Ms. Adventure

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What can crocodiles teach us about dating? Why would you want a wolf for a sibling? You'd be surprised; animals can teach us a lot about ourselves. Starting Friday, Jan. 19, at 9 p.m. ET/PT, Animal Planet's new series Ms. Adventure features comedian Rachel Reenstra as she travels the globe to gain insight into human relationships by taking a look at animals.

In every relationship — be it between siblings, parents and children, co-workers, friends, spouses or tribes — there are reasons we get along the way we do. Rachel's journey reveals the animal instincts at work when we mate, fight, nurture, cooperate or trade favors. While she's not giving up on humanity, Rachel introduces viewers to animals we can aspire to be more like in our own relationships. From hanging with orangutans in Borneo to catching koalas down under, Rachel journeys far and wide to take a new look at some amazing animals.

In every episode, she looks at a wide spectrum of animal behavior. In "Parenting," for example, she meets the ultimate "Mr. Mom," a cassowary bird; looks at a wolf pack to see how it takes a village to raise a pup; and then observes mother bears to reveal the truth behind their super-protective reputation. Talking to the experts, she also learns the science behind the behavior. Do bees slave away for their queen just because they're sisters? Sort of. By cooperating to ensure that their sister's kids thrive, some of the worker bees' genetic material is passed on into the future, which makes evolutionary sense. On the opposite side of the sibling spectrum, penguin parents invest everything in their eldest child, and younger siblings are just backups in case the eldest dies.

Researchers point out that when resources are scarce, it's evolutionarily more effective to ensure that one kid makes it, instead of being "fair" and putting both offspring at risk. In addition to experts, Rachel also conducts "man on the street" interviews to discover how people relate to one another, and then looks at those same dynamics in the animal world. After Rachel talks to folks about their experiences with cliques, she meets a number of different animals to figure out what makes their particular clique tick. For example, bison have their own fraternities and sororities, and only socialize with the opposite sex when courting. Baboon females are born into a strict caste system and have to defer to higher-ranking females in order to curry favor and maintain their standing. Sound familiar? We're not as different as you think!