Extreme Barney's Latin America

Hola, mis amigos!

Bienvenidos a Barney's America Latina!

Arriba! Arriba! It's show time.

Let me introduce you to a crazy carnival of creatures

from fabulously freaky frogs to hollering howler monkeys

to manic meat-eating plants.

Es magnifico!

What's more, they're all connected to each other

in this wonderful world of wildlife

by funny, fabulous and fantastic facts.

-Get on with it!

-Oh, sorry.

Tres, dos, uno, es la hora de Barney's Latin America!

-Hello and welcome to Barney's Latin America...

-Wahoo!

-Hey, high five, sweet cheeks!

-Barney?

Yeah, that's right. Barney. Barney Grylls.

-Ha! Barney Grylls?

-Yeah.

The original and the one and only adrenalin beast. Huh!

Why are you pretending to be some big macho man

when you're quite obviously not.

Let me get one thing straight.

-You're looking for extreme animals, am I not correct?

-Well, yeah.

Look no further than Barney Grylls.

Ha! Barney Grylls?

Uh-huh. The one and only adrenalin extreme! Huh! Yeah!

You get a headache bouncing up and down on a trampoline!

Very funny. OK, prepare to be amazed.

I will start the show with some super-speed swimming.

Er, no. Can't do that. It's already in the show.

Er...then prepare to be amazed as I do the ultra high dive!

Er...already in the show!

Er...hold my breath for a whole hour?

Already in the show. It's jam-packed!

Well, I'm not going to need all this stuff, then, am I?

No. I'll tell you what you can do, though.

Go and make us an extremely nice cup of tea.

-I will, and I'll do it extremely fast.

-OK.

Wow! That was extremely fast. Thank you very much.

Oh, yeah! Ha ha! I forgot to mention! It's extremely hot!

Shall we just get on with the show?

Yeah, all right.

Ow! Gem, something bit me.

OK, so how about we start the show with some jet-propelled speedsters?

Ah, some super-cool speedy marine machines.

They certainly look the part with those David Beckham mohicans.

Named after that distinctive dorsal fin

which looks like a massive sail. I love a massive "sale"!

Mention a sale, you're there like a flash.

But I'm not as fast as these guys. Off the South American coast,

these sailfish are the masters of extreme speed sailing.

-No way, Jose.

-They are the fastest fish in the sea,

having been clocked leaping out of the water

at a record-breaking 110 kilometres per hour.

That would nearly get it a speeding ticket on one of our motorways.

Except, it would need a car.

Or maybe it drives a Corvette Stingray! Ha!

Yeah, or maybe an Aston Marlin!

-Yeah, that was my joke.

-Sorry.

Anyway, this awesome speed makes them

one of the ocean's most feared predators.

-Surely nothing can escape?

-Hunting requires more than just speed,

and these guys are designed to perfection.

Up to 3m long, their fins maintain stability

to ensure the tightest turns, and the powerful tail thrusts them forward

while the sail fin helps intimidate prey.

Now, that is what I call grabbing a bit of fast food.

How do they manage to avoid each other?

When hunting, their colour continually changes

from blue to striped to black.

This not only warns other sailfish of its intentions,

but it also confuses their prey.

Those bills are as sharp as a carving knife, so they

must be careful they don't hurt themselves when swishing about.

A totally unbelievable display of speed, power and precision,

and all from a fish!

A great way to open the show, hey?

Yeah. You could say we're off to a flying start.

You could, but we won't. So, who's up next?

Time to get ashore and hit some dry land.

Ooh! Where are we? This looks a bit like the land that time forgot.

We're 1,000km off the western coast of Ecuador

on some of the most famous islands in the world -

the Galapagos Islands.

Made famous by Mr Evolution himself, Charles Darwin

on the good ship Beagle.

And are home to some amazing animals

not found anywhere else in the world.

And the most famous resident is a giant.

Ooh, it's awesome!

It's terrifying! It's huge!

It's...

a tortoise?

Ooh. Ah! Oh, me lumbago!

This is the giant tortoise.

Not the sort you'd find in your back garden, then?

I don't know if there's room for one of these beauties.

They can be as heavy as four grown men.

Wow, that's going to need some larger lettuce leaves.

Oh, that looks nice!

They actually eat cactus flowers.

See how the shell allows the tortoise to stretch its neck

and eat the higher, luscious vegetation.

Ooh...me neck!

I just can't reach.

Ooh! Got it!

And if they can't find any, there's no rush,

as they have the unbelievable ability to store

enough fat to go without food or water for a year.

Amazing! Hey - that shell looks a bit like a horse saddle, don't you think?

The islands are actually named after the tortoise shell,

because the Spanish word for saddle is galapago,

and it's very useful.

It's the perfect home for Mr Tortoise,

being rock hard for protection,

offering shade from the excessive heat

and providing a nice, warm place at night.

Best of all, it's a mobile home.

-It's a mobile phone?

-You'll have to excuse him. He's getting on a bit.

In fact, one of the most amazing things about these wrinkly giants

is that they can live to 170 years old.

I'm an old git, but I'm fightin' fit!

So in a nutshell, they are totally extreme.

-Er, I think you'll find that's tortoise shell.

-Oh, yeah.

So, the forever-living giant tortoise

and speedy speedster sailfish

are both totally bonkers extreme record-breakers.

Time to glide down to the southern tip of Latin America.

Cool. What we looking for?

The albatross, an extreme flying machine

with the largest wingspan of any bird.

I'm sorry, did you say "bird" together with "extreme"?

Huh! Yeah!

Er, I don't think so.

Then prepare to be amazed.

This winged wonder can have a wingspan measuring up to 3.5m.

Wow! That's like me stood on top of me.

Yeah, and just like you,

it spends a lot of its time with its head in the clouds.

Sorry? What was that?

-Pay attention! Those large wings...

-All 3.5m of them.

-Yeah.

They help it stay in the air for long periods of time,

just like a feathery hang-glider.

Isn't that what birds do anyway?

I'm not talking about a few measly hours of flapping about.

-Oh, no. I'm talking days.

-Days?!

Yep. Endurance is this long-distance lover's favourite word.

-That's impossible!

-Not to the albatross.

But what is nearly impossible

is getting off the ground in the first place.

Trying to get the wind beneath those wings

can sometimes see them in a bit of a flap.

-Right, come on, Arthur.

-Arthur?

Well, he looks like an Arthur.

Um, it's Artie, actually, and anyway,

er...I'm just choosing my direction, and I'm going to go any minute.

Might go over there. Looks...ooh! Actually, maybe over there.

Um...anyway...ooh! Ah...oh!

I think I'll do it tomorrow, actually.

Yeah, well, I'm going to show you how it's done!

OK, you've got to take a run-up. Take your time.

Have a look. OK, here we go. Run, run!

You've just got to run. Keep running.

Keep running, running, running, and then, as soon as you get to

the kind of, you know, the speed, just take off!

Easy!

# I've travelled far

# I've travelled wide

# So many miles I'm bleary-eyed... #

Once it's in the air, it can look for a fish in the vast ocean below,

but it's a bit like looking for a needle in a haystack.

-Ah, so their long-distance flying ability ensures their survival?

-Yep.

Wind currents enable it to glide around for hours on end

without as much as a flap. It can fly up to 900km a day

just to feed its family.

Which is like me driving from London to Inverness just to get a pizza.

Now, that is extreme.

-Oh, you know I said their take-off wasn't much good?

-Yeah.

Well, their landing isn't exactly clever either.

Now, where is that runway? Oh, it's over there.

Oh, no, that's the A463.

Oh, over there... No, B2788.

Oh, ah...ooh! No, I'm coming in too fast!

Look out!

But you can't deny it is an extreme wonder of the skies.

Oh, well, better luck next time, as my old mum used to say.

So the forever-airborne albatross and the OAP giant tortoise

are not only massive, but they're also capable of extreme endurance.

Yeah. So, what's next?

Ah. Prepare to be afraid.

Very afraid.

It's a quarter-tonne tough guy.

The bull shark.

Oi! Watch it, mate!

It's the bully of the waters.

Wow! Look at those extremely sharp teeth.

This brawler knows how to use its head when tracking down a treat,

but despite being highly dangerous, it's often ignored.

How could you ignore that huge lump of menacing meat?

Just look at its ugly face.

What was that?

I was just saying, "Look at that lovely face!"

Wise move, Gem.

Bull sharks get their name from their short, blunt snout.

Despite being as long as a car

and as heavy as three grown men in wet woollen cardigans,

they are lightning-fast and extremely agile predators.

Holy fishing nets, Barney! You can't get much more extreme that that.

Great, what's next?

Oh, no, Gem. The reason the bull shark is totally extreme

is one which has baffled scientists.

-Ooh! Tell me.

-It has an extreme ability to not only cruise

the shallow waters of the salty sea,

but can also survive just as well in the freshwater rivers.

Saltwater and freshwater?! Are you serious?

No, I'm Barney. Nice to meet you.

The bull shark has an in-built water filter

-just like you might have at home.

-Huh?

I think we need Professor Piranha.

When the shark swims from saltwater into a freshwater river,

its gills and kidneys work like an extreme filtering machine.

They hold onto any salts in the body while flushing out

the incoming freshwater by going to the toilet lots and lots.

Ew! But now I get it.

In fact, bull sharks have been known to travel thousands of kilometres

up the Amazon river in search of food.

Thousands of kilometres up the Amazon river?

That is one wandering shark.

-And I think I know how it ended up there.

-How?

It took a shark left and then a shark bite. Get it?

No.

Definitely not funny. And nor is coming face-to-face with one,

because it will eat just about anything it sees.

-Then it won't be seeing me. Goodbye, Mr Bull Shark!

-Nor me!

Argh!

So the bull shark and the albatross are connected

because they both have the extreme ability

to travel thousands of kilometres in search of food.

Next, it's time to turn up the heat.

Whoa, that looks very hot.

This is the Atacama Desert in Chile.

That's ironic, because it's certainly not "chilly".

It's boiling hot!

And at 4,000m above sea level, high up in the Andes mountains,

it's also very dry. In fact, this is the driest desert in the world

and some parts are thought to have never seen rain.

So it's drier than a wallaby's pouch.

Oi, leave my pouch out of this.

Surely no animals live here? They'd be left high and dry! Literally.

Can we move on and cool down a bit?

I'm starting to get sweaty pits. Look.

Ugh!

-Hang on, what are they?

-They are guanacos.

-Guanaco!

-He's a bit touchy, isn't he?

Guanacos are a grumpy-looking type of camel.

They look happier than a camel, because they haven't got the hump!

Ha ha!

But unlike a camel, they have loads more red blood cells in their bodies.

In fact, four times as many as us,

which basically means they can store loads more oxygen in their blood.

Ah! Which makes them capable of living in the thin air

high up in the Andes.

Exactly! But despite being able to tolerate extremes of heat and cold,

the Atacama desert is a real challenge even for them.

In the day, temperatures can soar.

Wow! Even hotter than the hottest jalapeno that's been pickled

for two years in particularly hot chilli dipping sauce?

Er...yeah. Quite possibly.

Oh, look, that one's fainted.

No, it's having a dust bath to help it cool down.

Oh! But how to they survive such extreme heat without any water?

Well, guanacos, like camels, are masters of conserving moisture.

But you said it's the driest desert in the world.

Yeah, but the guanacos have found that scrummy cactus flowers

and lichen hold lots of moisture,

and using their tactile, soft lips,

they're able to pick them off spiky cactus.

Brilliant. How do the plants get water?

-GUANACO NATTERS SPEEDILY

-What was that?

He said, the secret is a cold air current

which runs parallel to the land.

Cold air cools the warm moist air above it

and this forms lots of fluffy clouds or nice damp fog.

This fog is then swept inland by the wind

and in no time, the cacti are dripping

with water droplets from the fog.

Ah! So those cacti flowers are like water-filled sponges.

Yep. Without the fog, the land would be totally empty of life.

So the thick fog has made it all clear.

Brilliant. Thanks, Mr Guanaco.

GUANACO NATTERS

-What did he say?

-He said he's hot.

So, the guanaco and the bull shark are connected by

the way their bodies have adapted to survive their extreme environments.

Well, this is certainly turning into an extreme fest, isn't it?

I've got to say, I'm learning a thing or two from these crazy guys.

So, how did we get from those speedy sailors to those cool camel things?

Recap, I think.

OK, we set sail with those marine speedsters, the sailfish,

almost capable of getting a speeding ticket.

They connected to the forever-living giant tortoise

because they are both extreme record-breakers.

Next up, it was the albatross, who, like the giant tortoise,

is a master of endurance

by being able to fly for over nine million years non-stop.

Not quite, but it could cover a huge distance,

like the marathon-swimming bull shark,

who was equally at home in freshwater as salty seawater.

Totally bizarre, but that's thanks to some of the freaky things going on

in its blood, a trick it shares with the guanaco,

making it capable of surviving extreme temperatures up the mountain.

OK, so what's next in our extreme dream team?

Right, well...hang on to that.

What do we need a mask for?

Trust me.

OK, time to head to the northern tip of Latin America.

Ooh! More forests.

Ah, but below these forests lies an underworld.

Sounds like something out of the movies!

A labyrinth of flooded caves.

Wow! Are those pools of water entrances to the underground world?

Yep. Down here, you'll find caves stretching for hundreds of miles,

forming a darkened world of mystery and intrigue.

Aw, this is brilliant, Gem! Looks a bit spooky, though.

Glad we're not down there.

Ah. Hang on!

Time to put your mask on!

Somehow I knew that was coming.

-THEY SPEAK IN TINNY VOICES:

-Cor! Talk about being a bit nippy.

It certainly is. The water has been trapped here since the Ice Age.

Wow! That's when my grandpa was born.

-Welcome to the underworld, Barney.

-The dark world, more like.

Uh, oh, what's going on?

Ha! You wuss!

Stop it! You're scaring the viewers.

Scaring you, more like.

-Hang on. We're not actually diving, are we?

-Na, it's Bazza and Dazza,

two very brave, extreme cave-divers.

-So we can drop the silly voices then?

-Yep.

So what are we looking for?

Well, if we look hard enough, we'll find some ghostly creatures

that live here in the eerie darkness.

Most cave animals are white because,

in a world without light, colour is useless. Look.

This is the blind cavefish.

Hello? Is anyone there? Hello?

It's a bit bland, isn't it?

Well, it doesn't need any colour to hide or protect itself from anything,

and because there's nothing to see, it's lost its eyes too.

Oh, yeah. Now, that is one extremely boring creature.

Wait, what's that?!

I could ask you the same thing, mate!

This is the remipede.

More like upside-down-pede. It's all over the place.

-Well, in the pitch black, no way is the right way up.

-Sounds freaky.

Tell Bazza and Dazza to come back up

before they turn pale, lose their peepers and start

-swimming about all over the place!

-Good idea.

-How do they know which way is up?

-Follow your bubbles.

FARTING Ugh! Not those bubbles!

So, these underwater cave-dwellers are connected to guanaco

because they've both adapted to their extreme environment.

SCREAMING Eh! What's up with them?

Oh! It's a submarine. Why are they scared of a submarine?

Er, more importantly, what's a submarine doing in the show?

Aren't we looking for extreme animals?

Gem, this IS an extreme animal.

-In fact, lots of extremely big animals.

-Eh?

Yep, this is a pod of sperm whales off the shores off South America.

-Ah! They look like they're having a "whale" of a time!

-Ha! Nice.

If it's size you want, look no further,

for these are true giants of the sea.

Oh, I "sea"!

The most recognisable feature of a sperm whale

is the shape of its head.

Yeah! Looks like it's just run into the back of a bus.

CRASHING AND CAR ALARMS Oops!

Well, these mammals ARE the size of a bus.

Sperm whales can measure up to 18m long

and have the most enormous heads!

You said it! That one looks like a right big head.

Well, they need those big heads to squeeze in the largest brain

of any creature on Earth. It's also the heaviest,

with the male's brain weighing up to nine kilos!

Wow! That is a heavy brain.

Yeah, and it goes with a heavy body.

These marine monsters weigh up to 45 tonnes.

Whoa! What a bloater!

I'm surprised it doesn't sink.

Well, the actual reason why these whales are extreme

is because they can dive to unbelievable depths.

SIREN SOUNDS AND SHIP'S HORN BLOWS

Here we go!

How deep, exactly?

Try 3,000m.

No. Way.

At that depth, the pressure of the water pushing on the whale

weighs the same as two jumbo jets.

Uh! It's all right. I can take the pressure.

They are one of the deepest-diving mammals in the world.

Why so deep anyway?

They're looking for a fish supper.

SCREAMING

They will eat a tonne of squid and fish a day.

No way! I'm out of here!

Me too!

I'm surprised it's not the size of a house, eating all that food.

Oh...I suppose it IS the size of a house.

And they can be down there for well over an hour

without coming back up for breath.

Wow! They must take a really deep breath.

DEEP INHALATION

Well, sperm whales have the incredible ability

to lower their metabolic rate and slow down their heartbeat

whilst moving blood mainly to their vital organs.

This helps conserve precious oxygen.

Ah! Like their own built-in scuba diving gear.

Yeah. Just really big scuba diving gear.

Whoa! That is one deep-breathing, deep-diving and deeply-deceiving

totally huge monster of the deep!

It is indeed an extreme marine machine

and connects nicely to the barmy Mexican cave critters,

because they're both deep dwellers.

And from deep divers to high divers.

Time to check out the blue-footed boobies.

These guys are some of the ultimate risk takers.

There's no clowning about when it comes to catching their food.

Blue-footed boobies are acrobatic hunters

who have perfected the art of diving for dinner

OK, chaps, listen up. The whole squadron's here.

No, Bertie's not.

Where's Bertie?

Ooohh....

-Oh, my...

-Aghhh...!

Flaps up, Bertie, flaps up!

Uh...ah...

Bertie, flaps up, you're coming in too fast!

Oh, for Pete's sake, Bertie, get in line.

We're trying to have a briefing on the mission! Is everyone here?

Yes, I'm here, I'm here, I'm here! Sorry.

Right, no more time to waste. Let's go.

Wow! Look at them all go!

These guys dive to survive and can do it from up to 30m.

Now, that's what I call a high diver.

This isn't just any diving.

How about diving at 100 kilometres per hour?

You don't want to belly flop at that speed.

Ow!

They plunge in unison, like a finely tuned aerial display team

in order to overwhelm their prey,

and at the last minute, neatly tuck in their wings

to enter the water like a torpedo.

They even have an airbag system in their skulls to help protect them.

Like an internal crash helmet.

But some will still pay the price.

Broken wings and some bad birdy headaches are not uncommon.

OK, I think these boobies

have definitely earned their extreme wings. Welcome to the gang, guys.

So the precision dive-bombing blue-footed boobies

connect to the sperm whale because they are both extreme divers.

So, what's next?

A super-fly guy.

Now, we're talking about a daredevil

who dices with death on a daily basis.

Oh! A waterfall! This looks totally extreme. Don't tell me...

Is it a hippo in a straitjacket with loads of padlocks

and not a key in sight,

set to escape from a barrel about to go over a waterfall?

No.

Oh.

It's better than that.

-Ah, there he is.

-What are you looking at?

The cascade damselfly.

Here I am, flapping about really close to a dangerous waterfall!

An incy-wincy fly? I thought you said a daredevil dicing with death.

Cascade damselflies are very rare

and live around just a few Central American waterfalls,

like this one in the Costa Rican mountains.

Well, I think he's about to become extinct,

because let me tell you, fragile wings and water don't mix.

Ooh! The water looks inviting today.

Don't worry, Gem. This male cascade damselfly is a little winged wonder

who has mastered the art of flying THROUGH waterfalls.

Hold it.

Did you say fly THROUGH waterfalls?!

Yep, and all because the lady loves a super-wet fly guy.

Typical bloke. What a show-off.

This is showing off pushed to the max.

This death-defying display of water-dodging

displays how fit he is.

Oh, yes! Love is definitely in the air.

I think we'd better leave them to it.

So, the Casanova cascade damselfly

is connected to the high-diving booby

because they are both billy-bonkers and totally extreme daredevils.

And from super-fly to super-sly.

Our last extreme star is a super-sly, state of the art, trained hunter.

Er...it's a plant.

Well, this is actually a harmless bromeliad,

but look closer and you'll find a little killer.

Ah, now you're talking.

Er, that's just a poxy flower, isn't it?

No! This is the bladderwort -

an extreme killer which survives here on Mount Roraima.

Wow, that looks cool! Where is it?

Well, it's actually in three countries -

Venezuela, Brazil and Guyana, supported by 400m-high cliffs.

But hang on,

there's no soil, just plenty of water.

Yeah, and it rains here a lot, which is why nothing can survive here

because all the nutrients and minerals which plants need

are washed away.

So, how does the bladderwort survive?

Ah, remember this is a killer and it eats meat.

Gem, I think the thin air of Mount Roraima...

has gone to your head.

Look, the bladderwort sends out little roots into pools of water

which form little bladders containing trap doors lined with bristles.

Ah, bladders, bladderwort...

Yep and those pools are full of tiny fishy things

attracted to the bladders.

Ooh, what's that?

Is it a shiny ball? Or perhaps a...

Ahh!

Ooh!

And there you go, time for lunch.

A totally cunning and sly bladder -

and pretty extreme, I must say, Especially for a plant.

Yep, and these bladder-traps are even considered

-one of the smartest structures in plants.

-Brilliant!

Oh, not again!

So, the highly-dangerous bladderwort

is connected to the daredevil damselfly

because their extreme tricks both rely on falling water.

So, how was that for an extreme animal line-up?

Pretty cool, or should I say EXTREMELY cool,

but how did we get from the speedy sailor to the sly bladderwort?

OK, well we dived into action

with the record-breaking high-speed sailfish.

Who connected to the giant tortoise as it too was a record-breaker,

hanging around longer on the planet than one of your bad smells.

No idea what you're talking about, but endurance linked the tortoise

to the albatross who spends a lot of time with its head in the clouds.

Yep, and travel a long way

which is exactly what the bull shark loves to do,

in salt and fresh water.

Next up was the guanaco who was never going to be left high and dry

because of its clever blood cells helping it to adapt

to the extreme environment.

Talking of extreme environments, you won't get much more extreme

than where those Mexican cave-dwellers call home.

Hello?

Well, at least they seem to be having a whale of a time

which is exactly what our next extreme animal was doing too -

namely because it was the sperm whale and, boy, could it dive.

Oh, yes, just like the boobies who also loved diving,

only their speciality was high diving.

And from high diving to highly bonkers.

The cascade damselfly diced with death,

dodging the waterfalls for love.

And we ended with the super sly bladderwort

which also performed a deadly stunt with falling water.

Which connects us right back to the sailfish

because they are both highly-skilled hunters.

You know, I've got to say,

just watching these extreme animals is exhausting, isn't it?

There are some pretty extreme animals here in Latin America.

There is one extreme stunt

-that I can teach all these animals you know.

-Yeah, what's that?

Extreme sleeping.

Night, night.

Hey, Barney!

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