0:00:04 > 0:00:09On Deadly 60, I've had loads of incredible animal encounters.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Here's just one of my many favourites.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16This is Deadly 60 Bites.
0:00:18 > 0:00:22The centre for shark research here in the Bahamas is called Sharklab.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Run by the Doc, his team study pretty much
0:00:26 > 0:00:29all the shark species in the area.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33To help their research, they keep some baby sharks for a while
0:00:33 > 0:00:35in pens, just off the beach.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Here at Sharklab, we get a unique opportunity
0:00:37 > 0:00:39to get close to some baby sharks.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42They are so cute, you are just not going to believe it.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46OK, so these babies are not exactly deadly, but they have
0:00:46 > 0:00:51the same awesome sensory abilities that adult sharks do.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Seeing them up close will give me an insight into
0:00:53 > 0:00:55what makes the adults deadly predators.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Now, if you'll just stay on this fence here
0:00:59 > 0:01:03and walk around that way, I'll try to bring these guys to you.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Here we go, here we go.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Yeah!
0:01:11 > 0:01:14So there we go. Our first baby shark.
0:01:14 > 0:01:15I'd be careful, now. Really.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17OK, now, this is just the baby shark -
0:01:17 > 0:01:19I do need to be quite careful
0:01:19 > 0:01:21about how I handle it, cos this is a lemon shark,
0:01:21 > 0:01:25and this species is well-known for being incredible mobile.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28They can whip right round and bite their own tail.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31So, actually, if I let go with my right hand now,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I would almost certainly get bitten.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37What we can do is - let's put him in tonic immobility.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38Put him to sleep, now, together.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41- Just roll him over like that, hold his tail.- OK.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Now he's going to go to sleep.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48So, what's the theory with these sharks? You flip them over and
0:01:48 > 0:01:50they almost act as though they're hypnotised.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53They are. We also call it animal hypnosis.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57When you turn their senses around and make everything the wrong way,
0:01:57 > 0:02:01it confuses the animal and there's so much sensory input that they
0:02:01 > 0:02:04just go into this state of relaxation.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06This does actually work for adult sharks
0:02:06 > 0:02:09- as well as for juniors, doesn't it?- Yes, it does.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13We have five senses, but these baby sharks have an extra two,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17giving them the power to detect movement and electricity in water.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Take our hypnotised shark...
0:02:23 > 0:02:25and we'll wake her up.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30There she goes. Look at that! Almost as soon as
0:02:30 > 0:02:33she turns back over, starts moving again. It's incredible.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Right, it's a very special day for this little lemon shark.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39It's time for her to go back into the wild.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41Come on, little lady!
0:02:45 > 0:02:50He's certainly feeling very excited at being back out in the sea.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53I reckon if we release him now, he's going to be right at home.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56There you go.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59Wow!
0:03:00 > 0:03:05Ha! Actually jumped right on Simon, the cameraman!
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Lucky for Simon, that was just a tiddler.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14But I want to show you just how big these guys can get.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20For that, my crew and I are going to need a bigger boat,
0:03:20 > 0:03:21and a very early start.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32- Morning, Cap.- Morning.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Oh-oh-oh-oh! Come and have a look at this.
0:03:45 > 0:03:52I can see one, two, three, four, five, six...
0:03:52 > 0:03:55six sharks already.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58I think this is going to be a pretty good day.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00Let's go down below, shall we?
0:04:01 > 0:04:05These fully-grown sharks couldn't be more different to the cute,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08vulnerable babies I'd seen back at Sharklab.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12And don't be fooled by their name. The only lemony thing about them
0:04:12 > 0:04:13is their colour.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17Particularly at dawn, dusk and in murky water, they are killers.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20And with more sensing capabilities than a submarine.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25If you're a fish, you can run, but hiding from them is not an option.
0:04:25 > 0:04:30Good job that it's day time and that I'm not a fish.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Look at the size of that!
0:04:55 > 0:04:59We're absolutely surrounded by lemon sharks!
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Wow! What an unbelievable sight!
0:05:06 > 0:05:07Look at this one here!
0:05:07 > 0:05:12This shark is absolutely covered in sucker fish.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15They're covering the body!
0:05:15 > 0:05:16Look at that!
0:05:18 > 0:05:20It's such a serene shark.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23They're totally unbothered by our presence.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27This is extraordinary!
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Oh! I've literally only just got in the water
0:05:34 > 0:05:40and I can already see, what, nine? Ten, I think!
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Ten adult lemon sharks.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46And they look like they're all fully-grown females.
0:05:46 > 0:05:52You can see how incredibly close they're comfortable getting to me.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56They have absolutely no fear of me whatsoever.
0:05:59 > 0:06:05And why would they? In this environment, they really are king.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12They're very distinctive, with small yellow eyes and their mouth
0:06:12 > 0:06:15is just spilling over with teeth.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20These lemon sharks can turn right around and bite their own tail.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23They're that flexible.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29You can see how easily this amazing predator
0:06:29 > 0:06:31can suddenly become a terrible threat.
0:06:31 > 0:06:36I mean, we're in their environment, not they in ours.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38Although I'm not on the menu,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41these sharks can be incredibly intimidating.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45They'll go around, over and even through you after the bait.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Just imagine if you were a fish and they were after you.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Look how close they're getting to Simon, the cameraman!
0:06:52 > 0:06:56They're probably sensing electricity from the camera.
0:07:00 > 0:07:01Thank you, Doc.
0:07:01 > 0:07:07This stick, here - at the end of it are two different kinds of metals,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09and it gives off a weak electrical field,
0:07:09 > 0:07:12which the sharks can sense
0:07:12 > 0:07:16with loads of tiny sensors in their snout.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19They think that the end of the stick is food.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21Hey, there, big fella!
0:07:24 > 0:07:25See that?
0:07:25 > 0:07:28It's actually taking a bite of the stick.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Incredible stuff.
0:07:36 > 0:07:41As for what I think about sharks and their lack of danger to humans,
0:07:41 > 0:07:45they're still a predator that's right at the top of their game,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48and you can see why.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Nothing rivals them.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02That was remarkable.
0:08:02 > 0:08:08Anybody thinks that sharks are mindless killers can think again.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11I mean, even when there's loads of food in the water
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and they're thrashing around, teeth and sharks everywhere,
0:08:14 > 0:08:16they still leave us well alone.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18That said, if you were a fish in there,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21and you were faced with that face full of teeth
0:08:21 > 0:08:23and those incredibly manoeuvrable bodies,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25you wouldn't stand a chance.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29And that's why the lemon shark is definitely going on the Deadly 60.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Can I go back in now?
0:08:31 > 0:08:34THEY LAUGH Did you enjoy that?
0:08:36 > 0:08:39Super-sensitive electro sensors
0:08:39 > 0:08:40enable them to track their prey
0:08:40 > 0:08:42better than any submarine,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44and they have the weapons
0:08:44 > 0:08:45to finish it off.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47The lemon shark.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:08:53 > 0:08:56E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk