60 million tons of snow now blanket this
herd’s territory
pushing through deep snow is exhausting
work
and the bison are now slowly starving
just keeping warm saps huge amounts of
energy
their thick coats can insulate them down
to minus 20 fahrenheit
it’s now minus 40.
the only thing that will keep them alive
is buried beneath three feet of snow
and that’s a problem shared with a
surprising neighbor
[Music]
the food the fox seeks is also deep
beneath the snow
[Music]
the survival of both creatures depends
on getting through to the ground
for the person it will be a matter of
brood strength
[Applause]
massive neck muscles enable them to
shovel five tons of snow a day
their lightweight neighbor needs more
precision
[Music]
[Music]
the bison have reached their goal
a mouthful of withered grass
and where the bison have dug
the fox now spots an opportunity
every footstep counts
but he mustn’t break through
yet
he listens carefully to pinpoint his
target
it’s moving
a vole
small but 100 times more nutritious than
a mouthful of dried grass
to get through the winter on these
prairies sometimes
brain beats brawn
[Music]
