- 19 hours ago
In the Polar Regions, it is not only the other predators that make parenting challenging, sometime weather conditions also take their toll. The arctic animals leading their families on epic journeys to survive have no choice but to brave the harsh elements of their habitat.
在北极，为人父母本就艰辛，而带领全家踏上史诗般的生存之旅更是难上加难。从北极熊妈妈到……加入这些北极父母的行列，见证他们为了家人的生存而进行的史诗般的旅程。
探索拍摄这些世界上最不可思议的动物如何带领家人踏上史诗般的生存之旅，一窥游牧野生动物的壮丽景象……
在北极，为人父母本就艰辛，而带领全家踏上史诗般的生存之旅更是难上加难。从北极熊妈妈到……加入这些北极父母的行列，见证他们为了家人的生存而进行的史诗般的旅程。
探索拍摄这些世界上最不可思议的动物如何带领家人踏上史诗般的生存之旅，一窥游牧野生动物的壮丽景象……
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:05The Arctic is a tough place to be a parent, even tougher, when you have to lead your family
00:13on an epic journey just to survive.
00:2340 degrees below, all too tempting to stay in.
00:43Mom can't afford to get too cozy, though.
00:50After nursing for three months and losing two pounds of fat every day, she's starving.
01:10But breakfast is over 100 miles away, out on the Hudson Bay sea ice.
01:20Leave too soon, and her puppy-sized cubs will struggle to keep up.
01:31But if she doesn't get to eat, none of them stand a chance.
01:49With the arrival of the spring sun, she makes her move.
02:04She leads them into a world of new sights, sounds, and scares.
02:19One day, they'll grow up to be the world's most powerful land predator.
02:38As a single mom, her job is to keep them safe on the most dangerous journey of their lives.
02:55Approaching the coast, she's on high alert.
03:08This is wolf territory.
03:14Packs patrolled the shores of Canada's Hudson Bay and could target polar bear cubs.
03:26Mom's incredible sense of smell helps her pick up their scent from over five miles away.
03:35Giving her cubs a crucial head start.
03:48No.
03:49No!
03:57oh
04:27Her years of experience have helped them sneak through enemy lines.
04:41She's made it.
04:43To the frozen ocean.
04:50Ahead, the four-month journey out onto the sea ice.
04:56She sets a course northeast, cubs safely in tow, to find her first meal in eight months.
05:17Nothing is easy here in the Arctic.
05:26Polar parents must make incredible journeys, teaching their young how to make it through.
05:38All racing can make the most of the short Arctic summer in a world that's changing faster
05:48than ever before.
06:13While some parents are just setting out.
06:15Others are ending a long winter on the move.
06:29This male Arctic fox has spent the last six months alone.
06:39He really goes the distance when food is in short supply.
06:47One even clocked more than a thousand miles in just over two months.
06:57This little guy has been surviving off his street smarts.
07:08One of the most important things is that you can't be too careful when you're only 12 inches
07:12tall.
07:21In the Arctic, even leftovers are a reason to celebrate.
07:39With spring in the air, he's heading home to reunite with his lifelong mate.
07:56They've spent the long winter apart, searching for food.
08:06He must find her if there's any hope of starting a family.
08:21Maybe she hasn't survived the winter.
08:24Maybe she hasn't survived the winter.
08:34Maybe she hasn't survived the winter.
08:37Maybe she hasn'tailed.
08:40skulls. There she is.
08:45Together again.
08:56time to get on with the business of becoming a mom and dad and to raise their litter of pups
09:04before the end of summer
09:18the top of the world at the end of winter in alaska's extreme north a three-year-old caribou is
09:35starting her own journey to become a parent five months pregnant she's scraping by on a diet of
09:50frozen life life as a caribou is never lonely she's one of a hundred thousand strong herd
10:05sticking close together for a good reason
10:21she has her own wolves to contend with
10:29the pack has had a long tough winter as well and they're hungry
10:42to avoid becoming their next meal she must stay vigilant
11:02she sounds the alarm
11:16heavily pregnant she can't risk getting left behind
11:29the wolves strategy is to run them into the ground
11:48those that stumble won't last long
12:05one caribou can keep the pack fed for days
12:23safely tucked within the herd she sets off on a 300-mile trek
12:35scaling the mighty brooks range
12:46at 9 000 feet the arctic's highest mountains
12:55she needs to make it to the rich grasslands of the north
13:02where she can raise her unborn calf
13:17the polar bear mom already has two hungry mouse to feed
13:25the next four months are make or break
13:29the next four months are make or break
13:36if she doesn't find enough to eat
13:39her cubs might not see their first birthday
13:47but this ice bear is in her element
13:53over the spring and summer she'll lead her cubs nearly 2 000 miles
14:00across the frozen hudson bay to find the food that they need to survive
14:12sea ice forms the perfect hunting ground
14:19she can smell a seal from 20 miles away
14:39success relies on patience
14:46and explosive speed
14:49and explosive speed
15:09if she's to get her cubs through the summer
15:13mom must catch every seal she can
15:32long days and gentle warmth melt the ice and snow
15:58the fox couple swap their warm winter whites for cool summer coats
16:11and they have five hungry new mounds to feed
16:26male arctic foxes make the most devoted dads
16:33working tirelessly to put food on the table
16:42the millions of little auks that have crossed the arctic ocean to be here
16:46could feed his family for months if he can catch them nesting among the boulders
17:15he's always one step behind him
17:26they're giving him the runaround
17:28they're giving him the runaround
17:38he just can't get his paws on
17:43they're giving him the runaround
17:46to feed his pups
17:48he needs to work smarter
17:51not harder
17:52they're giving him the runaround
17:52they're giving him the runaround
18:07they're giving them the runaround
18:17maybe they don't know your archely
18:23Still not enough for a growing family, who needs to fatten up over the short summer months.
18:42Seasons change fast in the Arctic.
19:00The caribou mom-to-be is running with her herd, following ancient pathways.
19:15As they have for over 50,000 years.
19:23Along with half a million other females across North America, she's nearing her ancestral
19:30calving grounds 300 miles to the north, reaching grasslands packed with superfoods just when
19:47she needs them most.
19:57She's eating for two.
20:04Her newborn calf, just days old.
20:12She's totally dependent on her mom.
20:29Soon, she'll need to lead this little one across thousands of miles of tunnel.
20:39But first, her calf has to find her snowman.
21:05And just in time.
21:14Troubles brewing beneath their feet.
21:23Mosquitoes that spend the winter in the state of suspended animation under the snow are emerging.
21:40As the planet warms, an earlier spring supercharges the swarm.
21:53The caribou can lose half a pint of blood in a day.
22:04One in four calves died during this first month.
22:13But mom's been here before, and knows a way out.
22:31They join a mass exodus to the mountains, where cool winds keep biting insects at bay.
22:52But up here, food is scarce, they can't stay for long.
23:11For every Arctic parent, the quest for food can mean life or death.
23:25Only one of the polar bears cubs has made it.
23:35The other, most likely lost to starvation.
23:52Even the most likely lost to starvation.
23:54Even the most dedicated parent, sometimes struggles to provide.
24:02even the most likely lost to starvation.
24:03Mom can't afford to lose them both.
24:16But her world is melting around her.
24:36As a last resort, she tries to hunt from the water.
24:54She turns into to starvation.
24:56She tries to hunt from the other, she tries to hunt.
25:00But her path is a part of her.
25:00No matter what, she tries to hunt from the maps.
25:03But her heart Wings had started to hunt from the desert.
25:05She does not dare to be a bird in sight.
25:32Just one in ten hunts is successful.
25:40And it's only getting harder.
25:50With the Arctic warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, Hudson Bay is melting
25:57earlier year on year, shortening her hunting season by up to a month.
26:13It's time to cut their losses and head back to land.
26:27They walked here.
26:32But a hundred miles swim for her cub is out of the question.
26:45So mom hitches a ride on her very own life raft.
26:57By sensing the movement of the ice, she knows she's heading back to shore.
27:20A chance to lie back and let the current do the work.
27:42For some Arctic parents, the summer melt is the start of leaner times.
27:52But for others, it brings all the food they can eat.
28:00The Arctic fox dad has his pups to look out for.
28:11It's why he made his journey to raise them in exactly the right place, at exactly the right
28:18time.
28:29High above, on the dizzying sea cliffs, mer chicks are ready to fledge, and about to start
28:40their own migration.
28:45But at just three weeks old, they still can't fly.
28:54Over a thousand feet up, there's only one way down to the ocean below.
29:01Nearly half a mile away.
29:08Their parents believe in tough luck.
29:15Time for a little gentle encouragement.
29:45Out of reach.
29:48outdoors.
29:48But over a few short days, thousands of first-time skydivers make the leap.
30:03Some fall short.
30:10This is Dad's big chance.
30:16But with so many to choose from, he doesn't know which way to turn.
30:36They're faster than they look.
30:46His pups are relying on him. The pressure is on.
31:07Got one.
31:14He'll need to catch bird after bird while he can
31:19to feed his hungry pups.
31:37Finally, he's on a roll.
31:50High above.
31:52One of the last to go.
32:11But Dad's right behind him.
32:23Even helping out a bit.
32:39Wings found. Now he's got to stay on course.
33:11He's starting a 2,000-mile Arctic voyage of his own.
33:21There's always one that gets away.
33:29Every Arctic parent has to do whatever it takes
33:32to raise the next generation.
33:38The fox dad making sure his pups have enough food
33:42to prepare them for their life ahead.
34:00At the height of summer,
34:02the caribou mom is finally within reach of the rich pastures
34:07she needs to secure her calf's future.
34:19But in her way,
34:23in the valleys below,
34:26rivers swelling with meltwater.
34:28in the mountains.
34:34It's a danger.
34:35They have not yet had to face together.
34:51at the height of the sea.
34:55Mom knows it's best to stick with the herd,
35:01seeking shelter from the current.
35:03Come on.
35:10But it's her calf's first time in deep water.
35:22And this river is powerful.
35:56It's her parents' worst nightmare to lose sight of their child.
36:01It's her parents' worst nightmare to lose sight of their child.
36:11Tom.
36:16Tom.
36:18Tom.
36:23Tom.
36:28Try him, Lea.
36:29Oh
36:39But they're still only halfway across
36:57This time mom sticks close to try and shield her exhausted calf from the current
37:41Oh
37:45Mom is powerless to help but they've come this far together. She won't give up on her calf now
38:12Oh
38:31Time to pick up the pace
38:35And rejoin the safety of the herd
38:53There's enough food here to sustain them until the beginning of winter
39:04This caribou mom has done her job
39:09Teaching her calf how to make a journey that will now become her way of life
39:38The polar bear mom
39:39Is also nearing the end of her journey
39:43She's so close she can smell the land
40:04Just one more short swim
40:06Just one more short swim
40:10Through dangerous waters
40:17Heavyweight males have already been forced off the melting ice
40:31They're on the lookout for an easy meal
40:36Like a bear cub
40:58Luckily there's something more substantial on the meal
41:07Beluga whales
41:10Beluga whales
41:14Every year thousands come to this bay to give birth
41:19Feed and socialize
41:28These ingenious bears
41:30These ingenious bears
41:31Have learned a new hunting technique
41:33To make the most of this opportunity
41:38Waiting on giant rocks
41:44To launch their ambush
41:55To push
41:57It keeps them distracted
42:03Allowing mom and cub
42:05To make it to shore
42:17Back
42:17Her first instinct
42:19Is to head
42:20For the safety of home
42:23Back
42:24To where it all began
42:26Back
42:31But the smell of a fresh kill
42:33Is too much to resist
42:41It forces her to make a tough call
42:45It forces her to make a tough call
42:47And head into danger
42:52To make a tough call
43:15She stands her ground
43:29And steals what could be their last meal
43:32In months
43:42Now starts the final leg
43:44Of their journey inland
43:53After a 2,000 mile trek
43:56And teaching her cub
43:58How to navigate one of the world's most treacherous landscapes
44:07She's home
44:08She's home
44:13Raising a family is never easy
44:20They'll spend the next 2 years traveling
44:23Facing every challenge together
44:34This mom
44:35Doing everything she can for her cub
44:40In one of the toughest places
44:42To be a parent
44:54This mom