06,500 --> 00:31:11,440
No other orcas on Earth
catch elephant seals quite like this.
300
00:31:13,870 --> 00:31:17,740
It’s how their family
has survived for generations.
301
00:31:24,150 --> 00:31:26,490
The eldest daughter is a teenager,
302
00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,320
and she’s like a clone of her mother.
303
00:31:36,060 --> 00:31:38,500
If she learns the skills she needs,
304
00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:42,440
someday she will inherit
this patch of ocean.
305
00:31:42,800 --> 00:31:46,110
It will be her job
to keep their way of life alive...
306
00:31:47,870 --> 00:31:51,410
and pass the family’s customs
down to her daughters.
307
00:32:00,420 --> 00:32:05,930
For now, this small family of females
rules the Falklands together.
308
00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:09,760
But legacy is never guaranteed.
309
00:32:09,960 --> 00:32:12,700
(seals grunting)
310
00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,610
SIGOURNEY:
For an orca pod to have a future,
311
00:32:19,170 --> 00:32:22,580
they must pass down
valuable family knowledge.
312
00:32:26,150 --> 00:32:28,250
The more complex their traditions,
313
00:32:28,850 --> 00:32:32,090
the harder it is
to keep their culture alive.
314
00:32:47,030 --> 00:32:49,140
To the north in Patagonia,
315
00:32:49,540 --> 00:32:52,740
one of the world’s most famous
and powerful pods
316
00:32:53,210 --> 00:32:56,040
performs the most impressive feat of all.
317
00:32:59,950 --> 00:33:02,650
Catching a sea lion off the beach
318
00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:04,820
takes the wisdom of an elder.
319
00:33:11,760 --> 00:33:15,930
This 40-something grandmother
is the best teacher in the pod.
320
00:33:16,860 --> 00:33:20,600
She trains her family members
to do the impossible
321
00:33:20,870 --> 00:33:23,040
with a time-tested playbook.
322
00:33:28,710 --> 00:33:32,010
Step one, know where to go.
323
00:33:38,590 --> 00:33:42,260
She brings her family
to a small break in the reef.
324
00:33:42,890 --> 00:33:44,120
A sacred place
325
00:33:44,790 --> 00:33:47,330
that only this pod knows about.
326
00:33:59,870 --> 00:34:02,440
Tide and conditions must be right.
327
00:34:09,650 --> 00:34:14,490
Step two, listen for the sound
of movement on pebbles...
328
00:34:17,490 --> 00:34:20,190
the sign that a pup is in the water.
329
00:34:26,500 --> 00:34:27,770
Hide your fin.
330
00:34:32,910 --> 00:34:34,110
Be patient.
331
00:34:40,580 --> 00:34:42,580
Wait for your wave.
332
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:06,710
And most important of all,
333
00:35:07,240 --> 00:35:08,980
don’t get stuck on the beach.
334
00:35:17,080 --> 00:35:18,450
She makes it look easy,
335
00:35:18,750 --> 00:35:22,160
but she’s spent her life
mastering this technique.
336
00:35:24,060 --> 00:35:25,630
Not everyone can.
337
00:35:25,960 --> 00:35:32,730
(whales whistling)
(horn blaring)
338
00:35:36,600 --> 00:35:40,670
SIGOURNEY: This big male was adopted
by the pod as a young adult.
339
00:35:44,610 --> 00:35:47,080
He's been watching them hunt for years,
340
00:35:47,650 --> 00:35:52,220
and is working to become one
of the few outsiders to learn this skill.
341
00:36:16,510 --> 00:36:19,810
He knows enough to hide
his five-foot dorsal fin.
342
00:36:36,600 --> 00:36:39,970
But this is all about timing.
343
00:36:53,710 --> 00:36:54,750
Close...
344
00:36:55,420 --> 00:36:57,220
but close doesn't eat.
345
00:37:07,430 --> 00:37:10,730
(pups braying)
346
00:37:10,860 --> 00:37:14,400
SIGOURNEY: He struggles because he
wasn’t raised in this pod.
347
00:37:30,250 --> 00:37:34,150
Only those taught by an elder
master this art.
348
00:37:35,590 --> 00:37:39,190
As few as 12 orcas
in the entire continent.
349
00:37:44,500 --> 00:37:47,700
Most of these orcas
were taught by grandmother.
350
00:37:50,370 --> 00:37:54,670
And it's time the two youngest cousins
learn the family trade.
351
00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:02,280
(sea lions chirping)
352
00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:06,990
SIGOURNEY: First,
they must get comfortable in the surf.
353
00:38:26,940 --> 00:38:31,180
They don’t eat seaweed,
they use it to practice.
354
00:38:36,020 --> 00:38:38,280
But seaweed can’t escape.
355
00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:46,060
The kids must train with the real thing.
356
00:38:49,200 --> 00:38:50,960
(sea lion howls)
357
00:38:51,030 --> 00:38:53,870
SIGOURNEY:
The orca matriarch catches a sea lion
358
00:38:54,300 --> 00:38:57,970
so her granddaughters can learn
the family’s strategy
359
00:38:58,140 --> 00:38:59,210
for survival.
360
00:39:09,450 --> 00:39:11,320
She keeps the prey alive...
361
00:39:15,120 --> 00:39:17,560
and lets it go in open water.
362
00:39:32,040 --> 00:39:34,970
(seagulls squawking)
363
00:39:48,550 --> 00:39:51,420
SIGOURNEY:
This practice helps the youngsters learn
364
00:39:51,690 --> 00:39:53,260
to handle live prey.
365
00:39:54,490 --> 00:39:56,930
It teaches them to work together...
366
00:39:57,730 --> 00:39:59,500
and brings the pod closer.
367
00:40:19,650 --> 00:40:21,020
(whale whistles)
368
00:40:23,090 --> 00:40:26,590
SIGOURNEY: Young orcas with a grandmother
showing them the way
369
00:40:26,890 --> 00:40:30,500
are nearly five times
more likely to survive.
370
00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:32,770
(whales whistle)
371
00:40:36,940 --> 00:40:39,240
SIGOURNEY: But no one lives forever.
372
00:40:41,340 --> 00:40:44,410
The matriarch needs to find a successor,
373
00:40:44,980 --> 00:40:48,280
or many of the family secrets
could die with her.
374
00:40:52,720 --> 00:40:53,850
Enough practice.
375
00:40:55,660 --> 00:40:58,490
It's time for the eldest granddaughter
to step up.
376
00:41:05,770 --> 00:41:07,830
(pups braying)
377
00:41:07,970 --> 00:41:10,340
SIGOURNEY:
The family’s legacy is at stake.
378
00:41:10,700 --> 00:41:14,070
(pups barking)
379
00:41:30,620 --> 00:41:32,220
SIGOURNEY: She has the technique.
380
00:41:35,490 --> 00:41:39,230
But hanging on to a sea lion
is trickier than it looks.
381
00:41:54,680 --> 00:41:59,350
(pups barking)
382
00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:12,530
SIGOURNEY: Now, she’s stuck.
383
00:42:14,470 --> 00:42:18,240
(whale whistling)
384
00:42:22,310 --> 00:42:24,510
SIGOURNEY:
Her grandmother lets her struggle.
385
00:42:24,940 --> 00:42:26,850
There’s no better way to learn.
386
00:42:30,480 --> 00:42:33,320
But she always has her family’s back.
387
00:42:33,750 --> 00:42:35,760
(whale whistling)
388
00:42:44,660 --> 00:42:46,730
SIGOURNEY: She’s also their coach.
389
00:42:47,400 --> 00:42:49,900
And there’s no room for quitters here.
390
00:42:52,870 --> 00:42:54,910
The older the granddaughter gets,
391
00:42:55,340 --> 00:42:57,540
the harder it will be for her to learn.
392
00:43:00,050 --> 00:43:03,550
And soon, she may not have grandmother
to help her.
393
00:43:06,890 --> 00:43:08,790
She must try again.
394
00:43:19,830 --> 00:43:21,570
She remembers her lessons.
395
00:43:27,910 --> 00:43:29,080
Stay low.
396
00:43:31,980 --> 00:43:34,010
Time it just right.
397
00:43:50,330 --> 00:43:53,200
(sea lion growls)
398
00:44:07,080 --> 00:44:09,050
(sea lion growls)
399
00:44:12,280 --> 00:44:14,350
SIGOURNEY: She is the future of the clan.
400
00:44:21,830 --> 00:44:24,030
Ready to build her own legacy.
401
00:44:28,870 --> 00:44:32,970
This is what culture looks like
for many whale species.
402
00:44:41,810 --> 00:44:43,080
(whale whistles)
403
00:44:44,150 --> 00:44:46,790
SIGOURNEY:
They hone their incredible skills...
404
00:44:51,920 --> 00:44:53,560
master their craft...
405
00:44:59,370 --> 00:45:03,040
and pass their knowledge down
for generations to follow.
406
00:45:05,440 --> 00:45:07,940
They seem so much like us.
407
00:45:09,180 --> 00:45:14,610
Yet, we’ve only begun to reveal
the secrets of the whales.
408
00:45:37,070 --> 00:45:38,800
JAMES: Our team went out
all over the world,
409
00:45:38,940 --> 00:45:41,870
but this particular encounter
took place right here in New Zealand,
410
00:45:41,940 --> 00:45:47,610
where I'm presently shooting
Avatar 2 and Avatar 3 together,
411
00:45:47,680 --> 00:45:49,720
and a lot of which take places underwater.
412
00:45:49,880 --> 00:45:52,950
Of course, my underwater work
on those films was in a tank.
413
00:45:55,120 --> 00:45:57,020
Brian got to go out into the real world
414
00:45:57,120 --> 00:45:59,490
and have these amazing encounters
with these animals.
415
00:45:59,760 --> 00:46:01,230
FEMALE VOICE:
We'll give it another try, huh?
416
00:46:01,290 --> 00:46:02,330
Yeah. Yeah.
417
00:46:03,360 --> 00:46:05,500
JAMES: Every time he goes
into the water with his camera,
418
00:46:05,630 --> 00:46:09,500
he stands the chance of seeing something
that humans have never observed before.
419
00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:13,170
And this encounter with the orca
making a peace offering
420
00:46:13,340 --> 00:46:15,140
is a perfect example of that.
421
00:46:22,350 --> 00:46:27,720
This is such a beautiful moment here
when it drops off the... the eagle ray.
422
00:46:27,820 --> 00:46:31,820
It says, "Here. This is...
This is an offering," you know?
423
00:46:32,060 --> 00:46:34,460
"Welcome. Welcome to our waters."
424
00:46:36,030 --> 00:46:39,570
(whale whistles)
425
00:46:42,600 --> 00:46:45,940
JAMES: Look at this big juicy eagle ray.
Wouldn't you just love to have that?
426
00:46:46,640 --> 00:46:48,810
Mm. Tasty morsel.
427
00:46:49,940 --> 00:46:51,910
And then eventually takes it again.
(chuckles)
428
00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:54,280
It's like, "Well,
if you're not gonna eat that, you know,
429
00:46:54,910 --> 00:46:56,120
"I think I'll have it back."
430
00:46:58,680 --> 00:47:01,450
So, they're communicating
in a way that they understand.
431
00:47:01,950 --> 00:47:03,860
An offering of food is commerce.
432
00:47:04,290 --> 00:47:05,320
It's a gift.
433
00:47:06,590 --> 00:47:08,260
(whales whistling)
434
00:47:10,660 --> 00:47:13,670
JAMES: Now obviously,
they're the apex predator of the ocean.
435
00:47:15,330 --> 00:47:19,270
Other whales fear them.
Sharks certainly fear them.
436
00:47:19,410 --> 00:47:23,280
But there's no known record of an attack
by an orca on a human in the wild.
437
00:47:24,980 --> 00:47:29,180
So, I can only attribute that
to their recognition in us
438
00:47:29,250 --> 00:47:30,680
of intelligent behavior
439
00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:35,890
and their, uh, either respect
or fascination for that.
440
00:47:36,060 --> 00:47:38,560
They must see us is some way
very differently
441
00:47:38,690 --> 00:47:40,190
than anything else in the ocean.
442
00:47:44,000 --> 00:47:47,600
To our knowledge, this is the first time
this kind of behavior has been observed.
443
00:47:49,100 --> 00:47:50,540
So, that's pretty remarkable.
444
00:47:51,070 --> 00:47:54,570
(whales whistling)
53039
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