1 00:00:11,964 --> 00:00:15,844 Looking down from two miles above the surface of the Earth, 2 00:00:15,924 --> 00:00:18,204 it's impossible not to be impressed 3 00:00:18,284 --> 00:00:22,484 by the sheer grandeur, and splendour and power 4 00:00:22,564 --> 00:00:24,084 of the natural world. 5 00:00:27,604 --> 00:00:31,044 Ten years ago, in a television series called Planet Earth, 6 00:00:31,124 --> 00:00:33,844 we revealed many of those wonders, 7 00:00:33,924 --> 00:00:36,564 but today, much has changed. 8 00:00:38,764 --> 00:00:40,884 We can now show life on our planet 9 00:00:40,964 --> 00:00:42,924 in entirely new ways, 10 00:00:45,364 --> 00:00:48,884 bring you closer to animals than ever before, 11 00:00:51,924 --> 00:00:56,924 and reveal new wildlife dramas for the very first time. 12 00:01:00,644 --> 00:01:01,924 But that's not all. 13 00:01:02,884 --> 00:01:05,164 Our planet has changed, too. 14 00:01:05,804 --> 00:01:09,124 Never have those wildernesses been as fragile 15 00:01:09,204 --> 00:01:11,524 and as precious as they are today. 16 00:01:15,124 --> 00:01:17,964 At this crucial time for the natural world, 17 00:01:18,044 --> 00:01:20,924 we will journey to every corner of the globe 18 00:01:22,764 --> 00:01:26,284 to explore the greatest treasures of our living planet, 19 00:01:32,564 --> 00:01:37,564 and reveal the extreme lengths animals go to to survive. 20 00:01:52,484 --> 00:01:56,404 Finally, we will explore our cities 21 00:01:56,484 --> 00:02:01,364 to see how life is adapting to the newest habitat on Earth. 22 00:02:03,724 --> 00:02:06,204 This is Planet Earth II. 23 00:02:46,524 --> 00:02:50,484 There are hundreds of thousands of islands, 24 00:02:50,564 --> 00:02:52,924 each one a world in miniature. 25 00:02:54,164 --> 00:02:57,204 A microcosm of our living planet. 26 00:02:59,044 --> 00:03:02,004 The struggles to survive on these remote lands 27 00:03:02,084 --> 00:03:06,204 reflect the challenges faced by all life on Earth. 28 00:03:17,044 --> 00:03:21,164 The tiny island of Escudo off the coast of Panama, 29 00:03:23,324 --> 00:03:27,204 home to the pygmy three-toed sloth. 30 00:03:30,844 --> 00:03:34,444 This is a male, and life here suits him well. 31 00:03:37,684 --> 00:03:41,804 Mangroves provide all the leaves he can eat 32 00:03:41,884 --> 00:03:44,444 and there are no predators to worry him. 33 00:03:46,404 --> 00:03:49,164 Island life may seem idyllic, 34 00:03:49,244 --> 00:03:51,364 but it comes at a price. 35 00:03:53,044 --> 00:03:56,684 There are only a few hundred pygmy sloths in existence, 36 00:03:58,084 --> 00:04:00,644 and he needs a mate. 37 00:04:04,884 --> 00:04:06,884 That's an enticing call... 38 00:04:09,004 --> 00:04:10,364 ...from a female 39 00:04:12,884 --> 00:04:14,964 somewhere out there. 40 00:04:18,044 --> 00:04:22,884 And this, for a sloth, is a quick reaction. 41 00:04:45,084 --> 00:04:49,004 The problem is there's deep water between them. 42 00:04:50,524 --> 00:04:53,684 So what should any red-blooded sloth do? 43 00:04:59,044 --> 00:05:00,564 Swim, of course. 44 00:05:31,204 --> 00:05:32,884 Could this be her? 45 00:05:39,924 --> 00:05:43,524 He does his best to put on a turn of speed. 46 00:05:53,924 --> 00:05:55,964 But she's not the one. 47 00:05:56,044 --> 00:05:57,844 She already has a baby 48 00:05:57,924 --> 00:06:00,884 and she won't mate again until it leaves her 49 00:06:00,964 --> 00:06:02,684 in about six months' time. 50 00:06:09,924 --> 00:06:14,444 Even life on a paradise island can have its limitations. 51 00:06:20,124 --> 00:06:23,164 But at least she can't be far away. 52 00:06:28,044 --> 00:06:31,364 The world's entire population of pygmy sloths 53 00:06:31,444 --> 00:06:36,844 is isolated on a speck of land no bigger than New York's Central Park. 54 00:06:39,964 --> 00:06:43,124 The size of an island has a huge influence 55 00:06:43,204 --> 00:06:46,164 on the fate of those cast away there. 56 00:06:51,044 --> 00:06:54,844 The island of Komodo in Indonesia. 57 00:07:05,364 --> 00:07:07,564 Home to dragons. 58 00:07:24,924 --> 00:07:29,204 Ten feet long and weighing an impressive 150 pounds, 59 00:07:29,924 --> 00:07:34,204 these are the largest living lizards on the planet. 60 00:07:45,924 --> 00:07:49,244 It's unusual to find large predators on islands. 61 00:07:52,924 --> 00:07:57,644 Yet, for four million years, the Komodo dragon has dominated here. 62 00:08:07,804 --> 00:08:09,804 It might seem there wouldn't be enough food 63 00:08:09,884 --> 00:08:13,364 to support such giants on this relatively small island, 64 00:08:15,764 --> 00:08:18,244 but reptiles, being cold-blooded, 65 00:08:18,324 --> 00:08:22,564 need only about a tenth of the food a carnivorous mammal would. 66 00:08:26,884 --> 00:08:30,404 A single meal will last a dragon a month. 67 00:08:33,604 --> 00:08:37,284 They're so successful, that their only serious competition 68 00:08:37,364 --> 00:08:39,804 comes from others of their own kind, 69 00:08:40,844 --> 00:08:43,724 and there are some 2, 000 of them here. 70 00:09:07,044 --> 00:09:09,884 This giant, however, isn't looking for food. 71 00:09:10,444 --> 00:09:12,364 He's looking for a mate. 72 00:09:16,404 --> 00:09:19,844 Female dragons come into season only once a year. 73 00:09:30,364 --> 00:09:31,764 She is receptive. 74 00:09:39,924 --> 00:09:42,124 So far, so good. 75 00:09:46,404 --> 00:09:49,164 But he strayed into someone else's patch. 76 00:09:54,924 --> 00:09:59,564 Another huge male thinks he is the king here. 77 00:10:04,084 --> 00:10:08,804 Space being limited on islands, dragon territories overlap, 78 00:10:09,684 --> 00:10:11,764 and that creates continual conflict. 79 00:10:19,484 --> 00:10:22,804 In dragon society, size is everything. 80 00:10:38,004 --> 00:10:42,764 But if rivals are closely matched, the outcome can be uncertain. 81 00:10:50,004 --> 00:10:53,444 Muscular tails strike the power of sledgehammers. 82 00:11:03,524 --> 00:11:07,244 And their serrated teeth are as sharp as steak knives. 83 00:11:19,124 --> 00:11:21,684 Each tries to topple his opponent. 84 00:11:43,284 --> 00:11:44,284 Defeated. 85 00:11:45,364 --> 00:11:49,404 Only the most powerful dragons win the right to mate. 86 00:11:58,564 --> 00:12:01,964 The limited food and space on the small islands 87 00:12:02,044 --> 00:12:04,644 can often lead to intense competition. 88 00:12:06,204 --> 00:12:08,964 But some islands are immense. 89 00:12:10,044 --> 00:12:12,044 More like miniature continents. 90 00:12:13,404 --> 00:12:18,324 And these provide opportunities for life to experiment and evolve. 91 00:12:23,324 --> 00:12:26,444 Madagascar is one of the biggest islands 92 00:12:26,524 --> 00:12:28,724 and also one of the oldest, 93 00:12:28,804 --> 00:12:33,364 having split away from Africa over 120 million years ago. 94 00:12:44,604 --> 00:12:47,844 With time and isolation, its animals have adapted 95 00:12:47,924 --> 00:12:50,964 to take advantage of every available niche. 96 00:12:57,524 --> 00:13:02,804 The island now has some 250, 000 different species, 97 00:13:02,884 --> 00:13:05,484 most found nowhere else on Earth. 98 00:13:17,684 --> 00:13:20,564 These are not monkeys, but lemurs. 99 00:13:26,764 --> 00:13:30,924 From a single ancestor, about a hundred different types have evolved. 100 00:13:35,964 --> 00:13:40,204 The largest, the Indri, seldom comes down from the branches. 101 00:13:47,244 --> 00:13:51,684 The much smaller ring-tails wander in troops across the forest floor 102 00:13:51,764 --> 00:13:52,964 searching for fruit. 103 00:13:54,604 --> 00:13:58,964 And tiny bamboo lemurs eat nothing except bamboo. 104 00:14:06,644 --> 00:14:08,204 With few competitors, 105 00:14:08,284 --> 00:14:13,084 lemurs have been free to colonise almost every environment on the island, 106 00:14:15,684 --> 00:14:18,324 even the most extreme. 107 00:14:25,684 --> 00:14:29,924 This baby sifaka has a hard life ahead of it. 108 00:14:34,684 --> 00:14:37,764 He's been born in the most arid and hostile corner 109 00:14:37,844 --> 00:14:39,884 of Madagascar's vast landscape. 110 00:14:43,084 --> 00:14:46,444 If he is to survive here, he has much to learn. 111 00:14:53,804 --> 00:14:56,164 The spiny forest is like a desert. 112 00:14:57,604 --> 00:15:02,484 It rarely rains, so water and food is very hard to find. 113 00:15:10,604 --> 00:15:13,804 Moving from tree to tree is a perilous business. 114 00:15:15,804 --> 00:15:19,764 Here, nearly all the plants are covered with ferocious spines. 115 00:15:22,004 --> 00:15:25,284 His mother searches the treetops for the youngest leaves. 116 00:15:27,684 --> 00:15:31,404 They provide the only food and water to sustain the family. 117 00:15:37,844 --> 00:15:41,844 At three months old, the youngster is starting to explore. 118 00:15:47,444 --> 00:15:51,004 All too soon, he will have to fend for himself up here. 119 00:15:56,644 --> 00:16:00,964 But it's altogether easier to stay on Mother's back. 120 00:16:08,724 --> 00:16:12,764 If he can master the strange ways of this forest, 121 00:16:12,844 --> 00:16:16,044 he will have a little corner of Madagascar to himself. 122 00:16:22,524 --> 00:16:26,484 Island life encourages animals to do things differently, 123 00:16:27,564 --> 00:16:30,684 and on some islands, that is essential. 124 00:16:45,404 --> 00:16:47,764 There are islands still forming today 125 00:16:48,684 --> 00:16:50,644 built by volcanoes. 126 00:16:54,324 --> 00:16:56,564 Some erupt explosively, 127 00:17:03,084 --> 00:17:06,084 others pour out rivers of molten rock, 128 00:17:07,204 --> 00:17:08,204 lava. 129 00:17:14,444 --> 00:17:15,964 In the last 50 years, 130 00:17:16,044 --> 00:17:19,164 10 new volcanic islands have been formed. 131 00:17:46,164 --> 00:17:51,364 Newly created and often remote, they're hard for colonists to reach. 132 00:17:54,964 --> 00:17:59,164 Even those that do, find these are tough places to survive. 133 00:18:04,884 --> 00:18:07,004 This is Fernandina, 134 00:18:07,084 --> 00:18:09,524 one of the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific. 135 00:18:11,924 --> 00:18:16,844 Young and still volcanically active, it's a desolate place. 136 00:18:30,764 --> 00:18:35,004 The surrounding sea, however, is particularly rich with life, 137 00:18:39,164 --> 00:18:42,724 and the frontier between these two very different worlds 138 00:18:42,804 --> 00:18:46,124 is the home of one of the strangest of reptiles, 139 00:18:50,844 --> 00:18:52,604 sea-going iguanas. 140 00:18:55,524 --> 00:18:57,324 They are vegetarians, 141 00:18:57,404 --> 00:18:59,884 but since there's little food for them on the land, 142 00:18:59,964 --> 00:19:03,044 marine iguanas graze on the sea floor. 143 00:19:07,204 --> 00:19:10,484 A big male like this one can dive to 30 metres 144 00:19:10,564 --> 00:19:12,764 and hold his breath for half an hour. 145 00:19:38,724 --> 00:19:43,524 There are more than 7, 000 individuals on Fernandina alone. 146 00:19:51,524 --> 00:19:54,404 And by bringing nutrients from the sea to the land, 147 00:19:54,484 --> 00:19:57,804 the iguanas help other animals to survive here, too. 148 00:20:01,724 --> 00:20:05,004 Crabs feed on dead skin on the iguanas' back 149 00:20:05,084 --> 00:20:09,164 and, in turn, provide a welcome exfoliation service. 150 00:20:17,084 --> 00:20:20,844 While smaller lizards prey on the flies that pester the colony. 151 00:20:43,244 --> 00:20:47,764 But not all the relationships on this island are so harmonious. 152 00:20:54,324 --> 00:20:57,204 Marine iguanas lay their eggs in sand. 153 00:20:59,524 --> 00:21:03,484 In June, when the hatchlings emerge, they're vulnerable. 154 00:21:07,564 --> 00:21:10,884 They must join the adults at the edge of the sea. 155 00:21:10,964 --> 00:21:13,364 But the journey will be a dangerous one. 156 00:21:38,564 --> 00:21:40,084 Racer snakes. 157 00:22:09,684 --> 00:22:11,884 The snakes missed their chance. 158 00:22:20,084 --> 00:22:22,244 But more babies are hatching. 159 00:22:27,764 --> 00:22:31,564 And now the snakes are on the alert. 160 00:22:31,644 --> 00:22:36,044 This is the best feeding opportunity they will get all year. 161 00:22:51,524 --> 00:22:56,204 On flat ground a baby iguana can outrun a racer snake. 162 00:22:57,724 --> 00:22:59,924 But others are waiting in ambush. 163 00:23:27,684 --> 00:23:32,564 Another hatchling has its first glimpse of a dangerous world. 164 00:24:30,004 --> 00:24:35,004 A snake's eyes aren't very good, but they can detect movement. 165 00:24:37,044 --> 00:24:41,244 So if the hatchling keeps its nerve, it may just avoid detection. 166 00:26:13,324 --> 00:26:15,604 A near miraculous escape. 167 00:26:22,404 --> 00:26:23,644 The lucky survivors 168 00:26:23,724 --> 00:26:26,564 can begin learning the unique way of life 169 00:26:26,644 --> 00:26:29,204 demanded by this hostile island. 170 00:26:37,604 --> 00:26:41,124 Although marine iguanas are expert swimmers, 171 00:26:41,204 --> 00:26:43,404 they can't cross open oceans. 172 00:26:52,004 --> 00:26:54,004 But even the stormiest waters 173 00:26:54,124 --> 00:26:56,644 are no barrier for birds. 174 00:27:06,124 --> 00:27:09,084 Gale force winds and cold temperatures 175 00:27:09,164 --> 00:27:12,324 make the subantarctic islands off New Zealand 176 00:27:12,404 --> 00:27:15,284 particularly unwelcoming in winter. 177 00:27:27,884 --> 00:27:33,684 But when the brief summer comes, temperatures rise and winds slacken. 178 00:27:48,844 --> 00:27:52,084 It's now that visitors arrive. 179 00:27:54,804 --> 00:27:58,524 All here to breed before winter returns. 180 00:28:00,924 --> 00:28:02,724 There's the Snares penguins. 181 00:28:11,164 --> 00:28:13,044 Shearwaters come, too. 182 00:28:15,964 --> 00:28:19,764 This is an excellent place for them to dig their nesting burrows, 183 00:28:19,844 --> 00:28:22,444 for no predators have managed to get here. 184 00:28:28,484 --> 00:28:31,924 Soon the island is crowded with birds. 185 00:28:33,444 --> 00:28:37,404 Every one of them eager to make the most of the short breeding season. 186 00:28:41,484 --> 00:28:44,244 But not everyone has a partner. 187 00:28:50,524 --> 00:28:54,044 A male Buller's albatross waits for his mate. 188 00:28:57,084 --> 00:29:01,764 Each year they spend six months apart, travelling the ocean. 189 00:29:06,724 --> 00:29:09,364 They reunite here to breed. 190 00:29:12,284 --> 00:29:14,644 But this year, she's late. 191 00:29:18,244 --> 00:29:20,244 No, that's not her. 192 00:29:24,604 --> 00:29:26,884 The other birds come and go. 193 00:29:36,844 --> 00:29:38,564 The clock is ticking. 194 00:29:39,844 --> 00:29:44,684 If she doesn't appear soon, it will be too late for them to breed successfully. 195 00:29:47,404 --> 00:29:51,644 Every morning the shearwaters fly off to collect food for their young. 196 00:30:09,524 --> 00:30:12,644 Everybody else seems to be getting on with it. 197 00:30:25,084 --> 00:30:29,604 The shearwaters' return marks another lost day. 198 00:30:31,644 --> 00:30:34,524 There are three million birds on the island, 199 00:30:34,604 --> 00:30:36,964 but only one matters to him. 200 00:30:44,964 --> 00:30:46,124 Could this be her? 201 00:30:52,324 --> 00:30:53,444 At last. 202 00:31:08,004 --> 00:31:10,364 At first, he's a little coy. 203 00:31:24,564 --> 00:31:26,204 But not for long. 204 00:31:33,244 --> 00:31:35,804 They greet each other with the special dance 205 00:31:35,884 --> 00:31:38,604 they've perfected over many years. 206 00:31:49,724 --> 00:31:55,284 There is much to do, if they're to raise a chick before winter returns. 207 00:31:59,924 --> 00:32:02,644 But when you've been apart for six months, 208 00:32:02,724 --> 00:32:05,044 some things can't be rushed. 209 00:32:23,724 --> 00:32:29,924 Islands in warm tropical waters don't experience seasonal extremes. 210 00:32:32,884 --> 00:32:36,004 The Seychelles, lying off the coast of East Africa, 211 00:32:36,084 --> 00:32:39,164 provide a sanctuary for seabirds all the year round. 212 00:32:55,764 --> 00:32:58,324 Fairy terns are permanent residents. 213 00:32:59,844 --> 00:33:04,964 They take a fairly relaxed view about what constitutes a nest. 214 00:33:06,324 --> 00:33:08,644 A bare branch is quite enough. 215 00:33:17,364 --> 00:33:22,244 Climbing onto it to incubate has to be done with care. 216 00:33:30,604 --> 00:33:33,284 Once a year, the noddies arrive. 217 00:33:34,844 --> 00:33:37,884 They do make nests, and Pisonia trees 218 00:33:37,964 --> 00:33:42,004 provide their young with a rather less precarious start in life. 219 00:33:48,924 --> 00:33:51,524 Nesting on this island looks idyllic, 220 00:33:52,884 --> 00:33:57,044 but behind the beauty there's a sinister side. 221 00:34:01,364 --> 00:34:06,444 The Seychelles fody makes quick work of an unattended egg. 222 00:34:21,524 --> 00:34:23,404 She knows something's not quite right, 223 00:34:23,484 --> 00:34:26,924 but her drive to incubate is strong. 224 00:34:41,484 --> 00:34:43,684 The noddies, too, have a problem. 225 00:34:47,604 --> 00:34:49,404 As their chicks grow, 226 00:34:49,484 --> 00:34:53,484 so the Pisonia tree develops seeds that are sticky 227 00:34:53,564 --> 00:34:55,204 and equipped with hooks. 228 00:35:00,604 --> 00:35:02,764 By the time the young noddies leave 229 00:35:02,844 --> 00:35:06,924 they carry these hitchhiking seeds away to other islands. 230 00:35:13,484 --> 00:35:17,724 But sometimes the Pisonia trees are too successful. 231 00:35:23,284 --> 00:35:27,084 If a fledgling testing out its wings drops to the ground, 232 00:35:27,164 --> 00:35:29,844 it can get covered with the seeds. 233 00:35:38,244 --> 00:35:40,524 Entangled and weighed down, 234 00:35:41,164 --> 00:35:44,804 if it can't free itself, the youngster will starve. 235 00:35:58,244 --> 00:36:03,124 The Pisonia may have failed to disperse these seeds, 236 00:36:03,564 --> 00:36:07,964 but it will soon have fertiliser for its roots. 237 00:36:13,764 --> 00:36:19,604 This is why some people call the Pisonia the "bird catcher tree". 238 00:36:52,644 --> 00:36:55,604 The Fairy tern laid another egg, 239 00:36:55,684 --> 00:36:58,604 and now she has a tiny chick to feed. 240 00:37:05,244 --> 00:37:06,724 This chick is lucky. 241 00:37:09,524 --> 00:37:13,484 By the time it fledges, the Pisonia seeds will have dispersed 242 00:37:13,564 --> 00:37:15,964 and the danger they brought will be gone. 243 00:37:27,164 --> 00:37:30,284 Even the most idyllic looking of islands 244 00:37:30,364 --> 00:37:34,044 presents challenges for the animals living there. 245 00:37:34,124 --> 00:37:38,204 But the greatest threat they face is change. 246 00:37:54,484 --> 00:37:57,204 Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean. 247 00:37:58,644 --> 00:38:04,444 For millions of years this remote spec of land has been ruled by crabs. 248 00:38:10,524 --> 00:38:13,484 Their ancestors came from the sea, 249 00:38:13,564 --> 00:38:17,644 but most have now adopted a land-based existence. 250 00:38:26,724 --> 00:38:31,044 Given there are so many of them, they get along relatively harmoniously. 251 00:38:33,604 --> 00:38:39,404 They're the gardeners and caretakers of a tiny crab utopia. 252 00:38:43,084 --> 00:38:46,724 Once a year, they must all return to the sea to breed, 253 00:38:46,804 --> 00:38:49,004 and the march of the red crabs 254 00:38:49,084 --> 00:38:52,964 is one of the greatest natural spectacles on Earth. 255 00:39:04,484 --> 00:39:06,844 There are 50 million of them. 256 00:39:13,684 --> 00:39:18,164 It's an event that has brought the island worldwide fame. 257 00:39:28,764 --> 00:39:30,444 But in recent years, 258 00:39:30,524 --> 00:39:34,564 millions of red crabs haven't managed to reach the sea. 259 00:39:40,484 --> 00:39:43,484 An invader has occupied this island. 260 00:39:46,484 --> 00:39:48,604 Yellow crazy ants. 261 00:39:49,684 --> 00:39:52,884 They escape from visiting ships, and with no predators 262 00:39:52,964 --> 00:39:55,604 to control them, they have now created vast 263 00:39:55,684 --> 00:39:58,084 super colonies in the forest. 264 00:40:04,004 --> 00:40:07,044 When migrating red crabs march into their territory, 265 00:40:07,124 --> 00:40:08,644 the ants attack, 266 00:40:10,284 --> 00:40:14,044 squirting acid into the crabs' eyes and mouths. 267 00:40:23,924 --> 00:40:26,124 The crabs have no defence. 268 00:40:29,964 --> 00:40:34,044 Blinded and confused, they're doomed. 269 00:40:45,364 --> 00:40:48,764 Humans brought these ant invaders here 270 00:40:48,844 --> 00:40:51,724 and now humans are having to control them. 271 00:40:55,244 --> 00:41:00,844 Isolated communities may evolve for millions of years in relative peace, 272 00:41:02,284 --> 00:41:06,644 but when new challenges arrive, they can struggle to cope. 273 00:41:09,044 --> 00:41:13,564 Of all the species that have become extinct in recent years, 274 00:41:13,644 --> 00:41:17,044 around 80% have been islanders. 275 00:41:20,644 --> 00:41:25,444 Our impact on the Earth is greater today than ever before. 276 00:41:26,484 --> 00:41:28,804 Yet some islands are so remote, 277 00:41:28,884 --> 00:41:31,924 that few humans have even set foot on them. 278 00:41:35,244 --> 00:41:37,964 Zavodovski Island is one. 279 00:41:41,564 --> 00:41:44,324 It lies in the great Southern Ocean. 280 00:41:44,404 --> 00:41:47,684 It's not only surrounded by the stormiest of seas, 281 00:41:47,764 --> 00:41:50,644 it is itself an active volcano. 282 00:41:53,244 --> 00:41:56,684 It's the last place on Earth you'd choose to live. 283 00:42:05,724 --> 00:42:08,684 Unless, you're a chinstrap penguin. 284 00:42:11,204 --> 00:42:14,524 There's plenty of food in these waters, but to exploit it, 285 00:42:14,604 --> 00:42:17,204 the penguins have to risk their lives. 286 00:43:05,924 --> 00:43:09,684 Life here is dangerous in the extreme. 287 00:43:26,764 --> 00:43:30,284 But there are some benefits from living on a volcano. 288 00:43:32,764 --> 00:43:36,124 Its warmth melts the snow early in the year 289 00:43:37,004 --> 00:43:40,364 and by January, the Antarctic's mid-summer, 290 00:43:40,444 --> 00:43:42,884 the island is covered in chicks. 291 00:43:47,204 --> 00:43:50,284 Parents take turns at guarding them 292 00:43:50,364 --> 00:43:52,644 until they're large enough to be left alone. 293 00:43:57,524 --> 00:44:02,484 This mother's chicks are hungry, but she has no food left to give them. 294 00:44:04,364 --> 00:44:08,484 Their survival depends on their father returning with their next meal. 295 00:44:12,844 --> 00:44:14,564 But some don't make it. 296 00:44:28,684 --> 00:44:32,604 Skuas harass the colony hoping to snatch a chick. 297 00:44:40,484 --> 00:44:42,364 She can't risk leaving them. 298 00:44:47,204 --> 00:44:51,124 Everything will be fine as long as their father comes back soon. 299 00:45:20,484 --> 00:45:23,644 He's been fishing 50 miles offshore, 300 00:45:23,724 --> 00:45:25,724 but now, he's not far away. 301 00:45:28,444 --> 00:45:31,844 For him, however, and for all the other parents here, 302 00:45:31,924 --> 00:45:34,564 the worst of the journey is still to come. 303 00:46:06,444 --> 00:46:10,924 Tiny claws help him to get whatever grip he can on the rough lava. 304 00:46:38,684 --> 00:46:41,644 For these commuters, it's rush hour. 305 00:46:43,204 --> 00:46:45,964 Some have had a really bad day. 306 00:46:50,204 --> 00:46:54,324 The father now has a two mile walk to the nest, 307 00:46:54,404 --> 00:46:56,924 and a stomach loaded with food doesn't help. 308 00:47:04,004 --> 00:47:07,884 This is the largest penguin colony in the world. 309 00:47:14,684 --> 00:47:18,044 But as he makes the same journey every other day, 310 00:47:18,124 --> 00:47:21,124 he should be able to do it with his eyes closed. 311 00:47:29,684 --> 00:47:32,804 It's true that there can be safety in numbers, 312 00:47:32,884 --> 00:47:35,484 but numbers can also be something of a problem 313 00:47:35,564 --> 00:47:37,724 when you're trying to find your own nest. 314 00:47:44,284 --> 00:47:46,164 The mother is still waiting. 315 00:47:48,284 --> 00:47:50,364 Her chicks are now desperate. 316 00:47:56,204 --> 00:47:58,804 In the midst of all this deafening chorus, 317 00:47:58,884 --> 00:48:01,364 he can recognise her particular cry. 318 00:48:20,964 --> 00:48:22,084 At last. 319 00:48:37,564 --> 00:48:39,644 Both chicks will get a meal. 320 00:48:46,884 --> 00:48:51,524 With a head bob of acknowledgement, their mother now leaves. 321 00:48:51,604 --> 00:48:54,804 It's her turn to do the feeding run. 322 00:49:01,204 --> 00:49:07,404 This formidable commute is the price these penguins pay for sanctuary. 323 00:49:13,724 --> 00:49:17,164 A strange vision of paradise to us, perhaps, 324 00:49:17,244 --> 00:49:20,644 but for one and a half million penguins, 325 00:49:20,724 --> 00:49:22,844 this island has it all. 326 00:49:33,604 --> 00:49:37,524 Islands may seem remote and insignificant, 327 00:49:37,604 --> 00:49:41,764 but they are home to some of the most precious wildlife on Earth. 328 00:50:05,164 --> 00:50:08,164 The expedition to film on the island of Zavodovski 329 00:50:08,244 --> 00:50:10,844 was the most intrepid shoot of the series. 330 00:50:11,804 --> 00:50:13,444 To ensure its success, 331 00:50:13,524 --> 00:50:17,524 the team have called in Antarctic expert Jerome Poncet, 332 00:50:17,604 --> 00:50:20,604 one of the few people to have set foot on the island. 333 00:50:23,124 --> 00:50:26,604 This whole region of Antarctica is rarely visited. 334 00:50:30,764 --> 00:50:33,444 And this is the planet's roughest ocean. 335 00:50:42,524 --> 00:50:45,084 After seven long days and nights at sea, 336 00:50:45,164 --> 00:50:48,164 they get their first glimpse of their final destination. 337 00:50:48,844 --> 00:50:51,004 It's actually quite surreal after a whole year 338 00:50:51,084 --> 00:50:52,564 of trying to put the expedition together, 339 00:50:52,644 --> 00:50:55,084 and then today we wake up and there's the volcano. 340 00:50:55,164 --> 00:50:56,284 That's Zavodovski. 341 00:50:58,004 --> 00:51:00,684 The explorers who discovered this place 342 00:51:00,764 --> 00:51:04,844 spoke of the stench of sulphurous gases, 343 00:51:04,924 --> 00:51:09,604 treacherous waters and astonishing numbers of penguins. 344 00:51:13,044 --> 00:51:15,364 It seems not much has changed. 345 00:51:16,724 --> 00:51:18,244 The drone's been around the whole place 346 00:51:18,324 --> 00:51:21,644 and there, literally, is only one safe area to get on, 347 00:51:21,724 --> 00:51:24,404 and he's telling us it's that rock face over there. 348 00:51:27,244 --> 00:51:30,324 The team must take everything they need to survive. 349 00:51:31,244 --> 00:51:32,244 Here are penguins. 350 00:51:35,084 --> 00:51:36,764 Though the boat will stay nearby, 351 00:51:36,844 --> 00:51:38,604 they will need to be self-sufficient. 352 00:51:39,924 --> 00:51:43,564 But that means taking a ton of equipment up this cliff. 353 00:51:44,564 --> 00:51:46,324 Just get that lot to help. 354 00:51:46,404 --> 00:51:48,044 Many flippers make light work. 355 00:51:50,724 --> 00:51:53,484 They work all day getting the gear ashore, 356 00:51:56,164 --> 00:51:59,124 but the fact that there are so many penguins on the island 357 00:51:59,204 --> 00:52:00,444 doesn't make it easy. 358 00:52:01,804 --> 00:52:04,884 Yeah, the hardest thing for us has been finding a pathway through, 359 00:52:04,964 --> 00:52:07,764 as there's absolutely penguins everywhere you look. 360 00:52:15,124 --> 00:52:17,364 Finally, it's time to make camp. 361 00:52:22,364 --> 00:52:26,044 They choose a sheltered place that won't disturb the locals. 362 00:52:27,524 --> 00:52:31,284 But since most of the penguins won't have seen a human being before, 363 00:52:31,364 --> 00:52:33,564 they seem keen to pop over and visit. 364 00:52:36,084 --> 00:52:37,284 Nosy neighbours. 365 00:52:39,764 --> 00:52:41,444 The team set off to start documenting 366 00:52:41,524 --> 00:52:43,804 the daily lives of the penguins, 367 00:52:43,884 --> 00:52:46,244 and what they find is astonishing. 368 00:52:47,244 --> 00:52:49,124 As soon as you walk over that ridge, 369 00:52:49,204 --> 00:52:52,524 you so get the tingly feeling because I've never seen 370 00:52:52,604 --> 00:52:54,524 that many animals in one spot. 371 00:52:55,204 --> 00:52:56,284 It's just mind-blowing. 372 00:52:59,084 --> 00:53:01,964 Just like Glastonbury Festival, 373 00:53:02,044 --> 00:53:03,524 the whole landscape was full of 374 00:53:03,604 --> 00:53:06,364 little black and white penguins waddling around. 375 00:53:10,964 --> 00:53:14,124 This is penguin paradise and that's what we've got to show. 376 00:53:18,844 --> 00:53:20,164 A promising start, 377 00:53:21,764 --> 00:53:25,124 but, here, fortunes can change quickly. 378 00:53:29,044 --> 00:53:30,524 ♪ Summertime... ♪ 379 00:53:34,044 --> 00:53:36,564 - Every season within 10 minutes. - Mmm. 380 00:53:40,004 --> 00:53:43,844 As the snow melts, it creates an unforeseen problem. 381 00:53:46,044 --> 00:53:48,884 We've purposely changed the campsite because it was a place 382 00:53:48,964 --> 00:53:51,004 where the penguins didn't seem to go. 383 00:53:51,084 --> 00:53:53,644 I think we've realised why the penguins don't nest here, 384 00:53:53,724 --> 00:53:56,564 it's because of the spray and because of some run-off, 385 00:53:56,644 --> 00:53:58,604 so we are literally in a bit of a bog. 386 00:54:00,724 --> 00:54:03,044 And it's not just mud. 387 00:54:04,804 --> 00:54:06,924 Couple of these guys, as they wander down 388 00:54:07,004 --> 00:54:08,644 to do a spot of fishing, 389 00:54:08,724 --> 00:54:11,964 they tend to use my tent as a little, uh, poop spot. 390 00:54:13,204 --> 00:54:15,884 You kinda get used to it at night just hearing a constant 391 00:54:15,964 --> 00:54:17,564 splat on top of the tent. 392 00:54:18,204 --> 00:54:20,444 But, as you can see, all of the kit, 393 00:54:20,524 --> 00:54:24,564 I'm afraid that's, uh, getting splat on as well. 394 00:54:24,964 --> 00:54:28,764 And when the wind changes, it brings a noxious reminder 395 00:54:28,844 --> 00:54:31,364 that they are camping on an active volcano. 396 00:54:33,764 --> 00:54:36,164 It's the first time we've smelt sulphur which is 397 00:54:36,244 --> 00:54:38,644 a welcome relief from smelling penguins. 398 00:54:39,564 --> 00:54:40,924 It's smoking away. 399 00:54:42,524 --> 00:54:45,484 And I think if they start running for the sea 400 00:54:45,564 --> 00:54:47,804 we're gonna be calling Jerome pretty quick with the boat. 401 00:54:51,004 --> 00:54:53,124 Each day filming on Zavodovski 402 00:54:53,204 --> 00:54:55,284 seems to present a new challenge. 403 00:54:59,564 --> 00:55:02,564 Next, a huge storm hits the island. 404 00:55:05,364 --> 00:55:10,564 Only now do the team realise just how tough life can be for the penguins. 405 00:55:14,284 --> 00:55:19,084 It's hard not to be moved by the effort they go to to feed their chicks. 406 00:55:21,404 --> 00:55:23,684 These huge waves are coming in. 407 00:55:23,764 --> 00:55:27,764 The penguins are surfing it, getting battered on these big boulders, 408 00:55:27,844 --> 00:55:30,964 and now and again you just get a penguin that gets catapulted 409 00:55:31,044 --> 00:55:33,764 15 metres in the air, it's totally ludicrous. 410 00:55:36,004 --> 00:55:39,284 I really think there are, uh, quite few penguins getting killed in it. 411 00:55:45,004 --> 00:55:49,324 The beach in the afternoon was just a scene of death and destruction. 412 00:55:51,164 --> 00:55:52,924 It was absolute carnage. 413 00:55:55,204 --> 00:55:56,444 It's kind of heartbreaking, 414 00:55:56,524 --> 00:55:58,124 I mean, they're trying so hard to get up the beach 415 00:55:58,204 --> 00:56:00,644 with broken legs and bleeding and... 416 00:56:01,644 --> 00:56:04,204 Very, you know, sobering, really. 417 00:56:07,644 --> 00:56:11,284 After witnessing the struggles the penguins must endure, 418 00:56:11,364 --> 00:56:13,444 the team now face the same problem, 419 00:56:14,764 --> 00:56:16,244 getting off the island. 420 00:56:17,484 --> 00:56:19,324 With another storm coming in, 421 00:56:19,804 --> 00:56:21,644 they decide to take their chance. 422 00:56:23,524 --> 00:56:27,404 Jerome has seconds to get in and out between the waves. 423 00:56:28,524 --> 00:56:30,084 Or the Zodiac could tip, 424 00:56:31,244 --> 00:56:32,724 leaving them all stranded. 425 00:56:33,924 --> 00:56:36,324 Hey, that's the first box off the island. 426 00:56:42,044 --> 00:56:43,604 What took a day to get ashore 427 00:56:43,684 --> 00:56:47,524 must be off in minutes. And the swell is getting bigger. 428 00:56:49,404 --> 00:56:52,044 Their window of opportunity is closing. 429 00:56:53,444 --> 00:56:55,444 Hey, look at the swell. Now watch out, watch out. 430 00:57:02,124 --> 00:57:05,484 The equipment's off, but now the team has to follow. 431 00:57:10,404 --> 00:57:12,284 So she's just leaving us now, is she? 432 00:57:12,524 --> 00:57:15,164 That's the producer, she's gone. We have to swim now. 433 00:57:20,244 --> 00:57:22,364 Luckily, it didn't come to that. 434 00:57:27,164 --> 00:57:31,564 Safely aboard, they leave with an unforgettable experience 435 00:57:31,644 --> 00:57:34,164 of how hard life is 436 00:57:34,244 --> 00:57:36,764 on an island at the edge of the world. 437 00:57:41,284 --> 00:57:42,484 Next time, 438 00:57:42,564 --> 00:57:44,524 we ascend into the planet's highest peaks 439 00:57:46,204 --> 00:57:49,324 to discover a spectacular but hostile world 440 00:57:50,004 --> 00:57:52,844 where only the toughest animals can endure. 441 00:57:55,524 --> 00:57:58,044 This is life on the roof of the world, 442 00:57:58,124 --> 00:57:59,884 mountains.