Wild Europe - Kingdom of the Beasts | Free Documentary Nature

Europe, a land of myriad climates and terrains, within whose boundaries lie some of the most complex and beautiful habitats on the planet. A kingdom of mighty rivers, vast mountain ranges, and ancient forests, whose limits stretch from northern realms of ice and snow to arid southern shores. A continent shaped by the seasons, that gives life to wildlife as rich and vibrant as anywhere on the planet. Home to some of the world's biggest beasts, powerful predators, and exotic creatures. This is Europe, full of surprise, wild and thriving. Southern Poland. Winter is in its final throes. Snow has covered the Carpathian Mountains for months. This vast range, which arches across central Europe, from Poland in the west, to Romania in the east, is a bastion of extraordinary biodiversity. Here, you'll find ancient forests of beech, oak, and pine. Half the continent's great predators, as well as its largest land mammal, the European bison. Weighing up to a ton, and over six and a half feet tall, these mighty beasts have been hunted almost to extinction. Around 3,000 still survive in the wild, making them rarer than black rhino. After a long winter, the bison's fat reserves are waning. Food is scarce, and they've had to resort to eating woody shrubs and tree bark to keep their huge bodies running. This is a season when only the fittest and fattest survive, and some haven't made it. But starvation isn't the only threat they face. Watching from the treeline is one of the world's most notorious predators, the grey wolf. A strong pack will happily take on a lone bison. But first, they have to break up the herd. Sensing danger, the bison make a run for it. The pack looks to isolate a straggler. But the herd stays together, and the wolves are outmaneuvered. They break off in search of easier prey, and don't have long to wait. A solitary roe deer struggles to make headway through deep snow. Its narrow, pointed hooves give it speed and agility on land, but in these conditions, their necks are useless. Wolves have excellent peripheral vision. The struggling deer is soon spotted, and the pack moves in. When it comes to a kill, a strict hierarchy governs who has first rights to the carcass. Dominant individuals eat first, but eventually, everyone gets their fair share. While the wolves enjoy their spoils, Europe's third largest predator watches from the shadows. Weighing in at around 80 pounds, and with a body length of nearly five feet, the Eurasian lynx is more than capable of bringing down a deer. But this solitary hunter is no match for a wolf, let alone an entire pack. He'll have to find a meal elsewhere, and with up to 30 different species on his menu, he's unlikely to go hungry for long. An extremely efficient hunter, the lynx's long tufted ears are capable of tuning in to the slightest sound, and sharp eyesight means they can spot smaller mammals up to 246 feet away. A rodent breaking cover takes a massive risk. The lynx stealthily stalks his target, its large fur covered paws helping it to move through the deep snow. Once within striking range, it pounces. This vole may be no more than a mouthful, but at this time of year, it's a sustaining meal. From lowlands to loftier climbs, in Europe's winter landscape, survival is the aim. The Alps are the continent's highest and longest mountain range. Spanning eight countries, its peaks tower over 13,000 feet. Few creatures can endure this hostile, precipitous environment, but one species, with nerves of steel, appears completely at home. Like all mountain goats, alpine ibex have feet specially adapted for a life on the edge. Their concave hooves act like suction cups, gluing them to the almost vertical cliffs. Few of its predators, which include the wolf and the lynx, can follow it up here, leaving the ibex to concentrate on more pressing matters. Late winter is the mating season. Using his acute sense of smell, this large horned male assesses a female's breeding status. He's in luck, but another male has got wind of the potential mate, and a fight for breeding rights ensues. This clashing of heads is how the battle will be decided. Eventually, the intruder realizes he's no match for the resident king of the mountain and leaves. The victor may have won this battle, but other challengers await their turn. In the coming weeks, he'll have to watch his back. The sure-footed ibex aren't entirely predator-free in these higher climbs. They share the mountain peaks with possibly the world's greatest aerial hunter, the golden eagle. With vision up to eight times sharper than a human, they have two centers of focus, enabling them to see forwards and sideways at the same time. Throw in a super sharp sense of smell, a six-foot wingspan, a powerful beak, and razor-sharp talons, and it's no surprise to learn that they regularly carry off young ibex. With few shrubs or trees offering cover, the high peaks of the Alps provide this predator with the perfect hunting ground. From up here, golden eagles can spot a potential meal more than half a mile away. This mountain hare, camouflaged by his winter coat, is completely unaware he's been spotted. The eagle partially closes its wings as it enters into a low-angled glide, speed increasing as it homes in on its target. But this deadly predator hadn't banked on others giving the game away. A flock of grouse alerts the potential victim to take flight. Hitting a top speed of nearly 44 miles per hour, mountain hares easily outpace the majority of land predators. But golden eagles are one of the fastest creatures on the planet. With a stoop dive speed of up to 155 miles per hour, the hare stands little chance of escape. In Europe's unforgiving winter landscape, only the strongest and fittest survive. At Europe's northernmost tip lies a group of islands that sit deep within the Arctic Circle. Svalbard lies just 625 miles from the North Pole. Here, winters are harsh and long. Temperatures can drop to below minus 104 degrees Fahrenheit, cold enough to freeze the surrounding seas to a depth of over three feet. The coming of spring brings little change to the landscape. This icy realm is home to our planet's largest land predator, the mighty polar bear. Standing nearly 10 feet tall and weighing as much as seven grown men, for this apex hunter, spring means one thing, three long months of feasting. Ringed seal pups, which are born at this time of year, need to spend the first few weeks of their lives on the surface of the pack ice until their fur is fully waterproof. During this time, they stay close to the breathing holes excavated by their mothers off hunting in the waters below. Ringed seals are the polar bear's favorite food. On land, the ringed seal's vision is poor. The polar bear blends into the white landscape. Stealthily, it approaches upwind, minimizing the chances of being heard or smelt. Gets away. Fortunately for this giant, catching seals at this time of year is just a numbers game. He soon gets wind of another potential feast. To protect their pups from predators, ringed seals excavate dens from the snowfall above their breathing holes. Though it's nowhere in sight, this bear's next potential victim is right under his nose. This youngster has no idea its world could come crashing down at any moment. The bear's attack is swift and brutal. Success. The seal pup has evaded its predator, but its mother has been less fortunate. Over the next three months, this polar bear will consume around two-thirds of its annual energy needs. For him, spring is a short but abundant feeding opportunity. Further south, the great melt has begun. Europe's forests awake from their winter slumber. Trees cover almost a third of the continent. They form a vibrant, beating green heart. As the sun warms the frigid soil, the cycle of growth restarts. Forest floors are soon carpeted with flowers. Broadleaf trees spark their buds into life. Great oaks become green giants once more. Forest residents awake from their winter inactivity. It's time to get busy. Amongst those stepping into this warming, waking world is a fiercely industrious rodent. Seldom seen during the day, signs of its handiwork are clearly visible. Beavers are incredible animal architects. Armed with dexterous front paws, claws with a vice-like grip, and chisels for teeth, they fell trees to build their dams and lodges, create vast forest clearings filled with ponds and water channels, which they constantly repair, improve, and expand. These feats of engineering not only provide the beaver with safe passage to foraging areas, they also create new habitats for hundreds of other creatures. Their forest clearings are quickly colonized by light-loving plants, drawing deer to come in to feed, which in turn attract hungry predators, whilst their dams create new wetlands that rapidly become hotspots for other aquatic life. A natural lumberjack and master builder, the beaver gives Europe's forests a huge biodiversity boost. Vast and ever-changing, Europe's mighty rivers provide the lifeblood to its diverse wildlife. As rich and vibrant as anywhere on the planet, their story begins in the continent's high places, where meltwaters from the loftiest snow-capped peaks feed streams, which in turn merge into rivers and spread like a network of arteries across the continent. Nearly 18,000 miles long, the Danube is Europe's second-largest river. It passes through 10 countries, between its source in Germany's Black Forest and the Black Sea in Romania. This is the Amazon of Europe. Just before its waters flow into the sea, it spreads and slows to create one of the world's greatest wetlands. Nearly 2,000 square miles in size, the Danube Delta is home to an impressive variety of wildlife. More than 300 species of bird, including one of the world's heaviest flyers, the pelican, and over three and a half thousand species of other creatures, like the wild horses that roam the water-fringed grasslands. In spring, snowmelt and heavy rains upstream can raise water levels by over a foot in a single day. It's the older mares that know best how to navigate the flooded wetlands to find food. Bringing up the rear, stallions watch their harems and newborn foals closely. It can be a nervous time for the herd, because the Danube Delta is home to a surprising predator. The golden jackal is more usually associated with Africa, but they're now slowly expanding into Europe from Central Asia and the Middle East. Omnivorous and highly adaptable, they've developed a taste for the carp that thrive in their new semi-aquatic home. But in these wetlands, predators come in all shapes and sizes. In spring, the Delta echoes to the sound of breeding marsh frogs. Europe's largest native frog, these voracious hunters will attack anything they can fit in their mouths. Damsel and dragonflies emerging from beneath the waters provide rich pickings for athletic frogs. But even the hunter can quickly become prey. Life in Europe's southernmost reaches is a cycle of boom and bust. Whilst spring can bring intense rain, summer can mean long droughts with temperatures exceeding 104 degrees Fahrenheit. To survive here, you've got to be tough. Southern Spain's arid plains are home to one such creature. A bird not commonly associated with Europe, and one with a serious PR problem. The vulture. Derided for being ugly and for its habit of eating the decaying corpses of dead animals, the vulture is the bird that people love to hate. Their feeding admittedly is not particularly well-mannered. Able to strip a carcass in minutes, competition can be fierce and fights are inevitable. But there's more to these birds than meets the eye. A vulture's stomach can digest everything from solid bone to anthrax. These incredibly efficient scavengers are in effect nature's rubbish collectors. And as such, they're absolutely crucial to the environment. Without them, carcasses would be left to rot, creating a breeding ground for disease. But when they take to the air, vultures are transformed. Once on the wing, they become birds of surprising beauty. Masters of updrafts and air currents, their large wings are built for gliding, which they do for up to eight hours in their daily search for food. Down below in Spain's ancient woodlands, a primeval hunter hidden on the forest floor also plays a waiting game. This grasshopper has overwintered as an egg hidden in the soil. It's now the height of summer and so far it's beaten the odds. But the floor of a juicy insect. Venomous snakes slither through the grass. Scorpions hunt in the undergrowth and a silent killer lurks below ground. This is the trapdoor spider, a species that's remained unchanged for millions of years. Like its relative, the tarantula, it's an ambush hunter and it constructs a lair like nothing else in the natural world. Perfectly camouflaged, the trapdoor is woven from silk, soil and vegetation. It's hinged on one side for a rapid exit. These lurking hunters are prepared to wait months for prey to come close. Grasshoppers use camouflage as defense, but this hunter works on vibrations. The grasshopper is wandering into a loaded trap. Powerful jaws and large downward facing fangs mean there's no chance of escape. The trapdoor could well stay closed now for another few months. The warm waters of the Mediterranean are where Europe and Africa collide. On these shores are many surprises. This is a rather unusual and ungainly resident of southern Spain. Color changing and slow walking, only one species of reptile in the world has roving eyes like these. This is the Mediterranean chameleon and it's a very cunning hunter. Occasional cannibals, chameleons mostly eat insects and the way in which they catch them is extraordinary. A chameleon's tongue can be as long as its body and flies out of its mouth in 1 16th of a second. That's fast enough to hit a fly on the wing. A hapless grasshopper is easy pickings for Europe's most surprising predator. Just below the arctic circle in Finland's taiga forest, summer has finally arrived. The taiga is a narrow band of spruce, pine, larch and birch forest that stretches from Scandinavia right around the planet. It makes up a quarter of the earth's tree cover and is our largest wilderness. These are the lungs of the world and they pump out millions of tons of oxygen every day. This far north, winters are long and summers short. Many creatures have had little to eat. Standing over six and a half feet tall with antlers almost as wide, the moose is the taiga's biggest beast. It survived the winter on a meagre diet of pine, spruce needles and twigs. Over the coming weeks of summer, it needs to rapidly build up its fat reserves. So once the forest's many lakes are ice-free, moose take the plunge. Excellent swimmers, they can close their nostrils underwater. A unique adaptation that enables them to feed on mineral-rich aquatic plants. For some individuals, this summer bounty has come too late. But this animal's misfortune is an opportunity for others. This huge male bear has picked up the scent of a free meal. Like every other creature here, bears need to pile on the pounds once summer comes around if they're to make it through the winter. Easy calories like this carcass are not going to be passed up. But he has competition. One hundred years ago, wolves were almost extinct in Europe. Now they're a conservation success story. And they've tried and tested strategies for dealing with bears who get between them and a good feed. They work as a team. Harass and harry, attack from opposite directions, and never let their opponents settle. Even for this massive old male, these wolves pose a risk. The smallest of wounds can get infected. If this leads to inability, death is inevitable. Finally, the bear has had enough. The wolves take control of the carcass and retreat to the woods with their prize. By mid-summer, the sun shines almost 24 hours a day, and the tiger blooms. Insects take to the air, and blueberries cover the forest floor. They are a staple food for many animals this time of year, and are a special favorite of bears who consume carpets of them in a single sitting. These cubs emerge from their den in May and are growing rapidly in size and confidence. Curious and endlessly inquisitive, they are learning the lessons they need to survive. The next stage in their education is a bug hunt. Their mother is going to show them how a rotten log can provide a nutritious and tasty meal. Two cubs get it quickly, but one is more interested in playing. But this mother not only has to teach her youngsters how to find food any way she can, she must also protect them from danger. And the greatest threat can come from their own kind. It's the end of the breeding season, and males can be unpredictable. They've been known to kill cubs to bring mothers back into season, pursuing them for days in order to mate. Playtime is over. It's time to go. For one of the biggest beasts of the taiga, the short summer race to feed and breed can be brutal. Autumn brings a riot of color across Europe. In the continent's beech forests, the trees have a trick up their sleeve. Before winter, they deliver a fatty bounty to the forest floor. Beech nuts provide a massive calorie boost to tiny, fast-living rodents like red squirrels. If they're going to survive their winter hibernation, they need to have almost doubled their weight over summer. In the Carpathian Mountains, the first snows are only a few weeks away. These slopes are home to the largest red deer in the world, nearly six and a half feet tall and over 400 pounds. Soon, they'll move to lower ground for the winter. But right now, all the stags care about is being seen. This is the time of the rut. For most of the year, red deer stags roam in bachelor herds. Relations are friendly, but during the rut, it's every stag for himself. This male has a rival. Once antlers and sires have been assessed, the pair launch into bloody battle. These intense fights last only a few minutes, but can be fatal. Fueled by hormones that give them an insatiable desire to breed, it's a risk most males are willing to take. Once the rut begins, the fighting continues on and off for around a month. And so the circle of life, like that of the seasons, goes on. Europe, a continent of myriad climates and terrains, whose limits stretch from polar realms of ice and snow to arid Mediterranean shores. A land shaped by the seasons, which gives life to wildlife as rich and vibrant as anywhere on the planet.