Frozen Planet

1

Polar bear

Ursus maritimus

VU

Svalbard, Norway

This sequence was presumably filmed in Svalbard, as with essentially all other shots of these animals in this series.

2

Spectacled eider

Somateria fischeri

NT

Bering Sea, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, USA

https://www.naturepl.com/stock-photo/website/search/detail-0_01356909.html
[Link 1]

2

Common eider

Somateria mollissima

NT

Bering Sea, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, USA

Assuming this species was also filmed in the Bering Sea off Alaska, this would be subspecies "v-nigrum".

3

Wood bison

Bison bison athabascae

NT

Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta, Canada

Location is based on Chadden Hunter's photo on Nature Picture Library [1]
[Link 1]

3

Northwestern wolf

Canis lupus occidentalis

LC

Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta, Canada

Location is based on Chadden Hunter's photo on Nature Picture Library [1]
[Link 1]

4

North Eurasian raven

Corvus corax corax

LC

Lieksa, Finland

Ravens work with wolverines to find food during winter in the Taiga. The raven scours the forest for animal carcasses and sounds a call to pinpoint their location to the wolverine. These carcasses are usually frozen solid, so the raven first waits for the wolverine to tear them apart and eat its share before picking off the now easily-accessible scraps of flesh that remain.

This was filmed in Lieksa, Finland, according to the Wolverine Photography Facebook Page: "BBC filmed Finnish Wolverines in Lieksa for their series Frozen Planet. Photographing Wolverines is possible almost throughout the year at this site. Wolverine footage is at 00.16.10-00.18.10 on the video. Enjoy!"
[Link 1]

4

Eurasian wolverine

Gulo gulo gulo

VU

Lieksa, Finland

Wolverines and ravens work together to find food during winter in the Taiga. The raven is able to spot animal carcasses from up high and sound a call to pinpoint its location to the wolverine, which then uses its powerful jaws to break apart the frozen remains, exposing scraps of flesh that the raven can then get to. Once the wolverine has had its fill, it tears off a leg and drags it away to store in larders that it maintains across the forest for leaner times.

This was filmed in Lieksa, Finland, according to the Wolverine Photography Facebook Page: "BBC filmed Finnish Wolverines in Lieksa for their series Frozen Planet. Photographing Wolverines is possible almost throughout the year at this site. Wolverine footage is at 00.16.10-00.18.10 on the video. Enjoy!"
[Link 1]

5

Vole sp.

[subfamily Arvicolinae]

?

Tornio, Finland

Voles remain below the thick layer of snow that builds up over boreal forests in winter, travelling through a network of tunnels to find food. The snow insulates the vole and protects it from predators such as owls hunting at the surface. Yet, the voles are still vulnerable to predation from weasels, whose bodies are just slender enough to navigate the tunnels the voles use.

5

Great grey owl

Strix nebulosa lapponica

LC

Tornio, Finland

Great grey owls do hunt small mammals hidden beneath the snow that blankets boreal forests in winter, but even they struggle to reach prey that are in the deepest layers of snow.

This sequence was filmed in Tornio, Finland, according to several production stills by Barrie Britton on Nature Picture Library [1] [2].
[Link 1] [Link 2]

5

Least weasel

Mustela nivalis nivalis

LC

Tornio, Finland

Weasels are uniquely adapted to hunt small mammals such as voles which remain below the thick layer of snow that covers boreal forests in winter. Unlike surface predators, such as owls, a weasels long, tubular body and short legs allow it to traverse the network of tunnels that its prey uses under the snow. However, this same adaptation means that it loses heat very quickly. So, back in its underground den, it plucks the fur off of a vole that it has caught and collects the clumps together to use as a blanket of sorts for extra warmth.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturepicturegalleries/8831906/Frozen-Planet-pictures-from-Sir-David-Attenboroughs-latest-polar-TV-series.html [Link 2] [Link 3]

6

Polar bear

Ursus maritimus

VU

Ouwehands Animal Park, Netherlands

The shots of the female and two newborn cubs were filmed in a Dutch animal park, specifically Ouewhands [1]. The fact that these scenes were implied to have been filmed in the wild drew some criticism upon release (unwarranted, in my view) but the filmmakers were fully transparent about the process in a behind-the-scenes clip on the Frozen Planet website [2]. The male bear in the opening shot of the sequence was presumably filmed in Svalbard, as with essentially all other shots of these animals in this series.
[Link 1] [Link 2]

7

Emperor penguin

Aptenodytes forsteri

NT