top of page
Get Started

ABOUT NWF

I'm Leo Richards, and Natural World Facts is my life's work and passion project; it's a vessel for my wildlife film-making, science communication, writing, and beyond, and I'm keen for it to be as collaborative as possible!

Please get in touch if you would like to work with me on any nature-related film or project. Click below to learn more about my work, skillset, and to contact me.

Leo Richards, wildlife presenter at Natural World Facts
Watch Videos

Wildlife Films

I create wildlife documentaries and short films on YouTube, including a mix of solo projects and collaborations with passionate individuals, wildlife media groups, and world-leading exploration organisations.

Midwater deep-sea organisms

Footage by Schmidt Ocean Institute, from  our collaborative film Robots in the Deep.

Video Series

Featured Video

CHEMOSYNTHETIC OASES

A feature-length movie exploring the peculiar life that thrives at sites of chemosynthesis in the deep sea, from the towering chimneys of hydrothermal vents to the surreal landscapes of cold seeps, and the sites of partial chemosynthesis that form at whale-falls and sunken wood.

The deep ocean is a place of wonder, and challenges for life. With minimal resources, no sunlight, and only a slow trickle of nutrients making its way down here as 'marine snow', life must find unique ways to exist in the depths. Food is scarce, and with very little energy, survival in the depths is a challenge for any creature. There are some locations in the deep that life has clung to for millions of years, and where food and energy is ever abundant.

Coming Soon

UNDERWATER PARADISE

Watch the trailer for the upcoming four-part feature-length documentary series about the wonders of the Coral Triangle, featuring stunning 4K visuals and filmed across 30 years by underwater videographer Edi Frommenwiler. 

Screenshot 2023-02-12 at 11.54.25.png

2. Night on the Reef

Episode 2 turns everything on its head to explore the peculiar alien-like world of suspension feeders that emerge after dark to feed on the vertically migrating plankton.

4. A Troubled Paradise

Featuring interviews with cameraman Edi, who has spent 30 years diving in the region, we will discuss the anthropogenic impacts affecting the Coral Triangle.

1. The Coral Triangle

Episode 1 will serve as an overview of the reef ecosystem, and its incredible colourful inhabitants.

3. The Sandy Bottom

We will explore the seemingly desolate sandy ecosystem that exists adjacent to the reef, hosting unique assemblages of life.

Watch Episodes 1 & 2 Now

WORLDS OF THE DEEP

Watch the trailer for the upcoming five-part feature-length series about the Worlds of the Deep Sea, created in collaboration with Schmidt Ocean Institute and featuring stunning 4K visuals from their ROV SuBastian.

2. The Midnight Zone

Below a depth of 1,000 metres, the light of the sun is altogether absent, and a host of dramatic animals take to the stage.

4. Seamounts and Canyons

Breaking up the uniformity of the abyssal plain, the seamounts and canyons provide solid ground where colourful corals and gardens of sponge create complex reefs.

1. The Twilight Zone

Just below 100 metres, the ocean midwater becomes a world of gloom, where dazzling bioluminescent drifters and fish of bright silver shimmer in the twilight expanse.

3. The Abyssal Plain

Beneath the crushing pressure of kilometres of water lies a great sea of silt and clay, where curious mud-dwellers abound.

5. Hydrothermal Vents

Where tectonic plates move apart, towering cities can be found in the depths; vents of superheated water, hosting incredible life.

Worlds Episodes
Into the Midnight Zone: Secrets of the Ocean Void
56:13

Into the Midnight Zone: Secrets of the Ocean Void

The Deep Sea Midnight Zone | Worlds of the Deep, a collaboration with Schmidt Ocean Institute. Thank you to Brilliant for sponsoring Natural World Facts 🧠💡 - for a 30-day free trial and 20% off an annual premium subscription visit https://brilliant.org/NaturalWorldFacts/ In the deep ocean, life is divided between very different worlds. In the midwater, pelagic wanderers tread migratory routes that span entire oceans, and planktonic drifters and their predators take part in bioluminescent light shows. It is separated into zones based on depth, including the sunlight zone (epipelagic), twilight zone (mesopelagic), midnight zone (bathypelagic), abyssal and hadal zones. And below, lies the deep sea floor. A kingdom of mud and ooze, where sessile creatures cling to any solid outcrop and corals craft kingdoms on the seamount crusts. The worlds of the deep sea could not be more different, and yet their stories are fundamentally intertwined. In this episode, we delve into the Midnight Zone, a pitch-black zone of the deep sea where life has found peculiar ways to survive the immense pressure, from anglerfish to vampire squid to giant sharks. Support my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/naturalworldfacts Get your hands on DEEP SEA MERCH: https://naturalworldfacts.myshopify.com/ Episodes: 1 - The Twilight Zone - https://youtu.be/dTKUEvGYvSg 2 - The Midnight Zone - (this episode) 3 - The Abyssal Plain - coming soon 4 - Seamounts and Canyons - coming soon 5 - Hydrothermal Vents - coming soon Written, narrated and edited by me, Leo Richards. This channel (Natural World Facts) is a solo passion project dedicated to exploring the wonders of the natural world and telling stories that inspire! I'm so excited to share this series with you at last. Schmidt Ocean Institute (SOI) is a non-profit oceanographic research foundation that has been pioneering deep-sea research and discovery since 2009, on board their old vessel RV Falkor and their new RV Falkor (too). Their remotely operated vehicle (ROV) SuBastian is equipped with a suite of sensors and a 4K camera that has illuminated the depths and live-streamed dives around the world. Most footage shown is filmed and provided by SOI. Huge thank you to them for contributing their footage, and working with me to create this series! Check out their website: https://schmidtocean.org/ Music Used: Most tracks sourced from Artlist, aside from a number of wonderful original elements, themes and motifs crafted by the fantastic Robb Taylor ​⁠(@robbtaylormusic on Instagram). Check out his website at robbtaylor.org 00:00 - Introduction to the Deep Ocean 00:52 - The Zones of the Deep Ocean 03:32 - Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) 04:50 - Entering the Midnight Zone (Bathypelagic) 06:22 - Deep Sea Adaptations - Soft Bodies 07:02 - Deep Sea Adaptations - Gigantism in Greenland Sharks 07:51 - Deep Sea Adaptations - Ctenophores (Comb Jellies) 09:54 - Deep Sea Anglerfish - Bioluminescence & Parasitic Males 11:16 - Fusiform, Compressiform & Globiform Fish 13:44 - Midnight Zone Fish - The Sawtooth Eel 14:29 - Midnight Zone Fish - The Snipe Eel 15:47 - Midnight Zone Fish - The Gulper Eel 16:34 - Deep Sea Adaptations - Ultra-Blackness 17:32 - Midnight Zone Fish - Dragonfish 18:09 - Midnight Zone Fish - Toothy Viperfish 19:06 - Midnight Zone Fish - Pacific Blackchin 19:54 - Midnight Zone Fish - Chimaera (Holocephali) 20:35 - Deep Sea Cephalopods - The Dumbo Octopus 21:55 - Deep Sea Cephalopods - An Overview 22:58 - Deep Sea Cephalopods - Whiplash Squid 24:40 - Deep Sea Cephalopods - Strawberry Squid 26:27 - [Sponsored Interlude] 27:36 - The Aphotic Zone 28:13 - Deep Sea Cephalopods - The Glass Octopus 30:07 - Active Predators - Twilight Zone Squid 30:54 - Active Predators - Humboldt Squid 32:12 - Deep Sea Detritivores - Marine Snow 32:33 - Deep Sea Detritivores - The Vampire Squid 33:22 - A Deep Sea Mother - The Black-eyed Squid 35:15 - The Barrel Amphipod (Phronima) 35:49 - Deep Sea Larvae 36:38 - Deep Sea Hitchhikers 37:43 - Deep Sea Jellyfish - Deepstaria 38:48 - Deep Sea Jellyfish - Big Red Jelly (Tiburonia) 39:23 - Deep Sea Jellyfish - Giant Phantom Jelly (Stygiomedusa) 42:12 - Deep Sea Jellyfish - An Overview 42:50 - Siphonophores - Structures and Varieties 45:34 - Siphonophores - Splitting the Stem 48:48 - Cycles of Life & Nutrients - A Woodland Parallel 52:16 - Swimming Sea Cucumbers 53:38 - Introducing the Deep Sea Floor CHECK OUT MY DEEP SEA WEBSITE: https://naturalworldfacts.com/deep-sea-hub/ #deepsea #wildlife #nature #documentary #ocean #marinebiology #science #biology

FILM COLLECTIONS: