hello my name is Edwin Towler wildlife
photographer and filmmaker I’m really
cold and this is another episode of the
science of cute
this time we’re looking at species found
in the north of the UK there isn’t much
higher up the UK’s hilly northern Peaks
the snow buntings name reflects the kind
of weather that often adorns this
landscape and red grouse keep them
company
however by diverting your attention from
these feathered Mountaineers you might
spot your first gray hair on a sunny
winter day the hair seam is placed
amongst the brown earthy tones this
weather is abnormal for winter though at
this time of year snow and ice are the
expected Hilltoppers which suit the de
saturated hair’s a lot better the white
coats are only temporary worn by the
heads for the winter period come summer
brown coats will be all the rage for any
fashionable hair that wants to blend in
[Music]
Mountain hares are mainly nocturnal
spending most of the day resting they
also spend a hefty portion of their time
grooming perhaps personal hygiene is
important amongst hair culture or
perhaps there’s just not much else to do
[Music]
hares are known for their tremendous
ears Mountain hares actually have
slightly smaller ears than their more
common cousin the brown hair shorter
ears make it easy for the hares to keep
warm as their heart doesn’t have to work
as hard to pump blood to its extremities
although less common in the UK Mountain
has other native species
brown hairs were introduced by the
Romans around 2,000 years ago
whereas British remains of mountain
hairs have been dated back over a
hundred thousand years
[Music]
adopting a spherical ball of fluff pose
helps the hair stay warm by minimizing
the surface area of their body exposed
to the bitter cold wedging themselves in
amongst the Heather shields them from
the worst of gale force winds and keeps
them out of view of predators
Eagles Stokes and foxes are predators
that the hares need to try and avoid but
a major killer of these upland dwellers
is actually humans Mountain has been
accused of transmitting grouse killing
ticks and are consequently persecuted
and browse moorland
[Music]
other charismatic mammals can be found
closer to sea-level every 60 seconds in
Scotland a minute passes its coastline
is a place of rain mystic wonder and
more rain
if you look out to the cool waters of a
lock a quick flick or something slick
might catch your eye Loch Ness monster
or a rogue Scotsman maybe if you wait
for it to come ashore though it may well
turn out to be an otter
[Music]
otters are part of the mustelid family
like badges and weasels Eurasian otters
are most often found in lakes rivers and
canals but these particular otters have
developed a taste in Gaelic seafood
young otters are called pups and are
distinguishable by the fuzzier coat pups
will stay with their mother for over a
year and although they are terrifically
sweet the problem with being an aquatic
fluffy needle is in fact the fluff young
otters have a hard time learning to dive
due to the buoyancy created by air
trapped in their fluffy coats excuses
aside at around 16 weeks old
after pups are forced to learn to hunt
for themselves by their mother
fish and crustaceans like crabs crayfish
and for the more discerning otter
lobsters are the main delights on an
otters menu they have been known to eat
eggs birds and even small mammals too
being mustelids otters are incredibly
playful creatures especially the
youngsters
the rough-and-tumble ballet of biting
has no preferred stage and otters will
play anywhere on land or in the water
[Music]
as for most animals that play the
activity strengthens physical abilities
runs important survival skills and is
really really good fun
[Music]
mucking about in the murky depths all
day leave an auto rather filthy so they
always appreciate a good cleaning
session a really good cleaning session
often using rocks to scratch those
hard-to-reach places
[Music]
after a good scratch they returned to
the water to hunt otters can close their
ears and noses whilst they dive and the
combination of short legs and the long
tail streamline them in the water
their eyes are placed high on their
heads to let them see above the surface
while they swim
[Music]
unfortunately one of the main threats to
these authors is habitat destruction and
the increased prevalence of roads and
traffic so if you’re driving around the
Scottish shoreline please do take care
[Music]
hello I’m looking for mountain hares now
in the UK most of the population of them
is in Scotland there is one population I
still live in England and that
population lives in a big district which
is where I am now
it’s pretty it’s pretty bleak but these
these mountain hares are a lot more or a
lot better suited for where this
environment than I am
I am bloody freezing
I still haven’t seen any yet and the
visibility isn’t great today is going to
be a bit of a mission
[Music]
that’s habbo which is good because it
means the hairs are here the issue is at
this time of year the hairs have turned
white and when the whole environment
looks what looks like this it means
they’re really difficult to spot there’s
no real way around that to keep looking
[Music]
well good morning and look at this we
finally got some blue sky the fog from
yesterday is lifted and because of that
the sun’s coming in and it’s melting
away some of this frost from yesterday
which means the white mountain house
would be a lot easier to spot now the
visibility may be a lot better but it’s
still bitterly cold especially with with
the wind up here but these little
mountain hairs they have to deal with
this all day every day
for their whole lives so I’ve got I’ve
got a lot of respect for the little
hairs
[Music]
so I just managed to get really close to
a mountain here it’s very obliged very
polite little hair it has sort of
wandered off now and you can see behind
me that’s why I was filming because
those are my my lens and try put is set
up but then just a little bit further up
here look I found what that is is a
balloon from someone’s party or wedding
where just goes to show that even if
what you’re doing doesn’t directly seem
harmful for the environment it can have
effects a lot more further field this is
only a few meters away whereas filming
that hair nice and close up and that
hair could could see that as a tasty
looking plant or something and have a
nibble and at the end of the hair so
don’t lower the turn of everything fit I
think it’s good to raise awareness when
you see stuff like this well the sun’s
going down now and I need to get off
these Peaks before it gets completely
dark
