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Siberia.

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The largest wilderness on Earth.

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Endless forests, untamed mountain streams,

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and the oldest lake on Earth.

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Russia's largest area of unspoiled nature
is at the same time

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a largely unknown world.

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Siberia begins just beyond
the Ural Mountains,

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the border between Europe and Asia.

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Geographers regard just under half of
Russia as belonging to this gigantic region.

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In the south, close to the Mongolian border

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lies the legendary Lake Baikal
600 kilometers long.

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February.

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A meter thick sheet of ice
covers Lake Baikal.

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Open water can be found
at only one spot

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where the Angara River
flows from the lake

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and deep water rises to the surface.

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For the Goldeneye ducks
it is a refuge in hard times.

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On the edge of the ice they
dive for food in large groups.

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The face of Siberia
is characterized by the taiga,

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the northern coniferous forest,

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the largest uninterrupted area of
woodlands in the world.

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To survive here you have
to withstand the long cold winters.

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A deerwith vampire fangs,
the Musk deer.

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These shy forest dwellers mainly
feed on lichen from tree trunks,

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hard to digest but still accessible
when the snow is especially deep.

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The males have been hunted
for centuries for their musk glands,

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an important ingredient
in perfume production.

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Frozen food.

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These ravens have found some carrion.

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But it's not the birds that
are making the musk deer nervous.

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The real owners of
the carrion have returned.

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Wolves do not hibernate and
thus have to keep hunting

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even when it is bitterly cold.

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Their survival depends on hunting in packs.

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There is always disagreement
when dividing up the spoils.

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Meanwhile, the ravens while
away the time doing sideward rolls.

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One of them hasn't quite
got the hang of it yet.

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It does get it right in the end,

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even though its recovery
is not exactly graceful.

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Siberia's cold pole lies in
Russia's largest republic,

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Yakutia,

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where temperatures below
-70 degrees have been registered.

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The coldest regularly
inhabited area on Earth.

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It is March.

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The mares of the incredibly
resilient Yakutian horses

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are in the last stages of pregnancy.

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They have never seen
the inside of a stable.

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For thousands of years these horses
have been bred in the open.

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The animals paw the snow
to uncover last year's grass.

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Their diet is meager

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at a time when they should
really be eating for two.

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Not all of them will see the end
of this Siberian winter.

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A village on Lake Baikal.

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Wood is one of Siberia's great riches

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and is exported all over the world,
especially to neighboring China.

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Here, as almost everywhere in Siberia,

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various ethnic groups coexist peacefully.

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Late winter.

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The growing strength of the sun
causes the first cracks in the ice.

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Even in this wide wasteland there is life.

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Baikal seals.

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Four weeks ago the females
bore their young in snow holes.

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In the meantime
the protective roof has melted

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and the pup is thus lying in
the open near the water hole,

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waiting for his mother.

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She only comes once or
twice a day to suckle her young.

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Baikal seals are unique,
they exist only here,

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further from the sea
than any other species of seal.

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They number about a 130, 000.

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If the pup survives
the hard first year,

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it can live to the age of 50.

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Thanks to his thick layer of fat the young seal
is impervious to the chilly water.

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As if weightless, it swoops
from one air hole to the next

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in a fairytale world of ice.

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The Verkhoyansk Mountains north of the lake.

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1, 000 kilometers long and
more than 2, 000 meters high,

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they extend from the middle reaches
of the Lena River

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almost to the Arctic Sea.

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One morning at the end of March.

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Yakutian reindeer herdsmen

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catch their strongest animals

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and harness them to the sleighs.

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Yakutians and reindeer have lived
side by side in Siberia for millennia.

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This is probably what enabled humans
to survive in such a cold environment

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the whole year round.

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Now the men have to find their main herds,

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which are currently roaming the snowy taiga,

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and round them up.

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In a few days they will set off
for their summer quarters.

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They are running out of time,

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because travelling in Yakutia is only
possible as long as there is frost.

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After the thaw the herdsmen
will be cut off from the rest of the world

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by impassable swamps.

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With its nose close to the ground

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a wolf searches for food.

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In the winter mice are very active
beneath the snow cover.

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Only a small snack perhaps,
but better than nothing.

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This is no mouse.

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Still, the wolf wouldn't say no
to this finely furred fellow.

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A sable.

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Its fur once adorned tsars and kings.

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Attracted by rich pickings herds of hunters
came out here to trap the little marten.

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Today, as the demand for fur recedes,

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predators are more of a threat than humans.

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This time the wolf will go hungry.

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After a two hour ride

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the herdsmen have reached their destination.

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The herd is about 1, 000 strong,

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so the roundup is no easy task.

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In the northern regions reindeer
are not only the basic food stuff,

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providers of pelts and draft animals,

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people also ride them.

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The herdsman feeds salt to the reindeer,

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a rare delicacy.

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Thanks to his years of experience

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he can negotiate the forest of antlers.

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2, 000 kilometers to the southwest

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close to the Mongolian border.

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A hint of Africa accompanies
herds of Goitered Gazelles

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as they cross
the Southern Siberian steppes.

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Their squawking and chortling
enables the group to stick together.

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The animals are only short-term visitors

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to the South Siberian steppes.

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The gazelles jump the fence
separating them from Mongolia.

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Nature knows no political boundaries.

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The Lena, Siberia's mightiest river

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flowing 4, 400 kilometers

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from the Baikal Mountains
to the Arctic Sea.

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On the hillside above a sea of blooms,
siberian pasque flowers.

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Mid-May.

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The Yakutian horses
have survived the winter

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and born their foals.

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They've developed well

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and are now enjoying
their first rays of sunlight.

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The mares have to graze constantly

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to provide sufficient milk for their foals.

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The mares are showing signs of emaciation,

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and there is still nothing green
and nourishing to eat,

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only the previous year's dead grass.

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The Sayan Mountains

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stretch for 2, 000 kilometers

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along the border between
Russia and Mongolia.

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Peaks over 3, 000 meters high.

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The snow melts earlier
lower down the southern slopes.

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Home to an extraordinary amphibian.

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The Siberian salamander.

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Of all the amphibians on Earth,
this is probably the least sensitive to cold.

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The salamander's mating ritual and
spawning takes place in open water.

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Why the animals mate this early
in the year in such cold water

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is a mystery.

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Flowing water and lush greenery

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as far as the eye can see.

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Spring comes to Siberia at last.

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Impetuously the young river
rushes through canyons

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into the vast lowland planes,

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where its water is formed
into huge rivers,

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that fill the pearl of Siberia,

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Lake Baikal.

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The deepest lake in the world,

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storing 20% of the planet's fresh water.

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Lake Baikal is finally ice-free.

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Seals have lived in Lake Baikal
for thousands of years.

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How they got here is
something of a mystery.

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Scientists believe that
about 500, 000 years ago

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ringed seals swam up the Yenisei River

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from the Arctic Ocean and into Lake Baikal.

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Over millennia of isolation

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they evolved into a new species.

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In the summer many Baikal seal
can be found near the Ushkan Islands.

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The dry spots on the rocks
are highly sought after.

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The water temperature in the lake
rarely rises above 8 degrees centigrade,

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and as a result the seals
spend hours warming up.

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The most popular
places are quickly taken.

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Baikal seals are excellent divers

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and can stay underwater
for up to half an hour.

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The best spots in bel etage
are obviously still occupied.

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The damp basement will have to suffice.

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Still, there are others even worse off.

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Baikal seals live exclusively on fish,

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diving down hundreds of meters
in their search for food.

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The under waterworld is unique.

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Coral-like Baikal sponges project like fingers.

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The underwater slopes in the lake

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fall away to a depth of 1, 600 meters.

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More than 2/3 of all the lake dwellers
are only to be found here,

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like this amphipod.

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Its body length of 10 centimeters

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make it a giant compared to
many of his relatives.

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The grayling is one of many fishes
that inhabit the cold

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nutrient-filled waters of Lake Baikal.

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The rocky beaches attract
other animals too.

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Brown bears leave
the shelter of the dark taiga

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and come to the lakeside
which is sunnier and drier,

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and thus a source of herbs
that do not grow in the shady woods.

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Oil-rich aromatic plants like
aniseed, caraway and fennel

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are especially popular with bears.

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An unexpected sight:

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a bear grazing like a cow.

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After the meal the young male
heads for the water.

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This part of the shoreline
is known as the bear coast.

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Cautiously, the bear checks
a surroundings in all directions.

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Even here in the Baikal-Lena nature reserve

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it has to be on the lookout for poaches.

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The coast is several hundred kilometers long

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and cannot be covered completely
by the reserve's rangers.

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Today everything seems ok.

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But now danger looks from the land side.

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A large adult bear approaches.

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For a younger animal
a potentially threatening situation.

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Escape is the only chance of avoiding
a fight with a stronger rival.

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Summer in the Sayan Mountains.

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Pikas live above the tree line.

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The guinea pig sized rodents
graze incessantly,

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because the winter returns very soon

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at 1, 700 meters.

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The young female
boast sleek well-primed fur,

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while the older male
looks somewhat tousled.

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The Irish Heather seems to be
the male pika's favorite food.

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The pikas only rarely
take breaks from eating,

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but what could be better
than snoozing in the sun?

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Snow still cups the summit of the nearly
3, 500 meters high mount Munku-Sardyk

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on the Russian-Mongolian border.

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Further up Siberian Ibex search for food.

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The high wire artists of the animal kingdom
can scale the most inaccessible mountainsides

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and get by on sparse food.

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Siberia is wolf territory.

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About 40, 000 of them inhabit the taiga.

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In the middle of the last century
there were five times as many.

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This morning sees a rare encounter.

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A lone wolf does not usually
pick a fight with the bear.

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The situation would be quite different,
if the wolfwere in the pack.

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The bear has made unmistakably
clear who is boss of the swamp.

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It is now June and summer
has reached all of Siberia.

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For a few weeks there is
an explosion of growth.

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The larch woods are bedecked
with Rhododendrons.

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The real rulers of the Siberian forests
are neither bear nor wolf,

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but red wood ants.

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They act as both hunters and gatherers,

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killing up to 10, 000 insects a day.

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This longhorn beetle is taking a big risk.

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In a lightning attack
the ants overpower the beetle

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and kill it with their acid,

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which permeates the thin synovial
tissue of the heavily armored pray and poisons it.

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Back to the Baikal,

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not only the deepest lake in the world,

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but also the oldest.

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Geologists put its age
at over 20 million years.

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00:28:41,400 --> 00:28:42,990
A deep trench formed

249
00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:46,310
where two continental plates
drifted apart.

250
00:28:47,240 --> 00:28:50,350
Water flowed into a huge abyss,

251
00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:53,230
and Lake Baikal was born.

252
00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:06,910
In the seal colony there is still
a lot of jostling going on,

253
00:29:07,640 --> 00:29:09,910
both above and below the surface.

254
00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,070
The young seals have made huge strides

255
00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:18,750
and are now almost indistinguishable
from their elders.

256
00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:27,470
Flipper slaps mean
"stay away from me",

257
00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:32,950
and when two disagree, the ensuing
disharmony can spread to the whole group.

258
00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:51,470
The elegant bodies glide
through the water like torpedoes.

259
00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:55,430
On land however,
this grace is sadly lacking.

260
00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:00,950
Early July.

261
00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:07,230
Martagon, red Turk's Caps and yellow Daylilies
decorate the steep banks

262
00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,310
of the southern part of the lake.

263
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,950
Millions of anemones transform
the nearby Tunka Valley

264
00:30:14,360 --> 00:30:15,990
into a sea of blooms.

265
00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:28,150
Olkhon Island in the middle of
the Lake Baikal.

266
00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:32,150
Here the last foothills of
the Mongolian steppes

267
00:30:32,400 --> 00:30:34,990
reach the sky-blue waters of the lake.

268
00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:40,790
A place full of contrasts which has been
enchanting people for thousands of years.

269
00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:50,230
Always with an inquisitive eye
for the world: gophers.

270
00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:53,950
The siblings are just five weeks old

271
00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:56,230
and have only just left their burrow.

272
00:31:03,760 --> 00:31:05,390
While one keeps watch,

273
00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:08,070
the others eat as much as they can.

274
00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:14,470
Without a solid layer of fat they
will not survive their eight month hibernation.

275
00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:18,190
But there is always enough time to play.

276
00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:21,630
All the same, they still have to take care.

277
00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:27,710
Many predators from the fox to the golden eagle
would love to get that close on them.

278
00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:36,030
A close eye is also
kept on the Dione Ratsnake,

279
00:31:36,240 --> 00:31:37,830
even though it's not poisonous

280
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:39,590
and poses no threat.

281
00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:47,950
The snake can grow up
to one meter in length,

282
00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:53,190
and their area of distribution
spends from Turkey to Korea.

283
00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:02,190
Russia is their most northerly habitat.

284
00:32:11,360 --> 00:32:14,070
Dusk falls on Olkhon Island.

285
00:32:14,840 --> 00:32:18,310
The gophers enjoy
the sun's last warm rays.

286
00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:26,470
They will spend the night
in the safety of their burrows.

287
00:32:42,560 --> 00:32:44,710
Fog on the bear cost.

288
00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:47,150
There is tension in the air.

289
00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:51,510
The animals are hungry

290
00:32:52,040 --> 00:32:53,470
and waiting for something.

291
00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:17,830
Early on morning an invasion begins

292
00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:19,910
and a feast for the bears.

293
00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:27,830
Millions of caddisflies
emerge from the water

294
00:33:28,360 --> 00:33:31,710
in which they have spent
the last few years as larvae,

295
00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:36,910
and the big bears begin
their pursuit of the tiny insects.

296
00:33:39,280 --> 00:33:42,670
Reaching dry land is
no easy task for the flies,

297
00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:46,990
again and again the lake
pulls them back to the water,

298
00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:49,270
yet they have to reach the bank.

299
00:33:49,720 --> 00:33:52,830
It's the only way to achieve
their purpose in life.

300
00:33:58,840 --> 00:34:01,550
The flies mate between the stones,

301
00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,790
an act that many males do not survive.

302
00:34:05,400 --> 00:34:07,550
The females then return to the water

303
00:34:07,760 --> 00:34:08,870
to lay their eggs.

304
00:34:12,960 --> 00:34:17,270
The caddisflies hide underneath
big rocks on the lakeside,

305
00:34:17,720 --> 00:34:20,470
safe from bad weather and hungry birds,

306
00:34:21,160 --> 00:34:23,230
but not from hungry bears.

307
00:34:28,240 --> 00:34:33,310
These protein-rich insects are
an important part of the bear's diet.

308
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:35,750
Prey doesn't have to be large,

309
00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:37,950
there just has to be enough of it.

310
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:45,150
Ten days later

311
00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:48,870
the feast ends as suddenly
as it began.

312
00:35:22,400 --> 00:35:26,190
In August the Siberian summer
comes to an end.

313
00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:33,190
For the bears, it's time to work up
the layer of fat needed for winter.

314
00:35:44,640 --> 00:35:47,470
The pair has settled who eats when,

315
00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:02,470
but a lone wolf seems
ignorant of the agreement.

316
00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:09,270
It must be very hungry,

317
00:36:09,800 --> 00:36:12,310
otherwise it wouldn't provoke a bear.

318
00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:22,110
Again and again it challenges
the larger predator.

319
00:36:38,240 --> 00:36:42,550
Unsurprisingly, in the end
the bigger animal wins.

320
00:36:49,880 --> 00:36:52,950
Autumn has now also
reached the villages.

321
00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:58,750
Rural life is sparse.

322
00:36:59,400 --> 00:37:01,710
Most villagers grown their own food.

323
00:37:04,720 --> 00:37:07,590
The fertile black earth of
the Tunka Valley

324
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:10,910
produces especially tasty potatoes.

325
00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:18,070
The harvest is a communal activity.

326
00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:25,190
Pictures as if from a bygone era.

327
00:37:25,480 --> 00:37:28,950
Many of the old Soviet tractors
are long broken down,

328
00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:31,390
and there is no money to spare parts.

329
00:37:31,880 --> 00:37:34,470
Happy the man with
the good strong horse.

330
00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:41,430
The taiga is home to a tree,

331
00:37:41,880 --> 00:37:44,590
without which many animals
could not survive,

332
00:37:45,000 --> 00:37:46,550
the Siberian Pine.

333
00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:51,230
A busy day begins for the chipmunk.

334
00:37:54,400 --> 00:37:58,070
The delicious cones hang
high up in the tree tops.

335
00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:04,870
The activities of the chipmunk
have long been observed by a neighbor.

336
00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:20,790
The unsuspected chipmunk
enjoys his feast of nuts.

337
00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:31,550
But the cheeky neighbor
is looking for trouble.

338
00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:45,030
In the end the rightful owner returns.

339
00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:48,510
Only when its burrow
is filled with pine nuts,

340
00:38:48,800 --> 00:38:51,150
can the chipmunk survive
the long winter.

341
00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:54,710
But first it's time
to stuff its face again.

342
00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:07,350
The Altay Mountains on the Mongolian border

343
00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:11,070
in Southwest Siberia,
craggy and hostile.

344
00:39:12,200 --> 00:39:15,110
The first snows of winter
cover the peaks.

345
00:39:23,320 --> 00:39:26,590
Home to one of Siberia's shyest animals,

346
00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:30,670
the Argali, the largest wild
sheep in the world.

347
00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:41,270
Now, in October, the bucks
join the kids and the females.

348
00:39:41,920 --> 00:39:45,790
It's the mating season,
but so far everything is quiet.

349
00:39:47,560 --> 00:39:50,510
Adult males grow to
the size of ponies

350
00:39:50,960 --> 00:39:54,150
and are magnetically
attracted to the females.

351
00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:05,630
The buck tastes the air with its
tongue hanging out, so-called flehmen,

352
00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:08,910
which tells him whether
the female is ready to mate.

353
00:40:09,280 --> 00:40:12,390
Right now the answer is obviously "No".

354
00:40:16,040 --> 00:40:17,350
A rival appears.

355
00:40:29,240 --> 00:40:33,150
Each buck will do anything
to eliminate its opponent.

356
00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:47,430
Two quarter tones of sheep crash
into each other at full tilt.

357
00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:55,710
Enormous forces act on the buck's skulls.

358
00:40:56,280 --> 00:40:57,910
Such fights have been known

359
00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:00,070
to leave Argalis unconscious.

360
00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:28,190
The victor gets to mate
with the majority of females.

361
00:41:38,920 --> 00:41:44,950
Someway lower down large herds of
Altay Marals roam the mountain steppes.

362
00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:47,710
This subspecies of red deer

363
00:41:48,040 --> 00:41:50,430
is also in mid breeding season.

364
00:41:58,040 --> 00:42:02,950
Meanwhile the situation between
the Argali bucks is escalating.

365
00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:05,870
Two equally strong males are fighting.

366
00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:10,870
The alpha-animal drives his herd
away from the young pretender.

367
00:42:17,040 --> 00:42:20,230
But the rival persists and closes the gap.

368
00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:25,190
Now it's all or nothing.

369
00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:43,190
This spectacular behavior
has never been filmed before.

370
00:42:52,640 --> 00:42:55,430
Eventually, the younger buck gives up

371
00:42:56,320 --> 00:42:59,470
and the victor gathers
his herd and moves on.

372
00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:14,990
At Lake Baikal too, the winter is not far off.

373
00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:24,710
Soon, the old sea will disappear
for months under the ice.

374
00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:40,710
And Siberia, the huge icy heart of Russia,
will find peace again.