Exclusive Clip: Paul Rudd Gets to Know the Secrets of the Octopus

Earth Day is right around the corner, and National Geographic has been rolling out conscientious programming all month long with ourHOME, the global cross-platform Earth Month Campaign it launched April 1 with The Walt Disney Company.

Along with Disneynature’s Tiger, fans of nature documentaries will also find Secrets of the Octopus, which premieres April 21 at 8:00 P.M. ET on Nat Geo. The latest installment in an ongoing series, Secrets of the Octopus offers a deep dive into the inner workings of our tentacled friends. There’s no way to watch this three-part series without thinking these are astounding creatures — one researcher may have found proof that octopi/octopuses dream, so maybe 86 the takoyaki — but if you need more convincing, how about having Paul Rudd walk you through a day in the life of an octopus?

Rudd joins a very different kind of franchise to narrate Secrets of the Octopus, which is executive produced by James Cameron, who’s partnered with Nat Geo on multiple Titanic docs as well as worked with the network to uncover Secrets of the Bees and Secrets of the Penguins. The Octopus installment, which is made up of only three parts even though the number eight was right there, features reliably gorgeous photography and many eye-opening moments — including one we’re unveiling in an exclusive clip.

The Ant-Man star narrates this showdown between a pregnant blue-ringed octopus, who’s just trying to safely lay her eggs, and a sting ray, which leads to a breathtaking display.

The blue-ringed octopus is able to trigger muscles to reveal thousands of light-reflecting cells in its rings, and even adjust the contrast by darkening the skin around them. This light show, captured in great detail here, warns the sting ray to keep its distance, which it does.

The three-part limited series debuts in full on April 21 — a day too late for 4/20 viewing (for which nature docs are always a great choice), but just ahead of Earth Day.

Danette Chavez is the Editor-in-Chief of Primetimer and its biggest fan of puns.