All language subtitles for Americas National Parks 01

♪ ♪

Grand Teton National Park
is locked in snow and ice.

♪ ♪

The perfect playground
for otters.

♪ ♪

It may look fun...

(chattering)

...but this family is here
on serious business.

They need to find access
to open water...

♪ ♪

...and the fish below.

♪ ♪

The Snake River provides
an important protein source

during the winter months.

♪ ♪

Cutthroat trout.

Catching them is easy.

Keeping them is the hard part.

♪ ♪

Sneaky scavengers
try their luck.

It's a constant dance
for resources

in Grand Teton National Park.

♪ ♪

Shrouded by a veil of white,

winter dazzles.

♪ ♪

Oxbow Bend,

an iconic part
of the Snake River,

rarely freezes entirely.

♪ ♪

It's a favorite denning
and feeding spot

for the otter family.

But they're not the only ones
that come here to hunt.

In the right conditions,

coyotes can sniff out food
up to a mile away.

♪ ♪

An otter makes a tasty treat.

Coyotes may be wily...

...but these otters
are one step ahead.

They bust out the back door...

and the coyote
goes hungry today.

When the coast is clear,

it's back to business.

♪ ♪

Above or below water,

their fur keeps them toasty
in the iciest conditions.

♪ ♪

Rolling in snow
keeps it warm and waterproof.

♪ ♪

Grand Teton
is the perfect place

for otters to keep
in top condition.

♪ ♪

It snows here for
over six months a year.

For the otters,
it's "snow" problem.

There's plenty to go around.

♪ ♪

Grand Teton National Park

is a 310,000-acre
winter wonderland.

♪ ♪

The park is named
for Grand Teton,

a proud ice maiden

whose snowcapped peaks
stand at nearly 14,000 feet.

♪ ♪

The Teton Range
is the reason this park

spends over half the year
buried in snow.

♪ ♪

Water evaporates
from the Pacific Ocean,

traveling uninterrupted
across low level plains

until clouds come crashing
into Teton's giant peaks,

where they release
epic snowfall.

More than 40 feet can
dump here in just one season.

(grumbling)

It's this volume of snow

that makes Grand Teton
National Park so special.

♪ ♪

This red fox

is perfectly suited
to life in the white stuff.

Taking a canine catnap
out in the open,

she uses her bushy tail
as a portable blanket,

sleeping like this,

even during
the coldest winter nights.

♪ ♪

Today the sun is shining,

and a vole enjoys
a spring stroll.

♪ ♪

It doesn't go unnoticed.

♪ ♪

The vole seeks refuge

in a network
of underground tunnels.

♪ ♪

But out of sight
is not out of mind.

♪ ♪

The fox's hearing
is her ultimate weapon.

♪ ♪

Tilting her head
from side to side,

she zones in on the target.

♪ ♪

No luck this time.

But Grand Teton provides
perfect mousing conditions.

♪ ♪

Bingo!

For the other residents,
it's not so straightforward.

♪ ♪

Some are skating on thin ice.

(crack)

(bear groans)

♪ ♪

Cold paws are
a small price to pay

for his first taste of
fresh water since last year.

♪ ♪

Finding food
is the next priority.

(groaning)

And hungry grizzlies are
waking up all over the park...

(grumbling)

...including this new mom,

who hasn't eaten
in over six months.

(growling)

This multi-tasking mom
gave birth in her den...

(snorting)

...and has been nursing
these two hungry mouths

for three months.

♪ ♪

All without eating
or drinking anything herself.

♪ ♪

It's cost her a third
of her body weight.

She needs to find food fast.

Easier said than done
with these two in tow.

(grumbling)

♪ ♪

Her rich milk has
filled them with energy...

and now she's running on empty.

(squealing)

The cubs are naive to the
plight of their hungry mom.

But it's not all fun and games.

(growling)

Male grizzlies emerged
from the den two months ago,

gaining a head start
on the hunt for food.

(bird calling)

They will kill young cubs
for a better chance of mating.

Mom does her best
to avoid them.

The cubs are none the wiser.

So focused on exploring,

they drift off from Mom...

who's busy searching
for spring shoots.

♪ ♪

As they wander further away,

they head
straight into trouble.

Male grizzlies
aren't the only danger.

The weather here
can turn on a dime.

It's their very first spring,

and they have no idea
how easy it is to get lost

in a Grand Teton blizzard.

♪ ♪

The cubs are completely alone.

(sniffing)

Mom's senses go into overdrive.

♪ ♪

It's the first time
the family has been apart.

♪ ♪

She searches on.

Their chance
of surviving without her

is virtually zero.

♪ ♪

(squawking)

♪ ♪

But then the cubs spot her
through the snow.

♪ ♪

Thankfully,
there's no harm done...

and hopefully a lesson learned.

♪ ♪

Mom can nurse her cubs
for up to two years.

During that time,
she'll teach them

everything there is to know
about this wilderness.

Their personal tour guide...

in Grand Teton National Park.

(cub moaning)

As the spring thaw begins,

treasures
will soon be revealed.

(dripping)

(birds chirping)

♪ ♪

Every year,
the warming temperatures

trigger the snow
and ice to melt.

Perhaps
the single biggest event

on the Grand Teton calendar.

It's also the signal
for both wildlife and people

to return to these lands.

Hunter-gatherers came
to the Grand Teton region

at least 11,000 years ago.

Their pattern of leaving this
land during the winter months

and returning to reap
the bounty of summer

has been followed by
the Shoshone, Nez Perce,

Gros Ventre, Blackfoot,
and Crow tribes, among others,

for thousands of years.

♪ ♪

But the Jackson elk herd

have been doing this
for even longer.

(bugling)

Their migration is driven
by the retreating snowline,

revealing the greening
grasses beneath.

The elk might arrive
in April one year

and July the next,

depending on the timing
of the snowmelt.

The process releases
millions of gallons of water,

gushing down the mountains,

where it feeds
the swelling Snake River,

a source of life,

providing fresh water
to both plants and animals...

♪ ♪

...including a gathering of
fine spotted cutthroat trout,

found in these waters
and nowhere else in America.

Each year they gather here
in large numbers to breed.

This female, known as a hen,

is getting ready for just that.

She digs a nest, called a redd,

turning on her side and flexing
her body in the process.

This attracts
the attention of the males,

who chase each other off

and vie for top spot.

♪ ♪

The process of digging
and chasing can last days.

♪ ♪

Finally, when the water
reaches the right temperature,

she releases
up to 4,000 eggs...

...triggering a mad dash

in the battle
to fertilize them first.

♪ ♪

The hen keeps her eggs safe,

burying them under gravel.

(pebbles rattling)

For this new generation
of trout,

survival began months earlier

in the snowy mountain slopes
of the park.

Larger snowpack years

translate into huge quantities
of melting water.

This water flushes away
the fine sediments

and provides an oxygen boost
in the process.

The result?

An improved spawning habitat
for the trout

and ultimately, better fishing
in the years to come.

♪ ♪

Good news for
the thousands of visitors...

who come to the park
each year to fish.

♪ ♪

The snowmelt creates
pristine river conditions

for another creature to thrive.

The pilose crayfish.

♪ ♪

Living between the logs
brought here by the beaver,

their hard work has
provided him with a home

and a hiding place
from predators.

This premium spot attracts
the attention of a male rival.

Raising his claws, he tries
to scare off the intruder,

who responds defiantly
by raising his own.

What we have here
is a showdown.

But crayfish are adept
in the art of bluffing.

Some grow large claws

that are actually weaker
in pinching power,

so bigger
is not always better.

There's only one way
to find out.

♪ ♪

The big guy wasn't
bluffing after all.

The battle wasn't in vain.

Crayfish are clever.

They recognize and remember
the face of rivals.

If this intruder tries again,
he will be remembered.

His opponent retreats.

The winner holds on
to this perfect spot.

♪ ♪

The Snake River
flows all year round...

thanks to some friends
in high places.

♪ ♪

Whitebark pine,

the rooftop of Grand Teton,

plays a leading role in helping
this ecosystem thrive.

♪ ♪

By capturing snowdrifts
and creating shade,

they slow the melting snow,

which feeds the Snake River
and surrounding wetlands

well into summer.

(water rushing)

When the blanket of snow
has been lifted,

the diverse range of habitats

that make up
Grand Teton National Park

are finally revealed.

♪ ♪

The mountains stand
like watchful guardians

over the rich landscape below.

This unique blend of habitats

catches a special eye.

(humming)

Hummingbirds travel
all the way from Mexico,

nearly 2,000 miles away,

for the perfect
breeding grounds,

found here in
Grand Teton National Park.

The males normally arrive first
and establish their territory,

which they defend from rivals.

It's a spot worth
fighting for...

(humming)

...filled with
nectar-rich flowers,

which means a better chance
of attracting a mate.

♪ ♪

This female won't just
pair up with anyone.

She considers
how much food is available

in her suitor's territory.

Plentiful food sources
are essential.

Hummingbirds eat up to twelve
times their own body weight

in nectar daily.

♪ ♪

They collect pollen while
feasting on the sugary nectar.

And with each new meal,

the birds pollinate
the park's blooms,

ensuring a future
flower feast for all.

♪ ♪

Hummingbirds time their arrival

with the park's
earliest blooming flowers...

...traveling thousands
of miles every year

to make the most of
Grand Teton's summer bounty.

But confined to
the alpine slopes,

spending their whole lives

in just a few square miles
of the park,

is one animal whose life
depends on a summer of plenty.

Only the toughest, bravest,

some might say
downright craziest of animals

live up here in this
windswept no-man's-land.

(chirp)

Small but mighty.

(chirp)

Blink, and you'll miss it.

An American pika.

She may look like a tan
potato-sized furball,

but this rabbit relative
is tough as nails.

At around 10,000 feet,

the treeless slopes
of the Teton mountain range

are one of the most
inhospitable places

to live in the park.

But this pile of rubble,
known as talus,

is prime pika real estate.

Formed from chunks of rock

that fell off the top
of the Teton mountains

it contains
some of the oldest rocks

in North America.

(chirp)

To her, it's home.

She hunkered down here
during winter,

patiently waiting
for the snow to melt.

♪ ♪

Now summer's here,

and it's time to get to work.

♪ ♪

She gathers her favorite
grasses and wildflowers.

As the saying goes,

"Make hay
while the sun shines."

And that's exactly
what she's doing.

She works for hundreds of hours
across the short summer months,

gathering foliage to be dried
and stored over winter as hay.

And when you're this focused
on the task at hand,

it's easy to miss
the lone predators

who lurk up here.

♪ ♪

(calling)

But there is safety in numbers.

(calling)

This neighborhood watch

is the secret
to surviving up here,

enabling each pika
to maximize haymaking time.

♪ ♪

The summers are fleeting
in Grand Teton National Park,

and even shorter
up high in the alpine zone.

(bear groans)

In the forest,

mama bear is teaching her cubs
the next valuable lesson--

dining out.

She knows how to find food

in almost every habitat
within the park.

Her powerful nose,

2,000 times
more sensitive than a human's,

has detected dinner.

Ants,

a protein rich treat.

She extracts them easily,
using long finger-like claws.

♪ ♪

Her cubs give it a try...

♪ ♪

...but they don't quite
have the knack yet.

They learn first-hand

not to bite off
more than they can chew.

♪ ♪

On the Snake River,

biting and chewing
is no problem

for a beaver feasting on
Grand Teton's bounty of trees.

The Snake River is
a lifeline for wildlife,

not only in the park

but across regions
of the western states.

Its protection here is crucial
for a whole host of animals...

(low growling)

...including arguably the most
famous bear in North America.

♪ ♪

Meet 399.

♪ ♪

This is no ordinary bear.

At 26 years old,

she's the grandmother
of Grand Teton.

It's the height of summer,

and, lucky for her cubs,

this veteran
knows the best place

for a refreshing dip.

♪ ♪

It's rare to have four cubs...

(growling)

...and totally unique
to have four at her age.

Dubbed "Queen of the Tetons"
by her many fans,

this bear is famed for having
at least 22 descendants.

She's a big part of
the grizzly bear success story

in Grand Teton National Park.

They enjoy protection
and thrive

because of the varied
food sources and habitats.

(growling)

Numbers have increased from 136

to over 700 bears
in this region

since the mid-1970s.

♪ ♪

One of the secrets
to the bears' success

is to eat all summer long.

This mama and her cubs

need to gain enough weight
to hibernate.

Grass may seem like
a surprising meal for a bear,

but summer's the perfect time

for grazing
the Grand Teton meadows.

♪ ♪

There are over 100 species
of grass here,

found in every single habitat,

and animals throughout
Grand Teton depend on them.

♪ ♪

The name of the Shoshone tribe,

who were among the early
guardians of Grand Teton,

comes from sosoni,

a type of high-growing grass.

♪ ♪

As summer draws to a close,

399 will show her cubs
new food sources,

making the most
of the entire park.

She may be Queen of the Tetons,

but she knows how to eat
like a king.

Apart from winter,

seasons don't last long
in Grand Teton National Park.

As the air turns crisp,

a certain magic takes hold
of the landscape.

(geese honking)

♪ ♪

But there's more to
this explosion of color

than meets the eye.

Green leaves are the trees'
food making factories.

All summer long,

chlorophyll converts
energy from the sun

into sugars to feed the tree.

As the days shorten
and the temperature drops,

the leaves stop
their food-making process.

The green chlorophyll
breaks down...

♪ ♪

...revealing the yellows
and oranges beneath.

What we know as
a spectacular show of color

is actually nature's most
beautiful display of death.

It's less of a trash disposal

and more of
a recycling project.

As the leaves change color,

the vital nutrients
are broken down

and sent to
other parts of the tree,

where they are stored
for a spring rebirth.

♪ ♪

The fall colors bring tourists
to the park in droves.

This is arguably
the best time of the year

to capture its famous views.

♪ ♪

But something else

is bringing visitors
from all over the world

to Grand Teton.

Something that can't
be captured in a photo.

As fall colors peak,

a mysterious sound
fills the air.

(bugling)

(echoing)

(bugling)

A bull elk...

(bugling)

...bugling for his future.

And it's not just one.

(bugling)

Every bull wanting to mate
needs to put on a performance.

(bugling)

Some bulls bugle so much,

they lose their voices.

(bugling)

It's an essential part

of their annual mating ritual

and the language of love
for these females.

♪ ♪

This master bull
has bugled his way

into the hearts of a harem.

Now he has to
keep their interest

until they're ready to mate.

Easier said than done

when you're threatened by
rivals in all directions.

(distant bugling)

Fail now,

and he'll forfeit
his mating rights

and his future.

♪ ♪

He has to prove his worth.

This could be their
very last night together.

(bugling)

His serenade turns silent.

This bugle is different.

It's a call to battle.

(bugling)

♪ ♪

Dawn brings a new day
to the park...

(distant bugling)

...and fresh hope
to the challengers.

(birds chirping)

The master bull hangs on
as other bulls gather.

(bugling)

But this rival has sparked
the interest of a female.

♪ ♪

The master bull needs to rally
to keep his harem together.

(bugling)

♪ ♪

They're nearing estrus,

a fertile window
of only 12 hours.

♪ ♪

If he loses them now,

mating rights pass
to this Romeo.

♪ ♪

Her loyalty lies
with the master bull...

(bugling)

...for now.

(bugling)

But dissenting voices
are getting louder.

The tensions reach fever pitch.

(bugling)

The battle of the bugles
is over.

The rut is on.

♪ ♪

2,000 pounds of flesh,

locked in a battle of
strength and determination.

♪ ♪

The rival flees,

with nothing more
than a wounded ego.

The winner takes
the ultimate prize.

It will be his offspring

roaming Grand Teton
National Park.

After mating,

the lucky guy will resume
a solitary existence.

The park provides
everything he needs

to recharge and refuel...

(snorting)

...as the grip of winter
is just around the corner.

(bugling)

He's not the only one
getting ready.

♪ ♪

A Clark's nutcracker

harvesting seeds
from whitebark pinecones.

♪ ♪

A special pouch
under his tongue

stores up to
150 seeds at a time,

to be buried
all over the park--

an insurance policy
for leaner times ahead.

♪ ♪

Squirrels cache
this tasty treat, too.

But thieving bears can
quickly ruin a hard day's work.

♪ ♪

(chattering)

At over 50% fat,

whitebark pine seeds
are the perfect food

to fatten up for the winter,

and in Grand Teton
National Park...

...seasons change
in an instant.

(bird chirping)

♪ ♪

Soon, the rich treasures
of this park

will be buried once again.

♪ ♪

The first snowfall is a signal

to North America's
largest elk herd to move...

now.

The Snake River at dawn.

The early snows
have not yet settled,

but soon this water
will begin to freeze over.

And this female knows better
than to stick around.

♪ ♪

With the rut over,

she's resumed leadership
of the herd.

♪ ♪

The master bull hangs back,

His job is done.

(bugling)

The pregnant females now face
their biggest challenge yet.

She knows they need
to migrate south,

or risk starving to death.

♪ ♪

It's a journey she has taken
every year since she was born.

Now she shows
her young calf the way

for the very first time.

♪ ♪

The herd sticks together,

taking comfort from
each successful stride

their companions make.

♪ ♪

The water is shallow
and slow-flowing

at this time of year;

the gushing torrents
of the spring melt,

a distant memory.

♪ ♪

The Shoshone people
left these lands every winter.

And just as generations of elk
had trodden their path before,

their unborn calves
will follow this migration

for years to come.

Their departure is a chance
for Grand Teton to replenish.

When they return in spring,

the park's protection will
provide safe calving grounds

and bountiful food
for the next generation.

(otters chattering)

As winter takes hold,

some opt to stay

and make the best of things.

♪ ♪

Temperatures drop,

and stretches
of the Snake River

are starting to freeze.

♪ ♪

The otter family
needs open water

to keep them fed
through winter.

♪ ♪

Blessed with
an insatiable curiosity,

they are intrepid explorers.

Even when this water
eventually freezes over,

they won't give up the search.

They are entirely dependent
on the Snake River

for the duration of winter.

♪ ♪

And as long as you know
where to look,

the park will provide.

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

Grand Teton National Park

will now sit under snow
for six months.

Knowledge is crucial
to surviving here.

399 may be a senior citizen,

but this wise old bear
knows the secret to success

in this wintery wilderness.

As she heads into hibernation,

this could be the last time

she looks upon the land
she knows so well.

No one knows how many
more winters she'll see.

♪ ♪

But one thing is certain--

her knowledge of this land

will live on through
her many descendants.

♪ ♪

In return,

Grand Teton National Park

will provide for
each and every one of them,

just as its done

for the generations of
people, plants, and animals

before them.

♪ ♪