Scientist Profile - Jim Estes

Jim Estes got his start as an ecologist by chance. Half a century later, his research on sea otters is heralded as a classic case study on keystone species.

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Clip Season 38 Episode 2 Length 02:00 Premiere: 10/09/19

Recent Episodes

Graduation Day | Becoming Elephant: The Orphans of Reteti

S44 E12 Length 53:33 Premiere Date 04/15/26

Baby Steps | Becoming Elephant: The Orphans of Reteti

S44 E11 Length 53:33 Premiere Date 04/08/26

The Greatest Adventure | Parenthood

S44 E10 Length 54:33 Premiere Date 03/04/26

Jungles | Parenthood

S44 E9 Length 52:22 Premiere Date 02/25/26

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S44 E8 Length 51:50 Premiere Date 02/18/26

Clips & Previews

The Serengeti Rules

Preview Length 00:35 Premiere Date 10/09/19

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Clip Length 02:49 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Gaining Vision Underwater

Clip Length 02:07 Premiere Date 10/09/19

How Wildebeest Saved the Serengeti

Clip Length 02:57 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - Jim Estes

Clip Length 02:00 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - Mary Power

Clip Length 01:53 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - John Terborgh

Clip Length 01:51 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - Bob Paine

Clip Length 02:12 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - Tony Sinclair

Clip Length 01:57 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Otters & Orcas: An Alaskan Mystery

Clip Length 05:22 Premiere Date 10/09/19

NATURE - Season 38

Preview Length 04:50 Premiere Date 07/11/19

Specials

Horsepower vs Horse Power | Sophie’s ELECTRIC Road Trip Part 2

Length 26:40 Premiere Date 07/20/26

Meet Nature's Water Cleaners | Wild Critters USA

Length 27:29 Premiere Date 07/15/26

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Length 24:16 Premiere Date 07/13/26

The Toughest Moms of the Florida Everglades | Wild Critters USA

Length 27:28 Premiere Date 07/08/26

The Fluffy Guardians of American Grasslands | Wild Critters USA

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Official Trailer | Wild Critters USA

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Leones Africanos | African Lions

Length 29:02 Premiere Date 10/09/25

Los Oceanos y los seres humanos | Humans and the oceans

Length 23:05 Premiere Date 10/07/25

Gusanos de Cinta: ¡El animal más largo del planeta! | Ribbon Worms: the longest animal on the planet

Length 34:41 Premiere Date 10/02/25

La nieve y el efecto albedo | Snow and the albedo effect

Length 21:12 Premiere Date 09/30/25

Escarabajo coprófago: El reciclador del popó | Dung Beetle: the poo recycler

Length 32:18 Premiere Date 09/25/25

Biodiversidad: La imaginación de la Tierra | Biodiversity: The imagination of the Earth

Length 24:23 Premiere Date 09/23/25

Giant Pacific Octopus: 8 arms and 9 brains

Length 30:02 Premiere Date 09/18/25

Pulpo Gigante del Pacifico: 8 brazos y 9 cerebros

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Fitoplancton bioluminiscente de Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico's bioluminescent phytoplankton

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Titanoboa: The largest snake that ever lived

Length 32:54 Premiere Date 09/16/25

Titanoboa: La serpiente más grande de la historia

Length 23:00 Premiere Date 09/16/25

Series Trailer | Mes de Herencia Hispana con Cumbre Kids

Length 02:01 Premiere Date 09/15/25

The Women Behind the Wild | In Her Nature

Length 30:40 Premiere Date 06/26/25

Significant Otters | WILD HOPE

Length 15:28 Premiere Date 06/02/25

The Chameleon Queen | In Her Nature

Length 13:25 Premiere Date 05/15/25

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Length 37:46 Premiere Date 04/17/25

Building for Birds | WILD HOPE

Length 16:03 Premiere Date 04/07/25

Saving the World’s Rarest Lemurs | In Her Nature

Length 22:01 Premiere Date 03/27/25

The Rhino Whisperer | In Her Nature

Length 20:51 Premiere Date 03/13/25

Series Trailer | In Her Nature

Length 01:25 Premiere Date 03/13/25

Mission Impossible | WILD HOPE

Length 39:41 Premiere Date 11/18/24

Pangolin Protectors | WILD HOPE

Length 12:24 Premiere Date 10/21/24

Way of the Elephants | WILD HOPE

Length 15:11 Premiere Date 10/07/24

Whale Shark Homecoming | WILD HOPE

Length 16:49 Premiere Date 09/23/24

The Great Ocean Cleanup | WILD HOPE

Length 15:12 Premiere Date 07/22/24

Protecting Paradise | WILD HOPE

Length 14:11 Premiere Date 06/10/24

Rebuilding a Forest | WILD HOPE

Length 15:56 Premiere Date 04/22/24

Gardener to Guardian | WILD HOPE

Length 13:11 Premiere Date 03/14/24

The Serpent's Lair | WILD HOPE

Length 11:50 Premiere Date 03/14/24

Return of the Manatees | WILD HOPE

Length 16:01 Premiere Date 03/14/24

Birds on the Brink | WILD HOPE

Length 10:16 Premiere Date 03/14/24

Salamander of the Gods | WILD HOPE

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Does Nature Have Rights? | WILD HOPE

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The Beautiful Undammed | WILD HOPE

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Canine Conservationists | WILD HOPE

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Busy Beavers | Backyard Nature

Length 04:05 Premiere Date 11/11/22

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The Orphan Owl | Backyard Nature

Length 08:12 Premiere Date 10/26/20

Running With The Herd: The Recovery | A NATURE Short Film

Length 07:28 Premiere Date 09/09/20

Mythbusting Opossum Facts | Backyard Nature

Length 03:01 Premiere Date 08/10/20

First-Time Birders | Birding 101 with Sheridan Alford

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Tigers: Clawing Back | A NATURE Short Film

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Inside Montana's Living Laboratory | A NATURE Short Film

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Introduction to Birding | Birding 101 with Sheridan Alford

Length 03:19 Premiere Date 07/14/20

Caught On Camera | Backyard Nature

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Bush Baby Tenants| Backyard Nature

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Length 04:46 Premiere Date 06/15/20

Spend An Hour in Snowy Yellowstone | Sights & Sounds

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Living with Snow Leopards–Tashi’s Story: A NATURE Short Film

Length 09:01 Premiere Date 12/16/18

Running With The Herd: A NATURE Short Film

Length 13:56 Premiere Date 12/10/18

A Life Among the Clouds: A NATURE Short Film

Length 10:21 Premiere Date 12/03/18

Season 38 Episodes

Show Episodes

Show Clips & Previews

The Serengeti Rules

S38 E2 Length 53:13 Premiere Date 10/09/19

The Serengeti Rules

Preview Length 00:35 Premiere Date 10/09/19

How Starfish Changed Modern Ecology

Clip Length 02:49 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Gaining Vision Underwater

Clip Length 02:07 Premiere Date 10/09/19

How Wildebeest Saved the Serengeti

Clip Length 02:57 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - Jim Estes

Clip Length 02:00 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - Mary Power

Clip Length 01:53 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - John Terborgh

Clip Length 01:51 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - Bob Paine

Clip Length 02:12 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Scientist Profile - Tony Sinclair

Clip Length 01:57 Premiere Date 10/09/19

Otters & Orcas: An Alaskan Mystery

Clip Length 05:22 Premiere Date 10/09/19

NATURE - Season 38

Preview Length 04:50 Premiere Date 07/11/19

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In Canada, a tiny turtle ventures through a forest of giants in search of the lake where she will spend the next 50 years of her life. In South Africa, a young bushbaby is drawn towards a world of light in his quest to find a new home.

Wednesday July 22, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KET
Wednesday July 22, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KET
Friday July 24, 2026 1:00 am ET on KET
Friday July 24, 2026 12:00 am CT on KET
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Friday July 24, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET

Big Little Journeys: Survival - S42 E3

In Taiwan, a Formosan pangolin travels through a land of giants to find a mate in a protected forest, while in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, a family of golden-headed lion tamarins journey from the edge of their world into a land of plenty.

Wednesday July 29, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KET
Wednesday July 29, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KET
Friday July 31, 2026 1:00 am ET on KET
Friday July 31, 2026 12:00 am CT on KET
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Friday July 31, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET

Big Little Journeys: Bloodlines - S42 E4

In Madagascar, a match-stick sized chameleon goes on an epic journey to find a mate and lay eggs before it's too late. A water vole in the Scottish Highlands swims a lake, climbs a waterfall and scales a mountain to find a place to raise her pups.

Wednesday August 5, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KET
Wednesday August 5, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KET
Friday August 7, 2026 1:00 am ET on KET
Friday August 7, 2026 12:00 am CT on KET
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Friday August 7, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET

Lions of the Skeleton Coast - S43 E4

Three orphaned lion cubs fend for themselves on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia.

Wednesday August 19, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KET
Wednesday August 19, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KET
Friday August 21, 2026 1:00 am ET on KET
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Soul of the Ocean - S41 E6

Friday July 17, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
Friday July 17, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
Friday July 17, 2026 1:00 am ET on KET
Friday July 17, 2026 12:00 am CT on KET
Wednesday July 15, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KET
Wednesday July 15, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KET

Niagara Falls - S41 E8

Friday July 10, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
Friday July 10, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
Friday July 10, 2026 1:00 am ET on KET
Friday July 10, 2026 12:00 am CT on KET
Wednesday July 8, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KET
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American Horses - S40 E8

Friday June 26, 2026 5:00 pm ET on KET
Friday June 26, 2026 4:00 pm CT on KET
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Friday June 26, 2026 12:00 am CT on KET
Wednesday June 24, 2026 8:00 pm ET on KET
Wednesday June 24, 2026 7:00 pm CT on KET

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Scientist Profile - Jim Estes

Recent Episodes

Graduation Day | Becoming Elephant: The Orphans of Reteti

Baby Steps | Becoming Elephant: The Orphans of Reteti

The Greatest Adventure | Parenthood

Jungles | Parenthood

Oceans | Parenthood

Sponsored by:

Clips & Previews

The Serengeti Rules

How Starfish Changed Modern Ecology

Gaining Vision Underwater

How Wildebeest Saved the Serengeti

Scientist Profile - Jim Estes

Scientist Profile - Mary Power

Scientist Profile - John Terborgh

Scientist Profile - Bob Paine

Scientist Profile - Tony Sinclair

Otters & Orcas: An Alaskan Mystery

NATURE - Season 38

Specials

Horsepower vs Horse Power | Sophie’s ELECTRIC Road Trip Part 2

Meet Nature's Water Cleaners | Wild Critters USA

Lake Mead Mysteries | Sophie's ELECTRIC Road Trip Part 1

The Toughest Moms of the Florida Everglades | Wild Critters USA

The Fluffy Guardians of American Grasslands | Wild Critters USA

The Tortoise that Saved the Rabbit | Wild Critters USA

Official Trailer | Wild Critters USA

Project Shark | WILD HOPE

The Comeback Cat | WILD HOPE

The Butterfly Effect | WILD HOPE

A City in Nature | WILD HOPE

¿Por qué caen los rayos? | Why does lightning strike?

Leones Africanos | African Lions

Los Oceanos y los seres humanos | Humans and the oceans

Rhino Ops | WILD HOPE

Gusanos de Cinta: ¡El animal más largo del planeta! | Ribbon Worms: the longest animal on the planet

La nieve y el efecto albedo | Snow and the albedo effect

Escarabajo coprófago: El reciclador del popó | Dung Beetle: the poo recycler

Biodiversidad: La imaginación de la Tierra | Biodiversity: The imagination of the Earth

Giant Pacific Octopus: 8 arms and 9 brains

Pulpo Gigante del Pacifico: 8 brazos y 9 cerebros

Fitoplancton bioluminiscente de Puerto Rico | Puerto Rico's bioluminescent phytoplankton

Titanoboa: The largest snake that ever lived

Titanoboa: La serpiente más grande de la historia

Series Trailer | Mes de Herencia Hispana con Cumbre Kids

Bat Vax | WILD HOPE

Puffling Patrol | WILD HOPE

Thunder & Fire | WILD HOPE

The Women Behind the Wild | In Her Nature

Significant Otters | WILD HOPE

The Chameleon Queen | In Her Nature

Reclaiming Bear River | WILD HOPE

The Slowest Stampede on Earth | In Her Nature

Saving The Slowest Mammal on Earth | In Her Nature

Building for Birds | WILD HOPE

Saving the World’s Rarest Lemurs | In Her Nature

The Rhino Whisperer | In Her Nature

Series Trailer | In Her Nature

Mission Impossible | WILD HOPE

Guano Gold | WILD HOPE

Pangolin Protectors | WILD HOPE

Way of the Elephants | WILD HOPE

Whale Shark Homecoming | WILD HOPE

AI of the Tiger | WILD HOPE

Stork Sisters | WILD HOPE

Cougar Crossing | WILD HOPE

The Great Ocean Cleanup | WILD HOPE

Unleaded | WILD HOPE

America's BFF | WILD HOPE

Protecting Paradise | WILD HOPE

The Frog Ark | WILD HOPE

Jaguar Passage | WILD HOPE

Road Warriors | WILD HOPE

Rebuilding a Forest | WILD HOPE

One Golden Chance | WILD HOPE

Coral Comeback | WILD HOPE

Gardener to Guardian | WILD HOPE

Vertical Meadows | WILD HOPE

The Serpent's Lair | WILD HOPE