Original subtitles

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NARRATOR: WHEN YOU SEE THIS SYMBOL, YOU KNOW YOU'RE WATCHING

TELEVISION THAT IS EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL.

THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: HI, EVERYBODY, I'M DYLAN DREYER, AND THIS IS "EARTH

ODYSSEY".

TODAY, WE SET OFF TO FIND THE WILDLIFE THAT THRIVES IN THE

COLDEST REGIONS ON EARTH.

IN THE ALPS, THESE ALPINE MARMOTS MUST FIGHT TO STAY ALIVE

BEFORE THE SNOW HITS.

THEN, THE FRIGID ALASKAN WILDERNESS AWAITS THE NEXT

GENERATION OF THIS FAMILY OF ARCTIC FOX.

AND LATER, WE HEAD TO EUROPE, WHERE A BIG CAT NEEDS A THICK

COAT TO WEATHER THE CHILLY CLIMATE.

PLUS, IN MONGOLIA, THESE HORSES GET THROUGH THE WINTER WITH A

LITTLE HELP FROM THEIR FRIENDS.

ALL OF THIS AND MORE TODAY ON "EARTH ODYSSEY".

[MUSIC PLAYING]

DYLAN: ABOUT TEN PERCENT OF THE EARTH'S SURFACE IS COVERED BY

ICE ALL YEAR ROUND, AND THESE FROZEN AREAS AREN'T JUST FOUND

AT THE NORTH AND SOUTH POLES.

SOME REGIONS CLOSER TO THE EARTH'S EQUATOR REMAIN ICEBOUND

THANKS TO THEIR INCREDIBLY HIGH ALTITUDES.

AND AT THESE FRIGID TEMPERATURES, YOU'LL FIND SOME

OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE AND RESILIENT ANIMALS IN THE WILD.

LET'S START IN THE ALPS, WHERE THE GRASS IS GREEN AT THE

MOMENT, BUT WINTER IS RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.

IT'S ONLY SEPTEMBER HERE IN THE ALPS, BUT THE PEAKS ARE SHROUDED

IN WHITE EVEN IN MIDSUMMER.

AND WHILE THESE LOWER SLOPES MIGHT LOOK IDYLLIC NOW, IN JUST

A FEW MONTHS, THEY, TOO, WILL BE BURIED IN SNOW.

SO, THE CLOCK IS TICKING FOR THIS ALPINE MARMOT.

HE'S TOO SMALL TO FACE THE WINTER ABOVE GROUND, SO HE NEEDS

TO PILE ON THE POUNDS BEFORE THE COLD SETS IN, WHEN HE'LL RETIRE

TO HIS DEN.

BUT HE'S PICKY ABOUT WHAT HE EATS, CHOOSING GRASSES WITH THE

HIGHEST LEVELS OF FATS.

HE MUST DOUBLE HIS BODY WEIGHT IF HE IS TO SURVIVE.

BUT HE'S NOT THE ONLY HUNGRY ANIMAL UP HERE IN THE MOUNTAINS.

THIS GOLDEN EAGLE IS A MARMOT'S NUMBER ONE ENEMY AT THIS TIME OF

YEAR...

...SO HIS MISSION WILL HAVE TO WAIT.

[MARMOT CHIPPING]

THE MARMOT LETS OUT A WARNING TO THE REST OF THE COLONY.

[CHIPPING CONTINUES]

THEY MUST HEAD FOR SAFETY AND QUICKLY.

[MARMOTS CHIPPING]

THIS TIME HE ESCAPES UNHARMED.

BUT THERE'S NO TIME TO WASTE.

HE NEEDS TO GET BACK TO WORK.

BEING PREPARED FOR WINTER CAN MEAN TAKING RISKS.

AS WELL AS EATING, HE NEEDS TO COLLECT ENOUGH NESTING MATERIAL

TO KEEP HIM WARM.

BUNDLES OF DRY GRASS WILL LINE HIS BURROW AND ACT AS THE

PERFECT INSULATOR.

AS SOON AS THE WEATHER STARTS TO TURN, HE HEADS FOR COVER...

...NINE FEET UNDERGROUND, SAFE IN HIS BURROW.

IT'S TIME FOR HIS BIGGEST TRICK TO SURVIVING THE COLD, SLEEP.

BUT THIS WILL BE NO ORDINARY NAP.

FOR THE NEXT EIGHT MONTHS, HE'LL BE BARELY ALIVE.

AS THE SNOW ARRIVES AND THE AIR OUTSIDE COOLS, SO DOES THE

MARMOT'S BODY TEMPERATURE...

...DROPPING TO JUST 39 DEGREES.

MARMOTS SHUT DOWN EVERY SYSTEM IN THEIR TINY BODIES.

IT'S A DRASTIC SURVIVAL TECHNIQUE, BUT THEY HAVE NO

CHOICE.

THE BIG CHILL IS COMING.

BY PREPARING FOR WINTER'S ARRIVAL AND SPENDING THE HARDEST

MONTHS UNDERGROUND, THE MARMOT ENSURES ITS SURVIVAL THROUGH THE

BLEAKEST SEASON.

COMING UP, WE HEAD TO NORTHERN ALASKA, WHERE THESE FOXES ARE

GETTING READY TO VENTURE OUT ALONE IN THEIR FIRST WINTER

STORM.

AND LATER, THIS LYNX WILL NEED MORE THAN A THICK COAT TO STAY

WARM IN ONE OF EUROPE'S COLDEST REGIONS.

PLUS, THERE'S NO HORSING AROUND WHEN GETTING READY FOR THE

UNFORGIVING MONGOLIAN WINTER.

.

WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: WINTER HAS BEGUN TO TIGHTEN ITS GRIP ON THE ARCTIC

ANIMALS.

BY OCTOBER IN NORTHERN ALASKA, AVERAGE TEMPERATURES HAVE

DROPPED WELL BELOW FREEZING.

THIS ARCTIC FOX IS JUST THREE MONTHS OLD.

LIFE IS ALL FUN AND GAMES NOW, BUT SOON HE AND HIS SIBLINGS

WILL BE CAST OUT BY THEIR MOTHER AND MUST SURVIVE THE WINTER

ALONE.

BUT WITH SNOW COVERING THE GROUND, IT WILL BE A TOUGH TIME

TO LEARN HOW TO HUNT.

JUST A FEW DAYS LATER, AND HE'S LEFT HIS FAMILY BEHIND.

FURRY SOLES PROTECT HIS FEET ON SNOW AND ICE.

SHORT EARS AND A SHORT MUZZLE REDUCE HIS SURFACE AREA,

MINIMIZING HEAT LOSS.

HIS THICK INSULATING FUR HAS TURNED FROM AUTUMN'S TAWNY BROWN

TO A PERFECT WHITE.

THESE ARE ALL IMPORTANT ADAPTATIONS TO LIFE IN THESE

BARREN WASTELANDS, BUT THEY'RE USELESS UNLESS HE FINDS FOOD.

OLDER, MORE EXPERIENCED FOXES KNOW HOW TO STASH RESOURCES FOR

TIMES SUCH AS THESE.

BUT SCAVENGING FROM OTHERS IS A MEAGER EXISTENCE.

AND WHERE THERE'S CARRION, THERE'S ALWAYS COMPETITION.

BY MIDWINTER, DEEP SNOW MAKES FINDING FOOD NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE

FOR A YOUNG FOX.

BUT THIS IS WHERE ANOTHER OF HIS SKILLS COMES INTO PLAY.

HE NOT ONLY HAS EXCELLENT SIGHT, BUT PERFECTLY TUNED HEARING.

HIS EARS PICK UP THE FAINTEST RUSTLE FROM BENEATH THE SNOW.

UNDERNEATH HIS FEET, ANOTHER ANIMAL HAS TAKEN REFUGE FROM THE

COLD.

A DEER MOUSE HIDING UNDER THE SNOW KEEPS IT SAFE FROM THE

WEATHER WHILE ALSO PROTECTING IT FROM MOST PREDATORS.

IT WOULD MAKE A TASTY TREAT, BUT IT'S NOT EASY TO CATCH SOMETHING

YOU CAN'T SEE.

WITH HIS PREY HIDING UNDER THREE FEET OF SNOW, THIS ARCTIC FOX

WILL NEED BOTH SKILL AND LUCK.

HE LOOKS, LISTENS, THEN DIVES RIGHT IN.

HE MUST JUDGE THE CORRECT DISTANCE AND DEPTH OF SNOW.

MASTERING THIS ART WILL BE CRUCIAL TO HIS SURVIVAL.

BUT IT TAKES PRACTICE.

WHILE AIRBORNE, HE ADJUSTS HIS TRAJECTORY WITH A SLIGHT MOVE OF

THE TAIL, HELPING HIM MAKE...

...THE PERFECT LANDING.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.

THIS SKILL WILL SEE HIM THROUGH THE WINTER AHEAD AND ENSURE HIS

SURVIVAL.

COMING UP, THESE HORSES ARE MORE PREPARED THAN EVER TO TAKE ON

THE CHALLENGE OF A MONGOLIAN WINTER.

BUT FIRST, WHAT IS THE LINK BETWEEN THIS BIG CAT AND STAYING

WARM?

FIND OUT NEXT ON "EARTH ODYSSEY".

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: POLAR BEARS LIVE IN SOME OF THE COLDEST ENVIRONMENTS ON

EARTH, THRIVING ON ICEBOUND ISLANDS AND FRIGID COASTLINES.

BUT WHILE MOST BEAR SPECIES ARE FOUND IN THE WOODED PARTS OF THE

WORLD, THEY ENJOY COLD WEATHER AS MUCH AS THEIR POLAR BEAR

BRETHREN.

IT MAY NOT BE THE NORTH POLE, BUT MANY BEARS AND OTHER MAMMALS

LIKE THE ONE YOU'RE ABOUT TO MEET MAKE THEIR HOMES IN THIS

SPECIAL TYPE OF FREEZING FOREST.

TAKE A LOOK.

A BIRCH FOREST.

IN THE DEPTHS OF EUROPE'S WINTER, HOME TO A SOLITARY AND

SECRETIVE HUNTER,

THE EURASIAN LYNX.

FOR HALF THE YEAR, THESE ANCIENT WOODLANDS ARE BLANKETED IN SNOW,

WHICH MAKES FINDING FOOD INCREDIBLY CHALLENGING.

BUT THIS BIG CAT HAS SOME CLEVER ADAPTATIONS TO SEE IT THROUGH.

A THICK FUR COAT OFFERS PROTECTION AGAINST THE FREEZING

TEMPERATURES.

LONG LEGS WITH HUGE SNOWSHOE-LIKE WEBBED PAWS HELP

HIM MOVE EFFORTLESSLY THROUGH THE SNOW.

IN THE SUMMER, THIS ADEPT HUNTER IS ABLE TO BRING DOWN PREY FOUR

TIMES ITS SIZE.

BUT IN WINTER, MANY LARGE PREY SPECIES MIGRATE OUT OF THE

LYNX'S RANGE.

HE MUST EAT NEARLY FIVE POUNDS OF MEAT A DAY.

HE CAN'T AFFORD TO BE PICKY, SO HE'S LEARNED TO ADAPT HIS

HUNTING STYLE TO SUIT WHAT'S ON OFFER IN THESE CHALLENGING

MONTHS.

EURASIAN LYNX HAVE VISION SO SHARP, THEY CAN SPOT A SMALL

RODENT FROM 245 FEET AWAY.

BUT WITH VOLES TUNNELING FAR BELOW THE THICK SNOW, THAT WON'T

HELP HIM NOW.

INSTEAD, HE MUST LISTEN.

BLACK TUFTS OF FUR ON HIS EARS ENHANCE HIS HEARING...

[VOLE CHIPPING]

...PICKING UP EVEN THE FAINTEST SOUND.

HE MUST TIME HIS AMBUSH CAREFULLY.

ONE WRONG MOVE, AND HE'LL LOSE HIS CHANCE.

AS HE GETS CLOSER, HE CAN PINPOINT THE VOLE'S EXACT

LOCATION.

BUT THIS EXPERT PREDATOR KNOWS NOT TO RUSH.

HE TAKES HIS TIME...

...UNTIL HE'S WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE.

IT MIGHT BE A SMALL MEAL, BUT IT WILL KEEP HIM GOING.

FOR THE LYNX, LITTLE AND OFTEN IS THE PERFECT WAY TO DINE.

COMING UP, THE HARSH MONGOLIAN WINTERS ARE COMING IN HOT, BUT

THESE HORSES ARE READY FOR THE CHALLENGE.

.

NARRATOR: WE NOW RETURN TO THE MORE YOU KNOW ON NBC.

DYLAN: DESPITE THE CHALLENGES THAT EXTREME WEATHER CAN BRING,

EVEN IN OUR PLANET'S MOST INHOSPITABLE ENVIRONMENTS, SOME

ANIMALS FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT THROUGH ALIVE.

WINTER ARRIVES EARLY ON THE MONGOLIAN STEP, TURNING IT INTO

ONE OF THE MOST BITTER AND HOSTILE PLACES ON EARTH.

BUT THERE'S ONE CREATURE HERE WHO'S PREPARED FOR ITS

ONSLAUGHT, THE PRZEWALSKI'S HORSE.

THESE ARE THE LAST WILD HORSES ON EARTH.

THEY LIVE AT ALTITUDES UP TO 5,000 FEET, WHERE SUBZERO

TEMPERATURES AND STRONG WINDS WOULD RESULT IN RAPID FROSTBITE

FOR ANY HUMAN.

FORTUNATELY, THEIR NEW WINTER COATS HAVE ARRIVED JUST IN TIME,

ALONG WITH THICKER HAIR ON THEIR MUZZLE AND NECK.

BUT THIS YEAR'S EARLY SNOWFALL MEANS THE MOST NUTRITIOUS FOOD

IS NOW BURIED BENEATH TWO FEET OF SNOW.

THIS TIGHT-KNIT FAMILY GROUP IS MADE UP OF A STALLION, A FEW

MARES, AND THEIR YOUNG FOALS.

BUT WITH LITTLE MORE THAN WITHERED GRASS TO SUSTAIN THEM,

THE HERD MUST TRAVEL UP TO 13 MILES A DAY TO FIND ENOUGH FOOD.

FOR SOME OF THEM, KEEPING UP WITH THE JOURNEY IS TAKING ITS

TOLL.

BUT WHENEVER THEY STOP FOR A REST, THEY GAIN COMPANY.

WITH THE GROUND BLANKETED BY SNOW, MAGPIES WILL RELY ON THE

HORSES FOR FOOD.

THE MAGPIES EAT PARASITES TAKING REFUGE DEEP IN THE WARMTH OF THE

HORSE'S COAT.

IN SUCH A BARREN LAND, THESE TINY INSECTS ARE THE ONLY FOOD

FOR MILES.

THE MAGPIES HELP KEEP THE HORSE'S SKIN CLEAN.

HOWEVER, CARRYING EXTRA CARGO CAN BE JUST AS IRRITATING.

HAVING ALREADY GIVEN THE BIRDS A FREE MEAL, PROVIDING A FREE RIDE

IS A STEP TOO FAR.

TO SURVIVE THE HARSH SEASON AHEAD, THESE HORSES WILL NEED TO

FIND ENOUGH FOOD BENEATH THE SNOW ALL WINTER LONG.

THANK YOU FOR JOINING US ON OUR JOURNEY TO DISCOVER THE ANIMALS

WHO THRIVE IN THE FRIGID PARTS OF OUR PLANET.

THEIR SURVIVAL IS A TESTAMENT TO NATURE'S ABILITY TO ADAPT TO ANY

CIRCUMSTANCE, EVEN THE MOST CHALLENGING.

WE HOPE TO SEE YOU NEXT TIME FOR ANOTHER ADVENTURE ON "EARTH

ODYSSEY".

[MUSIC]