The spectacular moment killer whales emerged through hole in Arctic ice for
a breather
- Landmark series has captivated millions
with its portrait of the frozen world
- Stunning images give a glimpse of what is
to come on the BBC documentary
By Kerry Mcqueeney
It has already captivated millions, taking
viewers on a spectacular polar expedition to the frozen wildernesses of the
Arctic and the Antarctic.
And now the makers of the landmark BBC series
Frozen Planet, bringing the natural world of the North and South Poles to the
small screen, has given a tantalising glimpse of things to come with these
stunning images from future episodes.
These incredible stills from the series reveal
the frozen world as you have never seen it before - and may never see again,
thanks to the onset of global warming.
Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the series
explores the effects of slimate change on the polar regions - and the
lengths scientists are going to understand
it.
The next episode in the seven-part series is
to be screened on BBC 1 next Wednesday, November 2, at 9pm.
Scroll down to see more images from Frozen
Planet.
Coming up for air: This stunning image shows
a pod of fish-eating KIller whales spyhopping among the breaking sea ice in
Antarctica
Cracked surface: The largest ice cap in the
Eurasian Arctic - Austfonna in Svalbard - is 150 miles long with a thousand
waterfalls in the summer
Not alone: Cameraman Mark Smith with just the
penguins for company while a this polar bear looks ready for action as she
prepares to launch herself from the ice
Bear hug: A mother nurses her two cubs,
caught on camera in a stunning aerial shot. Her milk reserves are running low as
she has not eaten for five months whilst in the den
Awesome spectacle: Bones break and tonnes of
blubber slam into each other as two male elephant seals fight amidst a beach of
king penguins
Hitching a ride: Adélie penguins on an
iceberg surrounded by masses of floating ice, in western Antarctica, while the
sky over the Arctic peninsula turns a deep shade of pink as the sun sets on
another day
On reflection: A stunning scene shows
penguins standing at the shore against a dramatic mountainous landscape, their
images mirrored in the water
Lone wolf: A rare Arctic species on Ellesmere
Island in Canada. These wolves are extremely remote and unused to humans, while
an elephant sea flicks wet sand on to its back (right) to keep cool as king
penguins on the shore in South Georgia look on
Close encounter: Filming killer whales from a
boat in the Antarctic Peninsula. Some orcas are mammal hunters - they kill seals
by working as a team to generate large waves that wash them off ice
floes
Intrepid: Frozen Planet presenter Sir David
Attenborough at the North Pole while two bears test their strength during the
autumn in Hudson Bay, Canada
Lonely landscape: The first sunrise of the
year in the High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard is on February 15 or 16, after
being beneath the horizon for several months
Breaking free: A frozen Arctic river flows
after six months locked in ice. The immense release of freshwater from the
Arctic's waterways into the Arctic Ocean triggers the annual sea ice melt and
fuels the mass migration of fish, birds and whales
Showing them the way: A polar bear leads her
cubs across the desolate landscape, perhaps in search of food
I spy: A group of penguins appear to be
startled by the sudden emergence of an orca spyhopping through the broken
ice
A nest built for two: A male Adélie penguin
puts the stones in place and prepares for some female company while the fur
flies between these two bull seals as they battle it out for mating rights on
the beach
Leap of faith: Cubs jumping into the water as
the pack ice breaks up in the summer. Polar bears are actually marine mammals
and are completely at home in the water as adults
Solitary swimmer: A polar bear gliding
through the water in front of the Austfonna ice cap in Svalbard. Polar bears can
swim for 60 miles in a day
Deep freeze: The melting ice forms elegant
ice sculptures which float across a glacial fjord in Svalbard
Not too close: A crew film a polar bear from
a boat in pack ice. Frozen Planet is the first series to adapt a stabilised
aerial camera and mount it to the front of boats, enabling filmmakers to get
close to polar bears in their melting summer ice world
Gliding over the waves: A black-browed
albatross off the coast of South Georgia while a grey wolf pup sticks
close to mum on Ellesmere Island, Canada
Caught in the act: Adélie penguins - a
species common along the Antarctic coast - collect stones for their nests.
Thieves try to steal them, but this one has been rumbled
Outnumbered: Cameraman Mark Smith is
surrounded by penguins as he films in harsh weather conditions. Frequent snow
storms and winds of up to 150mph kept film crews on their toes throughout their
four months working alone at Cape Crozier, Antarctica