Sunday, March 18, 2012

"The Ends of the Earth" episode of Frozen Planet

"The Ends of the Earth" is the first episode in the Frozen Planet series about the polar regions.  The first half of the episode is mainly about the Arctic while the second half features the Antarctic.

The Gentoo penguins are discussed and featured in this episode with discussion on bodysurfing.  There is also discussion of penguins in general with the Gentoo penguin footage.

The Southern Sea Lion is introduced to the narrative as it threatens the penguins ability to go fishing and the sea lion struggles to catch the penguins in the water.  The footage includes the sea lion chasing a Gentoo penguin on land.

The next animals shown in the episode are whales.  The whales featured include Minke, Southern Humpback whales, and Orcas.  The orcas (i.e. killer whales) are shown hunting seals (crab eater and Weddell) including the whales working together to make waves to crack the icebergs the seals are on and knock the seals off the ice.

After the killer whale footage, there is footage of the continent including discussion of its isolation and lack of mammals and reptiles.  It briefly mentions the two plants native to the continent before going on to discuss giant sea animals such as jellyfish.  Mount Erebus, a volcano in Antarctica, and the arrival of humans and early explorers like Amundsen and Scott are also mentioned.

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