For the animals of the polar regions, autumn means dramatic battles and epic journeys. Time is running out—the Arctic Ocean is freezing over and the sea ice advancing 2.5 miles a day around Antarctica. Polar bears gather in large numbers on the Arctic coast as they wait for the return of the ice. Soon tempers fray and violent sparring contests break out. Meanwhile, two thousand beluga whales head for one special estuary, to thrash their snow-white bodies against the gravel and exfoliate—it’s a gigantic ‘whale spa.’ Inland, the tundra undergoes a dramatic transformation from green to fiery red. Here musk ox males slam head-first into each other with the force of a car crash at 30 mph, as they struggle to defend their harems. Frisky young caribou males play a game of ‘grandma’s footsteps’ as they try to steal the boss’s female.

Originally released by BBC Worldwide Learning, 2011. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on April 20, 2018.

Polar Bears in Autumn (4:45); --Beluga Whales (3:53); -- Bird Colonies (4:12); -- Scavenging Food (4:57); -- Musk Oxen (4:30); -- Freezing Tundra (6:05); -- Autumn in Antarctica (4:07); -- Preparing for Winter (7:10); -- Sea Ice (7:18); -- Credits: Autumn (0:45); .