All language subtitles for Dynasties S01E02 Emperor Penguin (2018) English

Autumn in atka bay, Antarctica.

Just a few weeks ago, this was open sea.

Now, a new frozen landscape is forming.

This new world appears devoid of life.

Well almost.

An emperor penguin.

And he is not alone.

Thousands of emperors
are coming to this frozen bay.

They are here because the new ice
provides the safest place

for them to breed.

The ice will last nine months
before melting away next summer.

And they will need every day
of those nine months

to raise the next generation
of this great emperor dynasty.

But to do so, they will have
to survive the coming winter.

The coldest and the cruellest on earth.

Emperors pair up anew every year.

And although winter is fast approaching.

The process of finding
the perfect partner,

cannot be hurried.

New couples perform a graceful ritual

that will cement their commitment
to each other.

Moving together in synchrony
is the key to creating a powerful bond.

And this bond needs to be
one of the strongest in nature.

Because the survival
of every family here,

and therefore the survival
of this dynasty,

depends upon it.

A penguin is beautifully
designed for many things.

But mating,

is not one of them.

Unfortunately not all the penguins
have been able to find

the perfect partner.

And with time fast running out,

this female forgoes the formalities.

But this couple has already bonded
too tightly to be split apart

by an interloper.

Penguins unlucky in love
head back to spend the winter

feeding at sea.

Because there's no food out here
on the ice.

The couples now face weeks
of waiting while their eggs develop.

But one pair appears
to have got ahead of schedule.

A bulge on a penguin’s belly
is normally the sign of a parent

keeping an egg warm on its feet.

But she seems to be trying to keep...

A snowball warm.

They appear to be getting in
some practice for the real thing.

The days are becoming shorter
and colder

until finally the sun sets
for the last time for two months.

It won't rise again until the spring.

Now, they live in a twilight world,

under the bright antarctic moon.

For this couple, the long wait
for their egg is almost over.

The female senses it.

Her contractions have begun.

The next generation of emperors
is on its way.

Producing an egg
takes a huge amount of energy.

Such that the females
lose a quarter of their body weight.

She hasn't eaten for over 8 month

and needs to return
to the ocean to feed.

She can't take her precious egg
with her.

So she must pass it to her partner
to care for.

He has a special brood pouch
to keep it warm, close to his skin.

If he doesn’t get the egg
off the ice quickly, it will freeze.

Now, she’s free to go.

But she does seem
rather reluctant to leave.

He will now have sole responsibility
for their egg

all through the long, harsh winter.

He won't see his partner again

until the egg has hatched.

Over the next few days,
every female in the colony,

hurries away on the same 15-mile march
to the seas.

A freezing wind blowing in
from the heart of the continent

drives the temperature down.

To keep themselves and their eggs warm,

the males now perform
one of the most spectacular

demonstrations of cooperation in nature.

One by one,

they lock themselves into a huddle.

Creating a giant Incubator
made up of over 4,000 male penguins.

Each individual constantly tries
to push into the best possible position

to keep himself and his egg warm.

As a result the entire huddle
is forever on the move.

Storm force winds
now drive the temperature down

to minus 60 celsius.

For the emperors on the outside,
facing the wind,

the conditions become unbearable.

They have no choice,
but to break off and try to get round

to the sheltered side.

He must get back on his feet,
but without letting go of his egg.

If he fails, the embryo
inside will rapidly freeze and die.

Once they arrive on the sheltered side
of the huddle,

they get some relief from the wind.

When a blizzard sets in here,
it rages for days on end.

Now, the casualties are revealed.

Battered, starving and exhausted,
there is still no relief

for the survivors.

The storm has driven them nearly a mile

from the safest part of the ice.

It's a weary march back
to where they started from.

Now, they reform their huddle
to be ready for the next storm.

Which will come inevitably.

Only after two months of brutal weather,

does the polar night
finally come to an end.

And with it comes a hint of warmth.

The return of the sun coincides
with the appearance

of the newest members of the colony.

In a matter of days,
there are thousands of hungry mouths,

all demanding food.

Their fathers haven't eaten
anything for nearly four months.

Yet, they have kept back
a vital reserve,

a kind of thick, penguin milk

just for this moment.

But it's only enough to keep
the chick alive for a few days.

The females must return soon with food.

For some, it's already too late.

The first of the females are returning.

Fat and well-fed, more arrive,
all with food for the chicks.

And not a moment too soon
for the waiting fathers.

A mother’s first sight
of her young chick.

With their bond reaffirmed,
the whole family celebrates.

Now, at last he can hand over
his precious chick

to its mother.

But there are less fortunate
females here

whose chicks have died.

Yet, their parenting instinct
is still strong.

The sight of a youngster
being handed over is irresistible.

More chickless females
join in the melee.

The chick appears to be safe.

But it is no longer
with its true parents.

The prospects for a kidnapped chick
are never good.

Despite their immense efforts
over the last three months,

this couple have nothing to show for it.

For those couples
that have been successful

it's the father's turn to
head back to sea

to get a much-needed meal for himself.

And to take his turn collecting
food for the chick.

The mother is now able
to bond with her new baby.

And urgently to feed it.

Its first taste of sea food.

But the times of hardship are not over.

Another storm and another white-out.

For some, this is a catastrophe.

They have tumbled into
a ravine in the ice.

With steep, slippery walls.

Chicks are now a deadly burden.

Mothers carrying young
cannot grip the ice.

If she doesn't get out,
they will both die.

This mother has had
to make a terrible choice.

To save herself,
she has abandoned her chick.

One mother at least is not prepared
to give up on her chick.

Mother and chick are safe.

There is, occasionally, a respite
from the brutality of Antarctica.

Clear skies,

gentle winds,

and a particularly spectacular
display of the Southern lights.

The Aurora australis.

As the sun climbs higher everyday,

it warms the ice.

Soon, the emperors’ frozen
world will start to melt away.

For the last few weeks,
the mother and father

have taken it in turn
to feed their offspring.

But it's growing appetite
will soon force both parents

to go away fishing at the same time.

Now, it's time to encourage
the month old chicks

to stand on their own two feet.

Sometimes it takes a well-timed kick.

Now, both parents can head off
to sea to go fishing.

For the first time, the chicks
will have to face the elements

without a parent to protect them.

Other adults certainly
won't look after them.

So, lone chicks gather together
for comfort.

As the temperature drops to minus 25,

the chicks instinctively
create their own mini huddle.

Just as their fathers do.

This is no time for a youngster
to be alone.

If they're lucky, some chicks
may still have the protection

of a parent taking a break from fishing.

But for the majority,
the huddle is their only shelter.

Even in this weather,
adults must still head back and forth

to the sea to bring back food.

The instinct to follow adults
is still strong.

But in a blizzard, that is a bad idea.

The adults disappearance

leaves the chicks in confusion.

Lost and alone, his only hope

is that this adult
is heading back to the colony

and not away from it,
across the frozen wastes.

With the last of the big storms over,

summer has arrived.

The ice that has been the penguin’s home
is melting.

These chicks are almost fully grown,

and approaching independence.

Before they leave for the sea,

all emperors, adults
and their chicks must moult.

For the youngsters,
this marks the arrival of adulthood.

Against all the odds,
two-thirds have survived.

But the annual disappearance
of their ice world

is a reminder that they face
an uncertain future.

Ocean temperatures
are expected to rise year-on-year.

This antarctic sea ice
on which all emperor penguins rely

may not freeze for long enough each year

for them to complete
their extraordinary life cycle.

But as the whole colony
prepares to leave atka bay,

these parents have successfully raised
the next generation

in this emperor's dynasty.

Next time,
a lioness battles against the odds.

To protect her family.

Can she lead them back
from the brink of disaster?