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’.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.Smithsonian Channel

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.Smithsonian Channel

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.Smithsonian Channel

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?Smithsonian Channel

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.Smithsonian Channel

A herd of migrating elephants are acquiring necessary minerals like calcium and potassium from a burnt wood clearing. It’s also an impromptu reunion spot for all traveling elephant herds.Smithsonian Channel

In 1866, Hiram Maxim, an American engineer, tried out a rifle for the first time and found himself wondering how he could make it better. The result was the Maxim gun – the word’s first recoil-operated machine gun.Smithsonian Channel

Orangutans are adept at improvising and using tools – this experienced female has learnt to make a makeshift umbrella hat – useful in a storm.Smithsonian Channel

Over the course of a decade, deep-cover Russian spies embedded in America collected intelligence and passed it onto their handlers. The FBI investigation into them became known as Operation Ghost Stories.Smithsonian Channel

In 2006, British Intelligence were convinced that two people they were surveilling were part of an active Al-Qaeda terror cell. They were about to discover the scale of their plotting.Smithsonian Channel

In primates, recognition of snakes is instinctive, but fear of snakes is learned. Today, caretakers of the jungle school set about teaching them.Smithsonian Channel

The C-5 Galaxy is a true giant among USAF cargo planes – but its development was not without problems. Just four years after it made its debut, a serious design flaw threatened the future of the entire line.Smithsonian Channel

Lizard biologists in the Caribbean have observed a fascinating phenomenon: different lizard species across different islands appear to share specific physical traits. But how, if they've never been in contact?Smithsonian Channel

The F-35B is designed to stop in midair before landing vertically on an aircraft carrier, using immense downward thrust. What’s never been attempted before is a shipborne rolling vertical landing – until now.Smithsonian Channel

Baboons love babies – you can see it in the way the mothers carry their newborns around like royalty. But the cold reality is that their rank at birth will always determine how well they're treated within the troop.Smithsonian Channel

Testing the F-35B Lightning involves three different groups of people aboard the HMS Queen Elizabeth: British Royal Navy aircraft hands, civilian scientists and American maintainers from the Integrated Task Force.Smithsonian Channel

From a breeding perspective, cheetahs are one of the hardest animals to work with. That’s why the birth of two litters at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute is a huge coup for the species.Smithsonian Channel

A python’s heat sense receptors have picked up a rabbit, feeding on some cabbage. It’s the perfect sized meal for an expectant mom with a clutch of eggs inside her.Smithsonian Channel

Life for the crew of the HMS Queen Elizabeth is a challenging combination of cabin fever and high alertness: often confined to below deck, surrounded by potentially dangerous stockpiles of fuel and ammunition.Smithsonian Channel

After 20 hours of Luangwa rainfall, the skies begin to clear. But soon, the air is thick again with a swarm of winged termites, looking to mate. It’s an ideal feeding opportunity for a nearby troop of vervet monkeys.Smithsonian Channel

On March 24, 2009, the Lady Mary was nearing the end of a successful scallop hauling expedition, when the boat began to list onto its port side. The crew braced themselves for the fight of their lives.Smithsonian Channel

A young female rhino has been brought into base camp so she can recuperate and build her strength. Her value cannot be overstated – a key hope for Zambia’s endangered rhino population.Smithsonian Channel

Preliminary investigations into the April 2, 2001 sinking of the Arctic Rose reveal that she previously underwent modifications to her design. Were they the reason this 93-foot fishing trawler capsized so quickly?Smithsonian Channel

Investigators determine that on the night of January 7, 1994, conditions were moderately icy around Port Columbus International Airport. But if other planes were able to land, why did Flight 6291 crash?Smithsonian Channel

A flock of marabou storks have stumbled on a handsome bounty: a small shoal of catfish. But their clumsy enthusiasm has attracted the attention of another opportunist.Smithsonian Channel

With no apparent mechanical or external cause found for the September 14, 2008 crash, investigators focus on the flight crew’s experience. Were they qualified and adequately trained to fly a Boeing 737?Smithsonian Channel

A two-month-old baboon is sitting on his mother’s back, jockey-style, and taking in the world from his vantage point. By the time he’s just six-months-old, he’ll become a master of climbing on his own.Smithsonian Channel

A group of conservationists attempt to get close to a troop of gorillas, led by a male silverback. It’s a risky job – if the male feels threatened, he may lash out, with fatal consequences.Smithsonian Channel

Were crosswinds on December 20, 2008 in excess of the safety limit of 33 knots? If it was, that could explain why Flight 1404 veered so hard to the left before its crash at Denver International Airport.Smithsonian Channel

Kinda male-female bonds appear stronger than in other baboon species. This is apparent in the amount of time they spend grooming each other – even outside the mating season.Smithsonian Channel

The act of dive bombing during World War II was a death defying trial of skill and nerve. You aimed your plane down, four miles above the ocean, and plummeted at speeds of up to 275 miles per hour.Smithsonian Channel

A powerful group of lions, the Nsefu pride, are busy digging into a recent buffalo kill when they are disturbed by a herd of elephants. Both sides immediately switch to high alert.Smithsonian Channel

A man finds himself trapped in the cargo deck of the Norman Atlantic on December 28, 2014, with a fire bearing down on him. He has to make a decision: stay and evade the flames or jump into the sea.Smithsonian Channel

Dusty Kleiss is a bonafide American hero: a veteran pilot of the Battle of Midway, and one of the most effective dive bombers in U.S. military history.Smithsonian Channel

An American biologist sets out to study the little-known Kinda baboon species - and this involves getting close to them in their natural habitat. Everything is of interest, from their fur patterns to their mannerisms.Smithsonian Channel

Landing on runway 10 at Guantanamo Bay is tricky and requires special training for pilots. But did the captain of Flight 808, which crashed on August 18, 1993, get that training?Smithsonian Channel

Games among leopard litters like this one are an essential part of their development. But sometimes, it’s nothing more than having fun.Smithsonian Channel

A wily old leopard is hiding in a gully waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Nearby, zebras and antelope graze contentedly, unaware of the threat they’re under.Smithsonian Channel

Lab analysis reveals that a faulty valve on Cathay Pacific Flight 780 is an absorbent polymer, used in refueling trucks to prevent water from getting into the aircraft fuel tanks. So how did it end up in the aircraft?Smithsonian Channel

Oxpeckers perform a valuable service to hippos, keeping their skin free of ticks and dead skin. But they've also been known to keep host wounds open, so they can feed off the flesh.Smithsonian Channel

The F-35 Lightning, capable of speeds of up to a 1,000 miles per hour, and packed with advanced stealth characteristics, is the ideal jet fighter for the HMS Queen Elizabeth. Together, they form a formidable team.Smithsonian Channel

Herring in the sea of Okhotsk only lay their eggs once the temperature of the water has reached 40 degrees. This is important news for the vulnerable Steller’s Sea Eagles who rely on the herring for food.Smithsonian Channel

Investigators discover that the Galloping Ghost, the plane that crashed at the Reno Air Races on September 16, 2011, had its wings modified to make it faster. Was this a factor in its loss of control?Smithsonian Channel

The B-17 enabled the eighth Air Force to embark on a type of bombing campaign not seen before in the war: daylight bombing missions, aimed at minimizing civilian casualties.Smithsonian Channel

A team of researchers are on the trail of a black rhino bull whose transmitter has failed. To find him, they’ll rely on his spoor: clues such as urine trails, footprints and food he may have grazed on.Smithsonian Channel

A young female orangutan spots something across the water. To investigate, she wades in and begins to swim – startlingly unusual behavior for an orangutan.Smithsonian Channel

Investigators looking into the crash of Aeroflot-Nord Flight 821, which crashed on September 14, 2008, ran into a lot of dead ends: from a totally destroyed engine to a badly damaged flight data recorder.Smithsonian Channel

Britain was racked by devastating economic hardship in the 1930s and ordinary people began to take their anger out on what was seen as the ultimate symbol of entitlement: the British Royal family.Smithsonian Channel

At the chimp haven on Ngamba island, a 2-year-old orphan by the name of Easy spends most of his day slowly learning the skills that will help him reintegrate into chimp community.Smithsonian Channel