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The Arctic.

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For anything to survive here,
it has to be strong

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and able to deal with ice
and snow at any time.

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The largest

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and least known part of
this inhospitable region

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belongs to Russia.

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Russia's Arctic

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stretches over 6,000 kilometers

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from the Norwegian border to Alaska.

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Endless expenses of icy wilderness
and storm-tossed islands

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with mysterious names
like Novaya Zemlya,

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Taymyr or the legendary Wrangel Island.

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In March

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the ice sheet on the White Sea

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in the west of the Russian Arctic

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begins to break up.

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Thousands of Harp Seals
gather here

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to give birth.

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Mother seals always
keep a hole in the ice open

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and can thus surface
right next to their offspring.

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Seal pups weight
only 10 kilograms at birth,

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less than a tenth of their mother.

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Their immediate preoccupation is feeding

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and growing quickly.

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A seals only suckle
their young for 12 days,

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thereafter the little ones remain
on the ice on their own,

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until their dark coats are fully developed

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and they can take to the sea.

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But for now they are
still cuddly and white

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and impatient for their next meal.

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About 7 times a day
mother and baby meet

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at feeding time.

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Seal milk is very nutritious

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with the fat content of 42 percent.

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The pups put on around 2 kilos a day.

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Once the mother stopped suckling,

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the young seals have reached
a weight of about 35 kilos

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and are well-prepared for the future.

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A male seal tries to attract some attention.

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The mating season
for Harp Seals is approaching,

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but for now the female gives
him the cold shoulder.

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Maybe blowing bubbles will help.

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The admirer is persistent.

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But she really isn't in the mood.

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After the short suckling period

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the pups will not see their mothers again.

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Well-fed, they are safe for now
on the ice flows of the White Sea.

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Polar bears are almost
never seen in this region.

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The bears, the largest land
predators on Earth,

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are far out in the Arctic Ocean
where they find prey more easily.

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Only rarely do they
come across other bears,

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as by the end of winter the sea ice
has reached its greatest extend.

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Soon the ice will melt,

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and the kings of the Arctic
will have to take to dry land.

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Mid-May.

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4,000 kilometers east of
the White Sea in Northern Yakutia.

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One of the rarest birds in the world
builds its nest here during the winter:

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a Siberian White Crane.

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The remaining two or three
thousand of these mysterious birds

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breed exclusively in Russia.

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The birds react extremely
nervously to any disturbance

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and for this reason have hardly
ever been captured on film.

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A 1, 000 kilometers
further east lies Wrangel Island,

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close to the Alaskan peninsula.

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Every May

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snow geese arrive on
the island near the Bering Strait

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from their North-American winter quarters.

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In the only breeding colony
in the whole of Russia

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almost 50000 pairs of
geese settle in a high valley.

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Their arrival is eagerly anticipated.

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The Arctic Fox in winter pelt
is always hungry,

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but the geese are well able
to defend themselves.

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In May the sun is already strong,

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but the geese's breeding areas
are still covered in snow.

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That calls for patience.

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Day by day the snow-free areas,

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important food sources
for geese and snipe increase.

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The long migration has used up
the energy reserves of the smaller birds,

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which now urgently need to feed.

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In the Russian Arctic
winter is never far away.

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Polar air masses can cause
the weather to change in no time.

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The next morning the temperature
has fallen to -10 degrees Centigrade.

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The Arctic Fox is well protected
from cold and wind by its winter fur.

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It keeps a constant lookout
for victims of the harsh weather.

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The snow geese still have enough in reserve

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to go a few days without food.

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They saved their energy and wait,
just like the Long-tailed Skuas.

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Not everybody is suffering
from the sudden onset of winter.

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Musk oxen are well-prepared
for the extreme cold.

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In contrast to the migratory birds
they've spent the whole winter here

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in temperatures below -40 degrees.

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Originally related to goats, these
massive animals were extinct in the Arctic,

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then successfully
re-introduced in the mid-1970s

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and are now thriving.

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The cold spell has already lasted a week,

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unusually long.

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For the birds the situation
is slowly getting serious.

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The frozen ground offers hardly any food.

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Huddled together, Grey Plovers,

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Ruddy Turnstones and Dunlins

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seek shelter from the icy wind.

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For some it's already too late.

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In the end it is the sun's energy
that saves them.

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Melt water finds its way
through the snowy planes.

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Finally the frost eases
its icy grip on the ground.

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A commotion goes through
the colony, as a wolf appears in the valley.

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It does not however
seem intetested it the birds,

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they, on the other hand, are all
the more intetested in the predator.

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A veritable pursuit ensues

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albeit from a safe distance.

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Finally the uninvited guest withdraws.

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In the breeding colony however,
nobody sounds the all-clear.

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Foxes raid the nesting
grounds on a daily basis.

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The geese are prepared.

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While the female broods,

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the gander is always close by,
ready to defend the nest.

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The fox knows better than to attack him.

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Because of the sudden cold spell
many geese have given up their nests.

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Easy pickings for the fox,

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which finds more than it can eat

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and can thus store some for later.

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Foxes create hundreds of such caches.

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In the cold earth of the tundra
the eggs stay fresh for months.

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Soon it has looted all the abandoned nests,

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life becomes harder again.

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The fox tests the gander's
defensive capabilities.

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At the first sign of weakness
the predatorwill keep up the pressure.

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Got it!

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It only manages to carry off one egg,

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but will remember
the nest as a good source.

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This time it goes straight into the offensive.

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The goose doesn't stand a chance

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and looses one egg after the other.

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Only one remains, for now.

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At the end of June summer
arrives in the Russian Arctic.

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For a short while, the tundra
reveals hidden treasures:

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Rooted Poppies,
White Dryads and Silene.

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The breeding season is now in full swing.

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Grey Plovers, Snow Buntings
and Common Eider ducks

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enjoy the sunny days.

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Even now temperatures
barely rise above zero.

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Sleet is common, and
the animals are used to it.

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Then the sleet
turns into heavy snow,

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burying the summer
in just s few hours.

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The Eider duck must not move,

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or its clutch of eggs will be lost.

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Tenaciously it braves the weather.

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The Musk-oxen too are suffering.

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They can handle the cold,

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but the wet snow
saturates their heavy fur.

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This small group led
by an old bull gets nervous,

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as a second bull strides
purposefully up from the valley.

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With its head down and to one side
the older bull assumes its fighting stands.

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The rivals show off
their mighty flanks.

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The newcomer approaches the females.

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One cow smells
especially interesting,

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but it's too soon.

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The mating season doesn't
begin until August and September.

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The old bull has had enough

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and challenges the rival.

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There is only a short skirmish.

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Another few months will pass
before the rivalry gets serious.

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The snow does not lie for very long.

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The July sun is too strong,

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it slowly reveals
Wrangel Island's distant past.

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Ivory, washed free from the permafrost.

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Wrangel Island remained
home to woolly mammoths

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long after they were extinct elsewhere.

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This tusk is barely 4,000 years old.

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A remnant of the very last of their kind.

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Some contemporaries of
the mammoth have survived till today.

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Reindeer.

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Russia's Arctic is the habitat of
the largest Reindeer population on Earth.

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About a million live on
the Taymyr Peninsula alone.

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The grazing Reindeer pass through
the Snow Goose colony without incident.

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All the same, the geese are
especially alert at the moment.

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Their offspring have begun to hatch.

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While the first chicks could have left the nest
with their parents after the few hours,

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they have to wait until all the eggs
are hatched, and that can easily take a whole day.

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A dangerous phase for the youngest.

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If the fox gets too close,

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the safest place is
under mother's wing.

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This time, however, the fox
is not after the geese.

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It has spotted something bigger
in the undergrowth of dwarf willows.

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A lemming,

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a prize catch.

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The coast seems to be clear,

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but there is another predator about.

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A wolverine.

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The large marten is too big
to be chased away by a gander.

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Fortunately it settles for an egg
and leaves the chicks alone.

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It's the gosling's last chance to relax,

193
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before the whole family

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moves to the flat tundra,

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where huge lakes
offer food and shelter.

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A long and dangerous
journey for the geese.

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Some families migrate over 70 kilometers,

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whatever the weather.

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00:20:37,240 --> 00:20:40,230
July is the warmest month in the Arctic,

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and the green tundra
has food in abundance,

201
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not only for the goslings.

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00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:14,150
In the mountains the arctic foxes
have only few offspring this year.

203
00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:17,990
Just two cubs wait
for the parents to return.

204
00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:21,150
Moreover, they are much
too small for their age,

205
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as there are almost
no lemmings this summer.

206
00:21:24,200 --> 00:21:29,190
Their mother returns only rarely
and even then with hardly any food.

207
00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:32,230
The prospects aren't
good for the young foxes.

208
00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:41,150
Lower down on the planes
things look brighter.

209
00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,150
Here the cubs have developed much faster,

210
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because they have an additional
source of food: goslings.

211
00:21:51,200 --> 00:21:54,990
Shortly afterwards they
are joined by their siblings.

212
00:22:10,080 --> 00:22:13,110
Sharing is not a popular concept.

213
00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:36,110
How so often in life -

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if two cannot agree, a third profits.

215
00:22:58,200 --> 00:23:02,030
Snowy Owls can not
switch to a diet of geese,

216
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:04,150
they are dependent on lemmings.

217
00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:08,230
The chicks beg, but their mother
has not brought any food.

218
00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:14,030
In years with few lemmings many
Snowy Owls do not breed at all.

219
00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:18,070
This mother has only two chicks
instead of the usual ten,

220
00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:20,230
and one of them is very weak.

221
00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:31,150
The difference in size of
the siblings is enormous.

222
00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:39,990
The mother goes off hunting.

223
00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:53,110
For hours she watches for signs of
movement on the hill opposite.

224
00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:56,230
The lemming has long been in her sights.

225
00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:05,990
She tries her luck.

226
00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,190
It's high time her offspring
had something to eat.

227
00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:23,150
This time the mother owl
succeeds in catching

228
00:24:23,240 --> 00:24:25,110
one of the elusive rodents.

229
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,110
The prey is immediately
claimed by the stronger chick.

230
00:24:30,000 --> 00:24:34,070
By now the smaller sibling
is barely showing signs of life.

231
00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:38,150
The mother, however,
tries to feed it the lemming.

232
00:24:42,240 --> 00:24:43,230
But to no avail.

233
00:24:44,240 --> 00:24:48,150
The little one is too weak and
the bigger one too hungry.

234
00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:52,230
There is nothing the mother can do.

235
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:27,150
The bigger chick is safe for the moment,

236
00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:32,070
but the mother owl will have enough
trouble providing enough food for one.

237
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Arctic coasts are surprisingly
rich feeding grounds.

238
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A Gray Whale.

239
00:25:48,040 --> 00:25:53,030
Close to the coast it filters the sea
floor for crabs and mussels.

240
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Belugas.

241
00:25:58,080 --> 00:26:01,990
The name is russian in origin
and means "the white ones".

242
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In the summer they migrate
over thousands of kilometers

243
00:26:06,240 --> 00:26:09,110
along the shallow russian Arctic coast,

244
00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,230
searching for crabs and shoals of fish.

245
00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:21,190
The little group includes a young whale,

246
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just a few hours old.

247
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It keeps close to its mother.

248
00:26:26,040 --> 00:26:28,110
It's much easier to swim in herwake.

249
00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:48,150
Sea birds also know what
rich pickings are to be found here

250
00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:52,070
and form large breeding
colonies all along the coast.

251
00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:57,070
One species is especially
well-suited to the harsh climate:

252
00:26:57,240 --> 00:26:59,070
Brunnich's Guillemots.

253
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:05,990
Here, close to the rocks,
the chicks are sheltered from the wind

254
00:27:06,160 --> 00:27:08,150
and unpleasant surprises.

255
00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:20,270
Fortunately, the shower
is just a short hop away.

256
00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,990
Nordic sea birds have
to be resilient, even in summer.

257
00:27:31,120 --> 00:27:34,990
The wind drives fields of
pack ice towards the coast.

258
00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:39,990
What was a waterfall a moment
ago, is frozen solid the next.

259
00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:46,030
The nests of the Red-legged Kittiwakes
are transformed into crystal palaces.

260
00:28:04,080 --> 00:28:06,230
The Guillemot chicks have left their rock.

261
00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:11,030
With the daring leap they normally
go straight into the water.

262
00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,150
This yeas pack ice blocks the way.

263
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,150
They must, however, get to the open sea,

264
00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:19,230
so that their parents can feed them.

265
00:28:24,040 --> 00:28:26,110
Moving nimbly from floe to floe,

266
00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,990
the arctic fox senses an opportunity.

267
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:53,030
For now the chick is safe,
because the fox doesn't like water.

268
00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:57,150
It's still a long way
to the open sea, however.

269
00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:04,070
The fox lands in a dead end,

270
00:29:04,200 --> 00:29:09,030
and when it ends up taking
an involuntary bath, it's had enough.

271
00:29:36,080 --> 00:29:41,150
By mid-August Wrangle Island
is surrounded by drifting ice fields

272
00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:44,070
with weighty cargo on board:

273
00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:47,030
Polar Bears.

274
00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:17,190
The large bears sense
that the ice is fragile

275
00:30:18,080 --> 00:30:21,230
and use the proximity to
the island to leave the floe.

276
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:33,150
Due to global warming the periods without
sea ice along the russian northern coast

277
00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:35,230
are becoming longer and longer.

278
00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:43,030
A few hundred bears
are stranded on Wrangel Island,

279
00:30:43,240 --> 00:30:48,110
where they will have to wait until
November, when the sea freezes over again.

280
00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:51,150
Until then there won't be much to eat.

281
00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:08,110
Predators have sharp senses,

282
00:31:08,280 --> 00:31:10,150
above all when they are hungry.

283
00:31:15,160 --> 00:31:19,030
This young bear has seen
a movement in the shallow lagoon.

284
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:24,230
It takes a closer look.

285
00:31:51,120 --> 00:31:53,070
Then it tries to catch a fish,

286
00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:56,190
unheard-of behavior
for a polar bear.

287
00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:11,110
Polar bears are really seal hunters.

288
00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:16,110
This youngster doesn't seem
very well equipped to deal with fish.

289
00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:29,070
Yet, if it tastes good,

290
00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:32,070
the bearwill quickly learn
how to catch it.

291
00:32:48,120 --> 00:32:49,230
It's now September.

292
00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:54,270
For the Musk-oxen the time
for rivalries to be settled.

293
00:33:02,040 --> 00:33:07,070
Often two bulls of similar strength
will stay together for some time

294
00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:11,070
and regularly perform
violent sparring matches.

295
00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:48,070
Serious fighting, however,
is something else.

296
00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:55,150
Deep lowing challenges the rival.

297
00:34:13,280 --> 00:34:16,110
Weighing around 400 kilos each,

298
00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:22,230
the bulls crash into each other
at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour.

299
00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:40,270
But in spite of the enormous
forces involved, injuries are rare.

300
00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:52,230
The bulls' thick horny plates
sit on a flexible layer of keratin

301
00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:54,270
and solid bone underneath,

302
00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:56,230
which cushion the impact.

303
00:35:03,120 --> 00:35:06,070
The strain is nonetheless enormous,

304
00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:10,990
so the weaker of the two rivals
usually gives up fairly quickly.

305
00:35:24,080 --> 00:35:25,190
Autumn in the tundra.

306
00:35:26,240 --> 00:35:28,110
The snow geese gather.

307
00:35:29,040 --> 00:35:32,070
A 5,000 kilometer flight lies before them,

308
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:36,270
some even fly as far
as California and Mexico.

309
00:36:09,160 --> 00:36:12,110
The coming winter is already in the air.

310
00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:28,150
The hungry bears patrol the gravel banks,

311
00:36:28,280 --> 00:36:30,190
keeping out of each other's way.

312
00:36:31,080 --> 00:36:35,110
Mothers with young are especially
cautious about their surroundings.

313
00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:47,070
The cub is just 9 months old,

314
00:36:47,240 --> 00:36:52,110
even other bears just wanting
to be playful are too dangerous for it.

315
00:36:54,080 --> 00:36:59,190
Thus it stays close to its motherwho
keeps potential playmates at a distance.

316
00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:07,070
Even older cubs are cautious.

317
00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:16,110
This adult male weighing
a good 700 kilos is certainly not suitable.

318
00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,190
Occasionally males even kill cubs.

319
00:37:26,240 --> 00:37:28,990
Apart from waiting forwinter to come,

320
00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:31,150
there is not a lot the bears can do.

321
00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:38,270
An old walrus skin is a welcomed
distraction for this young male.

322
00:37:39,080 --> 00:37:40,150
It makes a good toy

323
00:37:40,280 --> 00:37:42,230
and at least tastes of something.

324
00:37:54,080 --> 00:37:59,110
The bearwould much prefer to have
the skin complete with contents.

325
00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:07,150
In late September

326
00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:11,230
tens of thousands of walruses
leave the Arctic seas.

327
00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:17,030
They move southwards through
the Bering Strait away from the storms and ice.

328
00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:20,230
On theirjourney they
cover large distances,

329
00:38:21,080 --> 00:38:24,270
but also need regular
periods of rest on dry land.

330
00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:42,030
As long as there are polar bears lurking
on the banks, the walruses will stay in the water.

331
00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:44,230
It's the only safe place for them.

332
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:54,030
It is hard for a polar bear
to overpower a walrus even on dry land,

333
00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:59,110
if they stay in the water, the bears
will have to make do with hungry glances.

334
00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:08,190
Someway away from the group a lone
walrus has ventured into the shallows.

335
00:39:09,040 --> 00:39:13,150
It's weak and rests
his head on its long tusks.

336
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,230
It does not remain undiscovered for long.

337
00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:26,230
In the twilight a large male
bear picks up the scent.

338
00:39:31,920 --> 00:39:35,910
The next morning not
much of the walrus remains.

339
00:39:43,480 --> 00:39:45,710
A young bear discovers the carcass.

340
00:39:52,600 --> 00:39:55,190
Cautiously it moves closer,

341
00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:58,390
the real owner could be somewhere nearby.

342
00:40:00,280 --> 00:40:03,150
He is in fact only 200 meters away,

343
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:04,950
a giant of a bear,

344
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:07,630
and so full of food he can hardly move.

345
00:40:18,520 --> 00:40:20,990
The youngster seizes the opportunity.

346
00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:25,270
Using its own weight, it tenderizes the meat.

347
00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:32,150
The old bear hasn't the energy to argue.

348
00:40:38,520 --> 00:40:42,150
Even so, the younger one remains cautious.

349
00:40:45,960 --> 00:40:48,070
It has to take its chance, however,

350
00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:51,550
there won't be any
other food any time soon.

351
00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:06,710
Warily, the walruses watch the beach.

352
00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:19,590
Only when the last bear
has vanished, do they leave the water.

353
00:41:25,080 --> 00:41:30,830
Walruses are very sociable animals,
lone animals are seen only rarely.

354
00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,270
Even when there is plenty of space,

355
00:41:33,640 --> 00:41:37,350
they lie down close
togetherwith body contact.

356
00:41:38,440 --> 00:41:41,830
The huge animals can weigh up to 1.5 tons,

357
00:41:42,240 --> 00:41:45,710
and their tusks grow
to lengths of over half a meter.

358
00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:49,710
Dangerous weapons,
feared even by polar bears.

359
00:41:50,280 --> 00:41:51,830
Scuffles are commonplace.

360
00:41:57,160 --> 00:42:01,150
Finally the colony of giants settles down.

361
00:42:04,080 --> 00:42:05,150
But not for long.

362
00:42:05,800 --> 00:42:07,470
Winter is on the way

363
00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:11,350
and the walruses will soon
set out for the Bering Strait.

364
00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:22,910
By October the temperatures
no longer make it over freezing point.

365
00:42:23,560 --> 00:42:25,990
The winter has finally returned.

366
00:42:26,720 --> 00:42:30,790
The polar bears' time
on dry land is almost over.

367
00:42:45,800 --> 00:42:48,950
When the first fields of
pack ice reach the coast,

368
00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:52,430
the bears set out
for their frozen world,

369
00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:54,550
where no one can follow.

370
00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:08,510
The Arctic is still a place
where nature makes the rules

371
00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:10,070
and not humans.

372
00:43:21,240 --> 00:43:25,790
Soon the sun will disappear
for months behind the horizon

373
00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:29,710
and Russia's Arctic will sink into darkness,

374
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:35,310
illuminated only by
the eerie glimmer of northern lights.