Secrets of the Elephants series reveals a unique, dynamic animal culture

Enlarge / An African Savannah elephant roams through Kimana Sanctuary in Kenya in the new documentary series Secrets of the Elephants. (credit: NatGeo for Disney/Nichole Sobecki)

It's almost Earth Day, and to mark the occasion, National Geographic and Disney+ have released a new documentary series called Secrets of the Elephants. The four-part series is a sequel of sorts to the remarkable 2021 documentary Secrets of the Whales, which was narrated by Sigourney Weaver and produced by James Cameron.

NatGeo and Disney+ hope to recapture some of that same magic with Secrets of the Elephants. Cameron once again produced, with Natalie Portman stepping in for narration duty. Per the official premise, "The series travels the world—from the Savannahs of Africa to the urban landscapes of Asia—to discover the strategic thinking, complex emotions, and sophisticated language of elephants, shaping a unique and dynamic culture."

Each episode focuses on an elephant population in a different environment—the desert, the rainforest, Asia, and the African Savannah—and highlights the unique changes taking place in each environment and the ways the elephants have adapted to survive there. For instance, a female desert elephant gives birth in a harsh environment ravaged by drought, taking a refreshing shower in the afterbirth—the first time this behavior has been caught on camera. (Mud baths are more common, providing a natural form of sunscreen for desert elephants.)

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from Gaming & Culture – Ars Technica https://ift.tt/xCBNc4n