A three-part documentary on penguins’ hidden lives will reveal a number of never-before-seen moments. Here’s what executive producer James Cameron said about what to expect.
“Secrets of the Penguins”: James Cameron’s New Nat Geo Series Dives Deep Into Penguin Behavior
April 21, 2025 — National Geographic’s highly anticipated documentary series “Secrets of the Penguins”, executive produced by James Cameron, premieres this weekend — promising to showcase penguin behavior like never before.
Narrated by Blake Lively and hosted by wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory, the three-part series offers stunning, often jaw-dropping footage from across the globe, revealing never-before-seen behaviors of the planet’s most charismatic seabirds.
Penguins Like You’ve Never Seen Them
From emperor penguin chicks leaping 50 feet into the ocean to penguin pairs “rehearsing” for parenthood with chunks of ice, the series captures extraordinary moments that reframe what we know about penguin resilience and intelligence.
“They took a wrong turn somewhere along the coast and wound up having to base jump to get their first swim,” said Cameron of the viral cliff-diving penguin clip, in an April 17 roundtable interview.
Another groundbreaking moment shows a mated pair of emperor penguins passing an ice chunk between them — mimicking egg care behavior. Scientists believe it may be a practice ritual for future breeding success, underscoring penguins’ complex social learning and adaptation.
A Global, Two-Year Expedition
Filming took more than two years, involving 70+ scientists and crew across locations like:
- Antarctica’s Ekström Ice Shelf, home to 20,000 emperor penguins
- Cape Town, Namibia, and the Galápagos Islands
The grueling 274-day expedition in Antarctica provided rare, intimate access to penguin colonies — often under brutal conditions.
Penguins on the Front Lines of Climate Change
The documentary also brings attention to pressing threats facing penguins, including climate change and avian influenza (H5N1). Over half of the world’s 18 penguin species are now classified as endangered or vulnerable. If warming trends persist, up to 70% of emperor penguin colonies could vanish by 2050, with the species potentially facing extinction by 2100.
“You can’t study penguins without bumping up against climate change,” Cameron said. “But we try not to be too Cassandra about it.”
Instead, the goal of the series is to inspire awe and curiosity, especially among younger audiences, in hopes that emotional connection with nature will spur climate-conscious behavior.