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Land of the Cave-Bear

Episode 2 of 3

Professor Alice Roberts goes on the trail of the great beasts of the Ice Age. This time she visits Europe and Siberia, which were hit hardest by the cold.

Professor Alice Roberts journeys 40,000 years back in time on the trail of the great beasts of the Ice Age. Drawing on the latest scientific detective work and a dash of graphic wizardry, Alice brings the Ice Age giants back to life.

In this episode, Alice ventures to the parts of the northern hemisphere hit hardest by the cold - Europe and Siberia.

High in the mountains of Transylvania, a cave sealed for thousands of years reveals grisly evidence for a fight to the death between two starving giants, a cave bear and a cave lion. These animals, which would dwarf their modern-day relatives, were probably driven into conflict by the pressure on food supplies as the Ice Age gathered pace.

Yet Alice discovers that, for woolly rhinos and woolly mammoths, the Ice Age created a bounty. The Mammoth Steppe, a vast tract of land which went halfway round the world, provided food all year round for those that liked the cold. It was these mammoths that Europe's most dangerous predators - Neanderthals and our own ancestors - hunted for their survival.

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58 minutes

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Credits

Role Contributor
Presenter Alice Roberts
Producer Tim Walker
Series Producer Paul Bradshaw

Broadcasts

Frozen in time for 40,000 years

Filming in the coldest city on earth takes its toll on the kit.

Meet presenter Dr Alice Roberts

Find out all about the presenter of Ice Age Giants, Dr Alice Roberts.

TV Blog: how to film animated creatures in the wild

Producer Mags Lightbody blogs on how the ice age giants were brought to life.