Smithsonian Channel Pick of the Week Smithsonian Channel

Bear courtship in Yellowstone National Park happens at breakneck speed - literally. The male grizzly sets off after the female, who tries to outrun him reaching speeds of up to 35 miles an hour.

After 1991, former Soviet agent Viktor Bout set about carving a new career for himself as an arms dealer. His exploits would earn him the nickname the ‘Merchant of Death’.

In 1985, an American FBI agent began to sell intelligence to the Russians, under the alias of Ramon Garcia. It would be another 16 years before he was finally arrested by the FBI.

Vervet monkeys find the figs of the Zambezi fig tree to be completely irresistible. And because vervets rarely stay in one place for too long, they spread the tree’s seeds far and wide.

A shy orangutan makes great strides by confidently securing her share of breakfast. But she’s not above sharing her bounty of turnips with another orangutan, whom she’s befriended.

In the final days of WWII, Eagle 56 was on a routine assignment in the Gulf of Maine. In an instant, the ship found itself ripped in half, with most of her crew dead – but what happened?