The Life of Mammals

David Attenborough takes to the water, swimming alongside sea otters and manatees, while also watching the blue whale’s mating rituals. These giants, which abandoned dry land millions of years ago to return to the oceans, are observed up close in the programme.

Return to the Water is a television programme presented as a single episode. It falls under the broader genre of nature documentary, and the episode’s focus is on marine environments and the creatures that inhabit them. The title hints at the central theme – a look at life beneath the surface and the ways some animals have moved between land and sea over geological time. In this installment, Sir David Attenborough takes to the water himself, swimming alongside playful sea otters and gentle manatees. While immersed in their world, he also watches the blue whale as it engages in its mating rituals. The segment points out that blue whales, like many large mammals, left the terrestrial realm millions of years ago and later returned to the oceans, where they now carry out their reproductive cycles. The episode therefore combines close‑up encounters with otters and manatees with a broader look at the evolutionary history of the blue whale. By placing these observations together, it offers a snapshot of how different marine species interact with their environment and how ancient migrations continue to shape present‑day behaviour. The narrative stays centred on the natural actions of the animals, providing viewers with a clear picture of life beneath the waves.