Since 1999, the Arboretum’s interpretive biologist Chris Earley has traveled the world as a nature tour leader for Worldwide Quest. Each of his six talks focus on a different continent and showcase the amazing life that is found there. You’ll meet wildlife you know such as whales, leopards and penguins, and wildlife you may not know, such as lorises, mobulas, silvereyes and geladas. Join Chris and his enthusiasm for these informative and entertaining forays into the nature of our planet.

Fee: $10 (plus HST) per person, per session or book all 6 at once and pay $55 ($5 off the series).

Birds and Beasts Abound (Brazil and the Galapagos)

Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, noon to 1 p.m.

Today we look at the wildlife of two different places on this incredibly biodiverse continent. In Brazil, see the elusive (Jaguar) and the stranger-than-strange (Giant Anteater). We will meet the world’s longest parrot and visit a church that has befriended a wolf taller than a Great Dane. The Galapagos hosts a wide variety of inhabitants than are both accepting and entertaining.

Asia: The Land where the Leopard is King (Sri Lanka)

Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, noon to 1 p.m.

If you like safaris, Sri Lanka is the place for you. With some of the world’s largest Leopards, a variety of habitats and beautiful birdlife, this “drop in the ocean” off the coast of India is an entrancing place for wildlife watching. Dancing daddy longlegs, displaying peacocks and inquisitive monkeys are ready to grab your attention.

North America: Friendly Whales (Mexico’s Baja California)

Friday, March 1, 2024, noon to 1 p.m.

Picture this: You are in a small boat in a shallow bay. You hear a puff of air behind you and turn to see a whale… but not just any whale, one of the world’s friendliest whales. And this whale lifts her baby up to the surface to meet you. For no reward and for no reason other than that she seems to want you to meet her baby as much as you want to meet her baby. These are Baja’s Grey Whales. Oh, did we mention that there are a myriad of other whales to see here, too, as well as sea lions, whale sharks, elephant seals, hummingbirds, shorebirds, gulls…

Australia: Research on the Reef and more

Monday, March 4, 2024, noon to 1 p.m.

Imagine literally living on the Great Barrier Reef. As an undergrad student, I did just that while I was studying a small bird called the Silvereye. Learn about the life of a coral cay island sitting on one of the planet’s most diverse ecosystems. Egg-laying sea turtles, 60 000 nesting noddy terns, 40 000 howling shearwaters, giant spider roommates, shark faceoffs, sandwich-stealing rails and more, all on an island less than 1 km long.

Antarctica: Amazing Animals of the Last Continent

Wednesday, March 6, 2024, noon to 1 p.m.

There be penguins! Visit the vastness that is Antarctica. Incredible vistas and frozen seas where seals, whales and seabirds converge on a food chain based on algae and krill. A stop at South Georgia reveals a Serengeti-like congregation of mammals and birds… including hundreds of thousands of King Penguins. Was that a massive Wandering Albatross that just flew by?

Africa: The Ultimate Wildlife Safari (Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia and Botswana)

Friday, March 8, 2024, noon to 1 p.m.

A trip to Africa is like stepping into a wildlife documentary… you literally don’t know which way to look or what animal to focus your attention on. The intricate patterns on the zebras and giraffes. The sounds of the hippos and hyenas. Size of the eagles and storks. Meet the largest, noisiest and jaw-droppingest collection of creatures you could ever hope to see.

Register to attend.