News from Nature - Once hunted nearly to extinction in the Brazilian Amazon, the black caiman is among the largest and least known of the crocodile cousins. Strict anti-hunting laws and protected habitats are helping black caiman make a comeback, but poachers remain a constant threat. Wild Chronicles wades into caiman-filled waters with National Geographic grantee John Thorbjarnarson to explore the feasibility of a sustainable caiman-harvest program. Stories from the Wild - National Geographic grantee Nadia Frobisch in hot on the trail of the world's oldest undersea predators. But instead of taking the plunge to the deepest oceans depths she is searching high in Nevada's Augusta Mountains. Reaching whale-like proportions, reptilian ichthyosaurs ruled the oceans 230 million years ago. Today, their fossil remains are key to understanding how animals transitioned from land to water. Adventure and Exploration - Stretching from Indonesia to Malaysia to the Philippines, the Coral Triangle covers less than one percent of the world's ocean surface yet it contains more sea creatures than anywhere else on the planet. A team of researchers travels to the epicenter of the Coral Triangle to launch a five-year genetic study to determine where such great biodiversity came from and how it's connected to all other marine life on Earth. One theory suggests that the Coral Triangle is so diverse because it is the origin of all life found in our oceans. Animal Encounters - The vast majority of shark species live in a world where most people never visit - the depths of the ocean. Yet there are a few populations that skirt close to human territory and the balance between sharks and humans sharing a popular coastline can be a tenuous one. National Geographic's Crittercam team joins researchers along Australia's Gold Coast to find out if bull sharks truly are a menace to society.
