:28:01
Though most Alaskan rivers
freeze
:28:03
geothermal heat
keeps the Chilkat open
:28:06
enabling the eagles to feed
:28:08
on the river's unusually late
salmon run.
:28:17
Somehow, bald eagles know
to return late each fall
:28:21
to the one place that will help
ensure their survival.
:28:33
One Alaskan animal actually
yearns for the onset of winter.
:28:39
Where most creatures would
perish from exposure
:28:42
polar bears thrive.
:28:59
Their body heat is preserved
by thick fat
:29:02
and an insulating fur
of translucent, hollow hairs.
:29:15
The summer breakup
of offshore ice
:29:17
has marooned them on land
:29:19
where they can't hunt
their favorite prey
:29:21
the ringed seal.
:29:24
For now, they survive
only on stored fat
:29:27
and buried seaweed
and wait patiently
:29:29
for the sea to freeze over
so the hunt can resume.
:29:36
Some males while away the time
in friendly play-fighting.