Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00♪♪
00:10♪♪
00:30The polar winter.
00:35This is the planet at its most hostile.
00:45♪♪
00:59Those that stay here at this time
01:02must face the harshest conditions on Earth.
01:06♪♪
01:16♪♪
01:27The high Arctic in late autumn,
01:30empty and abandoned to ice and snow.
01:34♪♪
01:38Most animals migrated south weeks ago.
01:42The few that stay will face violent winds,
01:45plunging temperatures, and months of darkness.
01:49♪♪
01:53A female polar bear searches for shelter.
01:56♪♪
02:01Other bears are out on the frozen ocean looking for food,
02:04but she won't feed again until next spring.
02:08♪♪
02:12Using as little energy as possible,
02:14she starts to dig a shallow nest.
02:19♪♪
02:24The snow here is easy to work.
02:26It's soft and light, a sure sign that soon
02:29plenty more will accumulate on this slope
02:32as winter advances.
02:36And that is what she needs.
02:40♪♪
02:49If she has chosen well,
02:51the Arctic wind will do much of her work for her.
02:55♪♪
03:08Once the snow here is deep enough,
03:10she will dig down to make a den.
03:13She'll then lie waiting for her cubs to be born
03:16as winter sets in.
03:19♪♪
03:34The sea ice already covers twice the area it did in summer.
03:38Those animals that a few weeks ago came down here
03:41to feed in the sea are now locked out.
03:47But there are windows in this white desert,
03:50gateways to the rich ocean below.
03:54♪♪
03:58Most birds have migrated south,
04:01but in the frozen Bering Sea,
04:03ducks of one particular species
04:05are gathering together in a single immense flock.
04:09♪♪
04:14Spectacled eiders,
04:17hundreds of thousands of them.
04:20♪♪
04:35♪♪
04:45♪♪
04:50With the seas that fed them throughout the summer
04:53all but frozen, this is the eider's last refuge.
04:58♪♪
05:04Such patches of open water,
05:06kept free of ice by strong currents,
05:09are given a Russian name, polynyas.
05:12♪♪
05:19If this polynya stays open all winter,
05:22the ducks will have avoided an exhausting migration.
05:26It's a gamble and a tremendous risk,
05:29especially for the spectacled eider,
05:31for this polynya holds the world's entire population.
05:35♪♪
05:55Surrounded by ice,
05:57the spectacled eider's survival
05:59depends on this single vulnerable oasis,
06:03and conditions here can change very fast.
06:06♪♪
06:19A smaller pool.
06:21Here, common eider ducks are learning a bitter lesson.
06:26An early winter storm has caught them out
06:29and the ice is closing in.
06:34The pool is shrinking and the ducks are freezing to death.
06:39♪♪
06:53These gamblers have lost.
06:56♪♪
07:10As the sun's influence continues to dwindle here in the north,
07:14the cold pushes south into Arctic lands.
07:18♪♪
07:36Winter brings a devastatingly destructive force.
07:41Frost.
07:43♪♪
07:47Ice crystals form as moisture in the air freezes.
07:53Inside plants, the same thing is happening
07:55to the water in their cells and their sap.
07:59♪♪
08:02With these first frosts, most plants die,
08:06their insides ripped apart by ice crystals.
08:10♪♪
08:17Coniferous trees, however, like fir and pine,
08:20can withstand very low temperatures.
08:25It's these trees that create the greatest forest on our planet.
08:32This is the tiger.
08:35♪♪
08:41It encircles the globe and contains one-third of all the trees on Earth.
08:46♪♪
08:58As winter deepens, frigid air from the Arctic
09:01meets warm, moist air from the south,
09:04causing particularly heavy snows.
09:07♪♪
09:13For the big animals of the forest,
09:15there's no way of hiding from the winter.
09:18♪♪
09:23But size, for the bison of northern Canada,
09:26is, in fact, their salvation.
09:28Big bodies lose less heat and can carry more insulation.
09:33That may be why these bison are the largest land animals in North America.
09:42And only a large predator can tackle them.
09:46♪♪
09:54Wolves hunt better in packs, but there are only two of them here,
09:57and the prey they pursue are giants.
10:00♪♪
10:08♪♪
10:17A vast Arctic wilderness stretches all around.
10:21In it, somewhere, there are bison.
10:24♪♪
10:30These deep tracks in the snow are easy to follow,
10:34but which way were the bison going?
10:37♪♪
10:45♪♪
10:52They have detected ascent.
10:54The hunt is on.
10:56♪♪
11:01Running in the bison's tracks is easy.
11:03The snow here is compressed and firm.
11:08At this rate, the wolves will soon catch up.
11:11♪♪
11:15They attempt a shortcut.
11:18The giant bison can plow on through virgin snow,
11:22but for the wolves, deep snow is a hindrance,
11:25and now they're losing ground.
11:27♪♪
11:37♪♪
11:45The hunters rejoin the bison's tracks,
11:48and the contest is on again.
11:50♪♪
12:00♪♪
12:08The bison are the only prey here in winter.
12:11The wolves have no option.
12:12They must tackle them.
12:14♪♪
12:16But bison are ten times their size.
12:19♪♪
12:27♪♪
12:37In winter, the line between life and death is so narrow
12:41that for a wolf, even a small injury could be fatal.
12:46It's crucial they select the right target.
12:50This one is very big.
12:53Good decision.
12:55♪♪
13:05♪♪
13:15This is smaller, a yearling.
13:20Even though it's young,
13:21it's nonetheless heavier than both wolves combined,
13:24and it is extremely powerful.
13:26♪♪
13:34♪♪
13:44♪♪
13:53The male wolf backs off.
13:55Perhaps he's frightened of injury,
13:57but the female is more determined or more desperate.
14:01♪♪
14:11♪♪
14:21♪♪
14:31♪♪
14:42Having given so much already, she must make the kill.
14:47This is a battle of life and death for them both.
14:51♪♪
15:02The bison has no strength left.
15:06The battle is over.
15:16♪♪
15:20Winter deepens.
15:22The snow continues to accumulate, smothering the forest.
15:27♪♪
15:38Some trees are loaded with three tons of snow.
15:43It shuts out what little light there is at these latitudes,
15:47and that shortens the growing season still further
15:50and limits how far north trees are able to grow.
15:54♪♪
16:03So snow influences both the shapes of the trees
16:07and the extent of this forest.
16:10♪♪
16:15And it affects the animals, too.
16:20It helps to have friends if you want to find food
16:24at this time of the year.
16:27Wolverines and ravens, a match made in the taiga.
16:34It's the hardest time of the year to find food,
16:37but the wolverine knows that a raven's call is as good as a dinner bell.
16:46And the raven has just recruited the best can opener in the forest.
16:54The moose carcass is frozen solid,
16:56but the wolverine has immensely powerful jaws,
16:59well able to deal with frozen food.
17:02The raven's bill is more suited to leftovers.
17:07♪♪
17:18The raven has to be patient.
17:28A wolverine's appetite is legendary.
17:31According to folklore, it can eat more at one sitting
17:34than any other creature in the forest, hence its other name, the glutton.
17:51What the wolverine can't eat now, it stores in the deep freeze.
17:56It will bury these food parcels across the forest,
17:59planning ahead for leaner times.
18:04♪♪
18:13For a few, the snow is an ally.
18:16♪♪
18:33Wolves stay active throughout the winter beneath the snow,
18:37despite the freezing temperatures above.
18:45Traveling along tiny corridors,
18:47they move from pocket to pocket of perfectly refrigerated food.
18:56Snow is a great insulator,
18:58so down here the temperature never falls more than a degree or so
19:02below zero, and that's warm enough for a vole to thrive,
19:06even if it lacks the stature of a bison.
19:17In some years, vole numbers boom,
19:20and then they're forced to break cover to search for more food.
19:24♪♪
19:34♪♪
19:45♪♪
19:53The great grey owl is a silent and very skillful hunter,
19:57but deep snow can be beyond its reach.
20:05But such snow is no barrier to one predator.
20:10The leased weasel, a tiny hunter and the vole's nemesis.
20:20Its body is exactly the same width as a vole's,
20:24so there's nowhere a vole can go that the weasel can't follow.
20:28♪♪
20:38♪♪
20:48♪♪
20:58♪♪
21:08♪♪
21:14The weasel's long, slender shape is perfect for hunting in tunnels,
21:19but the worst possible shape for staying warm,
21:22so they need a special way of doing that.
21:25♪♪
21:34She plucks the fur from its body, tuft by tuft.
21:38♪♪
21:47And now she puts it all together to make a cosy blanket
21:51under which to sleep in her den below the snow.
22:09Midwinter in the northern forests.
22:14The sun is so low that it's twilight at midday.
22:23Farther north in the high Arctic,
22:26the sun has been below the horizon for months,
22:29and it'll be several more before it appears again.
22:32♪♪
22:42♪♪
22:52♪♪
23:02♪♪
23:12♪♪
23:22The male polar bear spends winter out on the frozen ocean.
23:29Few creatures can endure these conditions.
23:32♪♪
23:38If he's lucky, he will find a carcass
23:40that could provide a little food,
23:42possibly that of a fox or another polar bear.
23:49But otherwise, he must live on his reserves.
23:55This is the time to scrape by, to wait.
24:03♪♪
24:09But on these side slopes, beneath the snow,
24:13new lives are beginning.
24:16♪♪
24:26♪♪
24:35The cubs are born blind and tiny,
24:39and early birth is easier on the mother, who is barely awake.
24:46♪♪
24:57Despite her sleepiness, her instinct to nurse is overwhelming.
25:02♪♪
25:12♪♪
25:17The cubs' clucking calls stimulate her to produce milk.
25:21And what milk?
25:23It's nine times richer than our own
25:26and enables her to double their weight every few weeks.
25:30♪♪
25:40♪♪
25:48It's over two months since the autumn snows first arrived.
25:53In two more months, polar bear families will emerge
25:57onto the snowy slopes all around the Arctic.
26:01But for now, they lie protected within their icy cocoons.
26:06♪♪
26:17♪♪
26:25♪♪
26:29A hundred miles above the Earth, the aurora lights up the sky.
26:35♪♪
26:45After traveling millions of miles across space,
26:48solar winds, attracted by the magnetic pull of the poles,
26:52collide with the Earth's atmosphere.
26:54♪♪
26:56Trillions of charged particles dance across the sky.
27:01♪♪
27:09Above the Arctic, the aurora borealis, the northern lights.
27:15In the south, it's the aurora australis, the southern lights,
27:20that bring light to Antarctica's long winter.
27:24♪♪
27:32These spectacular light shows are only a tease.
27:36Solar energy may be, but no warmth that will help the emperor penguins.
27:42♪♪
27:54The Arctic winter is brutally cold,
27:57but in Antarctica, the darkest months are even more savage.
28:02♪♪
28:17The male penguins have not eaten for months
28:21and have only each other for protection from the gales.
28:25♪♪
28:34Each has been entrusted with a single precious egg
28:37balanced on the top of its feet.
28:40If the egg were to drop onto the ice,
28:42even for a moment, the chicken's side would die,
28:45and all this would count for nothing.
28:48♪♪
28:56The emperors are not entirely alone.
28:59♪♪
29:04The Weddell Sea, the only mammal to remain here throughout the winter.
29:09♪♪
29:16They must have breathing holes
29:18and so have to constantly scrape away the ice that threatens to close them,
29:22rasping away fresh buildups with special wide-gaped jaws.
29:27♪♪
29:32Beneath the ice, they are beyond the reach of the bitter winter winds.
29:37♪♪
29:40The sea is minus two degrees centigrade,
29:44a warm bath compared to the conditions overhead.
29:47♪♪
29:54♪♪
29:59The roof of ice insulates this world from the wild fluctuations above.
30:04♪♪
30:06The temperature down here has barely changed for 25 million years.
30:12♪♪
30:20Of course, animals must still be hardy.
30:24These Borg-Rivinke fish have antifreeze in their blood,
30:28so they're untroubled swimming among the ice crystals.
30:32♪♪
30:37Many animals here are remarkably long-lived,
30:40perhaps because the conditions are so stable.
30:44Some sponges could be 1,000 years old
30:47and large enough for a human to hide in.
30:49♪♪
30:51There could hardly be a greater contrast
30:54to the bleak, windswept world just above.
30:58♪♪
31:08♪♪
31:18♪♪
31:25♪♪
31:31But there is a constant danger here.
31:34♪♪
31:40Swirling patterns in the water reveal its presence.
31:45They're made by brine, superconcentrated saltwater.
31:50It's a warning.
31:52♪♪
31:56New sea ice forming above leaves behind brine
32:00that is so extremely salty, it sinks rapidly.
32:03♪♪
32:09As it descends, the seawater around it freezes instantly
32:13and forms a sheath of ice,
32:15a brine nickel that grows downwards towards the seafloor.
32:19♪♪
32:29Winter is reaching down from the cold world above.
32:33♪♪
32:40♪♪
32:47As it touches the seafloor,
32:49it kills whatever living thing it contacts
32:52by encasing it in a tube of ice.
32:55♪♪
33:05♪♪
33:15♪♪
33:21Even in the relative warmth of the water,
33:24the lethal cold of winter threatens life on the seafloor.
33:28♪♪
33:33♪♪
33:39Another, more constant attack rises from below.
33:44Pressure in the depths keeps water liquid
33:46even though its temperature is far from freezing.
33:49♪♪
33:52Currents bring up this colder water,
33:54and it turns to ice,
33:56covering everything that can't move away from it.
34:00♪♪
34:10♪♪
34:22And then the ice, being lighter than water,
34:25begins to float, lifting away anything attached.
34:30♪♪
34:40♪♪
34:50Even some of the faster-moving animals are caught.
34:54♪♪
35:04♪♪
35:09So the ice cleanses the seafloor
35:12and screws the ceiling above with remnants of life from below.
35:17♪♪
35:24♪♪
35:28A sign that winter is nearly over.
35:31♪♪
35:34The songs of male Weddell seals challenging their rivals to battle.
35:39♪♪
35:46The male seal's calls can be heard over 15 miles away.
35:50♪♪
35:56♪♪
36:01He aims to control the best breathing holes,
36:04for they will determine his mating rights in spring.
36:08♪♪
36:15His calls create powerful shockwaves in the water.
36:20They're threats.
36:22♪♪
36:32This hole has already been claimed,
36:35and the owner will not surrender it willingly.
36:38♪♪
36:48No change this time.
36:50The challenger will need to find a hole with a weaker owner.
36:54♪♪
37:02The battles continue until the females arrive,
37:06and that time is now close.
37:09♪♪
37:16♪♪
37:26♪♪
37:35The sun returns to Antarctica.
37:38♪♪
37:41The longest night on Earth has ended,
37:43and winter begins to give way to spring.
37:46♪♪
38:01♪♪
38:11♪♪
38:17Female emperor penguins.
38:19After four months feeding at sea,
38:21they're returning sleek and fat.
38:24♪♪
38:34♪♪
38:44♪♪
38:55Penguins, it seems, can fly after all.
38:58♪♪
39:01But a winter at sea has left them a little out of practice.
39:05♪♪
39:15♪♪
39:25♪♪
39:35♪♪
39:45♪♪
39:57There is no time to waste.
39:59Far away, the males are waiting.
40:02♪♪
40:12While the females were gone,
40:14the sea ice grew,
40:16and it's now twice the distance from its edge
40:18back to their colony.
40:20♪♪
40:27Seventy miles away,
40:29the males are in desperate need of help.
40:32♪♪
40:34Despite doing all they can to conserve their energy,
40:38many are close to dying from starvation.
40:41♪♪
40:51♪♪
41:01♪♪
41:11♪♪
41:21♪♪
41:33Reunited after three months apart.
41:36♪♪
41:47The reward for her return,
41:49a first glimpse of her chick.
41:51♪♪
41:57The reunion made,
41:59it's time for the handover.
42:01♪♪
42:06The father finds it hard to let go.
42:09♪♪
42:12Some gentle persuasion is needed.
42:15♪♪
42:17He has endured the most appalling conditions on Earth
42:21to ensure the survival of his chick,
42:23and the bond is strong.
42:25♪♪
42:27The exchange must be quick,
42:29as the tiny chick, unprotected,
42:31could freeze to death in seconds.
42:34♪♪
42:45A task that began in autumn has been completed.
42:49Despite the huge odds against it,
42:51the precious chick has survived the winter
42:54and is now with its mother,
42:56and she has food.
42:58♪♪
43:08The chick's first fresh meal.
43:12Her mission is complete.
43:15♪♪
43:18But for other mothers,
43:20the journey ends in disappointment.
43:23♪♪
43:26Their chicks have not survived.
43:29♪♪
43:33The female's need to nurture remains strong.
43:36Any chick that strays from its parent
43:38is at grave risk of being kidnapped.
43:41♪♪
43:51♪♪
44:01♪♪
44:11♪♪
44:18The chaos may be a consequence of frustrated parental urge,
44:22but the outcome can be tragic.
44:25♪♪
44:33♪♪
44:42For those emperor penguins that survive,
44:45the worst is over for this year.
44:48♪♪
44:53There will soon be abundant food for everyone.
44:57♪♪
45:06The emperors have taken on the polar winter and won.
45:10The gamble has paid off.
45:13All other animals escaped.
45:15Only they remain to raise their young.
45:18And now it is they who will benefit most
45:21from the rich southern spring.
45:24♪♪
45:32Another arrival is the certain confirmation
45:35that spring is here.
45:37The Adelids, having spent winter at sea, have come back,
45:41but they have not even mated yet,
45:44let alone laid their eggs.
45:46♪♪
45:53Now, at last, the male emperors can return
45:57to where they are most at home.
46:00♪♪
46:09♪♪
46:15One season ends and another begins.
46:19The penguins will soon be joined by migrants,
46:23and the far south will bustle with life
46:26for a few frantic months.
46:28♪♪
46:38But there are only a special few, north and south,
46:42who can survive winter at the farthest ends of our planet.
46:48♪♪
46:58♪♪
47:08♪♪
47:18♪♪
47:30More than any other season in the poles,
47:32winter was to pose the greatest challenge
47:35to the frozen planet crew.
47:37The team endured winds of over 100 miles an hour
47:40and temperatures as low as minus 50 degrees centigrade.
47:45Their boats were trapped in sea ice for days,
47:48while bears trapped others indoors.
47:51♪♪
47:55Some of the coldest conditions experienced
47:57were near the Arctic Circle in northern Canada.
48:01In winter, temperatures dropped to minus 40 degrees
48:04and stayed there.
48:07On the edge of the vast tiger forest,
48:09the team hoped to film one of the most remarkable
48:12predator-prey relationships on the planet.
48:16What they experienced was the struggle against the elements.
48:20What they witnessed was a more profound struggle
48:23for life and death.
48:25♪♪
48:36Wood Buffalo National Park covers 28,000 square miles,
48:40the size of Denmark.
48:42One of the few cameramen to have filmed wolves and bison here
48:46is Jeff Turner.
48:48I first tried to film bison and wolves in this national park
48:5115 years ago, and getting around on the ground
48:54is incredibly difficult at any time of the year,
48:57but in the winter, it's tough.
48:59We quickly realized that the only way we were going to get
49:01anything here was we had to get up in the air.
49:04The Frozen Planet team had never attempted aerial filming
49:07in such low temperatures.
49:11The first challenge for director Chatham Hunter
49:14was protecting the sensitive aerial camera
49:16and minus 40 electrical cables short-circuit like fireworks.
49:22Oh!
49:24How cold can you find this chopper?
49:26Minus 40.
49:28Aerial cameraman Michael Kellam comes from sunny California
49:32and has never experienced temperatures so low.
49:35What kind of temperatures can you operate down to?
49:38Usually about 70 degrees Fahrenheit, LA kind of weather.
49:41Yeah, I'm only rated for Santa Monica.
49:45Operating delicate controls while wearing gloves is not easy.
49:49A computer and joystick are needed to control the aerial camera
49:53attached to the outside of the helicopter.
49:55It's actually warmed up to minus 38.
49:57Michael would have to choose between dexterity or warmth.
50:02With their camera mounted on the nose,
50:04the aerial team could now fly hundreds of miles
50:07in search of the animals.
50:10Jeff, meanwhile, is still on foot,
50:12scouting the other side of the national park.
50:15I wonder how Jeff's getting on the ground.
50:17Oh, man, it's cold.
50:19With the wind today, it's about minus 37,
50:21so we've got to keep these heaters in here,
50:24keep the camera running at these temperatures.
50:27From 3,000 feet up,
50:29Chaddon catches a glimpse of the elusive wolf pack.
50:33I can see wolves. I can see wolves near Buffalo.
50:36Ten, 15, that's a big pack.
50:39We've got a big pack of wolves here.
50:41The wolf pack turns out to number an extraordinary 25 individuals,
50:46one of the largest ever filmed.
50:48There's two more walking in from the left.
50:50And it looks like they're already on the hunt.
50:53The helicopter allows the team to shadow the wolf pack
50:56without disturbing them.
50:58Let's go back into that nice, slow circle.
51:03They look pretty determined.
51:05The pack are moving in on their prey,
51:07and the aerial team are perfectly placed.
51:13They're making their move.
51:15All right, there's Buffalo on the move.
51:19The chase is on.
51:20Extreme concentration is now needed
51:22both from the pilot and the cameraman
51:24to keep the shot smooth.
51:45The wolf pack have picked out a young bison.
51:51As Michael struggles to hold the shot steady,
51:53no one is prepared for what came next.
51:56Oh, look, I just knocked him down pretty much.
52:01A one-ton bull charges through,
52:03taking out both the wolves and the young bison.
52:08I've never seen anything like that in a while.
52:10That is unbelievable.
52:13The team have filmed extraordinary new behaviour from the air,
52:16but Jeff was nowhere nearby.
52:19To complete the sequence, they will need to work together.
52:22Only by using the helicopter to position Jeff
52:25will they be able to get both air and ground coverage.
52:37This pack will now feast for days,
52:40so the crew must move on.
52:44Jeff takes the team deeper into the wilderness
52:47in search of a new wolf pack.
52:49With everyone on board, there are more eyes than spotting.
52:54Bison on the run can only mean one thing.
52:57Wolves.
52:58But this time, only a pair.
53:02Jeff must anticipate the animal's every move
53:05and direct the helicopter to where he needs to be dropped off.
53:12Had to figure out exactly where the buffalo were going to run
53:15and try to get there ahead of them.
53:18If I got dropped off in the wrong position, we would blow it.
53:22There wasn't going to be a second chance.
53:34That moment when you get out of the helicopter
53:36and it leaves you behind,
53:38you feel an incredible sense of isolation.
53:42On the lake, I'll guide you in down to the right.
53:46Down, zoom in.
53:48Which are you on, the back guy or the front guy?
53:50We're on the back guy.
53:52Which one are they going for?
53:54I don't know.
53:55There's one broken off.
53:57Oh, my God.
53:59They're coming in now.
54:01When I saw the herd coming around the corner,
54:03I knew we'd picked the right spot.
54:05I was right in front of them.
54:07When the buffalo are running right towards you,
54:10it definitely does get your heart pounding.
54:14The bison have poor eyesight and can't see Jeff.
54:17It's now a test of nerves.
54:20Weighing one tonne and running at 40 miles an hour,
54:23one wrong step and the bison could kill Jeff.
54:26At the last second, they spot him
54:28and three peel away to the other side.
54:34At the back of the herd, the wolves have closed in.
54:38Don't kill Adam.
54:40They're trying to separate that little one.
54:45No, they've got him!
54:47No, it's clamping down on him.
54:49Yeah, you've got to stop.
54:51What followed was one of the most emotional and powerful scenes
54:55the Frozen Planet team were ever to film.
54:59Jeff has picked his position perfectly.
55:02He is now only 50 metres from the animals
55:05and able to film a truly epic battle.
55:09I had never been so close to a wolf and bison battle.
55:13I could hear them breathing.
55:16And the power of the buffalo,
55:18the way he just threw this wolf around like it was a rag doll.
55:22I couldn't believe the beating this wolf was taking.
55:29The struggles that we'd had with the winter and the cold and the snow
55:33just felt so insignificant
55:36compared to these two animals that were struggling for their very lives.
55:43For over an hour, I watched this wolf and bison battle each other to a stance.
55:50They were both unbelievably exhausted.
55:54Watching these two animals engaged in this massive life-and-death struggle
55:59was one of the most powerful things I'd ever witnessed in the wild.
56:05As a filmmaker, you're definitely torn watching something like this.
56:09You know you need to keep filming, and you know this is a natural event.
56:13But it's also incredibly sad to know that one of these two magnificent animals
56:18isn't going to make it.
56:24The bison is fatally wounded.
56:27The battle is over.
56:31The team have managed to capture a remarkable hunt
56:34from both ground and air.
56:37All of them have been humbled
56:39by witnessing an extraordinary winter struggle for survival.
56:43To be continued...
57:13To be continued...