Earth: One Amazing Day Page #4

even the enormous power of the Sun,

isn't strong enough to warm

the great oceans by much.

Here, some of the largest

creatures on Earth,

live lives as long,

and perhaps as complex, as our own.

This is a family of sperm whales.

[whales clicking]

And at its heart, a rare sight.

A calf.

Already 15ft long, she's about a year old,

and very inquisitive.

For two or three years,

she will feed on her mother's milk.

It's so rich in fat,

it has the consistency of cottage cheese.

So it doesn't dissolve in the sea

water as it's being gulped down.

The great whales are the biggest

predators that have ever existed,

yet, they make

the most protective parents.

And very talkative ones,

chatting in a language of clicks.

They're the loudest

creatures on the planet,

capable of sounds,

far louder than a jet engine.

[clicking continues]

But right now, it's time for silence.

Hanging vertically,

the giants of the sea...

take an afternoon nap.

These whales have brains larger

than any other animal.

Who can guess with what richness

they dream away the day.

In the tropics, the oppressive heat

of midday lingers well into the afternoon.

On a tiny island, off the coast of Panama,

in Central America,

everything takes life slowly.

[birdsong]

[animal snoring]

A pygmy three-toed sloth.

At his best, he is slothful.

At this time of day,

he's pretty much comatose.

[snoring continues]

Only one thing might rouse him.

And it's this...

[sloth calling]

The call of the female sloth,

out there somewhere.

[water splash]

And since it's high tide,

why not take the short cut.

The only problem is from down here,

it's not easy to tell where

the potential mate is calling from.

[female sloth calling]

[female sloth calling]

Could this be her?

Sadly for him,

this female is not looking for a date.

While she's nursing her cub,

she's quite happy to stay single.

As they say, mafiana.

There's always tomorrow.

[snoring]

Though island life here moves slowly,

the pace of the afternoon is very

different in other parts of the world.

[water rumbling]

This is Zavodovski Island in Antarctica,

home for 1.5 million chinstrap penguins.

It's an extraordinary place.

An outcrop of rock,

spewed out by the volcano at its heart.

The oceans beat against it night and day.

And the penguins

are caught in the crossfire.

All day, the adult penguins

struggle against the waves

as they journey between home

and their hunting grounds, offshore.

[penguins chattering]

It's an ordeal they can't avoid.

Their families depend on them.

Chinstrap penguin chicks

are completely helpless,

without the support

of both mother and father.

[chicks chirping]

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