All language subtitles for Atlantic A Year In The Wild 04

- [Announcer] 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.

(upbeat music)

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 crushing)

(waves crushing)

(soft music)

In the Atlantic's far north it's autumn.

The season of guilds.

Cooling temperatures

and driving rain.

When animals must either
prepare to face winter head on,

or leave.

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 expense of endless bloom.

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.

(upbeat music)

Common,

spotted

and bottle nosed dolphins gather

to hunt the super abundance of prey.

(upbeat music)

Sensing an attack a school of
fish bunch tightly together.

As each one tries to
hide away at the center,

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've learned that by rushing in

they can split the bait ball,

then strike util they've had their fill.

These waters are also home to giants.

(soft music)

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 ton.

It has an insatiable appetite,

drinking 350 pints of milk everyday.

They're joined by a family member

to help with the spot of babysitting.

Mama must feed regularly
if she's 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 newborn.

(soft music)

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.

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'll stick
close to her family for life.

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.

(deer roars)

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

(upbeat music)

This draws in stags from miles around.

(deer roars)

He roars to warn rivals to keep away.

But he must be prepared to
battle, possibly to the death.

A nine year old is waiting for his chance.

He's an antler down so he's weakened.

But is determined to do what
it takes to secure a mate.

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 roaming high.

(deer roar)

If the dominant stag
is to defend his hinds,

he must be on high alert.

He won't eat for a month.

(deer roars)

And may lose a fifth of his body weight.

The need to breed is strong.

(upbeat music)

All are desperate to pass their genes on

to the next generation.

Rivals are ready to
challenge his supremacy.

(upbeat music)

Each adversary is quickly driven away.

(deer roars)

But while his back is turned,

the stag with only one
antler makes a move.

He's big and determined.

(deer roars)

(upbeat music)

Fights can be fatal.

(deer roars)

So the dominant stag starts by roaring.

(deer roars)

This lets his opponent know
he's big and ready to battle.

(deer roars)

(upbeat music)

(deer roars)

Having only one antler puts
him at a huge disadvantage.

(upbeat music and deer roars)

So he retreats.

(deer roars)

He's older and more experienced

and knows that if he bides his time,

another opportunity will arise.

Bottom storms lash the British
and Irish Atlantic coasts.

(waves crushing)

50 foot high waves, each
weighing a 1,000 tons,

sculp the shoreline.

(waves crushing)

Temperatures continue to fall.

A clear signal to millions of migrants

that it's time to head south.

And the Atlantic Coast becomes a flyway.

(birds chirping)

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.

(soft music)

Where they gather to
rest along its shoreline.

(soft music)

They also fly inland

to graze and eat grain dropped
during the autumn harvest.

(soft music)

But perhaps the greatest migration of all

is undertaken by a creature
weighing less than a gram.

(soft music)

It stunts with a
remarkable transformation.

Minute eggs laid on the
underside of leaves,

hatch into tiny caterpillars.

They gorge and fatten quickly.

(soft music)

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.

(soft music)

Before reforming

to emerge as painted lady butterfly.

(soft music)

Its brain may only be
the size of a pinhead,

but somehow it knows it
must for warmer climes.

(soft music)

It quickly takes on fuel.

(soft music)

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 would
undergo the same transformation,

then make the return journey next year.

(soft music)

In the deep, open ocean of the Azures,

the sperm whale mother is
joined by her extended family.

Her calf rests at the
center of the embrace.

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

(whale calls)

Rubbing and chatting cements their bond.

(whale calls)

Sperm whales have one of the most complex

languages in the animal kingdom.

Which they pass on to
their next generations

in much the same way the humans do.

(whale calls)

Each extended family have
their own distinct dialect,

which helps them keep in
touch when out of sight.

(whale calls)

It's thought that they can even

communicate across oceans.

(whale calls)

Peaking at 230 decibels,

they make the loudest
natural sound on earth.

The same volume as launching rocket.

(whale calls)

Reaching up to 60 feet long
and weighing 90,000 pounds,

these leviathans of the deep

are the largest predators
to have ever lived.

Sperm whales also serve a very
important ecological role.

They hunt a mile below the surface,

but the incredible pressures down there

prevent them from defecating.

So they do that at the surface.

Recycling nutrients from the sea bottom

to feed plankton and fish at the surface.

Leading to a more productive ocean.

(whale calls)

They share these deep fertile waters

with one of the Azures
most secretive visitors.

(soft music)

Every year, propelled
by their massive wings,

hundreds of mobula rays migrate

from across the Atlantic to feed here.

(soft music)

They plunge into the
icy waters of the deep

to prey on small fish

at depths that would crush a submarine.

(soft music)

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

heating up ahead of their next deep dive.

Stark fast suckerfish hitch a ride.

(soft music)

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.

(soft music)

They're also free swimmers
and will jump between rays.

(soft music)

Though some quickly get homesick.

(soft music)

Once the mobulas have warmed up,

they head back into the twilight zone,

their suckerfish stuck fast.

(soft music)

In the North Atlantic

days are getting shorter
by 20 minutes a week.

(waves crushing)

Reducing foraging time for
one diminutive autumn visitor.

After a long, cold night

the sunrise stirs a
sanderling from its slumber.

(waves crushing)

Its only just flown in from Siberia

and has a busy day ahead.

(birds fluttering and chirping)

(soft music)

Sanderlings have adapted to live

between the high and low tide line.

(soft music)

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.

(soft music)

Picking off tiny cramps,

sand hoppers and warms,

which they detect with
their super sensitive bills.

(soft music)

They scour the beach until nightfall.

Then find a safe place to sleep.

Their hunger satisfied by the
airborne flow of the Atlantic.

(waves crushing)

The benefits are not only
felt along the shoreline.

(birds chirping)

Further inland moist
oceanic air helps to create

the perfect conditions
for temperate rainforest.

One of the richest and
rarest environments on earth.

Mosses, ferns and lichens cloak

both trees and the forest floor,

providing food and cover
for its many inhabitants.

(deer calls)

(soft music)

Autumn tightens its grip.

(soft music)

Broad leafed trees
sense the loss of light.

(soft music)

To save energy they start
to drop their leaves.

(soft music)

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 the wild boar family.

The dominant sow roots through

the leaf litter for
insects, fungi and seeds.

(upbeat music)

Acorns are her favorite,

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.

(birds chirp)

She has age and experience on her side.

And knows where to find food.

(upbeat music)

But it means leaving the
safety of the forest.

(upbeat music)

Brown bears and lynxes also live

in Sweden's coastal forests.

Both will prey on wild boar.

But wolves are her biggest threat.

(upbeat music)

She needs to eat,

but venturing out into the open
in daylight could be fatal.

(wolf howls)

So she waits for the cover of darkness.

Before leading her group
out onto the beach.

Where they can feed on windfall acorns,

mussels and scraps washed in by the tide.

(soft music)

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.

(wild boars squeal)

All are nervous and jumpy.

The matriarch keeps them in check.

Whilst also stealing the richest pickings.

(wild boars squeal)

As morning returns,

she leads them back into
the safety of the forest,

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

As winter draws ever closer,

activity around the Atlantic slows.

(dramatic music)

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.

(dramatic music)

So it lives amongst the deadly

tentacles of a snakelock anemone.

(dramatic music)

Each tip contains enough
venom to kill a small fish,

but somehow the shrimps is immune,

letting it grace in relative safety.

(soft music)

To avoid predators this
two inch long bobtail squid

restricts its activity to night time.

(soft music)

It sticks close to the sea floor.

And changes color to blend in.

(soft music)

But this is bobtail squid breeding season.

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

Two come together.

(upbeat music)

Flotation is brief

before they head off for some privacy.

(soft music)

Eggs are laid under a rock.

(soft music)

As night draws to a close,
it hides itself away.

(soft music)

Extra camouflage is held in
place by its sticky skin.

(soft music)

(music intensifies)

On the Isle of Rum the red
deer rut is coming too ahead.

(dramatic music)

The dominant stag still has
control of his territory

and his hinds.

(dramatic music)

Challenges are coming thick and fast.

(deer roars)

(upbeat music)

They scrape up vegetation to
make their antlers look bigger.

(dramatic music)

They pasture and strut side by side.

(deer roars)

If all this fails to impress,

there's only one thing left to do.

And that's to fight.

(deer roars)

(upbeat music)

(antlers crashing and deer roaring)

(upbeat music)

While they battle,

the stag with the single
antler takes his chance.

(upbeat music)

And makes his move.

(upbeat music)

(deer roars)

And they mate.

(soft music)

(deer roars)

Perhaps hinds are not only attracted

by a stag's size and strength,

but are also drawn by his
experience and perseverance.

(soft music)

Surviving a year in the
world's wildest ocean

takes determination,

adaptation

and cunning.

(upbeat music)

But along with hardship and suffering,

the Atlantic also brings food,

warmth

and opportunity.

Every year parents risk everything
to raise their offspring.

Now it's their turn to survive
a year in the wild Atlantic.

(upbeat music)