Autumn
Nature documentary series. As the big freeze returns, polar landscapes are transformed. Wildlife leaves, but the giant emperor penguin arrives.
For the animals in the polar regions, autumn means dramatic battles and epic journeys. Time is running out - the Arctic Ocean is freezing over, and the sea ice is advancing at 2.5 miles per day around Antarctica.
Polar bears gather in large numbers on the Arctic coast as they wait for the return of the ice. Soon, tempers fray and violent sparring contests break out. Meanwhile, 2,000 beluga whales head for one special estuary, a gigantic 'whale spa', where they will thrash their snow-white bodies against the gravel and exfoliate. Inland, the tundra undergoes a dramatic transformation from green to fiery red. Here, musk ox males slam head-first into each other with the force of a 30mph car crash as they struggle to defend their harems. Frisky young caribou males play a game of 'grandma's footsteps' as they try to steal the boss's female.
Down in Antarctica, adelie penguin chicks huddle together in creches. When a parent returns from fishing, it leads its twins on a comical steeplechase - sadly there's only enough for one, so the winner gets the meal. Two months later, and the chicks are fully feathered, apart from downy mohican hairdos. They are ready to take their first swim - reluctantly though, as it seems penguins are not born with a love of water! And with good reason: a leopard seal explodes from the sea and pulls one from an ice floe, a hunting manoeuvre that has never been filmed before.
As winter approaches and everyone has left, the giant emperor penguin arrives and makes an epic trek inland to breed. The mothers soon return to the sea leaving the fathers to hold the eggs and endure the coldest winter on earth.
Last on
Clips
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Winters approach
Duration: 02:09
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The Emperor's return
Duration: 03:06
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Beluga body scrub
Duration: 02:12
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A beached beluga needs help
Duration: 02:02
Credits
Role | Contributor |
---|---|
Presenter | David Attenborough |
Producer | Miles Barton |
Executive Producer | Alastair Fothergill |
Composer | George Fenton |
Broadcasts
- Wed 16 Nov 2011 21:00
- Sun 20 Nov 2011 16:00大象传媒 One except Scotland
- Sun 20 Nov 2011 17:00大象传媒 Two Scotland
- Wed 21 Dec 2011 01:45
- Wed 21 Dec 2011 18:30大象传媒 HD
- Sat 28 Jan 2012 00:30大象传媒 HD
- Thu 11 Jul 2013 16:15
- Sat 23 Nov 2013 19:00
- Sun 24 Nov 2013 01:40
- Wed 27 Nov 2013 23:00
- Thu 10 Jul 2014 17:00
- Tue 10 Mar 2015 14:45大象传媒 Two except Wales
- Tue 10 Mar 2015 15:30大象传媒 Two Wales
- Thu 18 Feb 2016 16:15大象传媒 Two except Wales
- Sun 12 Dec 2021 16:55大象传媒 One except Northern Ireland & Wales
- Tue 19 Sep 2023 19:00
- Mon 4 Mar 2024 19:00
- Tue 5 Mar 2024 01:35
- Thu 24 Oct 2024 19:00
- Fri 25 Oct 2024 01:45
Featured in...
Frozen Planet—Frozen Planet
The ultimate portrait of the Polar regions - the last great wildernesses on the planet.
Find out more about our Frozen Planet with the Open University
The Poles are home to many of the most charismatic animals, from polar bears to penguins.