Polar Bears in Winter
In Polar Bears in Winter, narrator Sir David Attenborough highlights a polar bear waiting through the Arctic winter with little food and in harsh conditions. Nearby, polar bear cubs are born tiny and blind. The polar bear cubs spend the winter cuddled with their mother where they drink milk so rich they can double their weight every few weeks. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Frozen Planet, a series that shows a fragile world of beauty and hostility, where nature finds a way to survive and thrive in frigid conditions.
Lesson Express
Q: Where does the male polar bear spend the winter? What about the female polar bear?
A: The male is out on the open ocean. The female is hibernating with her cubs.
Q: What do male polar bears eat during the winter?
A: They eat carcasses or live off their fat reserves.
Q: Why do you think polar bears have babies during the winter?
A: Student responses will vary. Students may mention that the polar bears can rest and feed babies during the winter or that there is no food to hunt anyway so it is a good time to have cubs.
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In Watch Polar Bears After Hibernation, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how a mother polar bear and her cub hunt after waking up from hibernation. Learn how a mother polar bear tries to find a seal under the ice. Watch a polar bear cub learn and play. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.
In Arctic Summer Visitors, narrator Sir David Attenborough explores how and why animals arrive at the Arctic in summer. Learn about the guillemots and beluga whales that arrive in the Arctic in summer. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.
In Warming Seas and Walruses, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains the warming of the planet’s oceans and what it means for one mother walrus and her pup. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet II, a natural history series that explores the world's oceans, the animals that live in them, and the threats they face, using modern filming techniques and equipment to capture previously unseen areas of the ocean.
In How Krill Survive in Antarctica, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains how Antarctica is different from the Arctic and how Antarctica changes in winter and summer. Learn how krill survive under the Antarctic ice. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Blue Planet, a definitive documentary series diving into the mysterious depths of the sea to discover the natural history of the world’s oceans and the rarely seen marine life that reside there.