Robot Spy Manatee Receives A Slobbery Kiss!

A very special visitor is about to join the manatees in Belize...Spy Manatee! Spy Manatee is here to find out how affectionate manatees really are!

Clip taken from episode 2 'Deep Feelings' of our series Spy in the Ocean.

Spy in the Ocean is available on iPlayer in the UK and on PBS in the US:

You can watch it now in the UK on BBCiPlayer:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...

or here in the US:
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episo...

In this episode, our Spy Creatures dive into the world of animal emotions by befriending the most complex minds in the ocean and gaining insights into their innermost feelings. Bottlenose dolphins are famed for their intelligence, but Spy Dolphin is on a mission to find out what they really feel. Spy Dolphin is prepped and ready to join a pod of thrill-seeking dolphins surfing the waves, kitted-out with extra thrust, it gets a lesson in having fun from the experts. Riding the surf, fin-to-fin, Spy Dolphin’s camera eyes see the dolphin’s moods soar with an endorphin hit; jumping, leaping and playing tricks in the waves with their friends, until…wipe out! Cuttlefish aren’t the only sea creatures to wear their feelings on the outside, but none have mastered the art of disguise better than the mimic octopus. Spy Octopus sets out to observe mimic octopus behaviour, but first it has to find one! In a truly mesmerising display of skill, the mimic octopus shows off its shape-shifting repertoire. From poisonous flatfish, to dangerous lion fish and even a venomous sea snake, no impersonation is too great a challenge. It even manages a credible impression of our very own Spy! Spy Dolphin’s next mission is to French Polynesia in search of more fun-loving friends. But it gets more than it bargained for when approached by a boisterous baby humpback whale, five times its size. However, there is a Spy for every occasion and joining Spy Dolphin is a 3.5 metre-long Spy Humpback Calf, fitted out with 5 multi-angled 4k cameras. Our Spy is an instant hit with the baby humpback, and through its camera-eye we witness an emotional connection starting to form. In New Zealand, Spy Seal joins a group of fur seal pups as they face the most emotional moment of their young lives - their mothers have gone fishing. For the first time, the pups are left to fend for themselves, but at least they have each other…that is until a storm hits and the youngest seal pup finds itself left behind as the other seals head for the hills. For this young pup, an extraordinary journey lies ahead as it tries to catch up with those seeking safety inland. When emotions get too much, Spy Seal’s presence gives the young pup the morale boost it needs. The manatees of the Caribbean are mysterious creatures, but they too show a strong emotional side, especially when hanging out together among the beauty of the coral reefs. To discover more, Spy Manatee is perfectly designed to fit in, being infant-sized increases its chances of being accepted. It moves and swims like the real thing too. Patience pays off and Spy Manatee gains a privileged view into their complex relationships. It even experiences first-hand just how affectionate manatees can be. In the ultimate sign of acceptance, it even receives a manatee kiss. In Japan, a competition breaks out as mudskippers try to win a female’s favour. Spy Mudskipper turns on the charm using its flag-waving fins and its programmed leaping function. Its larger size is appreciated by the female, but when the two other frontrunners fight it out among themselves, will his jump measure up? Back in New Zealand, after an emotional journey helped by Spy Seal, the seal pup joins his lost friends in a beautiful pool beneath a waterfall. As we found with all the animals our Spies encountered, their feelings are startlingly similar to our own.

Narrated by David Tennant
Music by Will Gregory
Directed by John Downer

#Ocean #Manatee #Belize