0:00:05 > 0:00:08- SLIGHTLY BREATHLESSLY: - These are the first few steps
0:00:08 > 0:00:12of an expedition that's going to take me right round the planet.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17We start here...
0:00:17 > 0:00:19on a glacier in the high Arctic
0:00:19 > 0:00:22at the very top of the world.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24And then we head south
0:00:24 > 0:00:28through jungles, oceans and mountains
0:00:28 > 0:00:32until we reach the greatest wilderness on Earth - Antarctica.
0:00:36 > 0:00:37My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Whoa!
0:00:41 > 0:00:43And I'm on a mission, searching for...
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Deadly places.
0:00:45 > 0:00:46Deadly adventures.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48And deadly animals.
0:00:48 > 0:00:49Oi, you...!
0:00:51 > 0:00:55And you're coming with me, every step of the way!
0:00:59 > 0:01:00Aghhh!
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Journeying over 10,000 miles, from the top of the world to the bottom,
0:01:09 > 0:01:13the team and I will start in the frozen Arctic,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15travel down through the North American continent,
0:01:15 > 0:01:20through Central and South America, until we reach the end of the world.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21Antarctica.
0:01:23 > 0:01:27We'll focus on all things deadly, from the most intelligent killers...
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Oh, so close!
0:01:29 > 0:01:32..to mighty leviathans.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33Oh!
0:01:33 > 0:01:36We'll investigate lethal forces of nature...
0:01:36 > 0:01:37Come on!
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I've never seen anything like it in my life.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44..see predatory behaviour in new ways...
0:01:46 > 0:01:49..and face our most primeval human fears.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Coming back towards us, Johnny.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Go, go, go!
0:01:59 > 0:02:02It will be the globe-spanning journey of a lifetime.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10We begin in Svalbard, well inside the Arctic Circle,
0:02:10 > 0:02:11not far from the North Pole.
0:02:15 > 0:02:16Incredible!
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Svalbard is an archipelago,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23a group of islands surrounded by the Arctic Ocean.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26There are 24 hours of sunlight
0:02:26 > 0:02:30and we're going to use every single one of them to find deadly wildlife.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34And I've got a rendezvous with our floating home.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40She's called the Havsel, and she's our ticket to the extreme north.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Well, that was a pretty dramatic way to get started.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05But from here on in, we're all at sea.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17The Havsel is an ice-breaker and can batter its way into the pack ice.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23A blanket of white cloaks the Arctic Ocean all the way to the pole.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Despite the light, it's 2am, and we're all trying to sleep,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32when a spotter on deck sounds the alarm.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38Where is it?
0:03:38 > 0:03:40Yes!
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- We have a bear.- Yep.- On the move.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50The polar bear is THE great icon of the Arctic.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58It is the archetypal Arctic predator.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59At ease with life in the freezer,
0:03:59 > 0:04:04they hunt this subzero land in search of warm-blooded prey,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06and this bear has scented food.
0:04:08 > 0:04:11He's sniffed out an old seal carcass.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Polar bears have been observed
0:04:13 > 0:04:17going in a dead straight line for 20km to the carcass of the seal.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21The only way they could have detected it has been through smell.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27No pollution, completely clear air.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31It's no wonder they can actually pick up scents from so far away
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and why smell is so important to them.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38No way of knowing whether this bear actually made the kill himself.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41It could be two or three days old, and all of the blubber, the fat,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44the most energy rich part of it, has already been eaten away.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46So, this bear must be quite hungry.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52Usually, bears will only focus on that really fatty, fatty layer.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54It's valuable stuff,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57and that's the choice bit that the bears will eat first.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06I reckon he is now having a good old roll around,
0:05:06 > 0:05:09getting rid of that blood from his face,
0:05:09 > 0:05:14making sure that the pure white camouflage is back in full effect.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23With its stomach full, this bear could sleep for many hours.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28So, we leave him to his slumber and steam on.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38And soon, we sight another.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42We decide to keep our distance with the big boat
0:05:42 > 0:05:43while I approach alone in a kayak.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49I think the best way for me to approach is in the kayak,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52because I'm much more manoeuvrable and really quiet as well
0:05:52 > 0:05:55so, hopefully, the bear should just be completely cool
0:05:55 > 0:05:59with me getting close to it, and let him dictate how close we can get.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11The bear's out in the open, swimming.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15He could merely be travelling between these ice floes.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17He could also be hunting.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19They have a great way of managing to keep hidden
0:06:19 > 0:06:22with almost all of their body below the surface
0:06:22 > 0:06:24and just the eyes and the nostrils above it,
0:06:24 > 0:06:25and it's a fantastic way
0:06:25 > 0:06:28of being out of the view of seals which are up on the ice floes
0:06:28 > 0:06:31and, all of a sudden, caught unawares by this enormous beast
0:06:31 > 0:06:33which will just come out of nowhere.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38The first time I can really feel how it must be to be a seal out here.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43Looking right at me.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Ooh. He's diving under it.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55Bears often dive before launching an ambush.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57I must not lose sight of him.
0:06:59 > 0:07:00There he is.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Watching me very, very closely.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11Looks like he might just swim... right in front of me.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Hey there, big fella.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31He's OK. He's just keeping a very careful eye on me.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35He's just watching me.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40Wow. I certainly didn't expect to get that close.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56HE PUFFS OUT
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Just for a second there, he had me in his sights,
0:08:13 > 0:08:15and a lot of the bears in this part of the world
0:08:15 > 0:08:18will never have seen a human being before.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Polar bears are one of the only wild animals
0:08:20 > 0:08:23that will deliberately target and hunt a human being.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25It's desperately rare, but it's something
0:08:25 > 0:08:28that you really need to have in the back of your mind at all times.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33That is truly extraordinary.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41We return to the safety of our ice-breaker
0:08:41 > 0:08:44and continue through the floes and bergs
0:08:44 > 0:08:46under the thin light of the midnight sun,
0:08:46 > 0:08:49continuing our search for the toughest polar predators.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53A group of walrus. There's a group of walrus there on the end!
0:08:58 > 0:09:02These mighty seals can weigh two tonnes.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Both sexes bear these fearsome tusks,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08although they're bigger and stouter in males.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11They're used for battling over mates, cutting holes in the ice
0:09:11 > 0:09:13and for protection.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16So, we approach with caution.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19But we're not the only ones taking a closer look.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24The bear is just wandering straight towards the walrus
0:09:24 > 0:09:26that are laid out on the beach
0:09:26 > 0:09:28and they really don't seem bothered by his presence.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Polar bears usually avoid walrus.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34They're armoured in blubber and protected by those scimitar tusks,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37but a desperate bear may take the chance.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42The marks on this bear
0:09:42 > 0:09:45are the right size and shape to be from walrus tusks.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47Perhaps she's tried before.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Well, this is absolutely out of this world.
0:09:51 > 0:09:53You can see they're just lying there,
0:09:53 > 0:09:56they really are not bothered by it at all.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00They're getting very, very close, though.
0:10:02 > 0:10:07That male walrus is starting to show some interest,
0:10:07 > 0:10:08and I'm not surprised.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Just showing off those tusks, and that's enough...
0:10:12 > 0:10:15..to send the polar bear packing.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16'Beating a sensible retreat,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19'the bear is enticed by another scent.'
0:10:19 > 0:10:21He's coming back our way.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23'That's us.'
0:10:28 > 0:10:34Polar bears are, on average, the largest land carnivore on Earth.
0:10:34 > 0:10:37And as she's striding towards me,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40getting closer than, actually, I'm totally comfortable with...
0:10:40 > 0:10:44She could certainly cover that distance in a matter of seconds.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I'm quite glad that the engine's running again.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51And, for a second there, she was strolling towards us
0:10:51 > 0:10:54as if she thought we could be her next meal.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one in the boat
0:10:58 > 0:11:00that wasn't a little bit nervous.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03There's a lot of heads nodding behind me right now!
0:11:08 > 0:11:10What a staggering sight.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16The polar bear, the great white hunter that truly rules the Arctic.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18One of the most magnificent beasts on the whole planet,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and definitely deadly.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25And the ice bear may yet have a few surprises in store,
0:11:25 > 0:11:29but we can't move on without giving some time to those walrus.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34Cumbersome and sluggish on land, in the water,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38all that bulk's supported and they can be surprisingly mobile.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40So, I set off to meet some.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43Oh, I see one! I see one.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45That is enormous.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48Oh, wow!
0:11:48 > 0:11:52I've just got to hope that they see me and my little plastic kayak
0:11:52 > 0:11:54as an interesting plaything.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59They're a very imposing presence.
0:11:59 > 0:12:04Converging on me in a rather intimidating mass.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And I didn't think for a second that I'd get to see one this close.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12Look at that!
0:12:12 > 0:12:14They're simply immense.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18And a lot of that weight is made of blubber.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21It's a thick fat that sits below the surface of the skin
0:12:21 > 0:12:24and helps insulate them in these freezing cold Arctic waters.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Walrus have only tiny, stubby little whiskers.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33They're used for foraging on the very sea bed.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37They'll dive down and feel around with those tactile whiskers,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41just hoping to find clams and molluscs on the sea bed,
0:12:41 > 0:12:42and the way they feed on them
0:12:42 > 0:12:45is by sucking them clean out of their shells.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54An adult walrus has literally nothing to fear
0:12:54 > 0:12:56in its natural environment.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58It's even said that orca, killer whale,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01if they hear the bellow of a walrus,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03will get out of there quick smart.
0:13:05 > 0:13:06And you can see why.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12When you have this many animals together in a tight-knit clan,
0:13:12 > 0:13:15they're a truly ferocious prospect.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20And they're certainly eyeballing me.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26And I've just got a puff of walrus breath.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36- I don't know about you... - WALRUS GRIZZLES
0:13:43 > 0:13:44I barely want to move.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50I'll tell you what,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53they are getting a little bit too bold for my liking right now.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01OK.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07Well, that animal has definitely decided to show me who's boss.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11And I think he's made his point.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16Massive, pugnacious, armoured and deadly.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22In the summer, Svalbard is a cacophony of life
0:14:22 > 0:14:25fuelled by the bounty beneath the waves,
0:14:25 > 0:14:27and these sea cliffs are evidence,
0:14:27 > 0:14:30with the millions of fish-feeding breeding birds.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Only just been woken up
0:14:35 > 0:14:38to one of the most extraordinary sights I've ever seen.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43The air is just thick with sea birds.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Most of them are guillemots, I think.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50The steep cliffs offer sanctuary,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53allowing the birds to raise their chicks safe from predators.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56But there's simply nowhere that's 100% safe.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59Certainly not against the most resourceful
0:14:59 > 0:15:00and tenacious of hunters.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09This is out of this world. Absolutely out of this world.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Really, I think we have to try and get in the kayak
0:15:15 > 0:15:17and be alongside them.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19'But as I get ready to get into my kayak,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21'something extraordinary happens.'
0:15:24 > 0:15:26I...I really can't quite believe what's happening.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31'The polar bear starts to scramble up an almost vertical cliff.'
0:15:34 > 0:15:35I don't think there's going to be much point
0:15:35 > 0:15:37in me getting into a kayak.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40It looks like he's going to go right up and over the top of these cliffs.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Just seems to be absolutely no limit to what this bear can do.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53Here in the Arctic, they just so totally dominate the environment.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56They can go absolutely anywhere,
0:15:56 > 0:15:58they can feed on absolutely anything,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00from a bird's egg to a whale.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03They are one of the most extraordinary predators
0:16:03 > 0:16:04on the planet.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07No way.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11No way!
0:16:24 > 0:16:27He's picking his way up through the compacted snow,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29just exactly the way that a climber
0:16:29 > 0:16:32would use their crampons and ice axes,
0:16:32 > 0:16:34those curved claws cutting into the snow.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37I honestly would not believe this
0:16:37 > 0:16:40if I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44I never thought in my wildest dreams I would see this for myself.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48This was very worth waking up for.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51It's just going to go right up over the top of the cliff.
0:16:58 > 0:16:59It's pretty unbeatable.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05The ice bear crests the cliff and out of sight,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07and we need to keep going too.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09This pole to pole adventure has barely begun.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Our next stop is Somerset Island.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Still within the Arctic Circle,
0:17:18 > 0:17:21we're here to find some truly unique animals...
0:17:23 > 0:17:26..from an Arctic head-banger to a ghostly white whale.
0:17:28 > 0:17:32But as we approach it from the air, it's clear all is not well.
0:17:32 > 0:17:37For the first time in 17 years, the summer sea ice hasn't melted
0:17:37 > 0:17:39and Somerset is sealed in white.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Filming wildlife in the Arctic is always a challenge,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51but we're no stranger to that on Deadly.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54Unfortunately, this is a challenge we can do nothing about.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Right now, all of that should be an expanse of open sea, and it's not,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00it's sealed in with thick pack ice,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02and the animal we came here to find
0:18:02 > 0:18:04is a marine mammal which lives at sea.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07It's an extraordinary beast, totally unique.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09It's the pure white beluga whale.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Every year, thousands of beluga whales
0:18:13 > 0:18:16come into this bay on Somerset Island.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18But this year is a different story
0:18:18 > 0:18:22and our chances of seeing them are not looking good.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25So, in order for the belugas to come into this bay,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28all of this ice has to go,
0:18:28 > 0:18:32and it stretches off as far as the eye can see in every direction.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36We need sun, wind, tide, everything on our side
0:18:36 > 0:18:40and, even then, our chances are still pretty slim.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44So, while we keep our fingers crossed for an ice-melting miracle,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46we decided to head inland
0:18:46 > 0:18:50on a mission to find the Arctic's top deadly defender.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56This plateau is what most of the Arctic looks like in the summer.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59It's called tundra, and it is a brutal environment.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01For most of the year, this would be covered with snow
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and blown with hurricane-force winds.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Any vegetation is very low.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08There's certainly no trees and not much to feed on.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12An animal that can survive here has to be very, very tough.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Only creatures like the musk oxen
0:19:14 > 0:19:17stand any chance of making a living here.
0:19:20 > 0:19:25This is a half-tonne heavyweight bovine battering ram.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28They have one of the thickest of animal fur coats
0:19:28 > 0:19:30to protect them from even the most ferocious weather,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34and are surprisingly swift, even across snow.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44So, we've parked up
0:19:44 > 0:19:48and are making our way towards where we think the musk oxen will be.
0:19:48 > 0:19:49The ridgeline in front of us
0:19:49 > 0:19:52is giving us a certain amount of natural cover,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54probably hiding not just ourselves,
0:19:54 > 0:19:58but also our smell and the sound that we make.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59But, once we get over that,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02we have to stay very low down to the ground
0:20:02 > 0:20:06and approach carefully, cautiously and, above all, quietly.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20This is musk oxen droppings. It's really unusual.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23It's more like what you'd expect to see
0:20:23 > 0:20:26coming out the back end of a goat, almost a rabbit.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29They're certainly very different
0:20:29 > 0:20:31to the cowpats you see from domestic cows.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33The reason for that is
0:20:33 > 0:20:35is that there's so little nutriment to be gained
0:20:35 > 0:20:37from all the vegetation around here.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39They have to make the absolute most of it.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40They can't let any go to waste.
0:20:40 > 0:20:47And so these are just basically little bundles of indigestible goo.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54I mean...it just tastes like soil.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56That's pretty much exactly what it is.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01And there's the culprit.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03Superb.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09So, this musk oxen has spotted us and turned round to face us,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12and he's doing something really classic,
0:21:12 > 0:21:17which is rubbing a gland just in front of his eye on the foreleg.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19This is thought to be a way
0:21:19 > 0:21:23of releasing chemical smells into the air, and it's a threat.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28He saying, OK, I see you. Keep that distance, don't get any closer.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32As the musk oxen moves away, I edge in,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36but always keeping that same safe distance between us.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42It might seem like I'm being overly cautious, but in the Arctic,
0:21:42 > 0:21:47this animal is potentially one of the most dangerous to a human being.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50- Steve...- He's just... He's just seen him.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00So, this is a male. The horns are slightly differently shaped.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02He's a larger, bigger animal.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05At the moment, grazing on his own.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08In the winter, they're much more likely to keep tight herds
0:22:08 > 0:22:10with all the other animals.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12But now it's coming up to breeding season
0:22:12 > 0:22:16and that's when musk oxen really show their deadly side.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21These bad-tempered oxen are built to batter.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Their thick skulls and muscular necks help to absorb the shocks.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29But even so, in as many as one in ten battles,
0:22:29 > 0:22:31one of the combatants will be killed.
0:22:33 > 0:22:38They may look like a big walking carpet, but don't be fooled.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42This is a high-octane head-banger
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and it has the potential to be deadly.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Not far from the Arctic's largest land creature,
0:22:55 > 0:22:58we find one of the smallest, but it's just as hairy.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07It's a woolly bear caterpillar. This is one of nature's great survivors.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10It's also one of the oldest living of all insects
0:23:10 > 0:23:13and certainly by far the oldest living
0:23:13 > 0:23:15of any moth or butterfly caterpillar.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22It takes woolly bears 14 years before they transform into a moth,
0:23:22 > 0:23:27and that means getting through the Arctic winter again and again.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30When the polar winter strikes, they shut down their body
0:23:30 > 0:23:31and freeze solid.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35But when the summer comes,
0:23:35 > 0:23:39they rise from the dead and race to eat as much food as they can.
0:23:40 > 0:23:45Finally, they weave a cocoon, metamorphose as a winged adult
0:23:45 > 0:23:47and head off to find a mate.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52The reason that I'm putting this on a pebble rather than on my hand
0:23:52 > 0:23:56is that all of these hairs can be very, very irritating.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58They're almost like a nettle sting,
0:23:58 > 0:24:01so better off just letting him wander around on a rock.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05A normal creature that needs extreme adaptations
0:24:05 > 0:24:07to make it in the frozen north.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12Over the last few days, the sun has been shining
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and the wind gusting across the inlet
0:24:14 > 0:24:19and now, against all the odds, the ice is melting and moving away,
0:24:19 > 0:24:21offering a way in for the belugas.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24I've never been so excited
0:24:24 > 0:24:27to see something as simple as ice melting in my entire life.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Just four days ago, this was a blanket of solid ice
0:24:30 > 0:24:33that you could have driven a truck over, and now it's open.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36This is a lead, a channel that the belugas could easily use
0:24:36 > 0:24:38to get into our bay.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39This is perfect.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43Day five on Somerset Island.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47The belugas surge into the bay.
0:24:53 > 0:24:54Yes!
0:24:55 > 0:24:56Yes!
0:24:56 > 0:25:03There are splashes, waves, eruptions of white water
0:25:03 > 0:25:06no more than about 30 metres up in front of us
0:25:06 > 0:25:10and every once in a while, a white head breaks the surface.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13The belugas are finally here.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17I don't think I've ever been quite so relieved
0:25:17 > 0:25:20to see a wild animal in my entire life
0:25:20 > 0:25:23and there could be a hundred animals right in front of us.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31OK, these animals are very, very sensitive to sound
0:25:31 > 0:25:33and vibration moving through the water,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37so as I move up to the edge, I'm going to go quite slowly
0:25:37 > 0:25:39and we'll place ourselves just here.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46It's kind of difficult to tell what's going on from the surface
0:25:46 > 0:25:50but this, in front of us, is a beluga whale beauty salon.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Essentially, we've got a very shallow river here
0:25:53 > 0:25:55and the bottom is covered with stones.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57The whales are coming in
0:25:57 > 0:25:59and they're grinding their bodies on the stones
0:25:59 > 0:26:01to get rid of loose skin - they're moulting.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03This is the only species of whale
0:26:03 > 0:26:06that will lose all of its skin in one go like this.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09To begin with, they're a kind of yellowy colour,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12but they come out at the end sparkling white.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15It certainly looks like they're having an awful lot of fun.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22Belugas are one of the most vocal of all whales.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Their charming chatter of clicks, squeaks and whistles
0:26:25 > 0:26:30is used not only to communicate, but also to locate their prey.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33The bulbous melon shape on their forehead
0:26:33 > 0:26:35contains a waxy fluid
0:26:35 > 0:26:38which concentrates their echolocation clicks.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41These sounds bounce back off objects in the water
0:26:41 > 0:26:43and are sensed in their jawbones.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47This enables the beluga to pinpoint fish.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Once they've honed in on their prey,
0:26:49 > 0:26:53they'll hoover them in with vacuum suction power.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56They may be smiley, but they're still every inch a predator.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01These ones are getting closer. They're coming right towards me.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05I reckon they're going to come into this channel right here.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13The belugas splash alongside us,
0:27:13 > 0:27:16grinding dead skin from their flanks.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23When they break the surface, all you see is the ridgeline of their back.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25They don't have a dorsal fin
0:27:25 > 0:27:27like you see on dolphins or on killer whales,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29because they're living underneath the ice.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Anything extra that would be on top of the body
0:27:33 > 0:27:36would be crashing into pack ice and icebergs.
0:27:36 > 0:27:37It would just get in their way.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43We found this place a challenge in the middle of summer.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Belugas make a living below the ice
0:27:46 > 0:27:49even through the endless nights of an Arctic winter,
0:27:49 > 0:27:51and that demands respect.
0:27:58 > 0:28:02This white whale is truly a master of its white world.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Belugas living underneath the frozen ice,
0:28:05 > 0:28:10hunting down in the depths in the darkest ocean in the world,
0:28:10 > 0:28:11to my mind, deadly.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Our last-minute beluga success
0:28:17 > 0:28:20is the perfect way to say goodbye to the Arctic
0:28:20 > 0:28:23and continue south to Alaska.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27Join me next time for more Deadly On A Mission.