Prolific British naturalist Sir David Attenborough takes us to the final frontiers of Earth in Frozen Planet; the Arctic and Antarctic in this 2011 documentary series produced by the BBC.
While the north and south poles of Earth are incredibly inhospitable places, they are full of life which has specially adapted to survive in cold conditions which can drop to -89.2 °C (lowest recorded temperature in Antarctica). David and his team set out to show the world what kind of wonderful animals live there because despite us all being aware of their existence we still know very little about them.
Episode 1 - To the Ends of the Earth. The series begins with the rise of the sun at the North Pole after six months of darkness. This is an unstable time for the Arctic which is essentially an enormous piece of ice floating above the Arctic Oceans. Featured animals include Hump-Back Whales, Polar Bears and Seals.
Episode 2 - Spring. Spring comes and initiates a magical transformation on both ends of the Earth. It is at this time when Male Adelie penguins begin to make nests and Arctic Polar bears start to teach their cubs how to hunt for the first time.
Episode 3 - Summer. Altenburg comes back to the polar regions at the height of summer which the warmest period and certainly the most lively for the animal that live there. Featured in this episode are Polar Bears, Killer Whales as the hunt a Minke Whale for over two hours; the first time this has ever been caught on camera. Penguins are also shown with their chicks.
Episode 4 - Autumn - Summer has faded away and temperatures begin to drop once-again on the polar regions. For the animals, it is a race against time to prepare themselves for winter. Featured are Adelie Penguins, Leopard Seals, Emperor Penguins and Beluga Whales.
Episode 5 - Winter. Frozen Planet observes animals as they batten down the hatches and prepare to try and survive the winter. Not only is the temperature well below -30°C most of the time, there are winds which often hit 100mph giving a wind-chill factor which is almost impossible to survive.