Power to the otters

Lately we have been DVR-ing the Planet Earth series on the Discovery Channel. I have heard that the American version is inferior to the British version, but you go with what yo got. We have seen four or five episodes and love it! The filming is incredible and the crew caught so many unbelievable sights in the natural world that bring the audience to places and sites that we would never see. In the Shallow Seas episode, they slow down a great white attack from a couple of seconds to forty seven, and you see the shark attack with such force that its entire, awkward (at least in the air) body emerge from the water and flip, just to get a seal. It was violent and alarm, but that is the way the world works right? We were still rooting for the seals.

My favorite Planet Earth moment is from the Fresh Water episode. Following otters, they showed us how they hunt underwater together. Then, out of nowhere, an alligator (ok, so I can't remember if it was a gator or a croc, but you get the point) starts stalking them! These otters aren't even the size of the gator's head. Immediately, I cringed. I don't like watching the killing parts--but I was pleasantly surprised! The otters united and scared the gator away. In fact, the next segment showed the otters actively HARASSING the gators and keeping them out of their space.

So, even in nature, the little guy can win. I felt encouraged and hopeful. If I some otters and stand up to crazy huge gators, I can stand up to the gators in my world. Even in nature, size isn't everything. Aggression isn't everything. Having the biggest sharpest teeth does not mean that you will always win. Teamwork. When we band together, we can face anything.

And I know that the picture is a sea otter, and not a fresh water otter, but I live in northern California. It is what I've got.