1
00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,960
'Everything
on our planet is connected...

2
00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,960
'..to our epic journey
around the sun.

3
00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:24,960
'Filmed in more than 60
incredible locations...

4
00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:31,960
'..so far, we've shown
how animals survive

5
00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:33,960
'in an ever-changing landscape.

6
00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:47,480
'Now... as we enter
the last chapter...

7
00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:51,960
'..life braces once more...

8
00:00:52,960 --> 00:00:55,960
'..for what the final season
can throw at it.'

9
00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:01,960
If winter is the great equaliser...

10
00:01:05,960 --> 00:01:07,960
..and spring
is for new beginnings...

11
00:01:12,960 --> 00:01:14,960
..summer a time of plenty...

12
00:01:19,960 --> 00:01:20,960
..then autumn...

13
00:01:20,960 --> 00:01:23,960
autumn is the season of change.

14
00:01:28,960 --> 00:01:32,160
'For the families we've followed
for the last nine months...'

15
00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,480
'..change brings opportunity...'

16
00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:42,960
'..but also huge challenges.'

17
00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:48,960
'For many, the last three months

18
00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,960
'of our unique annual journey
around the sun

19
00:01:52,960 --> 00:01:55,960
'will be their toughest yet.

20
00:02:29,960 --> 00:02:32,000
'It's mid-September.

21
00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,960
'And the deciduous forests
of North America

22
00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:41,480
'are staging
the season's most iconic spectacle.

23
00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,960
'This blaze of colour
is a last hurrah

24
00:02:48,960 --> 00:02:51,960
'triggered by a drop in temperature.

25
00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:58,960
'The red pigments help the trees
extract the last morsels of energy

26
00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:01,160
'before they shed their leaves.

27
00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:08,640
'The forest
is preparing to hibernate.

28
00:03:12,960 --> 00:03:15,960
'So, too, are its residents.

29
00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,960
'For a chipmunk,
it's the busiest time of year.

30
00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,960
'He needs to stockpile enough nuts

31
00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:35,960
'to last him through winter.

32
00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,000
'Most are rotten.

33
00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:47,960
'But not all.

34
00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:55,960
'One oak tree
is still dropping acorns.

35
00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:03,960
'Fresh...

36
00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:07,320
'..nutritious...

37
00:04:08,960 --> 00:04:10,960
'..and plentiful.

38
00:04:17,960 --> 00:04:19,960
'The only problem is...

39
00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:24,640
'..they're in enemy territory.

40
00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,000
'And chipmunks don't like to share.

41
00:04:32,960 --> 00:04:35,960
'He'll need to be sneaky...

42
00:04:37,960 --> 00:04:38,960
'..stealthy...

43
00:04:39,960 --> 00:04:42,960
'..and tactical.

44
00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:51,800
'Busted!

45
00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:58,000
'Territorial males...

46
00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:03,800
'..will defend their patch
with extraordinary ferocity.

47
00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:07,960
'The little chipmunk
puts up a good fight...

48
00:05:09,960 --> 00:05:11,960
'..and has some impressive moves...

49
00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:26,960
'..but knows when he's beaten.

50
00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:32,960
'An injury this late in the year
could be risky.

51
00:05:39,320 --> 00:05:43,960
'But going into winter
with an empty larder could be fatal.

52
00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,960
'Time to do or die.

53
00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:22,960
'Finally, the chipmunk
forces his rival to retreat

54
00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:25,800
'and wins access to the tree.

55
00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:31,960
'A determined chipmunk

56
00:06:31,960 --> 00:06:35,960
'can gather 150 nuts a day.

57
00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:42,960
'His stash is building up nicely.

58
00:06:42,960 --> 00:06:44,960
'With a little more work,

59
00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:48,960
'it should be enough to see him
through six long months underground.

60
00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,640
'As autumn progresses,

61
00:06:58,640 --> 00:07:01,960
'life for those living in the north
gets darker,

62
00:07:01,960 --> 00:07:04,960
'colder and much tougher.

63
00:07:19,800 --> 00:07:22,960
'The salmon season
is coming to an end.

64
00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:26,800
'But this grizzly bear

65
00:07:26,800 --> 00:07:29,960
'is still desperately trying
to catch enough fish

66
00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,960
'to feed herself and her family.

67
00:07:34,960 --> 00:07:40,960
'On average, only one in two cubs
survives the first year.

68
00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:51,960
'Bears can't stockpile food
like chipmunks.

69
00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:55,320
'Instead, they must put on
enough weight

70
00:07:55,320 --> 00:08:00,320
'to endure five months
of hibernation without eating.

71
00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:12,960
'If Mum can't provide,
her cubs won't make it through.'

72
00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:21,960
'A week later,
the temperature plummets...

73
00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:28,960
'..and the rivers on which
she relies for food freeze over.

74
00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:34,960
'Hopes of these bears
surviving the winter

75
00:08:34,960 --> 00:08:37,960
'seem bleaker than ever.

76
00:08:42,480 --> 00:08:46,960
'It's -20 in Northern Canada,

77
00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:50,960
'and this bear family
is desperate for food.

78
00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,960
'All the fishing rivers
are locked in ice.

79
00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:07,960
'But this mum knows one last place.

80
00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:18,960
'Here, warmer water
seeping through the bedrock

81
00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:21,320
'keeps the river from freezing...

82
00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,960
'..and offers her one last hope.

83
00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:38,160
'As soon as her wet fur
is exposed to the freezing air...

84
00:09:39,960 --> 00:09:42,960
'..she becomes an ice bear...

85
00:09:43,960 --> 00:09:45,960
'..one of
a unique group of grizzlies

86
00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,960
'who know the secrets
of this isolated river.

87
00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:20,960
'As long as the water
keeps flowing...

88
00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:23,960
'..Mum keeps fishing...

89
00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,960
'..up to six weeks later
than other bears in the region.

90
00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,960
'A little local knowledge

91
00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:51,960
'gives her cubs the best chance
of surviving the long winter ahead.

92
00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:13,960
'As the Northern Hemisphere
continues to cool,

93
00:11:13,960 --> 00:11:16,960
'hunkering down to hibernate
isn't the only option.

94
00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:24,640
'Many animals escape the cold
by chasing the sun further south.

95
00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:32,960
'At this time of year,

96
00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:36,960
'billions of animals
are on the move.

97
00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:40,800
'From the titanic...

98
00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:46,960
'..to the tiny.

99
00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,960
'This little caterpillar

100
00:11:55,960 --> 00:12:00,160
'may not seem very well-prepared
for long-distance travel.

101
00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:07,480
'At least not until
a miracle happens.

102
00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:13,960
'Squeezed into a tiny cocoon,

103
00:12:13,960 --> 00:12:16,640
'his body turns to soup...

104
00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:21,960
'..then slowly begins to reorganise.

105
00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:35,960
'A magical transformation...

106
00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:41,800
'..from leaf-eating machine

107
00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:44,960
'to migratory marvel.

108
00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,000
'The monarch butterfly.

109
00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:01,960
'His wing muscles
may be smaller than a grain of rice,

110
00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:06,960
'but incredibly,
they'll carry him 2,500 miles

111
00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:08,960
'all the way from Maine...

112
00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:12,800
'..to Mexico.

113
00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,960
'Some animals are already enjoying
the warmer conditions

114
00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:23,960
'south of the border.

115
00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:34,960
'Sardines come here to breed,

116
00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:38,960
'gathering in large schools,
ready to spawn.

117
00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:45,640
'If they live that long.

118
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:55,960
'A 12 foot-long striped marlin.

119
00:14:00,320 --> 00:14:06,960
'When its stripes begin to glow,
it means it's ready to attack.

120
00:14:09,960 --> 00:14:13,960
'The iridescence
confuses the sardines.

121
00:14:18,960 --> 00:14:21,800
'To make matters worse,

122
00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,960
'marlin rarely hunt alone.

123
00:14:26,960 --> 00:14:30,640
'One of the fastest fish in the sea,

124
00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:34,320
'they can accelerate to 50mph.

125
00:14:45,960 --> 00:14:46,960
'They're so fast,

126
00:14:46,960 --> 00:14:48,960
'they need a special muscle

127
00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,960
'to heat
their tennis-ball-sized eyeballs

128
00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:54,800
'to sharpen their vision

129
00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:56,960
'and quicken their reaction times.

130
00:15:03,960 --> 00:15:07,960
'The thrashing
attracts even more trouble.

131
00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:11,960
'Sea lions join the hunt.

132
00:15:18,960 --> 00:15:22,960
'Up above,
pelicans strike from the air.

133
00:15:26,960 --> 00:15:28,960
'Now the sardines are trapped,

134
00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:31,960
'the marlin can clean up.

135
00:15:58,960 --> 00:16:01,320
'Swiping their rapier-like bills

136
00:16:01,320 --> 00:16:03,960
'helps to pick off fish
from the school

137
00:16:03,960 --> 00:16:06,960
'and guide them into their mouths.

138
00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,960
'Sometimes,
they even make a direct hit.

139
00:16:19,960 --> 00:16:23,960
'A school of sardines
the size of a house

140
00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:26,960
'is demolished in minutes.

141
00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:34,960
'A month after the equinox,

142
00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:38,960
'the sun's influence has moved
far enough below the equator

143
00:16:38,960 --> 00:16:42,800
'for it to be felt
deep into the Southern Hemisphere.

144
00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:52,320
'Down here, it's warming up.'

145
00:16:56,960 --> 00:16:58,640
'The change in season

146
00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:01,960
'brings relief
for the penguin chick.'

147
00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:08,960
'But also new challenges.

148
00:17:11,000 --> 00:17:15,960
'For ten months, her parents
provided all the food she needed.

149
00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:19,960
'But now they've left her...

150
00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:22,960
'..for good.

151
00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,960
'At three feet tall,
she may be fully-grown,

152
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:32,960
'but still just a teenager
in penguin years.

153
00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:39,960
'And going through
a bit of an awkward stage.

154
00:17:41,960 --> 00:17:46,000
'Down feathers may keep her warm,
but they won't keep her dry.

155
00:17:46,000 --> 00:17:49,960
'So, before she can join
the others at sea,

156
00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:53,960
'she needs to lose them
for something more mature.

157
00:17:56,960 --> 00:18:00,800
'At least her friends
are suffering the same thing.'

158
00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:07,960
'It's just a phase.

159
00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:09,640
'A couple of weeks later,

160
00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:12,960
'all that fluff
is replaced with a sleek coat

161
00:18:12,960 --> 00:18:15,960
'of tightly-packed,
waterproof feathers.

162
00:18:17,960 --> 00:18:20,960
'But even a fully-fledged penguin

163
00:18:20,960 --> 00:18:22,960
'can be a little ungainly

164
00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:24,960
'until it reaches the sea.'

165
00:18:28,960 --> 00:18:31,960
'It's a long walk down to the beach.

166
00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:39,960
'Especially when trying to tiptoe
past slumbering giants...'

167
00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:46,960
'..without waking them.'

168
00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:04,960
'A three-tonne elephant seal

169
00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:07,960
'could easily crush
the little penguin.'

170
00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,960
'Thankfully, just a lot of hot air.

171
00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,960
'But she now faces
her toughest challenge yet...

172
00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:47,960
'..to head out to sea
and the unknown.

173
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:18,960
'Killer whales patrol Marion Island.

174
00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:24,960
'And fledglings
make especially easy targets.

175
00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,960
'If this little penguin
is to avoid starvation...

176
00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:35,960
'..sooner or later,
she'll have to take the plunge.

177
00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:45,160
'At this time of year,

178
00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,640
'the sun's rays
are at their most direct

179
00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:50,960
'over Southern Africa.

180
00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:54,960
'Here, the dry season

181
00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:57,960
'has reached maximum intensity.'

182
00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:19,960
'At nine months old...

183
00:21:20,960 --> 00:21:25,960
'..the most important lesson
this young elephant needs to learn

184
00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:28,960
'is how to keep cool.

185
00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:36,320
'Dirt works as sunblock.

186
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,960
'He's experienced
dry weather before.

187
00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,960
'But this is a drought.

188
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:56,960
'Our changing climate

189
00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,960
'means that rainfall
has become more unpredictable.

190
00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:09,960
'Elephants normally drink
200 litres of water every day,

191
00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:11,960
'enough to fill a bathtub.

192
00:22:22,960 --> 00:22:25,960
'Now they must dig deep

193
00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:27,960
'just to get a mouthful.

194
00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:35,960
'It's not enough.

195
00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:42,960
'The calf's two-year-old cousin
is struggling.

196
00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,640
'If he can't catch up
with the rest of the herd...

197
00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:57,800
'..he'll become a target.

198
00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:15,960
'The rains that the elephants
so desperately need

199
00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:20,960
'are still 2,000 miles away
in the Northern Hemisphere.'

200
00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:34,960
'For the last four months,

201
00:23:34,960 --> 00:23:39,960
'Northeast India has been
the wettest place on Earth.'

202
00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:48,960
'Water is a life-giver.

203
00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:58,960
'But months of monsoon
can really drag on.

204
00:24:06,960 --> 00:24:09,800
'When the skies finally clear...

205
00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:12,960
'..new visitors arrive.

206
00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,480
'This Amur falcon

207
00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:21,960
'has flown a staggering 2,000 miles
from Russia.

208
00:24:24,960 --> 00:24:27,960
'Halfway on her mammoth migration
to South Africa,

209
00:24:27,960 --> 00:24:31,960
'this is the perfect place
for a pit stop.

210
00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:41,960
'Just after the rains,
termites take to the air.

211
00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:02,960
'Amur falcons are usually solitary.

212
00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:09,960
'But here, they gather
in hundreds of thousands

213
00:25:09,960 --> 00:25:11,960
'for this flying feast.'

214
00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:25,960
'It's the greatest gathering
of birds of prey

215
00:25:25,960 --> 00:25:28,960
'found anywhere on Earth.

216
00:25:47,960 --> 00:25:49,480
'By the end of October,

217
00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:52,960
'the sun's intensity
has moved further south,

218
00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:57,320
'pulling the tropical rain band
that was lodged over India

219
00:25:57,320 --> 00:26:01,960
'across the equator
and into the Southern Hemisphere.'

220
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,960
'Eventually, the rains fall

221
00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:12,960
'on a tiny island

222
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:14,960
'in the middle
of the Indian Ocean...

223
00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:25,960
'..waking its most famous residents.

224
00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:29,960
'Red crabs.

225
00:26:33,960 --> 00:26:35,960
'40 million of them.

226
00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,960
'They're all heading
down to the beach to spawn...

227
00:26:45,960 --> 00:26:47,160
'..clogging up the roads,

228
00:26:47,160 --> 00:26:50,000
'bringing the island
to a standstill.

229
00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:55,160
'They wait for months underground

230
00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:57,320
'for the rains to arrive.

231
00:26:58,960 --> 00:27:00,160
'Now it's humid enough

232
00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:01,960
'to breathe in the open air.

233
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,320
'But when the sun re-emerges

234
00:27:10,320 --> 00:27:12,480
'and begins to dry the forest...

235
00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:15,960
'..the race is on.

236
00:27:19,960 --> 00:27:22,480
'They need to reach the sea

237
00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:24,640
'before they dehydrate.

238
00:27:32,960 --> 00:27:35,960
'The females that have mated,
like this one,

239
00:27:35,960 --> 00:27:37,960
'carry a precious load.

240
00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:42,640
'Tens of thousands of tiny eggs.

241
00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,960
'But many never survive the journey.

242
00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:53,960
'Coconut crabs
are ten times her size...

243
00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:59,960
'..and they hunt red crabs.

244
00:28:05,960 --> 00:28:10,960
'And not all of the island's roads
are closed.

245
00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:29,960
'She's made it.

246
00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,960
'But before she can release her eggs
into the sea,

247
00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:37,960
'she must wait for the tide to turn.

248
00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,960
'Right now, it's still coming in.

249
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:49,960
'A few hours later,

250
00:28:49,960 --> 00:28:52,960
'conditions are perfect.

251
00:28:53,960 --> 00:28:55,960
'Now joined by a crowd,

252
00:28:55,960 --> 00:28:58,320
'she enters the shallows.

253
00:29:00,960 --> 00:29:04,960
'Her eggs hatch
on contact with water.

254
00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:09,960
'And with a little shake,

255
00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:13,960
'she casts her tiny babies
out to sea

256
00:29:13,960 --> 00:29:16,640
'on the outgoing tide.

257
00:29:23,960 --> 00:29:27,960
'The same tropical rain band
that passes over Christmas Island

258
00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:32,960
'is now rolling further down
into Southern Africa.

259
00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:35,960
'For the elephant herd,

260
00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,960
'it can't come soon enough.

261
00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:43,960
'It's now desperately dry.

262
00:29:44,960 --> 00:29:48,960
'But they sense change in the air.

263
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:52,960
'Using their trunks
like a nasal periscope,

264
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:56,320
'they can sense water
12 miles away.'

265
00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:06,960
'Nightfall
brings respite from the heat.'

266
00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:15,960
'But elephants
have poor night vision.

267
00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:25,320
'Using the latest camera technology,
however...

268
00:30:27,960 --> 00:30:30,960
'..we can see in the dark...

269
00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,960
'..much like the lions.'

270
00:30:47,960 --> 00:30:50,960
'The calf knows to stay close.

271
00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:58,800
'But some can't keep up.

272
00:30:59,960 --> 00:31:02,480
'The weakened cousin and his mother

273
00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:04,640
'are lost in the dark.'

274
00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,960
'Oblivious to what's happening
behind them,

275
00:31:46,960 --> 00:31:50,960
'the yearling
and the rest of the herd move on.'

276
00:32:02,160 --> 00:32:05,640
'She won't leave her baby.'

277
00:32:14,960 --> 00:32:18,960
'Her only hope is to guide him away.

278
00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:23,960
'But she's totally outnumbered.'

279
00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:56,160
'The already weak calf

280
00:32:56,160 --> 00:32:58,960
'is now badly injured.

281
00:33:01,960 --> 00:33:06,960
'All the lions need to do is wait.

282
00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:25,960
'By morning,

283
00:33:25,960 --> 00:33:29,960
'her calf has stopped breathing.'

284
00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:13,960
'Elephants are one of
the few animals that grieve.'

285
00:34:19,960 --> 00:34:24,960
'They need time to mourn.'

286
00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:56,960
'Calm water in a secluded cove

287
00:35:56,960 --> 00:36:00,960
'seems a good place
for the king penguin fledgling

288
00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,960
'to take her first-ever swim.

289
00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:09,960
'But nowhere is totally safe.

290
00:36:35,960 --> 00:36:37,960
'She needs to head out to sea

291
00:36:37,960 --> 00:36:39,960
'to find food.

292
00:36:40,960 --> 00:36:43,800
'It's now or never.

293
00:36:54,960 --> 00:36:56,960
'The sooner
she reaches the open ocean,

294
00:36:56,960 --> 00:36:59,960
'the sooner she'll be safe.

295
00:37:05,960 --> 00:37:08,800
'Naive to danger...'

296
00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:13,960
'..her hesitation could be fatal.

297
00:37:31,800 --> 00:37:32,960
'Just in time,

298
00:37:32,960 --> 00:37:35,960
'the instinct to escape kicks in.

299
00:37:40,000 --> 00:37:44,960
'A king penguin
can't outpace a killer whale.

300
00:37:45,960 --> 00:37:47,960
'But it can outmanoeuvre it.

301
00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:57,480
'Thanks to her agility,

302
00:37:57,480 --> 00:38:00,160
'she finally reaches deeper waters

303
00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:02,960
'and joins the rest of the flock

304
00:38:02,960 --> 00:38:05,960
'to go fishing far out to sea.

305
00:38:09,960 --> 00:38:11,960
'She won't return to land

306
00:38:11,960 --> 00:38:14,960
'for a whole year.

307
00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:35,000
'The monarch butterfly

308
00:38:35,000 --> 00:38:36,960
'is on the final stretch

309
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,960
'of its 2,500-mile journey.

310
00:38:43,480 --> 00:38:44,960
'His destination

311
00:38:44,960 --> 00:38:47,000
'is just around the corner.

312
00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:05,960
'The fact that something so small,
so delicate

313
00:39:05,960 --> 00:39:07,960
'has made it all this way

314
00:39:07,960 --> 00:39:10,960
'is nothing short of a miracle.'

315
00:39:15,960 --> 00:39:18,000
Just think
what this little butterfly

316
00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,960
has flown through to be here.

317
00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:24,640
He's crossed vast deserts,

318
00:39:24,640 --> 00:39:27,960
he's dodged thunderous hailstorms,

319
00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:30,960
he's traversed huge mountain ranges,

320
00:39:30,960 --> 00:39:34,960
and crossed
quite a few busy highways.

321
00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:40,960
'He's not the only one to make it.

322
00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:44,960
'Others have
found their way here, too.'

323
00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:49,960
When you're in a forest
on a windy day,

324
00:39:49,960 --> 00:39:51,960
you can hear the rustle of leaves,
and at first,

325
00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:53,960
your ears tell you
that's what you're hearing now.

326
00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:56,960
But no, it's the flutter of wings.

327
00:39:56,960 --> 00:40:01,480
Millions and millions
of pairs of wings.

328
00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:20,320
'They gather here
in this one high-altitude forest

329
00:40:20,320 --> 00:40:21,960
'in Central Mexico

330
00:40:21,960 --> 00:40:25,960
'to escape the freezing temperatures
in the north

331
00:40:25,960 --> 00:40:28,960
'and find sun nearer the equator.'

332
00:40:31,960 --> 00:40:34,640
We know they use the sun
for navigation,

333
00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:36,800
but perhaps
the most remarkable thing of all

334
00:40:36,800 --> 00:40:40,800
is how they know to come here,
to these trees.

335
00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:43,960
Why these trees, of all the trees,

336
00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:46,960
of all the forests in all Mexico?

337
00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:51,960
And not one single one
of these butterflies

338
00:40:51,960 --> 00:40:55,480
has ever been here before.

339
00:40:57,960 --> 00:41:01,960
'These forests
are filled with monarchs every year,

340
00:41:01,960 --> 00:41:05,960
'but each butterfly
only lives for a few months.

341
00:41:07,960 --> 00:41:11,960
'With no knowledge
passed down between individuals,

342
00:41:11,960 --> 00:41:16,960
'it's only some kind of miraculous,
in-built impulse

343
00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:19,960
'that drives them all south here
to Mexico.'

344
00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:25,960
He likes me.

345
00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:30,480
What should I call you?
Monarch of All You Survey.

346
00:41:32,960 --> 00:41:34,800
Or I should call you Stephen,

347
00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:36,960
after King Stephen, the monarch,

348
00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:39,000
who didn't reign for very long.

349
00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:42,960
God, you're so beautifully-made.

350
00:41:42,960 --> 00:41:45,800
There's no part of you
that isn't perfect.

351
00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:48,640
Can't say the same about me.

352
00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:53,960
The other thing
which they didn't warn me about...

353
00:41:54,960 --> 00:41:57,480
Goodbye.

354
00:41:57,480 --> 00:42:00,960
..is that,
like all living creatures,

355
00:42:00,960 --> 00:42:01,960
they do excrete.

356
00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:05,960
They urinate, and you feel
little drops on your head.

357
00:42:05,960 --> 00:42:08,960
I got one on my lip.
I couldn't help, and I thought,

358
00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:10,960
"I'll taste monarch butterfly pee."

359
00:42:10,960 --> 00:42:13,960
It is very, very bitter.

360
00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:15,960
Deeply unpleasant.

361
00:42:15,960 --> 00:42:17,960
Nasty.

362
00:42:17,960 --> 00:42:20,960
Otherwise, lovely animals.

363
00:42:43,800 --> 00:42:48,960
'As the Earth nears the end of
its epic journey around the sun...

364
00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:51,960
'..it's remarkable to think

365
00:42:51,960 --> 00:42:54,960
'that giant cosmic forces
play a role

366
00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:56,960
'in the tiny decisions

367
00:42:56,960 --> 00:43:00,480
'that these little butterflies make
every day.

368
00:43:11,960 --> 00:43:15,160
'It's the same
for all life on Earth.'

369
00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:20,960
'In Zimbabwe, the band of rain

370
00:43:20,960 --> 00:43:23,960
'that has been pulled south
by the sun

371
00:43:23,960 --> 00:43:25,960
'eventually arrives.

372
00:43:31,960 --> 00:43:33,960
'The elephants can spread out,

373
00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:37,800
'finding water holes
free from predators.

374
00:43:45,960 --> 00:43:47,960
'In Canada,

375
00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:49,960
'the colder, shorter days

376
00:43:49,960 --> 00:43:52,960
'drive the chipmunk into hiding.

377
00:44:01,960 --> 00:44:04,160
'On an incoming tide,

378
00:44:04,160 --> 00:44:08,960
'the crab babies
have returned in their billions.

379
00:44:09,960 --> 00:44:12,960
'Just in time for Christmas.

380
00:44:19,800 --> 00:44:22,960
'And in the sub-Antarctic,
the king penguin

381
00:44:22,960 --> 00:44:26,960
'will one day return
to the same beach she was born on

382
00:44:26,960 --> 00:44:29,960
'to start a family of her own.'

383
00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:39,960
Our annual journey around the sun
is what unites us all

384
00:44:39,960 --> 00:44:44,320
and creates the incredible diversity
on our planet,

385
00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:47,960
and great natural wonders like this.

386
00:44:50,640 --> 00:44:53,960
So as another year
draws to a close,

387
00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:56,960
it's hard to know
what the future holds

388
00:44:56,960 --> 00:44:58,960
in these changing times.

389
00:44:58,960 --> 00:45:01,960
But if one has had the privilege

390
00:45:01,960 --> 00:45:05,960
of witnessing this magical wonder,

391
00:45:05,960 --> 00:45:08,960
then one knows
that we have to cherish it.

392
00:45:10,960 --> 00:45:13,960
There can be
surely no more spectacular way

393
00:45:13,960 --> 00:45:18,960
to end a year on planet Earth.

394
00:45:28,960 --> 00:45:33,160
Subtitles by accessibility@itv.com