0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name is Steve Backshall.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10And this is Deadly Pole To Pole.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Oh!
0:00:11 > 0:00:15From the top of the world to the bottom. Wow!
0:00:15 > 0:00:21Deadly places, deadly adventures and deadly animals.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25And you're coming with me every step of the way.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33The crew and I started our global journey in Svalbard
0:00:33 > 0:00:37and already we've had some incredible wildlife sightings.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41She is striding towards me. She thought we could be her next meal.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43They are certainly eyeballing me!
0:00:45 > 0:00:47Before we leave and start south,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50it seems the Deadly luck is not yet done.
0:00:53 > 0:00:58I've only just been woken up to one of the most extraordinary sights I've ever seen.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04There's the creamy head of a polar bear just swimming alongside
0:01:04 > 0:01:06parallel with the cliff.
0:01:08 > 0:01:11This is out of this world, absolutely out of this world.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16As this bear is making its way around the cliff edge,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19he seems to be looking for a way to get out of the water.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24These bears are such opportunists.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27They've been seen climbing up onto sea cliffs like these
0:01:27 > 0:01:29to feed on the eggs and chicks of breeding birds.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33And I'm not sure what this bear is doing
0:01:33 > 0:01:37but it's obviously here for something and that could well be food.
0:01:37 > 0:01:39It could be the birds themselves.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41This is an incredible opportunity for us
0:01:41 > 0:01:45and really, I think we have to get in the kayak and be alongside him.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49This is something that could only happen once-in-a-lifetime.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56But as I'm getting ready with the kayak,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58something extraordinary happens.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03I really can't quite believe what is happening.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07The polar bear starts to scramble up the almost vertical cliff.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13I don't think there is much point in me getting into a kayak.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17It looks as though he will go right up and over the top of these cliffs.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24There just seems to be absolutely no limit to what this bear can do.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30Here in the Arctic, they just so totally dominate the environment.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32They can go absolutely anywhere.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36They can feed on absolutely anything, from a bird's egg to a whale.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42They are one of the most extraordinary predators on the planet.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Classically, polar bears seek out seals on ice floes.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48As the ice melts, they are forced to improvise.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52This bear is in search of a meal amongst the nesting birds.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55There is a couloir packed with snow there.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58It looks as if he is going to try and climb right through it.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05No way!
0:03:06 > 0:03:08No way!
0:03:21 > 0:03:24He is picking his way up through the compacted snow,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28just exactly the way that a climber would use their crampons and ice axes.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31Those curved claws cutting into the snow.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36I honestly would not believe this if I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40I never thought in my wildest dreams that I would see this for myself.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45This was very worth waking up for.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48He's just going to go right up over the top of the cliff.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57That's pretty unbeatable.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01The ice bear crests the cliff and out of sight.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05We need to keep going, too. This pole to pole adventure has barely begun.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12Our next stop is Somerset Island.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Part of Canada, it is still inside the Arctic Circle,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18about 1200 miles from the North Pole.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Of course, it's home to some true Artic deadlies.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26From some heavyweight head-bangers,
0:04:29 > 0:04:30to ghostly white whales.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34And a cunning canine survivor.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Every animal living here has to survive winter temperatures
0:04:38 > 0:04:40of up to minus 40 degrees centigrade.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Colder than the inside of a deep freeze.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46This is one of the most challenging places on earth.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49To get to the island from the mainland is a five hour flight.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53We are arriving to an Arctic summer and had hoped to avoid the worst weather,
0:04:53 > 0:04:56but the big freeze is still here.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00For the first time in 17 years,
0:05:00 > 0:05:04the pack ice that surrounds Somerset Island has not melted.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Filming wildlife in the Arctic is always a challenge
0:05:11 > 0:05:13but we're no stranger to that on Deadly.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17Unfortunately, this is a challenge we can do nothing about.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21Right now, all of that should be an expanse of open sea.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23And it's not, it's sealed in with thick pack ice
0:05:23 > 0:05:27and the animal we've come here to find is a marine mammal which lives at sea.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30It's an extraordinary beast, totally unique.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32It is the pure white beluga whale.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39Every year, thousands of beluga whales come in to this bay on Somerset Island.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41But this year is a different story.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46Our chances of seeing them are not looking good.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Right now, I am actually walking on the sea.
0:05:50 > 0:05:56If you look down at this crack, you can see how thick the ice is.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59There's probably a metre or maybe 1.5 metres.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02I reckon you could drive a truck on this right now.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05So in order for the belugas to come into this bay,
0:06:05 > 0:06:09and they do in their hundreds, perhaps as many as 1000 of them,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11all of this ice has to go.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15It stretches off as far as the eye can see in every direction.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19We need sun, wind, tide, everything on our side
0:06:19 > 0:06:22and even then, our chances are still pretty slim.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28It may seem impossible that this world could completely change
0:06:28 > 0:06:30in the seven days we're here.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34However, there's 24 hour sunlight to bring the melt on.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36We're not giving up yet.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39In the meantime, this is our base camp.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43This is Expedition Headquarters.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45It is the only warm place in the entire camp.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48This is probably my favourite bit, skull corner.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Polar bear.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54Lower jawbone from a seal.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Arctic Fox. Grrr!
0:06:57 > 0:07:00And a single vertebrae from a bowhead whale's back.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06This is my tent.
0:07:07 > 0:07:12Probably the most important place, this is our kit tent
0:07:12 > 0:07:17where we've got edit suites set up, so this is home for the next week.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Somerset Island is an impossibly rugged place
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and the distances we have to cover in order to see all of our wildlife
0:07:28 > 0:07:30are just far too great for us to do yet on foot.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33So, this is going to be our key to unlocking
0:07:33 > 0:07:35the mysteries of the Arctic.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Miles and miles of rugged wilderness.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48Any creature that can make a living here has to be tough
0:07:48 > 0:07:51and able to make the most of meagre opportunities.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Like one of the great survivors, the Arctic fox.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59And soon we find our first signs that foxes manage to thrive here.
0:08:01 > 0:08:07This mound is covered with animal sign and lots of holes.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09That there is the den of an Arctic fox.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12You can see some of its white fur that it's left behind.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16There's also piles and piles of droppings.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19These are all from the fox. Look at that!
0:08:19 > 0:08:24Oh, that is a jawbone from an Arctic hare,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27one of its favourite food items.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Perhaps the most impressive thing about this is
0:08:29 > 0:08:32quite how much this mound stands out from the surrounding environment.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36Everything else is brown and barren, but here, it is lush and green.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38That's because all of the fox's droppings
0:08:38 > 0:08:41and what is left over from its prey is full of nitrates.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Essentially, fertiliser.
0:08:43 > 0:08:49So it has turned this mound into a lush, green garden. Brilliant!
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Arctic foxes are perfectly adapted for polar life.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59Their thick coat means they can survive temperatures of minus 50 degrees.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Their small compact bodies prevent heat loss
0:09:01 > 0:09:05and the thick tail is the perfect protection from gale force winds.
0:09:16 > 0:09:22I've just pulled up because there is a white shape
0:09:24 > 0:09:25and it's an arctic fox.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Look at that!
0:09:30 > 0:09:32I wasn't sure whether I was going to see one
0:09:32 > 0:09:36actually in its full white winter coat.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38It's feeding on something.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41There are gulls around it as well. Let's go and get a closer look.
0:09:46 > 0:09:47Just like the landscape,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50the fox is also whiter than it should be right now.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Summer really has come late to Somerset Island.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Right now, I would expect most of this snow to have melted
0:10:01 > 0:10:04and for the animals here to have lost their winter coats.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06This Arctic fox is no different.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11Right now, he should be a dirty brown, grey colour to mix in with the landscape
0:10:11 > 0:10:17but instead, he still has that beautiful white coat.
0:10:17 > 0:10:23Everything about the Arctic fox is designed to cope with the cold.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27They have much smaller, more rounded ears than a red fox.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32So they lose less heat that way. The tail is huge, thick and bushy.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35And that can be used to spread around the head,
0:10:35 > 0:10:41cover the nose, keep all of the most exposed parts of the body
0:10:41 > 0:10:42nice and warm.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47But its adaptations to cold aren't the only reason
0:10:47 > 0:10:50they're a perfect Arctic survivor.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55They're also cunning predators, using hearing and sense of smell
0:10:55 > 0:10:56to locate food.
0:10:57 > 0:11:01They can't afford to be fussy and will scavenge on carcasses,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04steal bird eggs from ground-nesting birds,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07and even pluck birds from the sky.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10They laugh in the face of polar gales
0:11:10 > 0:11:13and are a definitive Arctic Deadly.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22A thick coat to defy Arctic temperatures.
0:11:22 > 0:11:26Exceptional hearing and smell to locate their food.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Sharp teeth to strip down a carcass.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33And they'd be toasty warm, even inside your fridge-freezer.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43# You're as cold as ice! #
0:11:43 > 0:11:45After two days of watching the frozen sea,
0:11:45 > 0:11:50some of the ice begins to fracture, offering a route out to sea.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52If the beluga whales can't get into the inlet,
0:11:52 > 0:11:55maybe I can kayak out to them.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58But within a few hours, the ice shifts.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01Once again, the island is locked in.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05I think we've come as far as we can.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08From here on in, it's just an expanse of flat ice.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12And most of it I don't think is really strong enough to walk on.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15Beyond that is the open sea.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Really, what we need now is for the elements to do their work for us.
0:12:18 > 0:12:22To break down this ice, carry it away with the wind,
0:12:22 > 0:12:25and then maybe, just maybe, our whales will come to us.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Far from getting better,
0:12:28 > 0:12:33the tide has brought the ice back into the bay, trapping me.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36See how much things change here.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Just a few minutes ago, this was open sea.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45And now the only way to move across it is to drag your kayak over the ice.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47# As cold as ice to me! #
0:12:47 > 0:12:51So while we keep our fingers crossed for an ice melting miracle,
0:12:51 > 0:12:53we decided to head inland
0:12:53 > 0:12:56on a mission to find the Arctic's top deadly defender.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02This plateau is what most of the Arctic looks like in the summer.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05It's called tundra and it is a brutal environment.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08For most of the year, this would be covered with snow
0:13:08 > 0:13:12and blown with hurricane force winds. Any vegetation is very low.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15There's certainly no trees, and not much to feed on.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18An animal that could survive here has to be very, very tough.
0:13:18 > 0:13:23Only creatures like the musk oxen stand any chance of making a living here.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31This is a half tonne heavyweight battering ram.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33It's difficult to tell where the enormous head ends
0:13:33 > 0:13:36and the body begins.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39They're surprisingly swift, even across snow,
0:13:39 > 0:13:42and have one of the biggest of all animal fur coats
0:13:42 > 0:13:45to protect them from even the most ferocious weather.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51But our first challenge will be finding them in this vast and barren landscape.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06There's a few dark shapes.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10Probably a mile and a half off.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11In the distance, off that way.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16And whenever you see something like that, that really stands out
0:14:16 > 0:14:19from the environment here, it's likely to be something living.
0:14:19 > 0:14:20And it is.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23There's about nine musk oxen and they're right down
0:14:23 > 0:14:26close to the river that's winding through this valley.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31This is going to be really tricky. They're quite well spread out.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35I think our best approach is to come down to the north of them
0:14:35 > 0:14:38and work our way up the valley on foot.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42The most important thing is to keep downwind of them,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44as if they smell us, they'll be gone.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52So we've parked up and are making our way towards where we think
0:14:52 > 0:14:54the musk oxen will be.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56The ridge line in front of us is giving us
0:14:56 > 0:14:57a certain amount of natural cover.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Probably hiding not just ourselves, but also our smell.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04And the sound that we make.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06But once we get over that, we're going to have to stay very low
0:15:06 > 0:15:10down to the ground and approach carefully, cautiously,
0:15:10 > 0:15:11and above all, quietly.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16'If you can't see your target animal,
0:15:16 > 0:15:18'the best thing is to follow the signs.'
0:15:22 > 0:15:25This is musk oxen droppings.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28It's really unusual - it's more like you'd expect to see
0:15:28 > 0:15:31coming out of the back end of a goat, almost a rabbit.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35They're certainly very different to the cow pats
0:15:35 > 0:15:37you see from domestic cows.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40The reason for that is that there is so little nutrient
0:15:40 > 0:15:42to be gained from all the vegetation around here.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44They have to make the absolute most of it -
0:15:44 > 0:15:46they can't let any go to waste.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49And so these are just basically
0:15:49 > 0:15:52little bundles of indigestible goo.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57- I mean... - HE SPITS
0:15:57 > 0:15:59..it just tastes like soil.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01It's pretty much exactly what it is.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08I did it. I did it.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13'And...there's the culprit.'
0:16:13 > 0:16:14Superb.
0:16:15 > 0:16:20Musk oxen, and their kind, have been roaming the Arctic tundra
0:16:20 > 0:16:22for perhaps a million years.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25They've shared these places with things like woolly mammoth.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27There is something almost prehistoric
0:16:27 > 0:16:29about coming up on one of these animals here.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34They have that vast, huge furry coat,
0:16:34 > 0:16:36which at the moment it's beginning to lose.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38They're coming into the summer.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41If it kept its winter coat, it would simply overheat in minutes.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46So this musk oxen has spotted us
0:16:46 > 0:16:48and turned round to face us.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50He's doing something really classic,
0:16:50 > 0:16:56which is rubbing a gland just in front of his eye on the foreleg.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58This is thought to be a way of releasing
0:16:58 > 0:17:00chemical smells into the air.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02It's a threat.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04He's saying, "OK, I see you.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07"Keep that distance, don't get any closer."
0:17:08 > 0:17:10'As the musk oxen moves away,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14'I edge in, always keeping that same safe distance between us.'
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Every time he drops his head to feed,
0:17:22 > 0:17:24I creep in just a little bit further.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29'It might seem like I'm being overly cautious,
0:17:29 > 0:17:32'but this is potentially one of the most dangerous Arctic animals.'
0:17:32 > 0:17:34Steve. MAN WHISTLES
0:17:34 > 0:17:36(He's just seen him.)
0:17:44 > 0:17:45So this is a male.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49The horns are slightly differently shaped.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52He's a larger, bigger animal.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54At the moment, grazing on his own.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57In the winter, they're much more likely to keep tight herds
0:17:57 > 0:17:59with all the other animals.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02But now it's coming up to breeding season,
0:18:02 > 0:18:05and that's when musk oxen really show their deadly side.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11These bad-tempered head-bangers are built to batter.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Their thick skulls and muscular necks help to absorb the shocks.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18But even so, in as many as one and ten battles,
0:18:18 > 0:18:20one of the combatants will be killed.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26This animal could be on me in a matter of seconds.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29I need to make very, very sure that I don't unsettle it.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34I also know that there's quite a few other musk oxen around.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37There's one just a stone's throw away over there.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Despite the fact it's so close, it's hidden by the environment.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44The last thing I want to do is just to wander head first
0:18:44 > 0:18:49into this high-powered, head-butting machine.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56They may look like a big, walking carpet.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58But don't be fooled.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02This is a high-octane head-banger.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04It has the potential to be deadly.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08With a sledgehammer of a skull...
0:19:11 > 0:19:14..tipped with pointed horns...
0:19:15 > 0:19:17..from naught to scary in a couple of seconds...
0:19:19 > 0:19:21..this high Arctic head-banger is...
0:19:23 > 0:19:24Deadly.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33'Not far from the Arctic's largest land creature,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36'we find one of the smallest.
0:19:36 > 0:19:37'But it's no less special.'
0:19:40 > 0:19:42It's a woolly bear caterpillar.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45This is one of nature's great survivors.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48It's also one of the oldest living of all insects,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and certainly by far the oldest living
0:19:51 > 0:19:53of any moth or butterfly caterpillar.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59It takes woolly bears 14 years
0:19:59 > 0:20:01before they transform into a moth,
0:20:01 > 0:20:06and that means getting through the Arctic winter again and again.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09When the polar winter strikes, they shut down their body
0:20:09 > 0:20:11and freeze solid, but when the summer comes,
0:20:11 > 0:20:16they rise from the dead and race to eat as much food as they can.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Finally, they weave a cocoon and metamorphose.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22As a winged adult, they'll last only a few days.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25All spent in the search for a mate.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30The reason that I'm putting this on a pedal rather than on my hand
0:20:30 > 0:20:34is that all of these hairs can be very, very irritating.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36They're almost like a nettle sting,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39so better off just letting him wander around on a rock.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42'A normal creature that needs extreme adaptations
0:20:42 > 0:20:44'to make it in the frozen north.'
0:20:48 > 0:20:50Over the last few days, the sun's been shining
0:20:50 > 0:20:53and the wind gusting across the inlet.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56And now against all the odds, the ice is melting
0:20:56 > 0:21:00'and moving away, offering a way in for the belugas.'
0:21:00 > 0:21:01I've never been so excited
0:21:01 > 0:21:05to see something as simple as ice melting in my entire life.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06Just four days ago,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09this was a blanket of solid ice that you could have driven a truck over.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11Now it's open.
0:21:11 > 0:21:12This is a lead,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16a channel that the belugas could easily use to get into our bay.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17This is perfect.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22After five days of waiting, today is our lucky day.
0:21:22 > 0:21:23CHEERING
0:21:35 > 0:21:38'So we raced down to the water to take a closer look.'
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Yes!
0:21:46 > 0:21:47Yes!
0:21:47 > 0:21:52There are splashes, waves, eruptions...
0:21:52 > 0:21:57of white water no more than about 30 metres off in front of us.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01Every once in a while, a white head breaks the surface.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03The belugas are finally here.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08I don't think I've ever been quite so relieved
0:22:08 > 0:22:11to see a wild animal in my entire life.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13It's not just adults -
0:22:13 > 0:22:15there are grey shapes from young calves as well.
0:22:17 > 0:22:18I have no idea how many are here.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22There could be a hundred animals right in front of us.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29OK, these animals are very, very sensitive to sound
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and vibration, moving through the water.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36So as I move up to the edge, I'm going to go quite slowly.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Make sure my footfalls are quiet.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42And we'll place ourselves just here.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49It's kind of difficult to tell what's going on from the surface,
0:22:49 > 0:22:53but this in front of us is a beluga whale beauty salon.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Essentially, we've got a very shallow river here,
0:22:56 > 0:22:58and the bottom is covered with stones.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59The whales are coming in
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and they're grinding their bodies on the stones
0:23:02 > 0:23:04to get rid of loose skin - they're moulting.
0:23:04 > 0:23:06This is the only species of whale that will lose
0:23:06 > 0:23:09all of its skin in one go like this.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12To begin with, they're a kind of yellowy colour,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14but they come out at the end sparkling white.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17It certainly looks like they're having an awful lot of fun.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24There are very few marine mammals
0:23:24 > 0:23:27that could survive an entire lifetime in the Arctic Ocean.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30The way they manage this is through a thick layer of fat
0:23:30 > 0:23:32underneath their skin called blubber.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36It acts like insulation, managing to keep their body warmth inside them.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41They're also one of the most social of all whales.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Sound is incredibly important to belugas,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and with so many of them together in one place at the same time,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51they're bound to be having a good chat.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54So I've got here a hydrophone.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56It's a microphone that can listen under water.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Let's put it in and have a listen.
0:24:11 > 0:24:12Oh, that's great.
0:24:14 > 0:24:15WHALES BLEAT
0:24:15 > 0:24:17That's fantastic.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24Belugas are known as sea canaries because they chatter so much.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28They're probably the most vocal of all whales and dolphins.
0:24:28 > 0:24:31Right now, I can here, kind of...
0:24:31 > 0:24:34It's like a band tuning up.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38There's all kind of creaks and squeaks and chirps and chatters.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41That's great.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46But these clicks and squeaks aren't just idle chitchat,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49they're also used for finding prey.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53The bulbous melon shape on their forehead contains a waxy fluid,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56which concentrates their echolocation clicks.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00They hear the returning sounds through their jawbones.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03This enables the beluga to pinpoint fish.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05Once they've honed in on their prey,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08they'll suck them in with vacuum suction power.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11They maybe smiley, but they're still well-tuned predators.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17These ones are getting closer. They're coming right towards me.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21I reckon they're going to come into this channel, right here.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Seeing these ghostly white shapes cruising alongside you
0:25:31 > 0:25:34is a very, very strange sight.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38It seems the tide's just right
0:25:38 > 0:25:41and the belugas are inching their way...
0:25:41 > 0:25:43right alongside us into the bay.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48The belugas are choosing to do their beauty treatments
0:25:48 > 0:25:49right in front of us.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56The belugas have found here an area that is at the perfect depths.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58It's probably about as deep as my knee.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02On the bottom is full of nice sharp stones.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05So they're coming in and they're rubbing themselves on the bottom.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09Basically, they're exfoliating.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13When they break the surface, all you see is the ridgeline of their back.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16They don't have a dorsal fin like you see on dolphins
0:26:16 > 0:26:19or on killer whales, because they're living underneath the ice.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Anything extra that would be on top of the body
0:26:23 > 0:26:25would be crashing into pack ice and icebergs.
0:26:25 > 0:26:26It would just get in their way.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33'We found this place a challenge in the middle of summer.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36'Belugas make a living below the ice
0:26:36 > 0:26:39'even through the endless night of an Arctic winter.'
0:26:39 > 0:26:41Respect.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52This white whale is truly a master of its white world.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Belugas living underneath the frozen ice,
0:26:55 > 0:26:59hunting down in the depths of the darkest ocean in the world.
0:26:59 > 0:27:00To my mind - deadly.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Form coordinated attacks.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Hunt using echolocation in dark, murky Arctic waters.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15And suck in prey at alarming speed.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18These white whales are the masters of the Arctic.
0:27:19 > 0:27:20Deadly.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25Our last-minute beluga success is the perfect way
0:27:25 > 0:27:28to say goodbye to the Arctic and head south.
0:27:28 > 0:27:29Yes!
0:27:31 > 0:27:34'Join me next time for more Deadly Pole To Pole.'
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd