All language subtitles for Ch5 Atlantic A Year in the Wild 1of4 Winter 1080p.eng

The Atlantic - immense, hostile and brutal.

The world's second largest ocean.

So vast it generates weather.

An irresistible power

that shapes lands
with its unstoppable force.

To survive in the world's wildest
ocean takes tenacity and strength.

This is the story of birth,

and death.

Struggle and survival.

Where the Atlantic meets Europe.

This is A Year In The Wild.

The Atlantic Ocean stretches
from one end of the planet

to the other, from Antarctica
in the south

to the Arctic in the north.

From the Americas to Africa
and Europe,

where it slams into the land.

Here, it's merciless.

But also rich and diverse.

It's November
in the Atlantic's far north.

The mercury has dropped
close to zero.

The air is even colder than
the ocean.

Animals that spend the winter here
must prepare

or risk falling victim
to its fierce onslaught.

Roughly halfway between Norway
and mainland Scotland

lie the Shetland Islands.

Home to the highest density
of river otters in Europe.

No-one knows when or how
they got here...

..but Shetland has no rivers,

so they've been forced to adapt
to a life on the coast.

Two cubs have just emerged
from their underground home.

Their mother encourages them to
explore their new watery world.

Their thick fur makes them
extra buoyant,

trapping them at the surface.

While she dives down
to hunt for food.

The sea temperature has dropped
below ten degrees Celsius,

forcing her to keep fishing
trips short.

SQUEAKING

CHEWING

Her dense fur is her only
form of insulation,

so she must take care of it.

A good shake removes 70%
of the water

right to the tip of her tail.

Rolling on the seaweed helps
to squeeze out the remainder.

But there is no peace.

Until the cubs learn to hunt,

she is their only source of food.

Without her, they will die.

CHIRPING

Once her back is turned,
they get up to mischief.

Play also builds strength
and confidence in the water.

HIGH-PITCHED SQUEAKING

Food deliveries are frequent
and varied.

An octopus,

a lumpsucker,

small ocean fish
of all shapes and sizes.

Each meal vital for their survival.

As winter approaches, the sea
temperature drops

and access to prey becomes harder.

Starvation, a real threat
to the two cubs.

Scotland's Atlantic coast
stretches 6,000 miles

and includes 800 islands.

Rugged cliffs, rocky shores

and sweeping bays

are all at the mercy of the
ever-changing Atlantic.

The Orkney Islands lie where
the Atlantic meets the North Sea.

Every year, its beaches witness
a remarkable gathering.

The UK is home to a third
of the world's grey seals.

Early winter is their pupping
and breeding season.

GRUNTING

But Atlantic storms and high
tides are merciless...

..putting the lives of these
vulnerable youngsters in danger.

Early winter on a remote beach
in the Orkney Islands.

Hundreds of grey seals are
gathering to give birth.

Pups are covered in thick white fur.

A throwback to the last ice age

when ice and snow covered
this coast.

Days are spent sleeping, playing...

PUP CALLS

..and, most importantly, feeding.

A regular supply of rich,
creamy milk is vital

if they're to build the thick layer
of fat needed to see them

through their first Atlantic winter.

The mother-pup bond is strong.

But also short.

PUP CALLING

Mothers don't eat while nursing,

and can lose a third
of their body weight.

In just three weeks, she must
return to the Atlantic to feed

and then breed again...

..leaving her pup to
fend for itself.

Half-starved, the overly
protective mothers

tussle for the prime spots
on the beach.

Tensions rise,
even spreading to the pups.

SQUAWKING

Birthing season triggers
interest from the massive males.

HONKING

Testosterone-fuelled, they're here
to fight for the right to mate.

GROWLING

A dominant bull makes a move
on a female.

But she's not yet ready to breed...

..and stands her ground.

His relentless harassment
draws her attention away

from her pup, who is being swamped
by the rising tide.

Still not waterproof or able
to swim,

it tries desperately to cling on.

But there's no help coming.

PUP CALLS

The pull of the Atlantic
is too strong.

It loses its battle and is
consumed by the waves.

Every year, bitter storms
and high tides

account for many grey seal pups.

December. Air temperature
continues to drop.

But along Europe's most northerly
Atlantic coast, the warm Gulf Stream

from the Caribbean helps to keep
Norway's fjords ice-free.

Throwing a lifeline to the world's
top ocean predators.

HIGH-PITCHED CALLS

Every winter, orca gather here to
hunt herring

that are getting ready to spawn.

Led by the matriarch,
the orcas swim at up to 30mph.

GULLS CAW

Once they've tracked
down the herring,

they move in for the kill.

Surrounding the fish, co-ordinating
the attack with loud calls.

CALLING

They split them into smaller groups,

trapping them at the surface...

..before swiping them
with their powerful tails.

The explosive smack stuns
the herring...

..which the whales pick off
one by one.

This feast will feed the whales
right through the winter...

..until the herring move back out
into the open ocean,

forcing the orca to hunt elsewhere.

The northeast and Atlantic coast

is home to another
accomplished predator.

Curled octopus hunt using
a combination of stealth,

speed and intelligence.

It's said they have nine brains.

A central one,

plus millions of additional
brain cells

spread along each of their
eight arms.

Receptors in each sucker
taste as they walk.

Octopus feed on many different
types of prey...

..but crabs are a firm favourite.

Keen eyesight spots
the slightest movement,

leaving no place for prey to hide.

Crabs may not be as
intelligent as octopus,

but they do have a protective
outer shell.

They, too, must feed.

One breaks cover...

..unaware it's being watched.

A fatal error.

It quickly immobilises the crab

by injecting it with
a powerful toxin...

..then devours it.

The crab's armour plating,

no match for the octopus'
incredible weaponry.

Fierce westerly winds
batter the Scottish islands.

But at a time of extreme hardship.

the Atlantic also brings
an unexpected bounty.

On the Isle of Rum in
the Inner Hebrides...

..red deer have discovered food

to supplement
their poor winter diet.

Every day as the tide turns,

they make their way
down to the coast

to eat seaweed washed up
by the storms.

Each mouthful contains
valuable nutrients

that will help them
through the long winter.

And by taking their calves along,

they pass this knowledge on
to the next generation.

This abundance lasts
just a few hours each day.

A heavily pregnant mum
eats for two.

She must weigh up the risk of being
cut off by the incoming tide...

..against getting enough calories
to survive the winter

and being able to give birth
in the spring.

As winter drags on,

days shorten, the sea cools.

Coastal fish move to deeper water.

This Shetland otter mum must
work harder to find food...

..leaving her cubs alone for longer.

Another otter family is trespassing
on their patch.

The cubs call nervously
for their mother.

Without her, they are defenceless.

It's now a risky situation
for the youngsters.

Winter on the Shetland Islands.

An otter mother is hunting...

..catching fish for her two cubs...

..who shelter amongst the rocks.

There's a problem,

as another otter family is moving
into their territory

and closing on the two cubs.

They hunker down and call quietly.

OTTERS SQUEAK

Their mum returns
with another octopus.

Instead of finding her pups,

she runs straight into the intruders

and quickly loses her catch.

OTTERS SQUEAK

But they don't fight.

Rather than a territorial
takeover...

..it's more likely
this is a family reunion.

Danger averted,

she calls to her cubs.

OTTERS CHIRP

Once re-assured, they join
the gathering...

..and quickly take back
their octopus...

OTTERS SQUEAK

..leaving the visitors to chew
on a leathery lumpsucker.

The adults leave them to it.

Perhaps they're sisters
and have some catching up to do.

The youngsters continue squabbling.

They may be family,

but not everything is for sharing.

OTTERS CHIRP

As food becomes increasingly scarce,

conflict is inevitable.

Rock pools along the Atlantic shore
are home to beadlet anemones.

Stuck fast,

they feed on microscopic shrimps
and detritus floating in the water.

Stinging cells at the tip of
each tentacle paralyses prey,

which is then moved to their mouths
at the centre of their bodies.

All looks tranquil.

But speeding up the action
50 times...

..reveals conflict.

One anemone searches
for a good spot to feed,

but stumbles into another.

Both load blue sacks around
their necks with powerful toxins...

..and strike...

..then recoil in pain.

The intruder retreats.

The need for food is great...

..but it's not worth dying for.

Back on the Orkneys,

the seal pups are growing fast.

Time for some swimming lessons.

Slowly at first...

..with gentle encouragement
from mum.

The pups must learn fast.

Breeding season is here.

They're only three weeks old,

but suddenly family time is over.

Abandoned youngsters search
for their mothers...

SEALS CALL OUT

..and are aggressively moved on.

They must wait another three weeks

until they've grown
a waterproof coat

and have built up enough courage
to enter the water.

This gives them the chance
to make friends.

If both of these pups are female,

their friendship will
last a lifetime.

SEAL CALLS OUT

Each year, they'll be reunited

as they return to this beach
to give birth to their own pups.

In the shallows, a bull
approaches a female...

..who accepts his advances.

Courtship is tender
and affectionate.

The beach will soon fall silent...

..until next year,

when the seals return
to do it all over again.

Winter drags on.

A young red deer has succumbed

to the sub-zero temperatures
and lack of food.

Parasites would have
further weakened her.

Blood-sucking, wingless
deer flies leave her body.

But from her death comes life.

Scavengers move in.

Hooded crows are first.

But the carcass is frozen solid,

so they're left to pick at the bugs.

To get to the meat, they need help.

A buzzard arrives.

Larger, but still not able to get
through the toughened hide.

But there's one bird that can.

A female white-tailed eagle.

Standing at three-feet tall
and with an eight-foot wingspan,

they are Europe's largest eagle.

Her massive bill
and powerful talons

make light work of
the frozen carcass.

A smaller male waits patiently.

He knows his place
in the pecking order.

White-tailed eagles were hunted
to extinction in the UK

in the early 20th century.

Despite a lengthy
reintroduction programme,

their numbers are
still low in Scotland.

Feeding on carcasses helps them
through the winter

and prepares them for breeding
and nest building in the spring.

Eagles are not the only predators

that rely on the misfortune of
others to survive the frozen months.

In the Atlantic's far north,

on the edge of the Arctic Circle,

lies Iceland.

Winter days are short.

The night sky, illuminated
by the aurora borealis.

An Arctic fox patrols its territory.

They're Iceland's only
native land mammal

that got here by walking
across the frozen ocean

from Greenland during
the last Ice Age.

Once the ice retreated,
they were stranded.

But they're adapted to live here.

Thick fur keeps out the cold.

Short legs and a compact body
minimises heat loss.

Furry feet help them
walk on top of the snow.

And their fluffy brush tail works
both as a balance and a blanket.

It's not until he's on the beach

that his latest adaptation
becomes obvious.

90% of the world's
Arctic foxes are white.

In Iceland, 70% are black.

Rather than matching
the colour of the snow,

he matches the colour of the rock...

..letting him hunt
without being seen.

Winter is his enemy.

It will be another two months

before he can hunt
nesting sea birds again.

So the tidal zone is his only hope.

A dead crab washed up
in the seaweed.

Meagre pickings, but every morsel
helps keep him alive.

He doesn't have it all to himself.

SCREECHING

A younger Arctic fox,

slighter in build
and lighter in colour,

invades his territory...

FOX SCREECHES

..forcing him to take action.

FOXES SCREECH

The fight is short.

The intruder leaves,

having wasted valuable energy.

With food so scarce,

starvation is a real risk.

The northernmost part of the
Atlantic may be in winter's grip,

but further south,

warmer ocean currents
sweeping in from the US

are drawing in marine life...

..triggering a race to feed

for some of the fastest, most
formidable predators on the planet.

Winter is drawing to a close.

After months of hardship,

life is starting to return
to the Atlantic.

100 miles off West Africa,

a group of volcanoes
that make up the Canary Islands.

They rise steeply, 10,000 feet
from the ocean floor,

creating habitats for a vast
array of plants and animals.

One mile offshore, a pilot whale
mother rests with her calf.

She spent the night hundreds
of feet deep hunting squid.

With the return of morning,
the family gathers.

Their bond - strong.

Large males measuring
up to 18 feet long

patrol the outer edge
of the group...

..to protect the youngsters
from oceanic sharks.

Teaming up with dolphins offers them
additional safety in numbers.

20 species of whale and dolphin

feed in the deep ocean around
the Canary Islands...

..one of the highest numbers
anywhere in the world.

DOLPHINS CLICK AND WHISTLE

Late winter, thousands of
Atlantic spotted dolphins

gather to hunt bait fish
and mackerel

which are flourishing in
the nutrient-rich water.

Racing in at 25mph...

..they corral the fish
into tight groups...

..then strike.

Their prey may be plentiful,

but it's also fast-moving
and elusive.

Whistles, buzzes, squawks and barks

help keep the fish together.

The commotion draws in shearwaters.

These sea birds
can dive to 50 feet.

In no time at all,
the shoal is demolished...

..and the calm returns.

The Atlantic's incredible fertility
produces huge fish stocks...

..attracting both marine predators

and fishermen.

Their fishing line
is strong and durable...

..qualities that make it extremely
hazardous when dumped.

A raft of fishing tackle provides
shelter for small fish...

..but has snared and
killed a shearwater.

Plastic fishing line takes
over 500 years to decompose...

..so continues to kill aquatic life
long after it is dumped.

DOLPHINS WHISTLE

Between hunts,

the spotted dolphins hang out
with a Bryde's whale calf.

At 30-feet long, it's still
only a youngster.

Once fully grown, it will
reach 45-feet long...

..and weigh 25 tonnes...

..making it one of the largest
animals on the planet.

For now, it waits for its mother
to return from fishing,

content to spend time
with the dolphins.

Atlantic winters bring
fierce storms...

..suffering and conflict.

But it also brings
hope and opportunity.

Food is abundant under the surface.

It's also plentiful along the coast

if you know where to find it.

Those that made it
through the winter

can now look forward to longer days
and climbing temperatures

as spring arrives.

Next time, storms are
replaced by sun...

..hardship by new life...

..but spring is short.

The race is on to find a mate,

build a home,

and start the next generation.

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