Original subtitles

Hi, I'm bill pullman.

For nearly 30 years, my family's owned a ranch in montana,

Not far from yellowstone national park.

And visiting the park

Is an experience I never take for granted.

I'm not the only one drawn to yellowstone.

Millions of people visit here every year,

But very few come in winter, the most extreme season,

When animals are pushed to their limits.

What you're about to experience

Is yellowstone as it's rarely seen--

When the geothermal heat of the geysers and hot springs

Draws wildlife to shelter

In the heart of the park.

This is the gripping drama,

The real magic of winter in yellowstone.

There is a sound that signals the coming of winter.

A clash that echoes through yellowstone.

Bighorn rams do battle

And fight for the right to breed.

But it's only the beginning...

The first trial of the season,

For winter in yellowstone

Is like nowhere else on earth.

A collision of mighty forces.

Fire...

And ice.

Magnificent...

Yet brutal.

Some flee its fury.

Only the toughest can survive the bitterness to come.

This is yellowstone in winter,

Like never seen before.

Winter's first big storm

Blankets yellowstone national park.

The bobcat,

Named for his short bobbed tail,

Isn't built for deep snow.

Small paws don't support the cat's weight,

And he sinks into the drifts.

The stealthy hunter becomes slow, inefficient.

Bobcats usually avoid

The snowiest regions of yellowstone

When winter arrives.

But this cat may have been lured by an unusual opportunity.

Open water.

An oasis in a frozen world.

The madison river is warmed

By yellowstone's famous geysers and hot springs.

Even in the cold, it flows easily.

It becomes a refuge for waterfowl...

Who, in turn, attract the bobcat.

Bobcats are not by habit creatures of the water.

They're elusive hunters.

Rarely seen.

But the hungry cat must try his luck here,

In the open.

The bobcat moves towards what must be a tempting sight--

Mallard ducks, within striking distance.

The cat's bold approach should concern the ducks.

But they don't panic.

With a quick paddle, they're easily out of range.

The bobcat is left with a puzzle.

He'll try a different strategy.

Hide and wait.

Let the ducks come to him.

But an unexpected target surfaces.

A muskrat...

Blissfully unaware of the unlikely stalker.

A mouthful of river muck is no prize.

In this cold, water is the cat's enemy.

The only thing worse than being hungry

Is being hungry and wet.

The seeming bounty of the river has delivered disappointment.

But it's too late for the bobcat to change course

To escape the snow.

The river is all he has.

If he's going to survive winter in yellowstone,

He must find a way to outwit the ducks.

It's easy to imagine yellowstone,

The world's first national park,

As a protected paradise for wildlife.

Its boundaries preserve iconic landscapes

Of the rocky mountain west.

Its peaks soar beyond 10,000 feet.

Its heart holds the world's largest concentration

Of geothermal features,

Fueled by a giant supervolcano

Lurking just beneath the earth's crust.

Its beauty is fearsome.

But on many days,

Yellowstone is the coldest place in the lower 48 states.

Snow begins to fall in September

And can last through may.

December is the coldest month in yellowstone.

The average low

Hovers just above zero degrees fahrenheit.

And temperatures can plummet below negative 50.

Even trumpeter swans,

Drawn to the refuge of yellowstone's open waters,

Are tested on these most severe days.

Less than one percent of the park's annual visitors

Brave the cold.

Most of yellowstone's roads are closed,

Buried in the drifts.

Oversnow travel becomes the only way

To access the interior of the park.

Snowmobiles carry travelers through a glittering wonderland.

Ghost trees hover over them,

Created when geothermal steam freezes on limbs and boughs.

Cross country skiers glide across snow-covered boardwalks

That in summer would be crowded with tourists.

But perhaps the most magical moments of a winter visit

Are experienced in stillness.

Those who come in winter are rewarded with the rarest scenes.

Yellowstone's marvels,

Framed by the wonder of the season.

Winter's first deep freeze is so extreme

That it produces a rare spectacle.

[bird calling]

Diamond dust.

♪

It appears when temperatures fall so low

That the water vapor in the air crystallizes.

Tiny rods of ice precipitate in the clear air

And glitter as they scatter sunlight.

This phenomenon is more typically seen

In the most frigid place on earth--

Antarctica.

♪

The sparkle of diamond dust is alluring.

But the conditions that create it mean trouble.

♪

♪

It's January.

The cold snap has frozen yellowstone's northern regions.

Open water is now scarce.

One family must find the pockets that remain.

[squeaking]

River otters.

Four large pups,

Almost as big as their mother.

She'll guide them through their first winter in yellowstone.

[squeaking]

What looks like simple play is actually much more.

It's social bonding,

Grooming,

Marking territory.

The pups must master these routines

Before they can venture out on their own.

[squeaking]

But no skill

Will be more important to the otters' survival

Than finding food.

And now their territory has been reduced

To these last fragments of open river.

Otters are built for fishing.

Dense hair traps air bubbles

And keeps icy water from warm skin.

Ears and nostrils close

To allow dives several minutes long.

Rapid digestion and quick metabolism

Demand constant fuel.

Today, success is shared.

The otters feast.

The appetites of such a large family

Quickly exhaust even a bountiful supply.

Together, the otters have taken all that this pool has to offer.

They need a fresh cache.

And in these trying conditions,

The next fishing hole could be a long way off.

Led by their mother,

The travelers set out with determination.

[squeaking]

Otters are capable of overland treks.

But leaving the water means vulnerability,

Because on land,

They become the hunted.

They must traverse from one fishing hole to another

While avoiding predators.

The otters run quickly...

And slide with ease.

♪

♪

But before they reach their destination,

Their journey is hindered.

♪

Snow flurries make it difficult to see,

Harder to follow.

♪

A pup falls behind.

Soon she's separated.

And the storm is building.

The blizzard could settle in for days.

Disorienting.

Relentless.

Tracks disappear.

Drifts swallow distress calls.

[squeak]

The otter pup isn't ready to survive alone in yellowstone.

[squeak]

But if she doesn't find family soon,

The whiteout could bury any hope of a reunion.

♪

A winter blizzard in yellowstone

Is a singular collision of mighty forces.

♪

Driving snow meets rising heat.

Thermal imagery

Reveals a remarkable contrast in temperature.

Water heated above the boiling point

Meets air that's far below freezing.

Just beneath the surface

Lies the world's largest active supervolcano,

Molten rock more than a thousand degrees fahrenheit.

Two massive magma chambers

Emitting a subterranean thermal glow.

Fire...

And ice.

Yellowstone's extremes.

Away from the direct impact of the volcano's heat,

Snowfall accumulates in staggering depths.

♪

Few species are prepared to withstand these conditions.

But two million winters have shaped a creature

Who attempts to survive here long after others have fled.

The bison.

A muscular hump supports a massive head--

A snowplow that clears away drifts

And uncovers buried grasses.

A dense coat and layers of fat

Stave off the punishing wind and cold.

[grunt]

These beasts carry winter with them,

Every step.

They're the descendants of survivors from a past world.

The conquest of the continent

Nearly spelled the extinction of their species.

In the 1800s,

As america expanded westward,

Herds that numbered in the tens of millions

Were slaughtered.

By the late 19th century,

Only a few hundred bison remained.

The last free-roaming herd

Lay hidden in a remote valley in yellowstone.

♪

These two dozen bison

Became the source for a recovery of the species.

Yellowstone is now home to thousands of bison.

They wage an ancient battle with the storm.

But each winter

There comes a time when the snow gets too deep

For these animals to find forage.

The bison begin to stir,

To rearrange themselves.

A matriarch,

The leader of the herd,

Gives a signal.

It's time to move.

Guided by instinct and experience,

The bison fall into line to follow her trail.

This is the beginning of their migration.

♪

♪

As darkness falls, the herd leaves the valley,

Marching towards the heart of yellowstone's warmth

And the possibility of relief.

Through the blizzard,

The bobcat has found shelter in a cave in the cliffs.

But at first light,

His patience gives way to his hunger.

♪

♪

♪

A familiar scene...

And a promising start.

[quack]

The bobcat has the duck in his sights.

The stalker hasn't been spotted.

The cat keeps a low profile...

And prepares an ambush.

But the duck passes

Just out of range.

Another opportunity drifts away.

[rustling]

Something much closer rustles beneath the snow.

♪

Exactly what it is the bobcat can't tell.

But this hunt, on land,

Is a familiar pursuit.

Follow a sound...

Orient...

And pounce.

Whatever is moving below has dodged a strike.

But its sound still gives it away.

[scratching]

♪

[scratching]

♪

[scratching]

♪

[squeaking]

Finally, a small taste of success.

A rodent isn't much.

But the bobcat seems to take away

More than a meager meal.

It's as if the cat has remembered

His most powerful weapon--

Agility.

Having a target is one thing.

[splash]

Hitting it perfectly is another.

And the ducks are a moving target.

When they spot the bobcat,

They find their safe zone--

The middle of the river.

But lose track of the cat,

And the tables turn.

[splash]

The bobcat must get into striking range

Without being detected.

And he's mastering his approach.

♪

♪

Everything is floating into place.

♪

[quacking]

The perfect ambush,

Foiled by an awkward takeoff.

[quacking]

With winter's hardest days still to come,

The bobcat faces ever heightened stakes.

He must master this hunting ground

Before it's too late.

The blizzard has passed.

But its consequences linger.

The otter pup, lost in the storm,

Continues her search for any sign of family.

The clearing sky means the pup can see again.

But she can also be seen.

♪

A coyote.

Always on the hunt.

It homes in on the stranded pup.

Out of the water and alone,

She's defenseless.

It's a race.

The otter must reach the safety of the water

Before the coyote attacks.

♪

♪

In the water,

The pup is back on top of the food chain.

Pursuit would be futile.

[splash]

And with the sound of a splash,

The pup doubles her luck.

♪

♪

[squeaking]

Time to celebrate a family reunion.

♪

[squeaking]

♪

In the heart of yellowstone,

Another journey that began in the blizzard

Is also ending with relief.

The bison have traded deep snow for this...

A place where the heat from yellowstone's core

Rises from the ground

And erases the weight of winter.

♪

While much of yellowstone's grasslands

Lie buried by storms,

Here heat from the supervolcano melts the snow.

The bison have found refuge

In the warmth of the geyser basin.

♪

♪

This is the fiery heart of yellowstone.

♪

Its geothermal core.

Yellowstone boasts the largest collection

Of geothermal wonders in the world.

A stunning array of more than 10,000 features.

Geysers spew water

That has been super heated under extreme pressure

To temperatures above the boiling point.

Fumaroles hiss and whistle as steam escapes.

[hissing]

[burbling]

Mud pots bubble with a mixture of surface water and clay

And stink of sulfide gases rising from the ground.

Hot springs showcase the color of rare bacteria

That thrive in extreme heat.

Terraces form

As thermal waters deposit layers of dissolved limestone

In cascading tiers.

These extraordinary sights

Are what inspired an unprecedented act--

The creation of the world's first national park.

The boundaries of yellowstone, set down in 1872,

Were originally drawn to protect its geothermal features.

This is what early visitors came to see.

Yellowstone's most famous attraction

Is old faithful,

A geyser named for its predictable eruptions.

The historic old faithful village

Was built to frame the iconic landmark.

Hamilton's store has stood here for more than a century.

But every winter, it's tested.

The weight of snow collecting on its roof

Could collapse the building.

Its preservation depends on intervention.

They're called the winter keepers...

The hardy souls who work to guard relics of another time.

Their challenge:

Saving the hamilton store from the burden of winter.

♪

♪

Their technique, practiced and precise,

Allows them to remove massive blocks

With dramatic efficiency.

A single slab can weigh as much as a thousand pounds.

♪

♪

When all of the lower roof is clear,

They attempt the final and most dangerous procedure.

Their tool is a simple rope.

But the team must position it perfectly.

♪

The rope becomes a giant snow saw.

[rubbing]

And with one last tug...

The weight of winter comes crashing down.

♪

Hamilton's store is relieved of the burden of the season.

♪

The bison have also found relief

In this place where they can still reach food.

♪

♪

[snorting]

Like a watering hole on the serengeti,

This oasis draws both refugees and opportunists.

Skulking in the curtains of steam

Is one of the season's most deadly forces.

The largest pack of wolves in yellowstone...

Drawn here by the growing numbers of bison

Seeking shelter in the heat.

Unlike many species,

The wolves find advantage in the winter.

Long legs can ford the deep snow.

Woolly coats

With a protective layer of guard hair

Keep heat in and moisture out.

[howling]

The wolf is strong.

And the bison is at its weakest.

[snort]

[growl]

For months, it's expended more energy than it can replace.

The wolves have little chance

Of taking down a bison in its prime.

But now things are different.

As darkness falls,

The pack closes in.

[howling]

Their howls betray success.

[howling]

By first light,

The wolves have stripped the bison to the bone...

Each consuming more than 20 pounds of meat.

[birds squawking]

[growling]

When the pack has taken its fill,

The carcass becomes a food source for many.

♪

[squawking]

A red fox is last to the scene.

♪

♪

But there's nothing it can glean from the bones.

The fox must find more.

Unlike its relative, the wolf,

The fox moves through yellowstone's winter alone,

Without a pack.

But even when there's no one else in sight,

It marks its territory,

Rubbing scent glands against the snow.

The fox can sense life here

And opportunity--

Movements that can't be seen.

With acute hearing,

The fox traces the sound

Of rodents tunneling deep beneath the surface.

The fox listens...

Calculates...

And commits.

No luck.

And maybe even a headache.

This landscape might look uniform,

An endless field of white.

But since the last storm,

The wind has shifted the terrain and loaded dangerous drifts.

Any step could be a lethal trigger.

♪

A narrow escape.

The lucky fox can continue his quest.

Beneath the snowpack

Lies an invisible world bustling with activity.

Hundreds of small rodents called voles

Scurry through a network of tunnels,

Nestled in the airy layer

Between solid earth and the snow above.

♪

The fox scores his prize.

♪

Voles are one of the most important prey species

In yellowstone,

For creatures large and small.

The ermine is swift,

Perfectly camouflaged by its snow white winter coat.

♪

The coyote,

Not as graceful in its approach,

But just as effective.

♪

An abundance of voles may give each of these hunters

A chance of surviving this relentless season...

For winter's most lethal force may well be its duration.

♪

♪

Winter conditions prevail in yellowstone

For more than half the year.

Endless exposure and slow starvation

Have taken a toll on this great beast.

Nearly one in ten bison will not survive the winter.

♪

Predators cannot be blamed for this death.

♪

It has a simple name--

Winter kill.

At the bison's carcass,

Hunters become scavengers.

♪

But the bobcat has not given up his pursuit on the river.

While the cat has gotten by with small meals--

The rodents he's caught on the riverbank--

He still has his sights on something richer.

Sitting ducks.

It's time to put everything he's learned into action.

♪

He knows his strategy.

♪

While the ducks remain oblivious,

He maneuvers into position.

♪

♪

♪

The perfect strike.

[quack]

♪

At last, the bobcat has mastered the river,

And with it...

Winter.

He has defied the ice,

The depths of snow.

♪

For all who have survived

The trials of this season in yellowstone,

There will soon be signs of change.

Winter will retreat.

Spring will come...

Bringing first steps...

New beginnings...

And independence.

♪

♪

That wet bobcat pulling the duck out of the water,

It's a rare sight.

And the wolves appearing from the steam.

We're now able to see life in yellowstone

As we've never seen it before.

Not long ago, that scene with the wolves,

That couldn't have been filmed in the park.

There weren't any.

The next "epic yellowstone"

Tells the story of the return of the top predators.

They're transforming the national park,

Restoring an ancient balance.