Frozen Planet II

Frozen Ocean

18 Sep 2022


Species features in each Sequence

1
Polar bear, Arctic ringed seal
2
Beluga whale
3
Beluga whale, Narwhal
4
Harp seal
5
Skeleton shrimp sp.
6
Bowhead whale, Killer whale (Bigg's)
7
Crested auklet, Bering Islands Arctic fox
8
Atlantic walrus
9
Polar bear, Pacific walrus

# Species by IUCN Conservation Status

1
Polar bear
Ursus maritimus
VU
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanPolar bear (Ursus maritimus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanPolar bear (Ursus maritimus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Svalbard, Norway

1
Arctic ringed seal
Pusa hispida hispida
LC
Arctic ringed seal (Pusa hispida hispida) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanArctic ringed seal (Pusa hispida hispida) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Svalbard, Norway

2
Beluga whale
Delphinapterus leucas
LC
Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanBeluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanBeluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Penkigngei Bay, Beringia National Park, Russia

This sequence was filmed in Beringia National Park where, in April 2021, between 20-50 beluga whales were found stranded in Penkigngei Bay across three polynyas (holes in the ice) [1]. The shot at 10:00 matches exactly with the image used by the Siberian Times reporting on this news on their Facebook page [2] and by Meteovesti on their website [3].
[Link 1] [Link 2] [Link 3]
3
Beluga whale
Delphinapterus leucas
LC
Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanBeluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanBeluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Canada

3
Narwhal
Monodon monoceros
LC
Narwhal (Monodon monoceros) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanNarwhal (Monodon monoceros) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanNarwhal (Monodon monoceros) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Canada

4
Harp seal
Pagophilus groenlandicus
LC
Harp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanHarp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanHarp seal (Pagophilus groenlandicus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
West Ice, Greenland

5
Skeleton shrimp sp.
[family Caprellidae]
?
Skeleton shrimp sp. ([family Caprellidae]) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanSkeleton shrimp sp. ([family Caprellidae]) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanSkeleton shrimp sp. ([family Caprellidae]) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Norway

6
Bowhead whale
Balaena mysticetus
LC
Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanBowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanBowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Bukhta Vrangelya, Sea of Okhotsk, Russia

According to the media pack [1], bowhead whales were also filmed in Canada - perhaps these constitute the opening shots of the sequence. The overhead shot at 25:16 is almost certainly Wrangel Bay (Bukhta Vrangelya), which is a well-known bowhead whale-watching site. The shapes and chalk-like colour of the rocks lining the coast throughout the sequence match this bay perfectly, as seen in an image from Wrangel Bay by Yuri Smityuk [2]. Finding on Google Maps the exact location of Wrangel Bay, despite being a popular wildlife destination, was harder than I expected. A more famous wildlife destination also in Eastern Russia is Wrangel Island in the Chukchi Sea. Then, there's Bukhta Vrangelya in the Sea of Japan, far to the south of the Sea of Okhotsk... Luckily, someone else had gone through the same confusion; on Eugene Kaspersky's blog [3], he discusses the various similarly named locations in this region of Russia and helpfully provides the exact coordinates of the Wrangel Bay in question.
[Link 1] [Link 2] [Link 3]
6
Killer whale
Orcinus orca
DD
Killer whale (Orcinus orca) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanKiller whale (Orcinus orca) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanKiller whale (Orcinus orca) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Bukhta Vrangelya, Sea of Okhotsk, Russia

7
Crested auklet
Aethia cristatella
LC
Crested auklet (Aethia cristatella) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanCrested auklet (Aethia cristatella) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanCrested auklet (Aethia cristatella) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
St Lawrence Island, Alaska, USA

7
Bering Islands Arctic fox
Vulpes lagopus beringensis
LC
Bering Islands Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus beringensis) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanBering Islands Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus beringensis) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanBering Islands Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus beringensis) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
St Lawrence Island, Alaska, USA

8
Atlantic walrus
Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus
NT
Atlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanAtlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanAtlantic walrus (Odobenus rosmarus rosmarus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Sarstangen, Svalbard, Norway

9
Polar bear
Ursus maritimus
VU
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanPolar bear (Ursus maritimus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanPolar bear (Ursus maritimus) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Wrangel Island, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia

9
Pacific walrus
Odobenus rosmarus divergens
VU
Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanPacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen OceanPacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) as shown in Frozen Planet II - Frozen Ocean
Wrangel Island, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia