n January, in the Arctic, a polar bear wanders alone, at the mercy of the elements. As the polar winds cool the Northern Hemisphere, creatures choose to escape the cold, such as manatees, which congregate by the hundreds in the warm waters of Florida. On the snow-capped peaks of Japan, a group of macaques bask in the hot springs. The Chinese New Year marks the world's largest human migration in February, with millions of people traveling to reunite with their loved ones. Equatorial Africa is in the throes of the flood: the heaviest rains of the year transform the landscapes and the life they shelter. While hippos in Zambia are calving, birds of prey seek their sustenance in the furnace of the Australian desert. Not far from the bustle of life in the Amazon rainforest, the Rio carnival closes the first two months of the year in style.
One of the biggest wild elephant migrations in Asia takes place in India. All over the planet, animals are looking for a mate. The feast of Easter, a symbol of rebirth, is celebrated by nearly 2 billion people. In the regions around the equator, the renewal takes place at the rate of the rains. In Australia, the last green turtles join the Great Barrier Reef islands to lay their eggs, while in Antarctica thousands of emperor penguins return to their breeding grounds.
In Southeast Asia, the arrival of the monsoon floods the subcontinent. The end of the drought in southern Africa is killing herds of elephants, which serve as meals for vultures, jackals and lions. In Australia, giant cuttlefish converge for their courtship display. June 21 marks the official start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Food abounds for the kestrels that nest in the walls of castles.
With the arrival of summer in Alaska, the migration of sockeye salmon begins. They return to spawn in rivers, feeding the brown bears and the entire ecosystem. In Asia, the monsoon rains transform the region, even reversing the course of rivers. For millions of Muslims, it is the time of the hajj, the great pilgrimage to Mecca. In Africa, herds of wildebeest dare to cross the crocodile infested Mara River, while migrating sardines out to sea attract crowds of predators.
In southern Africa, the dry season is intensifying and stressed hippos crowd into smaller and smaller ponds, while in Australia the onset of spring sets young kangaroos on fire. In the rice fields of southwest China, the world's largest harvest is ready to be harvested. In the northern hemisphere, the September equinox marks the onset of fall. The caribou of northern Canada begin a migration to escape the approaching winter, avoiding hungry wolves. The tropical seas echo the songs of the humpback whale's mating season.
In southern Africa, the rains are finally returning, to the delight of nesting weaver birds. In Thailand, we pay homage to the goddess of water during the "lantern festival". The lunar cycle and the warming of the waters off Australia's coast trigger the impressive reproduction of corals. On Christmas Island, millions of red crabs rush out of the forest to reach the sea. In the northern hemisphere, the snow is returning, the lynx and the wolf are in their element ... At the winter solstice , cities light up for Christmas. In the arctic sky, the Northern Lights ablaze at night.