Islands: Nature's Wild Laboratories

Summer on Vancouver Island does not last long. While marmots in the mountains prepare for the cold season, Canadian coastal wolves feast on a sperm whale.

The sandy island of K'Gari - formerly Fraser Island - stretches off the east coast of Australia. Dingoes patrol the snow-white beaches here, always on the lookout for green turtle nests.

Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago is a place of extremes. Winter marks the beginning of a relentless fight for survival for the local wildlife - from polar bears to arctic foxes.

The small stature of Borneo's dwarf elephants is a result of a biological phenomenon: Due to their endangered habitat, the elephants have shrunk over generations.

The flooded Okavango Delta resembles an inland sea, dotted with thousands of islands. When the rainy season ends, the animal inhabitants have to prepare for months of drought.