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00:14One Wolfpack, one leader, one place, and one
00:30focus
00:39survive
00:45this is Yellowstone, as you've never seen it
00:53living here is not easy
01:02and winter strikes the hardest
01:06a season of punishing extremes
01:10where everyone must fight for their life
01:20Yellowstone's winter is the ultimate
01:43test
01:44the wolves of Greater Yellowstone are on the hunt
01:51this is the Dark Wolf's first winter as leader
01:55her mate was killed
01:59now she's in charge
02:02her pack is young
02:03Dark Wolf must teach them how to hunt as a team
02:10or they won't live through winter
02:17their first lesson
02:19how to take down an elk
02:21five times your size
02:30the wolves' only chance is to work together
02:43but the pack doesn't keep up
02:52one good kick
02:55could crush her skull
03:03hunting big game alone
03:05is futile
03:12she must teach the pack to work together
03:16for they won't last
03:21in winter
03:23everyone needs a strategy to survive
03:30for some
03:31preparation began months ago
03:43October
03:44in just a few weeks
03:46this beaver pond
03:47will freeze solid
03:52the devoted parents who live here
03:55must be ready
04:00lives depend on it
04:05inside the beaver's lodge
04:07are four young kids
04:11each one eats its weight
04:14every week
04:21so mom and dad must stockpile
04:23six months of sticks
04:25or their children
04:27will starve
04:31no time to lose
04:48it takes nearly one hundred trees
04:50to feed the family
04:51through winter
04:54that's a ton of wood
05:13the icy water keeps their produce fresh for months
05:21today
05:22dad's in charge of lodge maintenance
05:27to keep out the draft
05:29he seals any holes
05:31with mud
05:33no self-respecting beaver dad
05:35has a leaky roof
05:41mud
05:42moss
05:43and sticks
05:44all make perfect insulation
05:49a well-made lodge
05:51can be one hundred degrees warmer
05:53inside than out
05:58and it's ready
05:59just in time
06:04yellowstone's winter strikes without warning
06:07yeah
06:09yeah
06:10yeah
06:38As temperatures plummets,
06:40tensions rise.
06:43It triggers Yellowstone's ultimate fight club,
06:49the Bighorn Sheep Rut.
06:55Every big testosterone-waging ram considers himself a contender.
07:04The arena, a coliseum of 800-foot-high cliffs.
07:15Their feet are built to grip the rock, but sheep do fall.
07:24The last ram standing gets to mate.
07:35The next ram is to the ground.
07:36The next ram is to the ground.
08:10This big old ram is reigning champ, but his trials have just begun.
08:18Each ewe is only receptive for two days a year.
08:23He smells carefully to see if they're ready.
08:36But the ewe's powerful scent draws a crowd, transfixes them, call it obsession.
09:04As the testosterone peaks, so does the aggression.
09:11The champ must constantly show who's in charge.
09:18Intimidation is key.
09:27Smaller rams know when to walk away.
09:38Low blows are fair game.
09:43But the old champ's trials have just begun.
09:53This huge young brawler wants a shot at the title.
10:01And he won't leave without a fight.
10:04The main event.
10:06Challenger versus champion.
10:09Winner takes all.
10:17The reigning ram and his heavyweight challenger size each other up.
10:27The ewe's await their champion.
10:52They're massive horns are used as both weapon and shield.
11:00They weigh up to 30 pounds.
11:04As much as all the bones in their body combines.
11:16A massive tendon keeps their head on their shoulders.
11:21Two layers of skull bone absorb each collision.
11:36The force of this impact could kill a human instantly.
11:43Don't look for every queen of the arrows...
11:44Volley.
12:00Didn't you hear your assassin on the 거예요?
12:01After the attack on the air pulse.
12:01No way, they've lost your sout contregiggle mão.
12:02If it is,esen, nelします you will drive and ses Brianna's?
12:03Didn't you walk away?
12:04The joint being crushed its慣inte.
12:09No way, he's hectored.
12:24It's too much for the old Ram.
12:26He has no fight left.
12:34There's a new champion in the herd.
12:52At two miles high, these mountains shape Yellowstone's weather.
12:59They surround the park.
13:03They sit at the end of a 500-mile corridor forged by Yellowstone's supervolcano.
13:12This corridor is also a weather expressway funneling moist Pacific air straight to Yellowstone.
13:21When this moisture collides with the mountains, it turns to massive amounts of snow.
13:59But there are some who use snow to their advantage.
14:02But there are some who use snow to their advantage.
14:20The red fox is built for winter.
14:33At only 10 pounds, he doesn't break the snow's surface.
14:54So he can search far and wide for prey.
14:58But how do you find what you cannot see?
15:08His solution?
15:10Big ears.
15:12Big ears.
15:15The catch?
15:16His victims are under two feet of snow.
15:24But he can pinpoint the faintest sound.
15:51The fox locks onto a target.
16:07But what now?
16:16If he digs, the vole will flee.
16:23Instead, he flies.
16:48Neither one will give up.
17:19Just a small bite.
17:20But in winter, every calorie counts.
17:33The dark wolf has her pack on the move.
17:38Thirty miles and counting.
17:42And still, no big meals.
17:46The younger wolves still have much to learn.
17:51Most days are spent searching for a lead.
17:57A wolf's nose is a hundred times more sensitive than a human's.
18:04The faintest scent tells them who was here and when.
18:18The dark wolf picks up a promising trail.
18:22Droplets of blood from an injured elk.
18:28This could feed her back for several days.
18:41Since wolves returned twenty years ago, elk have learned to avoid them.
18:51The herd splits up when wolves appear.
18:54They hide under the cover of forests.
19:01The wolves know he's here.
19:05Somewhere.
19:07You can't hide blood from a nose this good.
19:13The hunt is on.
19:30The wolves must work together.
19:36Even a wounded elk puts up a fight.
19:47They take turns leading the chase.
19:50Looking for weakness.
20:06The elk makes a clever move.
20:09The stream buys him some time.
20:16The inexperienced youngsters await the dark wolf's move.
20:22But the pack has lost the advantage.
20:29And they know it.
20:33Another failed hunt.
20:40Another hungry night ahead.
20:48By now, most of Greater Yellowstone's 600 grizzly bears are hibernating high in the mountains.
20:56But this huge male is still awake.
21:00And for good reason.
21:04Fresh bison meat.
21:11But even the mighty grizzly takes cover as winter closes in.
21:16More hunting.
21:35Surviving winter's wrath means knowing where to look for food.
21:41open water is a great place to start
21:50this bobcat is hunting water birds
21:56crafty ambush predator
22:00silent
22:02patient
22:08and always on the prowl
22:14her latest kill is a huge trumpeter swan
22:21she must defend it against her mortal enemy
22:28the coyote
22:47feather is all he can get
22:50score one for the cats
22:57the coyote needs a softer target
22:59one that he can steal from
23:02or better yet
23:04kill
23:17while some suffer yellowstones early winter
23:22river otters are in their elements
23:24fairies
23:25all right
23:25and
23:26and
23:54and
23:58But the fun is coming to an end for this mother and her 9-month-old pup.
24:06Their home on the Yellowstone River is freezing up, but it's not frozen yet, so they'll feed
24:15here while they can.
24:22The pup is still learning to fish.
24:27It's easier just to steal mums, but he must learn to fend for himself.
24:42Soon, she'll send him on his way, and there are many dangers in Yellowstone's winter.
24:58A starving coyote will eagerly kill and eat a young otter.
25:08The coyote is ready to attack.
25:11The otter's only chance is in the water.
25:21The coyote is patient, looking for a chance to strike.
25:37He can swim, but not like an otter.
25:43Mom and her pop are safe, for now.
25:51But Yellowstone won't let them off that easy.
25:56Soon, almost everything will freeze.
25:59Without open water, the otters will be in trouble.
26:08Yellowstone even tests its largest animals.
26:13Bison have lived here since just after the last ice age.
26:17They've survived 10,000 Yellowstone winters, but it's this calf's first.
26:29Winter forces them to search for food.
26:42The bison are not heading to greener pastures, but warmer ones.
27:05Yellowstone's geyser basins stay open all year, thanks to the chamber of molten magma boiling
27:12under the park.
27:15Beyond the thermals, the freeze is happening fast.
27:29The ponds are first to set, locking the beaver lodge in ice, then slower flowing streams and rivers, then the
27:46faster ones.
27:51Winter even tames the Rockies' largest waterfall.
28:01Lower Yellowstone falls.
28:07The otters are now in crisis mode.
28:11There's only one hole left in the ice.
28:18And it's freezing up, too.
28:23They need to leave and find a new home.
28:29But mom is cautious.
28:32With a coyote on the prowl, she'd rather hold tight here for now.
28:41But the pup's natural instinct is to wander.
28:49This could be a fatal mistake.
29:04The young otter is caught out.
29:09His eyes are designed for life underwater.
29:15Out here, he can barely see.
29:27He's lost.
29:29He's lost.
29:32I'm alone.
29:52Halfway through their trek, the bison mother is breaking trail and struggling.
30:05Her calf can only keep up by walking in her footsteps.
30:20At its worst, Yellowstone's bitter winter can kill hundreds of bison.
30:31At last, a sign of hope.
30:40Warm water is keeping this river from freezing.
30:44The geyser basin must be ahead.
30:51So close.
30:54But Yellowstone is not done yet.
30:59Enter the lone wolf.
31:02Hungry.
31:04And desperate.
31:13One solitary wolf against a thousand-pound devoted mother.
31:22The wolf will try to lead her away.
31:27Then go for the calf.
31:45But it won't work.
31:48Mom has seen it all before.
31:51Mom has seen it all before.
32:26Mom has seen it all before.
32:27He's lost, further down the frozen river.
32:35Too far for Mom to hear his calls.
32:45But the coyote hears him.
32:53Only the deep snow keeps him at bay.
33:01Mom finally picks up a faint scent.
33:06The pup's survival depends on who reaches him first.
33:23At last mom hears her son and he hears her.
33:40No time for greetings.
33:49The coyote is closing in.
33:53They need to get to open water quickly and they know just how to do it.
34:14Escape at last.
34:26In midwinter, the night sky puts on a show.
34:57But clear skies can descend into the sky.
35:00The night sky gets into deadly cold.
35:05Temperatures can drop below minus 60 degrees.
35:18Stealing energy from all.
35:20And finishing off the week.
35:25The savage cold is Yellowstone's biggest killer.
35:32These winter kills help many others survive.
35:41Finally, the hungry coyote catches a break.
35:47A bison carcass.
35:52He can't let his guard down.
35:55Wolves have been feeding here.
36:03Fresh meat is hard to leave.
36:06But you don't mess with wolves.
36:09If they find him, they'll tear him apart.
36:20With wolves on the prowl, the coyote better make this meal to go.
36:29Easy come.
36:34Easy go.
36:47The bison herd's long journey is coming to an end.
36:52They're close to the geyser basin.
36:59And now, for the first time, the calf can see a land of fire.
37:07The warmth draws them in.
37:17The calf and his mother finally arrive.
37:29Day and night, scaldly water erupts from the subterranean furnace.
37:40It can kill any animal that falls in.
37:45But for the herd, it's a snow-free oasis.
38:06At last, they can eat.
38:10The grass is last seasons.
38:13But it does the job.
38:17This meal comes with a price.
38:21The geyser water deposits fine grains of silica all over the grass.
38:27Bison can live for 20 years.
38:29But this sandy grass may grind down their teeth in only 12.
38:34And then they'll starve to death.
38:37For the bison, these hot springs are both salvation and curse.
38:52Their presence is felt throughout the park.
39:07All this hot water creates one of the most unique river systems in the world.
39:14Every second, over 500 gallons pours into Yellowstone's Firehole River, warming it by up to 18 degrees.
39:27So this river never freezes.
39:31It's a natural, warm sanctuary in a frozen world.
39:40The desperate otters are into their 10th mile.
39:51But finally, the sound of survival.
40:26The pup's hungry enough to catch his own fish.
40:31He's faced Yellowstone's dangers.
40:35And survived.
40:39He's ready to set out on his own.
40:48But maybe not just yet.
41:00Under the ice, the beaver family has weathered well through four months of winter.
41:15There's still plenty of food on the table.
41:19Which is good.
41:20As mom and dad have three new mouths to feed.
41:25Making it seven kids in all.
41:29They've worked hard for their success.
41:32But their victory is part of a bigger picture that starts with the wolves.
41:40Wolves hunt elk, which means elk may eat fewer of the beaver's trees.
41:50Successful beaver ponds are popular with trout.
42:00Otters love trout.
42:03Otters love trout.
42:07Fewer elk also means less competition for bison, whose population is now thriving.
42:18Wolves spark an ecological chain reaction that benefits many who live here.
42:27But for it all to work, the wolves must do their job.
42:36Kill.
42:39The dark wolf and her pack haven't eaten in days.
42:49They have a target.
42:51A yearling.
43:05The dark wolf drives the elk into deeper snow, where she'll have the advantage.
43:16The others now know what to do.
43:25They choose their target well.
43:28The yearling is tiring.
43:40At last, the pack has learned how to hunt together.
43:49With this kill, they've turned Yellowstone's savage winter into their ally.
43:56And with their success, all of Yellowstone will triumph.
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