0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:05 > 0:00:07You can call me Steve.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I'm on a mission to find the Deadly 60.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14That's 60 deadly creatures.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16I'm travelling all over the world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20And you're coming with me every step of the way.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Shark!
0:00:29 > 0:00:32There's nowhere in the world better to go looking for wildlife
0:00:32 > 0:00:36than the tropical rainforests. And we're in one of the best on earth...
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Borneo.
0:00:38 > 0:00:44And I'll give you three guesses why they call it the rainforest.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49It may well be wet but it's also hot.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52And that's what makes Borneo's tropical rainforest
0:00:52 > 0:00:54so amazing for wildlife.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04And I'm here with my crew. James, Johnny, Rosie, Nick
0:01:04 > 0:01:06and our guide Eric.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10And we're on the search for animals to add to our Deadly 60 list.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15Inland from here are some of the planet's creepiest creatures.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And to find them we're headed deep into the forest using the rivers -
0:01:18 > 0:01:22the forest's natural highways.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25So, for us, taking a boat down these little rivers
0:01:25 > 0:01:28is the absolute best way to come into contact with animals.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33'Along the way we're hoping to see other contenders for the list.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38'We've not been journeying long when we see not a deadly,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40'but an iconic animal.'
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Ah, oh!
0:01:43 > 0:01:45The old man of the forest -
0:01:45 > 0:01:46the orang-utan.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Despite the orang-utan being the most famous animal in Borneo,
0:01:54 > 0:01:58to actually see one like this totally genuinely in the wild
0:01:58 > 0:02:00is really very unusual.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04And particularly a big fully grown male like this.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11You can tell he's a male because the face is very broad and flattened.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15Looks almost like he's run full speed into a milk truck.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19And apparently females find that very attractive.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Great stuff but things are about to get tougher
0:02:24 > 0:02:26as we leave the relative comfort of the boat
0:02:26 > 0:02:28and head into the forest on foot.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30My rucksack is so heavy, hey?
0:02:33 > 0:02:36We're travelling to a cave system we've been told is the home
0:02:36 > 0:02:39to some truly deadly predators.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43On the way we pick up some friends that want to have us for dinner.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Only we're on the menu.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49It's a very common creature round here,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53which sucks the blood of just about anything it can get a hold of.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56And I absolutely hate them.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58'It's a tiger leach.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'They'll wait in positions just like this
0:03:01 > 0:03:03'for something warm blooded to wander past.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08'And then they'll drop off and get stuck in to a nice blood meal.'
0:03:08 > 0:03:10They sense the warmth of our bodies
0:03:10 > 0:03:14and also the carbon dioxide we breathe out.
0:03:14 > 0:03:15Watch this.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23You can see him start to move towards the source
0:03:23 > 0:03:26of the carbon dioxide, which is me.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And the blood meal I've got inside of me.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32They are absolutely hideous.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Look, see him start to walk?
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Yup, there you go.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43Now, I want to do a little bit of a scientific experiment here.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45There's six of us here.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48We're going to wander through the forest for about ten minutes
0:03:48 > 0:03:51and see how many of these little beauties we can pick up.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Come on, guys. I mean, at least...
0:03:53 > 0:03:56at least do a little bit. Roll your trousers up or something. Come on.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58Pale English legs here.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- Come on, Nick.- What about you?
0:04:01 > 0:04:04- Only joking. - Right, let's go get them.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07'This is going to be a real test for the crew.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11'Are they tough enough for the jungle trek
0:04:11 > 0:04:13'and for what lies ahead?'
0:04:13 > 0:04:16I hate them. They're horrible.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18- Does it hurt? - Ah, Steve's got one on his leg.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22I'm a little concerned about how far this one's going up.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25It's prowling around your neck at the moment.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27This one's pretty impressive.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32I'm getting quite attached to it.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Oh, no.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38- That is just disgusting. - This is a health warning.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41The following scene could seriously put you off your tea.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44I've got two on my nipple.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Oh, they're horrible.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50He's drinking, man. He's properly drinking.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52THEY LAUGH
0:04:52 > 0:04:54I can hear it looking.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58So, me and the crew have all got a good covering
0:04:58 > 0:05:00of these disgusting leeches.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04But there's one question I know you're dying to ask.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07How do you get rid of them?
0:05:07 > 0:05:11The best way to get rid of them is to take a finger nail or a knife.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18And just scrape beneath the head.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20And they should just come off like that
0:05:20 > 0:05:23without leaving any of their mouth parts behind.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25The other alternative
0:05:25 > 0:05:29is just to leave them until they're full and they fall off.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32But not many people have got the guts to do that.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35OK, my crew have proved that they're tough enough.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39And they're going to need to be for what's coming next.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47'This is Gomantong Cave,
0:05:47 > 0:05:49'one of the world's largest cave systems.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53'In the daytime the skies around the caves are full of birds
0:05:53 > 0:05:56'called swifts. By night the birds give way
0:05:56 > 0:05:58'to a truly awesome predator.'
0:05:58 > 0:06:03The next animal we're looking for is one that people all over the world
0:06:03 > 0:06:05are absolutely terrified of,
0:06:05 > 0:06:08which is crazy because they don't do us any harm whatsoever.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12But they are one of the world's greatest predators of insects.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14They're bats.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17In this cave there's around two million of them.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19I'm going to go see if I can get a closer look.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25'Bats are nocturnal hunters, so right now they're roosting,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29'which means that I have to wait for nightfall.'
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Living in this part of the world, you would not want to be an insect.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Every one of these bats is equipped with an echo location system.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45It's very much like a sonar on a submarine.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47You've probably seen it in movies.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49You hear a sound - bop!
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Which disappears off into the distance.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54And it bounces back off objects that are in front of it.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59In a bat that click can reverberate off the smallest of insects.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Even something as small as a midge.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06And the sound pattern that comes back tells the bat
0:07:06 > 0:07:09exactly where it is and then bam!
0:07:09 > 0:07:11The bat catches the insect.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Every one of the bats that lives in this cave
0:07:15 > 0:07:20can catch its entire bodyweight in insects in one night.
0:07:20 > 0:07:24'Now, that's so incredible I'm going to have to say that again.'
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Every one of the bats that lives in this cave
0:07:28 > 0:07:33can catch its entire bodyweight in insects in one night.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37Eating your own bodyweight in insects?
0:07:37 > 0:07:40That's like you eating thousands of burgers every night.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43So bats are fantastic insect predators
0:07:43 > 0:07:46but there's something else that's remarkable
0:07:46 > 0:07:49about the way bats are put together.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51'You see it all around you in this cave.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53'When they're not flying,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57'bats generally rest high up and hanging down.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01'When they want to fly again they simply let go and accelerate
0:08:01 > 0:08:05'quickly, allowing them to get into their flying position easily.'
0:08:05 > 0:08:07Now, I'm a mammal just like a bat.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10So, let's see how long I can hang on for.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16I can't quite believe I'm doing this.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Right. OK.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26So I'm hanging on using muscle power.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28And beneath me at the moment...
0:08:28 > 0:08:32well, it's about 90 metres down to the floor of the cave,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35which is a long way.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38I've been hanging on for not long,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42probably 15, 20 seconds
0:08:42 > 0:08:43and already
0:08:43 > 0:08:47this steel wire's cutting into my fingers.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Bit frightened
0:08:49 > 0:08:51by quite how far down it is at the moment.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56Now, bats can do this
0:08:56 > 0:08:58for a very, very long time.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01They don't use their muscles like I'm doing.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Instead they switch on their talons
0:09:05 > 0:09:06or their claws.
0:09:06 > 0:09:10'Bats' ligaments and muscles work differently to ours.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12'If you relax your hand, it will fall open.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16'When a bat relaxes its claws it does the opposite, and clenches up.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20'So even when asleep they're in no danger of letting go
0:09:20 > 0:09:23'and they can hang on for hours.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26'Whilst, me, on the other hand...'
0:09:26 > 0:09:29I think I'm about to go... ah!
0:09:31 > 0:09:33Whoa.
0:09:33 > 0:09:34Phew!
0:09:34 > 0:09:39That is a very long way down.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Being as we proved that I can't hang out for hours on end,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48I've got myself this contraption.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50It's called a port-a-ledge.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53So I'm just going to clamber into this and wait for the show to start.
0:09:53 > 0:09:57Ah! Now all I need to do is sit here and wait for the bats.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06As the sun goes down, the night shift is about to start.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Look at this.
0:10:11 > 0:10:17It's just bat crazy.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21They're mostly wrinkle-lipped bats,
0:10:22 > 0:10:27which are a very peculiar-looking creature up close.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30There's absolutely thousands of them.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34And the noise in here is just raising by the second.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36You can probably hear it roaring behind us.
0:10:36 > 0:10:42Usually this time of the early evening is when you start to slap on
0:10:42 > 0:10:46the mozzy repellent because there are so many bugs around.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49But up here we haven't been bitten once.
0:10:49 > 0:10:57We are just surrounded by insect-eating machines.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02All these bats now are starting to gather in these caverns
0:11:02 > 0:11:04and pretty soon they're going to head out
0:11:04 > 0:11:06in great long spiralling flocks
0:11:06 > 0:11:10to go and feast on the insects around here.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12This is incredible!
0:11:15 > 0:11:18I have never seen so many bats in my entire life.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25'With well over two million ravenous bats,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28'it takes them a full hour to leave the cave.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31'Once in the open they make a defensive formation,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34'creating a huge black pulsating cloud.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38'And when they reach a critical size,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41'they head to the rain forest
0:11:41 > 0:11:46'to gorge themselves on billions and billions of insects.'
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Every flying insect for miles around here
0:12:01 > 0:12:04is going to be in big trouble tonight.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08And that's why wrinkle-lipped bats are going on the Deadly 60.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17Lightning fast and agile, as well as having incredible echo location,
0:12:17 > 0:12:22bats are some of the most fearsome aerial predators on the planet.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Definitely on my Deadly 60.
0:12:28 > 0:12:34'So we know Gomantong Cave is home to millions and millions of bats
0:12:34 > 0:12:38'and swifts. But the cave floor is also teaming with wildlife.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42'The only problem is it's 100 metres below me.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44'I' d better get my climbing gear on.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47'Oh, and if you don't like heights
0:12:47 > 0:12:50'and creepy crawlies, you'd better look away...now.'
0:12:50 > 0:12:51'Good to go, Steve.
0:12:51 > 0:12:55'We're good to go. Over?'
0:12:55 > 0:13:00Wow, what a place!
0:13:06 > 0:13:07Look at that.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13The air is just thick with swifts.
0:13:13 > 0:13:20This would have to be one of the most beautiful places
0:13:20 > 0:13:22I've ever seen.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24This is incredible.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29They're tiny little swifts, just flying up into their nests.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32They seem totally unafraid of me.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40They're no more than a metre away from where I'm hanging.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Yet they're just dropping into their nests
0:13:42 > 0:13:43right in front of me.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46Now, some of these nests have got eggs in them.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Little eggs, about the size of a peanut.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52Look at that one there.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56'It's truly extraordinary seeing the bats
0:13:56 > 0:14:00'and swifts 100 metres up on a rope.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03'But I can't wait to see the cave floor.'
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Up in the roof of the cave
0:14:05 > 0:14:08with the bats and the birds circling around you,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10it's kind of like paradise.
0:14:10 > 0:14:16But all those birds and two million bats create an awful lot of poo.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18And that falls down here, on the cave floor.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22So, if up there's heaven then down is a kind of hell.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27But there are some deadly creatures that absolutely love it.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34It smells incredibly strong. And in fact anyone that
0:14:34 > 0:14:37works in this cave for too long has to wear protective clothing.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Which explains why my crew
0:14:41 > 0:14:44are all dressed like weird Oompa-loompas.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47'The crew have been working down here much longer than me.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50'That's why they're wearing the suits and I'm not.'
0:14:50 > 0:14:52And this big hill
0:14:52 > 0:14:55that I'm walking up here isn't actually a hill at all.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59See, all those creatures up there
0:14:59 > 0:15:02obviously have to go to the toilet sometime.
0:15:02 > 0:15:07And over hundreds of years, it's built up into this gigantic
0:15:07 > 0:15:10pile of what's called guano.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12'Yup, if you haven't already guessed it,
0:15:12 > 0:15:17'I'm standing on the world's largest pile of poo.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19'And it stinks!'
0:15:19 > 0:15:20If you look over the other side,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23you can see the ground seems to be moving.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27It's almost like there's thousands of little jewels.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30The reason the floor appears to be moving
0:15:30 > 0:15:35is that it's absolutely covered with cockroaches.
0:15:37 > 0:15:43I have never seen anything so disgusting in my entire life.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52Every single square inch of ground is covered in these creatures.
0:15:56 > 0:16:01Now, cockroaches are absolutely amazing animals.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05They are some of the world's greatest survivors.
0:16:05 > 0:16:11Cockroaches it's said can live for over a week without their heads.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15They really are some of the greatest developed insects in the world.
0:16:15 > 0:16:19But at the same time they're also absolutely hideous.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Here in this cave
0:16:24 > 0:16:27all of this wonderful dung is perfect food for them.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29And there's something else here
0:16:29 > 0:16:32that's even better food for cockroaches.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Occasionally some of the bats and birds don't make it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40And they fall down to the cave floor and become food for the cockroaches.
0:16:40 > 0:16:45These here are actually flesh eating bugs.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55This possibly is one of the nastiest places on the planet.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57But there's another creature here
0:16:57 > 0:17:01which actually eats these cockroaches for breakfast.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03And it's them that we're here to find.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06'But to find this cockroach killer,
0:17:06 > 0:17:10'I'm going to have to descend even further into the darkness
0:17:10 > 0:17:11'of the cave system below.
0:17:11 > 0:17:16'This place is definitely not for the faint-hearted.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24'And it looks like my next critter has already had its breakfast.'
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Of all of the horrors that live
0:17:30 > 0:17:34in this absolutely nightmarish place,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37down here is perhaps the most frightening.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40And it's the animal that I'm suggesting for the Deadly 60.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48Oh, crumbs! I have to say I absolutely hate them.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50There you go. Ah! Ha! Ha!
0:17:50 > 0:17:53That one just ran over my hand.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- OK, right. I'm going to be more gutsy this time.- Careful.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59There's one other side of that rock.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05This is scutigera or the long-legged centipede.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08I think there's another one on the other side of the rock as well.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12So I'm being very careful about how I handle this.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15It is quite venomous.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17One of the guys living in the area was bitten
0:18:17 > 0:18:20by one of these centipedes not so long ago
0:18:20 > 0:18:22and spent a week in hospital
0:18:22 > 0:18:24so I'm taking care not to get bitten.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27They actually have like most centipedes...
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Ah! It just ran over my arm.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Sounds obvious but one of the main challenges, of living in a cave,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41is the dark. And the fact that you can't actually see anything.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Scutigera still manages to be an incredible hunter
0:18:44 > 0:18:50by using its long legs.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56You can see as it moves, it'll just stop
0:18:56 > 0:18:59and tap some of those legs over the rock's surface.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05What it's doing is using each and every one of those feet
0:19:05 > 0:19:09to feel everything about the surface it's moving on.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Building up a real mental picture of its environment.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15And if there's anything there that it might be able to eat.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30'It can grow as long as my forearm, has a mightily venomous bite,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33'and with those long legs, there's nothing down here
0:19:33 > 0:19:35'that can escape it.'
0:19:39 > 0:19:42And nothing that's more guaranteed to give you nightmares.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47So scutigera is going on the Deadly 60.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50And I'm going somewhere else.
0:19:56 > 0:20:00A truly terrifying cave predator.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Venomous, creepily quick and one of the most frightening creatures
0:20:04 > 0:20:07I've seen on the Deadly 60.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13'It's an unbelievable relief
0:20:13 > 0:20:15'for the team to be back in the fresh forest air
0:20:15 > 0:20:18'and searching for the next animal on my list.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22'I'm after a reticulated python, the world's longest snake,
0:20:22 > 0:20:27'and one that could probably kill me and then swallow me whole.'
0:20:28 > 0:20:31The reticulated python is an ambush predator.
0:20:31 > 0:20:37So it lies in wait for its prey to get too close and bang!
0:20:37 > 0:20:40Like a flying lasso, it ensnares its victim
0:20:40 > 0:20:42in enough coils to constrict it,
0:20:42 > 0:20:46stopping it breathing before it smothers them with its huge jaws
0:20:46 > 0:20:47and devours it whole.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Grisly!
0:20:51 > 0:20:56It's a common misconception that in the jungle every single branch
0:20:56 > 0:20:59of every single tree is dripping with snakes.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Much as I wish that was true, unfortunately it isn't.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07The particular snake we're looking for here is the largest
0:21:07 > 0:21:10in the world. But that doesn't mean it's any easier to find.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15In fact, its whole hunting strategy revolves around it staying hidden.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17We could be in for quite a tough time.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28'We've spotted our first snake. It's not a reticulated python
0:21:28 > 0:21:30'but it's an absolute beauty.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33'So I'll try and give you a closer look.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37'But that might not be as easy as it sounds.'
0:21:37 > 0:21:39And... Yeah, good catch, James.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42THEY LAUGH
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Look at the speed of that!
0:21:44 > 0:21:47'If at first you don't succeed, try...'
0:21:47 > 0:21:48I'm going to get this...
0:21:48 > 0:21:49'Try again.'
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Yes! Well done.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03That is what I call a team effort.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Good job, James.
0:22:05 > 0:22:08Just keep him down in the... See if I can pin the head.
0:22:13 > 0:22:21Ah, this is the mangrove cat snake and it gets its name from the eyes.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24There's a slit which runs right down the middle of the eye,
0:22:24 > 0:22:26just exactly like you'd see on a cat.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Look at the tongue going absolutely berserk.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33It's because in this situation there's so much going on
0:22:33 > 0:22:34this snake wants to find out.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36And it's primary method of doing that is its tongue.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40It's tasting, smelling everything that's going on around us.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Probably smelling Johnny, smelling my sweat.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47The snake's tongue is definitely its primary method of finding out
0:22:47 > 0:22:49what's going on in the world around it.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52And I think it should go back in its tree.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55The mangrove cat snake is a truly beautiful snake,
0:22:55 > 0:22:59but not in the same league as the reticulated python.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02So it's back to the search and back in the boat.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12'We search and we search.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18'And in the end we ask the locals for some help.'
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Excuse me, I was wondering if you could tell me
0:23:21 > 0:23:24where I could find a big snake? Whoa!
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Hello there, mate.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30I think that means go away.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32'So we head off again.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37'And we look and we look. But we start to run out of time.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39'And realise that maybe we're not going to see
0:23:39 > 0:23:42'one of these incredible snakes in the wild.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46'But we do have a trick up our sleeve.'
0:23:46 > 0:23:49Right. Well, I know Deadly 60 is about wild animals.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53But you cannot say we didn't try and find our big snake in the wild.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56It just didn't happen. Luckily though, Eric, our guide,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00knows someone who does have exactly the snake we've been looking for.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04And I've heard that it's quite a big one. So let's have a look.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05- Hi, Steve.- Hi, hi, how you doing?
0:24:05 > 0:24:08Hello, hello. Hey, Eric.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Can I, can I take it out?
0:24:11 > 0:24:13OK, let's have a look.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18Ah, yeah, that is a big snake.
0:24:18 > 0:24:19That is a very big snake.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Is it OK for me to take out?
0:24:23 > 0:24:27So, this is a big reticulated python
0:24:27 > 0:24:34and he really is big.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36Crumbs, that's heavy!
0:24:36 > 0:24:38That's really heavy.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40OK, right.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Reticulated python is the longest snake in the world.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Believe it or not, the anaconda
0:24:45 > 0:24:48from South America can get larger and heavier...
0:24:48 > 0:24:50A heavier body than this.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54But in terms of pure length, the reticulated python has it.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56I have to say,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59this is the thickest heaviest-bodied retic' I've ever seen.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02'So what does "reticulated" actually mean?
0:25:02 > 0:25:05'Well, reticulated means netted
0:25:05 > 0:25:08'and it refers to the snake's blocky diamond-shaped pattern.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10'Which is part of its camouflage.'
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Crikey!
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I tell you what, it's a good job it's quite tame, isn't it?
0:25:15 > 0:25:17If this was snappy, I wouldn't be quite so keen
0:25:17 > 0:25:19to be handling it like this. Do I need to worry
0:25:19 > 0:25:23- when its head starts heading towards me like that.- No.- No?
0:25:23 > 0:25:24- He's getting used to you.- Yeah.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28So this snake's been held in captivity for about 15 years.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31So it's not very aggressive. Believe me,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34I would not be handling it like this if this was wild snake.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36This is a reticulated python
0:25:36 > 0:25:39I found a few years ago, living under a bridge in a village.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42The locals asked me to take it back to the forest,
0:25:42 > 0:25:44as it had been eating their chickens.
0:25:44 > 0:25:49This one was only about eight feet long, but was incredibly aggressive.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58Normally they eat wild boar, pigs and birds.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01But they are confirmed people killers. So, naturally,
0:26:01 > 0:26:04the locals were worried that it could eat their children.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08This one was killed several years ago by villagers
0:26:08 > 0:26:10who thought it had done exactly that.
0:26:10 > 0:26:16But when they looked inside it was fortunately a wild boar.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21The reticulated python can get to be actually much bigger than this.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26The longest recorded specimen was about 28 feet. This one's about 20.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30So it would be an extra me plus a bit more.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34And I have to say this isn't even constricting me.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38But just the pure weight and power of it. Look at that on my leg.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41This is how the reticulated python kills its prey,
0:26:41 > 0:26:43by wrapping some coils around the animal
0:26:43 > 0:26:47and as it breathes out the retic' just clenches a little bit more.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51And every time the animal breathes out it clenches more and more
0:26:51 > 0:26:54until eventually there is just no lung space left
0:26:54 > 0:26:55and the animal suffocates.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02Looking at this wondrous, monstrous snake,
0:27:02 > 0:27:07the longest snake in the world, there is absolutely no doubt
0:27:07 > 0:27:11that the reticulated python has got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Awesome!
0:27:18 > 0:27:23Huge they may be but it's the super fast lasso attack
0:27:23 > 0:27:28and its lethal squeeze that gets it on the Deadly 60.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Now, that's a big snake.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Deadly 60!
0:27:45 > 0:27:48Join me next time when I continue my quest
0:27:48 > 0:27:51to find the Deadly 60.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:04 > 0:28:07E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk