Heinz Sielmann-Produktion

In 1966, Heinz Sielmann sets off on his longest expedition. He spent 19 months traveling through the wilderness of North America. From the alligator swamps of the Everglades to the breeding grounds of arctic waterfowl.

Following in the footsteps of Charles Darwin, Heinz Sielmann traveled to the bizarre volcanic islands of Galapagos. The multi-award-winning film shows the unique wildlife on the Pacific Noah's Ark.

The film shows open air shots of life in the colony of the sea lion. The following behaviours are shown: establishing territories and rivalry fights, courting and mating, feeding the young, play among young animals.

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.

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.