National Geographic Documentaries

Dolphins : The Wild Side (33x3)

Air date: Feb 13, 1999

Dolphins are famous for their intelligent and playful ways, but perhaps less well known is their aggressive side. Dolphins : The Wild Side follows these mammals in the wild as they fight for mating rights, hunt for food, and clash with other dolphin species. Thanks to some brilliant underwater camerawork, we're treated to the sight of dolphins hydroplaning through 10 inches of water after fish, ramming one other in a quarrel over females, and evading a group of hungry orcas in Alaska. But perhaps the most impressive part of this documentary is the scenes of a dolphin pod working in concert to trap a shimmering, mammoth school of sardines. Through the calculated use of air bubbles, tail slaps, and sonic pips, the animals corral their prey and have a feast. The clever, and at times ruthless, nature of these mammals is on abundant display in this entertaining documentary.