Secret World of Sound Premieres On CBC TV

Using cutting edge audio technology, host Anthony Morgan takes a journey into a hidden world. In this special presentation from The Nature of Things, he explores the extraordinary ways animals use sound to hunt, mate and survive.

“Secret World of Sound was led by an amazing team from Humble Bee Films in Bristol,” says Infield Fly Productions', Dugald Maudsley. “We’ve all worked on it for more than two years, filmed in close to a dozen countries and captured how 21 different creatures use sound. It’s this focus on sound that makes the series so unique.”

For the past 40 years, natural history filmmaking has wowed audiences with jaw-dropping visuals. Sound has always played a supporting role and is often overshadowed by music. For the first time, this series places sound at centre stage using innovative technology such as acoustic cameras and vibrometers to reveal new science and tell the unheard stories of animals from around the world.

“The sound captured by our teams in the field, along with the amazing footage, is stunning,” says Maudsley. “Cameraman Hugo Kitching and sound recordist Peter Sawade spent days hidden in the bush in Algonquin Provincial Park to get rare footage and sounds of a pack of eastern wolves, and weeks freezing in Waterton Lakes National Park to capture the elk rut. Tavish Campbell, Deirdre Leowinata and sound recordist Mike Kennedy did the same in Washington state to gather amazing material of the seldom-seen plainfin midshipman. It’s extraordinary stuff.”

In Episode One: Hunters and Hunted, that airs on 15 February, sound is the difference between finding a meal and becoming one. At night in the deserts of Arizona, the kangaroo rat uses hollow spaces in its skull to amplify the faintest sounds -- including the rustle of its deadliest predator, the rattlesnake. In an English garden a bumble bee employs its buzz to unlock a hidden treasure. And in the Bahamas, a pod of dolphins utilize echolocation with amazing precision to find their prey hidden under the sand on the ocean floor.

In Episode Two: Love and Rivals, that airs on 22 February, sound is used to impress, find a mate, and fight off a rival. In the forests of eastern Australia, the male lyrebird, one of the greatest mimics of the natural world, attempts to wow a female with his complex song – including the sounds of other birds and a car alarm. In the vast grasslands of Alberta, male sharp-tailed grouse gather to put on an elaborate dance routine to attract a female – complete with rattling tail feathers and popping neck sacks. And on the west coast of Washington State, a fish called the male plainfin midshipman attempts to convince a female to lay her eggs in his nest by singing her a love song.

In Episode Three: Finding A Voice, that airs on 29 February, baby animals rely on sound to survive the most vulnerable moment of their lives. In Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario, a group of wolf pups howl to stave off danger and protect the pack. In the swamps of South America, baby caiman communicate with each other while still inside the egg to increase their chances of survival by emerging simultaneously. And in England, honeybees use special sounds that we can’t even hear to crown a new queen.

**A great grey owl in Manitoba hunting for meadow voles hiding under the snow**

Each episode also includes a look Behind the Scenes that takes a deeper dive into the technology and techniques used by Secret World of Sound filmmakers to capture the unique sounds and sights in this remarkable The Nature of Things Special. In Hunters and Hunted, discover how the great grey owl manipulates sound to capture its prey under nearly a metre of snow. Love and Rivals reveals the cutting-edge technology used to capture the mating song of the male treehopper, a creature no larger than a dime. And in Finding A Voice, learn how a team of Australian researchers are using sound to save a reef bleached by warming oceans.

Packed with drama, conflict and new discoveries, Secret World of Sound will transport viewers into a hidden world and create a truly immersive and unforgettable experience.