Institut für den wissenschaftlichen Film (IWF)

The Entlebuch is a rural pre-alpine area of Central Switzerland, known for its backwardness and isolation. This film deals with the contemporary life of the inhabitants of the region, between tradition and modernity. The protagonists' accounts of their own lives show the wide range of attitudes and offer insight into the valley's regional identity.

The arousal behavior of the warthog is shown. Also explained is the muzzle fight between boars and females.

Using gland regions on their heads, warthogs mark poles and other objects for self-orientation. Males often mark during the mating season. The male also sprays urine when searching for and inspecting sleeping cavities.

Experiments on the crystallization of various inorganic substances: crystallization from solution, crystallization from melt and vapour phase, mixed crystal formation, oriented growth, change from a metastable into a stable phase.

On display are the movement structures of Heliozoa, the expulsion of food remains, plasmogamy, separation and temporary bridging, "phobia".

Various amphibious pond dwellers, including grass frogs, tree frogs, common toads and other amphibians are shown moving around, feeding, mating, fertilizing and evolving. Also on display are natterjack and midwife toads, yellow-bellied toads and water frogs.

For its reproduction, the megaloprepus dragonfly specifically relies on periodic puddles in tree holes and bromeliacea in tropical rain forests. Territorial males tenaciously defend these resources. Females lay their eggs in the water holes of the territorial males and are guarded by them. Any satellite male - i. e., one without a territory - who tries to grab a female is driven away by the territorial male.

The courtship behavior of Great Bustards is studied. The male Great Bustard is considerably larger than the female. This impression is reinforced during courtship when the male dances in front of the female, showing the light undersides of its wings and inflating its throat pouch.

The film gives a survey on innate behaviour patterns of the grey-lag goose. The first part shows reproductive behaviour. In the second part some behaviour patterns of gosling being imprinted on their human foster parent are shown: following reaction, separation of two flocks according to their imprinting, response to the alarm call and landing "by order" of the flying young.

The film shows birds and mammals of Spitzbergen: The snow bunting, Phalaropus fulicarius, Stercorarius parasiticus, the red throated loon, the arctic gull, the puffin, the black guillemot, the loon and the common guillemot are photographed at the hatching place. In addition reindeer, arctic foxes and musk oxen are shown. The voices of seven kinds of animals are heard.

During the ewing-period the shepherd has to take especially care of the flocks. He has to assist the ewes in ewing, to control the feeding of the lambs, and to switch orphaned and abandoned lambs to ewes that have lost their lamb. This is still done by the traditional method of skinning: The dead lamb's skin is slipped on the abandoned lamb to deceive the mother ewe. At this time the shepherd must also warm newly-born, supercooled lambs inside the house and feed them artificially.

Short film about the life cycle of a moon jellyfish

The film shows the prey-catching behaviour of the edible frog at a small garden pond and at a gravelpit. The catching of creeping and (under experimental conditions) hanging earthworms, of flies sitting on the surface of the water and of egglaying dragonflies (Sympetrum spec.) in tandem position are visible.

The three-spined stickleback is shown. Nest building, zigzag dance, fanning at the nest, sometimes following a female, also short mouth fights, the female swimming into the nest, spawning, the male poking at the rear end of the partner, inseminating the eggs in the nest after the female swims away.

Before shearing, done with electric devices and hand shears, lambs are separated from the flock. The lambs are not yet shorn but dipped in a disinfectant, parasiticidal liquid prescribed by law. For the auction, held in autumn, the sheep for sale are loaded on special trucks and transported from the pasture to the public sale.

Queen rearing is one of the most important areas of beekeeping. After explaining the breeding objectives, the three most common methods for rearing queen bees are described: Breeding in the queenless colony; breeding via the pre-brood box; breeding via starter and finisher. Special attention is also paid to the selection and presentation of the breeding material, selection and preparation of the care colony, controlled mating and the safe introduction of queens into the colonies.

A portrait of the German city of Ulm and it's social activities, fassades, court building. Also about the role of the district court during National Socialism.

Documentary on how the osprey catches its prey. The film shows the search for prey, the launch maneuvers, take-off maneuvers and the fights with the fish.

Short film on the mating behaviour of donkeys

Calopteryx cornelia only occurs in one color morph and shows the typical dragonfly behavior. Species of the genus Mnais form different color morphs. Males with intensely colored wings are dominant over males with hyaline wings.