There are arguably no better nature documentarians than David Attenborough and company, so of course, they and the BBC captured and described an incredible feat in a way that makes you say, "Wow."
In a world first, the crew of "Mammals" filmed a three-month-old wolverine emerging from a den behind its mother. The scene took place in Alaska and included a long look at the father, who was caretaking by delivering food, photography news site PetaPixel reported.
"It's the first time that this behavior between the father and the mother and then the kit emerging has been filmed," series producer Scott Alexander said in a news release. "It is an absolutely amazing achievement because wolverines are ridiculously hard to film."
Attenborough narrates the three-minute sequence, noting that wolverines travel 50 miles per day to meet their sustenance needs. The animal uses an "extremely sensitive nose" to find frozen carcasses to feed on.
At one point, a wolverine just drops a hard-earned piece of caribou meat seemingly "in the middle of nowhere."
"The food is a gift for his mate," Attenborough says. "Wolverines are very secretive animals, and very few people have ever seen this caring behavior. Several days later, it becomes clear how important these deliveries of food have been."
The clip stands out not just for the shot of the kit but also for the father's behavior. Alexander said about 90% of male mammals don't take such an active role in raising offspring.
Wolverines, once sought by North American trappers for their fur, today — like other species that favor snowy conditions — are threatened by rising global temperatures.
They live at altitudes of at least 7,000 feet in part to protect their young, building birthing dens in at least 5 feet of snow, and have home ranges of 100 to 600 square miles, according to the National Wildlife Federation.
The NWF also said roughly 30% of wolverine habitat in the contiguous United States is projected to "be gone" in the next 30 years, and 60% will disappear in 70 years. This is greatly concerning since there may only be two dozen of the animals in the region. (The high end of the estimate is 300.)
That makes the work of "Mammals" and BBC Earth all the more important, as these shows and their awesome sights and stories have exposed generations of people to nature and conservation, ensuring that the push for a sustainable future will continue.
"I hope viewers just come away with a greater understanding for the natural world," Alexander said in the BBC press release. "Also, there's always the hope that you'll inspire someone to think, 'I'm going to make the world a little bit better for wildlife.'"
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