{1}{1}25.000 {1532}{1580}Summer in Antarctica, {1582}{1684}and the seas around the outer islands|are teeming with life. {1897}{2003}Fur seals are streaming in their thousands {2005}{2067}to their traditional beaches {2069}{2121}on the island of South Georgia. {2329}{2434}It's November,|and the race to breed has started. {2436}{2536}Some bull seals have already|claimed territories on the beach {2538}{2616}and are prepared to defend them|against all comers. {2618}{2686}You have to be fairly cautious... {2688}{2813}how you approach... Now, now!|...these big bulls, {2815}{2931}because they have very sharp teeth|and can be extremely aggressive. {2942}{3006}At the moment,|there's not much problem with them, {3008}{3101}but in two weeks I wouldn't dare|set foot on this beach, {3106}{3194}because by then all the females|will have come ashore too {3196}{3324}and there will be over 100,000|fur seals on this one beach. {3382}{3489}Each dominant bull in this dense|and seemingly structureless crowd {3491}{3578}rules over a territory|of about 30 square metres, {3580}{3660}enough to accommodate about a dozen females. {3691}{3802}The frontiers between these territories|are invisible to our eyes, {3806}{3849}but very clear to the bulls. {3851}{3920}When neighbours meet face to face|across a boundary, {3924}{3989}they put on a ritualised display of force, {3991}{4098}but won't fight as long as each stays|on his own side of the frontier. {4173}{4223}The heavily-pregnant females {4225}{4296}arrive two or three weeks after the males {4298}{4407}and head for the prime territories|near the high-water mark. {4418}{4523}0nly if these are fully occupied|will they join ones lower down the beach. {4525}{4615}By December,|over a million Antarctic fur seals - {4617}{4678}95% of the world's population - {4680}{4761}have landed here on South Georgia. {4807}{4881}0ne or two days after their arrival, {4883}{4936}the cows give birth. {4971}{5081}Each baby is greeted|by a flock of hungry skuas, {5083}{5168}keen to feast on the afterbirth|that comes with it. {5632}{5730}A mother will refuse to be parted|from her vulnerable pup {5733}{5791}for the next seven days. {5883}{5975}The pups grow rapidly on the rich fatty milk {5977}{6054}and double their weight in 60 days. {6326}{6377}It will be eight years {6379}{6457}before they have to fight for territory. {6469}{6516}This is just play. {6728}{6782}The bulls must now be on their guard, {6784}{6855}for the females|are becoming sexually available {6858}{6989}and, offshore, males without|territories are hanging around. {7172}{7284}They keep a sharp eye out for|a weakened bull or an abandoned territory, {7286}{7354}and will dash ashore to claim it|if they see a chance. {7356}{7452}0nce they've got a territory,|they can mate with its females. {7507}{7614}Lots of these young hopefuls|wait in the shallows. {7819}{7910}0ne of them thinks he sees his opportunity. {8173}{8233}(AGGRESSIVE BELL0WING) {8544}{8623}No luck. He's not big enough - yet. {9278}{9342}The urge to breed is so strong {9344}{9441}that there is always some youngster|prepared to try his luck {9443}{9527}and, three or four times every day,|there are major battles on the beach. {9713}{9801}(DIN 0F BELL0WING AND SNARLING) {10279}{10352}These fights can be really damaging. {10354}{10450}Most territory-owning bulls|carry severe wounds. {10452}{10541}Their flippers get split,|their necks badly gouged. {10859}{10957}Mothers try to keep their pups|out of harm's way. {11061}{11110}Another challenger concedes. {11112}{11150}But he's still in trouble, {11152}{11251}for he'll have to dodge other outraged bulls|on his way back to the sea. {11268}{11341}Although few are actually killed|during these fights, {11343}{11445}many will die later from their wounds|or from sheer exhaustion. {11782}{11873}By Christmas, in the middle|of the Antarctic summer, {11875}{11989}breeding is over and the battles|on the beaches have largely come to an end. {11991}{12089}But further south, the race to breed,|having started later, {12091}{12142}is still in full swing. {12667}{12801}Chinstrap penguins are returning|from their feeding grounds, 20 miles offshore, {12803}{12862}to feed their chicks. {13089}{13187}Now, in midsummer,|there is almost 24 hours of daylight, {13189}{13290}and here on Deception Island|there is continuous traffic from the beach {13292}{13401}up a two-way highway|to the nesting sites high in the hills. {13462}{13574}Each day,|100,000 commuters make the trip. {13578}{13632}It's nature's greatest rush hour. {14037}{14092}The trek to the higher slopes {14094}{14142}takes the Chinstraps over an hour. {14147}{14242}The first obstacles they must cross|are the torrential streams {14244}{14299}pouring from a melting glacier. {15031}{15113}Chinstraps, like all penguins,|are tough and persistent, {15115}{15223}and a rough and tumble|in the white water doesn't deter them. {15332}{15397}They are accomplished mountaineers {15399}{15462}and have elected to nest high up {15464}{15548}on the steep exposed slopes of volcanic ash. {15657}{15754}The stiff quills of their tails|provide invaluable support, {15756}{15815}preventing them from slipping backwards. {16057}{16182}Exposed ridges are the first suitable|nesting grounds to be free of snow, {16184}{16276}and to make the best use|of the short Antarctic breeding season, {16278}{16368}penguins will make|immensely long climbs to reach them. {16370}{16454}(TREMEND0US DIN 0F SQUAWKING) {16594}{16701}There are over 200,000 birds|here on Deception Island, {16703}{16783}each pair with its own tiny nesting territory, {16785}{16849}evenly spaced from its neighbours. {17091}{17179}Incredibly, in spite of the din and confusion, {17181}{17300}returning birds are able to find their nest|and partners without any difficulty, {17302}{17417}and the reunion is always marked|with a jubilant display. {17739}{17800}The parents will now swap duties. {17802}{17879}The one just arrived will feed|the chicks and guard them {17881}{17941}while the other, having fasted|for a couple of days, {17945}{18056}will go down to the sea to feed|and collect more food for the youngsters. {18412}{18525}Those that are nesting|on the lower slopes are lucky. {18527}{18597}0thers have to climb so high {18599}{18676}that their nests are up in the clouds|for much of the time. {18988}{19086}The trek down from the nest|can take another hour, {19088}{19180}but it has to be done if the chick is to be fed. {19302}{19354}When at last they reach the sea, {19356}{19432}their journey, that has so far|been merely arduous, {19434}{19494}becomes very dangerous indeed. {19771}{19819}A leopard seal. {19902}{20004}A single leopard seal may catch|up to six penguins in an hour. {20006}{20076}During the season, it will kill hundreds. {20343}{20456}A wounded bird, having escaped|almost miraculously from the seal, {20458}{20518}must now face the merciless skuas. {20782}{20834}In spite of its injury, {20836}{20926}it still struggles upwards towards its nest. {21551}{21613}The Chinstraps only nest on islands {21617}{21726}that are released by the sea ice|early in the season. {21745}{21844}As the summer advances,|the ice continues to retreat, {21846}{21932}until even the edge|of the continent becomes free. {22008}{22062}By January, at the height of summer, {22064}{22114}there is almost continuous daylight {22116}{22244}and along the Antarctic peninsula|temperatures regularly rise above freezing. {22288}{22372}Fjords that were locked in ice|for the last eight months {22374}{22436}are now littered with ice floes. {22488}{22586}Leopard seals haul out to bask in the sun. {22700}{22739}Now, for a short time, {22743}{22837}Antarctica's wildlife can afford to relax. {24818}{24876}With temperatures climbing, {24878}{24986}snow and ice turns into Antarctica's|most precious commodity - {24988}{25029}fresh water. {25031}{25082}And that makes it possible {25084}{25176}for the continent's sparse|vegetation to resume its growth. {25254}{25314}Banks of moss are the home {25316}{25390}of a whole population of tiny animals. {25504}{25596}Deep within the crevices, ice still remains, {25598}{25663}imprisoning some|of the hardiest creatures on Earth - {25665}{25762}the only land animals|that can survive the Antarctic winter. {25809}{25865}Barely larger than a pinhead, {25867}{25975}these tiny mites|contain a natural anti-freeze {25977}{26067}that allows them to supercool|to minus 30 degrees centigrade. {26441}{26542}As the ice disappears, they come to life. {26612}{26709}These minute creatures|have no fixed breeding season. {26711}{26756}They're opportunists {26758}{26863}and reproduce whenever temperatures|creep above freezing. {26951}{27016}0ften thousands cluster together. {27018}{27113}Most are herbivores|that feed on the moss and dead vegetation. {27115}{27208}But they themselves are food|for a few tiny carnivores. {27210}{27251}Hunters and hunted - {27254}{27351}this is Antarctica's own miniature Serengeti. {27521}{27639}In just a few places, there is enough|meltwater to create freshwater ponds. {27691}{27827}They are havens|for another range of invertebrates - {27829}{27879}little crustaceans and insect larvae. {28289}{28372}Green is a rare colour|on the Antarctic continent, {28374}{28481}for moss can only grow|where there is both fresh water and soil. {28507}{28629}But one kind of vegetation|manages to survive on bare rock alone - {28631}{28672}lichens. {28674}{28783}They are able to dissolve rock|and extract nutrients from it. {28785}{28885}But that takes a very long time,|especially at these low temperatures. {28887}{28934}Growth is incredibly slow. {28936}{28984}A miniscule forest like this {28986}{29077}may have taken centuries to reach this size. {29084}{29131}(WHISTLING WIND) {29183}{29281}I am now a thousand miles farther south still. {29283}{29392}The South Pole lies about 800 miles over there. {29394}{29513}If I was as far away as that from the North Pole, {29515}{29601}I would expect to find among these rocks {29603}{29694}at least a hundred different species|of flowering plant. {29698}{29748}In fact, in the whole of Antarctica, {29750}{29826}only two species|of flowering plants have been found, {29828}{29903}and neither of them grows as far south as this. {29905}{30011}All that grows on these rocks|are tiny lichens like this. {30054}{30110}0ne or two species of moss {30112}{30165}occur in these latitudes, {30167}{30267}but otherwise only lichens|grow farther south than this - {30269}{30354}and some of them get|to within 200 miles of the pole. {30411}{30473}Antarctica's commonest organism {30475}{30571}is not a lichen but a plant - an algae. {30573}{30622}It lives in the snow {30624}{30688}and paints great areas of it bright pink. {30757}{30857}In summer, the melting snow|releases the algae into the sea. {30859}{30908}Just off-shore, {30910}{31004}icebergs, moving back and forth with the tide, {31008}{31064}are also disintegrating. {31141}{31227}All these changes|release minerals and nutrients. {31229}{31314}Suddenly, the inland waters become very rich {31316}{31405}and floating algae - phytoplankton - {31407}{31461}bloom in vast clouds. {31541}{31605}Icebergs scouring the sea floor {31607}{31670}make things difficult for life of any kind, {31672}{31737}but in sheltered areas and deeper water {31739}{31857}there is a surprisingly large|and varied community of sea creatures. {32153}{32259}Life here, in temperatures|close to freezing, is very slow. {32284}{32393}An individual sponge or starfish|may live for over 40 years. {32653}{32701}There are fish here, too, {32703}{32800}and blue-eyed shag dive down|to depths of over 100 metres {32802}{32848}in search of them. {32979}{33028}(CRIES 0F MANY BIRDS) {33051}{33144}The shags' feeding grounds|are never far away from their colonies {33146}{33216}on the few rocky crags that are free of snow. {33361}{33468}Uniquely among Antarctic birds,|their chicks hatch without down {33472}{33582}and at first rely totally|on their parents for warmth. {33627}{33677}(FRENZIED CHIRPING) {33918}{34009}Many of these chicks may die|if the summer storms are severe, {34011}{34083}but shags, like most Antarctic birds, {34088}{34201}are long-lived and the pair will produce|many young during their lifetime. {34361}{34473}Blue-eyed shags don't nest along|the southern part of the Antarctic peninsula {34475}{34532}because there is very little open water there. {34537}{34608}But one bird is not daunted by that. {34630}{34693}Antarctic terns patrol the bays {34695}{34772}in search of small crustaceans and fish. {34829}{34890}Their breeding season is long, {34892}{34991}and even in late summer,|chicks are still hatching. {35198}{35240}In some years, {35242}{35349}bad weather and predatory skuas|cause heavy losses of eggs and chicks, {35351}{35419}but Antarctic terns have the rare ability {35423}{35483}to lay two or three times in a season. {35695}{35772}Not until February,|the very height of summer, {35776}{35865}does the winter sea ice|finally retreat to its minimum extent {35867}{35967}and release isolated outcrops|of rock in the deep south. {36120}{36183}This is the Scullion monolith, {36185}{36282}one of the very few areas|of bare rock for many miles around, {36284}{36407}and here, 300,000 Antarctic petrels|come to breed. {37121}{37166}Adelie penguin colonies, {37170}{37289}that in the spring were cut off|from the sea by miles of winter sea ice, {37291}{37365}are now directly accessible to open water, {37369}{37434}and adults, with hungry chicks to feed, {37436}{37519}can at last swim directly back to the beaches... {37534}{37595}although some, rather optimistically, {37597}{37661}decide to stop for a rest on the way. {38385}{38464}There is now|constant activity on the beaches {38466}{38520}as both adults must collect food {38522}{38629}to satisfy the demands|of their well-grown and ever-hungry chicks. {38821}{38877}Returning adults have to find their chicks {38879}{38980}amongst hundreds of others|that wait patiently in crèches. {38984}{39087}But a chick can instantly recognise|the call of its parent, {39091}{39195}and a mad steeplechase|that can last several minutes {39197}{39284}helps to separate|the rightful chick from imposters. {39318}{39416}The strongest chick of a pair|is always fed first. {39577}{39627}In years when food is scarce, {39629}{39675}younger chicks are rarely fed, {39677}{39778}and skuas are constantly|on the look-out for such weakened birds. {39959}{40059}Repeated harrying from above|sends panic through the colony. {40287}{40381}Many penguins are forced|to regurgitate their meals {40383}{40455}and the skuas feast on the spilt krill. {40569}{40653}Small unattended chicks|that stray from the crèche {40655}{40706}are quickly attacked. {41257}{41340}As the pressure|to complete breeding increases, {41342}{41453}there is a constant battle|between penguins and skuas. {41581}{41644}This time, the chick is lucky. {41707}{41785}Attacks by skuas are very nasty and brutal {41787}{41871}but are not the main danger to the colony. {41873}{41954}Adelies always choose|very windy nest sites. {41956}{42015}Breeding so early in the season, {42017}{42083}they rely on the wind to clear away the snow {42085}{42164}because they can only|lay their eggs on bare rock. {42166}{42250}Now, at the end of the season,|they pay the price. {42290}{42356}Soon, the sea will re-freeze {42360}{42427}and autumn storms will cover|the bare rock with snow. {42429}{42482}In our next programme, {42484}{42556}we will watch as wildlife|hurries to finish breeding {42558}{42620}before winter really takes hold.