Malaysia Deadly 60

My name's Steve Backshall.

You can call me Steve.

I'm on a mission to find the Deadly 60 -

that's 60 deadly creatures.

I'm travelling all over the world...

and you're coming with me every step of the way.

Shark!

This time on Deadly 60 we're with the sea gypsies of Borneo.

It's here!

Some of the happiest, smiliest, friendliest people on the planet.

I have absolutely no idea what we're going to find on this programme.

But trust me - we're going to get wet!

Argh!

The seas here are full of deadly animals.

To find them, I've got to look in three main areas -

the shallows near the beach, further out on the coral reef

and further still, the open ocean.

'The local sea gypsies spend their entire lives'

living in boats on the water.

To get an idea of what creatures I might find,

I'm going to start with them.

HE SPEAKS LOCAL DIALECT

Ah, right. So I just asked how many people are living on board this boat.

There's ten. Ten people who spend their whole lives

on this one rather wonderful all-wooden boat.

Obviously, when you spend your entire life at sea,

the vast majority of food is going to be seafood.

This is a bit of a selection of the things they've been catching.

Look at that!

THAT bizarre looking creature... is a slipper lobster.

Wow.

Let's see what other goodies they've got in here.

Wow.

'That tail slap can propel the lobster

'through the water at a furious pace.

'It's a great way to get away from predators.'

Up on the roof, I'm going to see what Dad's preparing from the day's catch.

Because they don't have any electricity, so no refrigeration,

the best way of keeping fish so that it can still be eaten

is to dry it in the sun.

So this roof is covered with all different kinds of fish,

but mostly these - blue-spotted stingrays.

Seeing all of these creatures gives me a clue as to what's in the sea.

'Time to splash down and find some contenders for my Deadly 60 list.'

Obviously, it's far better to see animals

when they're in their natural state and alive.

We've got all of this high-tech kit to get us down there and keep

us there as long as possible,

all of this scuba equipment plus some amazing fancy looking cameras,

and this, it's a special scuba mask which has a microphone inside,

which means you can hear every single word

I'm talking while I'm underwater.

The first place I'm looking may seem a bit weird - it's an old oil rig.

Why dive there? Well, it's famous locally for ambush predators.

Those are deadly killers that all hunt in a similar way,

using stealth and camouflage, so keep your eyes peeled.

Diving with me are two cameramen, Simon and Chris.

Keeping us safe are dive buddies, James...

and Jimmy.

Simon's first in. But it's not long until I can have a bit of a dip.

This is the big blue.

Absolutely dazzling.

Wow!

Huge piles of junk like this

might look like a great big rubbish tip, but underwater,

sometimes they can prove a great home for animals like this.

This is one of the best disguised - our most dangerous fish on the reef.

This is a...

It's a superlative hunter.

It tends to do most of its real hunting at night when it gets dark.

This time of the day you can really appreciate

its incredible camouflage, though.

What's interesting is that as I'm getting close to it

and it can feel me and it's feeling a little bit threatened by me...

..all of those dorsal spines are going up on its back.

At the base of each one of those is a venom gland

with a really, really potent toxin.

People who have been stung by this fish

have called it the worst pain on the planet.

While I've been talking about this superb ambush predator

with great camouflage,

there is an even better one just here. Look at this!

Now this beautiful creature is a...

You might be struggling to see it at the moment

and I'm not surprised, because it is,

I think, one of the most extraordinarily well-hidden creatures

on the reef.

With a big flat snout on it, it does look like a crocodile.

Oh, it's moving.

All of a sudden.

In that split second when he starts moving,

then he becomes very, very clear.

And then he settles,

and you wouldn't see him again.

Great stuff.

Ah, wow!

Look at that!

I've never seen one of these before.

It's got to be one of the weirdest creatures in the sea.

It's a....

This is the ultimate ambush predator.

It's all about just waiting

for food to come to it.

What it does, the frogfish will wait until it comes really, really close

and bam, grab a hold of anything that's too close.

Oh, hang on. Ha-ha!

I can't believe I missed this.

That's number one -

there's another one down there!

This is a totally different giant frogfish.

Same creature but just a different colour.

Look at that!

I actually wonder if this is a male and a female.

I'm sat here talking about this one for ages

and that one under there, I completely missed it.

It just proves how good the camouflage is on these creatures.

You wouldn't want to be a little fish here.

There are ambush predators everywhere.

I can't sit here all day waiting for them to hunt,

because I'd run out of air.

So it's back to the surface.

This is like diving in the world's biggest aquarium.

How on earth am I going to choose my Deadly 60 creature out of that?

Every single thing down there is deadly!

I like it here, quite a lot!

If you had to pick one,

-and I'm forcing you to pick one, what would it be?

-Erm...!

Erm...!

Erm...!

Well, for once I'm totally indecisive and can't make up my mind,

so we return to base.

And then as the sun went down,

hanging around in the lights of the dive centre was an animal

that practically made the decision for me.

Simon the cameraman and I just had to get in and film it.

Out here on the sea bottom...

is one of the most beautiful predators

that you'll find anywhere in the sea.

This incredible creature is a lionfish.

It's a superlative predator.

Those huge fans that he has held out to the side

and the spines all down the top of his back

are all super sharp.

And at the base of them is a venom gland

packed with poison.

All of that can be very dangerous to something large

that might threaten the lionfish.

But when it's catching its prey,

it just relies on speed and super powerful strike.

Oh, dear -

there's a small fish over here.

It really doesn't know the kind of trouble it's getting itself into.

The lionfish has spotted it.

This could be trouble.

It's moving in.

Oh! Oh!

Unbelievable!

Can you see the speed of that strike?

That is so cool!

Oh, look, it's about to happen again.

I have a feeling it could well be dinner time.

Oh, no. Don't do it! Don't do it!

You're in so much trouble.

He did it again!

This is just unbelievable.

Astounding display of feeding... I think, I've ever seen.

All of the light we are creating here

is attracting all of these tiny little fish.

That's like an all-you-can-eat buffet for the lionfish.

They can just hang around until the perfect bite-size morsel turns up.

It's kind of hard for us, myself and the cameraman -

we really have to watch where we're kicking our fins

and putting out hands, because those venomous spines...

well, they could actually be pretty dangerous even to a person.

Certainly the sting would be as powerful as many venomous snakes.

Almost everything leaves the lionfish alone.

It's not surprising really.

Oh!

Oh! Unbelievable!

Well, I reckon in its way

that's every bit as impressive

as watching ACTUAL lions hunting in Africa.

They have lethal venomous spines.

Nobody messes with a lionfish.

They're one of the fastest striking fish I've ever seen.

They're kind of like ninjas in stripy orange pyjamas,

and the lionfish is definitely going on the Deadly 60.

With defensive venomous spines

that can cripple a person just with pain alone

and a super fast gulp,

seeing these lionfish hunt in front of me

has earned them a spot on the Deadly 60.

I've done my buddy check. Fine.

Jim and Steve will do theirs.

'The waters around these tropical islands are berserk with wildlife.

'But to give myself the best chance of finding the deadly ones,

'we're cutting through the waves bound for the coral reef.'

Most of the places we go to on the Deadly 60

we're going out with a good idea of the sort of animals

we're likely to find,

but it just isn't like that when you're diving.

Especially on a coral reef, where anything can turn up.

Really, the next dive I could find a tiny brightly coloured fish

I've never seen before the size of my finger,

or I could get chased by a shark the size of the boat.

You just never know what you're going to find,

and that's what makes it so much fun.

A coral reef is a living thing.

Well, actually several billion living things,

all clustered together like some undersea city.

The building blocks of the city are the shell-like skeletons

of millions of microscopic animals

that have built up over thousands of years.

The lumps of coral provide shelter and some surprising animals.

Wow! This is something you don't see very often -

a turtle properly sleeping.

Look at that!

Sea turtles can sleep underwater,

because they can stay submerged for three hours!

The reef's not just about shelter.

Because it's a living thing, there are animals that will eat it.

Look at this!

These are...

As you can see, they're feeding on the coral,

munching it down with their hard beaks.

These bumphead parrotfish are about half as big as me.

They graze on the reef like cows graze on a field

and poo out a fine powder that ends up as sand on tropical beaches.

But some reef fish eat even stranger things for dinner.

These plate-shaped fish are called batfish.

They're well-known for hanging around

where there's lots of turtles, feeding...

Well, there's no nice way of putting this -

they eat turtle poo.

It seems like a weird way to make a living.

Speaking of turtles, it seems our sleepy friend has woken up.

What a wonderful creature.

It doesn't get much more beautiful than that.

There are so many beautiful animals here,

I just don't know where to look. But the reef has a dark side.

Already, I can see clues that there are deadly predators about.

See what happens.

As a large fish gets close...

..they all disappear into the coral.

The tiny fish duck into the shelter of the reef as I pass.

I'd never be able to catch them,

but there are plenty of fish around here that could.

These are...

They're a very fast-moving fish,

sticking together and hunting in huge silvery schools like this.

It's an amazing sensation to be totally immersed in fish like this.

Nothing wants to get caught in the open by these guys.

And then another silent hunter, a white-tip reef shark.

How about that! I tell you what, I've not seen that before.

It's almost as if the trevally are mobbing him.

The trevally mob the shark like a small bird will mob a bird of prey,

driving it from their territory.

The powerful shark gives way to the greater number of trevally.

And he's gone!

The coral city is buzzing with life

and a fair few candidates for my Deadly 60 list.

Before I decide, I want to dive when it's dark

and check out the night life.

At night, the sea changes character completely.

Plant-feeding animals hide away, and the predators start to hunt,

which means more deadly animals.

Loads of creatures with teeth, stings and tentacles,

all out looking for food.

I'm approaching very slowly.

Very purposely...

..because what lives in this hole here

is an animal I've been trying to find

for many years.

One of the most remarkable creatures

you'll find anywhere around here

and possibly THE most amazing hunter.

It's called the mantis shrimp.

Let's see if we can get it out to play.

Shrimp by name, but certainly not by nature, this is a lethal assassin.

Oh!

That was absolutely remarkable!

The mantis shrimp strikes!

It's back in its hole.

Wow!

Ha-ha!

When they come out and they catch that shrimp

just like a preying mantis would.

In fact, this stunning killer is neither mantis

nor even a true shrimp.

Some species are known as thumb splitters

for the damage they've done to divers.

Ouch!

Any small fish that gets too close to the burrow is going to be history!

But today, my thumbs are not on the menu!

It's the king of ambush predators,

waiting patiently for its prey...

then bang, the mantis shrimp uses its claws like some medieval weapon

to stun, then impale its victim before dismantling and devouring it.

Ah!

That...was so fast!

I've heard it said that that strike

can be as fast and have as much power as a small-calibre bullet.

I can't say I disagree.

It has to be one of the most stunning animals you'll find around here.

The mantis shrimp -

absolutely awe-inspiring!

With some species punching with the power of a bullet,

the mantis shrimp is one awesome animal -

wicked weapons, scintillating speed.

One of my favourite Deadly 60 stars.

Between all of the diving, we hang out with the Badajoz sea gypsies

who live on the island and in the sea around the reef.

Hello!

The world beneath their boats is a multi-coloured dream

of dazzling marine creatures. But for the moment,

the most fascinating thing to them is our cameras.

We've had a tip-off. There's one place around here

that attracts the largest, most powerful predators,

so that's exactly where we're diving now, to find my last deadly animal.

It's not far from the reef. In fact, it's the edge of it.

The reef really feels like home...

..when just at the end of it you've got this.

The drop off.

This is where the reef meets the open ocean.

The drop off disappears 600 metres straight down into the abyss.

It gives you vertigo.

It's like stepping off the edge of a cliff

with the big blue beneath you.

There are still plenty of fish here, but they daren't stray too far

from the wall, because the open ocean is full of lethal killers.

In keeping closer to the coral, it keeps them safe from the big fish

with the big teeth.

And then looming out of the deep blue,

one of the fastest assassins in the sea.

Steve, check out the fish up above you.

Dogtooth tuna - with power, speed and sharp teeth, this is the real deal.

It's swimming straight at our cameraman -

look at that! Gulping, his mouth open.

Wonderful stuff!

I love it!

Fierce hunters stalk the depths, just waiting

for a small fish to stray too far from home.

This is another one of the speed merchants of the sea.

It's a giant trevally.

There's another one over there as well.

Look at the size of him!

Absolutely huge.

They're exceptional hunters.

At the moment, they're just curling along the outside...

..looking for something to snap up.

No way I'm keeping up with them.

Cruising through crystal seas, the sun cuts down through the blue.

Then suddenly, it seemed a huge cloud blocked out the sun.

But it wasn't a cloud.

It was one of the world's most awe-inspiring wildlife spectacles.

That is the largest school of barracuda I've ever seen.

This is absolutely dazzling.

One of the meanest...

fastest, fiercest fish in the sea.

And I've never seen so many of them.

Ha-ha-ha!

That is unbelievable!

Absolutely surrounded by them.

I've never seen anything like it!

They're almost surrounding me in a circle.

Spinning around and around.

This is absolutely dazzling.

Barracuda are all about teeth.

They have two sets - the huge long teeth at the front are used to grab

their prey, but the real damage is done by the teeth at the back.

They act like scissors, cutting prey in half in a single bite.

Even sharks can't do that.

When you're diving with barracuda, it's wise to keep your hands

tucked in and don't show off silvery items like watches,

otherwise they might mistake it for a small fish

and then you're going to lose your hand.

Look at them! There are thousands of them!

I've never seen anything like it!

Although they look totally effortless in the way they move,

actually they're really travelling quite fast.

I'm breathing pretty heavily just keeping up with them.

Barracuda -

definitely going on my Deadly 60.

Hanging around in whirlwind shoals,

lightning fast with terrifying teeth,

barracuda are the wolves of the sea.

We finished with the very best,

one of the most dazzling spectacles I've ever seen

and undoubtedly deadly.

Coming up next time, as I continue my search for the Deadly 60...

I have to say, I will treasure this forever.

Argh! Argh!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

E-mail [email protected]