Factual content producer WildBear Entertainment will produce ten hours of wildlife programming with Nat Geo Wild.
The content will include four hours of 4K programming, three hours of which WildBear will co-produce directly with Nat Geo Wild and one hour in conjunction with Sea Dog TV International and Moers Media.
The package was negotiated on behalf of WildBear by Edwina Thring, from Wild Thring Media.
It will include three by fifty series The Wildest River in the World which follows the Kinabatangan River in Borneo, from its source in the untouched and pristine Maliau Basin, through to the Pacific Ocean.
Charting the different natural landscapes and the wide variety of flora and fauna species that inhabit each, the series will capture everything from saltwater crocodiles, sun bears, tarsiers and orangutans, through to orchid mantis, flying lizards, Guardian frogs and mudskippers.
The series is being filmed by the same cinematographic team behind the blue-chip, one-hour, special The Kangaroo King, also made for Nat Geo Wild.
The second 4K title is Dolphin Dynasty (1x 50), which WildBear is producing with Sea Dog TV International and Moers Media.
It tells the story of three generations of dolphins from a well-known family in Australia’s Shark Bay, with specialist techniques deployed to capture never-before seen footage of their social hierarchies, family ties and maternal bonds.
Agile camera drones will capture behaviour at the water’s surface, starlight and thermal cameras will show what dolphins get up to at night for the first time, while remote-controlled stealth cameras will capture footage from inside the pod – all combining to create the most comprehensive-ever look at this remarkable colony of dolphins.
Faces Only a Mother Could Love (3 x 50) is a new series celebrating those creatures not blessed with natural beauty.
It will explore the functionality of their freaky faces and grotesque forms.
Each episode has a different focus – water creatures, ugly babies and forest dwellers – and we get to meet and understand a wide variety of unattractive animals, ranging from the goblin shark, blob fish, stone fish and naked mole rats, to straw-necked ibis, pangolins and proboscis monkeys.
Finally, Moody Beasts (3 x 50) looks at the impact of hormones on animal behaviour.
With hormones controlling every part and function of the body, from sex and parental care to the internal rhythms all creatures live by, small changes can have surprising effects – including sex changes and rampages from once quiet males.
WildBear Entertainment chief executive, Michael Tear, said Wildbear prided itself in bringing exceptional factual stories to the screen in the most compelling and stunningly visual ways possible.
"We are constantly looking to challenge ourselves," he said.
"Filming where nobody has gone before in Borneo and working with Sea Dog TV International and Moers Media using unique techniques to capture new dolphin behaviour is representative of our approach and we are delighted to have support and commitment from the team at Nat Geo Wild, who share our vision.”
Thring said she was happy with the deal.
"The subjects and approaches are all truly fascinating – and original.
"With Nat Geo Wild’s strategic focus on building 4K content, we are especially pleased to be able to deliver them four 4k hours next year.