Movies - Life in the Freezer

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Life in the Freezer is a BBC natural history television series (in conjunction with The National Geographic Society and Lionheart International Limited) about life in and around the continent of Antarctica. It is written and presented by David Attenborough, and was originally transmitted in November 1993.

The series was produced by Alastair Fothergill. It took over three years to make.

There is an accompanying book, and the series is available on a single DVD (with no extra material). It is also included in the box set The Life Collection
.

Part of David Attenborough's 'Life' series of programmes, it was preceded by The Trials of Life
(1990), and followed by The Private Life of Plants
(1995).

Episodes

The series comprises six episodes. Each is just under 30 minutes long, recorded in 4:3 aspect ratio with stereo sound.

1. "The Bountiful Sea"

The first episode introduces the viewers to the continent of Antarctica and the surrounding sea and islands, its glaciers and the icebergs that form from it. It describes how the continent changes throughout the seasons, as it effectively doubles in size in winter when the surrounding sea freezes over, "the greatest seasonal change that takes place on this planet".

Penguins, whales and seals are shown feeding in the Southern Ocean. Many of them feed on the abundant krill (which in turn feed on phytoplankton and ice-algae). Humpback whales are shown catching krill through sophisticated cooperation, by creating spiralling curtains of air bubbles that drive the krill into their center, where the whales can then catch them by surging upwards in the middle of the spiral.

The episode also introduces the various seabirds which feed in the Antarctic sea, especially albatrosses, whose impressive wingspans are possible because they utilize the updraft generated by the huge waves in the stormy southern waters.

Many birds (including penguins) lay their eggs and feed their chicks on the islands surrounding the Antarctic continent, especially South Georgia where both albatross and King Penguins have their nesting sites throughout the year.

2. "The Ice Retreats"

Elephant seals are the first animals to return to the beaches of the subantarctic islands in spring, forming large breeding colonies, where the males fight fierce battles to gain and retain permanent access to a large number of females. They mate with the females as soon as they are receptive again. Millions of Macaroni Penguins form huge colonies on the islands to breed.

The Antarctic peninsula is one of the few regions of the continent inhabited by animals, even in summer. Gentoo Penguins build their nests on bare rock and humpback whales seek krill along the coast, Adelie Penguins nest even further south. Crabeater Seals, one of the most numerous mammals on Earth, live and reproduce in the pack ice zone around Antarctica. Snowy petrels fly many miles into the island to find rock on which to lay their eggs.

3. "The Race to Breed"

Almost all life in the region breeds in summer. A growing colony of fur seals on a beach on South Georgia resembles that of elephant seals shown in the previous episode. The pups grow fast on the rich, fatty milk provided by their mothers and double their weight in just sixty days. As the females become sexually available, the mating season begins — males try to claim territory and mate with females. Like elephant seals, fur seals fiercely attack all competitors.

Chinstrap Penguins form large colonies on Deception Island, climbing up its steep slopes to find mountain ridges free of snow. Returning birds find their partners by recognizing their voice (performing a brief greeting ritual when they have found them), which is why the colonies are very noisy during the breeding season. Males and female penguins take turns in catching food, some of which they regurgitate for their chicks when they return.

The summer also thaws some of the ice on the shores of the continent. The fresh water allows moss and other plants to grow, which in turn provide food for mites that are adapted to the cold climate — they can survive temperatures up to minus 30 degrees Celsius because they contain a kind of antifreeze liquid. They become active as soon as the ice melts, and reproduce whenever they get an opportunity to do so. Lichens grow even further south than moss, and algae populate some of the snow. In the ocean, life is much more diverse, and Blue-eyed Shags dive for fish near the peninsula. More than 300,000 petrels come to breed to the Scullin Monolith, one of the few areas of open rock.

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