0:00:05 > 0:00:08- SLIGHTLY BREATHLESSLY: - These are the first few steps
0:00:08 > 0:00:11of an expedition that's going to take me right round the planet.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16We start here...
0:00:16 > 0:00:18on a glacier in the high Arctic
0:00:18 > 0:00:21at the very top of the world.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24And then we head south
0:00:24 > 0:00:27through jungles, oceans and mountains
0:00:27 > 0:00:31until we reach the greatest wilderness on Earth - Antarctica.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40And this...
0:00:40 > 0:00:42is Deadly Pole to Pole.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Cor!
0:00:44 > 0:00:46From the top of world to the bottom...
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Whoa! Haha!
0:00:48 > 0:00:50..deadly places,
0:00:50 > 0:00:51deadly adventures
0:00:51 > 0:00:53and deadly animals.
0:00:54 > 0:00:55And you're coming with me,
0:00:55 > 0:00:57every step of the way!
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Aghhh!
0:01:03 > 0:01:04Incredible!
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Svalbard is an archipelago,
0:01:08 > 0:01:12a group of islands surrounded by the Arctic Ocean.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14In fact, pretty much everything below us now
0:01:14 > 0:01:17would be pack ice for much of the year
0:01:17 > 0:01:19and the sun doesn't even rise for about four months,
0:01:19 > 0:01:21it's total darkness.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24Right now though, it's completely the opposite,
0:01:24 > 0:01:26there are 24 hours of sunlight
0:01:26 > 0:01:30and we're going to use every single one of them to find deadly wildlife.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Svalbard lies at the top of the world,
0:01:34 > 0:01:36well within the Arctic Circle
0:01:36 > 0:01:39and just a few hundred miles from the North Pole.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43It's the perfect starting point for my epic global adventure.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48I come toe-to-tusk with the sumo wrestler of the north, the walrus.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Get dive-bombed by a feathered fury
0:01:52 > 0:01:57and sniffed out by the ultimate polar predator.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01But first, I've got a rendezvous with an Arctic icebreaker.
0:02:01 > 0:02:06She's called the Havsel and she's our ticket to the extreme north.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10This is the beginning of a journey that will span the planet.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28Well, that was a pretty dramatic way to get started,
0:02:28 > 0:02:31but from here on in, we're all at sea!
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The Havsel sails us 30 hours North
0:02:40 > 0:02:42to the edge of the frozen sea
0:02:42 > 0:02:45where our search for polar bears can begin.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48It's only here amongst the ice floes
0:02:48 > 0:02:52that the bears can hunt for seals hauled out on the ice.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Blending into the icy wilderness,
0:02:57 > 0:03:02drawn on by their heightened sense of smell, bears stalk up on seals.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09The seals stay close to holes in the ice,
0:03:09 > 0:03:11so they have a quick escape route.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17It's a brutal death match, but only one in ten hunts end in success.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24The seal's energy-rich blubber makes the odds worthwhile, but only just.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29There are more polar bears in Svalbard than there are people,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32making it one of the best places on earth to see one,
0:03:32 > 0:03:35and we soon have our first sighting.
0:03:42 > 0:03:43Where is he?
0:03:46 > 0:03:48We have a bear... on the move!
0:03:52 > 0:03:56The polar bear spends its whole life on or in the frozen sea,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00so is considered a marine mammal, like seals and whales.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Their scientific name literally means, "the sea bear".
0:04:05 > 0:04:08When the sea ice melts in the summer, they may have to swim for
0:04:08 > 0:04:13mile upon mile in temperatures that would kill a human being in minutes.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Moving from ice floe to ice floe,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26the polar bear follows its nose in the search for food.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29He's sniffed out an old seal carcass.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Polar bears have been observed going in a dead straight line
0:04:32 > 0:04:35for 20 kilometres to the carcass of a seal.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39The only way they can have detected it has been through smell.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42I mean, they probably don't have that much better a sense of smell
0:04:42 > 0:04:45than their close cousins, the brown bears,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48but here, in the Arctic, there's so few scents.
0:04:50 > 0:04:54No pollution, completely clear air, it's no wonder they can actually
0:04:54 > 0:04:59pick up scents from so far away and why smell is so important to them.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03No way of knowing whether this bear actually made the kill himself,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07but, the seal's been fairly well fed on.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10It could be two or three days old and all of the blubber, the fat,
0:05:10 > 0:05:13the most energy rich part of it has already been eaten away.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15So, this bear must be quite hungry.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20Usually bears will only focus on that really fatty,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23fatty layer. I mean, we might think of it as being unhealthy,
0:05:23 > 0:05:27but fat has an enormous amount of calories in it which means energy.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29It's really, really valuable stuff
0:05:29 > 0:05:32and that's the choice bit that the bears will eat first.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40I reckon he is now,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43having a good old roll around,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45getting rid of that blood from his face,
0:05:45 > 0:05:50making sure that the pure white camouflage is back in full effect.
0:05:54 > 0:05:58As the bear moves on from its seal meal, it gives us a chance to
0:05:58 > 0:06:03move to the smaller boat and investigate the scene of the kill.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Our bear's eaten its full and has moved away from the prey.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09This is a great chance for us to move in closer because he's fat and
0:06:09 > 0:06:13happy and certainly isn't going to be too bothered by us being around.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17But I mustn't forget that this is a top predator that may see us
0:06:17 > 0:06:19as another meal should we get too close.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Think the first thing we're going to do is go
0:06:21 > 0:06:24and have a look at that seal carcass and see what's left.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34This was quite a big seal.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Em... I would say certainly a bearded seal.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40There's a little bit of meat left,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43but certainly no blubber. All of that's long gone.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45What else can we see around here?
0:06:45 > 0:06:48It's absolutely covered with footprints.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53And you see how heavy the animal is. This is quite compacted ice,
0:06:53 > 0:06:58yet even so, it's created deep indentations in the ice,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01purely from the weight of the animal.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04I'm pretty sure, though, these are not all from one bear.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09This animal could rest for hours, so we decide to let sleeping bears lie
0:07:09 > 0:07:12and go in search of another polar bear.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24I also decide to switch to a kayak.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Paddle power is quiet, and much less likely to disturb wildlife.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I think the best way for me to approach is in the kayak,
0:07:31 > 0:07:35because, I'm much more manoeuvrable, and really quiet as well,
0:07:35 > 0:07:37so hopefully, the bear should just be completely cool with me
0:07:37 > 0:07:42getting close to it and let him dictate how close we can get.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54The bear's out in the open swimming.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57He could merely be travelling between these ice floes,
0:07:57 > 0:07:59could also be hunting.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02They have a great way of managing to keep hidden with almost
0:08:02 > 0:08:06all of their body below the surface and just the eyes and the nostrils
0:08:06 > 0:08:09above it and it's a fantastic way of being out of the view of seals
0:08:09 > 0:08:12which are up on the ice floes and then all of a sudden caught
0:08:12 > 0:08:15unawares by this enormous beast which has just come out of nowhere.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18For the first time I can really feel
0:08:18 > 0:08:20how it must be to be a seal out here.
0:08:24 > 0:08:25Looking right at me.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30BEAR BREATHES HEAVILY
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Ooh, he's diving under it.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38'Bears sometimes dive underwater as they're about to begin hunting.'
0:08:38 > 0:08:41We need to watch him very carefully.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43There he is.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Watching me very, very closely.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54Looks like he might just swim right in front of me.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04(Hey there, big fella.)
0:09:09 > 0:09:11He's OK.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13He's just keeping a very careful eye on me.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17He's just watching me.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21Wow! I certainly didn't expect
0:09:21 > 0:09:23to get that close.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Just for a second there, he had me in his sights
0:09:55 > 0:09:58and a lot of the bears in this part of the world will never have
0:09:58 > 0:10:01seen a human being before, and polar bears are one of the only
0:10:01 > 0:10:06wild animals that will deliberately target and hunt a human being.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08It's desperately rare, but it's something that you
0:10:08 > 0:10:11really need to have in the back of your mind at all times.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16An enchanting encounter, but this is only the beginning.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19More from the king of the ice, later.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Summer is the signal for millions of sea birds to flock to Svalbard.
0:10:27 > 0:10:3124 hour daylight and a bonanza of food in the Arctic Ocean
0:10:31 > 0:10:35make it a great place to raise young chicks.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Auks are like penguins of the north,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40hunting in much the same way.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42They're vigorous, tireless, underwater fishermen
0:10:42 > 0:10:46diving many metres down in search of small fish and crustaceans.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Here in Svalbard, they can be found in their millions.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56There are very few places where I've felt
0:10:56 > 0:10:59quite so totally overwhelmed by a place and by a spectacle
0:10:59 > 0:11:02and that I just can't take all of it in with my own eyes.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05BIRDS SQUAWK
0:11:05 > 0:11:10As far as the eye can see, in every direction, is a blizzard of birds.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15It's almost more like mosquitoes or, I don't know,
0:11:15 > 0:11:19just tiny insects filling the air.
0:11:19 > 0:11:22But they're not, every single one is a sea bird.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27These sea cliffs have so many advantages for nesting birds.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Because they're so steep sided, there are very,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32very few predators that make their way up there
0:11:32 > 0:11:35and so it's a great place for them to lay their eggs.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41But even here, on the precipitous cliff faces,
0:11:41 > 0:11:43they're not completely safe.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49To find sea bird-snatching predators,
0:11:49 > 0:11:51'I need to find a place where I can get ashore.'
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Unfortunately, as we arrive, the weather takes a turn for the worse.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25It may seem pretty miserable here,
0:12:25 > 0:12:30with this thin rain and heavy wind, but this is as good as it gets.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33For much of the year this would be knee deep in snow
0:12:33 > 0:12:35and blasted with Arctic winds.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40So any animal that can live here, has to be a survivor.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Eurgh!
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Squelchy... Oh, no!
0:12:46 > 0:12:49I didn't want to do that!
0:12:54 > 0:12:57Gordon Bennett!
0:12:58 > 0:12:59Thank you very much.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03Sopping wet feet for the whole of the rest of the day, hooray(!)
0:13:09 > 0:13:10SKUA CRIES
0:13:10 > 0:13:13As I squelch towards the cliffs,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16I'm soon met by a traditional Arctic welcome.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Skuas are what are known as kleptoparasites.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27It sounds like quite a long convoluted word,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30but actually it just means "thieves".
0:13:32 > 0:13:35These are birds that mostly get their food
0:13:35 > 0:13:38by stealing it from other birds.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42I've seen skuas catch a gull midair by the leg
0:13:42 > 0:13:46and shake it until it vomits up the fish that its been feeding on
0:13:46 > 0:13:49and then the skua will dive down
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and catch the regurgitated food whilst still on the wing.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56As well as harassing sea birds for food,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00skuas are also highly protective of their territories
0:14:00 > 0:14:04and will drive away any intruders no matter how big.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Leaving the skuas menacing reindeer,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I clamber up into the sea bird colony.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25An incredibly heavy smell here of guano,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28of years and years of bird droppings.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33And all these wonderful little shapes just flitting around my ears,
0:14:33 > 0:14:34from the little auks.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35Look at that!
0:14:36 > 0:14:40And these holes, in amongst the rocks,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43that's the kind of places they're bringing up their young.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Dry moss, little feathers...
0:14:45 > 0:14:50a chick has been raised and headed out to sea from that very spot.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55As with any sea bird colony, it's noisy, smelly
0:14:55 > 0:14:59and there are always those that would like to get an easy meal
0:14:59 > 0:15:01from the birds and their fledging young.
0:15:03 > 0:15:08These little auks travel along the cliff sides in enormous flocks.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11This is for very good reason - it throws off predators,
0:15:11 > 0:15:16it makes it much more difficult to pick out one single individual.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19These birds have so many foes to fear up here,
0:15:19 > 0:15:23but the one that seems to be causing them the most trouble at the moment
0:15:23 > 0:15:24is a gull.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29This bully of a bird is the glaucous gull.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31They're one of the largest gulls,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33and use their size to their advantage,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36bossing the sea bird colonies of the Arctic.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39In effect they play the role of a bird of prey,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41scoffing sea birds and their eggs.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44Only difference is, there's loads of them!
0:15:48 > 0:15:50This is a glaucous gull.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56Up close you can see they're quite a big, intimidating presence,
0:15:56 > 0:16:01even for a human being like me, let alone a tiny little auk.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06Further investigation of the rocks reveals a grisly seashore graveyard.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08Oh, yes.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Well, this is obviously where the gull brings back
0:16:11 > 0:16:13everything it feeds on.
0:16:13 > 0:16:19Bits of crab. Bones from - I'm guessing those are from little auks.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21I mean, this just shows
0:16:21 > 0:16:24what unbelievable opportunists these birds are.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26They have the ability to take advantage
0:16:26 > 0:16:30of pretty much any food source that comes their way.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31Whoa!
0:16:32 > 0:16:37The glaucous gull, fearsome winged terror.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41They're menacing, intimidating and, if you're a little auk...
0:16:41 > 0:16:43definitely deadly.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49A fast, agile aerial hunter.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Feeding on other sea birds.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56The big bully of the Arctic skies.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59It's the greedy, bird-gulping glaucous gull.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08But there is another predator here
0:17:08 > 0:17:11that even the menacing glaucous gull has to fear.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14At this time of year they patrol the base of these sea cliffs
0:17:14 > 0:17:16in search of an easy meal.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19So, we shoulder the kit and soldier on,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23and as luck would have it find not just one but two.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31There are a pair of arctic foxes
0:17:31 > 0:17:33right at the base of this bird cliff here,
0:17:33 > 0:17:36but at the moment, they're just playing.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43Playing is fun, and cements friendships,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46but it's also an essential part of a fox's life.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50They're practising the hunting skills they'll need later in life
0:17:50 > 0:17:53if they're to survive in the Arctic.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59The foxes come to base of these cliffs to hunt young guillemots.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02At this time of year, over the space of just a few days,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06the chicks are fledging and have to make their first flight
0:18:06 > 0:18:08down to the water.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11It's a long way down and out to sea.
0:18:11 > 0:18:17Not all of the chicks make it, and come down to earth with a bump.
0:18:17 > 0:18:22Having barely learnt to fly, now they have to learn to run.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27This means that they have to run the gauntlet of waiting, hungry foxes.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Life here is full of challenges,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33but this arctic fox will be able to provide for her own youngsters,
0:18:33 > 0:18:35for today, at least.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43And these two young foxes seem to be in fine form.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46They're certainly well fed enough for a tussle or two.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49This won't be our only encounter with arctic foxes.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53We'll meet them again as our Pole to Pole adventure heads south.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56We return to our icebreaker boat home,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and move on in search of another frozen world heavyweight.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Over 200,000 Pacific and Atlantic walrus can be found
0:19:06 > 0:19:07in the Arctic Ocean.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Often gathered in large numbers,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13with males reaching up to nearly two tonnes in weight,
0:19:13 > 0:19:16over three metres long and armed with impressive tusks,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20they're an animal I've always wanted to see on Deadly.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22I've never filmed walrus before.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27Never even been close to one, so this is incredibly exciting.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30I mean, these animals are seals, essentially,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34but they're different to any other seal that I've ever got close to.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37First of all, they can weigh two metric tonnes,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39certainly the males, anyway.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43And those enormous tusks would easily be enough
0:19:43 > 0:19:46to puncture my kayak and send it to the bottom of the sea.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50So, I have to admit my heart is going a little bit.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52But mostly with excitement.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Oh, I see one!
0:20:02 > 0:20:03I see one!
0:20:03 > 0:20:05That is enormous!
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Oh, wow.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13I've just got to hope that they see me and my little plastic kayak
0:20:13 > 0:20:15as an interesting plaything.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20They're a very imposing presence.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24Converging on me in a... rather intimidating mass.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31The males are the ones that have the biggest tusks
0:20:31 > 0:20:34and they can get to be over a metre long.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36But the females have them too,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40and they would have to be one of the most curious creatures
0:20:40 > 0:20:41I have ever seen,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45and I didn't think for a second I'd get to see one this close.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47Look at that!
0:20:47 > 0:20:50They're simply immense.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54And a lot of that weight is made up of blubber.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57It's a thick fat that sits below the surface of the skin
0:20:57 > 0:21:02and helps insulate them in these freezing cold Arctic waters.
0:21:02 > 0:21:08They kind of look like vast, dark sumo wrestlers.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11And they would have quite a comical appearance
0:21:11 > 0:21:14if it wasn't for those tusks.
0:21:15 > 0:21:19Walrus have only tiny stubby little whiskers.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22They're used for foraging on the very sea bed.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26They'll dive down and feel around with those tactile whiskers,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30just hoping to find clams and molluscs on the sea bed,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32and the way they feed on them
0:21:32 > 0:21:35is by sucking them clean out of their shells.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43An adult walrus has literally nothing to fear
0:21:43 > 0:21:45in its natural environment.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48It's even said that orca, killer whale,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52if they hear the bellow of a walrus will get out of there quick smart.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57And you can see why.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02When you have this many animals together in a tightknit clan,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05they're a truly ferocious prospect.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10And they're certainly eyeballing me.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Walrus are predators.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20Most of the time what they feed on are just things like clams,
0:22:20 > 0:22:24but they have been known to kill seals.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27To take rather larger living prey...
0:22:27 > 0:22:30and I just got a puff of walrus breath.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39- I don't know about you, but... - WALRUS GRUNTS
0:22:46 > 0:22:48OK, I barely want to move...
0:22:52 > 0:22:53I tell you what,
0:22:53 > 0:22:57they are getting a little bit too bold for my liking right now.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- OK... - WALRUS GRUNTS
0:23:08 > 0:23:12Well, that animal has definitely decided to show me who's boss.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14And I think he's made his point.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26The vast two-tonne walrus, with tusks that can be as long as my leg,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30they're intimidating, menacing, massive...
0:23:30 > 0:23:32and deadly.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Armed with metre-long tusks.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41With sensitive food-finding whiskers.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45It hoovers up clams from the sea floor.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48A blubbery behemoth worthy of respect.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57As sea ice breaks up in the summer,
0:23:57 > 0:24:01some polar bears are stranded away from the ice on dry land.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05That means they have to be a bit creative in what they choose to eat.
0:24:05 > 0:24:08And, unbelievably, it looks as if
0:24:08 > 0:24:10our two heavyweight deadly contenders,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14the polar bear and the walrus, are about to go head-to-head.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19The bear is just wandering straight for the walrus
0:24:19 > 0:24:20laid out on the beach,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24and they really don't seem bothered by its presence.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27Polar bears have been known to attack walruses.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29But, hungry as the bear may be,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33the tough skin and thick layer of blubber protects the walrus
0:24:33 > 0:24:35from even the most determined bears,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38who risk serious injury from sword-like walrus tusks.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44But despite this risk, our bear continues its approach
0:24:44 > 0:24:45to the walrus group.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Well, this is absolutely out of this world.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52But you can see they're just lying there,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55they really are not bothered by it at all.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00They're getting very, very close, though.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05That male walrus is starting to show some interest,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09and I'm not surprised. Just showing off those tusks.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12And that's enough to send the polar bear packing.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15A polar bear would have to be really desperate
0:25:15 > 0:25:17to take on an adult walrus.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19It's coming back our way.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21But now there's a more unusual scent in the air
0:25:21 > 0:25:24that's attracted the bear's attention.
0:25:24 > 0:25:26That's me and the crew.
0:25:30 > 0:25:35Polar bears are on average the largest land carnivore on earth,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38and as she's striding towards me...
0:25:38 > 0:25:42getting closer than actually I'm totally comfortable with -
0:25:42 > 0:25:46she could certainly cover that distance in a matter of seconds -
0:25:46 > 0:25:49I'm quite glad that the engine's running again.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52These are huge animals.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54In weight, a fully grown male
0:25:54 > 0:25:58could be three quarters of a metric tonne,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00that's as much as a small car.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02The feet are huge, the claws,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06the bite force, to my knowledge, has never been measured,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09but I'm guessing it will be absolutely extraordinary.
0:26:09 > 0:26:14Certainly enough to cut through blubber, flesh and bone.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18And for a second there, she was strolling towards us
0:26:18 > 0:26:20as if she thought we could be her next meal.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one on the boat
0:26:24 > 0:26:27that wasn't a little bit nervous.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30There's a lot of heads nodding behind me right now!
0:26:35 > 0:26:37What a staggering sight.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41The polar bear, the great white hunter that truly rules the Arctic.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45One of the most magnificent beasts on the whole planet,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47and definitely deadly.
0:26:50 > 0:26:55Able to detect prey many miles away with its sense of smell.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58Smashing through snow and ice.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00Supremely adapted to life in the Arctic.
0:27:00 > 0:27:05The near-perfect polar predator that showed me exactly who's boss.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12This is the start of a journey
0:27:12 > 0:27:14that's going to the ends of the earth.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Through fire and fury, ice and high seas.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20Whoa!
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Meeting the deadliest predators that have ever lived.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Oh! So close.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29But we're not leaving the Arctic, or Svalbard, just yet.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Join me next time for more Deadly Pole to Pole.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd