- 5/19/2025
Every animal that lives in Yellowstone confornts challenges; in summer it pitches them into battle against one another for food, territories and mates, in winter it forces them into a struggle for survival.
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00a land of fire and ice.
00:07This is Yellowstone as you've never seen it.
00:13Living here is not easy.
00:18Seasons of punishing extremes
00:28set the stage for survival.
00:32A test of skill and power
00:36begins in winter
00:38and the game is on.
00:58The wolves of Greater Yellowstone are on the hunt.
01:07This is the Dark Wolf's first winter as leader.
01:11Her mate was killed.
01:15Now she's in charge.
01:18Her pack is young.
01:20Dark Wolf must teach them how to hunt as a team
01:26or they won't live through winter.
01:33Their first lesson, how to take down an elk
01:37five times your size.
01:46The wolves' only chance is to work together.
01:59But the pack doesn't keep up.
02:08One good kick could crush her skull.
02:19Hunting big game alone is futile.
02:28She must teach the pack to work together
02:32or they won't last.
02:37In winter, everyone needs a strategy to survive.
03:08As temperatures plummet, tensions rise.
03:14It triggers Yellowstone's ultimate fight club,
03:20the bighorn sheep rut.
03:27Every big testosterone-raging ram
03:30considers himself a contender.
03:35The arena, a coliseum of 800-foot-high cliffs.
03:45Their feet are built to grip the rock.
03:49But sheep do fall.
03:55The last ram standing gets to mate.
04:01The last ram standing gets to mate.
04:32This big old ram is reigning champ,
04:38but his trials have just begun.
04:45At two miles high,
04:48these mountains shape Yellowstone's weather.
04:54They surround the park.
04:58They sit at the end of a 500-mile corridor
05:02forged by Yellowstone's supervolcano.
05:07This corridor is also a weather expressway
05:11funneling moist Pacific air straight to the mountains.
05:19When this moisture collides with the mountains,
05:23it turns to massive amounts of snow.
05:38But there's no end in sight.
05:44But there are some who use snow to their advantage.
06:07The red fox is built for winter.
06:14At only 10 pounds, he doesn't break the snow's surface,
06:20so he can search far and wide for prey.
06:25But how do you find what you cannot see?
06:35His solution?
06:40His solution?
06:44Big ears.
06:47The catch?
06:49His victims are under two feet of snow.
06:54But he can pinpoint the faintest sound.
07:10The fox locks onto a target.
07:20A meadow vole.
07:28But what now?
07:40If he digs, the vole will flee.
07:48Instead, he flies.
08:10Just a small bite, but in winter, every calorie counts.
08:16And some days require an extraordinary amount of energy.
08:21The reigning champ of bighorn sheep battle
08:24stands to lose everything.
08:27Only the strongest ram earns the right to mate.
08:31This huge, young brawler wants a taste of his own medicine.
08:39He takes a shot at the title.
08:45And he won't leave without a fight.
08:49The main event, challenger versus champion.
08:53Winner takes all.
08:56The reigning ram and his heavyweight challenger
08:59size each other up.
09:05The ewes await their champion.
09:11Their massive horns are used as both weapon and shield.
09:17They weigh up to 30 pounds.
09:21And they can be used as a shield.
09:25The reigning champion is a man of few words.
09:31He's a man of few words.
09:35He's a man of few words.
09:39They weigh up to 30 pounds, as much as all the bones
09:44in their body combined.
09:55A massive tendon keeps their head on their shoulders.
10:00Two layers of skull bone absorb each collision.
10:09The force of this impact could kill a human instantly.
10:39It's too much for the old ram.
11:06He has no fight left.
11:13There's a new champion in the herd.
11:24The dark wolf has her pack on the move.
11:2930 miles and counting.
11:33The dark wolf has big meals.
11:37The younger wolves have much to learn.
11:41Most days are spent searching for a lead.
11:47A wolf's nose is 100 times more sensitive than a human's.
11:55The faintest scent tells them who was here and when.
12:04The dark wolf picks up a promising trail.
12:10Droplets of blood from an injured elk.
12:14This could feed her pack for several days.
12:34The herd splits up when wolves appear.
12:38They'll hide under the cover of forest.
12:46The wolves know he's here somewhere.
12:52You can't hide blood from a nose this good.
12:59The hunt is on.
13:17The wolves must work together.
13:21Even a wounded elk puts up a fight.
13:26They take turns leading the chase, looking for weakness.
13:33The elk makes a clever move.
13:37The stream buys him some time.
13:41The dark wolf has no time to waste.
13:45He has to find a way out.
13:49The dark wolf has no time to waste.
13:53He has to find a way out.
13:58The stream buys him some time.
14:05The inexperienced youngsters await the dark wolf's move.
14:12But the pack has lost the advantage.
14:18They know it.
14:23Another failed hunt.
14:30Another hungry night ahead.
14:41While some suffer in Yellowstone's early winter,
14:45river otters are in their element.
14:53The river otters are in their element.
15:07But the fun is coming to an end for this mother and her nine-month-old pup.
15:13Their home on the Yellowstone River is freezing up.
15:18They'll have to strike out and find a new source of open water.
15:25And there are many dangers in Yellowstone's winter.
15:33A starving coyote will eagerly kill and eat the young otter.
15:40The coyote is patient, looking for a chance to strike.
15:56He can swim, but not like an otter.
16:02Mom and her pup are safe.
16:06Mom and her pup are safe, for now.
16:15But Yellowstone won't let them off that easy.
16:19Soon, almost everything will freeze.
16:23Without open water, the otters will be in trouble.
16:30Yellowstone even tests its largest animals.
16:36Bison have lived here since just after the last ice age.
16:41They've survived 10,000 Yellowstone winters.
16:45But it's this calf's first.
16:52Winter forces them on the move to find food.
17:00The calf must keep up.
17:10The bison are not heading to greener pastures,
17:16but warmer ones.
17:21Yellowstone's geyser basins stay open all year,
17:27thanks to the chamber of molten magma boiling under the pond.
17:33Beyond the thermals, the freeze is happening fast.
17:41Ponds are first to set.
17:45Then slower-flowing streams and rivers.
17:52Then the faster ones.
17:58Winter even tames the Rockies' largest waterfall.
18:08Lower Yellowstone falls,
18:13Lower Yellowstone falls.
18:17The otters are now in crisis mode.
18:21There's only one hole left in the ice.
18:28And it's freezing up, too.
18:33They need to leave and find a new home.
18:39But mom is cautious, with a coyote on the prowl.
18:45She'd rather hold tight here for now.
18:52But the pup's natural instinct is to wander.
18:58This could be a fatal mistake.
19:10The young otter is caught out.
19:16His eyes are designed for life underwater.
19:22Out here, he can barely see.
19:28He's lost and alone.
19:58Halfway through their trek, the bison mother is breaking trail
20:05and struggling.
20:12Her calf can only keep up by walking in her footsteps.
20:19At its worst, Yellowstone's bitter winter can kill hundreds of bison.
20:32At last, a sign of hope.
20:39Warm water is keeping this river from freezing.
20:45The geyser basin must be ahead.
20:51So close.
20:55But Yellowstone is not done yet.
21:01Enter the lone wolf.
21:05Hungry and desperate.
21:17One solitary wolf against a 1,000-pound devoted mother.
21:26The wolf will try to lead her away,
21:32then go for the calf.
21:50But it won't work.
21:54Mom has seen it all before.
22:01The mother otter has not yet found her pup.
22:08The mother otter has not yet found her pup.
22:25He's lost further down the frozen river.
22:32Too far for mom to hear his calls.
22:45But the coyote hears him.
22:52Only the deep snow keeps him at bay.
23:02Mom finally picks up a faint scent.
23:08The pup's survival depends on who reaches him first.
23:22At last, mom hears her son.
23:35And he hears her.
23:41No time for greetings.
23:48The coyote is closing in.
23:54They need to get to open water quickly.
24:02And they know just how to do it.
24:18Escape at last.
24:37The dark wolf and her pack haven't eaten in days.
24:48But they have a target, a yearling.
25:03The dark wolf drives the elk into deeper snow,
25:09where she'll have the advantage.
25:16The others now know what to do.
25:25They choose their target well.
25:31The yearling is tiring.
25:46At last, the pack has learned how to hunt together.
25:52And just in time.
25:55Wolves rule in winter.
25:58But the weather is shifting, and so is the balance of power.
26:04High in the peaks of Yellowstone's supervolcano,
26:07longer days are the first hint of spring.
26:14Predators are rising.
26:20Over 600 grizzly bears are advancing on greater Yellowstone.
26:31This young male has been asleep for months, and he's hungry.
26:44It's going to be a critical summer.
26:47The bear is first without mom.
26:50He's first finding food for himself.
26:55And winning a place at Yellowstone's table is not easy.
27:03His mom taught him, if you follow wolves, they lead you to food.
27:13It's one thing to follow, another to fight.
27:32He should easily fend off a couple wolves.
27:43But reinforcements are coming.
28:02The wolves keep control.
28:07But the bear will be back.
28:13By May, eight months of snow is poised to crash into the world below.
28:44Ready or not, summer is here.
28:57Yellowstone transforms with the melt.
29:14Rivers swell by 18 times.
29:20More than 3 million gallons a minute roars over lower Yellowstone Falls.
29:29All this water kick-starts an explosion of life.
29:48Summer will be hard on the young.
29:54But they don't know that yet.
30:05Many of the animals born here will never turn one.
30:11It's up to their parents to keep them alive.
30:25For wolves, that means killing.
30:31This mom means business.
30:55The swollen river saves the elk's life.
31:01Now she's cold, wet, and still hungry.
31:08The young grizzly's hunger drives him two miles high into the mountains.
31:14Where his mother once showed him a hidden treasure.
31:21Hiding in the rocks, millions of juicy moths escape the heat.
31:29They're the only ones left alive.
31:36Hiding in the rocks, millions of juicy moths escape the heat.
31:44Each one is 70% fat, and he'll eat tens of thousands if he can.
31:52But his secret is out.
31:56Fights over food turn ugly.
32:03The desperate grizzly tries to put off the trespassing bears.
32:09But mother bears are hard to deter.
32:16Hungry, tired, and beaten down, the grizzly is ready to fight.
32:24He's ready to fight.
32:30He's ready to fight.
32:36He's ready to fight.
32:43Tired and beaten down, he retreats.
32:51Another loss for the young bear.
32:55Nothing in Yellowstone is easy.
33:00Summer can be brutal and benevolent.
33:09A potent cocktail of water and sun triggers Yellowstone's bloom.
33:22Filled with nectar.
33:26They're reserved for a special guest from a thousand miles away.
33:34A hummingbird flies all the way from Mexico for Yellowstone's sweet nectar.
33:48Her extra long tongue can reach the riches in the back of a flower.
33:56Beating her wings 60 times a second uses up a lot of fuel.
34:04She drinks her body weight every day.
34:07And with nectar this sweet, she'll be lured north every summer of her life.
34:16Yellowstone's bloom is a window of opportunity for many.
34:24This black bear is after fresh grass.
34:30Eat up while it's young.
34:36These greens are most tender for the first few weeks.
34:43While mom feeds, her cubs explore and play.
35:01Climbing will come with practice.
35:08Dinner time.
35:25No skim milk for these guys.
35:29Mom's milk is 25% fat.
35:35Thanks to her, these cubs will fatten up quick.
35:48By late summer, the sun, so welcome months ago,
35:54bakes the land without mercy.
36:05Even boiling geyser basins begin to dry.
36:11Mud pools thicken and explode.
36:35Then Yellowstone's sun changes the game again.
36:41As summer wanes, a beaver family works around the clock to make repairs to their lodge
36:48before winter returns.
36:55It's dad's turn to work the night shifts.
37:02Evenings are a cool time to get stuff done.
37:12He's a beaver out of water, so he must work quickly.
37:18Dangerous things go bump in the night.
37:32Coast is clear.
37:46Finally, but watch out.
37:53This tree has enough branches to finish the job.
38:00It's taken all summer, but the beaver's pond is finally full.
38:06Their masterpiece will help them survive the winter.
38:13As summer fades, the beaver's pond is filled with water.
38:19It's time to get back to work.
38:25It's time to get back to work.
38:31It's time to get back to work.
38:38As summer fades and temperatures drop, urgency rises.
38:48Shorter days trigger the final big event of the summer.
38:56A dangerous battle of skills.
39:03Dozens of 700-pound elk stags have come out of the woodwork, ready to face off.
39:23The stag elk's antlers have grown half an inch a day for months,
39:30just for this moment.
39:39An elk battle is as much about technique as brute force.
39:47The winner's prize? Mating rights.
40:00Most fights only last seconds,
40:10but six minutes in, neither stag is giving up.
40:30Finally, the old man runs the challenger off and claims his harem.
40:41His legacy will carry down to thousands of descendants.
40:49In this final game of summer, winner takes all.
41:00The winter wind announces summer's last call.
41:15It's been a difficult season for the young bear.
41:21He needs a final meal.
41:30His mortal enemies have one.
41:36He was chased off a kill by this wolf pack at the start of summer,
41:42but he's stronger and wiser and ready to try again.
41:50When out of nowhere, a bigger bear beats him to it.
42:00The big male is aggressive.
42:10The wolves, relentless.
42:16Bravely, the young male moves in.
42:23The wolves force the big male out.
42:29The young bear tries a surprising tactic.
42:35Stay calm, steady.
42:45It's cool.
42:53By coming in peace, he secures himself a big meal.
43:03All bears must make the most of summer.
43:09Soon, there will be nothing left for them down here.
43:15Then, it will be time to den.
43:23It's time to go home.
43:37The young male climbs high into the mountains to a steep north slope.
43:45In just hours, summer will be a memory.
43:53Covered for months by 30 feet of snow.
44:03On the other side, Yellowstone's summer will be waiting.
44:22You
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