All language subtitles for Seven.Worlds.One.Planet.S01E01.en

200 million years ago,

our planet looked very different
from what it does today.

It was entirely covered by sea,

which surrounded one single
super-continent we call Pangaea.

And then Pangaea began to break up.

Life was cast adrift on fragments of land.

And these fragments eventually
became our seven continents.

We will see how life developed
on each continent,

giving rise to the extraordinary
and wonderful diversity that we see today.

We'll venture to the frozen wilderness
of Antarctica...

...where life thrives against the odds...

...and to the riches of South America,

full of the unexpected...

...from the wilds of Africa...

...to the vast expanses of North America

and the searing heat of Australia.

We'll explore the remote reaches
of Asia...

...home to rarely seen creatures...

...and Europe,
a world transformed by humanity.

And we'll discover how this may be
the most critical moment for life on Earth

since the continents formed.

We are changing the world so rapidly

that wildlife is now facing
some of its greatest challenges yet.

Never has it been
a more important time

to reveal the precious diversity of life

on our seven continents.

This is Seven Worlds, One Planet.

Of all the continents...

...one was first sighted by humans
just 200 years ago.

And only now are we beginning to
understand what it takes to survive here.

It's the most hostile of them all.

98% of mainland Antarctica,

an area one and a half times
the size of the United States,

is covered in ice...

...on which virtually nothing can live.

So life is dependent on the ocean
that surrounds it.

But even the ocean freezes.

Only one mammal
can live this far south...

...the Weddell seal.

(SEAL GRUNTS)

She has to keep her breathing hole open

by grinding back the ice with her teeth.

Out here on the sea ice,

all these seals are far from the predators
of the open ocean...

...so this is the safest place
for her to give birth.

Leaving the warmth of the womb
and landing on ice

is the sharpest drop in temperature
any animal ever faces.

(PUP MEWLS)

But her pup can't swim
for the first ten days of its life.

It's trapped here, out on the ice.

(WIND GUSTS)

(PUP MEWLS)

She shields her pup from the wind.

Although it's spring,
temperatures can drop

to minus 40 degrees Celsius

and blizzards can rage for days.

Three days on,
and the storm is still raging.

She now faces the hardest of decisions.

Does she stay with her pup?

(MEWLS)

Or shelter in the water?

Now her pup's best chance of survival
is for the storm to pass quickly.

(WIND HOWLS)

Some pups didn't make it.

(YOWLS)

(MEWLS)

An answer.

(YOWLS)

(MEWLS)

If this pup now joins its mother
in the water,

it will be safe from any future storm.

It's minus 2 degrees Celsius,

but being in water is warmer
than lying on the ice in the howling wind.

Its chances of surviving here
are now extremely good.

Only a few hardy animals can live
all year round as far south as this.

Further from the Pole,
on the fringes of the continent,

lie islands that are free of sea ice.

(CAWING)

Here there are other challenges.

Saint Andrews Bay on South Georgia

is packed with half a million
king penguins.

In spring, the chicks are left for days

whilst their parents are away
collecting food for them.

There is a simple arrangement.

The chicks must stay exactly
where their parents left them

to be sure of being found again.

(CHEEPS)

(CHEEPS)

But this chick has decided
to look around.

There is a lot to be investigated.

(CHEEPING)

But it must not stray too far
from its meeting place.

This parent has returned
with food in its crop.

But its chick isn't where it left it.

It's hard to stay put
when there's so much to play with.

(GRUNTING)

Elephant seals are here too.

Very mysterious.

(SEAL GRUNTS)

(SEAL GRUNTS)

(GRUNTING)

Finding it in the crowd of youngsters
is not going to be easy.

They must recognise each other
by their calls.

(CAWING AND CHEEPING)

(CHEEPS)

But to hear these
in such a noisy colony

they must be within 15 metres
of each other.

(CAWS)

(CHEEPS)

(CAWS)

(CHEEPS)

Reunited.

Saint Andrews beach is one
of the most crowded on the planet,

and so holding a territory here
is a constant battle.

This bull elephant seal holds
the mating rights to 60 females.

(GRUNTS QUIETLY)

For two months,
he's guarded this stretch of beach.

Unable to feed,
he's losing ten kilos a day...

...and he's exhausted.

But other bulls are lying around,
waiting their chance.

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

(PENGUINS CAW)

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTING)

Blubber 15cm thick

is protection against the cold,

but not from the impact
of a four-tonne opponent.

He holds his ground
and forces the intruder back out to sea.

Life in the Antarctic is harsh indeed,

but all these creatures come here

because the Southern Ocean
is one of the richest on Earth.

When, 30 million years ago,

the continent broke away
from South America and drifted south,

currents began to swirl right around it.

They are now the strongest
of any currents on the planet.

They sweep up nutrients from the depths

and so create one of the richest
feeding grounds in all the world's oceans.

And some of the creatures
that come here to feast

do so in a most sophisticated way.

Humpback whales.

It's summer,
and they've come here for a banquet.

The cold waters
contain great shoals of krill.

It's estimated that
there are 400 trillion of them

and that their combined weight is greater

than that of any other animal species
on the planet.

To collect them, the humpbacks
blow curtains of bubbles

which the krill won't cross.

The whales then rise,

spiraling inwards
to concentrate the swarm.

Summer in Antarctica is a time of plenty,

when most humpbacks are able to put on
the reserves they need for the whole yea r.

But the wildlife in these waters
faces an uncertain future.

The Southern Ocean is warming.

90% of the world's ice
lies in Antarctica,

and in some parts the rate at which
it's melting is doubling every decade.

Sea levels are rising.

But there is a more immediate threat.

The warming of the coldest region on Earth

is having a profound effect
on global weather patterns.

And this change in the climate
is already being felt right here.

(SQUAWKING)

This Grey-headed albatross chick
is four weeks old.

So far, it has been sheltered
from the gales by its parents,

who take turns to collect food for it
out at sea.

It is the only chick
that they will have in two years.

(CHEEPS)

A delicate touching of beaks
strengthens their bond.

But these tender moments
cannot last for ever.

As a chick grows, so does its appetite,

so one parent has to leave to find food
before the other returns.

(CHEEPS)

Parting is a big step,

and they take time over it.

(CHEEPS)

For the first time in its life,

this chick is alone.

The Antarctic is the windiest continent,

and in recent years,
climate change has brought storms

that are more frequent
and even more powerful.

(WIND GUSTS)

Winds now regularly reach mph.

But the albatross chicks
must try to stay on their nests.

(CHEEPS)

Surviving the storm is one thing...

...but now, off the nest
in these freezing temperatures,

this chick has just hours to live.

The brutal conditions
have taken their toll.

Some chicks have already succumbed
to exposure.

The bond is so strong

it can be hard for a father to let go.

The albatross population here

has more than halved in the last 15 years.

These albatross are facing extinction.

They simply cannot keep pace
with the changes affecting their world.

More parents are returning
to the colony.

Something is not right.

The nest should not be empty.

The chick is actually
right below its parent,

but because it's not on the nest,
the parent doesn't recognise it...

(CHEEPS)

...and doesn't help it.

Strangely, perhaps,

these albatross do not recognise
their chicks by sight,

sound or smell.

They identify them
by finding them on the nest.

So these violent storms
have created a problem

that the albatross
are not equipped to solve.

If it is to survive,

the chick will have to
get back on the nest by itself.

The chick has made it.

The bond is re-established immediately

and its parent once again
provides the warmth

that the chick so desperately needs.

(CAWS)

It's safe... for now.

Nowhere in Antarctica is survival easy.

Gentoo penguins
travel up to 50 miles every day

to find food,

and they're now returning to their chicks.

They are the fastest penguin in the sea

and can swim at mph.

But other animals can swim much faster.

Orca.

This penguin must rely on its agility.

(HOOTS)

(HOOTS)

(HOOTS)

(HOOTS)

(HOOTS)

With four Dorcas chasing it,

the penguin stood little chance.

Most Gentoo parents
do make it back to the colony.

Today, it's been a good hunt for krill.

Perhaps too good.

The chicks grow, and it seems that
the Mohawk style is back in fashion.

It's just a phase.

He'll grow out of it.

He'll soon lose
these remaining down feathers

and be ready to leave the colony
and collect food for himself.

But doing so is becoming harder

because of climate change.

(RUMBLING)

Glaciers in the region
are now calving faster

than they have done since records began.

And this brash ice now fills the bays.

It's autumn.

The chicks have lost their down feathers
and they're hungry.

They must go to sea for the first time.

But there's now a risk of being crushed
between blocks of ice.

They have to get
to the distant icebergs...

...and so reach the open ocean
that lies beyond.

And that is easier said than done.

A leopard seal.

(CAWING)

Their main predator.

It's a giant... three metres long.

These icy conditions help it to hunt.

The penguins can neither walk nor swim.

They have no way of telling
where the seal will strike.

These are easy pickings.

(GRUNTS)

For some, it's time to retreat.

But now it's back to square one.

There's no alternative
but to run the gauntlet once again.

(CAWS)

(CAWS)

The seal seems to be toying
with this penguin.

But safety is in sight.

The ice floe is near the open ocean...

...but this penguin is exhausted.

(PENGUIN CAWS)

(SEAL GRUNTS)

(PENGUIN CAWS)

(SEAL GROWLS)

Perhaps it's not worth it, after all.

Winter is coming.

Antarctica now undergoes
a major transformation.

Every day, 40,000 more square miles
of sea freeze over.

By the end of winter,
the continent has doubled in size.

This is by far
the largest desert in the world.

(WIND HOWLS)

But the frozen surface of the sea
hides a great secret.

It may be hostile above the ice,

but below it, conditions are so stable

that life over millennia
has had time to diversify.

Creatures here grow to a great size.

Predatory impertinent worms
are three metres long.

These dramas only become visible
when seeded up.

We're only just beginning to discover
the details

of the lives of such strange creatures.

Subbranch are hermaphrodites.

Each individual possesses
both male and female reproductive organs,

so to mate, one subbranch
just needs to find another subbranch,

and anyone will do.

But nonetheless, this is a challenge

when their tiny eyes can barely see.

Some do get lucky.

They're fertilizing each other,

and both will produce young.

When it's hard to find a partner,

it pays not to have to worry
about your gender

Sea anemones may look like plants,
but actually are animals,

and feed by catching edible particles that
drift within reach of their tentacles.

But being rooted to the sea floor

makes them vulnerable to predators.

An ocean-going jellyfish, a meter
or so across, searching for food.

The jellyfish senses prey.

But it's the sea anemones
that have made the catch,

and they've grabbed a monster.

A rare feast
for these stationary predators.

They devour their catch
over the next four days.

Life here under the ice
has remained unchanged for millennia.

But in the last 200 years

much of Antarctica's wildlife
has had to face new predators.

Human beings.

(BELL TOLLS)

We devised new hunting techniques
and used them so mercilessly

that we almost exterminated
the great whales.

These whaling stations on South Georgia
were at the center of this industry.

(CREAKING)

More than one and a half million whales
were slaughtered in Antarctic waters.

The blubber was stripped
from their massive bodies

and boiled down in vats
to make margarine and soap.

And the largest animal ever recorded...

a 33meter blue whale,
perhaps over 100 years old...

was butchered on this ramp
in just two hours.

This reckless slaughter marked a new low

in our relationship
with the natural world.

Southern right whales
were hit the hardest.

They were so trusting and inquisitive

that they swam right up
to the whalers' boats.

And the whalers called them right whales

because they were
the right whales to hunt.

(HOOTS)

(HOOTS)

Mothers with calves
were targeted first.

To give birth, females came
to the same sheltered bays

and would not leave their calves
alone at the surface.

In just decades,

a population of 35,000 was so reduced

that only 35 of the females survived.

But times have changed.

A ban on the commercial hunting
of whales introduced in 1986

has stopped all but Japan,
Norway and Iceland.

Our relationship to these remarkable
creatures has undergone a huge shift.

Scientists are now learning
a great deal about these whales...

...but we still don't know
how long they live.

It's thought
that some individuals alive today

were around
at the time of the mass slaughter...

...yet these 60-tonne whales remain
gentle and inquisitive around humans.

By putting a stop
to commercial hunting,

this population of whales
has now grown to over 2,000.

The recovery of life in Antarctic waters

may have a significance that extends
far beyond the reaches of the continent

and will affect us all.

Just off the coast of Elephant Island,

we have recently witnessed what might be
the greatest feeding spectacle on Earth.

On the horizon,

over 150 whales have gathered
to feast on krill.

This is the largest congregation
of great whales ever filmed.

These are mostly fin whales,
up to 26 metres long.

Humpback whales are dwarfed
in comparison.

Thousands of animals
from all over Antarctic waters

are making their way here.

These seas are once again
beginning to brim with life.

And scientists have discovered
that the Southern Ocean,

and the life within it,

soaks up more than twice as much
carbon from the atmosphere

as the Amazon rainforest.

By protecting Antarctica,

we don't just protect the life here,

we are helping to restore
the natural balance of the entire planet.

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: Saint Andrews Bay

provides one of the most spectacular
sights in the whole of the Antarctic,

but to get there the team will have to
cross the roughest seas in the world,

and nerves are starting to show.

The wind is picking up already!

It'll take ten days at sea
to reach this remote location.

And it's not long before
they start to feel a bit green.

No, there's some big waves
coming now.

With these conditions lasting days,
all who can take shifts at the helm.

And you get given a talk
to say if you fall in the water here,

there's nothing anyone can do,
they can't save you.

It's so cold, you'll die
in under a couple of minutes.

Wow!

(RETCHES)

Below deck,
Rolf hasn't yet found his sea legs.

For me, this is like punishment
or prisoner ship or whatever.

I mean, I can't understand at all
how people do this voluntarily,

people dream of being on a boat
or sailing or anything.

Look at that.
I mean, how much the boat is moving,

I feel like in a washing machine.

The island of South Georgia
finally appears.

It's a relief to step onto solid land.

Yeah, the seasickness
is already forgotten, to be honest,

but it's all forgotten.

It's just out of this world.

It's so wonderful
that these places still exist.

They will spend the next three weeks
in Saint Andrews Bay.

Rolf is here to film the king penguins
in this enormous colony.

And Mark must capture
the elephant seals' intense mating season.

(SEAL GRUNTS)

On such a crowded beach,
fights can break out anywhere.

(GRUNTS)

Males are up to six metres long

and they are pumped
full of testosterone.

The bulls take little notice of the crew
and will stop at nothing.

Oh, my God.

That went from nothing

to being nearly steam-hollered
by four huge males.

(GRUNTS)

Beyond the chaos of the beach,

Rolf has king penguins in front of him,

and, thankfully, he's smiling again.

I would really call them
the gentlemen penguins

because they are very polite,
they are charming, they have humor...

there are so many funny, lovely moments.

I absolutely adore the penguins for that.

But as weeks go by,

the reality of living amongst penguins
comes to the fore.

Every morning I think,
"Wow, it's-it's stinky,"

but then I realise these smells
come out of my suit

and it's myself!

Ugh.

Back on the beach, the team
is using a stabilized camera rig.

They can now react faster to fights.

So far on this shoot,
we've seen a lot of quick fights

but we haven't seen
some extended fights

where you see one bull
paired equally against another bull.

These fights are rare.

The team will need to be at the ready.

- Mark, Mark, Mark.
- Let's get running.

Ooh, hello.

- These are two huge, evenly matched boys.
- I know.

Wow, I never thought
we'd be this close to them.

I know. Nor did I.

This is really tense.
We've just got to watch out.

Got there.

I never thought I'd see it that close

and be able to move around it as this
kind of aggressive ballet is happening.

(SEAL GRUNTS)

And it does make you quite tense.

The shoot is going well,
but the crew are noticing worrying signs.

It's a really hot day today.

30 years ago, the front of that glacier
was right down on the beach.

It's retreated a huge amount.

I don't really know what climate change
is going to mean

for all the wildlife that's living here.

Parts of the Antarctic are warming five
times faster than the rest of the world.

If this trend continues,

it will threaten the very existence
of these polar creatures.

On the last day of filming,

the team can't help but reflect
on the future of the wildlife here.

For me, it's emotional,

because I know this might have been
a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I will definitely take big memories
with me and I will be sad.

It's a really special place, you know,
so...

I don't know.

(PENGUINS CALL)

I just hope we can keep these places...

...and protect them.

(SOBS QUIETLY)

Next time...

...the largest continent on Earth.

A world of extremes...

...where rarely seen animals
roam the land.

Asia.