Nature: Parenthood, narrated by world-renowned naturalist, broadcaster, and environmentalist Sir David Attenborough, is putting the spotlight on the high-stakes reality of raising young in the wild, and PBS has provided Parenting Patch with an exclusive clip from its upcoming episode, “Parenthood: Oceans.”
The scene unfolds along Scotland’s rugged coastline, where a sea otter mother is stretched to her limits caring for extraordinarily rare triplets. When the smallest cub drifts too far from the safety of the kelp beds in search of food, he becomes separated from his mother in open water, creating one of the most tense sequences in the episode. The moment underscores just how quickly survival can shift from routine to perilous in the ocean.
Otter triplets are exceptionally uncommon, and raising three pups at once demands constant trade-offs. To keep them fed, their mother must leave them alone for extended dives into seaweed forests to hunt for fish. That necessary risk is precisely what places her smallest cub in danger, reinforcing the episode’s central theme: in the ocean, providing for your young often means exposing them to new threats.
A Mom Otter And Her Rare Triplets
“Parenthood: Oceans” is the third installment in the five-part series. The episode also travels to Australia, where an orca mother teaches her calf to hunt blue whales, and to Indonesia, where a Banggai cardinalfish father protects his offspring by carrying them in his mouth until they are ready to survive independently.
Nature: Parenthood, Explore Different Ecosystems Every Week
Nature Parenthood was filmed over three years across six continents and 23 countries. Each episode explores a different ecosystem, from grasslands and freshwater to jungles and oceans, highlighting the intelligence, endurance, and sacrifice required of animal parents facing harsh environments and constant danger.
Episodes in the series examine wild dog parents managing energetic adolescents on the African plains, frog and elephant parents navigating unpredictable freshwater systems, orangutans investing years teaching survival skills in dense jungles, and lionesses guiding cubs through high-risk hunts.
Produced in collaboration with leading wildlife cinematographers and field experts, the series captures rarely seen behaviors while drawing a quiet connection between animal survival and the universal experience of parenting.
The first episode in the series premiered on PBS on Wednesday, February 4. Nature: Parenthood will continue airing new episodes on Wednesdays through March 4 at 8/7c on PBS (check local listings) and is available to stream on pbs.org/nature, YouTube, and the PBS App. “Parenthood: Oceans” premieres February 18.
If you or your children love animal documentaries, this is the perfect opportunity to experience a nature series that parents can relate to and that children will love. I experienced the first two episodes with my children, and everyone in our house is hooked!