Planet Earth

Mountains

12 Mar 2006

Locations not known for sequences 

3

Species features in each Sequence

1
Northern Gelada, Walia ibex, Nothern Ethiopian wolf
2
Guanaco, South American cougar
3
Grizzly bear
4
Grizzly bear, Army cutworm moth
5
Flare-horned markhor, Snow leopard, Asian golden eagle, Himalayan wolf
6
Qinling giant panda
7
Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey
8
Himalayan monal, Temminck's tragopan, Blood pheasant, Musk deer sp., Himalayan red panda
9
Giant panda
10
Demoiselle crane, Asian golden eagle

# Species by IUCN Conservation Status

1
Northern Gelada
Theropithecus gelada gelada
LC
Northern Gelada (Theropithecus gelada gelada) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsNorthern Gelada (Theropithecus gelada gelada) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsNorthern Gelada (Theropithecus gelada gelada) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

1
Walia ibex
Capra walie
VU
Walia ibex (Capra walie) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsWalia ibex (Capra walie) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsWalia ibex (Capra walie) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

1
Nothern Ethiopian wolf
Canis simensis simensis
EN
Nothern Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis simensis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsNothern Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis simensis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsNothern Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis simensis) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

2
Guanaco
Lama guanicoe guanicoe
LC
Guanaco (Lama guanicoe guanicoe) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsGuanaco (Lama guanicoe guanicoe) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsGuanaco (Lama guanicoe guanicoe) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Torres Del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

This is clearly Torres Del Paine National Park as the mountain ranges on screen match up to Google images of the most notable peaks.
2
South American cougar
Puma concolor concolor
LC
South American cougar (Puma concolor concolor) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsSouth American cougar (Puma concolor concolor) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsSouth American cougar (Puma concolor concolor) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Torres Del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile

3
Grizzly bear
Ursus arctos horribilis
LC
Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsGrizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsGrizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Rocky Mountains, USA

Mother with cubs

4
Grizzly bear
Ursus arctos horribilis
LC
Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsGrizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsGrizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Absaroka Mountains, Wyoming, USA

Congregating to eat army cutworm moths

Judge this to be Wyoming, and not Montana (Glacier Peak National Park), due to BBC article around the time of Planet Earth's release with behind-the-scenes information, which talks about the bears as being in Wyoming
[Link 1] [Link 2]
4
Army cutworm moth
Euxoa auxiliaris
NE
Army cutworm moth (Euxoa auxiliaris) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Absaroka Mountains, Wyoming, USA

... or could be Glacier National Park, Montana
[Link 1]
5
Flare-horned markhor
Capra falconeri falconeri
NT
Flare-horned markhor (Capra falconeri falconeri) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsFlare-horned markhor (Capra falconeri falconeri) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsFlare-horned markhor (Capra falconeri falconeri) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Chitral Gol National Park, Hindu Kush Mountains, North West Frontier, Pakistan

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/3787/97218336
[Link 1] [Link 2]
5
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
VU
Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsSnow leopard (Panthera uncia) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsSnow leopard (Panthera uncia) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Chitral Gol National Park, Hindu Kush Mountains, North West Frontier, Pakistan

5
Asian golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos daphanea
LC
Asian golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsAsian golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsAsian golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Chitral Gol National Park, Hindu Kush Mountains, North West Frontier, Pakistan

Initially, film crew tried Hemis National Park but were unsuccessful (hence some behind the scenes footage with cameraman Doug Allen). Later, successful shots of Markhor males fighting and the snow leopard hunting were shot in Chitral Gol National Park (with cameraman Mark Smith).
5
Himalayan wolf
Canis lupus chanco
LC
Himalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsHimalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsHimalayan wolf (Canis lupus chanco) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Chitral Gol National Park, Hindu Kush Mountains, North West Frontier, Pakistan

6
Qinling giant panda
Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis
VU
Qinling giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsQinling giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsQinling giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca qinlingensis) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Qinling Mountains, China

According to the Guardian's preview piece for the series [1], this was filmed in the Qinling Mountains of China: "The cameras watch one lone female snacking joylessly on the useless, fat-free shoots in the Qinling mountains of Shaanxi province, China, as she prepares to give birth to a cub she'll struggle to feed." I initially had ruled out that these could be the Qinling subspecies, as I was under the impression all of those pandas had the rare brown colouration. But I've since learned that this isn't the case and that the brown colour morph, while unique to Qinling pandas, is not a defining trait [2] [3].
[Link 1] [Link 2] [Link 3]
7
Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey
Rhinopithecus roxellana qinlingensis
NT
Qinling golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana qinlingensis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsQinling golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana qinlingensis) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsQinling golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana qinlingensis) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Qinling Mountains, China

The narration suggests that the golden snub-nosed monkeys occur in the same forests as the preceding sequence of the giant panda in the Qinling Mountains. This would mean the subspecies shown here is qinlingensis.
8
Himalayan monal
Lophophorus impejanus
LC
Himalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsHimalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsHimalayan monal (Lophophorus impejanus) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Nepal

Footage is almost certainly Himalayan monal, but this species doesn't appear in China (particularly in the Sichuan / Gansu region). The only bird of its kind that appears in those regions is the Chinese monal, but those aren't a good match for the species on screen. It calls into question the other animals shown in this sequence - it can't be assumed that they are from central China. UPDATE: Indeed, it seems these animals in this sequence were filmed in Nepal according to http://www.nepalnaturetravels.com/index.php?action=cms&page=filming-photography
8
Temminck's tragopan
Tragopan temminckii
LC
Temminck's tragopan (Tragopan temminckii) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Nepal

Visual ID
8
Blood pheasant
Ithaginis cruentus
LC
Blood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsBlood pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Nepal

8
Musk deer sp.
[genus Moschus]
?
Musk deer sp. ([genus Moschus]) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsMusk deer sp. ([genus Moschus]) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsMusk deer sp. ([genus Moschus]) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Nepal

Moschus chrysogaster (Alpine Musk Deer) or Moschus leucogaster (Himalayan Musk Deer) or ? (Dusky Musk Deer). Unlikely to be Himalayan Musk Deer because species shown on screen doesn't have a white belly or white markings on the neck
[Link 1] [Link 2]
8
Himalayan red panda
Ailurus fulgens fulgens
EN
Himalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsHimalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsHimalayan red panda (Ailurus fulgens fulgens) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Nepal

After confirmation that this was filmed in Nepal, we can be confident that it is the Himalayan subspecies.
9
Giant panda
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
VU
Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsGiant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsGiant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
China

It's unclear where in China this was filmed, which makes identifying the exact subspecies difficult. A Chinese cameraman got the shots of the mother in the cave, but in an undisclosed location [1]: "A Chinese cameraman got unique close-up shots of the mother nursing her newborn in a pitch black cave."
[Link 1]
10
Demoiselle crane
Grus virgo
LC
Demoiselle crane (Grus virgo) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsDemoiselle crane (Grus virgo) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsDemoiselle crane (Grus virgo) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Kali Gandaki Valley, Nepal

Cameraman Gavin Thurston's writes in his book "Journeys in the Wild: The Secret Life of a Cameraman" his experience filming the crane sequence based out of Jomsom, Nepal, in the Kali Gandaki Valley [1]. Behind the scenes photos also show this filming location [2]. "2005 - Time lapse, aerial filming of Mount Everest, Red Panda, Musk Deer, Himalayan Munal, Blood Pheasant, Scientific Expert, location expert and Fixer, BBC Natural History Unit, Planet Earth, Producer Vanessa Berlowitz; 2004 - Crane Migration, Scientific Expert, location manager and coordinator, BBC Natural History Unit, Planet Earth, Producer Vanessa Berlowitz"
[Link 1] [Link 2]
10
Asian golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos daphanea
LC
Asian golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsAsian golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea) as shown in Planet Earth - MountainsAsian golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos daphanea) as shown in Planet Earth - Mountains
Kali Gandaki Valley, Nepal