Three thousand five hundred meters up in the Sayan Mountains near the Russian-Mongolian border, Siberian ibex search for food. They scratch a living from the meager grasses on the sunnier south facing slopes. But some have a different sort of appetit...
Chipmunks aren't the top collectors of the forest. That prize probably belongs to the colonies of red ants. Worldwide, ants are so numerous their total weight is almost as much as the human population, a force to reckon with. Workers form a never-end...
Thankfully the bear's appetite takes to the bigger prize. Tonight, they both get a share of the spoils. Late August, and as summer slides into autumn, the land around Baikal begins its transformation. Soft and rotting wood sprouts fast-growing fungus...
But hot tempers on a hot rock beats being on the outside trying to get in. This exclusive resort, isnt accepting new guests. Come evening, a cool mist hangs over the lake, as the last of the egg-laying caddis flies get picked off by ducks and bears....
Away from the rocks and into the grasslands, the family of ground squirrels keep a watchful eye. At just three weeks old, four siblings have started to explore the world beyond their burrow. Like Meerkats in Africa, vigilance is key. They stay alert...
After spending a year or so as larvae under water, they transform into winged adults and take to the skies. The millions of tiny flies attract far bigger animals. As they hold a mass mating orgy along the banks of the lake, brown bears come to feed o...
Thousands of years of isolation turned them into a separate species. In the middle of the lake are the Ushkanyi islands. Here the seals form their colonies safe from human predation. After a dip in the lake, nothing beats a dry resting place on the l...
But he soon wises up. The thick neck absorbs the blows .The delicate brain is cushioned beneath the core of hollow horns. He defends his claim and relocates his harem. But one challenger won't give up so easily. They can crash at nearly 100 km/h. Eve...
A male with his harem seems at peace. But even without hunters, the life of an alpha male is tense. A challenger comes. It takes over three years for a young male to grow the impressive adult horns which can spiral to 190 centimeters long and weigh u...
The Siberia salamander is one of only a few species on the planet that can survive the deep freeze like this. Moving 15,000 km to Siberia's southern steppes, the landscape dramatically changes. Pine forests give way to what look like African plains....
In spring, as the weather finally warms, the rivers begin to unlock. Broken-ice makes handy barges for lazy water fowl. But the gaps in the ice also give golden-eye ducks a chance to fish. Soon, they are hunting in force. They are not the only ones b...
The Yakut are an ancient people, thought to have migrated north to Yukutia around 700 years ago. And while most have become urbanized, 400,000 still live as traditional nomadic herders. The herdsmen must get the animals to new grazing before the snow...
They can afford to--adult ravens seem to lack natural enemies. Time for a quick brush-down and they're all done--well, almost. Before man took his first step, ancient killers roamed the earth. Unchallenged, they feared nothing, until Mother Nature in...
Even though the deer have a poor sense of smell, the musk manages to attract mates. Unfortunately, the human trade in musk glands has reduced the deer's numbers dramatically. And because only two thirds of the females have fawns each year, the popula...
Fat, laid down last summer provides energy during the meager winter months, but not all will make it. Further north, another cold weather survivor truly clings to life, one of the rarest birds in the world, the critically endangered Siberian White Cr...
