Big Beasts

A four-ton elephant seal returns to his breeding beach on the cusp of summer—and quickly learns the competition for females is fierce.

In the Brazilian Pantanal—a wetland larger than England—a six-foot otter attempts to raise her cubs in the shadow of hungry jaguars.

Makumba is one of the best studied gorillas in the world. Now past his prime, he must find new ways to maintain his status as king of the jungle.

In Earth's largest inland delta, Africa's deadliest mammal fights to keep his family afloat as the dry season approaches.

Rocky Mountain summers are fleeting, leading local bears to gain weight, sharpen defenses, and engage in a dynamic fight for domination.

A blazing sun scorches the African savanna, where the planet's biggest bird protects his eggs and giraffes struggle to fuel their towering bodies.

In Borneo, apes and monkeys train their babies in the treetops, but with gravity against them, the stakes are high—and crocodiles lurk below.

Monsoon season drives giants toward higher ground, and big cats battle it out to claim dwindling territory in an Indian valley.

Subzero temperatures force polar bears to bulk up—but as summer returns and the planet grows warmer, they find themselves on thin ice.