Wild New World (2002): Season 1, Episode 1 - Land of the Mammoth - full transcript
During a typical prehistoric day, a giant short-faced bear challenges a herd of musk oxen, and woolly mammoths defend their baby from American lions.
21st CENTURY NORTH AMERICA...
WHERE PEOPLE HAVE REACHED
EVEN THE REMOTEST CORNERS
OF THE CONTINENT
AND PUSHED BACK THE BOUNDARIES
OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY.
BUT IT ISN'T SO LONG
SINCE HUMANS
FIRST SET FOOT HERE,
ABOUT 14,000 YEARS AGO.
AND BACK THEN,
NORTH AMERICA BELONGED
TO OTHER CREATURES
OF A SIZE TO MATCH
THIS VAST LAND--
GIANTS, WHOSE LIVES
ARE NOW LOST IN THE SHADOWS.
IMAGINE IF WE COULD
TRAVEL BACK IN TIME
TO THE END
OF THE LAST ICE AGE,
LONG BEFORE THE FIRST CITY
WAS BORN...
TO LOOK THROUGH THE EYES
OF THE VERY FIRST PEOPLE...
AND EXPERIENCE
A WILD NEW WORLD.
IN THIS SERIES,
WE WILL TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY
BACK INTO THE PAST
TO BUILD A PICTURE
OF HOW THINGS WERE
AT THE END
OF THE LAST ICE AGE,
14,000 YEARS AGO.
( growls )
( grunts )
BY SEARCHING FOR EVIDENCE
THAT STILL SURVIVES TODAY,
WE'LL RECONSTRUCT
THE LANDSCAPE
AND THE WILDLIFE
OF PREHISTORIC NORTH AMERICA.
DURING THE LAST ICE AGE,
MASSIVE GLACIERS
COVERED HALF OF NORTH AMERICA.
BUT TO THE FAR NORTHWEST,
THERE WAS A LAND THAT REMAINED
FREE OF ICE.
THIS LAND
WAS CALLED BERINGIA,
AND IT RANGED
FROM WHAT WE NOW KNOW
AS THE CANADIAN YUKON
AND ALASKA
ACROSS TO SIBERIA
IN THE WEST.
NORTH AMERICA WAS ONLY
COLONIZED BY PEOPLE
AROUND 14,000 YEARS AGO,
AND BERINGIA IS BELIEVED
TO BE THE STARTING POINT
FROM WHICH THEY SPREAD OUT
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
IN THIS PROGRAM WE'LL GO BACK
TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.
WHAT WAS THIS WILD NEW WORLD
REALLY LIKE
WHEN IT WAS STILL
THE LAND OF THE MAMMOTH?
THESE MOUNTAIN GLACIERS
IN THE CANADIAN YUKON
ARE RELICS
OF THE GREAT ICE SHEETS
THAT REACHED THEIR PEAK
SOME 20,000 YEARS AGO.
THE YUKON AND ITS NEIGHBOR,
MODERN DAY ALASKA,
WERE ONCE PART OF THE LAND
THAT WAS BERINGIA.
STUNNING THOUGH
THIS REGION IS TODAY,
IT'S JUST
A SHADOW OF THE WORLD
THAT WAS ENCOUNTERED
BY THE FIRST AMERICANS.
UNDERGROUND,
THE SOIL IS FROZEN SOLID,
AS IT HAS BEEN
EVER SINCE THE ICE AGE.
LOCKED WITHIN
THIS PERMAFROST
ARE VITAL CLUES
TO HELP US RECREATE
THE ANCIENT WILDLIFE
OF BERINGIA.
EVEN TODAY,
ALASKA'S RIVERS WASH
INTRIGUING TRACES OF THE PAST
OUT OF THE PERMAFROST.
SO WHO DID THIS
TITANIC TUSK BELONG TO?
BERINGIA'S LARGEST RESIDENT
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH.
WEIGHING SIX TONS OR MORE,
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH
WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A BULL
AFRICAN ELEPHANT TODAY...
AND IT HAD EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE
ICE AGE NEIGHBORS,
SOME OF WHICH SURVIVE HERE
ALMOST UNCHANGED...
AND SOME OF WHICH
CAN STILL BE FOUND ELSEWHERE.
ALTHOUGH 14,000 YEARS
IS LONG ENOUGH
TO SEE ENORMOUS
CLIMATE CHANGES,
IN EVOLUTIONARY TERMS
IT'S JUST THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
BERINGIA WAS A WORLD WHERE
FAMILIAR NORTH AMERICAN ANIMALS
LIVED ALONGSIDE
PREHISTORIC GIANTS.
( roars )
( growling, roaring )
OF ALL THESE CREATURES,
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH
IS THE UNDISPUTED SYMBOL
OF THE ICE AGE.
BUT WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW
ABOUT HOW THIS GIANT LIVED?
HOW DID IT USE
ITS MASSIVE SPIRAL TUSKS?
MODERN DAY ELEPHANTS,
THE MAMMOTH'S
CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVES,
MAY PROVIDE SOME ANSWERS.
THEY USE TUSKS TO BREAK
AND LEVER BRANCHES
IN THEIR SEARCH
FOR FOOD...
AND ALSO TO DIG
FOR MINERALS,
WHICH ALL LEAVES TELLTALE
SCRATCHES ON THEIR TUSKS.
SIMILAR MARKS
FOUND ON MAMMOTH TUSKS
SUGGEST THEY TOO
WERE USED AS TOOLS.
BUT THESE TUSKS ARE HUGE.
THEY REACH
FOUR METERS LONG
AND CAN WEIGH
MORE THAN 80 KILOS,
EQUAL TO A FULL-GROWN MAN.
SO WHY WERE
MAMMOTH TUSKS SO BIG?
BULL ELEPHANTS FIGHT
FOR THE RIGHT TO MATE.
THE STRONGEST MALES
WIN ACCESS TO THE FEMALES
AND PASS ON THEIR GENES.
IT WAS THE SAME
FOR MAMMOTH BULLS,
AND OVER TIME, THIS COMPETITION
LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT
OF EVER LARGER TUSKS.
SHEER SIZE DIDN'T SAVE
THE MAMMOTH FROM EXTINCTION,
BUT ANOTHER OF BERINGIA'S
WOOLLY BEASTS
IS STILL AROUND TODAY--
( low grumble )
THE MUSK OX.
LIKE OTHER
ICE AGE SURVIVORS,
MUSK OXEN HAVE HARDLY
CHANGED IN 14 MILLENNIA.
EVERY AUTUMN,
MALES COMPETE TO FATHER YOUNG,
UNTIL A SINGLE DOMINANT BULL
EMERGES IN THE HERD.
AN ICE AGE DRAMA UNFOLDS
AS RIVALS
THRASH OUT THREAT DISPLAYS.
THE TWO BULLS
SIZE ONE ANOTHER UP
BY WALKING
IN RITUALIZED CIRCLES.
A BRIEF CHASE,
AND THE MATTER
IS RESOLVED.
THE WINNER TAKES ALL.
WHILE THE MUSK OX STILL
SURVIVES IN NORTH AMERICA,
MANY OF BERINGIA'S
OTHER ICE AGE MAMMALS
ARE NOW EXTINCT.
BUT LIKE THE MAMMOTH,
THEY LEFT CLUES
LOCKED WITHIN
THE PERMAFROST.
GOLD MINERS IN ALASKA
USE HIGH-POWERED WATER JETS
TO THAW THE PERMAFROST
IN SEARCH OF GOLD.
BUT EVERY NOW AND THEN
THEY HIT ANOTHER
KIND OF TREASURE.
IN ONE REMARKABLE DISCOVERY,
RECREATED HERE,
THE HEAD AND HIDE
OF A LARGE CARCASS
WAS EXPOSED.
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
FOR SCIENTISTS TO TAP
SOME ICE AGE SECRETS.
THE REMAINS WERE
OF AN EXTINCT STEPPE BISON--
A LONGER-HORNED RELATIVE
OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BISON
OF TODAY--
AN ADULT BULL
THAT MUST HAVE DIED,
BEEN IMMERSED IN SILT,
AND MUMMIFIED BY THE COLD
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
THICK FAT DEPOSITS
FOUND UNDER THE SKIN
SUGGESTED THAT THE BISON
DID NOT STARVE TO DEATH,
AND DEEP, WIDE SCRATCH MARKS
HINTED AT A VIOLENT END.
AN ICE AGE PREDATOR
KILLED THE BISON.
BUT WHICH ONE?
WOLVES ARE THE BISON'S
MAJOR PREDATORS
IN NORTH AMERICA TODAY,
AND THEY WERE CERTAINLY AROUND
DURING THE ICE AGE.
COULD THEY HAVE BEEN
RESPONSIBLE?
WOLVES HUNT IN PACKS,
SURROUNDING PREY AND GRADUALLY
EXHAUSTING IT
THROUGH CONSTANT HARRYING
AND NIPPING,
BUT THERE'S NO WAY
THEY COULD HAVE MADE
THESE MARKS.
WHAT ABOUT THE GRIZZLY BEAR,
ANOTHER MEAT-EATER
THAT WAS AROUND
IN PREHISTORIC
NORTH AMERICA?
THE GRIZZLY CAN BE
AN IMPRESSIVE HUNTER...
BUT DURING THE ICE AGE
THERE WAS ANOTHER
EVEN BIGGER BEAR.
THE GIANT
SHORT-FACED BEAR,
THE BIGGEST BEAR
THAT EVER LIVED.
SO COULD A BEAR HAVE MADE
THE SCRATCH MARKS
ON THE GOLD MINE BISON?
BEARS HAVE LONG CLAWS
BUT THEY GET WORN DOWN
BY THE DAILY GRIND,
MOVING AROUND
AND ROOTING FOR FOOD.
THEY'RE JUST NOT SHARP ENOUGH
TO RIP INTO THE BISON'S HIDE.
TO SOLVE THIS PUZZLE
WE NEED TO LOOK TO AFRICA.
AFRICAN BUFFALO
ARE SIMILAR IN SIZE
TO THE EXTINCT
STEPPE BISON.
SO WHAT IS THEIR
FOREMOST PREDATOR?
THE LION.
LIONS, UNLIKE BEARS,
HAVE THEIR CLAWS SHEATHED
MOST OF THE TIME
TO KEEP THEM RAZOR SHARP.
BUT WHEN THEY STRIKE,
THEIR CLAWS EXTEND
TO GET A GOOD GRIP
ON THE VICTIM'S HIDE.
THIS OFTEN LEAVES
DEEP GOUGES
JUST LIKE THOSE FOUND
ON THE MUMMIFIED BISON.
AND THERE'S A SECOND CLUE.
THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY
TO KILL LARGE PREY
IS SUFFOCATION.
LIONS TYPICALLY
CLAMP THEIR JAWS
AROUND THE VICTIM'S MUZZLE
IN A DEADLY BITE.
OUR ICE AGE BISON HAD
A SET OF PUNCTURE MARKS
ON ITS SNOUT,
AROUND
NINE CENTIMETERS APART,
THE BLUEPRINT
OF A LION'S BITE.
THE THIRD AND FINAL CLUE
WAS FOUND
EMBEDDED
IN THE BISON'S HIDE--
A TINY FRAGMENT
OF LION TOOTH.
SO IT SEEMS
THE KING OF THE SAVANNAH
ONCE ROAMED THE COLD EXPANSES
OF ICE AGE AMERICA.
THESE LONG-LOST LIONS
OF BERINGIA
WERE CLOSE RELATIVES OF THOSE
WE FIND IN AFRICA TODAY.
BUT THEY WERE
UP TO 25% BIGGER,
AMONGST THE LARGEST LIONS
THAT EVER WALKED THE EARTH.
THANKS TO THE BISON HERDS
AND OTHER BIG GAME,
THEY COULD FLOURISH
IN THE FREEZING NORTH.
BUT THE LION'S FAMILY TREE
BEGINS IN AFRICA.
SO HOW DID
THEY END UP HERE?
THE ANSWER LIES IN THE EFFECTS
OF NORTH AMERICA'S
IMMENSE AND FLUCTUATING
ICE SHEETS.
AS THEY GREW,
THEY LOCKED UP SO MUCH WATER
THAT THE SEA LEVELS
BEGAN TO FALL.
THE BERING SEA BETWEEN ASIA
AND NORTH AMERICA
BEGAN TO DRAIN AWAY,
LEAVING A BRIDGE
OF LAND EXPOSED.
THE BERING LAND BRIDGE,
ROUGHLY 1,000 MILES WIDE
AND COVERING AN AREA
TWICE THAT OF MODERN TEXAS.
THIS WAS THE ROUTE
BY WHICH LIONS,
WOOLLY MAMMOTHS
AND OTHER CREATURES
COLONIZED
THE AMERICAN CONTINENT.
DURING THE LAST ICE AGE,
THE BERING LAND BRIDGE
FORMED ONCE MORE
AND THIS TIME IT ALLOWED
A DIFFERENT COLONIST TO CROSS,
ONE THAT WOULD HAVE A HUGE
AND PERMANENT EFFECT
UPON THE CONTINENT.
THIS IS ONE OF THEIR
FIRST KNOWN HAUNTS--
THE MESA SITE
IN NORTHERN ALASKA,
A KEY POINT
ON THE ICE AGE MAP.
BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED
SPEAR POINTS FOUND HERE
ARE KNOWN TO DATE BACK
ALMOST 14,000 YEARS,
AND TELL US
THAT THE FIRST PEOPLE
TO CROSS THE LAND BRIDGE
WERE SKILLED,
SOPHISTICATED HUNTERS.
BUT WHAT WERE THEY DOING
ON THIS PARTICULAR SPOT?
THE CLIMATE WAS HARSH,
THE LOCATION
EXTREMELY EXPOSED.
IT'S NOT A PLACE YOU'D CHOOSE
TO MAKE A CAMPSITE.
BUT IF YOU WERE A HUNTER
WHAT YOU NEEDED WAS A VIEW.
THE MESA WAS THE PERFECT
LOOKOUT POINT,
WITH PANORAMAS OF
SURROUNDING LAND AND GAME.
THESE EARLY HUNTERS HAD SPREAD
ALL THE WAY FROM ASIA.
WHAT DID THEY FIND
ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE BERING BRIDGE?
THIS IS ALASKA TODAY,
A WET LAND OF FORESTS,
BOGGY TUNDRA,
LAKES AND RIVERS.
RIVERS THAT STILL
CHURN OUT FRESH CLUES
TO THE ICE AGE PAST.
THIS IS
A BRICK-SIZED TOOTH,
AND IT BELONGED
TO A WOOLLY MAMMOTH.
ITS NARROW RIDGES
OF ENAMEL
TELL US MORE
ABOUT HOW MAMMOTHS LIVED.
STUDIES OF MODERN ELEPHANTS
SUGGEST THAT
THE MORE GRASS YOU EAT,
THE MORE RIDGES YOU NEED,
AND MAMMOTH TEETH
HAVE EVEN MORE RIDGES
THAN THOSE
OF ANY ELEPHANTS.
IT SEEMS THAT MAMMOTHS FED
ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON GRASS.
THEY WERE
GARGANTUAN GRAZERS.
FOSSIL BONES
HELP DRAW A PICTURE
OF ANOTHER
WELL-KNOWN GRAZER--
A KIND OF HORSE.
WILD HORSES
LIVE IN SMALL HERDS,
AND BERINGIA WOULD HAVE BEEN
THE SCENE OF VICIOUS BATTLES
BETWEEN RIVAL STALLIONS.
( whinnying )
BUT BERINGIA'S HORSES
ARE NOW GONE.
TODAY, THEIR CLOSEST
LIVING RELATIVES
ROAM THE OPEN STEPPES
OF CENTRAL ASIA.
LIKE MAMMOTHS,
HORSES ARE
PREDOMINANTLY GRAZERS.
THE FACT THAT BOTH HORSES
AND MAMMOTHS WERE HERE
SUGGESTS
THESE FORESTS WEREN'T.
IT SEEMS THAT
14,000 YEARS AGO
BERINGIA WAS A HUGE EXPANSE
OF OPEN GRASSLAND.
THIS UNIQUE HABITAT
OF COLD, DRY GRASSLANDS
IS KNOWN AS
"MAMMOTH STEPPE."
BUT THAT'S NOT HOW
THE REGION LOOKS TODAY.
SO WHY IS IT
SO DIFFERENT?
14,000 YEARS AGO,
THE CLIMATE HERE
WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED
BY THE VAST BLANKETS
OF ICE TO THE EAST.
( orchestral music playing )
AT ITS MAXIMUM,
THE ICE COVERED NEARLY
6 MILLION SQUARE MILES,
AND IN PLACES,
IT WAS UP TO
TWO MILES THICK.
THE ICE BLANKET
WAS PUNCTUATED
ONLY BY OCCASIONAL
ISLANDS OF ROCK--
THE PEAKS OF THE VERY
HIGHEST MOUNTAINS.
THOUGH BERINGIA ITSELF
REMAINED LARGELY ICE-FREE,
IT STILL FELT THE EFFECTS
OF THE ICE SHEETS.
COLD, DRY AIR
FLOWED DOWN THE GLACIERS
AND OUT ACROSS
SURROUNDING LANDS.
THE FREEZING DRY WINDS
BLASTING OFF THE ICE
CREATED CONDITIONS
IN WHICH ONLY GRASSES
AND OTHER SMALL PLANTS
COULD FLOURISH.
THERE WERE ADVANTAGES.
THE WIND ALSO PREVENTED
SNOW FROM BUILDING UP,
SO GRASS REMAINED ACCESSIBLE
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
IN SUCH COLD TEMPERATURES,
THIS WAS A LIFELINE
FOR THE MAMMOTHS,
BISON AND OTHER GRAZERS...
WHICH IN TURN SUSTAINED
OTHER BEASTS OF BERINGIA.
ANOTHER WIDESPREAD
BERINGIAN ANIMAL
THAT DEPENDED
ON THE ICE AGE WIND
WAS THE DALL SHEEP.
DALL SHEEP NEEDED
THE SNOW
TO BE BLOWN CLEAR
FROM THEIR WINTER GRAZING
AND TODAY THEY HAVE
THE SAME PRIORITY.
THEY'RE FOUND
ONLY ON THE MOST EXPOSED
AND WINDSWEPT
MOUNTAIN SLOPES.
IN THE AUTUMN,
DALL RAMS,
LIKE THE MAMMOTHS
AND THE MUSK OXEN,
BECOME FOCUSED
ON THE URGE TO MATE.
THE MALE FLICKS THE AIR
WITH HIS TONGUE
TO TEST IF A EWE
IS RECEPTIVE.
THE NEXT STAGE OF COURTSHIP
IS NOT SO SUBTLE.
HE GIVES HER A KICK.
AT THIS HIGHLY CHARGED
TIME OF YEAR,
SKIRMISHES CAN EASILY ERUPT
BETWEEN THE RAMS...
ESPECIALLY IF THEY BOTH HAVE
THE SAME EWE IN THEIR SIGHTS.
BUT THOUGH THERE WAS
FOOD IN BERINGIA,
IT WAS STILL COLD--
BITTERLY COLD.
FOR MUCH OF THE YEAR
TEMPERATURES WOULD HAVE
REMAINED BELOW FREEZING,
24 HOURS A DAY.
HOW DID THE ICE AGE ANIMALS
SURVIVE IN SUCH A HARSH WORLD?
THE MORE HAIR THE BETTER,
FOR A START.
MUSK OXEN CAN STAY WARM
IN TEMPERATURES
OF -50° CENTIGRADE,
THANKS TO THEIR CHILL-PROOF
WOOLLY COATS.
IN FACT, THEY HAVE
THE WARMEST FUR OF ANY MAMMAL.
THEY HAVE AN EXTREMELY LONG
OUTER LAYER,
OVER ANOTHER VERY DENSE,
FINE WOOL LAYER BENEATH--
A COMBINATION SO EFFECTIVE
THAT EVEN IN WINTER
A MUSK OX CAN OVERHEAT
IF IT RUNS TOO FAR.
FROM FROZEN MAMMOTH REMAINS,
WE KNOW THEY HAD
A VERY SIMILAR FUR COAT,
MADE UP OF STRANDS OF HAIR
UP TO A METER LONG.
SMALL EARS ALSO HELPED
TO MINIMIZE HEAT LOSS--
THE OPPOSITE EFFECT
TO THOSE HUGE,
HEAT-DISPERSING EARS
OF THEIR RELATIVES,
AFRICAN ELEPHANTS.
OTHER BERINGIAN ANIMALS
HAD MORE THAN A FUR COAT
TO HELP THEM
COPE WITH COLD.
THIS SKULL BELONGS
TO THE BIZARRE LOOKING
SAIGA ANTELOPE...
ONE OF THE LESS FAMILIAR FACES
OF THE ICE AGE SCENE.
LIKE THE MUSK OX,
SAIGA HAVE A THICK WINTER COAT
OF HOLLOW HAIRS
FOR EXTRA INSULATION.
BUT THEY HAVE
ANOTHER ADAPTATION
ALL OF THEIR OWN--
AN ENORMOUS,
BULBOUS NOSE.
THE NOSE
IS SHAPED LIKE THIS
BECAUSE IT CONTAINS
LARGE AIR SACS
WHICH PRE-WARM COLD AIR
WHILE BREATHING IN
AND RETAIN PRECIOUS MOISTURE
BEFORE BREATHING OUT.
SO SAIGA, TOO,
WERE WELL-EQUIPPED
TO LIVE IN THE COLD,
DRY CLIMATE OF BERINGIA.
TODAY THEY'RE ONLY FOUND
IN ANOTHER BLEAK ENVIRONMENT--
THE STEPPES OF CENTRAL ASIA.
SOME ICE AGE ANIMALS TOOK
A TOTALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH
TO SURVIVING THE WINTER.
ARCTIC GROUND SQUIRRELS
FEED UP IN AUTUMN,
BUILDING UP AS MUCH
BODY FAT AS POSSIBLE,
AND ALMOST
DOUBLING THEIR WEIGHT.
AS THE FIRST SNOWS FALL,
THEY RETREAT
TO THEIR UNDERGROUND BURROWS
AND BYPASS
THE WINTER ENTIRELY.
ARCTIC GROUND SQUIRRELS
HIBERNATE LIKE OTHER
SMALL MAMMALS,
BUT WITH A UNIQUE TWIST--
THEY CAN LOWER
THEIR BODY TEMPERATURE
RIGHT DOWN TO ALMOST
-3° CENTIGRADE.
BUT THANKS TO A BIOCHEMICAL
SUPER-COOLING PROCESS,
THEY DON'T ACTUALLY FREEZE.
EVERY FEW WEEKS
THEY WARM UP TEMPORARILY
THROUGH BOUTS OF SHIVERING,
WHICH PROBABLY
HELPS TO WARD OFF
PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE
FROM THE COLD.
THIS DEEP SLEEP TACTIC
HELPS THE GROUND SQUIRRELS
TO CONSERVE ENERGY,
BUT IT'S
A HIGH-RISK STRATEGY
AND SOME JUST DON'T
WAKE UP.
30,000-YEAR-OLD
FROZEN GROUND SQUIRRELS
HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED,
STILL PRESERVED
IN THEIR UNDERGROUND TOMBS.
EVERY INHABITANT
OF BERINGIA HAD TO HAVE
ITS OWN WAY OF DEALING
WITH THE COLD.
AND THAT INCLUDED
THOSE FIRST PEOPLE
WHO ARRIVED ACROSS
THE BERING LAND BRIDGE.
THEY KNEW HOW TO MAKE WEAPONS
AND COOPERATE TO HUNT
FOR FOOD.
THEY MADE WEATHERPROOF
CLOTHING OUT OF ANIMAL HIDES,
AND HAD FIRE
TO KEEP THEM WARM.
WITHOUT THESE SKILLS
THEY COULDN'T HAVE SURVIVED
THE ENDLESS WINTERS.
BUT SPRING
BROUGHT EASIER TIMES
AND EXCELLENT
HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES.
SPRING WAS WHEN
BERINGIA'S BIG GAME
GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR YOUNG.
( bleating)
FOR THESE BABY ANIMALS
IT WAS A RACE TO GROW UP
OVER THE BRIEF SUMMER,
TO BE TOUGH ENOUGH
TO FACE THE WINTER.
ONE YOUNG ANIMAL THAT DIED
IN ITS FIRST WINTER
WAS DISCOVERED
IN THE PERMAFROST
OF AN ALASKAN GOLD MINE.
RECREATED HERE ARE
THE BEST MUMMIFIED REMAINS
OF THIS ANIMAL
EVER FOUND
IN NORTH AMERICA.
IT'S A BABY WOOLLY MAMMOTH,
AND FROM ITS SIZE,
WE KNOW IT WAS LESS
THAN A YEAR OLD.
BUT DID IT
STARVE TO DEATH,
OR WAS IT TAKEN
BY A PREDATOR?
PERHAPS YOUNG ELEPHANTS
PROVIDE SOME CLUES.
THEY STICK CLOSE
TO THEIR MOTHER'S SIDE
FOR MORE THAN A YEAR,
AND THEY ALSO HAVE BACKUP--
A FAMILY GROUP OF VERY
PROTECTIVE SISTERS AND AUNTS.
( elephant, lion roars )
EVEN LIONS WILL THINK TWICE
ABOUT APPROACHING
ADULT ELEPHANTS.
AND WITH THE BABIES
SO WELL GUARDED,
THEY RARELY GET
A CHANCE TO STRIKE.
STARVATION DURING
ITS FIRST BITTER WINTER
IS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
KILLED OUR BABY MAMMOTH.
PERHAPS ITS MOTHER COULD NOT
PROVIDE ENOUGH WARM MILK.
ONLY PART
OF THE BODY REMAINS,
THE HINDQUARTERS
WERE EATEN.
THERE WERE PLENTY OF SCAVENGERS
AROUND 14,000 YEARS AGO.
THERE WERE FOXES...
WOLVES...
AND GRIZZLY BEARS.
BUT BACK THEN THEY HAD
SERIOUS COMPETITION
FROM THE GIANT
SHORT-FACED BEAR.
THE SHORT-FACED BEAR'S
BONE CHEMISTRY
REVEALS IT WAS
A CARNIVORE.
AT UP TO A TON,
PROBABLY THE LARGEST
MEAT-EATING MAMMAL
THAT EVER
WALKED THE EARTH.
ON ITS LONG LEGS,
IT RANGED GREAT DISTANCES
ACROSS THE OPEN STEPPES
IN SEARCH OF FOOD.
WE ALSO KNOW FROM FOSSILS
THAT IT HAD BROAD NOSTRILS
AND AN ACUTE SENSE OF SMELL.
BUT WITH ITS POWERFUL
BONE-CRUNCHING JAWS,
IT'S NOW BELIEVED
THE GIANT SHORT-FACED BEAR
WAS PRIMARILY
A SPECIALIST SCAVENGER,
RATHER THAN A PREDATOR
FEEDING ON THE VICTIMS
OF THIS UNFORGIVING WORLD.
THE SHORT-FACED BEAR
WAS JUST ONE OF THE MANY
EXTRAORDINARY BEASTS THAT
ROAMED THE ICE AGE STEPPES.
CLUES IN THE LANDSCAPE
AND THE WILDLIFE OF TODAY
HAVE GIVEN US AN INSIGHT
INTO WHAT THAT LONG-LOST LAND
WAS LIKE.
NOW IMAGINE THAT WE CAN REALLY
TRAVEL BACK 14,000 YEARS
AND STAND WITH THOSE
FIRST HUNTERS ON THE MESA...
LOOK OUT ON THAT
ICE AGE WORLD,
AND EXPERIENCE A DAY
IN THE LIFE OF BERINGIA.
THIS IS WHAT IT
MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIKE.
BENEATH US THE STEPPES STRETCH
AWAY TO THE MOUNTAINS.
IT'S EARLY WINTER,
AND A TIME TO FEED UP--
READY FOR THE LONG
COLD MONTHS AHEAD.
BISON, SAIGA ANTELOPE
AND OTHER GRAZERS
THRONG THE FLATS
BELOW THE MESA.
MUSK OXEN
AND ARCTIC HARES
ARE WELL INSULATED
AGAINST THE COLD,
AS ARE THE LARGEST GRAZERS
OF THEM ALL,
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTHS.
THIS HERD IS REGROUPING,
READY FOR A LONG DAY
FEEDING ON THE GRASSES
BENEATH THE SNOW.
MOTHERS NEED TO KEEP MILK
FLOWING FOR THEIR YOUNG.
THIS BABY WILL NEED ALL
THE CARE THAT HE CAN GET
TO MAKE IT THROUGH
HIS FIRST BERINGIAN WINTER.
DESPITE THE COLD,
THERE IS STILL FOOD AVAILABLE.
THE HIGH WINDS STOP
THE SNOW FROM BUILDING UP,
AND KEEP
THE GRASS EXPOSED--
A LIFELINE FOR ALL
OF BERINGIA'S GRAZERS.
AWAY FROM THE HERD,
THE DOMINANT MALE MAMMOTH
IS DISTRACTED
FROM HIS USUAL ROUTINE.
TODAY HE HAS A MORE URGENT
PRIORITY THAN FOOD--
( roars )
A YOUNGER CHALLENGER
WHO WANTS TO TAKE HIS PLACE.
THIS RITUAL CLASH OF TUSKS
WILL DECIDE THE FUTURE
FOR THEM BOTH.
THE RIVAL MAY BE
YOUNG AND FIT,
BUT THE OLD BULL HAS
EXPERIENCE ON HIS SIDE.
THIS TIME
EXPERIENCE WINS.
( trumpets )
THE BITING WINTER WINDS
THAT CLEAR THE SNOW
PRODUCE A WIND-CHILL
THAT WOULD KILL MOST MAMMALS.
BUT MUSK OXEN
ARE MADE FOR THIS--
COCOONED IN
DOUBLE-LAYERED COATS.
BUT COLD IS NOT THE ONLY DANGER
IN THIS WINDSWEPT LAND.
THE HERD REACTS...
AND RUNS
FOR HIGHER GROUND.
THEY HUDDLE
AND TURN TO FACE THE THREAT--
A GIANT
SHORT-FACED BEAR.
FACED BY A WALL OF HORNS,
THE BEAR MOVES ON TO SNIFF OUT
A LESS DAUNTING MEAL.
OCCASIONAL BLIZZARDS
ARE ANOTHER HARSH REALITY
OF LIVING IN BERINGIA.
BUT THE DRIFTING SNOW
MAY AT LEAST PROVIDE
A HUNTER
WITH SOME COVER.
SAIGA ANTELOPE CAN RUN
AT 40 MILES AN HOUR,
AND SO FAR THIS LION
ISN'T CLOSE ENOUGH
TO CAUSE TOO MUCH ALARM.
AS LONG AS THEY CAN KEEP IT
IN THEIR SIGHTS,
THEY'RE SAFE.
( cawing )
EVENTUALLY THE SKY CLEARS
AND THE BLIZZARD STOPS...
THEN RAVENS ANNOUNCE
THAT THE WEATHER HAS
TAKEN ITS TOLL.
( cawing )
THIS OLD MAMMOTH HAS SUCCUMBED
TO STARVATION AND COLD...
BUT ITS MEAT WILL HELP
KEEP OTHERS WARM.
THE HUNTING LION HOMES IN
WITH ANOTHER MEMBER
OF THE PRIDE.
THEY CAN SOON SEE OFF
THE RAVENS
BUT THEY'RE WARY.
A FRESH CARCASS MAY HAVE
ATTRACTED OTHER,
MORE SUBSTANTIAL,
COMPETITION.
ONE GIANT SHORT-FACED BEAR
IS MORE THAN A MATCH
FOR TWO LIONS.
( roars )
BUT IN THIS
BITTER CLIMATE,
LIONS CAN'T AFFORD TO GO
WITHOUT A MEAL FOR LONG.
A MAMMOTH CALF
IN ITS FIRST WINTER
IS A TEMPTING SIGHT.
BUT MAMMOTHS
ARE ATTENTIVE MOTHERS
AND THEY HAVE THE BACKUP
OF THEIR HERD.
THE CALF IS RINGED
BY VIGILANT RELATIVES.
THE LIONS TRY
TO FIND A LOOPHOLE.
THE MAMMOTHS' MATRIARCH,
THE OLDEST FEMALE,
TAKES CONTROL AND SHE HAS
60 YEARS' EXPERIENCE
OF PUTTING LIONS
IN THEIR PLACE.
( roars )
( mammoth roars )
IN THE BOSOM
OF ITS CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY,
THE CALF IS SAFE--
FROM PREDATORS AT LEAST.
THE LIONS WILL
HAVE TO TRY ELSEWHERE.
COULD A BISON
BE A MORE REALISTIC PROSPECT?
THE WIND WHIPS UP AGAIN,
OFFERING COVER...
AND THE HUNTERS
FOCUS ON A TARGET
ON THE FRINGES
OF THE HERD.
( grunting )
BEFORE LONG
THE CARCASS FREEZES
AND BECOMES
DIFFICULT TO EAT.
ABANDONED, IT IS BURIED
BY THE ELEMENTS,
PRESERVED UNTIL THE DAY
IT WILL EMERGE
TO TELL THE STORY
OF ANOTHER ICE AGE DEATH...
JUST ONE OF MANY
PIECES OF EVIDENCE,
WHICH TOGETHER
HAVE BUILT UP A PICTURE
OF THIS
REMARKABLE WORLD.
BUT NOW, ANOTHER UNFORGIVING
WINTER'S NIGHT
FALLS ON BERINGIA,
LAND OF THE MAMMOTH.
( theme music playing )
WHERE PEOPLE HAVE REACHED
EVEN THE REMOTEST CORNERS
OF THE CONTINENT
AND PUSHED BACK THE BOUNDARIES
OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY.
BUT IT ISN'T SO LONG
SINCE HUMANS
FIRST SET FOOT HERE,
ABOUT 14,000 YEARS AGO.
AND BACK THEN,
NORTH AMERICA BELONGED
TO OTHER CREATURES
OF A SIZE TO MATCH
THIS VAST LAND--
GIANTS, WHOSE LIVES
ARE NOW LOST IN THE SHADOWS.
IMAGINE IF WE COULD
TRAVEL BACK IN TIME
TO THE END
OF THE LAST ICE AGE,
LONG BEFORE THE FIRST CITY
WAS BORN...
TO LOOK THROUGH THE EYES
OF THE VERY FIRST PEOPLE...
AND EXPERIENCE
A WILD NEW WORLD.
IN THIS SERIES,
WE WILL TAKE YOU ON A JOURNEY
BACK INTO THE PAST
TO BUILD A PICTURE
OF HOW THINGS WERE
AT THE END
OF THE LAST ICE AGE,
14,000 YEARS AGO.
( growls )
( grunts )
BY SEARCHING FOR EVIDENCE
THAT STILL SURVIVES TODAY,
WE'LL RECONSTRUCT
THE LANDSCAPE
AND THE WILDLIFE
OF PREHISTORIC NORTH AMERICA.
DURING THE LAST ICE AGE,
MASSIVE GLACIERS
COVERED HALF OF NORTH AMERICA.
BUT TO THE FAR NORTHWEST,
THERE WAS A LAND THAT REMAINED
FREE OF ICE.
THIS LAND
WAS CALLED BERINGIA,
AND IT RANGED
FROM WHAT WE NOW KNOW
AS THE CANADIAN YUKON
AND ALASKA
ACROSS TO SIBERIA
IN THE WEST.
NORTH AMERICA WAS ONLY
COLONIZED BY PEOPLE
AROUND 14,000 YEARS AGO,
AND BERINGIA IS BELIEVED
TO BE THE STARTING POINT
FROM WHICH THEY SPREAD OUT
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
IN THIS PROGRAM WE'LL GO BACK
TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.
WHAT WAS THIS WILD NEW WORLD
REALLY LIKE
WHEN IT WAS STILL
THE LAND OF THE MAMMOTH?
THESE MOUNTAIN GLACIERS
IN THE CANADIAN YUKON
ARE RELICS
OF THE GREAT ICE SHEETS
THAT REACHED THEIR PEAK
SOME 20,000 YEARS AGO.
THE YUKON AND ITS NEIGHBOR,
MODERN DAY ALASKA,
WERE ONCE PART OF THE LAND
THAT WAS BERINGIA.
STUNNING THOUGH
THIS REGION IS TODAY,
IT'S JUST
A SHADOW OF THE WORLD
THAT WAS ENCOUNTERED
BY THE FIRST AMERICANS.
UNDERGROUND,
THE SOIL IS FROZEN SOLID,
AS IT HAS BEEN
EVER SINCE THE ICE AGE.
LOCKED WITHIN
THIS PERMAFROST
ARE VITAL CLUES
TO HELP US RECREATE
THE ANCIENT WILDLIFE
OF BERINGIA.
EVEN TODAY,
ALASKA'S RIVERS WASH
INTRIGUING TRACES OF THE PAST
OUT OF THE PERMAFROST.
SO WHO DID THIS
TITANIC TUSK BELONG TO?
BERINGIA'S LARGEST RESIDENT
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH.
WEIGHING SIX TONS OR MORE,
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH
WAS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A BULL
AFRICAN ELEPHANT TODAY...
AND IT HAD EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE
ICE AGE NEIGHBORS,
SOME OF WHICH SURVIVE HERE
ALMOST UNCHANGED...
AND SOME OF WHICH
CAN STILL BE FOUND ELSEWHERE.
ALTHOUGH 14,000 YEARS
IS LONG ENOUGH
TO SEE ENORMOUS
CLIMATE CHANGES,
IN EVOLUTIONARY TERMS
IT'S JUST THE BLINK OF AN EYE.
BERINGIA WAS A WORLD WHERE
FAMILIAR NORTH AMERICAN ANIMALS
LIVED ALONGSIDE
PREHISTORIC GIANTS.
( roars )
( growling, roaring )
OF ALL THESE CREATURES,
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH
IS THE UNDISPUTED SYMBOL
OF THE ICE AGE.
BUT WHAT DO WE REALLY KNOW
ABOUT HOW THIS GIANT LIVED?
HOW DID IT USE
ITS MASSIVE SPIRAL TUSKS?
MODERN DAY ELEPHANTS,
THE MAMMOTH'S
CLOSEST LIVING RELATIVES,
MAY PROVIDE SOME ANSWERS.
THEY USE TUSKS TO BREAK
AND LEVER BRANCHES
IN THEIR SEARCH
FOR FOOD...
AND ALSO TO DIG
FOR MINERALS,
WHICH ALL LEAVES TELLTALE
SCRATCHES ON THEIR TUSKS.
SIMILAR MARKS
FOUND ON MAMMOTH TUSKS
SUGGEST THEY TOO
WERE USED AS TOOLS.
BUT THESE TUSKS ARE HUGE.
THEY REACH
FOUR METERS LONG
AND CAN WEIGH
MORE THAN 80 KILOS,
EQUAL TO A FULL-GROWN MAN.
SO WHY WERE
MAMMOTH TUSKS SO BIG?
BULL ELEPHANTS FIGHT
FOR THE RIGHT TO MATE.
THE STRONGEST MALES
WIN ACCESS TO THE FEMALES
AND PASS ON THEIR GENES.
IT WAS THE SAME
FOR MAMMOTH BULLS,
AND OVER TIME, THIS COMPETITION
LED TO THE DEVELOPMENT
OF EVER LARGER TUSKS.
SHEER SIZE DIDN'T SAVE
THE MAMMOTH FROM EXTINCTION,
BUT ANOTHER OF BERINGIA'S
WOOLLY BEASTS
IS STILL AROUND TODAY--
( low grumble )
THE MUSK OX.
LIKE OTHER
ICE AGE SURVIVORS,
MUSK OXEN HAVE HARDLY
CHANGED IN 14 MILLENNIA.
EVERY AUTUMN,
MALES COMPETE TO FATHER YOUNG,
UNTIL A SINGLE DOMINANT BULL
EMERGES IN THE HERD.
AN ICE AGE DRAMA UNFOLDS
AS RIVALS
THRASH OUT THREAT DISPLAYS.
THE TWO BULLS
SIZE ONE ANOTHER UP
BY WALKING
IN RITUALIZED CIRCLES.
A BRIEF CHASE,
AND THE MATTER
IS RESOLVED.
THE WINNER TAKES ALL.
WHILE THE MUSK OX STILL
SURVIVES IN NORTH AMERICA,
MANY OF BERINGIA'S
OTHER ICE AGE MAMMALS
ARE NOW EXTINCT.
BUT LIKE THE MAMMOTH,
THEY LEFT CLUES
LOCKED WITHIN
THE PERMAFROST.
GOLD MINERS IN ALASKA
USE HIGH-POWERED WATER JETS
TO THAW THE PERMAFROST
IN SEARCH OF GOLD.
BUT EVERY NOW AND THEN
THEY HIT ANOTHER
KIND OF TREASURE.
IN ONE REMARKABLE DISCOVERY,
RECREATED HERE,
THE HEAD AND HIDE
OF A LARGE CARCASS
WAS EXPOSED.
A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY
FOR SCIENTISTS TO TAP
SOME ICE AGE SECRETS.
THE REMAINS WERE
OF AN EXTINCT STEPPE BISON--
A LONGER-HORNED RELATIVE
OF THE NORTH AMERICAN BISON
OF TODAY--
AN ADULT BULL
THAT MUST HAVE DIED,
BEEN IMMERSED IN SILT,
AND MUMMIFIED BY THE COLD
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.
THICK FAT DEPOSITS
FOUND UNDER THE SKIN
SUGGESTED THAT THE BISON
DID NOT STARVE TO DEATH,
AND DEEP, WIDE SCRATCH MARKS
HINTED AT A VIOLENT END.
AN ICE AGE PREDATOR
KILLED THE BISON.
BUT WHICH ONE?
WOLVES ARE THE BISON'S
MAJOR PREDATORS
IN NORTH AMERICA TODAY,
AND THEY WERE CERTAINLY AROUND
DURING THE ICE AGE.
COULD THEY HAVE BEEN
RESPONSIBLE?
WOLVES HUNT IN PACKS,
SURROUNDING PREY AND GRADUALLY
EXHAUSTING IT
THROUGH CONSTANT HARRYING
AND NIPPING,
BUT THERE'S NO WAY
THEY COULD HAVE MADE
THESE MARKS.
WHAT ABOUT THE GRIZZLY BEAR,
ANOTHER MEAT-EATER
THAT WAS AROUND
IN PREHISTORIC
NORTH AMERICA?
THE GRIZZLY CAN BE
AN IMPRESSIVE HUNTER...
BUT DURING THE ICE AGE
THERE WAS ANOTHER
EVEN BIGGER BEAR.
THE GIANT
SHORT-FACED BEAR,
THE BIGGEST BEAR
THAT EVER LIVED.
SO COULD A BEAR HAVE MADE
THE SCRATCH MARKS
ON THE GOLD MINE BISON?
BEARS HAVE LONG CLAWS
BUT THEY GET WORN DOWN
BY THE DAILY GRIND,
MOVING AROUND
AND ROOTING FOR FOOD.
THEY'RE JUST NOT SHARP ENOUGH
TO RIP INTO THE BISON'S HIDE.
TO SOLVE THIS PUZZLE
WE NEED TO LOOK TO AFRICA.
AFRICAN BUFFALO
ARE SIMILAR IN SIZE
TO THE EXTINCT
STEPPE BISON.
SO WHAT IS THEIR
FOREMOST PREDATOR?
THE LION.
LIONS, UNLIKE BEARS,
HAVE THEIR CLAWS SHEATHED
MOST OF THE TIME
TO KEEP THEM RAZOR SHARP.
BUT WHEN THEY STRIKE,
THEIR CLAWS EXTEND
TO GET A GOOD GRIP
ON THE VICTIM'S HIDE.
THIS OFTEN LEAVES
DEEP GOUGES
JUST LIKE THOSE FOUND
ON THE MUMMIFIED BISON.
AND THERE'S A SECOND CLUE.
THE MOST EFFICIENT WAY
TO KILL LARGE PREY
IS SUFFOCATION.
LIONS TYPICALLY
CLAMP THEIR JAWS
AROUND THE VICTIM'S MUZZLE
IN A DEADLY BITE.
OUR ICE AGE BISON HAD
A SET OF PUNCTURE MARKS
ON ITS SNOUT,
AROUND
NINE CENTIMETERS APART,
THE BLUEPRINT
OF A LION'S BITE.
THE THIRD AND FINAL CLUE
WAS FOUND
EMBEDDED
IN THE BISON'S HIDE--
A TINY FRAGMENT
OF LION TOOTH.
SO IT SEEMS
THE KING OF THE SAVANNAH
ONCE ROAMED THE COLD EXPANSES
OF ICE AGE AMERICA.
THESE LONG-LOST LIONS
OF BERINGIA
WERE CLOSE RELATIVES OF THOSE
WE FIND IN AFRICA TODAY.
BUT THEY WERE
UP TO 25% BIGGER,
AMONGST THE LARGEST LIONS
THAT EVER WALKED THE EARTH.
THANKS TO THE BISON HERDS
AND OTHER BIG GAME,
THEY COULD FLOURISH
IN THE FREEZING NORTH.
BUT THE LION'S FAMILY TREE
BEGINS IN AFRICA.
SO HOW DID
THEY END UP HERE?
THE ANSWER LIES IN THE EFFECTS
OF NORTH AMERICA'S
IMMENSE AND FLUCTUATING
ICE SHEETS.
AS THEY GREW,
THEY LOCKED UP SO MUCH WATER
THAT THE SEA LEVELS
BEGAN TO FALL.
THE BERING SEA BETWEEN ASIA
AND NORTH AMERICA
BEGAN TO DRAIN AWAY,
LEAVING A BRIDGE
OF LAND EXPOSED.
THE BERING LAND BRIDGE,
ROUGHLY 1,000 MILES WIDE
AND COVERING AN AREA
TWICE THAT OF MODERN TEXAS.
THIS WAS THE ROUTE
BY WHICH LIONS,
WOOLLY MAMMOTHS
AND OTHER CREATURES
COLONIZED
THE AMERICAN CONTINENT.
DURING THE LAST ICE AGE,
THE BERING LAND BRIDGE
FORMED ONCE MORE
AND THIS TIME IT ALLOWED
A DIFFERENT COLONIST TO CROSS,
ONE THAT WOULD HAVE A HUGE
AND PERMANENT EFFECT
UPON THE CONTINENT.
THIS IS ONE OF THEIR
FIRST KNOWN HAUNTS--
THE MESA SITE
IN NORTHERN ALASKA,
A KEY POINT
ON THE ICE AGE MAP.
BEAUTIFULLY CRAFTED
SPEAR POINTS FOUND HERE
ARE KNOWN TO DATE BACK
ALMOST 14,000 YEARS,
AND TELL US
THAT THE FIRST PEOPLE
TO CROSS THE LAND BRIDGE
WERE SKILLED,
SOPHISTICATED HUNTERS.
BUT WHAT WERE THEY DOING
ON THIS PARTICULAR SPOT?
THE CLIMATE WAS HARSH,
THE LOCATION
EXTREMELY EXPOSED.
IT'S NOT A PLACE YOU'D CHOOSE
TO MAKE A CAMPSITE.
BUT IF YOU WERE A HUNTER
WHAT YOU NEEDED WAS A VIEW.
THE MESA WAS THE PERFECT
LOOKOUT POINT,
WITH PANORAMAS OF
SURROUNDING LAND AND GAME.
THESE EARLY HUNTERS HAD SPREAD
ALL THE WAY FROM ASIA.
WHAT DID THEY FIND
ON THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE BERING BRIDGE?
THIS IS ALASKA TODAY,
A WET LAND OF FORESTS,
BOGGY TUNDRA,
LAKES AND RIVERS.
RIVERS THAT STILL
CHURN OUT FRESH CLUES
TO THE ICE AGE PAST.
THIS IS
A BRICK-SIZED TOOTH,
AND IT BELONGED
TO A WOOLLY MAMMOTH.
ITS NARROW RIDGES
OF ENAMEL
TELL US MORE
ABOUT HOW MAMMOTHS LIVED.
STUDIES OF MODERN ELEPHANTS
SUGGEST THAT
THE MORE GRASS YOU EAT,
THE MORE RIDGES YOU NEED,
AND MAMMOTH TEETH
HAVE EVEN MORE RIDGES
THAN THOSE
OF ANY ELEPHANTS.
IT SEEMS THAT MAMMOTHS FED
ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON GRASS.
THEY WERE
GARGANTUAN GRAZERS.
FOSSIL BONES
HELP DRAW A PICTURE
OF ANOTHER
WELL-KNOWN GRAZER--
A KIND OF HORSE.
WILD HORSES
LIVE IN SMALL HERDS,
AND BERINGIA WOULD HAVE BEEN
THE SCENE OF VICIOUS BATTLES
BETWEEN RIVAL STALLIONS.
( whinnying )
BUT BERINGIA'S HORSES
ARE NOW GONE.
TODAY, THEIR CLOSEST
LIVING RELATIVES
ROAM THE OPEN STEPPES
OF CENTRAL ASIA.
LIKE MAMMOTHS,
HORSES ARE
PREDOMINANTLY GRAZERS.
THE FACT THAT BOTH HORSES
AND MAMMOTHS WERE HERE
SUGGESTS
THESE FORESTS WEREN'T.
IT SEEMS THAT
14,000 YEARS AGO
BERINGIA WAS A HUGE EXPANSE
OF OPEN GRASSLAND.
THIS UNIQUE HABITAT
OF COLD, DRY GRASSLANDS
IS KNOWN AS
"MAMMOTH STEPPE."
BUT THAT'S NOT HOW
THE REGION LOOKS TODAY.
SO WHY IS IT
SO DIFFERENT?
14,000 YEARS AGO,
THE CLIMATE HERE
WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED
BY THE VAST BLANKETS
OF ICE TO THE EAST.
( orchestral music playing )
AT ITS MAXIMUM,
THE ICE COVERED NEARLY
6 MILLION SQUARE MILES,
AND IN PLACES,
IT WAS UP TO
TWO MILES THICK.
THE ICE BLANKET
WAS PUNCTUATED
ONLY BY OCCASIONAL
ISLANDS OF ROCK--
THE PEAKS OF THE VERY
HIGHEST MOUNTAINS.
THOUGH BERINGIA ITSELF
REMAINED LARGELY ICE-FREE,
IT STILL FELT THE EFFECTS
OF THE ICE SHEETS.
COLD, DRY AIR
FLOWED DOWN THE GLACIERS
AND OUT ACROSS
SURROUNDING LANDS.
THE FREEZING DRY WINDS
BLASTING OFF THE ICE
CREATED CONDITIONS
IN WHICH ONLY GRASSES
AND OTHER SMALL PLANTS
COULD FLOURISH.
THERE WERE ADVANTAGES.
THE WIND ALSO PREVENTED
SNOW FROM BUILDING UP,
SO GRASS REMAINED ACCESSIBLE
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
IN SUCH COLD TEMPERATURES,
THIS WAS A LIFELINE
FOR THE MAMMOTHS,
BISON AND OTHER GRAZERS...
WHICH IN TURN SUSTAINED
OTHER BEASTS OF BERINGIA.
ANOTHER WIDESPREAD
BERINGIAN ANIMAL
THAT DEPENDED
ON THE ICE AGE WIND
WAS THE DALL SHEEP.
DALL SHEEP NEEDED
THE SNOW
TO BE BLOWN CLEAR
FROM THEIR WINTER GRAZING
AND TODAY THEY HAVE
THE SAME PRIORITY.
THEY'RE FOUND
ONLY ON THE MOST EXPOSED
AND WINDSWEPT
MOUNTAIN SLOPES.
IN THE AUTUMN,
DALL RAMS,
LIKE THE MAMMOTHS
AND THE MUSK OXEN,
BECOME FOCUSED
ON THE URGE TO MATE.
THE MALE FLICKS THE AIR
WITH HIS TONGUE
TO TEST IF A EWE
IS RECEPTIVE.
THE NEXT STAGE OF COURTSHIP
IS NOT SO SUBTLE.
HE GIVES HER A KICK.
AT THIS HIGHLY CHARGED
TIME OF YEAR,
SKIRMISHES CAN EASILY ERUPT
BETWEEN THE RAMS...
ESPECIALLY IF THEY BOTH HAVE
THE SAME EWE IN THEIR SIGHTS.
BUT THOUGH THERE WAS
FOOD IN BERINGIA,
IT WAS STILL COLD--
BITTERLY COLD.
FOR MUCH OF THE YEAR
TEMPERATURES WOULD HAVE
REMAINED BELOW FREEZING,
24 HOURS A DAY.
HOW DID THE ICE AGE ANIMALS
SURVIVE IN SUCH A HARSH WORLD?
THE MORE HAIR THE BETTER,
FOR A START.
MUSK OXEN CAN STAY WARM
IN TEMPERATURES
OF -50° CENTIGRADE,
THANKS TO THEIR CHILL-PROOF
WOOLLY COATS.
IN FACT, THEY HAVE
THE WARMEST FUR OF ANY MAMMAL.
THEY HAVE AN EXTREMELY LONG
OUTER LAYER,
OVER ANOTHER VERY DENSE,
FINE WOOL LAYER BENEATH--
A COMBINATION SO EFFECTIVE
THAT EVEN IN WINTER
A MUSK OX CAN OVERHEAT
IF IT RUNS TOO FAR.
FROM FROZEN MAMMOTH REMAINS,
WE KNOW THEY HAD
A VERY SIMILAR FUR COAT,
MADE UP OF STRANDS OF HAIR
UP TO A METER LONG.
SMALL EARS ALSO HELPED
TO MINIMIZE HEAT LOSS--
THE OPPOSITE EFFECT
TO THOSE HUGE,
HEAT-DISPERSING EARS
OF THEIR RELATIVES,
AFRICAN ELEPHANTS.
OTHER BERINGIAN ANIMALS
HAD MORE THAN A FUR COAT
TO HELP THEM
COPE WITH COLD.
THIS SKULL BELONGS
TO THE BIZARRE LOOKING
SAIGA ANTELOPE...
ONE OF THE LESS FAMILIAR FACES
OF THE ICE AGE SCENE.
LIKE THE MUSK OX,
SAIGA HAVE A THICK WINTER COAT
OF HOLLOW HAIRS
FOR EXTRA INSULATION.
BUT THEY HAVE
ANOTHER ADAPTATION
ALL OF THEIR OWN--
AN ENORMOUS,
BULBOUS NOSE.
THE NOSE
IS SHAPED LIKE THIS
BECAUSE IT CONTAINS
LARGE AIR SACS
WHICH PRE-WARM COLD AIR
WHILE BREATHING IN
AND RETAIN PRECIOUS MOISTURE
BEFORE BREATHING OUT.
SO SAIGA, TOO,
WERE WELL-EQUIPPED
TO LIVE IN THE COLD,
DRY CLIMATE OF BERINGIA.
TODAY THEY'RE ONLY FOUND
IN ANOTHER BLEAK ENVIRONMENT--
THE STEPPES OF CENTRAL ASIA.
SOME ICE AGE ANIMALS TOOK
A TOTALLY DIFFERENT APPROACH
TO SURVIVING THE WINTER.
ARCTIC GROUND SQUIRRELS
FEED UP IN AUTUMN,
BUILDING UP AS MUCH
BODY FAT AS POSSIBLE,
AND ALMOST
DOUBLING THEIR WEIGHT.
AS THE FIRST SNOWS FALL,
THEY RETREAT
TO THEIR UNDERGROUND BURROWS
AND BYPASS
THE WINTER ENTIRELY.
ARCTIC GROUND SQUIRRELS
HIBERNATE LIKE OTHER
SMALL MAMMALS,
BUT WITH A UNIQUE TWIST--
THEY CAN LOWER
THEIR BODY TEMPERATURE
RIGHT DOWN TO ALMOST
-3° CENTIGRADE.
BUT THANKS TO A BIOCHEMICAL
SUPER-COOLING PROCESS,
THEY DON'T ACTUALLY FREEZE.
EVERY FEW WEEKS
THEY WARM UP TEMPORARILY
THROUGH BOUTS OF SHIVERING,
WHICH PROBABLY
HELPS TO WARD OFF
PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE
FROM THE COLD.
THIS DEEP SLEEP TACTIC
HELPS THE GROUND SQUIRRELS
TO CONSERVE ENERGY,
BUT IT'S
A HIGH-RISK STRATEGY
AND SOME JUST DON'T
WAKE UP.
30,000-YEAR-OLD
FROZEN GROUND SQUIRRELS
HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED,
STILL PRESERVED
IN THEIR UNDERGROUND TOMBS.
EVERY INHABITANT
OF BERINGIA HAD TO HAVE
ITS OWN WAY OF DEALING
WITH THE COLD.
AND THAT INCLUDED
THOSE FIRST PEOPLE
WHO ARRIVED ACROSS
THE BERING LAND BRIDGE.
THEY KNEW HOW TO MAKE WEAPONS
AND COOPERATE TO HUNT
FOR FOOD.
THEY MADE WEATHERPROOF
CLOTHING OUT OF ANIMAL HIDES,
AND HAD FIRE
TO KEEP THEM WARM.
WITHOUT THESE SKILLS
THEY COULDN'T HAVE SURVIVED
THE ENDLESS WINTERS.
BUT SPRING
BROUGHT EASIER TIMES
AND EXCELLENT
HUNTING OPPORTUNITIES.
SPRING WAS WHEN
BERINGIA'S BIG GAME
GAVE BIRTH TO THEIR YOUNG.
( bleating)
FOR THESE BABY ANIMALS
IT WAS A RACE TO GROW UP
OVER THE BRIEF SUMMER,
TO BE TOUGH ENOUGH
TO FACE THE WINTER.
ONE YOUNG ANIMAL THAT DIED
IN ITS FIRST WINTER
WAS DISCOVERED
IN THE PERMAFROST
OF AN ALASKAN GOLD MINE.
RECREATED HERE ARE
THE BEST MUMMIFIED REMAINS
OF THIS ANIMAL
EVER FOUND
IN NORTH AMERICA.
IT'S A BABY WOOLLY MAMMOTH,
AND FROM ITS SIZE,
WE KNOW IT WAS LESS
THAN A YEAR OLD.
BUT DID IT
STARVE TO DEATH,
OR WAS IT TAKEN
BY A PREDATOR?
PERHAPS YOUNG ELEPHANTS
PROVIDE SOME CLUES.
THEY STICK CLOSE
TO THEIR MOTHER'S SIDE
FOR MORE THAN A YEAR,
AND THEY ALSO HAVE BACKUP--
A FAMILY GROUP OF VERY
PROTECTIVE SISTERS AND AUNTS.
( elephant, lion roars )
EVEN LIONS WILL THINK TWICE
ABOUT APPROACHING
ADULT ELEPHANTS.
AND WITH THE BABIES
SO WELL GUARDED,
THEY RARELY GET
A CHANCE TO STRIKE.
STARVATION DURING
ITS FIRST BITTER WINTER
IS MORE LIKELY TO HAVE
KILLED OUR BABY MAMMOTH.
PERHAPS ITS MOTHER COULD NOT
PROVIDE ENOUGH WARM MILK.
ONLY PART
OF THE BODY REMAINS,
THE HINDQUARTERS
WERE EATEN.
THERE WERE PLENTY OF SCAVENGERS
AROUND 14,000 YEARS AGO.
THERE WERE FOXES...
WOLVES...
AND GRIZZLY BEARS.
BUT BACK THEN THEY HAD
SERIOUS COMPETITION
FROM THE GIANT
SHORT-FACED BEAR.
THE SHORT-FACED BEAR'S
BONE CHEMISTRY
REVEALS IT WAS
A CARNIVORE.
AT UP TO A TON,
PROBABLY THE LARGEST
MEAT-EATING MAMMAL
THAT EVER
WALKED THE EARTH.
ON ITS LONG LEGS,
IT RANGED GREAT DISTANCES
ACROSS THE OPEN STEPPES
IN SEARCH OF FOOD.
WE ALSO KNOW FROM FOSSILS
THAT IT HAD BROAD NOSTRILS
AND AN ACUTE SENSE OF SMELL.
BUT WITH ITS POWERFUL
BONE-CRUNCHING JAWS,
IT'S NOW BELIEVED
THE GIANT SHORT-FACED BEAR
WAS PRIMARILY
A SPECIALIST SCAVENGER,
RATHER THAN A PREDATOR
FEEDING ON THE VICTIMS
OF THIS UNFORGIVING WORLD.
THE SHORT-FACED BEAR
WAS JUST ONE OF THE MANY
EXTRAORDINARY BEASTS THAT
ROAMED THE ICE AGE STEPPES.
CLUES IN THE LANDSCAPE
AND THE WILDLIFE OF TODAY
HAVE GIVEN US AN INSIGHT
INTO WHAT THAT LONG-LOST LAND
WAS LIKE.
NOW IMAGINE THAT WE CAN REALLY
TRAVEL BACK 14,000 YEARS
AND STAND WITH THOSE
FIRST HUNTERS ON THE MESA...
LOOK OUT ON THAT
ICE AGE WORLD,
AND EXPERIENCE A DAY
IN THE LIFE OF BERINGIA.
THIS IS WHAT IT
MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIKE.
BENEATH US THE STEPPES STRETCH
AWAY TO THE MOUNTAINS.
IT'S EARLY WINTER,
AND A TIME TO FEED UP--
READY FOR THE LONG
COLD MONTHS AHEAD.
BISON, SAIGA ANTELOPE
AND OTHER GRAZERS
THRONG THE FLATS
BELOW THE MESA.
MUSK OXEN
AND ARCTIC HARES
ARE WELL INSULATED
AGAINST THE COLD,
AS ARE THE LARGEST GRAZERS
OF THEM ALL,
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTHS.
THIS HERD IS REGROUPING,
READY FOR A LONG DAY
FEEDING ON THE GRASSES
BENEATH THE SNOW.
MOTHERS NEED TO KEEP MILK
FLOWING FOR THEIR YOUNG.
THIS BABY WILL NEED ALL
THE CARE THAT HE CAN GET
TO MAKE IT THROUGH
HIS FIRST BERINGIAN WINTER.
DESPITE THE COLD,
THERE IS STILL FOOD AVAILABLE.
THE HIGH WINDS STOP
THE SNOW FROM BUILDING UP,
AND KEEP
THE GRASS EXPOSED--
A LIFELINE FOR ALL
OF BERINGIA'S GRAZERS.
AWAY FROM THE HERD,
THE DOMINANT MALE MAMMOTH
IS DISTRACTED
FROM HIS USUAL ROUTINE.
TODAY HE HAS A MORE URGENT
PRIORITY THAN FOOD--
( roars )
A YOUNGER CHALLENGER
WHO WANTS TO TAKE HIS PLACE.
THIS RITUAL CLASH OF TUSKS
WILL DECIDE THE FUTURE
FOR THEM BOTH.
THE RIVAL MAY BE
YOUNG AND FIT,
BUT THE OLD BULL HAS
EXPERIENCE ON HIS SIDE.
THIS TIME
EXPERIENCE WINS.
( trumpets )
THE BITING WINTER WINDS
THAT CLEAR THE SNOW
PRODUCE A WIND-CHILL
THAT WOULD KILL MOST MAMMALS.
BUT MUSK OXEN
ARE MADE FOR THIS--
COCOONED IN
DOUBLE-LAYERED COATS.
BUT COLD IS NOT THE ONLY DANGER
IN THIS WINDSWEPT LAND.
THE HERD REACTS...
AND RUNS
FOR HIGHER GROUND.
THEY HUDDLE
AND TURN TO FACE THE THREAT--
A GIANT
SHORT-FACED BEAR.
FACED BY A WALL OF HORNS,
THE BEAR MOVES ON TO SNIFF OUT
A LESS DAUNTING MEAL.
OCCASIONAL BLIZZARDS
ARE ANOTHER HARSH REALITY
OF LIVING IN BERINGIA.
BUT THE DRIFTING SNOW
MAY AT LEAST PROVIDE
A HUNTER
WITH SOME COVER.
SAIGA ANTELOPE CAN RUN
AT 40 MILES AN HOUR,
AND SO FAR THIS LION
ISN'T CLOSE ENOUGH
TO CAUSE TOO MUCH ALARM.
AS LONG AS THEY CAN KEEP IT
IN THEIR SIGHTS,
THEY'RE SAFE.
( cawing )
EVENTUALLY THE SKY CLEARS
AND THE BLIZZARD STOPS...
THEN RAVENS ANNOUNCE
THAT THE WEATHER HAS
TAKEN ITS TOLL.
( cawing )
THIS OLD MAMMOTH HAS SUCCUMBED
TO STARVATION AND COLD...
BUT ITS MEAT WILL HELP
KEEP OTHERS WARM.
THE HUNTING LION HOMES IN
WITH ANOTHER MEMBER
OF THE PRIDE.
THEY CAN SOON SEE OFF
THE RAVENS
BUT THEY'RE WARY.
A FRESH CARCASS MAY HAVE
ATTRACTED OTHER,
MORE SUBSTANTIAL,
COMPETITION.
ONE GIANT SHORT-FACED BEAR
IS MORE THAN A MATCH
FOR TWO LIONS.
( roars )
BUT IN THIS
BITTER CLIMATE,
LIONS CAN'T AFFORD TO GO
WITHOUT A MEAL FOR LONG.
A MAMMOTH CALF
IN ITS FIRST WINTER
IS A TEMPTING SIGHT.
BUT MAMMOTHS
ARE ATTENTIVE MOTHERS
AND THEY HAVE THE BACKUP
OF THEIR HERD.
THE CALF IS RINGED
BY VIGILANT RELATIVES.
THE LIONS TRY
TO FIND A LOOPHOLE.
THE MAMMOTHS' MATRIARCH,
THE OLDEST FEMALE,
TAKES CONTROL AND SHE HAS
60 YEARS' EXPERIENCE
OF PUTTING LIONS
IN THEIR PLACE.
( roars )
( mammoth roars )
IN THE BOSOM
OF ITS CLOSE-KNIT FAMILY,
THE CALF IS SAFE--
FROM PREDATORS AT LEAST.
THE LIONS WILL
HAVE TO TRY ELSEWHERE.
COULD A BISON
BE A MORE REALISTIC PROSPECT?
THE WIND WHIPS UP AGAIN,
OFFERING COVER...
AND THE HUNTERS
FOCUS ON A TARGET
ON THE FRINGES
OF THE HERD.
( grunting )
BEFORE LONG
THE CARCASS FREEZES
AND BECOMES
DIFFICULT TO EAT.
ABANDONED, IT IS BURIED
BY THE ELEMENTS,
PRESERVED UNTIL THE DAY
IT WILL EMERGE
TO TELL THE STORY
OF ANOTHER ICE AGE DEATH...
JUST ONE OF MANY
PIECES OF EVIDENCE,
WHICH TOGETHER
HAVE BUILT UP A PICTURE
OF THIS
REMARKABLE WORLD.
BUT NOW, ANOTHER UNFORGIVING
WINTER'S NIGHT
FALLS ON BERINGIA,
LAND OF THE MAMMOTH.
( theme music playing )