Up Next
Back to Show
Deep Look
Tar Pits Are a Death Trap. Except for This Fly.
Season 11
Episode 10
In the sticky oil seeps known as the La Brea Tar Pits, the tiny petroleum fly and their larvae thrive in the natural asphalt that oozes up to the surface. The larvae hunt among the fossilized bones of dire wolves, mammoths and saber-toothed cats.
Sign up now for inspiring and thought-provoking media delivered straight to your inbox.
Support Provided By
5:01
Female aphids are matriarchs of a successful family operation — taking over your garden.
4:36
Firebrats and silverfish are pretty darn similar to some of the earliest insects on Earth.
4:11
After sunset, tiny crustaceans called beach hoppers emerge from sandy underground burrows.
4:12
Two tiny mites duke it out on strawberry plants throughout California.
4:00
California oak moth caterpillars eat all the leaves on an oak. Will the tree survive?
4:33
Don't despair – there *is* a trick to smacking these infuriating insects.
4:14
These sea slugs may look lazy, but eelgrass sea hares are actually environmental heroes.
4:33
They may look cute and colorful, but starfish are actually voracious predators.
5:29
Fallcon stars Annie and Grinnell face the tough demands of raising a family.
4:43
Orb weaver spiders build webs not only to catch insects, but to extend their senses.
3:57
Cape sundews are carnivorous plants that grow in bogs.
4:51
Ducks and geese spend *a lot* of time preening their all-weather feathers.