All language subtitles for A9AF8C7563441192A26792AC3D879FA4_eng

The Echo Toll THE EQUATER!

It runs across the scorched
plains of East Africa.

This is as far from the
poles as you can get.

But ice and snow are here
too, up in the mountains.

Every continent on Earth
has such high snowfields.

And each has its own community
of animals that have adapted

in their own way to the crushing
conditions that come with

the cold.

Dawn in East Africa, on the high
slopes of Mount Kenya, 4 ,000 metres up.

The temperature is just
beginning to creep above freezing.

It's hardly the place where you would
expect to find a cold -blooded reptile.

But there is one that
lives up here, the high cask

chameleon. This female has
survived the night's freezing

temperatures by allowing
both her metabolism

and her heart rate
to drop significantly.

Now, in the morning, she needs to eat.

But it's so cold, she can't move her legs.

Her spring-loaded
tongue, however, still works.

As the sun rises higher in
the sky, frozen land begins to

thaw and the giant lobelias
spread their leaves to soak up

the sunshine.

With her body temperature
still only 5 degrees Celsius, the

chameleon becomes more
mobile and climbs up to bask in the

sun.

Her skin darkens, enabling
her to absorb the sun's heat more

quickly. She is pregnant, and
soon her temperature reaches

20 degrees Celsius, which gives
her the energy she needs to give birth.

Most chameleon species lay
eggs, but here it's too cold for

an egg to develop in the open.
So she produces live young.

It takes just an hour for her to
give birth to six baby chameleons.

One of the advantages of
life on the frozen peaks is that

there are fewer predators
here, and less competition for

food. But there's a reason
why comparatively few reptiles

live in the high mountains. As
the sun sets, the temperature

falls to below zero in a matter of minutes.

The babies must act fast.

To escape the nightly freeze, they
need the cover of thick vegetation.

A young chameleon
caught out in the cold will

quickly lose its ability to
move and may well die.

Most, however, react instinctively
and find shelter as quickly as they can.

Peaks on the equator,
such as Mount Kenya, are

frostbound for only a
few hours each night.

But north of the equator,
in the 750-mile long

European Alps, the
cold endures for months.

The high mountains are
continuously frozen for half the year.

A testing time for the Alps'
greatest aerial predator.

The golden eagle.

In winter, there is just enough prey
up here, dead or alive, to sustain them.

But when spring arrives, the
mountains are transformed.

For a male and his lifelong partner,
the need to find food is urgent.

They have a three-week-old chick.

It needs to be fed several times a day.

To do that, both parents have to hunt.

Yet, even in spring, few
animals live up here in

the high mountains. And
finding prey is not easy.

But chamois, a kind of mountain
goat, are here and they are giving birth.

One of their kids can weigh
as much as an eagle. When

eagle's hunters appear,
they coordinate their approach.

One scoops,

reaching a speed of over 150 miles an hour.

Its attack scatters the herd.

And that makes it easier
for the other to select a target.

A successful catch.

It could still be alive.

So the eagle carries it
away, high over the gorge.

And then deliberately drops it.

The impact will kill it instantly.

A chick can eat up to a third
of its own body weight in a day.

Parents can't afford to rest
for long. Taking advantage

of the long summer days,
eagles hunt ceaselessly.

Day in, day out.

After eight weeks, a
chick is almost fully grown.

And then, as summer
comes to an end, the pressure

on parents to feed
their chicks disappears.

Their young have flown the nest.

And just in time. The
worsening weather signals

that the leaner times of
winter are on their way.

Finding prey has now got much harder.

The young chamois have also grown up.

A juvenile now weighs almost
five times as much as an eagle.

Animals of this size are no
longer easy prey for the birds.

They barely flinch under attack.

But it's dangerous for a chamois
to stray close to a cliff edge.

The eagles seize their chance.

Got it! The eagle drags the
chamois towards the edge.

It's an extremely risky move. If the
eagle breaks a wing, it will be fatal.

A kill this size will feed a pair for days.

This is when they must build
up the fat reserves that they

will need to sustain themselves
through the lean months that

lie ahead.

Winters in the Alps are
daunting. But in other

mountain ranges, the
challenges are even harder.

In the Far East, warm, wet winds
blow in across the Sea of Japan.

As they meet the 3,000-meter-high
Japanese Alps, they're forced upwards.

As the moist air rises, it freezes.

And the water droplets
they carry turn into snow.

No two snow crystals are exactly the same.

In the mountains of Japan,
13 meters of snow can fall

in just a few months. It's
the snowiest place on Earth.

To survive here, an animal
needs all the help it can get.

In winter, Japanese macaques
can live at altitudes of up

to 1,500 meters, higher than
almost any other primate. But

here, warm volcanic pools
are always ready and waiting.

A nice hot bath lowers stress
hormones for them, just as it does for us.

Admission to this spa,
however, is tightly controlled.

The high-ranking females
dictate who is allowed in, and

who will be left out in the cold.

This three-year-old male has
recently been expelled from his troop.

He's hungry. Macaques are
largely vegetarian. In the winter,

when food of any kind is
scarce, they will tackle anything

remotely edible. However,
a lone young male is unlikely

to survive much longer unless
he can find a way of keeping

warm.

And to do so, he may have to travel
through up to 50 miles of empty forest.

Bare hands and feet
can become painfully cold.

Rubbing them helps restore the circulation.

Frostbite could be

fatal.

Young male Macaques
are most likely to die

in their first winter
than at any other time.

But just like him, here is
another young male outcast.

Offering to groom is a standard
way of establishing a relationship.

And the stranger's warm
embrace is very welcome.

By huddling together, they
shield each other from the

snow, and both their
temperatures rise. Just a little.

This could be enough to
save the lives of both of them.

Snow on lower mountain
slopes can be a major

challenge for any of the
animals that live there.

On the high peaks, however,
really heavy snowfalls can be lethal.

The Rockies in North America.

They rise to heights of over 4,400 meters.

In the winter, the winds blowing
across the high summits can

create snowy overhangs,
cornices, up to 10 meters thick and

weighing many tons.
In the spring, as the

temperatures rise, the
cornices may become unstable.

And that can be catastrophic.

As it crumbles

downwards, it accelerates to
speeds of 100 miles an hour or more.

Only a racer drone
camera can follow its course.

In just two minutes, up to a million tons
of snow. Turtle down the mountainside.

Avalanches can be hugely
destructive, and climate

change is making them
more and more unpredictable.

In the South Pacific, on
the islands of New Zealand,

one highly intelligent creature
has learned how to take

advantage of the volatile
nature of mountains.

The Kea.

A species of parrot.

It's the only one of its
family that can live above the

snow line, and the only one
that actively looks for meat.

The carcass of a mountain goat.

This adult male Kea has a razor sharp
beak, which is well suited for butchery.

Flesh rich in calories will
help him through the winter.

But he doesn't have
it for himself for long.

A gang of juvenile Keas.

These younger Keas shadow
the older, more experienced

adults. To learn the
tricks of mountain survival.

And where to find food. But while
waiting their turn, there's time to play.

There's a benefit to this
apparently carefree behavior.

It helps establish long lasting
relationships between the

youngsters.

And even diffuses tension.

So that when one
Kea finds a rare but

substantial meal, it
often willingly shares it.

And that is very
important behavior,

particularly in winter
when food is so scarce.

In larger mountain chains,
the quest for food can become

even more demanding. The
Andes in South America. The longest

range on earth. It stretches for over
4500 miles down towards the Antarctic.

At its southernmost end, the
sun remains so low in the sky

that it brings little warmth
and temperatures regularly drop

below freezing.

In winter, the land is shrouded in
darkness for almost 15 hours a day.

Here, a predator has to hunt
when it's so dark that only a

thermal camera can make
its activities visible to our eyes.

The puma.

This one year old female
faces a daunting prospect.

She has just left her
mother and become

independent at the most
demanding time of the year.

When prey is at its most scarce.

The only substantial
targets are a kind of llama.

An adult stands one and a half meters
tall and is twice the puma's weight.

This female, however, has one
advantage. Excellent night vision.

If the youngster can get within five meters
of a huanaco, she has a chance of success.

But the huanaco do have
a very acute sense of smell.

And excellent hearing.

After six hours of patient
stalking from downwind.

The puma is finally
within striking distance.

The puma. The puma.

A wasted opportunity.

Three failed attempts in one
night. Have drained her reserves.

Her inexperience is leaving
her close to starvation.

Another faint scent.

But it's leading this youngster
into the territory of another puma.

Her neighbor, a female, is
older and more experienced

than she is. And has
already made a successful kill.

The younger female
must approach with

caution. Adult pumas
are solitary by nature.

And don't normally welcome rivals.

She falls back in the
gesture of submission.

But if she doesn't eat within the
next few days, she's unlikely to survive.

The larger female is now no longer actively
feeding. So she makes another approach.

The puma.

At last, the owner ignores her. Pumas are

the only solitary big cat known
to share a meal with a neighbor.

Maybe the young puma, with
the help of its neighbor, will

after all survive her first
winter. And maybe the older cat

one day will be in
need of a favor returned.

The lower slopes of the Andes are harsh.

But climb higher and the
mountains become otherworldly.

Their altitude prevents rain
clouds from blowing in from the east.

Whilst another lower range,
nearer the west coast, prevents

rain coming in from the Pacific
Ocean. This creates between

them one of the driest high altitude
deserts on Earth. The Atacama.

There is nonetheless a
lake here. A volcanic one that

is filled with extremely salty
water from underground.

And this attracts flamingos.

They come here each summer.

And here they nest
and raise their young,

taking advantage of
the lake's plentiful algae.

But with the arrival
of winter, temperatures

at night drop to below freezing.

Conditions that even these
hardy birds cannot endure for long.

The adults start to
leave and head for

warmer temperatures
lower down the mountain.

But they leave behind their
four-month-old chicks, which are

old enough to feed themselves,
but not yet strong enough to

fly.

With each passing night,
temperatures continue to fall.

And then, one morning,
after a particularly cold

night, the chicks find
themselves surrounded by ice.

Huddling together allows some
to preserve precious body heat.

But those on the outside
are left even more exposed.

And some have already
succumbed to the freezing conditions.

The salty ice is now so cold that it
congeals on the chicks' feathers. Way down,

their chances of flying
are even more remote.

Now, 40-mile-an-hour
winds whip across the

lake, driving down
temperatures even further.

Yet this very wind that could
kill them might just be their savior.

The youngsters turn to face it.

If they can catch it just
right, it could give them

the lift they need to
take their very first flight.

For those encumbered with
heavy loads, the chicks are ready

to fly. With loads of ice, the
struggle is almost too much.

Freedom at last.

Many animals that live amongst
the frozen peaks have over

thousands of years become
adapted to meet the challenges of

a high-altitude existence.

But now, their world is changing
because of global warming.

Ice that has remained frozen deep
within mountain glaciers is starting to

melt,

accelerating their movement.

Over the three years that
it took to film this film, it's

been a long journey. In the
ice series, the Kelkaya ice cap,

five and a half thousand
meters up in the Peruvian

Andes, has receded by
a staggering 60 meters.

In Europe, some Alpine glaciers are
now shrinking by a hundred meters a year.

One of them, the St.
Annaphyon glacier in

Switzerland, has almost
completely disappeared.

Most of the others are expected to have
followed it by the turn of the century.

The warming of the frozen
slopes could threaten the life

of perhaps the most famous
mountain resident of all.

Hidden within the
bamboo forests of western

China is a hot and
bothered male giant panda.

He has spent the winter
sheltering lower down the valley.

Now, it's early summer, and
his thick coat that protected

him throughout the winter has
become very uncomfortable.

He needs to reach the
cold of the higher slopes.

But before he can start
the ascent, he needs a good

meal to give him the
necessary energy. Giant pandas

eat almost nothing except bamboo.

But bamboo is so low in calories that
he needs to spend ten hours a day eating.

With breakfast over, he begins
his climb to higher ground.

But in no time at all, he's hungry again.

This is going to be a long journey.

And it may be an even
longer one in the near future.

As climate change raises the
temperature in these mountains,

giant pandas may well need
to climb higher and higher to

find cooler conditions.

But the cold-loving bamboo
they most favor cannot move

so easily and may disappear
from the warmer, lower slopes

altogether.

So far, these snow-covered
peaks continue to provide this

male with enough space to
feed and find a mate. So he scent

marks his territory, panda
style, with a hand sand.

It may well be that in
the next few decades,

the mountains of
the world will warm.

Should that happen, many
species will inevitably disappear.

But we should never forget
the versatility and endurance

of the animals that have
succeeded in colonizing these icy

islands in the sky.

In the frozen peaks, the
team's greatest challenge was to

film a successful puma
hunt at night for the first time.

The crew traveled to
Patagonia in the depths of winter

to Torres del Paine, home to
over 200 pumas, the highest

density on Earth.

Still to find them in this
remote wilderness, greater than

the size of London, they joined
the local puma expert Diego

Araya, who has over 20 years'
experience of tracking these

big cats. This is something
completely new for us because

we've never been actually in
pitch black following cats. And

being able to keep up with
it on foot, I think is going to

be an incredible task. This
vast south at the tip of South

America, winter only gives
them nine hours of daylight to

find the pumas before
night descends. But it's

not long until they're treated
to a surprise encounter.

Definitely we are not part of
the menu. Getting this close

to a wild puma is a rare
privilege for camerawoman Helen

Hobin. It's very surreal
actually, being in real life.

By day, these well-studded
pumas are approachable.

But as dusk descends, they pick up
the pace as they switch to hunting mode.

We're just going into the
pitch black pretty soon and have

to rely on thermal the rest of
the night. Armed with a state

-of-the-art thermal imaging
camera and spotting scopes,

they attempt to follow the
puma in the pitch black. Cats are

moving so fast at the moment
and they can cover miles. It's

quite hard to keep up with
all of our equipment. Not really

being able to see where you're going.

A few hours later and the pumas have
given them the runaround. Do you see her?

Yeah, I think I've got
eyes on her. Where is she?

I feel like we had a puma that
we all lost somehow. But I'm

pretty sure we've been standing
here staring at a bush with

a hair in it.

As weeks pass, the crew
experience the full force of the

Patagonian winter. A hundred
miles an hour gusts of wind and

blizzard conditions. Just one
thing after another at the moment.

Finally, with a break in the
weather, their persistence pays

off. The situation is that we
found a puma and there's a

group of Wanakos. This could
be the break the team need and

offer them the opportunity to
film a night hunt. To optimize

their chances, Helen
launches her secret weapon.

A thermal camera drone
that will act as their eyes in

the sky. Guiding the ground
crew to within 20 meters of a

hunting big cat. It's pitch black. There's
a puma. It's a little bit on the left.

She's off.

She was so close to that one
to start. She just didn't quite

reach it. It's like that close.
Super frustrating because

now we get to walk many more
miles. Over the coming nights,

the team continues to follow
the young puma as she attempts

hunt after hunt. It's just a
roller coaster all the time.

Something looks like it's going
to happen. Your adrenaline

gets pumping trying to
get the shot and then just.

Last count. How many
failed attempts? Too many.

With only a week left to film
a successful night hunt, the

pressure is mounting on the
crew. We're still struggling to

get the key behavior we're looking for.

But then the young female
does something truly remarkable.

She didn't manage to make
a kill, but she came across

another cat that has. She's
been slowly over the course of

the last, I don't know how
long, I think it's been hours

creeping towards her really
submissively trying to ask for a

bit of food.

It's quite the experience
when you're standing in their

proximity and you can't see
them, but you can just hear the

crunching of the bones.

This is so amazing to see. You can hear
it going all around as well with the growl.

Until recently, pumas were
considered solitary animals.

But the crew's success with
the thermal camera reveals two

unrelated cats sharing
the same kill at night.

You realize how far they
are from solitary individuals.

This is like a fellowship of
creatures living in the same

territory.

New technology has
shed light on the surprising

survival strategy of
the Andean puma.

Just one of the many
mysterious animals that

inhabit our planet's
remote, frozen peaks.

Thanks for watching!