Great Lakes Untamed (2022): Season 1, Episode 2 - The Big Freeze - full transcript

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ANNOUNCER: MTV.

[light music]

NARRATOR: On a single
breath under a foot of ice,

these divers explore the largest
body of fresh water on Earth.

Where they swim was
once a colossal ice

sheet grinding into the
bedrock of North America.

When it melted, five giant
lakes were left behind.

But each year the ice returns--

[chirping]

--challenging all life here with
the wild elements of winter--

[cawing]



--in North America's
Great Lakes.

An icy blast of air rips
across the Great Lakes.

Winter comes hard and fast.

Animals here must deal
with the most extreme,

unpredictable
temperature changes

found anywhere on Earth, from
summer highs of 100 degrees

to winter lows of 40 below--

a throwback to the Ice Age
that once gripped this region.

20,000 years ago,
mammoths roamed

here in the shadow of a massive
ice sheet two miles thick.

Trillions of tons of slow moving
ice carving the rock beneath,

it crushed the continent
for 2 and 1/2 million years.

Then, about 12,000 years ago,
in a period of natural warming,

the ice rapidly melted, leaving
behind five massive lakes--



Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie,
and Ontario, the Great Lakes

of North America.

It's early winter on Lake Huron.

The ice is already
six inches thick.

The only way through is a drill.

But Andrew and Lilly
Ryzebol aren't here to fish.

They're extreme free divers
who love winter under the ice.

ANDREW RYZEBOL
(VOICEOVER): Underneath

the ice, it's almost haunting,
because the marine life,

they go to deeper waters.

You don't see them.

It's just you and the
ice and the water.

NARRATOR: Using only
the air in their lungs,

they risk their limbs to
explore the exquisite world

beneath this frozen
ceiling in water that's

just 33 degrees Fahrenheit.

LILLY RYZEBOL (VOICEOVER):
You have to have so

much respect for the elements.

Your body is feeling these
extreme cold effects.

It goes right to
your bones, and you

have to overcome that to see
the beauty under the ice.

The Great Lakes is an
unfinished masterpiece.

It's always changing, and
it's always creating something

mesmerizing and so unique.

NARRATOR: The constant
movement of ice

creates a storm of
otherworldly sounds.

[creaking, crunching, gurgling]

A reminder of the
immense power of the ice

that carved out this lake.

ANDREW RYZEBOL
(VOICEOVER): There's

just 30 centimeters
of ice that weighs,

then starts to kind of push.

And it'll crush your body.

It's incredible to think that
just a small little thickness

of ice, what that
can do to a human,

let alone what three
kilometers of glacial ice,

what that did to the landscape.

NARRATOR: When the first
humans colonized North America,

this area was under a
gigantic sheet of ice.

It endured for 2 and
1/2 million years

but disappeared in a flash of
geological time, when the Earth

suddenly warmed, a
timely reminder of how

rapidly our world can change.

Today, the winter ice only
reaches two feet thick,

but it's a constant challenge
for the aquatic animals that

live here.

River otters are found
in all the Great Lakes.

They don't hibernate
and hunt year round.

This is the first winter
for these 10-month old pups.

Their mother teaches them
to fish under the ice.

They can hold their breath
for up to eight minutes.

But it's dangerous.

The fish retreat to
the bottom in winter.

Down here in the dark, the
pups must keep their bearings

and not lose sight of their
escape hole in the ice above.

After the hunt, it's playtime.

But it's play with
a serious purpose.

They roll in the snow to dry
off and fluff up their fur.

Otters don't have blubber.

Instead, a layer of air trapped
in their super dense coats

keeps them warm.

If they don't do
this immediately,

they're in danger of freezing.

As temperatures drop,
each lake reveals

its own unique character.

Lake Superior is
the farthest north,

but its great size and depth
make it slow to ice over.

As snow blankets the land, one
animal stands above all others.

Ravens are the masters
of the winter forest.

Like skilled chess players, they
can see several moves ahead.

The most intelligent of all
animals in the Great Lakes,

they plan and manipulate.

A white-tailed deer has been
caught by the thickening ice.

It's in deep trouble.

And the ever-watchful ravens
know a meal when they see one.

But they need others
to do the killing.

A special cry, known
as a yell call,

will summon all the
help they'll need.

Overnight, the temperature
drops to 40 below.

By morning, the shoreline
is frozen solid.

Wolves have found and
dismembered the deer.

It's just as the birds intended.

Ravens use wolves
and other predators

to tear open carcasses.

And now they want to eat.

Using their superior
brains and sheer numbers,

the birds move in.

Under relentless harassment,
the wolves retreat.

Each raven can eat its
own body weight a day.

And what they can't finish
they stash away for later.

And soon only bones remain.

Ravens' remarkable brainpower
helps them not only

survive but thrive as overlords
of the brutal Great Lakes

winter.

Deep in a forest
on the north shore

of Lake Ontario, a magical
light show is underway.

Flashes of bubblegum pink
flit between the trees.

It's a flying squirrel,
and he glows in the dark.

His fur absorbs and
emits ultraviolet light.

Only four species of mammal
are known to do this,

and flying squirrels are the
only ones in North America.

Humans can't see it without
special cameras and lights.

But many animals
can see UV light,

such as great horned owls,
one of his main predators.

Like the owl, this
nocturnal squirrel

is braving the frigid
night to search for food.

Scientists know how he glows.

Bio-fluorescent pigments
accumulate in his fur.

But they don't
know why he glows,

especially when some
predators can see UV light.

It could be a way for
him to communicate

with other flying squirrels.

On bitterly cold nights,
these sociable rodents

snuggle up in communal
sleeping dens to keep warm.

The bed mates aren't
from the same family.

So they have to find
each other in the dark.

Their fluorescent fur
could be the perfect way

to silently guide each
other to the nest hole.

He makes it to the nest, already
full of cuddly neighbors.

But as the squirrels
snuggle in, bitter

cold and hungry predators
aren't their only concerns.

At this time of year, mighty
winds batter the Great Lakes,

whipping up ferocious waves.

They're fueled by
the Jet Stream,

a belt of hurricane force
wind high in the atmosphere

that circles the North Pole.

In summer, this
bone-chilling blast of air

stays far to the
north, but every winter

the Jet Stream drifts south.

It's so powerful it can knock
an hour off a flight from LA

to New York.

The Great Lakes lie
directly in its path,

resulting in treacherous
winter storms.

Here on Lake Michigan,
16-foot waves are common.

On Lake Superior, the
record is almost 30 feet.

They're the tallest lake
waves on the planet.

For some cold-adapted humans,
it's the perfect storm.

Sonia Jaafar chases
these winter waves.

SONIA JAAFAR (VOICEOVER):
They call these lakes

a washing machine, because
the waves just keep coming.

The further you go out,
actually the worse it gets.

NARRATOR: Great Lakes surfing is
always best during the coldest

months of the year.

SONIA JAAFAR (VOICEOVER):
It's so raw in the elements,

hypothermia is very real.

Adding to that, these
high winds, chunks of ice,

and you can get yourself in
a pickle pretty damn fast.

NARRATOR: Surfing season ends
when the shoreline ices up.

But the Great Lakes are so big
they rarely freeze completely.

And, just like the
world's oceans,

they can create
their own weather.

The most dangerous
is lake effect snow.

Even by late January, each lake
remains a few degrees warmer

than the surrounding land.

The result-- steam, water vapor
that rises into the atmosphere.

As cold north winds barrel
across the open lakes,

the moisture freezes and
clouds laden with snow plow

into the shore, creating
some of the worst

blizzards in the world.

South of Lake Ontario, cities
like Buffalo, Rochester,

and Syracuse take the brunt.

More than six feet of snow
can fall in just 24 hours.

Ironically, as the world warms,
these lake effect blizzards

will become more extreme.

And that could be good news
for an animal that's a master

hunter in the deep snow.

It's mid-winter on the north
shore of Lake Superior.

In a foot of fresh snow, a
Canada lynx is on the hunt.

With each step, its huge paws
splay out like snow shoes,

preventing him from
sinking into the drifts.

He's 30 pounds, twice the
size of a housecat, but his

paws are as big as a cougar's.

He's locked in on his target--

a snowshoe hare, a favorite
meal on his winter menu.

This one gives him the slip.

But the deep snow
hides other prizes.

Almost invisible,
a ruffed grouse

appears safe and snug
in her winter quarters.

Instead of roosting
in a tree, she's

burrowed deep into the snow.

This behavior has
rarely been observed

and never filmed before.

The snow traps her body
heat like an igloo.

It's 30 degrees
warmer in her den.

She's a sitting target.

The Lynx has super
sensitive hearing.

His ear tufts amplify sounds.

He can hear prey 250 feet away.

He stalks absolutely silently.

Her life depends on
keeping perfectly still

until the very last second.

Shedding feathers that make
her too slippery to grab,

the grouse escapes.

For now, she'll weather the cold
up high and wait for more snow.

Snow can fall in parts
of the Great Lakes

for six months of the year.

Each snowflake is unique,
a tiny ice crystal

shaped by temperature and
humidity on its journey

to the ground.

Warm air gives flakes more
time to form as they fall,

creating larger and
more elaborate patterns.

An extreme weather events
bears down on the Great Lakes,

one that will test the
limits of all wildlife here.

Far to the north, a
dome of ultra cold air

spins over the North Pole.

It's called the polar vortex.

Here, in the upper
atmosphere, the temperature

can drop to a numbing minus
110 degrees Fahrenheit.

This frigid, swirling
mass is normally

held in place by the
jet stream, the belt

of hurricane force winds.

But the world is heating up,
weakening the Jet Stream,

allowing deadly plumes of
Arctic air to spew south,

salvaging savaging Great Lakes.

The days are growing
longer, a sign that winter

has almost run its course.

But a sudden shift
in the polar vortex

has plunged parts of the Great
Lakes back into a deep freeze.

On Lake Michigan's west coast,
temperatures have dropped

20 degrees in just a few hours.

Sensing an opportunity,
bald eagles head inland.

They're normally
solitary predators,

but here they're
gathering in the hundreds,

anticipating a feast.

It's one of the
largest gatherings

of eagles in North America.

This river is packed with
gizzard shad, a fish that

lives in the relatively
warmer rivers

south of the Great Lakes.

The sudden cold from the polar
vortex paralyzes these fish.

Easy pickings for
the hordes of eagles.

Bald eagles are
opportunists, and

the sudden arrival of a polar
vortex has delivered a bounty.

But they fare just as
well in warmer climes.

Others aren't so adaptable.

One creature here depends
on winter's frozen grip more

than any other.

Deep in the boreal forest
north of Lake Superior, two

scientists from the Wildlife
Conservation Society of Canada

are searching for the rarest
of all Great Lakes animals.

To find it, Matt
Scrafford and Liam

Cowan travel enormous distances,
checking a network of traps.

Our study area is almost
6,500 square kilometers.

And within that area, we have
about 30 different live traps.

NARRATOR: The traps
are built sturdy

to hold an animal renowned for
its strength and ferocity--

a wolverine.

[laughs] They are fierce.

They're fierce because
they have to be.

They're out in this
landscape with wolves

and other large
carnivores that are trying

to compete for the
same food sources

that they're trying to get.

NARRATOR: Today, wolverines
are on the edge of extinction,

and this male could be one
of the last of its kind

in Eastern North America.

No one knows for sure
how many are left.

Matt and Liam want to
find out and protect

the remaining population.

And that begins with a checkup.

CONSERVATION
SCIENTIST (VOICEOVER):

When we do anesthetize
a wolverine,

we also take a
number of samples.

So we're measuring the body
condition of the wolverine,

the reproductive status,
its weights, its sex,

looking at a lot of different
physiological type of samples

from the animal to try
to understand its health

and how the wolverines
are doing out here.

NARRATOR: Wolverines
are giant weasels

weighing up to 50 pounds.

For their size, they're
powerful, relentless hunters.

But, despite their ferocity,
fur trapping and habitat loss

due to logging have
almost wiped them

out in the Great Lakes basin.

And now there's a new threat--

climate change.

CONSERVATION
SCIENTIST (VOICEOVER):

They really rely on
cold, snowy places.

Especially females, because
they build these dens.

And a lot of the structure
and cover of these dens

is provided by snow.

And so when you have a snow
melt that occurs very early,

then you make it harder for
these females to have kits.

NARRATOR: Despite the occasional
visit of a polar vortex,

winters in the Great
Lakes are growing warmer.

Matt and Liam head to check
another trap a few miles away.

They're met by the
telltale sounds

of another angry wolverine.

Looks like it's a new female.

NARRATOR: A female is
a huge stroke of luck.

She's in great condition
and an exciting addition

to the known population.

You know, this is the
first time we've seen her.

We've seen some big
males here but we've

never actually seen her.

NARRATOR: There's
more good news.

She's lactating.

She might have a litter.

She might have.

She either has one
right now or she's

about to have one here.

Now, we've had such a hard time
finding reproductive females

like this on the landscape,
so finding one of these

is a pretty big deal.

Any time you do catch a
female and have an opportunity

to learn from her,
it's it's a very big

opportunity for the project.

You know, females are the
ones who are having kits

and they're primarily
responsible for raising the

next generation of wolverines.

NARRATOR: But the future
remains uncertain for wolverines

and other animals that
depend on the Great

Lakes' extreme winters.

It's almost spring, but Lake
Erie, the shallowest Great

Lake, is still frozen over.

The ice, always one
step behind the weather,

is at peak thickness.

Beneath this frozen
ceiling, a strange throbbing

permeates the gloom.

30 feet down, in cold murk
at the bottom of the lake,

a fish is singing his heart out.

He's a burbot, the only
freshwater cod in the world.

And this four foot Casanova
has got love on his mind.

Burbots spawn at the
coldest time of the year,

while other predators
lie dormant,

so their fry are less
likely to be eaten.

With so little light
and bad visibility,

this male burbot isn't
exactly dazzling.

But his drab exterior hides
an impressive set of pipes.

He calls by rapidly moving the
muscles of his swim bladder.

It's one of the
fastest contracting

muscles found in any animal.

Researchers have recorded the
sound of males underwater,

and they're as loud
as a revving jet ski.

It's not music to our
ears, but it definitely

works for the burbot ladies--

lots of them.

Enticed by his
calls, the females

thrash their tails
on the lake bed

to release up to a million eggs.

Other males, who've
also heard the music,

turn the whole event
into a fish frenzy.

But the burbots' love song
may not ring out forever.

The Great Lakes are warming.

And that means a shorter window
to spawn without the attention

of predators.

The trend is clear.

Ice cover has dropped by about
25% over the last 50 years.

And the largest animal
in the Great Lakes basin

is feeling the heat.

A female moose wades
through the snow, held

aloft by ungainly long legs.

She stands taller
than most horses,

an advantage in
any season, as she

and her calf browse
for twigs and bark

beyond the reach
of other animals.

Moose hair is thick and
hollow, ideal for insulation.

It's the key to her
survival in winter.

But without help
she's in danger.

These scientists are
tracking a sharp drop

in the moose population and
are scrambling for solutions.

They need to get a closer
look at this family

to try to save them.

Poe Deschampe cares about
moose more than most.

He's a member of the
Grand Portage Band

of the Chippewa, Native
Americans who live

on the shore of Lake Superior.

Moose are part of their culture.

POE DESCHAMPE: All
the band members,

they want to keep moose
around as long as they can.

Well, moose have been one
of the main food sources

for the Grand Portage
community for quite some time.

I mean, one moose will
last a family a whole year.

So they must have just started.

NARRATOR: This feisty mother
and her calf appear healthy.

[inaudible]

NARRATOR: But a closer
look reveals trouble.

[beeping]

OK, breathing seems good.

NARRATOR: Bald
patches-- evidence

of a deadly infestation.

[inaudible]

That's it right here.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: The
culprits-- winter ticks,

bloodthirsty parasites that
burrow into the skin to feed.

Moose have been found
with 50,000 ticks embedded

deep in their hair,
more than enough

to kill these huge animals.

First take [inaudible]

NARRATOR: The pain
can be excruciating,

forcing them to rub
incessantly against trees,

desperate to remove the ticks.

Some have been found with
almost all their hair missing--

a death sentence in
freezing temperatures.

Winter ticks can't
survive extreme cold,

but today's shorter,
milder winters

have caused a tick explosion.

OK.

That is done.

NARRATOR: This female's
proved her worth as a mother

and brought a healthy calf
through a Great Lakes winter.

But these tiny
blood-sucking arachnids

now threaten her future.

Poe removes as many as he can
and fits her with the collar.

Tracking her will
help him better

understand the population.

With the moose
declining in numbers,

it's important to
know why they're dying

and to keep them around.

Just anything, anything
to help these guys.

NARRATOR: Poe's
work is much more

than a scientific exercise.

It's about maintaining
the Chippewa

way of life and their deep
connection to these animals.

The Chippewa and the
moose have lived side

by side for a thousand years,
but in the last decade,

winter ticks have reduced
the moose population by 40%.

The moose is superbly equipped
to survive a Great Lakes

winter, as are all the
creatures that thrive

in this extreme ecosystem.

But as winter turns to
spring earlier each year,

all who live here will
continue to feel the heat

and may soon find the
Great Lakes ice-free.