Episode Premiere Of BBC Mammals Featuring NZ Wildlife

BBC's landmark series Mammals, narrated by David Attenborough, premieres Episode 3, ‘Water’ on TVNZ this Sunday January 12 at 7:30pm. The episode features New Zealand’s rare false killer whales and is the only NZ content in the whole series (6 episodes).

False killer whales are a fascinating species that we still have much to learn about. The Far Out Ocean Research Collective (www.farout.org.nz) has been studying these whales for over 20 years.

Jochen Zaeschmar, founder of the Far Out Ocean Research Collective, is excited the footage will be available for all in Aotearoa New Zealand to view. Tune in to learn more about these fascinating mammals, their interactions with bottlenose dolphins and how exactly they feed on fish species like kahawai and kingfish.

Jochen says “the footage is incredible, and it was all captured off the Poor Knights and Aotea / Great Barrier Island.”

“Thanks to all the people who report sightings that contribute to our knowledge of this species in NZ. There is so much still to learn, including where do these 150 false killer whales go during winter when we stop seeing them in coastal waters?”

“Make sure you watch the ‘behind the scenes’ sequence at the end of the programme for some amazing footage of how and where we filmed these whales.”

“If you see false killer whales (or even if you are not sure what you saw) please ring our hotline on 0800 FAR OUT (0800 327 688).”

Episode Description
Episode 3 - “Water”

Very few mammals have managed to lose all ties with land and conquer life in water, one of the greatest challenges for an air breathing mammal. Those that have are some of the cleverest of all, forming surprising bonds not just amongst their own but with other species as well.

© Scoop Media