Home at the End of the Earth (Full Episode) | Incredible Animal Journeys | Nat Geo Animals

0:08 The seas that surround Antarctica are the roughest on our planet.

0:20 But there are those here who will go to the ends of the earth to make it home.

0:35 This female rockhopper penguin is on a thousand-mile endurance swim,

0:42 back to the place where she was born.

0:47 Traveling in a raft of other females, all on a quest to breed.

1:03 It's her first time finding a mate.

1:09 And ahead of her, on the Falkland Islands,

1:16 the males are already staking out the best nesting sites.

1:26 [chirping] With such a small dating pool...

1:32 [squawk] ...she has no time to waste.

1:48 There's just one problem.

1:56 Getting to shore safely.

2:05 The first wave of females make their final approach.

2:31 Timing is everything.

2:49 She can't hang back forever.

2:57 It's time to start her run.

3:10 But you can't fight the current.

3:27 Even a penguin can drown.

3:39 In 20-foot waves, success is half luck and half perseverance.

4:20 [honking] Battered and bruised, but alive.

4:31 But her journey is just beginning.

4:37 And she's not the only one.

4:40 [honk] Others are also racing to the ends

4:44 of the earth to make the most of the short summer.

4:48 [screeching] All on incredible journeys of their own...

4:58 [squeaking] [honk] ...to make their way home.

5:40 In the vast Southern Ocean,

5:45 there is one traveler who's mastered these extreme waters.

6:00 A male wandering albatross.

6:12 At over 10 feet, he has the largest wingspan of any bird.

6:29 Riding air currents from the waves that lift him up skywards.

6:42 And gravity to slingshot him back down.

6:47 He can soar effortlessly with barely a flap of his wings.

7:10 This year alone, he's flown over 70,000 miles,

7:16 circumnavigating Antarctica twice.

7:23 But he's finally heading home, to the island of South Georgia.

7:38 With the long winter over, the time has come for him to return to land...

7:47 ...for love.

8:04 On the Falkland Islands,

8:07 the female rockhopper has already swapped her life at sea for a life on land.

8:13 [warbling] But now she faces an uphill struggle,

8:26 to reach the colony to find a mate.

8:34 Following paths carved by generations of tiny footsteps,

8:41 she begins the 300-foot vertical ascent.

9:00 It's a big ask for a flightless bird less than two feet tall.

9:16 Some are still struggling to find their feet.

9:20 [honk] [thud] She's got to nail every landing.

9:42 [honk] Many will fall.

9:59 Almost there.

10:01 [honk] After spending six long months at sea,

10:14 there's just one thing left to do: take a trip to the penguin spa.

10:27 A chance to freshen up before trying to win a mate.

10:46 But there's a strict pecking order.

10:49 [warbling] She hasn't come this far to back down now.

11:04 [squawking] Standing up for yourself is thirsty work.

11:33 [squawk] Shower done and looking her best,

11:48 the female rockhopper is now ready to find Mr.

11:53 Right.

11:59 [chirping] Hmm.

12:05 It looks like most males are already spoken for.

12:12 [squawk] Perhaps she shouldn't have taken so long in the shower.

12:19 [warbling] Well, he could have potential.

12:35 [squawk] [warbling] A perfect match.

13:05 Now the race really begins.

13:11 They only have a few months of summer left to raise a family.

13:20 [squawking] On the other side of the island,

13:27 the rockhoppers' neighbors are on their daily commute.

13:34 And it's rush hour.

13:41 Gentoo penguins.

13:49 They may be the fastest penguins in the sea, but they're homebodies.

14:01 Embracing the surf life.

14:18 Their journey may be short, but staying close to home comes at a cost.

14:26 [coo] [heartbeat] It makes them predictable.

14:46 There are those who have learned to take advantage of this island commute.

14:59 [gulping] Southern sea lions patrol these waters.

15:16 And a group of late arrivals are heading straight for them.

15:30 Working as a team, the sea lions set their ambush in the shallows...

15:39 ...blocking the path to shore.

15:49 Sea lions hunting penguins like this has never been filmed before.

16:05 They single out a penguin from the crowd.

16:30 [squawk] With ruthless efficiency, they can catch over 10 penguins a day.

16:49 One last straggler.

17:27 Made it.

17:33 By choosing to stay here year-round,

17:36 these gentoos will have to run this deadly commute over and over,

17:44 every day of their lives.

17:57 South of the Falkland Islands, others are still battling their way home.

18:05 The male wandering albatross has covered over 3,000 miles in just two weeks.

18:21 Exactly how he navigates is still a mystery.

18:35 But he is able to pinpoint a remote island...

18:41 ...in nearly 8 million square miles of ocean.

18:58 After almost a year at sea alone...

19:06 Finally...

19:09 South Georgia.

19:18 He's made it...

19:21 home...

19:24 to reunite with his soulmate once more.

19:42 But something's not right.

19:51 They always meet at the same place, at the same time.

20:00 She should have made it back by now.

20:09 [squawking] [screech] They've been together for over a decade...

20:29 ...raising a chick every two years in this very nest.

20:41 But with every passing year...

20:46 ...fewer females are making it back.

20:52 Industrial fishing is luring albatross to get snagged on hooks and lines,

21:00 claiming more and more lives.

21:07 It is now the greatest single cause of death of wandering albatross.

21:14 [screeching] [screeching] And by fishing closer to the mainland than the males,

21:28 females have been hit the hardest.

21:41 All he can do is wait and hope she makes it back.

21:58 This far south, the stakes are always high.

22:09 [chirping] It's been six weeks since

22:17 the female rockhopper fought her way ashore.

22:21 [chirping] But the race to raise her family is far from over.

22:38 The moment's finally arrived for these proud parents to meet their firstborn.

22:45 [cooing] [chirp] [chirp] Blind and defenseless,

23:07 he's utterly dependent on mom and dad.

23:18 [chirping] [peeping] Southern skuas.

23:32 The perfect aerial assassin.

23:45 On constant patrol.

23:51 Looking for unguarded chicks.

23:55 [clucking] Almost a third of newborns won't survive.

24:07 [chirping] Mom has to stand her ground.

24:20 [chirping] [chirping] They have strength in numbers.

24:35 [chirping] This mom won't be beaten.

24:47 [chirping] [cooing] For now, her chick is safe.

25:06 But mom's life is about to get a whole lot busier.

25:19 To keep him supplied with enough food, she now begins her own daily commute.

25:32 Here, even a trip to the store is no walk in the park.

25:54 For the male wandering albatross, time is running out.

26:13 It's been almost two weeks, and his mate still hasn't arrived.

26:25 Partnered for life, he won't give up on her.

26:35 [screech] [coo] [cooing] His hope hasn't been in vain.

26:59 Finally, after thousands of miles, she's home.

27:12 With wings this large, you can't land just anywhere.

27:17 [squawking] The last leg of her journey will have to be on foot.

27:28 [squawking] Just a few more steps.

27:46 [squawking] And after almost a year apart, they're together again.

27:56 [squealing] Dancing as he did when they first met, he reaffirms their bond.

28:06 [chattering] [beaks clacking] A bond so strong,

28:15 it can only be called one thing: love.

28:20 [chattering] [squawk] Together they can now begin

28:40 the greatest journey of them all: raising a family.

28:55 [penguins chirping] While the albatross have decades to form their bond,

29:04 rockhoppers live their lives on fast-forward.

29:11 At almost four weeks old,

29:13 her chick already weighs 10 times as much as when he hatched.

29:24 Mom now faces a relentless race to satisfy his growing appetite.

29:34 [chirping] It's takeout on a whole other level.

29:59 But there comes a time where the only way

30:03 to keep up is for both parents to go fishing, leaving him home alone.

30:17 And ravenous.

30:20 [chirp] [cooing] Maybe the neighbors have snacks.

30:30 [chirp] [squawk] [cooing] [squawking] When you're this hungry,

30:44 you'll eat anything.

30:53 Well, almost anything.

31:06 Where there's chicks, there's food.

31:24 But in this part of town...

31:26 [squawk] ...there are no free handouts.

31:31 [squawk] [warbling] He'll just have to learn to be patient.

31:46 Sometimes it's all a bit too much, and you just want your mom.

31:59 But she's still out there, somewhere in 1,000 square miles of open ocean.

32:15 Stretching all the way south, to the ends of the earth,

32:21 the seas that surround Antarctica are among the richest on our planet.

32:33 And the coldest.

32:40 Brave few choose to make their home here.

32:48 Orca.

33:07 Patrolling these subzero waters year-round has

33:12 left this family pod with a problem.

33:27 It's so cold here, they can't shed their skin to stay healthy.

33:41 Through the summer, yellowy-green algae has coated the surface of their skin.

33:53 So, they've come up with a remarkable solution.

34:04 A 6,000-mile round trip to the warmer waters of the tropics...

34:12 to molt.

34:15 It's the world's longest migration solely for skincare.

34:27 But for a calf feeling the itch, that's too long a wait.

34:39 These resourceful mammals need to look for something closer to home.

34:44 [squeaking] [squeaking] Using the surface of an iceberg as a scratching post,

35:35 these clever whales have learned to exfoliate the outer layers of their skin.

36:01 This behavior is so rarely witnessed, it's never been filmed before.

36:25 Mom guides her calf in to show her how it's done.

36:44 It might be satisfying, but it's just a short-term fix.

36:51 They need to push on north to warmer waters...

36:59 ...and leave this world of ice behind.

37:17 By fall, the time has come for families

37:20 across the far south to leave their summer homes.

37:27 But some are far from ready to say goodbye.

37:37 After almost a year apart, time together is precious.

37:43 [beak clacking] Like us, it can take years for albatross to find their soulmate.

37:59 And long-distance romances take work.

38:11 But it's all been worth it.

38:21 At 75 days, wandering albatross have one of the longest incubations of any bird.

38:37 Until their egg hatches, they'll have to feed in shifts.

38:43 [squawking] But our oceans are more dangerous than ever before.

39:08 Every goodbye could be his last.

39:22 And he's gone.

39:41 Each year, he's having to fly further and further to find enough food...

39:50 ...testing their relationship to the limit.

40:07 Failure to provide is now ending more and more of these epic love stories.

40:38 [penguins chirping] Back in the rockhopper colony, Mom's work is almost done.

40:55 [chirping] While some chicks are in that awkward teenage phase...

41:05 ...hers is looking sleek, which means only one thing.

41:13 The time has finally come for a life at sea.

41:24 Mom leads the way.

41:36 It's a lot harder than it looks.

41:58 Not ideal conditions for a first swim.

42:03 Best to stay close to Mom.

42:14 Maybe let somebody else go first.

42:42 All Mom's hard work has been building to this moment.

43:00 Sometimes tough love is the only way.

43:09 [squawking] [squawking] She'll never see him again.

43:28 Leaving home always takes a leap of faith.

43:41 Not a perfect 10, but it'll do.

43:53 Ahead lies the long journey to the fishing grounds.

44:00 One day he'll return here to start a family of his own.

44:13 But this will always be home.