Watch This: A friendly sea lion encounter, rare elephant twins, and more

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See our producers’ favorite videos of the week.

|     0:57    |     NEWS    | See Stars and Meteors Light Up the Night Sky Over a Waterfall One drizzly day last year, my brother Martin and I had a chance to get a close view of Tahquamenon Falls—a spectacle worth the trip despite the rain. But an even more amazing part of our visit to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula was seeing the night sky free of light pollution. Like a lot of people, I never see the Milky Way where I live, and the glimpse was stunning. Recently, Martin noticed this time-lapse footage by photographer Dustin Dilworth. It combines both phenomena—falling water and rolling stars—and adds a third wonder, the Lyrid meteors’ intermittent sparks. —James Burch, producer/editor WATCH NOW SHARE

|     1:36    |     TRAVEL    | Watch a Playful Encounter With Curious Sea Lions When my partner and I took a day trip to snorkel with sea lions in Los Islotes, we were not expecting to have such an intimate experience. Hundreds of sea lions live in this colony, and due to a lack of predators, they tend to be quite friendly and curious. This one sea lion swam up behind my partner and grabbed on to him, as if it were hugging him! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The experience was truly memorable for everyone involved. —Marie McGrory, producer WATCH NOW SHARE

|     0:47    |    NEWS    | This Famous Dodo Didn’t Just Die—It Was Murdered When scientists in England examined the remains of a famous dodo, they discovered its death was a product of “fowl” play. New scans of its skull reveal that it died from a gunshot to the back of its head. The Oxford Dodo is the best preserved specimen of the extinct bird species, which includes the only example of dodo soft tissue known to still exist. Dodos were originally native to the island of Mauritius and are among the most iconic examples of human-caused extinction; they were last seen alive in 1662. —Nick Lunn, producer/editor WATCH NOW SHARE

|     1:16    |    NEWS    | Against the Odds, Rare African Elephant Twins Are Thriving These elephant twins are very cute and very rare. Named Elon Tusk and Emma (for actress Emma Watson), researchers for the Wildlife Conservation Society spotted them among a well-documented herd in Tanzania. Only one percent of elephant births result in twins, and often one calf does not survive because of competition for food. The researchers believe the twins’ 57-year-old mother, Eloise, has contributed to the twins’ success with her wisdom and experience. At one point, you can even see the tiny twins simultaneously nursing from their giant mom. —Amy Rankin, associate producer/editor WATCH NOW SHARE

|     14:11    |     SHORT FILM SHOWCASE    | Now in Their 70s, Two Friends Return to the Arctic for One More Adventure For over 40 years, Jim Slinger and Andrew “Tip” Taylor have shared adventures. The men, now in their 70s, return to Alaska for a canoe trip down the Noatak River in this short film by The Muir Project. Their friendship has stood the test of time, and what I find so endearing is Jim and Tip’s openness to the experience. As one says, “It’s too late for us to be explorers, but there’s adventure and there’s a sense of venturing into country that’s very rarely traveled.” —Rachel Link, producer WATCH NOW SHARE

ON TV

|      Tuesdays at 10/9c     | GENIUS: PICASSO Starring Antonio Banderas in the titular role, the second season of National Geographic’s 10-part, Emmy-nominated global event series, GENIUS: Picasso, explores how the artist’s passionate nature and relentless creative drive were inextricably linked to his personal life, which included tumultuous marriages, numerous affairs and constantly shifting political and personal alliances. CATCH UP NOW

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