PLANET EARTH Shallow Seas

In Western Australia these dolphins have taken on an ever tougher challenge. The fish have taken refuge close to the beach where the water is only a few centimeters deep. Tail slapping is a method dolphins often use to stun（击晕） their prey but it doesn't seem to work here. The fish are tantalizingly close（非常近） but they're still out of reach, so the dolphins try another technique.



Vigorously pumping their tails, they work up some speed and then, they hydroplane. Their momentum carries them right through the shallowest waters, and onto the fish. Now they're in real danger of being stranded but fortune favors the brave. Younger dolphins lie alongside, watching but so far only eight individuals here have mastered this daring technique.



Although most life in tropical waters is concentrated around the coral reefs and the seagrass meadows, there are some spectacular exceptions. The desert of Bahrain（巴林。一个濒临波斯湾的由低矮多沙的群岛组成国家，位于卡塔尔和沙特阿拉伯之间。它是第一个挖掘出石油的阿拉伯国家。） seems a very unlikely place to find a crowded bustling colony of seabirds But every year, a hundred thousand socotra（索科特拉，位于阿拉伯海西南部的也门） cormorants（鸬鹚） gather here to breed. It's swelteringly hot（湿热） and only vigorous panting can prevent the birds from fatal overheating.