ALL-AMERICAN ANIMALS
North America hosts a striking and varied panorama of wild creatures found
nowhere else on earth. Some of them have ancient claims to being original
citizens, while others are recent imports. All are fascinating and are found in
every corner of the country. A rare film sequence captures several aspects of
America’s only Marsupial — mating behavior, birth and development of the
Opossum.
FEATHERED JEWELS
The fifteen species of Hummingbirds that nest north of Mexico are exquisitely
beautiful in their multi-colored iridescence. All are unique to the New World.
European explorers were astounded by these tiny, glittering birds that zipped up
and down, backwards and sideways, with wings humming and blurred. Here they are
seen as never before, and we savor every last little wingbeat.
RINGTAILED RASCALS
Closely related to the Giant Panda, with a dexterity almost human, the Raccoon,
Ringtail and Coatimundi each combine in a special way the features of several
other animals. Using their bushy tails for balance, and their paws as clever
tools, they are Fox-like, Cat-like and Monkey-like all at once. Each is
different, yet each is very intelligent and amusingly adapted.
CANYON CREATURES
The silent grandeur of Monument Valley, the ragged chasms of the Grand Canyon,
the magnificent sandstone arches of Utah... these spectacular landscapes exert a
powerful influence on the wild creatures that live within their realms. Cooper’s
Hawk, Rattlesnake, Mountain Lion and Gray Fox — living things are fewer and
further between in these vast spaces, but they are all interconnected.
WOLVERINE COUNTRY
Is this beast really a ravenous monster? The Wolverine is a rarely-glimpsed, and
thus much misunderstood, scavenger with tremendous strength. It is the source of
many legends. The Indians regarded it as a supernatural being. Here we see the
real Wolverine in the rugged land it shares with Wolf, Red Fox and Snowshoe Hare
— and we learn why this wandering loner deserves our respect.
FASCINATING FISHES
A “Fish” is such a standard shape that we seldom think how ancient, yet how
perfectly modern, is this superbly successful design. Here we see its most
incredible variations, from the largest “living fossils” — huge, prehistoric
Alligator Gar — to the smallest — the dazzlingly colorful Darters. This
underwater exploration leaves us marvelling at their adaptations.
WILD REFUGE
From the first — and smallest — Refuge, created on Florida’s 3-acre Pelican
Island in 1902, to the 8,900,000 acres of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge, our Refuge system is unmatched by any in the world. In areas from Maine
to Arizona, millions of pristine acres have been set aside for native wildlife.
We explore these Refuges, as well as many of the creatures that inhabit them.
FISHERS IN THE FAMILY – PART 1
The slender, luxuriously-furred Fisher is misnamed — it does not catch fish.
Cat-sized members of the Weasel family, Fishers are rare, energetic and playful
— but out of place in anyone’s home! This fun-loving story shows how an orphaned
pair of these frisky predators were rescued by Marty Stouffer and adopted by his
family. They grow up with Marty and Diane’s daughter Hannah.
FISHERS IN THE FAMILY – PART 2
The growing Fishers need to learn how to survive on their own before they can be
released into the forest. Marty takes them on regular trips into the mountains
that will some day be their home — each time they go deeper into the wilderness.
But the curious Fishers would rather explore and meet new wild friends — like a
Black Bear, Skunk and Mule Deer — than continue their education.
PHOTOGRAPHING WILDLIFE
How did a young wildlife-lover get started making motion pictures of his
favorite subject? How does Marty Stouffer film the amazing, yet difficult — and
often dangerous — scenes for WILD AMERICA? Viewers are invited to learn the
secrets of wildlife cinematography — to share the frustration of failure and the
exhilaration of success — as the behind-the-scenes story is revealed.
NORTH WOODS LYNX
Elegant and graceful, the Lynx is one of Nature’s finest physical specimens. Its
primary quarry is the elusive Snowshoe Hare. It is seen that the numbers of
predator and prey — Lynx and Snowshoe Hare — are intricately linked in a
ten-year cycle that rises and falls in unison. This fascinating, unexplained
phenomenon is only one of many mysteries in the Great North Woods.
