Planet Earth

Episode 1

From Pole to Pole

Sun, Mar 25, 200749 mins

What would the earth be like without the sun? We'll never know, but the emperor penguins come the nearest to that experience, as they suffer through winter in Antarctica, where temperatures can drop to minus 70 degrees centigrade. Meanwhile, the sun brightens the far north and the polar bears come out of hibernation. Spring in northern Canada means the migration of three million caribou across the arctic tundra. Winter in the deciduous forests of eastern Russia makes hunting difficult for the Amur leopard, the rarest cat in the world. On the island of New Guinea, birds have plenty of food, giving them time for elaborate mating rituals. "The sun influences life in the oceans just as it does on land," explains the narrator. We watch where the seals go to breed -- and we see the Great White sharks that follow them. What would the Earth be like without water? "Planet Earth" shows us where water is abundant and where it is scarce. During the dry season in the Kalahari desert, elephants go on an urgent search for water, which they find in Okavango. "The water brings a season of plenty for all animals." And that includes the wild dogs hunting impala. "Planet Earth" offers rare footage of the hunt; and in an afterword, we find how they got it.