Spy in the Wild (2017–…): Season 2, Episode 2 - The North - full transcript

DAVID TENNANT (VO): The animal world
is full of spectacle and wonder.

But what's it like to be
right in the heart of the action?

To find out, our team of spy creatures
goes undercover.

They not only look like the animals
they film...

they behave like them too.

Armed with the latest camera technology...

they are heading across the globe.

From the heat of the tropics...

to the lands that lie in the north.

From the islands of the southern seas...

to the snow and ice of the frozen poles.



Our spies reveal the astonishing variety
of life that thrives there...

from inside their world.

On this assignment, our spy creatures
explore life in the temperate zone.

The lands that lie
between the tropics and the Arctic circle.

In this northern realm,
animals find extraordinary ways

to cope with the changing seasons

and the surprising
opportunities they bring.

In the mountains of Japan,
winters can be harsh

and temperatures can fall far below zero.

The Japanese macaque is the only monkey
that can survive this far north.

Here, volcanic springs
bring comforting warmth...

a mountain spa.

The perfect spot to luxuriate.

A new member has just joined
their health club.



Spy macaque is already making friends.

A youngster, just nine months old.

MACAQUES CHATTER

The spa has another new recruit.

One that can film the monkeys'
bathing rituals both from above...

and below.

It's already capturing unique behaviour.

As a mother grooms her baby

she lets warm water
penetrate deep into its fur.

The hot tub is a place to socialise
and strengthen friendships.

It's a shared activity.

You scratch my back...

I'll scratch yours.

The troop has a clear hierarchy.

Who grooms who
helps keep everyone in their place.

It's also a chance to relax.

Nearby, winter sports are on offer.

The young males love play-fighting.

MACAQUES CHATTER

One day, they'll leave the troop
to join another.

Testing their strength helps prepare them
for that moment.

Today, they have a chance
to play with a snowball.

One that can film.

Rather than play...

he admires his reflection in its lens.

Nearby, games are almost over.

In the spa,
spy monkey is still making friends...

including the curious baby.

But when social position is everything

you can't always choose
who your friends are.

It's Mum who decides.

The spa not only gives warmth,
it gives therapy...

helping them de-stress.

It's used most by the females,
especially those who are pregnant.

As females never leave the troop,
they pass the custom down

through the generations.

The troop's young males will soon be gone.

For now, a favourite pastime
is disturbing the peace.

MACAQUES SCREECH

The baby isn't so quick off the mark

and Mum is nowhere to be seen.

But what mother would ever really
leave her baby?

Now a special kind of warmth,
one only a mother can offer.

But there goes her chance to relax.

While it's still winter in Japan...

the mountains of north west Mexico
are having their first taste of spring.

It's the setting for perhaps the most
beautiful wildlife spectacle of all...

one that requires a unique spy creature.

The blue-throated hummingbird
is native to these forests.

This spy version hovers
just like the real thing.

In the heart of this grove, half a billion
monarch butterflies lie sleeping.

They have travelled from as far as Canada

to escape the cold northern winter.

How they return to this exact spot
is a mystery.

Like the butterflies,
hummingbirds feed on nectar

SO our spy isn't seen as a threat.

While resting, they cluster together
to conserve precious warmth.

But as winter ends,
the sun warms their fragile wings.

Once they reach a critical
13 degree Celsius...

they start to fly.

As the day warms,
the forest comes to life.

Spy hummingbird won't harm
these delicate butterflies.

It's moving parts are shielded
to keep them safe.

Butterflies can even safely land
on its wings.

It soon captures something
quite extraordinary.

What starts as a trickle
soon becomes a stream...

then grows into a cascade.

A spectacle that has rarely been filmed.

And our spy is harmlessly
in the very heart of it.

Beauty also lies in the detail.

After five months spent hibernating,
each monarch must take a drink.

It will convert their fat stores
to vital sugars.

Fuel for the long journey that lies ahead.

Re-energised, they begin their migration
back to North America.

The journey will involve
three successive generations

each completing a new stage
of the journey.

Only the last will return in the autumn.

It's a relay race across the generations
of up to 6,000 miles.

How they return to this exact same grove
remains a mystery.

In Alaska, at the other end of North America,
spring is only just starting to arrive.

Here, bald eagles rule the skies.

Including, for now, a spy.

At this time of year,
the glaciers are volatile

bringing danger
to the life that thrives here.

As the sun rises higher each day,
the spring melt begins.

Already, cracks have started to form.

Soon the sea ice will be gone.

The resident harbour seals now haul out
on ice cast from the glacier.

With spring,
humpback whales also start to arrive.

They migrated north from California

to enjoy the feeding opportunities
now found here.

Sea otters gather in huge rafts.

Up to 2,000 in all.

The nursing mothers congregate
in the areas now free of ice.

Spy sea otter joins them
in their floating nursery.

She's immediately accepted
by these notoriously shy creatures.

It's a privileged insider's view
of the most sociable otter of all.

Here, they not only have company,
there are more eyes to spot danger.

The spring melt makes
the glaciers unstable.

GLACIER RUMBLES

The ice fall creates a rolling wave,
up to ten metres high.

It may still be a danger
over a kilometre away.

In the turmoil,
mothers and pups are easily separated.

They must find refuge away from
the glacier.

In a cove, they find a solution
to the turbulent waters.

Kelp offers the moorings they need.

It's just a matter of how best
to attach themselves.

But even this beginner
is having success.

As the ice vanishes,
more kelp beds will soon appear.

The otters can enjoy
the upcoming summer in peace.

Spring has also reached Manitoba
in central Canada.

It marks the beginning
of an extraordinary awakening.

These are garter snakes.

After hibernating together underground,
they emerge in their thousands.

Remarkably, all are male.

They warm themselves in the sun,
preparing for the moment

when the females emerge.

This one has a camera.

Our spy is entering a world
governed by smell.

Snakes use their tongues
to pick up scent.

All are searching for females.

When the males detect a likely partner,
they swarm all over her

desperate to be the first to mate.

But spy snake is witnessing something
quite extraordinary.

Although there are no females here,
the males are still swarming.

And even more are joining the scrum.

Nearby, others have also
picked up the scent.

Soon, there's no stopping them.

As everyone piles in,
spy snake becomes buried

in the growing ball of snakes.

Then, in the middle,
the reason for the knot of serpents...

...an imposter.

A male that smells like a female.

He's deliberately attracting the males.

His aim is to share their warmth.

By fooling them into embracing him,
he becomes super-heated

a huge gain for a cold-blooded reptile
looking for a mate.

Finally, there she is.

Her perfume is far stronger
than the imposter.

Nothing beats the real thing.

The warmest males are already
hot on her trail.

But the super-heated imposter
leads the charge.

Here, snakes that impersonate females
get ahead in the mating game.

Best leave them to it.

Summer has arrived in the forests
of southern Germany.

The season of plenty for a secretive
and industrious creature.

The only clue to its presence,
a carefully-constructed wood pile.

This is the time beavers raise their young

making the most of the lush vegetation
that summer brings.

They recognise each other by smell.

Rubbing noses confirms their friendship.

They pair for life,
and live together as a family.

They are wary of strangers.

Newcomers enter at their own risk.

Somehow, spy beaver must win them over.

But first, he must pass the odour test.

Real beavers have scent glands
that tell family from foe.

As our spy doesn't smell like a beaver,
he's free to explore.

Their lodge has a concealed entrance...

that lets them come and go
without being seen.

Keeping a low profile hides them
from predators like lynx and foxes.

On the bank,
a new spy is there to greet her.

Beavers are strict vegetarians

and spy baby beaver is surrounded
by willow, their favourite meal.

BEAVER SQUEAKS

Her teeth are coloured orange
by iron deposits that strengthen them.

They are also self-sharpening,
and slice through wood like a knife.

Beavers can fell
300 shrubs and trees each year

clearing old growth, and helping
to maintain their entire ecosystem.

For now, the youngsters
leave it all to the grown-ups.

They spend most of their time at play.

Wrestling is a rarely-filmed pastime.

Beavers also have friends.

A muskrat.

This mini-me lives alongside the beavers,
and even shares their lodge.

Wherever the beaver goes...

the muskrat follows.

Being ten times smaller means the
best food is usually out of reach.

But while the beaver does the hard work,
the muskrat can sit back.

This is what friends are for.

Beavers with young
are always on high alert.

A false alarm...

but always best
to err on the side of caution.

After a fright,
grooming is a comfort for everyone.

By creating a layer of air between
skin and underfur, it provides insulation.

Harmony is soon restored...

while the muskrat just keeps himself busy.

For Mum, a well-earned massage
after a hard day's work.

As early summer arrives,
Baja, California becomes the focus

of a great natural gathering.

Here, brown pelicans patrol some of
the richest fishing grounds in the world.

There's a new member of the flock,
a spy on the wing.

One that can film the fishing party,
wing-tip to wing-tip.

Where warm currents
create plankton blooms

huge fish shoals are found.

It's just a matter of spotting them
from the air.

Then taking them by surprise.

But where fishing is easy,
everyone wants a piece of the action.

Bottlenose dolphins.

By spreading out, they increase
their chances of finding a shoal.

Dolphins are intensely curious.

They leap to check out the strange bird
that's following them.

Here, it's not just dolphins
that take to the air...

Mobula rays.

Why they leap is a mystery.

But it might be a signal to show
where food has been found.

For where rays are jumping,
huge blooms of plankton are not far away.

And rays converge
in their tens of thousands to feed.

The aerial view may be astonishing,
but more wonder lies below.

Spy ray gets closer than
any human diver can.

Deep into the heart of the shoal.

With a spy swimming among them...

and a spy in the sky...

our cameras capture an event
never filmed before.

As the rays circle, they create a vortex,
concentrating the plankton inside.

At every turn,
more plankton is sucked into the centre.

They just have to scoop it up.

When they feed near the surface,
they use a different technique.

Ripples pass through the masses
like a subaquatic Mexican wave.

Soon, the leaping starts again.

For spy ray, it's a case of...

"If you can't beat them, join them."

As the day ends, our spy keeps
leaping with the best of them.

It's mid-summer in Alaska.

The fishing season for grizzly bears.

BEARS GROWL

With uncanny timing, mother bears
bring their cubs to a remarkable event.

Soon, a million salmon
will pass up this river to spawn.

This year, a newcomer is joining them.

With his teddy bear looks and camera eye,
he's well-prepared.

Late arrivals must be quick.

The best fishing spots will soon be taken.

Our spy also has a quick way down.

He's now in prime position.

Risky when a mother bear
is still staking out her claim.

BEAR GRUNTS

But he seems to have got away with it.

SPY BEAR GROWLS

For all, it's a waiting game.

The tide is out, and the river empty.

But her cubs have yet to master
the art of patience.

They head out to the estuary
to search for the salmon...

...leaving mother bear to bide her time.

Spy bald eagle is already on their trail.

Bears can smell fish up to 20 miles away.

By following their nose, they soon find
where the salmon are gathering.

With fish everywhere,
just how hard can it be to catch one?

Finally! After all that effort.

Older bears know better
than to waste their energy.

They've learnt that salmon arrive
on the high tide.

But the first is not what it seems.

Spy salmon swims just like the real thing.

It too is ready to run the gauntlet
of the bears.

In its wake are countless sockeye salmon.

They've travelled thousands of miles
to spawn in the river

where once they were born.

The salmon bottleneck beneath the falls,
before taking a leap into the unknown.

A prime spot for fishing.

Bears can see underwater...

useful for targeting.

With so many fish

it's like bobbing for apples.

They can eat over 30 salmon a day

and almost double their weight
in the fishing season.

They soon become fussy,
picking the most nutritious treats

like the skin and head.

But any good party can attract
unwelcome guests.

They have good reason
to feel nervous.

Males can Kill cubs.

One mother makes a stand.

BEAR GROWLS

She's joined by another.

He may be powerful,
but he's no match for a mother's fury.

He won't be back in a hurry.

Now that the cubs have nothing to fear,
why not tackle a bear of their own?

Grab the paw first...

That showed him.

Now the Killer bite.

Maybe not.
- BEAR GRUNTS

SPY BEAR GROWLS

Meanwhile, spy salmon has been left
high and dry.

Surely a better bet.

Never mind,
there's always one that gets away.

As summer draws to an end...

Istanbul, in Turkey, sets the scene

for another great spectacle.

White storks are heading south
to escape Europe's upcoming winter

when food will be hard to find.

Half a million will make
the perilous journey to Africa

of up to 8,000 miles.

They have a fellow traveller.

He joins them in the thermals
that rise from the ground below.

Spy stork's broad wings are designed
to ride these natural elevators

just like the real birds.

The twisting columns of hot air
offer the storks a free ride upwards.

Once they reach the top of one thermal,
they simply glide to another.

They head to the city
with hardly a wing flap.

Good move.

The roads and buildings of Istanbul
reflect the heat, creating huge thermals

which carry them upwards
even higher than before.

Riding only on hot air,
they can reach heights of nearly a mile.

They need the altitude.

They now face the riskiest part
of their journey

because thermals don't form over water.

As they try to glide

there's nothing to give them
the lift they need.

Those who hadn't gained enough height
on land soon drop from the sky.

To avoid plunging into the sea,
they must flap their heavy wings.

They start burning body fat
just to stay airborne

consuming 20 times more energy
than when they glide.

If a wing so much as touches the water,
they will fall in and drown.

They are battling for their lives.

Then suddenly, a lifeline.

An outcrop rising from the sea.

Just enough sun-baked rock to create
the thermals they so desperately need.

It's a free ride upwards
that saves their lives.

In this way, storks use islands
as stepping stones

to help survive the crossing.

Travelling only by day,
it can take four weeks

before they arrive over
the plains of Africa.

Here, they'll have all the insects
and other food they need

as they wait out Europe's upcoming winter.

In England, the early morning mist signals
that autumn has finally arrived...

and with it, the greatest and most
colourful transformation in nature.

The trees survive the winter by taking back
nutrients and chlorophyll from the leaves.

What's left behind are the autumn hues.

The leaves that once fed the trees
are then discarded.

Grey squirrels are among the many preparing
themselves for the changing season.

Spy squirrel is poised and ready
with his camera eye.

Well, nearly ready.

Along with his spy nut

other disguised cameras are strewn across
the forest floor.

In autumn, squirrels stock up
their winter larder.

Each may bury around 10,000 nuts.

In an amazing feat of memory,
they may retrieve 4,000 of them.

With so many nuts to find,
competition is rife.

Every nut is a gift for would-be thieves.

In fact, around a fifth of all squirrels
steal from others.

That'll do nicely.

It's one thing to steal a nut...

Another to keep hold of it.

It's not just squirrels
feeling the seasonal change.

Autumn is the rutting season for red deer.

By breeding now,
they will have their young in the summer.

Their stag.

He tries to gather together
as many hinds as he can.

Perhaps 20 in all.

Spy squirrel is right in the middle
of his herd.

But the stag has other things
on his mind.

STAG GRUNTS

In the rutting season,
he has his work cut out.

Rounding up his straying hinds
is a constant battle.

But he has an even bigger challenge...

...a rival.

STAG GRUNTS

A bevy of hinds
is just what he's looking for.

Females will go with the strongest stag.

STAG GRUNTS

The rival must fight to prove his mettle.

STAG GRUNTS

Battle lines are drawn.

One mistake could prove fatal.

Whoever gains most ground wins.

Victory for the reigning stag.

STAG GRUNTS

Spy squirrel may be worse for wear

but he still captures one final shot
of the champion.

STAG GRUNTS

For the squirrels, there's still one last
nut they've yet to get their paws on.

Another trophy to squirrel away.

Back in Germany, among the beavers,
autumn is also well underway.

It won't be long until the winter sets in.

Before then, their lodge must undergo
some maintenance.

Spy beaver investigates.

It's the beavers' busiest time of year.

They scour the river for building material.

Stones help stabilise the lodge
against flooding.

Preparing their home for winter
is everyone's responsibility.

Sticks and logs bring strength
to the structure.

They can also be used to plug holes,
and reduce leaks to the main chamber.

Small sticks are used to fill in the gaps.

To cap it all, a thatch of turf
helps weatherproof the roof.

On the riverbank,
the whole family is hard at work

collecting food and nesting material.

Even the youngsters do their bit.

The beavers must harvest
what they can before winter sets in.

Everything must be ferried back home.

The muskrat uses grass
as nesting material

to furnish his own quarters in the lodge.

As winter approaches,
the beavers re-double their efforts.

And the muskrat
gets ever more ambitious.

With everyone working flat-out

they'll soon be ready
for the upcoming winter.

They'll spend most of it safely
tucked up inside.

As the year comes to an end,
the snows have returned to Japan.

Already the macaques
are huddling together for warmth.

Once more, their social life revolves
around the hot tub.

Our spies are at the end of their mission.

Sweet dreams soon come to all.

Time out for our spy creatures too.

Next time, our spies travel

to the islands of the southern seas

to meet yet more extraordinary animals.