Full transcript
Cuddly and Wild
0:03Baby animals are cute, cuddly – and clumsy.
0:12They often face danger right from the start.
0:24Challenges lurk everywhere, and survival’s a constant struggle.
0:30For young animals, growing up in the wilderness...
0:34…is anything but child's play.
A Baby Grey Seal is Born
0:47Winters can be harsh on the Baltic Sea.
0:55This is the time of year when the grey seals give birth.
1:20The pup has hiccups. This might be frustrating, but it serves a purpose,
1:26freeing up the respiratory system and keeping the amniotic fluid out of the lungs.
1:32The mother and her baby learn to recognise each
1:35other's sounds and smells. Their task gets interrupted.
1:47A bull approaches – But not if mother can help it.
1:55The 300-kilo male seal could hurt the cub.
2:04The mother drives him off.
2:22The two can return to becoming acquainted.
2:28The bull gets the message – for now, at least.
2:34Thanks to the fat in its mother's milk, the cub gains up to two kilograms a day.
2:47The colony is full of young seals.
2:57They have to bulk up quickly because fat keeps them warm in the cold water. but the
3:02mothers are in a hurry to return to the sea. The cubs will face difficult times.
Brown Bear Triplets
3:17Grey seals are not the only animals to reproduce in winter.
3:25In northern Scandinavia, a brown bear has given birth to triplets in the safety of her cave.
3:41At birth, the cute cubs were barely larger than guinea pigs.
3:48Within a few weeks they’ve grown three times the size and ten times as heavy.
3:56So far, the cubs have seen nothing but the inside of their cave.
4:05Over the next few months they’ll face danger and adventure.
Winter Frost begins to melt
4:26The sun puts in a brief appearance.
4:33For now, its weak rays can’t free the landscape from winter's icy grip.
4:43And this won't change any time soon.
4:57Further south, the brighter sun brings nature back to life.
5:21First, the ice vanishes...
5:26…then it’s the snow's turn.
5:38Winter aconite and snowdrops begin to bloom.
Piglets out for the first time!
5:48These winter babies are early risers – just a few days old they are up and about looking for food.
5:58The piglets collect acorns and beechnuts, as well as beetles and worms.
6:08The mother stays close so she can show the young boars where to find food.
6:24The piglets frolic in the first warm sunbeams.
6:40The young males are already playfighting – good practice for their future.
6:59Soon, the mother vanishes into the undergrowth.
7:05This is the moment the piglets have been waiting for.
7:10Nursing has a hierarchy: the front teats deliver the most milk,
7:15and the stronger piglets make sure they get there first.
7:23The wild boars establish social structures early.
7:29When feeding is done, it is time for a nap.
7:40The baby boars depend on each other.
7:45Too young to regulate their own body temperature, they keep each other warm.
7:58The piglets would not do well in the colder temperatures of Scandinavia.
Bears Cubs Exploring and Playing
8:10The well-insulated bear cubs, however, leave the cave to sample the fresh spring air.
8:23The whole, wide world is waiting to be discovered.
8:52The cubs are tireless bundles of energy.
9:12Like the piglets, the cubs prepare for the future by playing.
9:43The mother bear has a hard time keeping her three young charges in sight.
10:00They sample everything.
10:10The cubs have a lot to learn.
10:19The mother will nurse them for up to two years – longer than almost any other animal.
10:30Overwhelmed by everything to discover, the smallest cub seems to have forgotten its appetite.
10:51The mother- cub bond is the strongest in a bear's life.
11:01Mother must look after the young bears carefully.
Spring is coming
11:12In central Europe, spring is coming..
11:18The birds lay claim to their territories.
11:35Within a few days, the forest is magically transforms.
Seal Mother searches for Pup
12:20Years ago, a layer of ice would still have covered the Baltic Sea at the beginning of
12:24spring. Warmer winters force the grey seals to rear their young on small sandy islands.
12:35Seal cubs are usually born on pack ice, where their white fur serves as camouflage.
12:46Grey seals give birth in winter for a similar reason:
12:50there are few predators on a vast expanse of ice, but a lot of room.
12:57The growing cubs bicker constantly, an exhausting situation..
13:02The small island is crowded. Each cub would once have had its own space on the ice. By now,
13:09the mother spends several hours a day fishing in the sea. When she returns,
13:14she has to search for her cub.
13:24As all the young seals are hungry, the return of any mother attracts a lot of attention.
13:43An entire pack of cubs follows.
14:02Grey seals usually bear only one cub per year…
14:09So their survival is crucial.
Bear Cub gets lost
14:22In Scandinavia, the last of the snow has finally thawed.
14:32Nurseries spring up all over the place...
14:36…like here, in this former black woodpecker hollow.
14:46A common goldeneye duck has moved in. The duck seeks out high nests
14:50to protect her eggs from foxes or wolverines.
15:07Animals that can't vanish into burrows or
15:09hollows must quickly learn to stand on their own four feet.
15:20The moose just gave birth, but the twins are already trying to walk.
15:34Getting four lanky legs under control is no easy feat.
15:52The calves' sister has already made it to her feet.
16:01Almost all ungulates learn to stand shortly after birth.
16:14Because they are born in the open,
16:16the animals have to keep up with their mothers if wolves or bears approach.
16:39And indeed, the bear family is not far away.
16:45The cubs are amazed at the riches in the forest. They find no shortage of
16:50insect larvae under the bark of the trees.
16:55Eventually, the bears move on.
16:58The youngest cub doesn't notice that the others have left.
17:16Its family vanishes into the dense undergrowth.
17:33Where have they gone?
17:43The young bear is all alone.
18:12It instinctively climbs to safety.
Ducklings and Chicks
18:29The goldeneye duck is suspicious of the new neighbour.
18:39Her nest is full. The chicks have hatched – or almost hatched...
19:05When her young have emerged completely,
19:07the mother gobbles up the shells to recoup the calcium she used to form her eggs.
19:29Now that they have arrived, the young ducks are in a hurry to leave the nest.
19:41But their tiny wings are not up to the task.
19:56The bear cub continues climbing.
20:11It finally reaches the top of the tree, but still can't see its family.
20:23Ospreys are happiest around rivers and lakes surrounded by forest.
20:52Landing the catch is hard work for the small bird – he weighs just one-and-a-half kilos.
21:13But the young father has hungry mouths to feed.
21:21Six weeks of incubation have produced three osprey chicks.
21:28Their mother has to make sure she has enough food for herself.
21:38She feeds the chicks tiny portions of fish. Ospreys don’t all hatch
21:44at once. These are three, four, and five days old.
21:54The father's sole job now is delivering food.
22:03The mother is extremely careful with her sharp claws as she settles in to warm her young.
22:23She’ll stay with her chicks for two weeks while the father provides for the whole family.
Bear Cub VS Adult Bear?
22:37The young bear cub is still in the tree when an adult bear begins to mark his
22:41territory on the trunk. He doesn’t see the young bear If he discovers the cub,
22:50he will kill it so that he can mate with its mother.
22:57The young bear should keep still – but doesn't…
23:12…a potentially fatal mistake.
23:20The heavy male can’t follow the tiny bear into the tree.
23:30The older bear notices something...
23:49The young bear is in luck. Something’s distracted the big bear.
24:07The cub sniffs a familiar scent in the air.
24:34The family is reunited.
Seal Pups Swimming
25:08The young seal cubs are in a hurry to leave their islands.
25:16The water provides some relief from the warm temperatures.
25:30The baby seals are born knowing how to dive and swim.
25:41But for the first few weeks of their lives, they enter the water only in an emergency.
25:50Their fur isn’t waterproof yet.
26:00If their body temperature drops they’ll use up the energy they need to grow.
26:13And yet, in winters without ice, many grey seal pups suffer in the warm temperatures.
26:22When the cubs are born on ice, more than 90 per cent of them survive.
26:26If it is too warm for ice to form and they’re born on sandy islands,
26:31the survival rate drops to two thirds. Earth’s changing climate directly affects the seals.
Goldeneye Duck Abandons Ducklings!
26:50In the forest, life is on the move:
26:54The goldeneye ducks are heading out.
27:00The mother makes sure that no foxes or wolverines are around.
27:11The chicks need an incentive to leave the nest...
27:18…so the mother abandons them.
27:28The plaintive cheeping won’t help i– she will not return.
27:34The chicks jostle for position.
27:38No use --if the mother won't come back, they will have to follow her.
27:48After a moment's hesitation, they dive into the great unknown.
28:06The forest floor cushions the impact.
28:27One chick refuses to jump.
28:34The others won’t wait.
28:39A quick bite
28:43... and the fearful chick takes the plunge.
28:55The young ducks have no choice – without their mother to feed them,
28:58they would starve in the nest.
29:04The straggler picks up the pace.
29:12Eventually, the chicks reach the lakeshore...
29:19...where their mother is waiting.
29:23Finally, they all reach the safety of the water.
29:39They have just completed the greatest adventure of their young lives, but they have no time to rest.
29:49Now, they must learn to dive for their food, but they’re too light and their
29:54feathers are too lubricated with grease. They bob on the surface like corks...
30:10...but they persist….
30:24…and eventually succeed. They’re rewarded with insect larvae and
30:29shellfish -their diet for the rest of their lives.
The babies keep stretching their legs
30:40The twin moose have found their feet – but are they quick enough to escape sudden danger?
30:53The powerful wolverine is a lot faster than
30:55it appears – and would have little trouble taking down a young moose.
31:11The calf's mother has spotted the danger.
31:16She uses her powerful front hooves as weapons, and the wolverine wisely retreats.
31:31A drink to settle the nerves.
31:44The mother's milk is so rich that the young moose gain a kilogram a day.
31:55Mother feeds the hungry calves regularly.
32:12The pastures reach full bloom in early summer.
32:22The daisies flourish in the bright sunlight, while the foxgloves prefer the shade of the clearings.
32:34The bright blossoms attract bumble bees.
32:42The wild boars avoid the poisonous plants.
32:50The peckish piglets soon learn their place in the pecking order.
33:04They find a range of treats including larvae, earthworms and mice below fallen logs.
33:15For now, the young boars are not strong enough to
33:17dig out the food themselves. They will just have to wait their turn.
Baby Hamsters in Summer
33:30Meanwhile, life has returned to normal in the forest of the bears.
33:41Now that the family has been reunited, the bear cubs have just one thing on their minds:
33:49Fun, fun, fun.
34:09The games strengthen the bonds between the siblings.
34:21Eventually, each bear will have to strike out on its own. After their mother leaves them,
34:27the siblings will stay together for a while, protecting each other and foraging as a group.
34:41They are a close-knit gang.
35:01Poppies and cornflowers have become rare. They once lined almost every field.
35:21The last patches of flowers attract a species in no hurry to reproduce. The female
35:27hamster has waited until the height of summer to give birth to six pups.
35:37The big-cheeked rodents can produce two litters each year, totalling up to 18 baby hamsters.
35:53Many fall victim to predators, the cold or starvation.
36:05Although only three days old, the pups are remarkably agile. Their
36:11mother has her hands full keeping them in line.
36:20The tiny rodents are born naked, blind and deaf, but they soon develop soft, downy fur.
36:33Without their mother,
36:34they couldn’t survive a single day. She provides warmth, milk and protection.
36:51While the young hamster pups grow, the world above them changes dramatically.
37:07Before long, the fertile fields are bare.
37:22Fortunately, not all the crops have been harvested and the mother can still find food.
37:32At ten days old, the hamsters enthusiastically explore their burrow.
37:43Their mother now leaves them alone more frequently. Even after the harvest she
37:47can find food along the edges of the fields.
37:55The pups have begun to eat whatever solids the mother can deliver: herbs, husks or grains.
38:09Young hamsters are herbivores, but eventually they will enjoy
38:14the occasional earthworm, snail or even a mouse.
38:35Besides looking after her young,
38:37the mother has household chores– like clearing the burrow entrance.
38:53The young rodents still require their mother's milk.
38:59The hamster pups grow rapidly under their mother's attention. They weigh
39:03just six grams at birth. Four weeks later, they have reached an impressive 100 grams.
39:13Other animal babies have now reached travelling age. Across the many
39:18islands between Sweden and Finland, the region's grey seals go island-hopping.
39:28The waters around the rocky islands brim with fish,
39:32making them a popular destination for the seals from the Baltic coasts.
39:40The animals born the previous winter have grown independent and hunt on their own.
39:46Despite the year's mild temperatures, many of the young seals have survived.
39:58As summer ends, most of the field animals find themselves with limited shelter – and little food.
40:11The hamster mother has wisely put aside grain for just such a situation.
40:19In her dry burrow her stores are safe from rot.
40:26Hamsters protect their burrows from the rain by keeping a sufficient
40:29distance between the entrance and the living area.
40:42Young hamsters would not survive in a damp burrow.
Autumn in the Forests
40:52Before long, the pups will be ready to venture outside –and will face many dangers.
41:10Autumn falls in the forests.
41:26The air fills with the distinctive calls of stags. It is mating season.
41:44This is a time of plenty for the wild boars. They enjoy a
41:49surplus of beechnuts, acorns and chestnuts.
41:57The boars eat constantly, storing up energy for the winter.
42:12The battles between the young male boars have become more aggressive. They are in training
42:16for the most important task of their lives – triumphing over rivals in the quest for a mate.
42:38The forest is a sea of colour.
Bears hide from danger
43:23In the forest, many plants bear fruit.
43:33The bears enthusiastically tuck into the juicy delicacies.
43:44The triplets have put on a lot of weight.
44:14Soon, they and their mother will retreat into a cave to spend the winter.
44:24Suddenly, loud bellowing cuts through the air.
44:33Two fully-grown males fight nearby.
44:51The young bears keep their distance.
44:57The cubs still have a lot to learn from their mother
Moose Mating Season
45:21Moose mating season also begins in autumn.
45:28A mighty bull catches the scent of the female.
45:35She is accompanied by just one of her calves.
45:42The powerful male approaches.
45:51A second, much younger bull appears, but keeps his distance.
46:02The older bull refuses to give up..
46:19Unlike the mother bear, the female moose is ready to reproduce again.
46:32The bull emits his mating calls.
46:47The younger male gathers his courage and approaches.
46:55The older bull makes his feelings on the matter very clear.
47:15The calf's time with its mother is ending. When she gives birth
47:19to a new calf next spring, she will drive her one-year-old away.
47:40A few weeks later, winter arrives.
47:48The animals look for shelter.
47:53The hamster mother has driven her pups out of the burrow.
48:04She battens down the hatches and goes to sleep for seven months.
48:22For now, the wild boar family stays together. The young females will remain with their mothers,
48:29but the young males will go their separate ways when spring arrives.
48:37The grey seals once again give birth in the middle of winter.
48:47It will be another year of triumph and tragedy, of success and setbacks,
48:53for the world's cute and cuddly animal babies.