A Trip from Canada to Norway: The wild North | Free Documentary Nature

[Music] Northern Lights just below the Arctic Circle in Canada's well first National Park in Manitoba scientifically speaking they appear when electrically charged particles of the Earth's magnetic field collide with oxygen and nitrogen atoms in the atmosphere simply put one could describe the particles as electro meteors and just enjoy the romantic beauty of this natural phenomenon during the summer wapis is a tundra of pines Tamarack trees willows and no shrubs [Music] a good 50% of the region is comprised of lakes marshland and swamps with lichens and mosses the National Park in its surrounding area is the largest contiguous marshy landscape in North America here the peat bog is up to four meters thick and provides the polar bears with the ideal ground to dig their breeding caves for the winter over 1,000 polar bears chair the territory with other animals like the caribou snow fox or numerous types of birds [Music] during the winter the landscape turns into a deadly snow and ice desert for humans with cutting winds and temperatures far below 40 degrees Celsius the reason for that is the Arctic Ocean along the coast it creates a microclimate zone which is nearly exactly like that in the Arctic around the North Pole the polar bears feel right at home in this terribly cold environment they have their thick fur the skin underneath and the underlying layers of fat to thank for that the white fur is sort of like a natural solar energy plant the hairs are hollow and filled with air which is warmed by the Sun this warmth is then transferred directly to the bare skin also the bear's instincts keep them in nearly continual motion thus keeping their metabolic activity at a healthy level the hunting ground of a polar bear has a radius of about 150 kilometers which he defends against intruders but not with any particular aggression to bears wrestling is not necessarily a wild battle for supremacy or territory it is more likely a type of sparring match to keep in shape during times when prey is scarce as cuddly and helpless as these relatives of the ground bear have been portrayed in the media in recent times they are among the largest and most dangerous land predators on earth how heavy they up to 2.6 metre tall animals get depends on the nutrition available to them they are far lighter during the summer than in the winter when they feast abundantly on their favorite food seals good hunters come into the springtime tipping the scales at up to 800 kilos my way considering the over 2.5 meter tall polar bears to be slow and clumsy can be a fatal mistake in a short attack sprint they can run at speeds of up to 30 kilometers per hour [Music] their large front paws are not only good for striking and holding prey in the water they serve as efficient paddles polar bears have layers of skin between their toes their background has served both as paddles and rudders [Music] the polar bears breeding season lasts only a week sometime during a period between March and June the mother animal carries her young for eight months actually it is only about three months after the egg is fertilized it takes until August or September until it nests into the female bears wound the Cubs are born between November and January the birth takes place in a cave which the female has dug to survive the winter mostly in the peak bog [Music] that makes what post National Park one of the largest polar bear birth cave areas in the Arctic one of the largest polar bear birth cave areas is located in the what post National Park in the Hudson Bay but nurseries of this kind are also to be found in Greenland in Spitsbergen and inside area the mother nurses the Cubs for about one and a half to two and a half years during their time she teaches them how to hunt as well as proper behavior including physical hygiene [Music] after that they are left on their own up to that time however the female polar bear is a very loving mother and moves her massive body with great care to be sure enough to crush the little ones by accident [Music] the average litter is two to three Cubs in the beginning they're only as big as a small rabbit [Music] once weaned the tough battle for survival begins for the young puller dealers only about half of them will survive their first five years [Music] if a polar bear survives its youth it can live up to 30 years in the wild [Music] [Music] polar bears are excellent swimmers but they actually catch their major food source the ringed seal in the harp seal only when the ocean is frozen over or in pack ice the Polar Bear smorgasbord begins with a seals breeding season in January and February during that time the white hunters prey moved from the border of the pack ice further out onto the ice to give birth to their young [Music] the seals maintain a hole in the ice about 1 meter in diameter to allow them other animals to diet for food to regain their strength after nursing their young for about 14 days as many as 40 mother animals occupy the area around the opening to the sea so the young are under constant observation [Music] but the mothers always come back out of the water to nurse their young for another 10 days and makes sure everything takes its natural course [Music] the young seals the so-called white coats look cuddly and warm but they have not yet developed sufficient fat layers under their white fur so they regulate their body temperature through permanent muscle trembling after about 14 days the white fur begins to change into a waterproof covering of hair only after this development is complete is the young animal able to stay in the water for extended periods until then it is limited to short practice swims [Music] some of the haulers seem to even be a bit afraid of water and in the beginning seals are not particularly good swimmers it is a skill they have to learn bit by bit during short excursions in the water world the mother's reaction to the fear of their offspring vary considerably some pull the baby into the water by force others try patience and gentle nudging the adult animals know that there is no choice the water is the only safe place from predators like the polar bears at the edge of the ice pack bordering the ocean orcas and sharks also lurk and even walruses are a threat at times [Music] if the seal Cubs are born on an extremely cold night they often freeze to death if the polar bears don't find their carcasses during the winter they sink to the bottom of the ocean with the onset of spring and the retreat of the pack ice [Music] there the kelp captures the cadavers and they become a welcome treat for scavengers like the ice shark [Music] little is known about this type of shark also called a Greenland shark based on recent studies however scientists believe that the up to 8 meter long predator fish could live to be up to 200 years old adult sharks can weigh a good two and a half tons the shark has several rows of teeth angled in toward the inside of the mouth that structure is not suited to chewing but it can open its jaws very wide and swallow small prey hold the shark grips bite sized chunks out of larger prey its strong stomach acids and special enzymes break the meat down into a mash large bones are not digested and the shark regurgitates them later on by the way close-up shots like this taken in the wild and in ice-cold water are extremely rare a canadian-american research team is currently studying Greenland sharks in Baffin Bay one shark has been fitted with a transmitter in order to track its migration and the depth of its dives the first results are amazing with an average speed of only two and a half kilometers per hour by sharks are the slowest charts on earth but for all of that they are able to dive to depths of several thousand meters judging from the bone remains of a young polar bear extracted from the stomach of an ice shark it is reasonable to conclude that the Giants also go after larger prey than seals [Music] under normal circumstances the ice shark is not very aggressive and poses no great danger for the underwater team walruses are a different story here is a small colony of the total Atlantic walrus population of about 20,000 the animals find resting places on the countless islands in the Hudson Bay and along the Northwest Passage in the far north in the Canadian state of Nunavut the Bulls react with violent aggression to any life-form identified as an enemy they also show no mercy when it comes to internal disputes among themselves it becomes really dangerous for the underwater photographers when polar bears hunt for seals or young walruses at the edge of the ice pack if a mother animal comes along with her cubs an attack on the divers is almost guaranteed she identifies the humans in their diving suits either as seals or an enemy out to harm her young and that means red alert for walruses as well as humans [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Walrus skin is about four centimeters thick that saved the life of this animal during a predators attack the heavyweights themselves feed mostly on clams shrimp octopus or the occasional cadaver [Music] the Arctic Ocean is rich in nutrition so the beluga whale is not the only one interested in preying on the abundance of fish the enormous tidal range results in the ocean receding 11 kilometres from the coast at ebb tide holds walruses or others that become stranded by the changing tide are defenseless against predators like the polar bears polar bears are happy to scavenge with the tines leave behind they seldom fight among themselves so places like this are normally peaceful [Music] [Applause] [Music] from the Hudson Bay we fly to the Westman Islands off the coast of Iceland they are made up of about 30 small volcanic islands scary's and rock stacks that protrude out of the often wild surf the island group became well known in 1973 due to dramatic volcanic eruptions [Music] here on the steep cliffs the Atlantic puffin makes its home these Birds marked by their colorful parrot like beaks are about the size of a pigeon and belonged to the AL cedilla family they are indigenous only to the northern hemisphere their breeding grounds are found primarily on the coasts of islands in the North Atlantic and the Western Polar Sea they can be found on the American continent from Maine to Labrador on Greenland in the Baffin Bay and also here off the coast of Iceland they can also be seen on the coast of Norway and even in Brittany until the middle of the nineteenth century there was even a colony on heligoland Atlantic puffins are extremely agile underwater like penguins but they are poor fliers that is the result of the construction of their feathers they need to serve both purposes fish and crustaceans are their preferred nutrition they are considered a delicacy on the Westman Islands so they are hunted by man that requires great patience on the part of the hunter he has only a short window of time in July and August to catch the young birds that have not yet produced offspring [Music] he doesn't bother with older birds they don't taste good in some years hunting is forbidden all together to maintain the bird population he can't make a living from his catch it is more of a hobby like fishing and brings in just a bit of a Nadine comb he took over the tradition of bird hunting from his father and uncle his method of using a long-handled hand net in order to avoid capturing mother animals or older birds limits the number of birds he's able to bag in any given day in jaime the puffins end up on the menu as tasty poultry several restaurants make their living from them instead of chicken or turkey breast the meat of the fish hunter with the colorful beak is served the meat doesn't taste like poultry however but more like liver [Music] [Music] the situation is a bit grotesque however while the adult animals may be hunted and eaten people on the Westman Islands make special efforts to protect the birds at the same time especially the young chicks their first attempts at flight from the surrounding cliffs often end up in crash landings in the local villages in times when food from the ocean is scarce they will also come into the city looking for food the bird conservationists then collect them and set them free again on the beach the puffin colonies also provide a perfect place for scientists to study the animals the first results are in regarding how the animals in the north are adapting to warming ocean temperatures and overfishing one interesting result is the fact that the puffins increasingly feed on pipefish rather than a fish which used to be so abundant in the northern coastal waters [Music] after the examination the birds are released the adult conservationists show the younger ones how to help the rather plump young birds get their wings up to speed for takeoff [Music] [Music] [Music] our journey takes us further west to the European continent the destination of our flight is Norway the land of water and mountains this characteristic landscape shared by Sweden and Finland is located on the western part of a bedrock mountain plate it extends all the way into the year all and the Ukraine some scientists assumed that it was created anywhere from 1.5 to 3.5 billion years ago during the low-rent Ian Mountain building event after the Earth's crust cooled science believes that in ancient times the highest peaks of these mountains towered as much as 10,000 metres above sea level over ends of time the mountain range was eaten away by erosion and glacial activity during the Ice Ages [Music] an estimated 2 million years ago the region was iced over by massive glaciers particularly in the far north the ice masses grew to a height of two to three thousand metres the majestic fjords were carved into the cliffs by the retreating glaciers at the end of the last ice age and that also created the scary coasts and the lake landscapes on the mountain plateaus the natural granite barriers keep most of the water flowing from the mountains above the fjords from flowing into the ocean that allows the formation of romantic mountain lakes which the Norwegians love to visit and which keep the land fruitful Norway's vast landscape is characterized by over 40,000 smaller and larger lakes and even more marshland of course Norway's natural landscape is more than just a romantic playground it is also the habitat of reindeer and large herds of wild goats among other animals the warm North Atlantic Current which keeps the coastal regions ice-free for the most part makes it possible to keep the herds outdoors all year round [Music] the granite barriers can't keep all the water up on the mountain plateau of course it always manages to find its way into the valley in those places where the solid rock cliffs have been worn down by the water over eons of time countless streams snake across the landscape and in the end cascade over just as many majestic waterfalls into the fjords below the goats feel particularly at home on the slopes and in the river valleys made lush and green by the spray of the waterfall [Music] what makes this an ideal living environment for the animals works for many people who prefer a life of relative isolation as well in exchange for the isolation they are surrounded by a fascinating landscape [Music] the ships plying the Horta Krauts provide the needed goods and postal service for tourists the cruises through the labyrinth of the fjords have become a popular although not inexpensive vacation experience but for all that experiencing these majestic landscapes produces a good portion of awe and amazement lasting impressions long to be remembered in olden the traveler is offered an excursion into the surrounding countryside as an addition to the cruise especially in late spring it takes them through valleys with numerous waterfalls and up to the ice front of the glaciers [Music] the Bristol glacier is among the more popular excursion destinations but to learn Valley and the key under glacier are also close by [Music] every drop of glacier water cascading into the valley is totally safe to drink and anyone not able to visit Norway can hand the refreshing water from olden delivered right to their home [Music] of the total of about 1625 glaciers in Norway 11 of the 20 largest are to be found in the Norway fjord for a long time researchers believed that the glaciers were left over from the last ice age about 8,000 years ago current knowledge tends to contradict that in the years around 500 BC it was so warm in Europe that all the glaciers probably melted completely only afterwards did it again get cold enough for new glaciers to reform according to that many of the ice giants are still very young in geological time norway's proximity to the warm Gulf Stream and the protection the fjords provide from the raw weather conditions of the North Atlantic result in Pleasant temperatures in the valleys during the summer even while snow caps remain on the plateaus the intense sunshine bathing the steep slopes and meadows in the weather protected valleys even allow farmers to plant fruit orchards of various kinds [Music] it wasn't everywhere that the environment provided its inhabitants was a guarantee of survival several open air museums show how people lived here in times past but what looks romantic to the visitor today was in reality so harsh and hostile that people were forced to move to a more acceptable environment in order to survive improve transport possibilities but most importantly the growth of tourism provide the norwegians living in the fjords with good living conditions today also the infrastructure like the imposing roads cut into the ravines has made life here much easier [Music] [Music] the current climate change brings the Norwegians more advantages than disadvantages and a courageous look into the past might result in less complaining about global warming and a greater acceptance of the continual fluctuation of the forces of nature [Music] but it is still winter in the far north and it is time for the particularly fascinating Northern Lights for the camera team that means that their workday begins after dark today the attempt will begin to observe orcas in their natural element with pull and torpedo cameras the crew had tried it once before but it didn't work an orca bit through the cable the torpedo camera was hanging on this time should be different the motorboat takes us out to the orcas hunting grounds but this attempt fails as well [Music] we barely get to pull and torpedo camera in the water before the weather changes the killer whales don't show up either for the team that means a forced break with a difficult docking maneuver in rough seas [Music] but when the weather calms down the orcas finally come back into the bay the killer whale is a strict meat-eater they feed on fish sea mammals such as seals and on occasion even on other whales local animals mostly specialize in certain prey and have developed special hunting strategies to catch that prey over many generations the camera team is confident it has to work this time and it does some of the hunters become curious [Music] [Applause] but very soon the swarm of herring becomes more important than being a star on television in their usual manner they work together as a team circling the fish while blowing air bubbles this causes fear in their prey and the swarm compacts into a tight group the so called mammal feeders among the orcas most often found groups of less than ten hunters coastal fish eaters on the other hand can form teams of up to 50 individuals [Music] the Orcas attack [Music] pushing into the swarm from the bottom and attacking upwards forces many of the fish right to the surface of the water where water birds are waiting for them [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] just like in other parts of our planet a rich variety of wildlife exists to be discovered and observed above the arctic circle prevailing climate conditions here however make that particularly difficult for the nature filmmaker [Music] thanks to global warming the region is currently undergoing an impressive adjustment the proven adaptability of the animals however will certainly make it possible for them to survive under the new conditions as well [Music] [Applause] [Music] you

Channel: Free Documentary - Nature

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Keywords: Free, Documentary, Documentaries, adventure, nature, nature documentary, documentary - topic, documentary (tv genre), wildlife documentary, ice bear, ice bear documentary, dangerous ice bear, polar bear, polar bear life, polar bear in the wild, polar bear documentary, ice bear in the wild, canada animals, norway animals, ice bear mother

Id: xJ6wLvGbqk4

Length: 42min 48sec (2568 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 20 2019