Megalodon Colony Found? Giant Creatures Found Under Australia Coast

The oceans cover more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface, yet much about them remains a mystery. Just below the surface hides a strange and magical world. Colorful, wonderful creatures waiting to be discovered and share their secrets. This is Earth's last great frontier and one of the most challenging places to explore. An environment as fragile as it is harsh and unforgiving for the animals that live here and struggle to survive in this big blue world of oceans. In the vast and immense bodies of water covering our planet, where light is only close to the surface and darkness and mystery are found in the deep, many creatures rely on size, speed, and strength to survive. But some have evolved another trait, perhaps the most powerful of them all. Family. Somewhere in the North Atlantic Ocean these giants are sleeping. Female sperm whales are highly social. They live in family groups called pods and work together to raise their young, while adult males travel alone or move from pod to pod. Like all mammals, whales need to breathe air so they sleep just below the surface and come up for air in between short naps. Sperm whales spend just seven percent of their time asleep, less than any other mammal on earth, so it's rare to witness a family slowly waking up after a deep sleep. The females in this close-knit family group will stay together for 10 or more years. They share knowledge, sounds, and hunting skills with one another. Learning from each other helps them develop a deep bond and sense of belonging, critical for the survival of their family and their species. Sperm whales live in an environment totally different from ours. They see the world through sound, and though it may seem quiet to us, the ocean is a noisy place and sperm whales are the loudest animals found anywhere on earth. They use a system of clicking sounds to communicate and strengthen the bonds between females. Their clicks are so powerful they can transmit messages over hundreds of miles, even across vast oceans. Usually though, the clicks are used like a kind of sonar to find food. A sperm whale spends most of its life at the depth of over 3,000 feet, hunting for squid in total darkness. Clicks are sent out from the front of its nose and echo back when they hit something. Using this process of echolocation, a sperm whale can locate a single squid over a mile away. About 60 million years ago, a hoofed wolf-like mammal traded its terrestrial lifestyle for an aquatic one. Over time, it evolved into many different forms, including all 80 species of whales, dolphins, and porpoises we know today. As a result, these long-finned pilot whales share many of the same features as sperm whales, but at a third of the size. Despite its name, the long-finned pilot whale is actually a kind of dolphin, the second largest after the orca. Like their sperm whale cousins, pilot whales are extremely social. They travel, hunt, rest, and play together in tight-knit pods of up to 100. Staying close to the surface during the day, pilot whales hunt mostly at night, diving for squid in deep, cold waters. They're highly vocal when socializing at the surface, but sometimes silence is better, especially when there are young pilot whales in the pod. Sharks are a constant danger, but orcas pose an even bigger threat. Orcas can listen in on the sounds of pilot whales to locate and hunt them. Many species have developed unique strategies to avoid predation. When they sense a nearby threat, pilot whales seem to communicate very differently. Long-finned pilot whales have one main threat, orcas, the largest and perhaps smartest of all dolphins. The orca is also one of the most strategic predators in the sea, and they can listen in on pilot whales' communications. When pilot whales detect a group of orcas nearby, they will band together to defend their family. But with young pilot whales in the pod, it's simply too risky. White patches on their backs may help them stick together so they can move away from the threat together without making a sound. Not all marine species live in families. In fact, most are solitary, moving through the water like nomads in search of a meal and a mate, like this gentle giant. Related to the ocean sunfish, the hoodwinker sunfish was only recently discovered. This is the first time it has ever been filmed off the coast of Chile. Measuring up to 10 feet long and weighing up to 4,000 pounds, the sunfish is the largest bony fish in the world. This peaceful loner spends half his time in the depths hunting jellyfish and the rest of his time on the surface, basking on one side in the sun to warm up between dives. But this makes him an easy target for predators lurking down below, and without a family to protect him, he's completely on his own. Sharks are opportunistic feeders. They don't always finish their food, but in the ocean, nothing ever goes to waste. Not far from the coast, a young South American sea lion is sunbathing on the surface. It's a precarious time in this young male's life. He has not yet earned a place among the sea lion colony, dominated by much larger and more aggressive males. But for now, he is on a lonely crusade and must take every opportunity to feed himself. Even when the promise of a tasty meal means he too could end up on the menu. Sharks and orcas are a constant threat, especially when he's alone. Feeding on the surface is just too risky, so he drags the carcass down to devour what's left. Though young and inexperienced, he knows that a dorsal fin on the surface can mean trouble for a sea lion without a family. But not this fin. An Atlantic sailfish from the warm waters of the Caribbean is in search of a different kind of prey. A top predator and the fastest fish in the sea, it wields an impressive sword-like bill. Little was known about how these fish hunt until recently, but we now know that sailfish work in groups to coordinate elaborate attacks on schools of fish. Teamwork makes them extremely efficient predators, but how they communicate with each is still a mystery. These sailfish are not family and they don't vocalize like whales or dolphins. One theory is that they synchronize their hunting by changing color from silver to almost black. They take turns attacking from different angles, reaching top speeds of 70 miles per hour. They use their elongated bills not for stabbing, but for slashing. When they're close enough to strike, they slash their bills sideways to kill as many fish as possible. Bait balls are a double-edged sword. While they provide protection to small fish like sardines, silversides, and anchovies, they're also an easy target, not only for predators below, but also from above. Peruvian boobies, with their excellent binocular style vision, are always on the lookout for their next meal. They can scan the surface for any kind of disturbance. Once a bait ball is spotted by one, the others quickly join in. In the cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Southern Pacific Ocean, the Humboldt current provides a steady stream of food for many species. Close by, on a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Chile, a Peruvian booby colony finds protection on the steep cliff sides. The chicks have yet to grow their adult feathers, so they're completely dependent on their parents. Chicks require an almost constant supply of food, so parents work together to make sure they never go hungry. While one parent stays with the chick, the other goes in search of food. And there's nothing better than working the bait ball shift. With power, speed, and precision, the booby chooses a target from 100 feet in the air, tucks its wings back, and plunges headfirst into the bait ball. Air sacks in its skull, cushion the impact, and a strong, pointed beak pierces the water at breakneck speeds. There's not a moment to waste, as the bait ball can vanish just as fast as it appeared. The chicks are hungry, and the shift change must happen quickly. As one parent returns to the nest, the chicks eagerly anticipate their next meal, and the other parent prepares to take flight. On an isolated island off the Chilean coast, a Peruvian booby family is reunited. The mom has just arrived with a stomach full of food for her chicks, and dad is ready to feed on what's left of the bait ball. For boobies, family is everything. Booby pairs mate for life, and will work together like this until their chicks are old enough to leave the nest and feed on their own. Just below the booby colony, where the waves crash against the cliff, another family unit is going about their day. At just 10 pounds and 3 feet long, when full grown, marine otters are the smallest marine mammals in the world. These marine otter pups aren't old enough to hunt for themselves yet, so they spend their days doing what otter pups do best, playing, waiting for mom, and being cute. Soon, these pups will have to go off on their own, but for now, there's nothing more important to them than their mother, and nothing she wants more than to spoil her pups. Otters are intelligent and social animals, so there's always time to bond and play. With a very fast metabolism, otters need a near constant supply of calories to keep warm. With little body fat, they must hunt several times a day to stay alive in these cold South Pacific waters. To be a good otter mom, you must be an excellent hunter, so you can provide for your pups. To hunt in this environment requires skill, experience, and patience. Fortunately, this otter mom knows exactly where to look to find tasty prey like shrimp and fish. Just off the coast of South America, a marine otter mom is hunting in the kelp forest. Otters need to consume 30% of their body weight every day, and with two pups at home waiting for dinner, she can't go home empty-handed. After their afternoon playtime, the pups are hungry. They're in luck. Mom has brought back a delicious crab. These young otters eat just as much as an adult, so she must continue to provide food almost around the clock. She knows this will not be enough and heads out for the second course, but a mom must eat too. And while the pups are off playing on the rocks, she catches a shrimp and enjoys a little peace and quiet. An otter mom is no different than any other good mother in the animal kingdom. They feed, they teach, and they protect their young. This helps their families to survive and their species to thrive over generations. Here in the ocean, family doesn't always look the same. What matters most is how well you share, communicate, work together, and care for each other. In this world of oceans, putting family first can make the difference for survival.