- [voiceover] today on animal science. (fox scream) odds are you've seen a red fox before but what about this fox? it looks like yoda. wonder why? and harbor seals are found washed up on shore. the reason for the injuries will astound you. plus, we'll answer the age old question. do sharks really need to keep swimming in order to stay alive? today, we'll look at some of the coolest creatures on land and under the sea. welcome to the fascinating world of animal science. it seems nature has endowed

every animal with the a unique talent, whether it's for self defense or going on the attack. but there's one particular talent that is always thrilling to watch. (fast music) in the human world, speed is a big form of entertainment. ever since we began measuring the speed of the fastest man it became only natural to compare our athletes to other creatures. (leopard growl) the african cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world. in just five seconds it can accelerate from zero to 60 miles an hour. (engine

noise) and then there's the prong-horned antelope. the prong-horned is the fastest mammal in the western hemisphere. it reaches a top speed of 55 miles an hour. on the track a thoroughbred racehorse can reach 40 miles an hour. even the enormous american buffalo which weighs nearly 2,000 pounds can gallop as fast 35 miles an hour. (dogs barking) an how about man's best friend? the dog? do you know what the fastest breed is?

that would be the greyhound. to test it's speed we decided to conduct our animal science experiment of the week. our experiment features two participants. one is a professional football player. the other is a greyhound. each will sprint 100 yards down the race track. on your marks. get set. go. (fast music) the greyhound finishes in five point three seconds. wale crosses the line in 10 point eight seconds. - [ami] greyhounds are basically animals

that are built for speed. they are very lean with a lot of muscle mass in them. they have one of the largest hearts of any dog species. they have a really flexible backbone, and they use that flexible backbone to help them in their momentum and movement. - [voiceover] in our race replay the greyhound is just a blur. but on closer inspection we can see it's freakish flexibility in action. the greyhound has all four feet off the ground when it extends it's legs and then again when it contracts them. it's like it was flying, which is more than we can say for wale, who probably feels like tackling somebody right now. don't feel bad, wale, after all the greyhound is only one of the

fastest animals in the world. (dog panting) when we return, you'll find out why the manatee is now an endangered species, and how some sea turtles end up looking like this. right here on animal science. this is brian. every day, brian drives carefully to work. and every day brian drives carefully to work, there are rate suckers. he's been paying more for car insurance because of their bad driving for so long, he doesn't even notice them anymore. but one day brian gets snapshot from progressive. now brian has a rate based on his driving, not theirs. get snapshot and see just how much your good driving could save you.

(fast music) - [voiceover] the deep blue oceans might seem like a pretty nice place to live but the underwater world is far from peaceful. everyday, millions of sea creatures engage in the ultimate battle for survival. (metal clanging) (hoppy music) in the warm waters off the florida coast resides the peaceful manatee.

this giant, grass-grazing marine mammal is an endangered species. not due to natural predators but because of humans, or more specifically: speeding motorboats. (engine) the manatee grows to about 10 feet long and weighs 1,000 pounds. not only is it a slow swimmer, but it's also slow to react to oncoming danger. - [ami] in scientific studies it's been shown that manatees can actually hear boats coming, but also you have to understand that manatees being evolved without any natural predators, they're not going to instinctively want to try to move away when they hear a sound like that. - [voiceover] efforts

are being made to save manatees injured by boat propellers. it's sometimes takes years for them to recover, but in the end when they are released back into the wild, the work is well worth it. (uplifting music) for about 120 million years the loggerhead sea turtle has survived and thrived in oceans throughout the world. now, it's an endangered species. one reason for the loggerhead's decline is industrial waste, which pollutes the ocean. this loggerhead, after being exposed to toxic chemicals has a lung infection.

- [kathryn] just like humans, our immune system responds to stress so if humans are under stressful circumstances we tend to get sick more. sea turtles work in the same way. so if they are under stress from polution in the water, that's going to lower their immune system response. - [voiceover] sea turtles rehabilitation is possible. (cheering) many return to their ocean homes, but in the long run, the fate of the loggerhead sea turtle is in human hands. when we return you'll see what makes the river otter one of the best swimmers in the world and why the raccoon needs to have water with every meal. right here on animal science.

- [voiceover] promotional consideration is paid for by the following. (fast music) (water rushing) - [voiceover] all life on earth is dependent on the simple molecule we call water. we humans mostly need it for bathing and drinking. but in the animal world, water has all sorts of creative uses. (metal clashing)

(fast music) the raccoon is one of the most adaptable creatures in the world. that's because it's a scavenger, and will eat just about anything. (traffic nosies) the raccoon can live in a bustling city on in a dense forest. as long as there is water nearby. that's because it's paws need to be wet in order to fully function. - [kathryn] the pads on their toes they're sort of similar to the pads on a dog's feet and their very pliable when they're wet so that's one reason that we see especially in captive raccoons we see them constantly dunking their food. (claws scraping the bowl)

- [voiceover] that's right, buddy. keep on munching. (exciting music) whether it's in a frozen lake or a flowing stream the north american river otter is one mammal that is especially built for swimming. it's feet are webbed and it's body is streamlined from head to toe. this allows the river otter to shoot through the water like a torpedo. (torpedo sound) and that's not all. - [kathryn] they can actually close their nostrils in the water so they have muscles that allow their nostrils to close to prevent them from getting water into their noses while they are swimming. they also have wonderfully water-proof fur, which helps them stay in the water and keep warm in the water. - [voiceover]

because their metabolism is so high, river otters must consume about 20 percent of their body weight each day. their favorite food is fish, so it's a good thing these guys are so comfortable in the water. (happy music) there are about 150 species of ducks in the world, and the most abundant is the mallard. the male mallard duck has a distinctive green head and bright yellow bill. this is to attract the females who are mostly brown. mallards are dabbling ducks. this means that what they eat, they bob their heads underwater and gobble up plants and tiny invertebrates.

on the surface, their little feet must paddle hard to keep them submerged. mallards have tiny air pockets in their down feathers so their incredibly buoyant. - [kathryn] when they are under the water, as soon as they stop paddling, that air in those down pockets is going to pop them right back up to the surface. (pop) - [voiceover] when we return the mysterious world of foxes is revealed. see why some live in forests while others prefer the arctic tundra. right here on animal science.

(fast music) (wolf yapping) - [voiceover] the canidae is a biological family of carnivorous mammals. some of its members include

the wolf, coyote and the domestic dog. (dog barking) these famous canids often overshadow their smaller, and more secretive cousin. (metal clashing) the most abundant fox throughout the world is the red fox. (fox scream) the red fox lives in forested areas and has a very distinctive look. a reddish body, black legs, and a white-tip tail. you might think it would be easy to detect. - [kathryn] doesn't seem like a good adaptation, right? it doesn't seem like it would blend in very well but i think in a darkened habitat it would allow them to fit into the shadows a little easier. - [voiceover] this forest camouflage allows

red foxes to sneak up and capture small mammals. (spy music) (birds tweeting) not all foxes live in forests. this fox is called a bat-eared fox, and it lives on the african savannah. because of its small size, the bat-eared fox prefers to eat insects. this is one reason why it needs such big ears. - [ami] they are eating things that are underneath the ground, and having those huge, bat-like ears helps them to be able to listen for it. things like termites and insects that are moving underground, and then they are able to dig through the ground and get their meal. (fast music) - [voiceover] the most northern living fox species is the arctic fox. the arctic fox is a master

of disguise. during winter it sports an all white coat that blends into the surroundings. kind of like a polar bear. but in the summer, arctic foxes change color. some of them even appear dark blue. the darker coat helps them sneak up on pray animals like these hawklets. and if the fox is lucky, it will return home with a fresh meal. (wind) in the sahara desert of north africa lives the smallest of all foxes: the fennec fox. this tiny fox has huge ears, which help dissipate heat from its body.

it also has specially designed feet. -[ami] they've got fur in between their paws, and it acts almost like a built in flip-flop. so if anyone has ever walked on the sand in the summertime you know you can burn the bottoms of your feet. so having this extra fur on their pads will help keep their pads safe and not burnt on the sand. - [voiceover] let's hear it for the fennec fox. this creature may be tiny, but it sure has some cool tricks for beating the heat. coming up, sharks always seem to be on the move which begs the question, do they ever sleep? you'll find out the answer next right here on animal science.

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- [voiceover] promotional consideration is paid for by the following. automated voice: to file a claim, please state your name. carnie wilson. thank you. can you hold on? ♪ hold on for one more day ♪ really? hey, i know there's pain. why do you lock yourself up in these chains? ♪ ♪ this would be so easy if you had progressive. our mobile app would let you file a claim and help you find one of our service centers where we manage the entire repair process. things will go your way if you hold on. [ sighs ] someday somebody's gonna make you wanna turn around and say goodbye. ♪ say goodbye ♪ no, you just made it weird. (fast music) (water movement) - [voiceover] one question that people often ask is, "do sharks ever sleep?" the answer is...sort of. sharks seem to always be on the move

so you would think that they never sleep, but sometimes they do something called sleep swimming. - [ami] they will basically go through these resting periods where their brain isn't as active as when they're awake but they don't ever truly stop swimming, because they need to get the water to flow over their gills to be able to get oxygen to survive. (ominous music) - [voiceover] so it's simple. all sharks need to move in order to breath, right? well not necessarily. take a look at this nurse shark. it's not moving at all. the nurse shark can breath by using muscles in it's cheek, which pump water through it's gills. (breathing) this special method of respiration is called buccal pumping. but many sharks do need to stay

on the move to survive. so here's one final question. is this shark fully awake, or is it sleep swimming? that's one answer i think we'll let someone else find out. from animal science, see ya next time.

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>> because the temperatures are down relatively speaking. the size of the galleries are up. as you look at the people that are filed in trying to catch a glimpse of the 65-year-old tom watson who comes into today tied for the lead. going to be a fun afternoon of golf on fox.