All language subtitles for Ch5 Atlantic A Year in the Wild 4of4 Autumn 1080p.eng

The Atlantic - immense, hostile and brutal.

The world's second largest ocean,

so vast,

it generates weather.

An irresistible power

that shapes lands

with its unstoppable force.

To survive
in the world's wildest ocean

takes tenacity and strength.

This is the story

of birth

and death,

struggle

and survival.

Where the Atlantic meets Europe...

where the land meets the sea...

this is A Year In The Wild.

WAVES ROAR

In the Atlantic's far north,

it's autumn.

WIND WHISTLES, LEAVES RUSTLE

The season of gales.

Cooling temperatures.

And driving rain.

When animals must either prepare
to face winter head-on

or leave.

BIRDS CHIRPING

For some, this is also the season
to find a partner

and start the next generation.

But further south,

seasons fluctuate less

and autumn is yet to arrive.

But even here,

animals must search far and wide

to find food.

The Atlantic stretches
from pole to pole.

It's almost 3,000 miles
at its widest

and 27,000 feet at its deepest.

A wild expanse of endless blue...

..much of it lacking
in nutrients and life.

But running along its length
lie a chain of submerged volcanoes.

In a few places,
these peaks break the surface,

forming island chains
like the Azores.

Situated 1,000 miles west
of mainland Portugal...

..the Azores rise 6,000 feet

from the ocean floor.

Nutrients tumble down
from the land...

and well up from the deep...

creating an oasis for marine life.

Common...

spotted...

and bottlenose dolphins gather...

..to hunt the super-abundance
of prey.

Sensing an attack...

a school of fish bunch
tightly together.

As each one tries
to hide away at the centre,

they form a bait ball.

This leaves the fewest number
of fish exposed to predators.

Flashes of light
also disorientate...

..making it tricky for the dolphins
to pick off individuals.

But they have learned
that by rushing in...

they can split the bait ball,

then strike...

until they've had their fill.

These waters are also home
to giants.

Late September is
sperm whale-calving season
in the Azores.

A calf sticks close to its mother.

It's only weeks old,

but already weighs nearly a tonne.

It has an insatiable appetite,

drinking 350 pints of milk

every day.

They're joined by a family member

to help with a spot of baby-sitting.

Mum must feed regularly

if she is to produce enough milk

to satisfy her hungry youngster.

But her quarry, squid,

live thousands of feet deep.

Dives can take an hour or more.

The calf is not able
to hold its breath that long,

so must wait at the surface.

Protection by an adult is a must

as it reinforces the family bond,

but also helps to keep it safe.

Killer whales are known
to follow groups of sperm whales

to prey on vulnerable new-born.

Like all youngsters, it's curious
about its surroundings...

..but never strays far
from its minder...

..and keeps tabs
on its mother's movements

by eavesdropping
on her hunting clicks

deep below.

CLICKING SOUNDS

If it's a male, he'll stay around
for the next four years

before heading out on his own.

If it's a female, she will stick
close to her family for life.

DISTANT BIRD CRIES

In the Atlantic's north,
autumn advances.

Temperatures tumble
and days get shorter...

triggering one of Britain's
greatest natural spectacles,

the red deer rut...

when stags fight
for the right to mate.

The Isle of Rum
on Scotland's west coast

is home to the world's most studied
population of wild deer.

A seven-year-old stag has gathered
himself a harem of 20 hinds.

STAG ROARS

This draws in stags
from miles around,

including this nine-year-old.

He may be an antler down,

but he's determined to breed.

But is he a match
for the dominant stag?

Autumn on Scotland's Isle of Rum.

Cooler, shorter days have
kick-started the red deer rut...

when stags battle to secure a mate.

LOW BELLOWING SOUND

A seven-year-old roars
to warn rivals to keep away.

He has spent the last month

gathering a harem of hinds.

If he is to keep them,

he must be prepared to battle...

possibly to the death.

For the last six months,
Rum has been relatively peaceful.

Calves were born in the spring.

Stags grazed in bachelor herds...

and grew new sets of antlers.

But now, charged with testosterone,

tensions are running high.

BELLOWING

ROARING

If the dominant stag is
to defend his hinds,

he must be on high alert.

He won't eat for a month...

STAG ROARS

..and may lose
a fifth of his body weight.

The need to breed is strong.

All are desperate to pass their
genes on to the next generation.

Rivals are ready
to challenge his supremacy.

Each adversary
is quickly driven away.

STAG ROARS

But while his back is turned,

the stag with only one antler
makes a move.

He's big and determined.

STAG ROARS

Fights can be fatal.

BELLOWING

So, the dominant stag starts
by roaring.

STAG ROARS

This lets his opponent know

he's big and ready to battle.

ROARING

Having only one antler
puts him at a huge disadvantage.

ROARING

So, he retreats.

He's older and more experienced,

and knows that if he bides his time,

another opportunity will arise.

STRONG WIND BLOWING

Autumn storms lash the British
and Irish Atlantic coasts.

50-foot-high waves,

each weighing a thousand tonnes,

sculpt the shoreline.

Temperatures continue to fall.

A clear signal
to millions of migrants

that it's time to head south.

BIRDS CRY

And the Atlantic coast
becomes a fly way.

Every year, around half a million
pink-footed and barnacle geese

leave Greenland and Siberia

to overwinter in the UK.

Many head to the Scottish island
of Islay...

..where they gather to rest
along its shoreline.

SQUAWKING

They also fly inland...

..to graze

and eat grain dropped
during the autumn harvest.

But perhaps
the greatest migration of all

is undertaken by a creature
weighing less than a gram.

It starts
with a remarkable transformation.

Minute eggs laid
on the underside of leaves...

hatch into tiny caterpillars.

They gorge and fatten quickly.

Once fully grown,

they suspend themselves,

then pupate into a chrysalis.

On the outside,
they appear to be sleeping.

But inside, the caterpillar
is busy dissolving itself...

..before re-forming...

..to emerge
as a painted lady butterfly.

Its brain may only be
the size of a pinhead,

but somehow it knows

it must leave for warmer climes.

It quickly takes on fuel...

..then, without any guidance,

starts an extraordinary journey.

It climbs to an altitude
of 3,000 feet

where it picks up strong winds...

which push it south
at 30 miles per hour

along the Atlantic coast

towards North Africa...

where its offspring will undergo
the same transformation...

then make the return journey
next year.

In the deep waters off the Azores,

a family of sperm whales
is coming together.

Some have travelled
hundreds of miles

to join a mysterious gathering.

In the deep, open ocean
off the Azores...

..the sperm whale mother
is joined by her extended family.

Her calf rests
at the centre of the embrace.

Some may be meeting the new arrival
for the very first time.

CLICKING AND SQUEAKING SOUNDS

Rubbing and chatting
cements their bond.

Sperm whales have
one of the most complex languages
in the animal kingdom...

CLICKING AND SQUEAKING

..which they pass on
to their next generations

in much the same way
that humans do.

CLICKING AND SQUEAKING

Each extended family have
their own distinct dialect

which helps them keep in touch
when out of sight.

It's thought that they can even
communicate across oceans.

Peaking at 230 decibels,

they make the loudest natural sound
on Earth...

RAPID CLICKING

..the same volume
as a launching rocket.

Reaching up to 60 feet long

and weighing 90,000 pounds,

these leviathans of the deep
are the largest predators
to have ever lived.

Diving a mile below the surface,

they hunt alongside one of
the Azores' most secretive visitors.

Every year,

propelled by their ten-foot wings...

..hundreds of mobula rays
migrate from across the Atlantic

to feed off the Azores.

They plunge into the icy waters
of the deep

to prey on small fish

at depths
that would crush a submarine.

After each hunting trip,
they return to the surface to bask,

heating up
ahead of their next deep dive.

Stuck fast,
suckerfish hitch a ride...

..letting them travel huge distances
effortlessly.

They feed on scraps
dropped by the ray,

pick parasites off the ray's body...

and graze on their excrement.

They're also free swimmers

and will jump between rays.

Though some quickly get homesick.

Once the mobulas have warmed up...

they head back
into the twilight zone,

their suckerfish stuck fast.

In the North Atlantic,

days are getting shorter
by 20 minutes a week...

..reducing foraging time
for one diminutive autumn visitor.

After a long, cold night,

the sunrise stirs a sanderling
from its slumber.

It's only just flown in from Siberia

and has a busy day ahead.

CHIRPING

Sanderlings are adapted to live
between the high and low tideline.

Standing only seven inches high,

they're one of the smallest waders
on the beach.

But they're also one of the fastest.

A vital asset when it comes
to dodging the incoming waves.

They chase the tide
as it rises and falls...

..picking off tiny crabs,

sand hoppers

and worms,

which they detect
with their super-sensitive bills.

They scour the beach
until nightfall...

..then find a safe place to sleep,

their hunger satisfied
by the ebb and flow of the Atlantic.

BIRDS CRY

Autumn tightens its grip.

Broad-leaf trees sense
the loss of light.

To save energy,
they start to drop their leaves.

Having spent the summer
producing food for the trees,

they now die...

..fall to the ground

and nourish the soil.

But this year, in the forests
on Sweden's Eriksberg Peninsula...

autumn is late.

Warmer-than-average temperatures
are delaying the fall,

heaping pressure
on a wild boar family.

The dominant sow roots
through the leaf litter

for insects, fungi and seeds.

GRUNTING

Acorns are her favourite.

A nutritious, fatty treat

that will help her survive
the long, cold Scandinavian winter.

But this year, the acorns,

like the leaves,
have been slow to fall.

SQUAWKING

GRUNTING

She has age and experience
on her side

and knows where to find food.

But it means leaving
the safety of the forest.

BIRDS CRY

Brown bears and lynx also live
in Sweden's coastal forests.

Both will prey on wild boar.

But wolves are her biggest threat.

She needs to eat,

but venturing into the open

in daylight could be fatal.

Autumn is late in Sweden's
Atlantic coastal forests.

Acorns still hang in the trees,

well out of reach
of a wild boar family.

Food is abundant
along the shoreline,

but to get it means breaking cover,

a dangerous option
with wolves on the prowl.

HOWLING

So, they wait for the cover
of darkness.

One by one, they make their way
on to the beach...

..where they can feed
on windfall acorns,

mussels

and scraps washed in by the tide.

They're joined
by this year's youngsters.

Called squeakers,
they're only six months old...

..and would make a tasty snack
for a hungry wolf,

so they stick close
to the family group.

GRUNTING AND SQUEAKING

All are nervous and jumpy.

The matriarch keeps them in check...

whilst also stealing
the richest pickings.

As morning returns,
she leads them back

into the safety of the forest...

where they forage and wait
for the autumn bounty to fall.

As winter draws ever closer,

activity around the Atlantic slows.

Under the surface,

many fish leave the shallow
coastal waters and head deep.

Predators must work harder
to find food.

And prey must keep hidden

if it's to avoid becoming
someone's supper.

Being transparent helps
this shrimp avoid detection.

But being only one inch long means
it has lots of predators.

So, it lives amongst the deadly
tentacles of a snakelock anemone.

Each tip contains enough venom
to kill a small fish,

but somehow, the shrimp is immune,

letting it graze in relative safety.

To avoid predators,

this two-inch-long bobtail squid

restricts its activity
to night-time.

It sticks close to the sea floor...

..and changes colour to blend in.

But this is
bobtail squid breeding season.

It must get out and about
if it's to find itself a mate.

Two come together.

Flirtation is brief...

..before they head off
for some privacy.

Eggs are laid under a rock.

As night draws to a close,

it hides itself away.

Extra camouflage is held in place

by its sticky skin.

BIRDS CRY

On the Isle of Rum,

the red deer rut
is coming to a head.

The dominant stag still has control
of his territory

and his hinds.

Challengers are coming
thick and fast.

STAGS ROAR

They scrape up vegetation

to make their antlers look bigger.

They posture and strut
side by side.

If all this fails to impress,

there's only one thing left to do.

And that's to fight.

GRUNTING

GRUNTING

BELLOWING

While they battle,

the stag with the single antler
takes his chance...

..and makes his move.

STAG ROARS

And they mate.

STAG ROARS

Perhaps hinds are not only attracted
by a stag's size and strength,

but are also drawn by his experience
and perseverance.

Surviving a year
in the world's wildest ocean

takes determination...

adaptation...

and cunning.

But along with hardship
and suffering,

the Atlantic also brings food,

warmth...

and opportunity.

BIRDS CRY

Every year, parents risk everything
to raise their offspring.

Now it's their turn

to survive a year
in the wild Atlantic.

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