Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 A winter blizzard in Yellowstone is a singular collision of mighty forces.
00:09 Snowfall accumulates in staggering depths.
00:22 Few species are prepared to withstand these conditions.
00:33 But two million winters have shaped a creature who attempts to survive here long after others
00:39 have fled.
00:44 The bison.
00:46 A muscular hump supports a massive head.
00:52 A snowplow that clears away drifts and uncovers buried grasses.
01:01 A dense coat and layers of fat stave off the punishing wind and cold.
01:12 These beasts carry winter with them every step.
01:20 They're the descendants of survivors from a past world.
01:26 The conquest of the continent nearly spelled the extinction of their species.
01:34 In the 1800s, as America expanded westward, herds that numbered in the tens of millions
01:42 were slaughtered.
01:44 By the late 19th century, only a few hundred bison remained.
01:51 The last free-roaming herd lay hidden in a remote valley in Yellowstone.
02:13 These two dozen bison became the source for a recovery of the species.
02:24 Yellowstone is now home to thousands of bison.
02:29 They wage an ancient battle with the storm.
02:35 But each winter, there comes a time when the snow gets too deep for these animals to find
02:40 a forage.
02:43 The bison begin to stir, to rearrange themselves.
02:49 A matriarch, the leader of the herd, gives a signal.
02:59 It's time to move.
03:06 Guided by instinct and experience, the bison fall into line to follow her trail.
03:16 This is the beginning of their migration.
03:41 As darkness falls, the herd leaves the valley, marching towards the heart of Yellowstone's
03:48 warmth and the possibility of relief.
03:52 [music]
03:56 (upbeat music)