Planet Earth is so spectacular,
it's easy to miss the smaller things in life.
But take a closer look...
and there's a whole undiscovered world.
A world where tiny heroes...
and little monsters...
need incredible superpowers...
to help them triumph against giant odds.
Canadian winters are brutal...
especially for something as tiny as a water shrew.
Only the size of your thumb,
he must feed throughout the year.
But even under the snow, he's still at risk.
Being so small can also be a lifesaver...
an escape route to another world.
Beneath the ice,
the humble pond provides sanctuary for all kinds of surprising little animals.
And soon it will transform into a water world,
teeming with tiny wonders.
All of them trying to stay out of trouble...
and make the most of the good times before winter returns.
The spring thaw reveals the victims of winter.
A wood frog, no bigger than a matchbox...
frozen solid by the bitter cold.
Its heart stopped beating.
Technically, it's dead...
but not quite.
A mix of urea and glucose acts as a natural antifreeze,
protecting its vital organs.
As temperatures rise, its heart starts again.
Miraculously, life returns.
And as the ice melts,
a snapping turtle takes its first breath for six months.
A world of opportunity is opening up.
But the first thing on most tiny minds is...
mating.
Hooded mergansers engage in extravagant courtship dances.
While frogs just...
go for it.
Soon the pond is thick with spawn.
Masses of eggs ensure at least some will survive to become frogs.
Not all pond life begins in the water.
In the surrounding forest,
a female merganser has found an old woodpecker hole.
She's small enough to use it as a nest.
And her eggs are safe from larger predators up here.
But as soon as they hatch,
her eight little ducklings must make it to the pond to feed.
It's a difficult journey.
They won't be able to fly for months.
So their first move...
will be a leap of faith.
The instinctive bond with their mother is so strong...
they'll follow her anywhere.
Ducklings are born with soft, flexible bones.
They're so light,
even from up here they can survive the fall...
and bounce like fluffy ping-pong balls.
Mom calls her brood together.
But there's always one straggler.
Finally, the family can move on...
although their journey has only just begun.
Between them and the pond...
lies a busy road.
Spring transforms the pond...
a welcome change for the water shrew.
He must eat the equivalent of his own body weight every day.
But with a stomach no bigger than a peanut...
it's a real challenge.
Especially with such poor eyesight.
Other hunters down here seem better equipped.
Compound eyes give dragonfly nymphs 360-degree vision.
And an extendable jaw means they can ambush prey.
But the shrew has a superpower of his own...
his nose.
Blowing out little bubbles,
he picks up tiny scent particles in the water.
And receptors in his nostrils help him detect prey.
It's an elaborate game of hide-and-seek.
On his endless search for food,
the shrew hunts both underwater and on land.
But there's a third realm...
the surface layer.
Just molecules thick...
only a really tiny creature can succeed here.
And the undisputed champion...
is the water strider.
Long, water-repellent feet support their weight
as they skate and even leap on the surface film.
But this is a fluid, unpredictable world...
where just a few raindrops can create havoc.
Tiny inhabitants must seek cover...
until calm returns.
For the young mergansers,
spring showers are water off a duck's back.
Especially compared... to this.
Newborn ducklings are adapted to overcome many obstacles,
but not busy roads.
Four ducklings take their chance.
A lucky break in traffic...
and all of them make it across.
Three more follow...
unharmed and soon to join the family on the water.
But there's still one on the other side.
As few as one in ten ducklings may survive to adulthood.
Predators, starvation and human pressures all take their toll.
But not today.
These little ducklings face many challenges ahead.
But so far, instinct, resilience and luck have seen them through.
Summer is now in full swing.
The days are long and warm.
But one of the shrew's favorite foods is becoming increasingly scarce.
Dragonfly nymphs are now leaving the water to become adults.
An incredible transformation from aquatic monster to aerial master.
Emerging dragonflies pump fluid to expand and stiffen their wings.
And they swallow air to inflate their bodies.
Soon, the pond is home to thousands of dragonflies and damselflies.
Life out of the water is brief.
Only a few weeks to feed, fight and breed before temperatures drop again.
Competition is intense.
The Canada darner is one of the most aggressive dragonflies on the pond.
To impress a female, males must command a substantial territory.
They constantly patrol it and take out any rivals in their airspace.
Four independently acting wings, and articulated bodies...
allow for extraordinary aerobatics...
and high-speed maneuvers in nature's ultimate dogfight.
He's seen off his enemy and secured his territory.
It's well stocked with food...
and should be large enough to attract a mate.
Less than a month old,
the ducklings are completely at home on the water.
They're growing more independent by the day...
and venturing further from their mother.
But they're still naive to what lies beneath.
A northern pike...
the shark of the pond.
It eats fish, frogs, snakes,
even little ducklings.
Best to keep closer to mom for now.
Above the pond, love is in the air.
Dragonflies are coupling up,
and damselflies are locked together in mating wheels.
But those without a partner must keep cruising.
Flying so close to water is risky.
A damselfly's distress attracts unwanted attention.
A water strider uses its proboscis to puncture the tough exoskeleton...
and feed on the soft insides.
Many tiny creatures fall victim to the grip of surface tension.
A struggling water-lily beetle has the strider circling.
But this crafty little bug...
has other plans.
The warm, bright days of summer give rise to a forest of aquatic plants.
And all sorts of small animals grow up feeding on them.
In six weeks,
the tadpoles have developed back legs, teeth and a raging appetite.
As the day wears on,
ever greater numbers venture into the shallows to feed on algae and plants.
Food is not all they've come for.
The warmer water around the pond's edge helps speed up their metamorphosis.
Some have already sprouted front legs...
and once their lungs develop, they'll be ready to leave the pond.
But so many tadpoles crammed into such shallow water
is inviting trouble.
Garter snakes usually hunt on land.
But they will take to the water to prey on such easy targets.
A single tadpole has little chance against an agile snake.
But with safety in numbers, the vast majority survive unscathed.
As each day cools, the tadpoles return to the relative safety of deeper water.
This great migration marks the end of their daily routine.
Thousands of little lives on one incredible journey.
A whopping 60 meters, there and back.
The late days of summer are a last chance to feed up...
before harder times return.
Months of relentless hunting have honed the water shrew's skills.
Even a crayfish is no match for him now.
The ducklings have also become agile predators...
diving down to feast on insects and fish.
At three months old, they are accomplished swimmers.
And soon they must master flight as well...
ready for their winter migration.
Many of the pond's other tiny residents are already moving on.
Young toads and frogs make for the surrounding forest.
The exodus continues as autumn races towards winter.
Last to leave are the hooded mergansers...
taking to the air to join the long journey south.
But the pond is not left totally empty.
Insulated beneath the ice...
little creatures are protected from the wintry world outside.
Locked in until spring returns...
and the pond fills with tiny lives once more.