Fire and Ice (Full Episode) | Wild Yellowstone | Nat Geo Animals

A land of fire and ice. This is Yellowstone as you've never seen it. It's not easy. Seasons of punishing extremes set the stage for survival. A test of skill and power begins in winter and the game is on. The wolves of greater Yellowstone are on the hunt. This is the dark wolf's first winter as leader. Her mate was killed. Now she's in charge. Pack is young. Dark wolf must teach them how to hunt as a team or they won't live through winter. Their first lesson how to take down an elk five times your size. The wolf's only chance is to work together crush her skull. Hunting big game alone is futile. She must teach the pack to work together or they won't last. In winter everyone needs a strategy to survive. As temperatures plummet, tensions rise. It triggers Yellowstone's ultimate fight club. The bighorn sheep rut. Every big testosterone raging ram considers himself a contender. The arena a coliseum of 800 foot high cliffs. Their feet are built to grip the rock but sheep do fall. The last ram standing gets to mate. This big old ram is reigning champ but his trials have just begun. At two miles high these mountains shape Yellowstone's weather. They surround the park. They sit at the end of a 500 mile corridor forged by Yellowstone's super volcano. This corridor is also a weather expressway funneling moist pacific air straight to Yellowstone. When this moisture collides with the mountains it turns to massive amounts of snow. But there are some who use snow to their advantage. The red fox is built for winter. At only 10 pounds he doesn't break the snow's surface so he can search far and wide for prey. But how do you find what you cannot see? His solution? Big ears. The catch? His victims are under two feet of snow. But he can pinpoint the faintest sound. The fox locks onto a target. A meadow vole. But what now? If he digs the vole will flee. Instead he flies. Just a small bite but in winter every calorie counts and some days require an extraordinary amount of energy. The reigning champ of bighorn sheep battle stands to lose everything. Only the strongest ram earns the right to mate. This huge young brawler wants a shot at the title and he won't leave without a fight. The main event. Challenger versus champion. Winner takes all. The reigning ram and his heavyweight challenger size each other up. The ewes await their champion. Their massive horns are used as both weapon and shield. They weigh up to 30 pounds as much as all the bones in their body combines. A massive tendon keeps their head on their shoulders. Two layers of skull bone absorb each collision. The force of this impact could kill a human instantly. It's too much for the old ram. He has no fight left. There's a new champion in the herd. The dark wolf has her pack on the move. 30 miles and counting and still no big meals. The younger wolves have much to learn. Most days are spent searching for a lead. A wolf's nose is a hundred times more sensitive than a human's. The faintest scent tells them who was here and when. The dark wolf picks up a promising trail. Droplets of blood from an injured elk. This could feed her pack for several days. The herd splits up when wolves appear. They'll hide under the cover of forest. The wolves know he's here. Somewhere you can't hide blood knows this good. The hunt is on. The wolves must work together. Puts up a fight. They take turns leading the chase. Looking for weakness. Elk makes a clever move. The stream buys him some time. The inexperienced youngsters await the dark wolf's move. Pack has lost the advantage. They know it. Another failed hunt. While some suffer in Yellowstone's early winter, river otters are in their element. But the fun is coming to an end for this mother and her nine-month-old pup. Their home on the Yellowstone River is freezing up. Soon they'll have to strike out and find a new source of open water. And there are many dangers in Yellowstone's winter. A starving coyote will eagerly kill and eat the young otter. He's patient, looking for a chance to strike. He can swim, but not like an otter. Mom and her pup are safe. For now. But Yellowstone won't let them off that easy. Soon almost everything will freeze. Without open water the otters will be in trouble. Yellowstone even tests its largest animals. Bison have lived here since just after the last ice age. They've survived 10,000 Yellowstone winters. But it's this calf's first. Winter forces them on the move to find food. The calf must keep up. The bison are not heading to greener pastures. Yellowstone's geyser basins stay open all year thanks to the chamber of molten magma boiling under the park. Beyond the thermals the freeze is happening fast. Ponds are first to set. Then slower flowing streams and rivers. Then the faster ones. Winter even tames the Rockies largest waterfall. Lower Yellowstone Falls. The otters are now in crisis mode. There's only one hole left in the ice and it's freezing up too. They need to leave and find a new home. But mom is cautious with a coyote on the prowl. She'd rather hold tight here for now. But the pup's natural instinct is to wander. This could be a fatal mistake. The young otter is caught out. His eyes are designed for life underwater. Out here he can barely see. He's lost. Halfway through their trek the bison mother is breaking trail and struggling. Her calf can only keep up by walking in her footsteps. At its worst Yellowstone's bitter winter can kill hundreds of bison. At last a sign of hope. Warm water is keeping this river from freezing. The geyser basin must be ahead. So close. But Yellowstone is not done yet. Enter the lone wolf. Hungry and desperate. One solitary wolf against a thousand pound devoted mother. The wolf will try to lead her away. Then go for the calf. The wolf has seen it all before. The mother otter has not yet found her pup. He's lost further down the frozen river. Too far for mom to hear his calls. But the coyote hears him. Only the deep snow keeps him at bay. Mom finally picks up a faint scent. The pup's survival depends on who reaches him first. At last mom hears her son. And he hears her. No time for greetings. The coyote is closing in. They need to get to open water quickly. Just how to do it. Escape at last. The dark wolf and her pack haven't eaten in days. But they have a target. A yearling. The dark wolf drives the elk into deeper snow where she'll have the advantage. The others now know what to do. They choose their target well. The yearling is tiring. Has learned how to hunt together. And just in time. Wolves rule in winter. But the weather is shifting. And so is the balance of power. High in the peaks of Yellowstone's super volcano, longer days are the first hint of spring. Predators are rising. Over 600 grizzly bears are advancing on greater Yellowstone. This young male has been asleep for months. And he's hungry. It's going to be a critical summer. The bear's first without mom. His first finding food for himself. And winning a place at Yellowstone's table is not easy. His mom taught him if you follow wolves, they lead you to food. It's one thing to follow. Another to fight. He should easily fend off a couple wolves. Reinforcements are coming. The wolves keep control. But the bear will be back. By May, eight months of snow is poised to crash into the world below. Summer is here. Yellowstone transforms with the melt. Rivers swell by 18 times. 2 million gallons a minute roars over lower Yellowstone Falls. All this water kickstarts an explosion of life. Summer will be hard on the young. But they don't know that yet. Many of the animals born here will never turn one. It's up to their parents to keep them alive. That means killing. This mom means business. The swollen river saves the elk's life. Now she's cold, wet, and still hungry. The young grizzly's hunger drives him two miles high into the mountains. Where his mother once showed him a hidden treasure. Rocks. Millions of juicy moths escape the heat. Each one is 70% fat. He'll eat tens of thousands if he can. But his secret is out. Fights over food turn ugly quick. The desperate grizzly tries to put off the trespassing bears. But mother bears are hard to deter. Hungry, tired, and beetreats. Another loss for the young bear. Nothing in Yellowstone is easy. Summer can be brutal and benevolent. Cocktail of water and sun triggers Yellowstone's bloom. Filled with nectar. They're reserved for a special guest from a thousand miles away. This hummingbird flies all the way from Mexico for Yellowstone's sweet nectar. Her extra long tongue can reach the riches in the back of the flower. Feeding her wings 60 times a second uses up a lot of fuel. She drinks her body weight every day and with nectar this sweet she'll be lured north every summer of her life. Yellowstone's bloom is a window of opportunity for many. This black bear is after fresh grass. Eat up while it's young. These greens are most tender for the first few weeks. While mom feeds her cubs explore and play. Climbing will come. Practice. Dinner time. No skim milk for these guys. Mom's milk is 25 percent fat. Thanks to her these cubs will fatten up quick. By late summer the sun so welcome months ago bakes the land without mercy. Even boiling geyser basins begin to dry. Thicken and explode. Then Yellowstone's sun changes the game again. As summer wanes a beaver family works around the clock to make repairs to their lodge before winter returns. It's dad's turn to work the night shifts. Evenings are a cool time to get stuff done. He's a beaver out of water so he must work quickly. Dangerous things go bump in the night. Coast is clear finally but watch out. This tree has enough branches to finish the job. It's taken all summer but the beaver's pond is finally full. Their masterpiece will help keep the family alive through winter. As summer fades and temperatures drop urgency rises. Shorter days trigger the final big event of the summer. A dangerous battle of skills. Dozens of 700 pound elk stags have come out of the woodwork ready to face off. The stag elk's antlers have grown half an inch a day for months just for this moment. As much about technique as brute force. The winner's prize mating rights. Most fights only last seconds but six minutes in neither stag is giving up. Finally the old man runs the challenger off and claims his harem. His legacy will carry down to thousands of descendants. In this final game of summer, winner takes all. The winter wind announces summer's last call. It's been a difficult season for the young bear. He needs a final meal. His mortal enemies have one. He was chased off a kill by this wolf pack at the start of summer but he's stronger and wiser and ready to try again. Out of nowhere a bigger bear beats him to it. The big male is aggressive. Wolves, relentless. Bravely the young male moves in. The wolves force the big male out. The young bear tries a surprising tactic. Stay calm, steady. It's cool. He secures himself a big meal. All bears must make the most of summer. Soon there will be nothing left for them down here. Then it will be time to den. He climbs high into the mountains to a steep north slope. In just hours summer will be a memory. Covered for months by 30 feet of snow. On the other side, Yellowstone's summer will be waiting.