Original subtitles

.

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, EVERYONE, I'M DYLAN DREYER.

GET READY TO JOIN ME ON A WILD, NEW ADVENTURE ON THIS EPISODE OF

"EARTH ODYSSEY".

TODAY, WE TRAVERSE FROZEN WINTER LANDS TO SEE THE MAMMALS THAT

THRIVE IN THE COLD, LIKE IN SNOWY SIBERIA, WHERE THE

BACTRIAN CAMEL HAS LEFT ITS FOOTPRINT IN THE SANDS OF TIME.

PLUS, THIS PUMA CUB DEFEATS THE ODDS USING ITS INCREDIBLE

INSTINCTS.

[PUMA YELPING]

AND WE'LL FIND OUT HOW THE LYNX BECAME ONE OF THE MOST

SUCCESSFUL HUNTERS OF THE WINTERY WILD.

BUT FIRST, THE SUPER SENSE THAT ALLOWS POLAR BEARS TO SURVIVE

WHERE FEW OTHERS CAN.

THIS AND SO MUCH MORE ON TODAY'S "EARTH ODYSSEY".

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: EVERY MAMMAL HAS TWO DEFINING CHARACTERISTICS, WARM

BLOOD AND HAIR.

THESE TWO TRAITS GIVE THEM A NATURAL EDGE WHEN IT COMES TO

KEEPING WARM IN FREEZING ENVIRONMENTS.

HOWEVER, A THICK AND WARM, FURRY COAT ISN'T THE ONLY ADVANTAGE TO

HAVING HAIR.

FUR ALSO ALLOWS THE WORLD'S BIGGEST BEAR TO HIDE IN PLAIN

SIGHT.

SVALBARD,

A LAND OF FROZEN ICE AND TUNDRA...

...HOME TO THE WORLD'S LARGEST LAND PREDATOR.

MORE THAN TWO-AND-A-HALF-THOUSAND POLAR

BEARS SOMEHOW MANAGE TO SURVIVE IN THIS FROZEN WILDERNESS.

ON ITS HIND LEGS, THIS ADULT POLAR BEAR IS ALMOST TEN FEET

TALL AND WEIGHS MORE THAN 1,300 POUNDS.

FOUR INCHES OF FAT AND HOLLOW FUR INSULATE THE BEAR AGAINST

THE ARCTIC CLIMATE AS HE ROAMS THE SEA ICE SEARCHING FOR SEALS.

HE HAS A POWERFUL SENSE OF SMELL, DETECTING PREY FROM 18

MILES AWAY.

A RINGED SEAL AND HER PUP ARE RELAXING BY A BREATHING HOLE.

SEAL PUPS NEED TO SPEND THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF THEIR LIVES

ON DRY LAND UNTIL THEIR FUR IS FULLY WATERPROOF.

THIS GIVES THE POLAR BEAR HIS OPPORTUNITY.

THE RINGED SEAL'S VISION IS POOR AND REMAINS UNAWARE OF THE

APPROACHING DANGER.

THIS TIME THE POLAR BEAR MISSES OUT.

ONLY ONE IN 50 HUNTS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR ARE SUCCESSFUL.

BUT IT'S JUST ENOUGH TO SURVIVE.

FEW ANIMALS ARE BETTER DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND EXTREME

TEMPERATURES THAN THE MASSIVE POLAR BEAR.

COMING UP, THE FANCY FOOTWEAR THAT HELPS THIS WINTER WALKER

STALK THEIR PREY IN SILENCE.

AND LATER, HOW THIS COURAGEOUS PUMA CUB SURVIVED IN THE SNOW

AFTER A SEPARATION FROM MOM.

PLUS, HOW THIS MAMMAL GETS OVER THE HUMP IN THE SEVERE SIBERIAN

CLIMATE.

ALL OF THIS WHEN WE RETURN ON "EARTH ODYSSEY".

.

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

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: 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, WE HEAD TO CHILE, WHERE THIS PUMA CUB WILL CROSS

SNOWY MOUNTAINS TO REUNITE WITH ITS MOTHER.

THEN, IN SIBERIA, WE'LL SEE HOW THIS CAMEL MAKES THE MOST OF

BEING A MAMMAL.

ALL OF THIS AND MORE WHEN "EARTH ODYSSEY" RETURNS.

.

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

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: SPANNING THE COUNTRIES OF ARGENTINA AND CHILE,

PATAGONIA COVERS MORE THAN 400,000 SQUARE MILES OF SOUTH

AMERICA, BUT PATAGONIA'S UNPREDICTABLE CLIMATE CHANGES

AND WILD, ROUGH TERRAIN MEAN LESS THAN TEN PERCENT OF EACH

COUNTRY'S HUMAN POPULATION CALL THIS REGION HOME.

THE EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS OF PATAGONIA ARE UNLIKE ANY OTHER,

AND ONE ANIMAL'S INSTINCTS ARE ALL IT HAS AFTER BEING SEPARATED

FROM ITS MOTHER.

ON THE SOUTHERN TIP OF CHILE LIES TORRES DEL PAINE

NATIONAL PARK.

AT THE FOOT OF THE ANDES, THE WEATHER HERE IS UNPREDICTABLE.

SNOWSTORMS CAN ERUPT WITHOUT WARNING, CATCHING SOME ANIMALS

UNAWARE.

THIS 15-MONTH-OLD PUMA HAS LOST HIS MOTHER.

HE'S NOT YET ABLE TO SURVIVE ALONE.

SHE COULD BE ANYWHERE IN THEIR TERRITORY OF NEARLY 40 SQUARE

MILES.

HE JUST NEEDS TO HOLD OUT LONG ENOUGH TO FIND HER.

THANKFULLY, PUMAS ARE ONE OF THE MOST ADAPTABLE BIG CATS USED TO

FACING A VARIETY OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS.

HIS THICK FUR PREVENTS HIM FROM GETTING WET AND KEEPS OUT

THE COLD.

[PUMA YELPING]

HE DESPERATELY CRIES FOR HIS MOTHER.

[YELPING CONTINUES]

BUT HIS CALLS GO UNANSWERED.

[PUMA YELPING]

[YELPING CONTINUES]

WITH THE WEATHER CLOSING IN, HIS BEST CHANCE OF SURVIVAL IS

TO FIND A PLACE TO HIDE.

BUT IN THIS OPEN TERRAIN, THE OPTIONS ARE LIMITED.

HE'S FORCED TO SPEND ANOTHER COLD NIGHT ALONE.

THE NEXT MORNING, THE MOTHER IS OUT SEARCHING FOR HER

MISSING CUB.

RETRACING HER STEPS AROUND THE BOUNDARIES OF THEIR TERRITORY,

SHE CHECKS FOR HIS SCENT OR ANY SIGN HE MAY HAVE BEEN CLOSE.

THEN, SHE HEARS A SOUND COMING FROM THE VALLEY BELOW.

[PUMA YELPING]

IT'S HER CUB.

AT LAST, THEY'RE REUNITED.

FOR THE YOUNG CUB, IT'S A LUCKY ESCAPE.

THE OUTCOME COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFERENT.

THIS YOUNG PUMA WILL SPEND THE NEXT NINE MONTHS WITH HIS

MOTHER, WHERE HE'LL LEARN HOW TO ADAPT TO THE EVER-CHANGING

CLIMATE IN THE ANDES.

WHEN WE RETURN, THE HARSH CLIMATE OF SIBERIA IS NO MATCH

FOR THIS ADAPTABLE DUNE-DWELLING MAMMAL.

.

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

[MUSIC]

DYLAN: IN MID-WINTER, WINDS BLOWING IN FROM SIBERIA TURN THE

GOBI DESERT TOTALLY WHITE, MAKING THIS PERHAPS THE TOUGHEST

DESERT OF ALL.

SUMMER TEMPERATURES CAN REACH MORE THAN 100 DEGREES, BUT NOW

IT'S MINUS 40.

FEW ANIMALS CAN SURVIVE SUCH BRUTAL TEMPERATURE CHANGES, BUT

THERE'S ONE THAT EXCELS IN THESE EXTREMES...

...THE WILD BACTRIAN CAMEL.

DESERT SPECIALISTS, THE ADAPTATIONS TO SAND WORK EQUALLY

WELL IN THE SNOW.

WIDE HOOVES PREVENT THEM FROM SINKING.

PADS OF FAT ON THEIR BASE PROTECT FROM COLD JUST AS THEY

DO HEAT...

...WHILE BUSHY EYEBROWS, TWO ROWS OF LASHES, AND A THICK,

SHAGGY WINTER COAT KEEP THE COLD AT BAY.

DURING SUMMER, THESE CAMELS NEVER WANDER FAR FROM A

WATERING HOLE.

BUT WINTER GIVES THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO VENTURE FARTHER

TO FIND FOOD.

WHAT LITTLE WATER THERE WAS IS NOW FROZEN,

SO THE CAMELS EAT THE SNOW.

THEY MUST BE CAREFUL.

TOO MUCH TOO QUICKLY COULD BE LETHAL, SO THEY TAKE WHAT THEY

NEED LITTLE AND OFTEN.

AND THE SNOW WILL NEVER MELT.

THE AIR IS TOO COLD AND TOO DRY.

INSTEAD, IT'S TURNED STRAIGHT TO VAPOR BY THE SUN, WHICH IS NOT A

PROBLEM FOR THE CAMELS SINCE THEIR NOSTRILS CAN REABSORB THE

WATER FROM THE AIR.

THEIR NEWFOUND WINTER FREEDOM TIES IN WITH BREEDING SEASON.

[CAMEL GROANING]

[CAMEL GROANING]

MALES PUT ON A SOMEWHAT BIZARRE PERFORMANCE IN THE HOPE OF

ATTRACTING A MATE.

[CAMEL GROANING]

USING HIS TAIL, HE FLICKS HIS ALLURING SCENT OVER HIS BACK

TO DRAW IN THE FEMALES.

DESPITE HIS EFFORTS, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING,

BUT IT'S EARLY IN THE SEASON.

HE'S GOT PLENTY OF TIME TO PERFECT HIS TACTICS.

THE ADAPTATIONS THAT MAMMALS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER GENERATIONS

IS THE SAFETY BLANKET THEY NEED TO COMBAT THE COLD.

IN THESE HARSH CLIMATES, LIFE IS EXTREME AND UNPREDICTABLE, SO

THESE WINTER WANDERERS MUST BE PREPARED FOR ANYTHING.

FROM POLAR PREDATORS TO HIGHLY SKILLED HUNTERS AND EVEN A

SEEMINGLY HELPLESS CUB, EACH UNIQUE SPECIES HERE HAS

NATURALLY GIFTED PROTECTION THEY USE TO THEIR ADVANTAGE.

SO, EVEN IN THE HARSHEST SNOW-COVERED ENVIRONMENTS, THESE

MAMMALS HAVE MASTERED THE ART OF SURVIVING THE COLD.

[PUMA YELPING]

THANKS FOR JOINING OUR ADVENTURE AROUND THE WORLD TO

WITNESS THE AMAZING MAMMALS THAT THRIVE IN SOME OF THE COLDEST

CLIMATES ON EARTH.

BORN WITH SPECIAL ABILITIES, THESE CREATURES OF THE COLD ARE

EXPERTS IN MAKING ANY WINTER WONDERLAND THE PERFECT HOME.

I'LL SEE YOU NEXT TIME FOR ANOTHER EPISODE OF

"EARTH ODYSSEY".

[MUSIC]