00:15Just south of the Arctic Circle, where Seal River meets the Hudson Bay, the summer comes
00:21to an end, and the world's largest land predator begins a months-long waiting game for the
00:27ice to return.
00:30Classified as a marine animal because they spend most of their time on sea ice hunting
00:35seals, polar bears epitomize resiliency in the wild.
00:41Whatever obstacles nature throws at them, polar bears keep finding ways to survive in
00:47conditions very few animals would find hospitable.
00:54Here in Canada's Seal River, the bears work the water, looking for whatever food might
01:00come their way as they wait for the winter's ice to form.
01:09A mom with her three young cubs moves from small island to small island, hoping to keep
01:15her young ones safe from other predators, including other hungry adult male polar bears.
01:22It is incredibly rare for a mom to have three cubs in one litter, surely something to celebrate.
01:30But her cubs face an uphill battle as each baby has less than a 50% chance of survival past
01:37its first year.
01:40Mom will do all she can to nourish, protect, and teach her little ones how to survive in
01:46this extremely stark environment.
01:58One month later, the cold is starting to envelop the region.
02:02But it's not time for the bears of Seal River to return to the ice.
02:08Instead, they wait patiently for the ice to harden with mostly empty bellies.
02:13The bears have made the calculated decision to wait on land rather than exert energy in
02:19the water.
02:22Seals and their pups are much easier to find once the ice can fully support their enormous
02:27weight.
02:29Adult males can be 8 to 10 feet tall and weigh up to 1,700 pounds when fully fed.
02:38So for the next several weeks, the bears gather by the shores of the Hudson Bay and wait.
02:45They will occasionally forage on some of the local berries to pass the time, but mostly,
02:50they wait.
02:51they wait.
02:56These two adolescent males, nicknamed Frick and Frack, practice fighting skills that will
03:02help them show dominance when it comes time to finding a mate.
03:12Sometimes, the sparring can be quite heated, and it's not uncommon for one to draw blood.
03:30Our young mother takes the opportunity to feed her young.
03:33But unfortunately, the harsh realities of the Arctic have already taken away one of her cubs.
03:41Oftentimes, mothers with triplets simply don't have enough milk to nourish all of her cubs equally,
03:47and the smallest of the three often goes without.
03:51It's incredibly important for all Arctic animals that the bears get back onto the ice and hunt.
03:59While the bears enjoy the fatty seal blubber, other animals, including the Arctic fox and wolves, depend on what's left
04:10behind.
04:14And climate change may also shorten the hunting season on the back end.
04:21But these highly intelligent, curious, and resourceful bears continue to beat the odds.
04:31As time passes, the temperatures drop, and the bears are drawn even closer to the edge of the water.
04:39Frick and Frack continue their never-ending sparring.
04:44This old bear, affectionately named Scarbrow, also waits patiently.
04:50He's 17 years old, and he may only live one or two more seasons.
04:57Like most polar bears, he has enjoyed a mostly solitary life.
05:05In the weeks of waiting, Mom has only one cub left to care for.
05:10And she is determined that this last cub survives.
05:15Now much bigger than last we saw, the cub instinctually keeps testing the ice.
05:20Once the ice freezes over, the bears will eat two-thirds of their annual calories during the hunting season.
05:32But today is a lucky day.
05:36Mom finds a seal swimming too close to the shore.
05:43She drags the kill on land, and the two bears finally share a real meal.
05:50They must eat fast, as the other males in the area will surely smell the meat.
06:02By the start of winter, the temperatures have finally plummeted.
06:07The ice has thickened, and Mom and Cub are ready to venture out.
06:16They are incredibly hungry, but food awaits them a few miles offshore, in the frozen Hudson Bay.
06:24By the time this cub is two and a half years old, Mom will separate from him in hopes of
06:30getting pregnant again.
06:31And with each new cub that survives the harsh season of waiting,
06:36there is hope that all polar bears as a species will forever walk the ice.
06:44there is no one Lindsey finger on it.
06:49You will see BARELY COisines.
06:53You will see expect
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