The Epic Journey Frozen Planet


The Epic Journey

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The polar regions are the coldest, most extreme places on our planet.

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Winds reach 200 miles an hour

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and temperatures drop as low as minus 70 degrees centigrade.

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Only the toughest can survive here.

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Over the course of a year, polar animals must overcome

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not just the cold, but the most extreme seasonal changes on Earth.

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In the High Arctic, winter is one long night that lasts for months.

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It's also the time when new lives begin.

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Polar bear cubs are born blind and tiny.

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An early birth is easier on the mother, who is barely awake.

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Despite her sleepiness, her instinct

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to nurse is overwhelming.

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CUBS SQUEAK

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The cubs' clucking calls

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stimulate her to produce milk.

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And what milk!

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It's nine times richer than our own,

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and enables her to double

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their weight every few weeks.

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The sun is returning after an absence of nearly four months.

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And its warmth starts to transform this magical ice world.

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Spring has arrived.

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The greatest seasonal change on our planet is now under way.

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Antarctica is still locked in ice,

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and surrounded by a frozen ocean.

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Nonetheless, there are signs of spring.

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Adelie penguins are arriving. Just the males.

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They've spent five months at sea,

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where it's warmer than it is on land,

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and now they're in a hurry,

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for spring will be short.

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They have travelled 6,000 miles across the ocean

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since leaving their colony last year and now, they're returning to breed.

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They cannot lay their eggs on ice for they would freeze.

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So they have to come here, where there is bare rock.

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Over the coming months,

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the few parts of Antarctica that are ice-free will be the stage

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on which five million Adelies will build their nests.

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To construct one, they need pebbles.

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And without a good-looking nest,

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a male will be unable to attract a female.

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When they at last arrive.

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An impressive property demonstrates your worth as a mate.

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It takes stones of all shapes and sizes to build a decent nest

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and finding ones that are just right is not easy.

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So, some penguins turn to a life of crime.

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The one who has been robbed seems unaware

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that the thief is just over his shoulder and looking for more.

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The thief's nest is coming along nicely, probably because

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he keeps a particularly sharp lookout for robbers.

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After all, it takes one to know one.

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By fair means or foul, the males must finish their nests quickly

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if they're to raise a family over the short Antarctic summer.

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In the north of our planet,

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the weak sunshine is a welcome relief after the months of darkness.

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Finally, it's time for polar bear families to emerge from their dens.

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This is not the easiest place

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to take your first steps.

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And the little ones will need plenty

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of encouragement from their mother.

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If she can raise all three to independence,

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it will be a rare achievement.

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During the months underground, all they've known is their mother.

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Now, the big, wide world holds all sorts of challenges

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for these brave, young explorers.

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The mother leads her new family out over the frozen sea

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to hunt for seals.

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But the spring melt is already under way.

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All across the Arctic, the sun's warming effect is increasing.

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Sea ice is showing the first signs of weakening.

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Inland, the northern rivers are still locked in ice.

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The frozen waterfalls are like dams, holding back billions of tonnes

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of fresh water that has not moved for almost six months.

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CREAKING

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The vast watershed lies motionless.

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But as spring advances,

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it begins to stir.

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The frozen waterfalls start to weaken.

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Above them, the pressure is mounting.

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Now, from high above, whole sections can be seen to be on the move.

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The waterfalls are straining to hold back the force

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that is building up above them.

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The dam bursts...

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..and the river is unleashed.

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These vast floods accelerate the break-up.

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Soon, an area of sea ice the size of Australia

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will vanish from the Arctic Ocean.

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The spring melt breaks the ice for visitors.

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Narwhals.

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The unicorns of the North are on a mission -

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to reach the new fishing grounds

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in the bays that have been frozen up all winter, but are now opening up.

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To get to them, the narwhals must travel down leads,

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temporary cracks in the ice.

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But these new roads could close at any time,

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cutting off the air that they need to breathe.

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The road narrows, until there's barely room for one-way traffic.

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Then, a surprise. Narwhals coming from the other direction.

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It's a stand-off. Each team faces an armoury of sharp tusks.

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Finally, one side concedes.

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And everyone continues in the same direction.

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The melting sea ice reveals open ocean.

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And the changes on land are no less dramatic.

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Beneath the snow, life is already stirring.

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The Arctic tundra is unveiled.

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Water that has been locked in ice all winter

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once again flows freely.

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A landscape that was only white now bursts with colour.

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Migrants begin arriving from the south

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and, suddenly, the tundra is alive with new families.

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These Arctic wolf cubs are just over a month old

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and always looking out for their next meal.

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Their parents have been hunting.

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Their offerings are devoured instantly.

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Arctic hare is a mainstay of the tundra diet

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and one the cubs seem particularly keen on.

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Uneaten food is usually hidden for leaner times,

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but there will be no leftovers today.

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The cubs are growing fast and are always hungry.

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The good times are certainly back, but these white wolves remind us

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of the Arctic's less welcoming side.

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Their coats are pale to conceal them

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during the long, snowy winter.

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It's easy to forget that one month ago,

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this land was a barren, white desert.

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But finding a decent meal here is never easy.

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The parents travel up to 80 miles in a day in search of

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more substantial prey for their growing family.

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Musk oxen are immensely powerful.

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And their sharp horns can kill.

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But a calf is more vulnerable.

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The two wolves work together to split the herd

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and isolate their victim.

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It seems that the wolf cubs will, at last, eat well.

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But the herd regroups.

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The cattle ride to the rescue.

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The wolves cannot penetrate the wall of horns.

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The herd are protecting their calf.

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For the musk oxen, it's all for one

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and one for all.

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It's a struggle for all polar animals to feed themselves

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and their families in the brief Arctic summer.

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But there is one tiny creature of the tundra that has found

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an astounding solution to the shortness of the season.

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The woolly bear caterpillar.

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It's always the first insect to appear after the snow's retreat.

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The caterpillar then eats as fast as it can and, indeed it must,

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for this far north, summer only lasts a few weeks.

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The days shorten only too soon, but the caterpillar has not yet

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got enough reserves to transform itself into a moth.

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It can't leave the Arctic, for it can't fly.

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So, it settles down beneath a rock.

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The sun's warmth rapidly dwindles.

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Beneath the rock, the caterpillar is out of the wind,

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but the cold penetrates deep into the ground.

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Soon, its heart stops beating.

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It ceases to breathe and its body starts to freeze.

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First, its gut. Then, its blood.

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After four months of darkness,

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the Arctic begins to thaw.

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And the caterpillar rises from the dead.

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By the time the first shoots of willow appear in the early spring,

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the woolly bear is already eating.

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But no matter how fast the woolly bear eats,

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it will not have time to gather enough food this year either,

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and the cold closes in once again.

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Year after year, the caterpillar slows down in the autumn

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and then freezes solid.

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But, eventually, a very special summer arrives.

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This one will be its last.

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It's now 14 years old.

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The world's oldest caterpillar.

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Its remaining days now become frantic.

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It starts to weave a silk cocoon.

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Inside, its body is changing

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into one that can fly and search.

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Abilities that will be crucial in the days ahead.

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All across the Arctic, moths are emerging.

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After completing their 14-year preparation,

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they now have just a few days to find a partner and mate.

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No life illustrates more vividly the struggle to survive

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in this most seasonal of places.

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In a matter of weeks, the north will be frozen over once again.

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At the southern end of our planet,

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Antarctica is still surrounded by sea ice.

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The Antarctic spring arrives first at the outer islands.

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Although the beaches of South Georgia are now ice-free,

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the King Penguins face a new challenge.

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Their peaceful waterfront has turned into an obstacle course of blubber.

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The elephant seals have arrived.

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The beachmaster's authority is being challenged.

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This rival means business.

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The beachmaster owns the females here and must to fight keep them.

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The beachmaster himself weighs four tonnes, but this rival is his equal.

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The beachmaster has won the first battle,

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but he may have to defend his harem every hour for the next month.

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If he can stay master of his beach for this period,

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many of the young born here next year will be his.

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In summer, the Southern Ocean bursts with life.

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No bird is more at home in water, and they are masterful surfers.

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Penguins are found only in the Southern Hemisphere.

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They can't fly, but they don't need to. There are no polar bears here.

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These are Gentoo Penguins.

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Each spring, they come ashore to lay their eggs and rear their young.

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Their hungry chicks demand

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so much seafood that both parents have to go fishing.

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And fishing can be dangerous.

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A southern sea lion.

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It uses the speed of a breaking wave to catch up with the Gentoos.

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Sea lions normally eat fish,

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so he's used to catching streamline swimmers.

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But the Gentoos seem more than his match out at sea.

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He must change tactics.

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Perhaps it would be easier in the shallows.

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But, no, it seems penguins are uncatchable in water.

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How about on land?

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The penguin's wings, so powerful for swimming,

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are of no help when it comes to running.

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Now, surely, the sea lion has a chance?

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But on the beach, both are like fish out of water.

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Rarely do hunter and hunted play their roles with so little skill.

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The outcome is anyone's guess.

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Every summer, over 40 million penguins

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take to the Southern Ocean to feed.

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They're joined by thousands of whales.

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Minkes are the most numerous.

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They all come here to harvest the richest ocean on Earth.

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Southern humpbacks have travelled 4,000 miles from the equator

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to get here in time for the Antarctic summer.

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Each year, the sea ice that surrounds Antarctica melts,

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effectively halving the size of the continent

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and exposing rich waters around its coastline.

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It's the most spectacular seasonal change occurring

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anywhere on our planet.

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The remnants of the sea ice are occupied by sunbathing seals

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that have been here all winter.

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But new arrivals are following the retreating ice edge.

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And they have come here to hunt.

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Killer whales. The ocean's top predator.

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Killers are like wolves,

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for they will hunt animals far larger than themselves.

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But even smaller prey are a problem

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if you can't reach them.

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The solution is teamwork.

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Swimming in perfect formation, they flick their tails in unison

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and create a wave that cracks the ice.

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They regroup and assess the damage.

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A more powerful wave is needed.

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The ice floe is breaking up.

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Now, they are close enough to get a good look at their target.

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The seal is a crabeater, sharp-toothed and feisty.

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Not their favourite.

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The wolves of the sea move on

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in search of easier quarry.

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A Weddell seal, that's better.

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These are more docile and easier to tackle.

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The pod stays close together and travels silently.

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This time, they unleash a far more powerful wave,

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and with astonishing accuracy.

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These big waves are not intended to break the ice,

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but to knock the prey into the water,

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and they rarely fail.

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The seal is now where the killers wanted.

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But the hunt is far from over.

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They need to grab their prey by the tail,

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while avoiding its snapping jaws.

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Only then will they be able to pull it down and drown it.

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Side swipes create violent, underwater turbulence, a new tactic.

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Blowing bubbles gives cover for others to lunge at the seal's tail.

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Somehow, the seal manages to reach a tiny ice floe.

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The killers could easily grab it,

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but now, this seems to have become a game.

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The seal's life hangs on a roll of the ice.

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Yet again, the pod joins forces to dislodge the seal.

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The seal sees a chance to escape.

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Exhausted, it no longer has the energy to pull itself to safety.

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And the killers are moving in.

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Game over.

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As the Antarctic summer draws to an end, visitors that rely on the brief

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flush of food will soon be forced north by the return of the sea ice.

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For the largest land predator, the sea ice cannot return soon enough.

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The end of the Arctic summer and the sun hasn't set for three months.

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It's hard to imagine the bitter cold will soon return.

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Some will welcome the chills of autumn but, for most,

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time is running out before they will have to retreat to the south.

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The shorter days and colder nights trigger

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a dramatic change in the willows and blueberry bushes.

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They stop producing the green pigment that harnesses

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the sun's energy, and red and yellow pigments build up in their leaves.

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The tundra blazes with colour

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and the whole landscape is transformed.

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The sound of autumn.

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The musk ox rut has begun.

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This clash of polar titans could easily become a fight

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to the death, as males battle over females.

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A heavy skull and helmet of horn, four inches thick,

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provide some protection for the musk ox's brain.

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The impact is like a car crash at 30 miles an hour.

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Over the next half hour,

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the advantage ebbs and flows, as each tries to finish the duel.

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If one can turn the other

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and gore its flank, the fight will be over.

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The stakes rise as the risk of injury, or even death, increases.

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This male is outmanoeuvred.

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And the champion returns to claim his females.

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By now, most animals have migrated south.

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But the musk ox, with their thick coats,

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will stay and face the approaching winter.

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The moisture in the air freezes and hoarfrost decorates the leaves.

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Ice crystals grow like shards of glass on every twig.

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As the sun's influence continues o dwindle here in the north,

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the freeze pushes into the tree line,

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spreading over one fifth of the planet.

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The northern forests lock down for winter.

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The last running water freezes and cathedrals of ice are formed.

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The great waterfalls of the north shut down.

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The stage is now set for a magical event.

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The formation of snowflakes.

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Cold air meets warm air from the south

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and the moisture it carries crystallises.

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All have a six-fold symmetry,

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but no two have ever been found with exactly the same shape.

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Each snowflake is water waiting to be released in spring.

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For this reason, snow is the life blood of these silent forests

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and all that live here depend on it in one way or another.

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Some, like the Great Grey Owl,

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appear in spring for the boom times, then vanish like phantoms.

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Stooped, shrouded figures bear the weight of winter's heavy snows.

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The heavy snows make it

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hard to get around,

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even for the largest and

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most powerful wolves in the world.

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Today, they are setting out to hunt.

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The pack is 25-strong,

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a sign that the prey they are seeking is formidable.

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The largest land animal in North America.

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Bison.

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The bison form a defensive circle around their young,

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horns pointing outwards.

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The wolves need a bison to break rank.

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But the tables are turning and now the wolves have to retreat.

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The pack focus their attention on the rear of the herd

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and the bison begin to panic.

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A young bison falls behind.

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Even this yearling dwarfs the wolves.

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Running head down,

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the herd's only thought is escape.

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A stroke of luck for the wolves.

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The kill will feed the pack for several days.

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But then, they will have to resume the chase.

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At the frozen ends of our planet,

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the struggle for survival never eases.

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For a few, the snow is an ally.

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Voles stay active throughout the winter, moving between pockets

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of perfectly refrigerated food in a network of tunnels.

0:46:430:46:48

These tunnels are a sanctuary from predators.

0:46:480:46:51

Except one.

0:46:540:46:56

The least weasel is a tiny hunter

0:47:000:47:02

and the vole's nemesis.

0:47:020:47:04

Its body is exactly

0:47:110:47:13

the same width as a vole's,

0:47:130:47:15

so there's nowhere a vole can go that a weasel can't follow.

0:47:150:47:18

The weasel's long slender shape is perfect for hunting in tunnels,

0:47:460:47:50

but the worst possible shape for staying warm.

0:47:500:47:53

So, they need a special way of doing that.

0:47:530:47:56

She plucks the fur from its body, tuft by tuft.

0:47:580:48:01

And now, she puts it all together to make a cosy blanket,

0:48:110:48:15

under which to sleep in her den.

0:48:150:48:17

100 miles above the Earth, the aurora lights up the sky.

0:48:340:48:39

After travelling millions of miles across space, solar winds, attracted

0:48:510:48:55

by the magnetic pull of the Poles, collide with the Earth's atmosphere.

0:48:550:49:00

Trillions of charged particles dance across the sky.

0:49:020:49:06

Above the Arctic, the aurora borealis, the northern lights.

0:49:130:49:18

In the south, it's the aurora australis,

0:49:180:49:22

the southern lights, that bring light to Antarctica's long winter.

0:49:220:49:26

These spectacular light shows are only a tease.

0:49:350:49:40

Solar energy maybe, but no warmth that will help the Emperor Penguins.

0:49:400:49:44

The male penguins have not eaten for months and have only each other

0:50:050:50:09

for protection from hurricane-force winds.

0:50:090:50:12

They have been deserted by the females, left to incubate

0:50:170:50:21

their eggs throughout the worst winter on Earth.

0:50:210:50:24

The Emperors are not entirely alone.

0:50:360:50:39

The Weddell seal.

0:50:430:50:44

The only mammal to remain here throughout the winter.

0:50:440:50:49

Beneath the ice, they are beyond the reach of the bitter winter winds.

0:50:550:51:00

The sea is minus two degrees centigrade.

0:51:080:51:12

A warm bath compared to the conditions overhead.

0:51:120:51:15

The roof of ice insulates this world

0:51:230:51:25

from the wild fluctuations above.

0:51:250:51:27

The temperature down here has barely changed for 25 million years.

0:51:290:51:34

There could hardly be a greater contrast

0:51:460:51:49

to the bleak, windswept world just above.

0:51:490:51:52

But there is a constant danger here.

0:52:050:52:08

Swirling patterns in the water reveal its presence.

0:52:120:52:16

They're made by brine, super-concentrated salt water.

0:52:180:52:23

It's a warning.

0:52:230:52:24

New sea ice forming above leaves behind brine

0:52:290:52:32

that is so extremely salty, it sinks rapidly.

0:52:320:52:36

As it descends, the sea water around it freezes instantly

0:52:420:52:46

and forms a sheath of ice.

0:52:460:52:48

A brinicle that grows downwards towards the sea floor.

0:52:480:52:52

Winter is reaching down from the cold world above.

0:52:590:53:02

As it touches the sea floor, it kills whatever living thing

0:53:230:53:26

it contacts by encasing it in a tomb of ice.

0:53:260:53:29

As calm returns beneath the ice,

0:53:430:53:45

a dramatic change is coming to the world above.

0:53:450:53:49

The sun returns to Antarctica.

0:54:160:54:18

The longest night on Earth has ended

0:54:210:54:24

and winter begins to give way to spring.

0:54:240:54:26

Female Emperor Penguins.

0:54:470:54:50

After four months feeding at sea, they're returning sleek and fat.

0:54:500:54:55

Penguins, it seems, can fly after all.

0:55:250:55:28

But a winter at sea has left them a little out of practice.

0:55:320:55:35

There is no time to waste. Faraway, the males are waiting.

0:56:280:56:34

Reunited after three months apart.

0:56:470:56:50

The reward for the female's return,

0:56:560:56:59

a first glimpse of her chick.

0:56:590:57:02

A task that began in autumn has been completed.

0:57:080:57:12

Despite the huge odds against it,

0:57:150:57:17

the precious chick has survived the winter and is now with its mother.

0:57:170:57:21

And she has food.

0:57:220:57:24

The chick's first fresh meal.

0:57:300:57:32

The female's mission is complete.

0:57:340:57:36

For those Emperor Penguins that survive,

0:57:440:57:47

the worst is over for this year.

0:57:470:57:48

There will soon be abundant food for everyone.

0:57:560:57:59

The Emperors have taken on the polar winter and won.

0:58:050:58:10

The gamble has paid off.

0:58:100:58:11

All other animals escaped.

0:58:130:58:15

Only they remained with their eggs,

0:58:150:58:17

and it's they who will benefit most from the rich southern spring.

0:58:170:58:23

Their epic journey is complete.

0:58:230:58:25

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