Summary
Rivers and lakes hold only a tiny fraction of Earth's water, yet countless animals depend on them — from salmon fighting upstream to elephants and waterbirds. The episode follows fresh water on its journey and shows why keeping it flowing matters.
Viewer safety
Ages 5+Mild peril
Predators catching prey at the water's edge; brief and not graphic.
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
Only a little of Earth's water is fresh, and life depends on it.
- Why is fresh water so important even though there is not much of it?
- Name an animal from the episode and how it uses a river or lake.
- Salmon travel far upstream — why do they make that difficult journey?
- What could happen to animals if a river dried up or was blocked?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: fresh water, river, lake, upstream.
Try it: Trace the path of a river from the mountains to the sea and name one animal that lives along the way.