Original subtitles

(light music)

- [Narrator] From the northern ice scapes

of the Arctic Circle,

to the southern most extremes of Antarctica,

winter prowls the earth from top to bottom.

Conjuring up scenes of wondrous beauty

and stark severity.

Breathtaking in spectacle,

but often harsh environments to call home.

Those that do live here, thrive here.

Through amazing adaptations and animal cunning.

It's survival of the fittest,

the fastest, and the fearless.

A cycle of life where being strong, smart,

and shrewd can mean the difference

between life and death.

Because in this extraordinary world of ice

and snow, only the most resilient

and resourceful will endure the wild winter.

(wind whistling) (bear growls)

(gentle music)

When winter descends on the colder regions of our planet,

north or south,

it is a time of scarcity and all life in the wild settles

into the pursuit of a simple common goal:

Conserving or consuming energy.

Herbivores get theirs from eating plants and algae.

Omnivores devour both plants and animals.

And carnivores prey on other animals for nourishment.

Predation, and the winter food chain is how energy moves

around the ecosystem and sustains it until the thaw.

But while the end goal may be the same for every animal,

the ways in which each species

pursues it are vastly different,

and their winter habitats shape the way they hunt.

(snow crunching)

(light music)

Antarctica, the world's coldest

and windiest continent.

Covered by permanent ice and snow.

There are no trees or shrubs here,

so food is primarily found in the ocean.

Today, at the beginning of winter,

it's a mere zero degrees celsius,

nowhere near the minus 60 degrees common

in the depths of the season.

This burst of beautiful weather has some

of the locals jumping for joy.

(penguins squawking)

Diving in the southern seas,

this colony of a Adelie penguins is feeding on the krill

and small fish in the icy ocean below.

Adelie are Antarctica's smallest penguins,

but despite their size, they can be feisty.

They are also superb swimmers.

In the ocean, their wings become flippers,

their webbed feet rudders.

They can swim at speeds of up to 15 kilometres an hour,

even faster if being chased.

Yet in the water, and also on the land,

it's a time of great danger.

Early winter spells the start of the lean feeding season,

and all polar animals must feed as much

as they can while they can.

(light music)

This massive male leopard seal is a voracious meat eater.

He weighs in at around 300 kilograms.

A female could tip the scales at twice as much.

(penguins squawking) (light music continues)

The seal's body is too heavy for his weaker front flippers

to support, so he flops about on his big belly

too clumsy to trouble the more agile Adelie.

In the water, though, it's a different story.

A lone hunter, he stalks the seas.

One of the Antarctic's most feared and ferocious predators.

And penguins are one of

the leopard seal's dietary mainstays.

(light dramatic music)

(water bubbling)

(light music)

To avoid becoming fast food themselves,

Adelie's have the ability to boost their speed

by releasing air trapped under their feathers.

The bubbles help them take off at three times

their normal pace.

They've also developed a cruising type of behaviour.

They glide to the surface to breathe and porpoise,

graceful manoeuvres that make it seem like they're flying.

And sometimes they need to.

(light dramatic music)

Because their arch nemesis, the leopard seal,

is a powerful predator.

Solitary, he hunts alone,

loitering where the penguins are still submerged

in the quest for food.

The seabirds need to spend

as much time in the water as they can.

Overeating builds up the blubber

that will help them survive the long winter.

But the leopard seal is a patient predator.

(suspenseful music)

And is rewarded with a successful kill.

(light music) (water splashing)

The commotion sends the remaining Adelie into flight mode,

springing and slipping back to safety on the sea ice.

The leopard seal consumes his meal in just five minutes,

which is enough to see him through the day,

but he's ruthless and relentless,

and his hunt will continue seeking krill and fish to eat

before his next warm-blooded meal.

The relationship between predator

and prey is a delicate one,

relying on a fine balance to sustain animal populations.

(light music) (penguins squawking)

Especially in environments less abundant

than the waters of Antarctica.

(wind whistling)

(soft music)

As the southern hemisphere enters summer,

in the northern hemisphere,

central Asia begins its own winter.

The barren beauty of the Himalayan mountain ranges

and plateaus are transformed.

There's an almost surreal tranquillity,

only the occasional howling

of the wind breaking the silence.

With constant sub-zero temperatures,

few animals venture out,

but this snow leopard has taken a calculated risk.

Snow leopards are solitary predators,

with hunting territories covering

more than 200 square kilometres, reducing competition

with other snow leopards for food.

(light dramatic music) (wind whistling)

(bird caws)

They are opportunistic carnivores who rely on their ability

to approach prey unseen.

(ominous music)

But for the markhor herds of the central Asian ranges,

there's safety in numbers.

As they forage for exposed grasses and shrubs,

the herd looks out for potential danger.

The bigger the herd, the more eyes on the lookout,

which presents a challenge for predators.

But snow leopards are used to overcoming challenges.

(light dramatic music) (leopard grumbling)

They can take down animals three times their size.

A single markhor will keep him well fed for about 10 days.

(light dramatic music) (leopard grumbling)

(dramatic music)

And despite the odds, he's claimed his first prize.

(light music)

The predator prey relationship between snow leopards

and Himalayan markhor is deeply interconnected.

The big cats prevent their prey from overgrazing,

ensuring enough food for the markhor herd,

and the predator is sustained with energy-rich fat,

and protein through the lean winter.

(light music) (birds chirping)

(wind howling)

(light dramatic music) (snow rustling)

But it's not just big cats that need an energy boost

during the cold winter months in the Himalayas.

Remote and shrouded in myth, the dramatic landscape

of the Eastern Himalayan region, including the countries

of Nepal, China, and Bhutan,

is home to many incredible animal species.

(light music)

And one surprising omnivore inhabitant is the red panda.

Although cat-like in appearance,

the red panda is not immediately thought of as a meat eater

due simply to the large quantities of bamboo they consume.

But these quiet and solitary tree dwellers have simply

adapted to their bamboo diet.

The fibrous plant constitutes an incredible 95%

of their food intake.

With meat making up the remaining 5%.

Their prey: small birds, rodents and lizards.

And while meat is only a small part of their diet,

red panda's teeth have remained surprisingly robust,

allowing them to chew meat and bones when required.

Although they share a name with the equally adorable black

and white panda, they aren't in fact related.

It is believed red pandas are more closely related

to the Mustelidae family, which includes skunks,

raccoons, and weasels.

But what the red and giant panda do have in common

is their pseudo thumb,

a sixth digit on their front paws that allows them

to grasp plant stems and to climb up

and down trees with ease.

Red pandas spend almost half

of their life in trees either resting or sleeping,

a strategy that combats their low quality diet

and conserves energy.

(light music)

In competitive climates such as these, conserving energy

can be the difference between being the hunter

and being the hunted.

Across the Barents Sea,

near the Svalbard Islands of Norway,

the odds of survival are not equal among the inhabitants.

Animals in this icy wilderness must balance the costs

of exertion every day

and gamble on what will be the best payoff.

An exhausted seal has hauled itself out of the Arctic Ocean,

a morning devouring arctic cod

and evading killer whales has temporarily

tired the pinniped out.

But apex predators are numerous in

and around this archipelago,

and the most prodigious of the

above water alphas is the polar bear,

the arctic's undisputed ruler.

(gentle music)

(wind howling)

With no predators to fear,

and a keen sense of smell on the open ice,

this polar bear has already picked up the scent

of the resting seal,

even though it's 30 kilometres away.

The bear stalks methodically,

the world's largest land carnivore

on a mission for a meal.

A feed like a napping seal will keep the polar bear strong

and healthy for at least eight days,

and it needs to eat whenever it can.

(light dramatic music)

The polar of bear approaches stealthily, its sharp claws

and strong limbs helping it to move silently across the ice.

Instinctually, the seal has chosen a resting place

with good 360 degree visibility.

With its highly sensitive hearing,

the seal has detected the bear and slips away.

This time, the bear's efforts have come to nothing.

(light dramatic music)

(suspenseful music)

(water splashing) (bear growling)

But the polar bear has only just begun its day.

As an apex predator facing no competition from other species

for their food, the odds of eventually finding a meal

are better than most.

(light music) (snow crunching)

(light music) (wind whistling)

When multiple predators have to compete for the same prey,

it becomes harder to sustain themselves.

Here in mainland Norway, a red fox is hunting for mice.

In recent years, the species has pushed north

and settled in, spreading from the towns

and coastlines to the Scandinavian mountains.

And in making themselves at home,

they've challenged the survival of a canine cousin,

the arctic fox.

During the long, bleak winter,

both species are competing for the same prey.

Yet the red fox is bigger and stronger than its rival.

(light music)

(birds chirping)

Like its smaller relative,

the red fox hears his prey before seeing it.

A rodent is scurrying around its burrow, 12 centimetres

below the snow.

The hunter tilts its head to better locate

the telltale sound of footsteps.

This is where their super senses

prove even more astonishing.

For not only can the red fox hear, see,

smell, touch, and taste, it may also have

an extraordinary sixth sense.

Researchers believe the fox to be the first

and only documented case of an animal using the earth's

magnetic field to help them hunt.

Once its acute hearing has assisted in pinpointing the

location of the burrow, a magnetic pull

tells the fox in which direction to pounce.

Using its own internal compass,

the nimble canine establishes which direction is northeast.

It launches headfirst into the rodent's burrow.

When aligned in this way, foxes enjoy a success rate of 74%.

Pouncing in a different direction,

they'd be successful no more than 18% of the time.

So, in positioning himself perfectly,

a clever fox quadruples his chances of a kill.

This leap of faith is known as mousing.

It's not always a direct hit,

and it burns up a lot of precious energy.

So the animal is weighing up whether the high jump is worth

trying again and again.

Success.

A high protein meal,

the reward for a ravenous red fox on borrowed ground.

(light dramatic music) (wind whistling)

The arctic fox has the same acute senses

of its bigger, red relative, but nowhere near the bulk.

It constantly needs to eat

and knows it's on the scent of a lemming.

But its attempts at mousing are falling flat.

The fox cannot break the surface.

Defeated, but not yet desperate, its searches the slopes.

Because arctic foxes are also opportunistic scavengers,

not too fussy about the feast.

It sniffs out carrion left behind by larger animals,

and there's enough flesh on these bones

to feed well enough for now.

(wind howling)

(soft music)

The relationship between predator

and prey in winter environments is dynamic.

As predators become more efficient at hunting,

prey species evolve defensive adaptations

to reduce their vulnerability to predators.

The arctic fox itself is sought

after by the larger animals of the Arctic,

so its coat provides a survival mechanism against predators.

Normally, the fox's fur is grey,

but come winter it changes to brilliant white,

a shade that helps it blend into the snowy surrounds.

The arctic hare also has a camouflage coat of many colours.

It transforms slowly from the light brown

of the warm weather landscape to this useful icy tone.

While most birds head south for the cold season,

the rock ptarmigan stay at home warm and well concealed.

Because in winter, their feathers lose all their pigment,

even disguising and protecting their legs and feet.

A coverall that confuses their predators

and keeps them cosy during the long arctic days and nights.

(light music)

(gentle music) (birds chirping)

Even with shorter winter daylight hours,

the low-lying sun still creates an otherworldly environment.

High in the Swiss Alps,

far beyond the ski slopes, snow is falling constantly,

creating mystical surrounds.

And for the predators that roam here,

like this Eurasian lynx,

a new day brings fresh hunting opportunities.

A skilled and efficient hunter,

the lynx has no natural predators.

However, the species is protected across most of Europe,

as poachers covet their fur.

Humans have them in their sights, not as prey,

but for profit.

In this kind of weather,

lynx are comfortable in heavy snowfall.

Extreme winters are when these mountains are theirs

for the stalking, so they bide their time

until they're sure of their mark.

(light music)

The tufts on their ears are believed to act as antennas,

magnifying the sound of far away movement.

Nearby, a roe deer is struggling in the deep snow.

With wide hairy paws,

the carnivorous lynx is surefooted on the slopes,

and a fast runner in the powder.

The roe deer is theirs.

But with scavengers lurking,

the lynx must hide its bounty.

Over the next week, it will return regularly

to gnaw at the carcass,

and then the regal looking lynx

will start its hunt all over again.

(birds chirping)

(light music)

Just over 2,000 kilometres away, the wild

and diverse habitat of Finland's northern woods serves

as the battleground for two species of clever carnivores.

In forests where the mercury drops

to bone chilling temperatures,

snowfalls make the air so humid

it feels as if it's raining.

And two natural foes, the canine wolf

and the weasel family's wolverine, vie for dominance

in a territory where winter prey is often scarce.

A lone wolverine is digging out the den

of a small hibernating animal,

but it has an innate sense of the solitary wolf's presence.

It'll suppress its appetite rather

than risk being attacked by the wolf.

(light music) (birds chirping)

(wolf howling)

But the wolves are focused on bigger prey.

This herd of deer senses the wolf's intent.

They head for deeper snow, hoping

to slow the wolf's pursuit.

The wolf, however, is relentless.

With escape options limited,

the deer's strategy is simple:

forming a herd in open space,

they use their greater numbers to make it more challenging

for the wolf to single out and attack individuals.

(dramatic music)

(crow caws)

By day's end, however, the wolf has had its way.

This example of predatory skill

works in the lone wolverine's favour

and is one of the reasons why

they choose such a risky winter home.

Because while they are perfectly capable

and skilful hunters, they are also happy to scavenge

when the opportunity presents itself.

Like this carcass left behind by predators

that have consumed what they need.

Our wiley wolverines sniffs out the remains.

(ominous music)

(snow rustling)

But don't let their smaller size fool you.

Cunning and strong,

the wolverine can take down an animal 10 times their size.

The species has the stamina

to chase their prey 25 kilometres or more.

Their broad paws expanding to nearly twice their size

and acting like snowshoes

that prevent them from sinking into the deep snow.

Making our fierce, yet furtive wolverine,

a highly evolved hunter and scavenger.

(snow crunching) (wind whistling)

(light dramatic music) (water splashing)

Every predator's hunting strategy has evolved in response

to the ecosystem it is a part of,

and the unique challenges posed by its environment.

(light dramatic music continues)

Every winter, killer whales migrate thousands of kilometres

from the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans

to congregate en masse in the Norwegian fjords,

ingeniously, corralling and capturing their food.

They're here to feast on the billions of herrings

that spend winter in these waters.

(light dramatic music) (water splashing)

(tense music)

Just north of the city of Tromso,

the waters of the fjords are crystal clear.

And despite the freezing air temperature,

surprisingly free of ice, thanks largely

to the temperate currents flowing in from the Gulf Stream.

Yet with no sun in the sky to penetrate,

down in the depths it's pitch black.

So the orcas you sound to communicate with each other.

They work as a group, strategically positioning themselves

around the school to create a barrier,

Preventing the herring from escaping in any direction.

But the herring attempt to fight back,

schooling to appear as one large single organism

and releasing air bubbles to disorient the pod.

It doesn't always work.

A designated hunter whale slaps a fish with its fluke,

stunning the herring into submission.

This feeding frenzy is far from over.

The killer whales will continue to collaborate

until each has had its fill,

and with every orca devouring approximately 200 kilograms

of fish each day for weeks on end,

the carnage is colossal

and a successful outcome of a long migratory pilgrimage.

(birds squawking)

(light music)

For many predators in the high latitudes of the Arctic,

epic journeys are a necessity for survival.

Across the North Atlantic Ocean,

a beautiful snowy owl has claimed a new territory.

The birds flown from the Canadian tundra

to the southern prairie for a stay known as wintering,

but this is no place for a warmer vacation.

Temperatures are regularly minus 30 degrees,

and snow squalls dump blankets of snow for months on end.

These all white environments can be seen from space.

(light music)

Yet the snowy owl is a natural wonder,

one of the most effective

and unusual hunters in the avian world.

It will spend the next three months here,

but food is often scarce and competition is fierce.

The hunter keeps watch for rival owls that could challenge

for this turf.

In the snowy owl's favour is its exceptional hearing

and keen eyesight.

Those large eyes allow it to see in the day and the dark,

unlike other owls that only hunt at night.

The snowy's oversized head rotates 270 degrees,

a tilting satellite dish detecting minuscule movements.

(light music)

The lone hunter will wait patiently

until it knows it's onto a sure thing.

(light music)

Target in sight, it takes off.

Thanks to its long wingspan and large talons,

the bird's swoop is swift, silent and precise.

(light music continues)

The first mouse of the many hundreds

that the snowy owl will devour

during this year's wintering.

Building strength for the long flight home

in a few months time.

(wind whistling) (light dramatic music)

The cold tundra of the north may be home

to the elusive snowy owl,

but over 6,000 kilometres away lives another elusive

yet equally skilful hunter, the Siberian tiger.

(light music) (snow rustling)

The world's largest cat and the only tiger to live

and thrive in snow.

The Siberian tiger roams the strikingly beautiful forests

of far eastern Russia.

These majestic cats are known locally as the guardians

of the forest.

(light music continues)

With a lighter orange coat than other tiger species,

the Siberian tiger's fur is also longer

and thicker, including a thick mane to keep them warm.

(light dramatic music)

For the majority of their lives,

Siberian tigers live and hunt solo.

Needing to eat often,

they will roam kilometres in search of deer, small bears,

and one of their main prey species, wild boar.

In the wild, the predator prey relationship

between these two animals is important

for the entire ecosystem.

Helping to regulate boar populations,

which in turn, has beneficial effects on vegetation

and other wildlife species.

(tiger growls)

(light music) (wind howling)

Back in Svalbard,

the polar bear is still on the hunt.

Just 1300 kilometres from the North Pole,

the weather is as bleak

as ever on this icy Norwegian island,

at this, the coldest time of year.

And the polar bear's need to eat is just as intense.

(water splashing)

(light dramatic music)

(tense music)

Its hunting techniques vary from stalking the sea ice,

to still hunting, where the bear silently waits

by a breathing hole ready to grab a seal when it surfaces.

But when the ice conditions allow, there is another option.

Using their powerful limbs to propel themselves,

the element of surprise is everything.

(dramatic music)

The unsuspecting seal is ambushed.

(bird caws)

(light music)

(bear growls)

The bear gorges on its skin and fat

before ripping into the meat.

They'll use the ice and snow to clean

up their fur as they go.

Clean fur helps them stay warm,

and when finally they've had their fill,

the bear will wander off leaving the leftovers

for other local scavengers to enjoy.

(birds squawking) (light music continues)

(wind howling)

(light music)

Predatory behaviours have evolved

and become finely tuned for those species that inhabit vast

and inhospitable wintry worlds.

While the polar bear is arguably the ruler at the top

of the Arctic food chain, nature breeds tough

and intelligent challenges across all the frozen continents.

Predators on the land,

under the sea,

and in the air.

(light dramatic music)

All going to gruelling lengths to feed themselves

and their families.

Masters of evasion

and clever hunters that outsmart, outrun,

and outlast each other.

It's an ongoing battle of brain versus brawn.

Each animal relies on their instincts,

their adaptations,

and sometimes their sheer size to win the war.

For in this cutthroat kingdom, only the strongest,

the smartest, and the fittest predators will last

the wild winter.

(light music)

(light music continues)