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The most powerful
predators to walk the Earth.
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But it takes more than brute force…
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…to reach the top.
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With remarkable brain power,
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and by making the most of any opportunity,
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bears rule some of the planet's
most hostile lands.
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But cubs aren't born
with the skills to survive.
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They need to be taught.
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So a mother bear has her work cut out
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preparing her cubs
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to face the world.
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Locked in winter's icy grip,
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northern forests
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are still.
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Silent.
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No clues to suggest
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that hidden beneath the snow,
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a giant lies asleep.
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Breathing slow.
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Heart beating just eight times a minute.
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Nothing to eat since fall.
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For three months,
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this American black bear
has been in suspended animation.
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Even more miraculous…
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three weeks ago,
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she woke just long enough to give birth
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to three cubs.
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Each just the weight of a can of soup.
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Though she's surviving
on nothing but fat reserves,
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her babies won't go hungry.
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Her milk so rich,
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they've already doubled in size.
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This same story is unfolding
across North America.
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Over half a million
hibernating black bears.
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Underground.
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Or tucked under fallen trees.
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Some, incredibly, right out in the open.
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Cubs snuggle close,
kept alive by their mother's warmth.
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But this mom
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picked the coziest of dens.
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When the spring finally arrives,
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her hard work will begin.
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A bear's upbringing
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shapes the whole of its life.
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There are just eight species of bear.
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Found from the jungles of Asia
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to the ice sheets of the Arctic.
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Some are surprisingly small,
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just the size of a dog.
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Others weigh in at nearly a ton.
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Though all are classified as carnivores,
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most eat whatever they can
get their paws on.
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But how to find
the right food at the right time
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can only be taught by a devoted mother.
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Each bear's home
comes with its own challenges.
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So learning to use brains
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as well as brawn
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is crucial to survival.
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The Arctic winter.
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Hostile.
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Lifeless.
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Well,
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not entirely.
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Even at 40 below,
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a polar bear is well insulated,
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with a double layer of fur
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and a blanket of fat
as thick as a man's arm.
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Polar bears never have to hibernate.
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Winter is their hunting season.
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Seals are their favorite prey,
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and polar bears use
their astounding sense of smell
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to detect them many miles away.
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This male has picked up a scent,
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but it's not prey.
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It's other bears.
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Male bears are known
to kill cubs that are not their own.
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This mom's young, near fully grown,
are not so vulnerable.
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Still, best to keep their distance.
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Before they can strike out alone,
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they need to perfect their hunting skills.
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And this may be a chance
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for Mom to show how it's done.
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Approach from downwind.
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Use camouflage.
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Sneak into striking range.
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With each successful hunt,
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Mom helps her cubs
grow stronger and wiser.
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Once they leave her,
these lessons will make the difference
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between life and death.
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Bears start learning from Mom
the day they leave the den.
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Spring has finally arrived
for the black bear family,
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and the great outdoors is calling.
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Mama bear has lost
over 100 pounds of fat since fall,
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nearly half her body weight,
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so she's ready to get going.
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But happily full of milk,
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her cubs seem in less of a hurry.
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It's a whole new world.
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Climbing comes naturally.
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Even so, it's a bit of an obstacle course.
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Right from the first hurdle…
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Mom's got their back.
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She alone is provider,
teacher, and protector.
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It's a huge responsibility.
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Around a third of cubs
don't survive their first year.
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One of the greatest dangers they'll face
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is other bears.
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Brown bears, sometimes known as grizzlies,
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have come down
from winter dens in the mountains.
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They gather in coastal meadows
to feed on sedge grass.
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Bears don't defend a territory
like cats or dogs,
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but they still know who's boss.
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This old dominant male
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has laid claim
to this grazing spot for years.
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He needs to pile on the pounds
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so he can take on
anyone who dares challenge him
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when breeding season arrives.
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This grass is surprisingly high
in muscle-building protein.
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But if you're smarter
than the average bear,
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there's even more nutritious food
to be found.
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This mom is taking her cub
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on an exclusive dining experience.
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A muddy beach might look unpromising…
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…but a little digging
can unearth some treasure.
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Once you've found a clam,
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it needs shucking.
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A surprisingly delicate operation.
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Not all bears here can do this.
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She picked it up from her mother.
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And now she's passing it on.
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At low tide,
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a talented clammer might get
a hundred of these juicy treats.
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A much better protein hit
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than from the same time spent grazing.
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Teaching her daughter will give her
a head start in a competitive world.
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A stranger.
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Time to back off.
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Another important lesson.
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Avoid confrontation if you can.
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An angry bear is a force of nature.
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Even when the opponent is bigger,
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never bet against a bear.
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Or its claws.
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Up to four inches long,
they're fearsome weapons.
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But they're also multi-purpose tools.
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Climbing spikes.
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Shovels.
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Ice hooks.
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Even silverware.
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And when it's time for a good old scratch…
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…there's nothing better.
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Some of the longest claws
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belong to the smallest of bears.
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Just one-tenth the size of a grizzly,
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a sun bear
is a jungle survival specialist.
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Finding food in the tangle of vegetation
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isn't easy.
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But with an almost unrivaled
sense of smell…
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he follows his nose.
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00:16:51,219 --> 00:16:54,222
He's narrowed down
the source of the sweet aroma.
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Just one problem.
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It's all the way up there.
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Four stories high.
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But sun bears
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love honey.
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Good thing they're also champion climbers.
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Those long, curved claws
give excellent grip,
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and a dog-sized frame
keeps him light and agile.
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But
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he's barking up the wrong tree.
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And now
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he's got competition.
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Or has he?
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Sun bears also love
feasting on grubs inside rotten logs.
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While the other bear's distracted,
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a chance to switch trees.
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00:18:47,002 --> 00:18:48,128
The bees are angry,
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00:18:48,670 --> 00:18:50,255
but thankfully stingless.
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At last…
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00:18:56,595 --> 00:18:57,971
he's struck gold.
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Those claws also make a handy honey scoop.
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And a ten-inch tongue does the rest.
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When it comes
to finding food in the jungle,
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sun bears have it licked.
185
00:19:37,219 --> 00:19:40,680
But as the forests they rely on
are cleared for agriculture…
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00:19:42,933 --> 00:19:45,060
it's leaving sun bears homeless.
187
00:19:48,605 --> 00:19:52,776
And more exposed
to poaching for traditional remedies.
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00:19:55,487 --> 00:19:57,989
They're now the rarest bear on Earth.
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Rarer even
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than the most enigmatic bear of all.
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The giant panda spends most of its life
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eating just one thing.
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Bamboo.
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00:20:55,880 --> 00:20:58,675
She can lounge around for 12 hours
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gorging on the stuff.
196
00:21:03,388 --> 00:21:06,558
It makes up 99% of her diet.
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00:21:11,604 --> 00:21:13,523
She's the only bear
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with a bony pad on her paw,
kind of like a thumb.
199
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Perfect for making a bamboo hot dog.
200
00:21:23,825 --> 00:21:27,370
This veggie diet seems a bizarre choice.
201
00:21:27,454 --> 00:21:29,247
Pandas evolved to eat meat.
202
00:21:33,043 --> 00:21:35,378
But because bamboo's plentiful
203
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and grows year round,
204
00:21:37,172 --> 00:21:41,134
over millions of years,
they switched to the easier option.
205
00:21:43,970 --> 00:21:45,263
Trouble is,
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their gut hasn't fully adapted
to digest it.
207
00:21:51,144 --> 00:21:54,814
So she only survives
by doing a lot of eating.
208
00:21:56,733 --> 00:21:58,193
And very little else.
209
00:22:08,370 --> 00:22:12,415
But when humans cut down
swathes of Asia's bamboo forests,
210
00:22:13,208 --> 00:22:15,502
pandas had nothing left to eat
211
00:22:16,294 --> 00:22:18,838
and were forced
to the brink of extinction.
212
00:22:21,758 --> 00:22:24,260
Such a specialized diet is the exception.
213
00:22:26,096 --> 00:22:29,224
Most bears have more adventurous tastes.
214
00:22:38,775 --> 00:22:41,069
The forests on the Canadian border
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00:22:41,694 --> 00:22:44,739
are home to tens of thousands
of black bears.
216
00:22:46,199 --> 00:22:49,077
It's midsummer,
and this mother is leading her cubs
217
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:50,703
on a feeding foray.
218
00:22:52,163 --> 00:22:55,417
She keeps them on track with soft grunts.
219
00:22:59,587 --> 00:23:02,173
At six months, they're curious.
220
00:23:07,846 --> 00:23:10,306
But still naive.
221
00:23:19,023 --> 00:23:22,444
Mom must be their eyes and ears.
222
00:23:31,911 --> 00:23:33,496
Her low moan tells them
223
00:23:34,497 --> 00:23:35,790
something's not right.
224
00:23:45,383 --> 00:23:46,301
A male.
225
00:23:48,261 --> 00:23:49,762
He could kill her cubs
226
00:23:50,305 --> 00:23:52,182
and force her back into heat.
227
00:23:56,311 --> 00:23:59,314
When Mom growls, it's time to hide.
228
00:24:18,124 --> 00:24:19,417
She's warning the male,
229
00:24:20,001 --> 00:24:22,212
but he's not getting the message.
230
00:24:27,550 --> 00:24:29,844
That cough means "climb."
231
00:24:51,950 --> 00:24:56,788
Now Mom must keep her nerve
and stand her ground.
232
00:25:03,545 --> 00:25:05,505
Until he understands
233
00:25:05,588 --> 00:25:07,382
she's not to be messed with.
234
00:25:21,312 --> 00:25:23,064
Ever since leaving the den,
235
00:25:23,731 --> 00:25:26,150
Mom's encouraged her cubs to climb.
236
00:25:29,571 --> 00:25:30,655
It's paid off.
237
00:25:35,201 --> 00:25:37,662
Till she's sure the coast is clear,
238
00:25:37,745 --> 00:25:39,414
they'll stay off the ground.
239
00:25:43,668 --> 00:25:45,962
A chance for some more climbing practice,
240
00:25:47,171 --> 00:25:50,008
while Mom grabs
a bit of well-earned shut-eye.
241
00:26:08,901 --> 00:26:10,028
But not too much.
242
00:26:11,863 --> 00:26:13,114
Fall is coming,
243
00:26:13,698 --> 00:26:16,159
and the whole family needs to feed up.
244
00:26:21,831 --> 00:26:23,666
In more hostile lands,
245
00:26:23,750 --> 00:26:25,585
finding food and water
246
00:26:25,668 --> 00:26:27,462
is a year-round struggle.
247
00:26:37,180 --> 00:26:39,682
These peaks may look uninhabitable…
248
00:26:42,310 --> 00:26:44,437
but for a few spectacled bears,
249
00:26:45,396 --> 00:26:46,230
it's home.
250
00:26:47,815 --> 00:26:51,110
The only species of bear in South America.
251
00:26:52,904 --> 00:26:54,739
The real-life Paddington.
252
00:26:57,450 --> 00:27:00,078
But no need for a duffle coat
and rain hat here.
253
00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:03,539
The tallest mountains block clouds…
254
00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:10,880
…creating a high-altitude desert.
255
00:27:17,679 --> 00:27:21,182
It can go eight months without rain.
256
00:27:32,068 --> 00:27:36,698
This is the only natural spring for miles.
257
00:27:39,409 --> 00:27:42,078
A lush oasis.
258
00:27:55,842 --> 00:27:57,719
He could chill out here all day.
259
00:28:03,516 --> 00:28:05,351
When a male hogs the bath,
260
00:28:06,436 --> 00:28:08,938
others must be more resourceful.
261
00:28:24,495 --> 00:28:26,581
This mother is showing her cub
262
00:28:26,664 --> 00:28:28,082
how even a tree trunk
263
00:28:28,166 --> 00:28:29,834
can be a survival aid.
264
00:28:30,918 --> 00:28:34,255
With the strongest jaws
for her size of any bear,
265
00:28:34,338 --> 00:28:37,967
she easily tears it apart
to reach the moisture inside.
266
00:28:47,226 --> 00:28:50,271
Food and water are so scarce,
267
00:28:50,354 --> 00:28:51,898
she must save energy.
268
00:28:52,690 --> 00:28:54,233
Rest often.
269
00:28:57,403 --> 00:28:59,489
It's a lot cooler off the ground,
270
00:28:59,572 --> 00:29:01,908
but spindly trees
don't offer much support.
271
00:29:03,618 --> 00:29:07,246
So she does something no other bears do.
272
00:29:14,796 --> 00:29:16,672
She makes her own bed.
273
00:29:25,973 --> 00:29:27,683
It's this ingenuity
274
00:29:28,226 --> 00:29:32,021
that helps see her through
till the rains finally return.
275
00:29:36,609 --> 00:29:38,361
Naturally air-conditioned.
276
00:29:40,988 --> 00:29:42,114
Nice and comfy.
277
00:29:44,075 --> 00:29:46,744
The perfect spot for a siesta.
278
00:29:52,625 --> 00:29:53,960
In the far north,
279
00:29:54,544 --> 00:29:56,087
life is less peaceful.
280
00:30:00,967 --> 00:30:02,718
The dominant grizzly.
281
00:30:03,803 --> 00:30:05,012
Since spring,
282
00:30:05,096 --> 00:30:07,390
he's packed on two pounds a day.
283
00:30:08,891 --> 00:30:10,560
He needs the extra weight.
284
00:30:14,105 --> 00:30:17,191
It's being bigger and badder
that makes him the boss,
285
00:30:17,984 --> 00:30:20,027
controlling the best feeding spots
286
00:30:20,111 --> 00:30:22,154
and mating with the local females.
287
00:30:29,829 --> 00:30:31,831
But after a decade in charge,
288
00:30:32,999 --> 00:30:35,501
he seems to be losing his charm.
289
00:30:57,315 --> 00:31:00,568
And a bigger problem is coming his way.
290
00:31:15,791 --> 00:31:18,586
A younger male has sensed weakness.
291
00:31:32,350 --> 00:31:35,227
The boss needs
to prove himself to the females
292
00:31:36,103 --> 00:31:38,940
and show junior
who's in charge around here.
293
00:31:42,068 --> 00:31:43,569
The cowboy swagger.
294
00:31:51,702 --> 00:31:54,246
It's meant to look imposing.
295
00:31:58,751 --> 00:31:59,961
The only thing is,
296
00:32:01,545 --> 00:32:04,465
the youngster is enormous.
297
00:32:13,933 --> 00:32:15,810
But with females watching on…
298
00:32:17,937 --> 00:32:19,605
…no backing out now.
299
00:33:13,117 --> 00:33:15,703
The old boss is down for the count.
300
00:33:27,840 --> 00:33:30,092
The meadow's getting
a change in management.
301
00:33:31,844 --> 00:33:33,471
Effective immediately.
302
00:33:42,229 --> 00:33:44,482
The old boss's reign is over.
303
00:33:51,280 --> 00:33:53,741
The female made the smart choice,
304
00:33:53,824 --> 00:33:57,745
holding out for a stronger,
fitter bear to father her cubs.
305
00:34:00,831 --> 00:34:02,541
He spends the long, warm days
306
00:34:02,625 --> 00:34:04,043
reaping the rewards.
307
00:34:07,463 --> 00:34:09,090
But even further north,
308
00:34:09,173 --> 00:34:10,758
just getting through the summer
309
00:34:11,509 --> 00:34:13,010
is a serious struggle.
310
00:34:17,681 --> 00:34:20,267
Each year, as the Arctic warms,
311
00:34:20,351 --> 00:34:22,520
the sea ice retreats north.
312
00:34:36,075 --> 00:34:40,454
Polar bears become stranded on land,
where there's little to eat.
313
00:34:48,295 --> 00:34:51,215
And now that climate change
is making the ice melt earlier,
314
00:34:52,383 --> 00:34:54,468
polar bears go hungry for longer.
315
00:34:57,138 --> 00:34:59,723
A mom must do what it takes
316
00:34:59,807 --> 00:35:01,600
to keep her family alive.
317
00:35:06,564 --> 00:35:10,234
Even if it means
leading them towards danger.
318
00:35:13,237 --> 00:35:15,156
On the north Alaskan coast,
319
00:35:15,239 --> 00:35:18,409
subsistence whale hunters
leave piles of bones.
320
00:35:20,744 --> 00:35:22,621
Driven by hunger,
321
00:35:22,705 --> 00:35:25,082
bears come together to scavenge.
322
00:35:28,878 --> 00:35:31,922
They tolerate each other… to a point.
323
00:35:38,012 --> 00:35:42,141
Mom knows her cubs are vulnerable
among bad-tempered adults.
324
00:35:48,105 --> 00:35:51,609
But the threat of starvation
is even worse.
325
00:35:58,449 --> 00:36:02,661
The cubs will have to learn to cope
with uncomfortable situations like this
326
00:36:03,204 --> 00:36:06,165
if they're to survive longer,
hotter summers ahead.
327
00:36:12,463 --> 00:36:17,009
Even so, polar bear numbers
are predicted to fall by a third
328
00:36:17,092 --> 00:36:18,802
over the next few decades.
329
00:36:26,894 --> 00:36:28,979
They're not the only ones under threat.
330
00:36:31,190 --> 00:36:36,237
Six of the eight bear species
are vulnerable to extinction.
331
00:36:38,906 --> 00:36:40,282
Their biggest threat
332
00:36:41,242 --> 00:36:42,701
is habitat loss.
333
00:36:48,958 --> 00:36:51,126
Many also face persecution.
334
00:36:54,505 --> 00:36:56,799
But it's not too late to save them,
335
00:36:58,509 --> 00:37:01,345
to protect the wilderness
they need to thrive…
336
00:37:04,390 --> 00:37:07,351
and help bears by rescuing,
337
00:37:07,434 --> 00:37:08,894
rehabilitating,
338
00:37:10,062 --> 00:37:11,230
and releasing them.
339
00:37:22,032 --> 00:37:23,742
It's been shown to work.
340
00:37:25,369 --> 00:37:27,830
Breeding projects and forest protection
341
00:37:27,913 --> 00:37:31,208
have almost doubled
the number of wild pandas.
342
00:37:33,752 --> 00:37:35,671
If we make room for bears,
343
00:37:36,255 --> 00:37:39,008
their adaptable nature will do the rest.
344
00:37:41,385 --> 00:37:45,222
As long as they have someone
to show them the way.
345
00:37:57,818 --> 00:38:00,529
As fall colors sweep across North America…
346
00:38:02,614 --> 00:38:07,119
black bear mothers have one last push
to get cubs ready for winter.
347
00:38:09,038 --> 00:38:11,749
They target foods high in calories.
348
00:38:14,335 --> 00:38:18,756
In a good year, the acorn harvest
provides plenty of carbs and fat.
349
00:38:24,053 --> 00:38:26,305
But when there's not enough food
in the wild,
350
00:38:27,222 --> 00:38:28,932
bears get their dinner to go…
351
00:38:31,769 --> 00:38:33,020
heading downtown
352
00:38:33,645 --> 00:38:37,066
to make the most
of the food we throw away.
353
00:38:41,153 --> 00:38:43,113
In the urban jungle
354
00:38:43,197 --> 00:38:44,573
or out in the wild,
355
00:38:44,656 --> 00:38:49,161
bears rely on their resourceful nature
to feed up through fall.
356
00:38:53,374 --> 00:38:57,252
And the bigger the bear,
the more epic the feast.
357
00:39:04,051 --> 00:39:05,594
Brown bears,
358
00:39:05,677 --> 00:39:08,347
the most widespread of all bears,
359
00:39:08,430 --> 00:39:11,725
found across North America,
Europe, and Asia.
360
00:39:19,024 --> 00:39:22,236
The largest live
where there's plenty of food.
361
00:39:23,362 --> 00:39:27,449
And there are around 10,000
on this volcanic peninsula.
362
00:39:30,202 --> 00:39:35,124
But this land will soon be snowbound
for six months.
363
00:39:36,750 --> 00:39:41,171
To survive a hibernation that long,
they'll need to double their weight.
364
00:39:43,632 --> 00:39:45,926
And there's only one way to do it.
365
00:39:46,969 --> 00:39:48,303
Go fishing.
366
00:40:02,025 --> 00:40:03,193
Every year,
367
00:40:03,277 --> 00:40:07,114
millions of breeding salmon
provide a bonanza of prey.
368
00:40:15,456 --> 00:40:21,628
A big male can gorge
on a staggering 100,000 calories a day.
369
00:40:22,171 --> 00:40:24,965
That's 300 cheeseburgers.
370
00:40:26,717 --> 00:40:28,510
It's called hyperphagia.
371
00:40:29,094 --> 00:40:30,429
They can eat
372
00:40:30,512 --> 00:40:31,722
and eat
373
00:40:32,306 --> 00:40:33,891
and eat
374
00:40:33,974 --> 00:40:35,809
without ever feeling full.
375
00:40:39,438 --> 00:40:41,982
Taking a seasonal feast
and storing it as fat,
376
00:40:42,608 --> 00:40:44,651
fuel for the long winter ahead.
377
00:40:54,369 --> 00:40:57,206
Each bear lives life a little differently.
378
00:41:00,167 --> 00:41:02,794
But there's something
they all have in common.
379
00:41:06,173 --> 00:41:08,133
The time mothers spend
380
00:41:08,217 --> 00:41:10,594
passing skills down generations…
381
00:41:16,183 --> 00:41:19,436
…and leading their cubs
through the seasons
382
00:41:21,188 --> 00:41:23,982
is the real secret to a bear's success…
383
00:41:26,527 --> 00:41:29,238
whether enduring harsh deserts
384
00:41:30,906 --> 00:41:34,743
or heading out once again
to face the Arctic winter.
385
00:41:48,215 --> 00:41:51,802
The black bear cubs
have made it to the end of their year.
386
00:41:55,430 --> 00:41:56,431
Back in the den,
387
00:41:57,849 --> 00:41:59,643
batteries fully charged…
388
00:42:03,063 --> 00:42:05,065
…they've gone into standby mode.
389
00:42:11,738 --> 00:42:13,031
Safe and warm,
390
00:42:13,699 --> 00:42:16,285
they'll sleep tight till spring returns.
391
00:42:19,121 --> 00:42:21,540
Snuggled up to Mom.