All language subtitles for Wild Winter 04

(soft expectant music)

- [Narrator] From the northern ice scapes

of the Arctic Circle, to
the southernmost 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".
(bear growling)

(bright thoughtful music)

There are over eight million species

of plants and animals on Earth,

and running through each and every one

is a fundamental biological impulse,

an instinctual drive to
reproduce and pass on

their genetic heritage
to future generations.

(bright thoughtful music continues)

During winter, the cycle of
life in the animal kingdom

is profoundly influenced by extreme cold,

darkness and hunger.

Some animals migrate to warmer
regions, other species stay,

well adapted to see the winter through.

Finding mates, forming families,

reproducing to preserve their species,

and teaching their young how to survive

the seasonal cycles of life on Earth.

(soft thoughtful music)

On the vast icy desert
surrounding the South Pole,

there are just two seasons,

a freezing summer and a glacial winter.

Antarctica is the coldest place on earth.

For the next six months,
temperatures will descend

as low as minus 60 degrees Celsius.

The wind will blow at speeds

of over 300 kilometres an hour.

(wind whooshing)

Only the hardiest animal species

can withstand such challenging winters,

(soft sombre music)
(birds cawing)

and for some of them it's
a time of new beginnings,

like the orcas that prowl the ocean,

and the emperor penguins
waddling across the sea ice.

For these awesome Antarctic beings,

winter is the time to
breed and give birth.

Others, like the southern elephant seal,

here on the remote
island of South Georgia,

journey back to these
wintry waters to give birth,

after mating and moulting further north.

All are astonishing circles of life,

playing out on the coldest
continent on the planet.

(soft thoughtful music)
(water sloshing)

Orcas live and breed in the Antarctic.

Females start mating at
six to 10 years of age,

males at 10 to 13 years.

This mother and her
young calf are unaffected

by the excessively chilly waters.

Female orcas can live for up to 50 years,

and with gestation lasting 17
months, they produce no more

than five or six calves in their lifetime.

This cow will give birth
every three to 10 years

until she reaches menopause at age 40.

(water sloshing)

So keeping each baby alive is critical.

A mother will nurse
her calf for two years,

but they will stay beside
their parent for much longer,

cruising together as part
of a tight family group.

And even though the
younger whales will remain

with the pod as adults,
the mothers need to prepare

their progeny for a more
independent existence.

Most importantly, they
need to know how to hunt.

A growing killer whale
has a healthy appetite.

Calves need to consume around
10% of their body weight

each day, eating anything
from fish and squid,

to leopard seals and
penguins of all persuasions.

(water sloshing)
(wind whooshing)

As winter approaches, the emperor penguin

is spending less time
in the southern seas,

retreating to the pack ice,

and so will remain safe
from their hungry foes,

at least for a short time.

Their focus, breeding.

(wind whooshing)
(soft thoughtful music)

In March and April, emperor
penguins trek and slide

over the landfast ice to find
familiar breeding grounds,

and begin their annual courtship ritual.

Monogamous by nature, they call out

to locate a penguin
they've mated with before.

(penguins chirping)

If they're first-timers, the
males will be as boisterous

as they can to attract an
eligible hen's attention.

(penguins chirping)

Female emperors only
produce one egg a year,

so they have to choose a
lifelong partner wisely.

Both the male and female's
impressive yellow plumage

serves them well when attracting a mate.

This male has successfully
wooed his female.

Bowing to each other affirms the bond.

After the commitment ritual is
complete, the penguins mate.

(soft thoughtful music)

Two months later in the depths of winter,

the impregnated hen lays her egg.

This is the riskiest time in
the lifecycle of the species.

It triggers an extraordinary
example of animal co-parenting.

First, the mother must hand
over the precious cargo

to the father, which
is done very carefully.

Drop the egg and the embryo
will freeze immediately,

and the year's breeding
season would be wasted.

The transfer is successful.

The father is steady
enough to take the egg

and rest it carefully on his feet.

(soft thoughtful music)

While the baby-to-be is
safe, mother emperor must now

put her life in jeopardy
for the sake of the family.

She's had no food during
mating and pregnancy

and has exhausted her nutrition stores,

so heads back to the sea to feed.

She will spend more than two
months swimming and foraging

for the seafood that she'll regurgitate

and share with her chick when she returns.

Back on the ice, super dad's
taken over as full-time carer.

The adult penguin will incubate the egg

for about 65 days in his brood pOUCh.

This keeps it at approximately
36 degrees Celsius

above zero, while all around the mercury

is more likely to be 36 degrees below.

This male penguin has
already hatched his egg.

The fluffy chick is
balanced on the insteps

of his father's feet, partially
covered by the brood pouch,

the penguin equivalent of a warm hug.

It is vital these two stay close.

The chick can't regulate
its own temperature

for the first 50 days of life,

and would freeze to death if left alone.

The doting father feeds his nestling

a curd he's made himself.

Called crop milk, the male
emperor penguin can produce

this high-fat substance
from his oesophagus

and deliver it directly from his beak,

keeping his chick alive
until the female returns.

(soft thoughtful music)

By the time the chicks are
three or four months old,

they're forming groups
for warmth and safety.

The penguin parents continue to alternate

on the ice and in the ocean.

(soft thoughtful music continues)

They return to regurgitate fish

into the mouths of their growing babes.

Come the end of the
cold season, the almost

fully-grown penguins will
be ready to go it alone.

They head to the Southern
Ocean, teaching themselves

how to feed in the open waters,

and won't return to the colony

for at least another three years,

when they're old enough to breed,

and the cycle of life
will start over again.

(soft expectant music)

At the same time as the
young emperor penguins

first leave their colonies,
southern elephant seals

have already departed
on their own journey.

In late winter, they leave
the Antarctic and head north,

and come ashore to give
birth and to breed.

Here on the remote snow-swept
island of South Georgia

near the Falklands, they share their space

with mass gatherings of penguins,
fur seals and cormorants.

(wind whooshing)
(birds chattering)

And with no permanent human residents,

the animals have the place to themselves.

(seal barking)
(water splashing)

Many of the female elephant seals

are already pregnant when they arrive.

After the females deliver
and wean their pups,

they'll very quickly
be ready to mate again.

(expectant percussion music)

During late winter, these sloping beaches

are home to a dense
colony of elephant seals,

where the largest males
battle for supremacy.

It's a strict social hierarchy.

Only one will become this
breeding season's master,

and gain exclusive rights
to a harem of females.

(seals growling)

Fights are common, vicious and costly.

The loser may be too injured
or weak to breed at all.

But once the crown is decided,
it's usually the older,

strongest bull that commands his cows.

(bright expectant music)
(seal barking)

He will mate with a female

that's already weaned her newborn,

which she does just three
to four weeks after birth.

Only after that will she be fertile again,

which helps explain
why some mothers appear

to reject their young so abruptly.

It's an innate instinct to
ensure survival of their species.

(wind whooshing)
(soft expectant music)

From June to August, winter
in the coldest corners

of the southern hemisphere
has a huge impact

on the social hierarchies
and survival strategies

of the animal inhabitants.

But winter here is part
of a much bigger picture,

because as our world orbits the sun,

earth's changing seasons
have a huge influence

on food availability,
migrations and breeding patterns

for the entire animal kingdom.

As winter advances north again,

the polar nights in
the northern hemisphere

start to get longer,
and a wintertime wonder

begins to illuminate the darkening skies.

(bright gentle music)

Derived from two words, Aurora,

the Roman goddess of the dawn,

and Boreus, Greek for north wind,

the Aurora Borealis is a
breathtaking natural phenomenon

that materialises as
stunning tendrils of colour,

shimmering across high-latitude skies,

best viewed in the depths of winter.

Yet as pretty and peaceful as they look,

they are in fact solar storms,

wild clashes of energised
particles from the sun

interacting with our
planet's magnetic field

and atmospheric gases,
producing dazzling displays

of green and red from oxygen,

and brilliant blues and
purples from nitrogen.

Spectacular colours in
the celestial sphere.

But as dawn approaches and
the sun rises, its brightness

and the ambient natural
light overwhelm the aurora,

and their ethereal
beauty fades completely.

A new day begins for the
animals of the Arctic Circle.

The Canadian Arctic is home

to an increasing population
of this cute species.

There are currently more
than seven million harp seals

living in the circumpolar region.

(bright gentle music)
(seals barking)

Each winter, when the pack ice

of Canada's Gulf of St. Lawrence

is at its thickest and most majestic,

immense stretches of frozen seawater

are home to colonies of harp seals,

all here to breed and give birth.

(bright gentle music continues)

Many of the females are pregnant.

They mated 11 months
ago, and like most seals,

have the ability to delay
implantation of the embryo,

allowing them to synchronise
fertilisation perfectly

for delivery on the late winter pack ice.

(bright gentle music continues)

Pack ice is essential for pupping,

providing a dry, safe haven
for the mother and her newborn.

The cow needs to fatten up her pup

to be strong enough to
survive and swim on its own.

Each day the baby seal will put on more

than two kilograms of mass and blubber.

(wind whooshing)

Survival of this species requires the baby

to be quickly weaned, so
the female can mate again.

The mother feeds her pup for just 12 days,

then she leaves it to fend for itself.

(water sloshing)

The female harp seal takes to
the water to find a new mate,

so she can return to
the ice to give birth,

Same time next year.

(wind whooshing)

(bright expectant music)

The deserted pup can't
quite find its feet,

but it has an astonishing understanding

of what needs to be done to survive alone.

After seven or eight weeks,
this young pup is old enough

to teach itself to swim and feed,

and is already heading for the ocean.

A solitary seal determined
to make its way in the world,

eventually finding its own mate,

and continuing the cycle of life.

(soft thoughtful music)

Spring may be on its way, but
late winter is still a time

of exceptionally cold days and nights

across the Polar North,

particularly in the Norwegian islands,

where snow will fall until
June, and in many parts

the temperature rarely passes
zero, even during summer.

In Svalbard, two icons of the Arctic

are searching for a mate,

yet their mating rituals are worlds apart.

The Arctic fox always has
a familiar female in mind.

Monogamous from season to season,

arctic foxes generally mate for life,

so locating their previous partner

is the most pressing concern.

(soft thoughtful music continues)

A male polar bear, on the other hand,

will take any healthy female he can find.

This boar is tracking a
sow and her sub-adult cubs.

Even with older cubs, mother
bears remain protective,

and they have good reason.

During mating season adult
males can become aggressive,

and have been known to kill and eat cubs

if it means getting closer
to his potential mate.

But this mother bear isn't interested.

She usually mates just
once every three years,

so the timing is not quite right.

Males outnumber females in heat

by approximately three to one.

The odds aren't good for the big boar,

who will have to continue
his search elsewhere.

(soft thoughtful music)

As far as the arctic fox is concerned,

finding a new mate isn't an option.

This male is seeking out his partner.

They will not have seen
each other for months.

Around February, the monogamous male foxes

across the tundra and the
mountains and the coastlines

are searching for their soulmates.

There is no guarantee
they will find each other

after so many months apart,
and whether their vixens

have even survived the summer.

The males recognise their
females by their scents,

and their barking yowls,
used to communicate

only during the winter breeding season.

Some are lucky, reuniting
and reacquainting themselves

before reproducing again.

They go on to raise their
young in a safe family den.

But others are left wanting,

their vixen nowhere to be found,

like this lone male who
may never couple up again.

(soft thoughtful music)

The sun is reappearing slowly,

casting colours across
brighter Svalbard skies,

and a couple of newborns are learning

that what goes up must come down.

This mother polar bear birthed her cubs

inside a den during the depths of winter.

For eight months she fasted,
relying on her body fat

for the energy needed to get through

the pregnancy and delivery.

Once on the outside, the youngsters

will stay with their mother

until they're at least two years old.

She'll continue to suckle them
and teach them how to hunt.

They explore and play
together enthusiastically,

and their number one
nurturer will keep them safe

until they're able to fend for themselves.

(soft thoughtful music)
(wind whooshing)

In the waters of the Beaufort
and Bering Seas in Alaska,

sea otters are active breeders,

and several times throughout the year

commence their courtship
and mating ritual.

Males indiscriminately search
for a receptive female.

Vigorous play leads to copulation.

Sea otters are generally
referred to as polygamous,

meaning they have more than one partner,

and need to mate often if
their species is to survive.

(soft thoughtful music continues)

60 years ago, these Alaskan
waters were empty of sea otters.

But after a successful
reintroduction programme,

more than 25,000 now swim and breed here.

To improve her chances of pregnancy,

this female may stay with her bull

for a few days after their union,

resting and recharging
while continuing to mate.

During winter and over
the course of a year,

all eligible male and female sea otters

mate on numerous occasions,

rarely though with the same partner.

An animal kingdom strategy
used by many species,

the males intent on passing their genes

onto future generations.

(bright thoughtful music)

Polygamy though is rare in birds.

(soft thoughtful music)

Many of the world's snow-laden forests

are home to the mostly
monogamous woodpecker.

(soft thoughtful music continues)

(birds chirping)

As winter draws to a close,

it's the woodpecker's turn to find a mate.

(beak pounding)

While many birds sing
to attract a partner,

the male woodpecker drums.

Using his beak to beat the bark,

the woodpecker declares his territory.

His pecking serves to
attract potential mate,

and ward off other suitors,

the rhythmic beat carrying
across the forest.

An interested female
picks up on the drumming

and answers his call.

Once the woodpeckers pair
off, they will stay together

for the breeding season,
raising their young chicks

until it leaves the nest.

(birds chirping)

This juvenile woodpecker is a product

of last year's breeding season.

Outside of breeding season,
most woodpecker species

prefer to live a solitary
life, their omnivorous diet

consisting of whatever food's available,

whether in the trees
or on the forest floor.

(birds chirping)
(beak pounding)

Having left the safety of the nest,

the juvenile woodpecker
must learn to feed itself,

using its jackhammer like beak

to dig out insects or larvae to eat.

Woodpeckers reach sexual
maturity at 12 months of age,

meaning come next winter,

it will be this one's turn to mate.

(soft sombre music)

As the calendar year draws to a close,

in the boreal forests of Canada,

temperatures drop to minus
15 degrees Celsius or lower.

(soft thoughtful music)

Snowflakes glisten on conifers,

and the waters of the peat lands

and streams freeze into
stylish sculptures.

These harsh conditions
can cause the end of life

for already ageing animals.

Older male and female
moose that once frolicked

and bred here, now need to conserve energy

in the snow-blanketed
forest simply to stay alive.

In poorer physical condition,
they must take their time

in the deep snow, and slowly
and surely sustain themselves,

eating the vegetation beneath the ice.

But they're not the only inhabitants

that rely on this food source.

(boar grunting)

The plundering and pillaging
wild boar share the forest,

trampling food stocks the
moose once called its own.

While these hairy hogs may not be

considered conventionally beautiful,

beauty is in the eye of the beholder,

and these animals are prolific breeders.

(boars grunting)
(bright gentle music)

If the conditions are right,

wild boar can double their
population in a territory.

(bright gentle music continues)

(boar grunting)

December is prime rutting
season for most wild boar,

and it's a competition
between young and old.

(boar growling)

The sows have spent the year

in an all-female group, or sounder.

The males have come back
to stake their claim,

and will fight for the right to mate.

This male and female are
testing their chemistry,

a tender moment for the
rambunctious wild boar.

Sniffing determines whether the
male will pursue the female.

Females are sexually mature

by the time they're 12 months old.

(boar grunting)
(birds chirping)

Males mature even earlier.

The older, stronger boars
chase the younger males

out of the herd to prevent
incestuous relationships,

clearing the way for themselves to couple

with at least five sows each a season.

Once a female's impregnated,

she carries for another four months,

and then a plethora of piglets.

Up to a dozen are delivered,
and begin suckling immediately

until they are weaned at
approximately 12 weeks.

For the next six months,
their stripy coats

will help camouflage them in the forest,

as they follow confidently
in their mother's footsteps.

They will stay with their mother

until at least the next
litter is born, by which time

these piglets too will
be old enough to mate.

(soft thoughtful music)

Further north on the Alaskan tundra,

where the plains are quilted
in permafrost all year round,

the somewhat more restrained caribou

still need to find a mate.

(caribou yowling)

A female that strays from the herd,

even with her older calves in
tow, is fair game for a male,

as the youngster has already been weaned

and the cow is back in estrous,

so the male is hoping
she's ready to breed again.

Females only mate and
give birth once a year,

so the bull persists.

It's important that
these beasts reproduce,

(gentle thoughtful music)

because caribou numbers
are in dramatic decline

through North America, at
their lowest in 40 years.

This is believed to be a result

of a decline in female
caribou survival rates,

likely impacted by habitat
destruction and over harvesting.

Survival ultimately depends

on tens of thousands of
these hardy creatures

successfully coupling and
raising new generations.

Fortunately, this Alaskan twosome

seemed keen to get to
know each other better.

A splendid sign for a vulnerable species.

(water sloshing)
(bright soft music)

Although among the most
numerous seabird species,

kittiwake populations
are quickly declining,

so they too are currently
listed as vulnerable.

But with days getting longer
and the hint of warmer weather,

this species' need to
breed is as strong as ever.

Kittiwakes have spent the winter at sea,

and now flock to the cliffs
of Hornoya in Norway.

With an estimated total
of 100,000 seabirds here,

kittiwakes are just one
of 11 breeding species

that come to this small island.

It's still below zero and
the snow's not yet melted

when the first gulls land.
(birds cawing)

The male kittiwakes arrive
first to claim their territory

and prepare to attract a female.

But nesting colonies
can be thousands strong,

so space is at a premium, and turf battles

amongst the competing males.

(uneasy percussive music)
(birds cawing)

Once the hens arrive, seduction starts.

The male gulls will feed the
females from their own beaks,

and put on noisy displays
to show their worth.

The coupled kittiwakes build a nest

from seaweed, feathers and
mud, and call to each other.

(birds chattering)

They'll stay together waiting to mate,

then incubate the eggs for hatching,

dedicated parents until their
baby seabirds fly the coop.

(birds chattering)
(soft thoughtful music)

Kittiwakes are, like most
birds in the avian world,

monogamous for a season,
sometimes for life.

Not so this showy specimen,
the Western capercaillie,

one of the United Kingdom's
most endangered birds.

The capercaillie can still be found

in the pine forests of Northern Scotland,

where it was reintroduced

after disappearing
completely two centuries ago.

In this remnant of wilderness,
late winter temperatures

are low enough that snow still
clings to the forest floor.

(gentle thoughtful music)

It's the perfect stage for
male capercaillie birds

to strut their stuff,
(birds chattering)

attempting to impress potential partners.\

(birds chattering)

Mating success is crucial
to this species' future,

(birds chattering)

because despite these large
grouse birds being protected,

capercaillie numbers are decreasing.

An increase in predator
numbers such as foxes

is contributing to the decline,
and more intense summer rain

is harming the survival
rate of new hatchlings.

(soft expectant music)

It's early morning, and
an elaborate and musical

courtship ritual known
as lekking is underway.

The suitors compete for the smaller,

less flamboyant females
settled in the trees.

But males outnumber
females, so fights occur,

a feud of fierce flapping and biting

until the weaker bird finally backs down.

(bright expectant music)

The victor returns to
his courtship routine,

but he must still convince a female

that he's genetically superior.

His enchanting performance
could last for hours,

and the clicking and
popping sounds he's making,

it's called tooting, and
it must also be impressive,

as the hen is attracted to calls

that are longer and more vibrant.

With wings up and tail unfurled,

this older male
outperforms his competitor.

The hen has made her decision.

The new couple will roam together,

getting to know each other for a while,

until their bond is strong
enough to start breeding

and help save the future of their species.

(soft thoughtful music)

(water rushing)

Winter is finally releasing its tight grip

on the far northern hemisphere.

The hours of daylight are getting longer,

and in the forests and mountains

of Europe, Asia, and North
America, brown bears awake.

(soft thoughtful music continues)

Once almost extinct, this
imposing species has bounced back,

with around 200,000 now
roaming wild across the world.

(soft thoughtful music continues)

A mother bear and her
cubs take their first

tentative steps from their winter den.

The cubs were born in
that snow-covered hideout.

Like their sister species, the polar bear,

mother brown bears will protect
their cubs at all costs,

mostly from other male bears

that would kill her
babies to mate with her.

She'll stay by their side
for the next two years,

protecting them, teaching
them how to find food,

and practising how to play.

It's believed these fighting games

build the youngsters' strength and skills,

and help prepare them
for survival in the wild.

(bright gentle music)

But as any child knows,
playtime is also fun time.

No harm in making the
most of the winter snow

before spring takes it away.

If luck is on their side, these
cubs will grow and flourish,

learning to live and breed in the wondrous

but harsh conditions into
which they were born.

Mother Nature has gifted them,

and so many other living creatures,

incredible strengths,
instincts, and adaptations.

And year after year,
generation after generation,

the cycle of life across the
wilds of the world continues,

each spring, each summer,
and every wild winter.

(bright thoughtful music)

(bright thoughtful music continues)

(water sloshing)