Written by John Edward Betancourt
Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series premiere of ‘Frozen Planet II’.
Our minds have a tendency to believe… that the parts of our world that are uninhabitable to human life, are uninhabitable to all life and it makes sense why we hold to that. After all, all we really know is our world and how our species functions. So, if we can’t go there and thrive, nothing can in our minds, and we give it little thought beyond that. But that is of course, an incorrect belief and an incorrect line of thinking. For while we may be masters of our domain and the dominant species on the planet, life goes on fine without us, and the places where humans cannot go, are often teeming with life and activity and it never hurts to be reminded of that… or to learn what goes on in places where we don’t have thriving cities. All because that teaches us how lucky we are to be upon this planet and be a part of something so much bigger and it just so happens that BBC America is now home to another incredible documentary series that provides us with just that. For last night saw Frozen Planet II debut on the network and it didn’t take long for ‘Frozen Worlds’ to show us just how the frozen places we think are dead zones because we aren’t living there… are in fact… filled with life and activity. Take for instance, the North Pole. A place that is indeed barren and desolate since it is covered in ice and snow, but there are animals native to this hostile land, such the polar bear. Who roams this chilly place in search of food… and a mate to start a family with. For the species must survive and that reality allowed for us to follow a male polar bear in this frozen place to see how they choose a mate and how hard they have to fight to keep one. Since others will come and make their case to be a mate and that leads to fierce competition, and a bevy of injuries to ensure the line survives and harsh living conditions and a harsh life aren’t exclusive to the North Pole. Since the frozen tundra of the north is host to hard fights for survival, where delicate and deadly games are played between wolves and native bison there to see who will reach another tomorrow. And those segments really did a fine job of establishing the fact that life is indeed present and thriving in areas we avoid and rarely think about. But of course, it would be foolish for this series to only focus on the north end of the coldest parts of our world. For there are other parts of the planet that are also chilly and teeming with life, such as the South Pole. For it is here that penguins thrive alongside various species of seal, and regardless of how terrifyingly cold it is to human beings, they do just fine, and they’re not the only species down this way. Since there are whales that migrate to the South Pole, and it has become a popular hunting ground for Killer Whales. Who surprisingly, will work together to wear down prey and claim them. Making the end of the earth quite the lively and incredible place, one that subverts our expectations for life on Earth, and humbles us in the process. Because it really does remind us… that we live on a unique world where we are part of something supremely special. A vibrant biosphere that will not let any hostile environment slow it down and even if by chance there is a place where life is sparse, this incredible world is still in motion. As evidenced by what we saw take place in Iceland with its glaciers that move through water flow and that… really is incredible to know, and it truly compels us to continue the journey. So, we can see what other incredible species make the cold their home and thrive in those subzero temperatures, and to learn more about what happens on this wondrous planet, while we go about our day in our carefully crafted kingdom. Until next time.
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