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Ati'en borough: Ourplanet may be home to

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30 million different kinds
of animals and plants,

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each individual locked in
its own lifelong fight for survival.

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Everywhere you look,
on land or in the ocean,

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there are extraordinary examples
of the lengths

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living things go to to stay alive.

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This is the coast of Florida.

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Here, strange scars on the sea bed

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hint at one animal's
remarkable strategy.

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These are bottlenose dolphins,

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one of the most
intelligent animals on earth.

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Their prey is very elusive,
fast-swimming fish.

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But the dolphins have in vented
a completely new way of hunting.

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By beating its tail down hard,
this dolphin stirs up the shallow silt.

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And by swimming in a tight circle,

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it creates a ring of mushrooming mud
around a shoal of fish.

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The contracting ring traps the fish
just like a net.

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Panicked the fish jump to escape,

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right into the open mouths
of the waiting dolphins.

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Again and again,
the lead dolphin creates a circle

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before they all line up
with perfect timing.

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These dolphins are the only ones

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known to have developed
this hunting behaviour,

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and it gives them an edge.

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This sort of advantage

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may mean the difference
between life and death

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in the survival of the fittest.

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This series reveals the most
spectacular and extraordinary strategies

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that animals and plants have developed
to stay alive.

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For every creature,
every day is full of challenges,

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all of which must be overcome,
somehow, in order to survive.

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I(en ya, famous for its big cats,
the supreme hunters.

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Cheetahs specialise in hunting at speed.

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Though fast, they are fragile creatures,
built to sprint after small prey.

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They don't have the strength
or weight of a lion

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to bring down larger animals.

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This male is different.
He doesn't hunt alone.

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He's learnt that
there is strength in numbers.

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But here, there are not just two,
but three cheetahs.

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A band of brothers.

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They have changed their tactics

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and by doing so
ha ve taken their prey by surprise.

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They have learnt that working together,

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they can bring down large prey.

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An ostrich.

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A bird that towers over a cheetah
and is more than twice as heavy.

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It can't fly to escape danger,
but it can lash out with a deadly kick.

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A female, unaware as yet of an y danger.

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Even with three of them,
this is still highly risky.

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If one gets injured

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the other two couldn't hope
to tackle such large prey.

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On the other hand

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if they get it right,
the rewards are huge.

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The male has spotted
one of the brothers, but only one.

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It's not too worried.

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Then suddenly, there are three!

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The female is slower
to realise the danger,

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and the cheetahs switch targets.

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It takes the combined effort
and weight of all three brothers

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to bring down this powerful bird.

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Even now, the ostrich
could land a fatal kick.

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So far, the brothers are winning.

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Ostriches have yet to
find a way to foil such tactics.

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Other animals have also evolved
surprising tactics

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to outmanoeuvre the enemy,
not with brute strength,

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but with extraordinary weapons.

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Madagascar.

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A strange world
where nothing is quite as it seems.

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To hunt here requires
stealth and subterfuge.

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And living within the trees
is a master of ambush,

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a praying mantis.

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Well-camouflaged and lightning-quick,

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these insects are
highly efficient predators.

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But even they are outgunned.

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A chameleon.

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Its camouflage is exceptional

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because it can change its skin colour
to match its surroundings.

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Its eyes move independently
to spot prey.

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It creeps towards its victim
until just in range.

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Then it unleashes a super weapon.

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Its tongue shoots out at
75 metres per second

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and not only hits,
but grasps, its target.

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But few hunters are always successful.

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For them, a hunt is just one meal.

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For prey, the stakes are higher.

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It's life or death.

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As Antarctica moves
from spring into summer,

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the inlets and bays
once choked with ice become free

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And animals move in to feed.

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These are crabeater seals.
They don't actually eat crabs,

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but krill, small shrimps that swarm
in their billions in these waters.

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Resting on a large ice floe,

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these crabeaters are safe.

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But as soon as they enter the water,

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they are on their guard,

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for good reason.

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I(iller whales.

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Here in Antarctica,
many killer whales prey only on fish.

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But these whales are different,
they specialise in hunting seals.

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This seal, swimming to open water,

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is unaware of
the danger heading his way.

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Until now.

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He's in real trouble.
There is no escape

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unless he can hide behind
this small piece of floating ice.

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But he's been spotted, and surrounded.

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Now agility is his only chance.

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He dodges for his life, staying
as close as he can to the iceberg.

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He '5 tiring,

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and the whales tighten the circle,
going for the kill.

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But hunters don't always
get their own way.

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In the end, the seal's
determination and skill,

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using the ice for protection,
kept him just out of reach.

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And the whales move on.

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Recently, it's been observed
that killer whales

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are much more successful
when hunting other types of seal.

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Crabeaters like this
put up too much of a fight.

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For creatures living in the open ocean,

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there is nowhere to hide from predators.

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But there is safety in numbers.

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One fish, however,
has evolved a different escape tactic,

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to leave the water completely,
take to the air and fly!

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After a huge effort to get airborne,

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flying fish can glide 200 metres or so

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to escape the predators chasing them.

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Not all animals are hunters,
many are vegetarians.

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But the battle between
animals and plants

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can also be intense.

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Boa I/ista, central Brazil.

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This valley is peppered
with strangely pitted rocks.

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These are not natural formations,

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but the legacy of a long struggle
between one animal and one plant.

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Brown tufted capuchins,
highly intelligent monkeys.

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They spend their nights
in the safety of caves,

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emerging each morning to find food.

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Down in the valley is
a particular favourite,

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a nut palm.

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The palms produce huge seeds,

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but they ha ve very strong shells

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that protect them against
attack from hungry animals.

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For the capuchins,
this is a war of attrition.

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They check which seed is the ripest

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and the battle commences.

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The first job is to tear the tough,
fibrous husk from the nut.

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He doesn't try to
crack the nut straightaway,

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but drops it to the ground.

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He's learnt that a nut should be given
a week or so drying in the sun.

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These are ones he prepared earlier.

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He taps them to see if they're ready.

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This huge, flat rock is his anvil.

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And this is a hammer.

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It's made of a different and
much harder rock than the anvil.

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Now something extraordinary happens.

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The capuchins' use of these stone tools

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requires an exceptional level of
intelligence, planning and dexterity.

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The nut finally cracks

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and exposes a rich, oily kernel.

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Youngsters watch and imitate the adults,

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just as human toddlers do.

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If they are to become independent,
they must learn to crack their own nuts.

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But the learning process is long,
with many frustrations.

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They learn early on that
to do a job properly,

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you need the right tool.

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It can take eight years
for a capuchin to master this art

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and overcome the palm's
formidable defences.

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But some plants have turned
the tables and feed on animals.

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This is a highly sophisticated trap.

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The bait, sugary nectar
around the rim of the disc.

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The triggers, fine hairs,

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two of which have to be touched
within 20 seconds of each other.

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The victim, a fly,

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which finds the colour
and nectar irresistible.

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One...

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Two.

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When triggered,
the trap snaps shut so fast

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that the fly is imprisoned.

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The Venus flytrap now
slowly digests its victim.

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Life's challenges are
more than just finding food.

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In every animal's life,
there comes a time

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when its mind turns to breeding.

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One creature's approach
is mind-boggling.

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Malaysia.

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This strange insect has been
lying dormant on the forest floor.

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Once safe in the trees,

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these males hide among the leaves

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and begin
an extraordinary transformation,

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one that will make the difference
between fathering offspring or not.

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He begins by gulping in air bubbles,

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forcing them up into his head.

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He then pumps the bubbles
into the stalks supporting his eyes,

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just like blowing up a balloon.

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And this is what earns
these creatures their name,

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the stalk-eyed fly.

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A few final adjustments

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to straighten out any remaining creases

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and he's ready for action.

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They may look unwieldy,
but eyes on stalks

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improve not only
his ability to spot predators,

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but they are key
when it comes to winning females.

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In the evening,
both males and females gather,

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and the males begin to
size one another up,

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eyeball to eyeball.

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Having the widest eye span

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puts you at the top
of the pecking order.

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The eye stalks are not weapons,

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the y're measuring sticks,
used to Gauge how big,

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and so how strong, a male is.

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But there's trouble if two top males
have exactly the same eye width,

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then the contest descends into a brawl.

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Defeated.

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The winner.

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He now has the right to mate
with all the females nearby.

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The rather gentlemanl y way

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stalk-eyed flies settle
their differences over females

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is not the only way.

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Some animals are much more violent.

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It's the dry season in Zambia.

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The lagoons are either baked dry

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or the mud is so thick

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animals get stuck,
with fatal consequences.

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This male hippo has been
living in one small lagoon

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but as it dries,
it's turning into a death trap.

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Understandabl y, the females that
once shared it with him have all left.

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Even if he wants to,

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he can't stay much longer.

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He needs water to keep cool
and females to mate with.

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And this is where they all are.

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Almost all the hippos in the area

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are now in what is left
of the luangwa river,

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because it's the last place
where there's still deep water.

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This bend is controlled by
an all-powerful male.

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Since the drought, many more females
ha ve joined his herd.

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They are happy to live cheek by jowl,

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but any male who comes here
in the hope of mating

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must first defeat the overloro'.

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The wandering male arrives
and has a decision to make,

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submit or fight.

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Victory for the overlord.

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His domination of his channel
in the river remains

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and with it,
mating rights with the females.

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The laser is alive, but is an outcast.

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He retreats to another part of the river

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where it is so shallow
that no females will follow.

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His chance to father offspring is over,
for now.

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For some animals,
the challenges of breeding

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are not about fighting,
but about courtship.

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Among birds, displays, songs and rituals

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can reach extraordinary levels
of complexity and beauty.

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During spring
on the freshwater lakes of Oregon,

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grebes join together to
renew their partnership.

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The ceremony starts with
a series of graceful duets,

251
00:31:49,081 --> 00:31:52,761
in which one partner echoes
the actions of the other.

252
00:31:58,841 --> 00:32:01,521
But the real test comes now.

253
00:32:03,361 --> 00:32:05,961
Only the strongest and the most faithful

254
00:32:06,041 --> 00:32:10,321
are prepared to join together
for the final exultant dance.

255
00:33:04,241 --> 00:33:09,521
Those animals which have young
now face a whole new set of challenges

256
00:33:09,601 --> 00:33:12,281
to protect and nurture their offspring.

257
00:33:16,041 --> 00:33:20,881
In the cold waters of the northern
pacific ocean, there lives a giant.

258
00:33:27,521 --> 00:33:31,761
A giant pacific octopus,
at over four metres long.

259
00:33:36,801 --> 00:33:40,881
She is hunting, not for prey,
but for a den.

260
00:33:40,961 --> 00:33:43,481
Somewhere to settle down and hide.

261
00:33:53,801 --> 00:33:56,401
Her den has to be just right.

262
00:33:58,201 --> 00:34:01,481
She is going to live here
for the rest of her life.

263
00:34:04,801 --> 00:34:07,161
She's carrying fertilised eggs,

264
00:34:08,041 --> 00:34:10,801
and now, happy and settled,
she lays them,

265
00:34:13,921 --> 00:34:16,161
700, 000 of them.

266
00:34:22,681 --> 00:34:26,921
Over the next six months,
she carefully tends her precious brood.

267
00:34:30,921 --> 00:34:33,241
She caresses them with her arms

268
00:34:33,321 --> 00:34:37,241
to keep them free of algae
and properly supplied with oxygen.

269
00:34:40,041 --> 00:34:42,841
This is her first and only brood

270
00:34:43,921 --> 00:34:46,441
and so she takes great care of them.

271
00:34:47,121 --> 00:34:50,761
While she's guarding her eggs,
she doesn't leave the den.

272
00:34:51,561 --> 00:34:52,841
Not once.

273
00:34:53,361 --> 00:34:56,361
Unable to feed she is starving.

274
00:34:58,281 --> 00:35:00,201
Her last act of devotion

275
00:35:00,281 --> 00:35:03,481
is to blow water over the eggs
to help them hatch.

276
00:35:20,081 --> 00:35:23,641
Young, full y-de veloped octopus pop out.

277
00:35:29,081 --> 00:35:32,001
Though only a few will survive
to adulthood,

278
00:35:32,521 --> 00:35:35,601
she has given them
the best chance she can.

279
00:35:39,121 --> 00:35:43,761
After her long and lonely vigil,
she is dead.

280
00:35:44,881 --> 00:35:49,641
Surely this sacrifice must make her
one of nature's most devoted mothers.

281
00:36:00,161 --> 00:36:04,241
Here, 30 metres beneath
the Costa Rican forest canopy,

282
00:36:04,321 --> 00:36:07,601
another dedicated mother
ensures that her young

283
00:36:07,681 --> 00:36:10,481
also have the best possible start
in life.

284
00:36:16,921 --> 00:36:22,161
This tiny strawberry poison arrow frog,
only the size of a fingernail,

285
00:36:22,241 --> 00:36:24,561
is guarding her fertilised eggs.

286
00:36:28,041 --> 00:36:30,961
Whilst the eggs and tadpoles
are developing,

287
00:36:31,041 --> 00:36:33,081
she and her mate keep watch,

288
00:36:33,161 --> 00:36:36,201
making sure that
they are safe from predators.

289
00:36:37,401 --> 00:36:39,481
But they can't stay here forever.

290
00:36:39,561 --> 00:36:43,121
The leaf litter is drying out
and tadpoles need water.

291
00:36:44,081 --> 00:36:46,401
She must do something, and fast.

292
00:36:54,481 --> 00:36:56,121
She needs to move them,

293
00:36:56,201 --> 00:36:59,481
and so encourages one tadpole
to climb on her back.

294
00:37:00,481 --> 00:37:02,761
She now begins an epic journey.

295
00:37:03,921 --> 00:37:06,841
But it's not to a pond,
as you might expect,

296
00:37:07,401 --> 00:37:10,361
she is looking for
something very particular.

297
00:37:11,681 --> 00:37:14,161
Her journey takes her
across the forest floor

298
00:37:14,241 --> 00:37:15,921
to the foot of a tall tree.

299
00:37:16,001 --> 00:37:18,321
And then she starts to climb.

300
00:37:34,041 --> 00:37:37,601
For such a little frog,
it is a marathon ascent,

301
00:37:38,561 --> 00:37:41,721
like a human mother climbing
the empire state building

302
00:37:41,801 --> 00:37:43,801
with a child on her back.

303
00:37:46,881 --> 00:37:51,161
She's looking for a plant, a bromeliad
growing on the tree.

304
00:37:57,001 --> 00:38:00,001
It holds a pool of water at its centre,

305
00:38:00,081 --> 00:38:03,441
the perfect nursery pool
for a developing tadpole.

306
00:38:07,641 --> 00:38:09,601
In slides her youngster.

307
00:38:17,521 --> 00:38:20,721
But this is only one of six tadpoles.

308
00:38:20,801 --> 00:38:23,761
She must rush back down
to rescue the others.

309
00:38:29,761 --> 00:38:34,201
One by one, she collects them
and carries each to its own bromeliad.

310
00:38:57,681 --> 00:39:00,001
But there is another problem.

311
00:39:00,081 --> 00:39:02,761
The little pools contain no food.

312
00:39:05,561 --> 00:39:07,641
So she has to provide it.

313
00:39:09,041 --> 00:39:13,841
She lays an unfertilised egg
in each pool for her tadpoles to eat.

314
00:39:20,601 --> 00:39:22,521
And then she leaves.

315
00:39:28,721 --> 00:39:32,561
But one egg won't sustain
a growing tadpole for long,

316
00:39:32,641 --> 00:39:36,041
so she has to return every few days
with another egg.

317
00:39:43,361 --> 00:39:47,201
Over the next two weeks,
she can climb almost half a mile

318
00:39:47,281 --> 00:39:48,961
tending her young,

319
00:39:50,201 --> 00:39:53,161
an astonishing feat
for such a tiny creature.

320
00:40:02,481 --> 00:40:04,641
While she is busy delivering eggs,

321
00:40:04,721 --> 00:40:09,001
the tadpole grows legs
and its tail begins to disappear.

322
00:40:11,641 --> 00:40:15,641
And then, one day, it leaves
its bromeliad nursery forever

323
00:40:15,721 --> 00:40:18,001
and climbs out into the forest,

324
00:40:23,321 --> 00:40:27,041
Whilst its mother has
a well-deserved rest.

325
00:40:31,681 --> 00:40:34,201
Birds are also diligent parents.

326
00:40:35,281 --> 00:40:39,601
Over their lifetime, they in vest
huge effort in just a few young.

327
00:40:44,241 --> 00:40:47,241
But there is only so much
a parent can do.

328
00:40:51,081 --> 00:40:53,241
All along the antarctic peninsula,

329
00:40:53,321 --> 00:40:57,401
both male and female chinstrap penguins
have been commuting daily

330
00:40:57,481 --> 00:41:00,881
from the open ocean
to collect food for their chicks.

331
00:41:09,721 --> 00:41:13,001
Mouthfuls of krill,
caught many miles away at sea,

332
00:41:13,081 --> 00:41:14,721
are regurgitated.

333
00:41:23,401 --> 00:41:27,441
But one day
the chicks wait in vain for food.

334
00:41:27,521 --> 00:41:29,681
Their parents do not return.

335
00:41:32,121 --> 00:41:34,561
The chicks now face life on their own.

336
00:41:34,641 --> 00:41:38,441
This is the toughest time
in an animal's life,

337
00:41:38,521 --> 00:41:41,001
and some are not going to make it.

338
00:41:47,321 --> 00:41:50,041
Over the next few days,
driven by hunger,

339
00:41:50,121 --> 00:41:53,201
the chicks make their way
down to the shore.

340
00:41:55,081 --> 00:41:58,401
Instinct tells them
they have to head out to sea.

341
00:42:02,161 --> 00:42:04,321
Built to withstand the cold

342
00:42:04,401 --> 00:42:07,041
they ha ve already accumulated
a layer of fat

343
00:42:07,121 --> 00:42:10,521
and their outer feathers
act as a waterproof shield.

344
00:42:12,521 --> 00:42:15,161
But they still have to learn to swim.

345
00:42:38,601 --> 00:42:41,241
The polar sea is challenging enough,

346
00:42:41,961 --> 00:42:43,561
but with a change in the wind

347
00:42:43,641 --> 00:42:46,801
a slick of broken ice
has choked the bay.

348
00:42:51,681 --> 00:42:55,081
For any penguin,
this ice presents a real problem.

349
00:42:57,641 --> 00:43:00,201
But for the chicks, it's a disaster.

350
00:43:05,481 --> 00:43:10,041
They must get through this barrier
to the open water if they are to feed.

351
00:43:15,961 --> 00:43:18,921
One, perhaps hungrier
or braver than the rest,

352
00:43:19,001 --> 00:43:22,761
leads the way
and tries skittering over the top

353
00:43:22,841 --> 00:43:24,761
while the others watch.

354
00:43:26,841 --> 00:43:30,801
The ice is hard to swim through,
and progress is painfully slow.

355
00:43:53,921 --> 00:43:55,481
A leopard seal.

356
00:44:01,761 --> 00:44:05,801
This chick never had the chance
to learn how to avoid the seal.

357
00:44:05,881 --> 00:44:07,961
Its end is inevitable.

358
00:44:33,121 --> 00:44:36,521
The leopard seal
efficiently flays the chick,

359
00:44:36,601 --> 00:44:39,441
tearing off a small piece
with each throw.

360
00:44:44,001 --> 00:44:46,041
Others take their chance.

361
00:45:25,481 --> 00:45:29,721
But the leopard seal is now ready
for its next victim.

362
00:45:46,841 --> 00:45:51,801
It's a lottery, and the lucky chicks
make it out to open water.

363
00:45:56,521 --> 00:45:59,961
There is still an element
of chance in life

364
00:46:00,041 --> 00:46:02,801
which an individual can do little about.

365
00:46:27,481 --> 00:46:30,881
In the end
overcoming life's challenges,

366
00:46:30,961 --> 00:46:34,721
whether finding enough to eat
or outwitting your predators,

367
00:46:34,801 --> 00:46:39,041
is only significant if
life's final challenge can be met.

368
00:46:46,561 --> 00:46:52,161
From a tiny frog dedicating weeks
to her few cherished tadpoles

369
00:46:52,241 --> 00:46:57,361
to an orang-utan who spends eight years
bringing up her baby,

370
00:46:57,441 --> 00:47:02,361
individual animals strive to
reach this one ultimate goal,

371
00:47:02,441 --> 00:47:04,361
to pass on their genes

372
00:47:04,441 --> 00:47:07,641
and to ensure the survival
of the next generation.

373
00:47:11,001 --> 00:47:16,201
Ultimately, in nature,
that is what life is all about.

374
00:48:02,361 --> 00:48:05,041
During the three years it took
to film life,

375
00:48:05,121 --> 00:48:08,681
our camera crews visited
every continent on earth,

376
00:48:08,761 --> 00:48:11,601
but the most challenging was Antarctica.

377
00:48:16,001 --> 00:48:18,081
Here, filming was only possible

378
00:48:18,161 --> 00:48:22,361
with the help of an extraordinary range
of people and organisations.

379
00:48:23,401 --> 00:48:27,681
An air force jet delivering supplies
to McMurdo research station

380
00:48:27,761 --> 00:48:31,121
ferried one of our crews
to the Ross ice shelf.

381
00:48:39,281 --> 00:48:43,401
And on the other side of the continent,
a team sailed for five days

382
00:48:43,481 --> 00:48:47,641
across the Drake passage
to reach the antarctic peninsula.

383
00:48:49,961 --> 00:48:53,681
Once there, a small crew was
put ashore on deception island

384
00:48:53,761 --> 00:48:57,401
to spend a month camping on the edge
of a penguin colony.

385
00:48:59,481 --> 00:49:03,201
Two people and 200, 000 penguins.

386
00:49:10,361 --> 00:49:13,881
Another team joined
scientists drilling through the ice

387
00:49:13,961 --> 00:49:17,281
to explore the beautiful
and bizarre world below.

388
00:49:37,521 --> 00:49:40,001
But the hardest and most ambitious shoot

389
00:49:40,081 --> 00:49:42,361
involved four film crews,

390
00:49:42,441 --> 00:49:46,801
a celebrated French yachtsman
and the ministry of defence.

391
00:49:51,121 --> 00:49:53,361
The teams had a two-month window

392
00:49:53,441 --> 00:49:57,441
to film Antarctica's two top predators
in action.

393
00:49:58,921 --> 00:50:03,041
We knew that one could be found
prowling the coast of rosenthal island

394
00:50:03,121 --> 00:50:06,561
waiting for young penguins
to take their first plunge.

395
00:50:08,121 --> 00:50:11,321
And the man to take us there
was Jerome poncet.

396
00:50:11,401 --> 00:50:15,321
He skippered the first yacht
to sail south of the antarctic circle

397
00:50:15,401 --> 00:50:18,161
and has been back every year
for the past 35.

398
00:50:18,241 --> 00:50:21,241
He knows antarctic sailing
like no one else.

399
00:50:21,321 --> 00:50:22,521
Not good at all.

400
00:50:22,601 --> 00:50:26,201
His yacht, the golden fleece,
is not an ice-breaker

401
00:50:26,281 --> 00:50:29,681
but Jerome has his own unique way
of getting through.

402
00:50:32,161 --> 00:50:34,681
He shunts one floe against another

403
00:50:34,761 --> 00:50:37,521
to clear a way through,
like playing marbles.

404
00:50:37,601 --> 00:50:41,881
Jerome, once he gets his teeth
into a situation,

405
00:50:41,961 --> 00:50:44,041
he doesn't like to let it go.

406
00:50:44,121 --> 00:50:47,161
So, maybe we'll be here
for a few hours yet.

407
00:50:47,241 --> 00:50:50,041
Ati'en borough: Jerome is determined
to get through this channel.

408
00:50:50,121 --> 00:50:53,961
And you talk about
hundreds and hundreds of turns.

409
00:50:54,041 --> 00:50:58,121
Maybe a thousand turns
for this floe at the moment.

410
00:50:58,961 --> 00:51:01,361
With the polar waters, you have to push.

411
00:51:04,921 --> 00:51:07,801
A'i'i'en borough:
Some marbles are just too big.

412
00:51:11,681 --> 00:51:15,961
For now, Jerome is failed
and has to moor for the night.

413
00:51:17,641 --> 00:51:21,681
For him, tying up to 700, 000 tons of ice

414
00:51:21,761 --> 00:51:24,241
is just another day at the office.

415
00:51:31,041 --> 00:51:32,761
Progress is slow.

416
00:51:32,841 --> 00:51:36,921
But they need to get to rosenthal
before the penguins leave.

417
00:51:38,641 --> 00:51:42,161
They make it through
and the penguins are still there.

418
00:51:44,681 --> 00:51:48,801
Chinstrap penguin chicks fledge
at a particular time of year.

419
00:51:48,881 --> 00:51:52,961
The crew knew this would
draw leopard seals like a magnet.

420
00:51:54,761 --> 00:51:57,081
Leopard seals are giants
among their kind.

421
00:51:57,161 --> 00:51:59,481
They have teeth bigger than a lion

422
00:51:59,561 --> 00:52:03,601
and a mouth than can open
nearly 780 degrees.

423
00:52:03,681 --> 00:52:05,681
How close can Doug get?

424
00:52:11,001 --> 00:52:13,201
With this seal, very.

425
00:52:29,921 --> 00:52:32,561
He loses interest in his reflection

426
00:52:33,761 --> 00:52:36,521
and goes back to eating penguins.

427
00:52:47,641 --> 00:52:51,201
That was very exciting.
He was a super seal.

428
00:52:52,601 --> 00:52:55,521
Super seal give you lots of action,
nice and close.

429
00:52:55,601 --> 00:52:58,801
But I must admit, you do have to
feel sorry for the penguin.

430
00:52:58,881 --> 00:53:00,761
Just doesn't stand a chance.

431
00:53:01,801 --> 00:53:04,081
Ati'en borough: The team knew
where to find leopard seals

432
00:53:04,161 --> 00:53:08,721
but finding the other top predator
was going to be another matter entirely.

433
00:53:10,961 --> 00:53:14,321
Very little is known about
antarctic killer whales.

434
00:53:14,401 --> 00:53:17,041
Time to bring in reinforcements.

435
00:53:19,481 --> 00:53:25,401
Hms endurance,
the royal na vy's ice patrol ship.

436
00:53:29,961 --> 00:53:35,001
She surveys antarctic waters
and the crew, she changes every year.

437
00:53:35,081 --> 00:53:37,321
A latest chart of this area,

438
00:53:37,401 --> 00:53:41,081
we are now six miles
inside an ice shelf

439
00:53:41,161 --> 00:53:44,761
which just goes to show
how much retraction

440
00:53:44,841 --> 00:53:48,801
of this ice shelf has occurred
over the past five or six years.

441
00:53:50,001 --> 00:53:52,201
Would you get complications...

442
00:53:52,281 --> 00:53:55,761
Series producer Martha Holmes
and cameraman David baillie

443
00:53:55,841 --> 00:53:59,681
were on board to find and film
the killer whales from the air.

444
00:54:00,761 --> 00:54:03,321
E n d u ra n ce carries
two lynx helicopters,

445
00:54:03,401 --> 00:54:06,041
used to assist
the British antarctic survey

446
00:54:06,121 --> 00:54:08,081
and the hydrographic office.

447
00:54:08,161 --> 00:54:11,321
On this trip,
some time on one of the helicopters

448
00:54:11,401 --> 00:54:13,601
is assigned to the life team.

449
00:54:22,761 --> 00:54:25,601
No one has succeeded
in filming killer whales

450
00:54:25,681 --> 00:54:29,281
hunting off
the antarctic peninsula before.

451
00:54:30,041 --> 00:54:34,041
Our two teams ha ve just a few days
when they can film together.

452
00:54:41,801 --> 00:54:45,081
At water level,
the golden fleece has exciting news.

453
00:54:45,161 --> 00:54:49,321
They've found killer whales which look
as though they could be hunting.

454
00:54:49,401 --> 00:54:52,041
Navy 435, Navy 435.

455
00:54:52,121 --> 00:54:55,001
This is golden fleece,
golden fleece, over.

456
00:54:56,081 --> 00:54:59,481
Smith on radio: Whale or orca.
This could be it. Over.

457
00:54:59,561 --> 00:55:01,841
Holmes on radio:
Copy that. We 're on our way.

458
00:55:01,921 --> 00:55:04,561
Now it's getting really windy
where we are.

459
00:55:04,641 --> 00:55:07,601
We'll be pretty lucky to
stay with them through this.

460
00:55:07,681 --> 00:55:09,961
We'll give a good try, though.

461
00:55:19,081 --> 00:55:21,521
435, this is golden fleece.

462
00:55:21,601 --> 00:55:23,841
We have lost sight of the orca.

463
00:55:26,921 --> 00:55:27,961
We have one.

464
00:55:28,041 --> 00:55:30,601
Holmes: Yeah. They're in direct line
with that iceberg now.

465
00:55:30,681 --> 00:55:34,641
Between us and the iceberg,
about 700 metres to the side of it.

466
00:55:34,721 --> 00:55:36,961
Man: I/isual. We have visual.

467
00:55:37,041 --> 00:55:38,177
Ati'en borough: From the air,

468
00:55:38,201 --> 00:55:40,361
the helicopter team
can follow the killer whales

469
00:55:40,441 --> 00:55:42,361
more easily than the boat team.

470
00:55:42,441 --> 00:55:46,441
435, this is golden fleece. Copy. Out.

471
00:55:51,001 --> 00:55:53,761
Ati'en borough: By working together,
the helicopter and yacht

472
00:55:53,841 --> 00:55:57,681
are able to keep track of the whales
in the rough sea.

473
00:55:57,761 --> 00:55:59,217
Man on radio: There are four now,
actually, yeah.

474
00:55:59,241 --> 00:56:01,601
Four... fourl can see.

475
00:56:01,721 --> 00:56:06,041
Ati'en borough: A change in the weather
gives the chance to film at last.

476
00:56:07,441 --> 00:56:11,521
They've gone further up this way.
If we follow them, that's good.

477
00:56:14,801 --> 00:56:16,001
But will they hunt?

478
00:56:16,081 --> 00:56:18,841
Here we go. Okay, they're coming close.

479
00:56:19,681 --> 00:56:22,481
Yeah, they...
One, two, three, four, five, six...

480
00:56:22,561 --> 00:56:24,881
It's a good 12, huh? Easy.

481
00:56:27,401 --> 00:56:30,881
Doug has spotted
a crabea ter seal near some ice.

482
00:56:30,961 --> 00:56:33,441
But have the killer whales seen it?

483
00:56:35,241 --> 00:56:38,681
Doug: Just keep nosing in
this way is fine.

484
00:56:51,761 --> 00:56:53,801
Ati'en borough: They have.

485
00:56:55,241 --> 00:56:56,961
Some good action.

486
00:56:58,721 --> 00:57:00,441
Can we go closer?

487
00:57:21,441 --> 00:57:24,361
It's over. That's it, they've got him.

488
00:57:28,001 --> 00:57:29,681
It's still there!

489
00:57:33,161 --> 00:57:37,361
A'i'i'e n Bo r0 u g h: For a wildlife
cameraman, there are always surprises.

490
00:57:39,881 --> 00:57:43,281
It has taken two months
but the y've succeeded

491
00:57:43,361 --> 00:57:45,801
thanks to extraordinary collaboration,

492
00:57:45,881 --> 00:57:49,961
from an entire ship's company
to a lone skipper.

493
00:57:50,041 --> 00:57:51,401
Collaborations like this

494
00:57:51,481 --> 00:57:54,521
would be the foundation
of the whole three years' filming

495
00:57:54,601 --> 00:57:56,521
across the world