Giants of the Atlantic - Azores

A gigantic underwater mountain range rises in mid-Atlantic. Just a few peaks near the surface, while nine reach still higher and form a row of green gems: the islands of the Azores. These volcanic rocks, the last toehold between Europe and America, are of extraordinary beauty. The steep shelf of the Azores is a play and mating ground for several whale species. Here, groups of male sperm whales on their endless migration from the Arctic to the Antarctic, meet females. Humpback whales and fin whales breach -and blue whales come here too, to feed on the vast biomass produced in the ocean's depths. Drifting up from the deep, plankton and krill attract huge schools of fish and squid. Portuguese Men O'War drift threateningly on the surface, while undersea caves host cannibalistic shrimps, manta rays and moray eels. On the islands, the volcanoes' grassy craters are a winter home for songbirds from Iceland, Russia and North America, while their craggy outer walls form nests for vast colonies of Cory's Shearwaters.