High-casqued chameleon, Mount Kenya, Kenya
Many chameleon species lay eggs. Mount Kenya it is too cold for an egg to develop in the open so high-casqued chameleons give birth to live young which have developed inside the body of the mother, a process known as viviparity. This is the first time a high-casqued chameleon birth has been filmed for television.
Golden eagle, Gran Paradiso National Park, The Alps, Italy
Golden eagle mated pairs are known to hunt cooperatively. This can take the form of one individual flushing the prey from cover or distracting it, whilst the other makes the attack. For the first time on television, Frozen Planet II feature a pair making a successful kill on a chamois goat five times their weight.
Japanese macaque, Kamikochi Japanese Alps, Japan
Japanese macaques can live at altitudes up to 1,500m high in winter. During winter they gather in groups and huddle to reduce heat loss.
Kea, Southern Alps, New Zealand
The kea is one of, if not the most intelligent, bird species in the world. It has an incredibly varied diet and is known to eat over 200 species of plant and animals. They have been observed feeding on the carrion of Himalayan tahr, on Hutton’s shearwater chicks and eggs, mice, as well as domesticated sheep. Kea are social animals and have a call that instigates play behaviour. This call is infectious and can quickly spread throughout a flock. Play has been shown to help create strong bonds between individuals.
Puma, Torres Del Paine, Patagonia, Chile
New research suggests that pumas are not as solitary as first thought. They may share social patterns with more gregarious species like chimpanzees. Using the latest thermal camera technology the Frozen Planet II team was able to film them sharing a kill in the pitch black of night for the first time.
Chilean Flamingo, Atacama Desert, Chile
Flamingos can survive in seemingly inhospitable habitats such as in extreme colds and lakes so alkaline in pH it could burn human flesh off the bones.
Giant panda, China
Giant pandas are one of the world's most fascinating vegetarians. Despite eating almost exclusively bamboo their digestive systems evolved to process meat. As they are not good at getting nutrition from bamboo they need to spend 10-16 hours a day eating. Giant pandas sometimes do ‘handstands’ to mark their scent. Pandas climb a tree backwards with their hind feet until they're in a full handstand upside down enabling them to leave their scent higher up.
