0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06You can call me Steve.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12I'm on a mission to find the Deadly 60.
0:00:12 > 0:00:17That's 60 deadly creatures from around the world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And you're coming with me every step of the way.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23Ouch! Ha-ha! Whoa!
0:00:29 > 0:00:32This time on Deadly 60...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35we're here, in Brazil in South America.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40And this is the Amazon Rainforest, the largest jungle in the world.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43So what are we doing on a boat? Well, round here, this time of year,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46an awful lot of that forest is underwater.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53This will be our base for the next week.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57From it, the team and I will explore an area called the flooded forest.
0:00:57 > 0:01:02And it's exactly that - a gigantic jungle
0:01:02 > 0:01:05that for half the year is under millions of tons of water
0:01:05 > 0:01:07with just the tops of the trees showing.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Everything that lives here has adapted to the water.
0:01:13 > 0:01:14For the local people,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17boats are used for everything from doing the school run
0:01:17 > 0:01:19to picking up the shopping.
0:01:19 > 0:01:21The wildlife is very distinctive
0:01:21 > 0:01:23with amazing birds, mammals,
0:01:23 > 0:01:27reptiles, bugs and the odd fish or two.
0:01:27 > 0:01:29Quite a lot of them...are deadly.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36Usually on Deadly 60, we try to get back to basics
0:01:36 > 0:01:40and keep things as simple and basic as possible,
0:01:40 > 0:01:41but not this time.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Our Amazon river boat is absolutely beautiful.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54This is where we have all our quarters.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57That's one of the cabins in there. Very plush.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59This is the dining room -
0:01:59 > 0:02:02also doubling up as an edit suite at the moment.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07And if you come on down, try and make sure you don't hurt yourself...
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Someone fixing an engine, that isn't the engine that drives this boat.
0:02:14 > 0:02:18And...our boats.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20And this is going to be the important bit
0:02:20 > 0:02:22and he's a very important man.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24That's Dudu, he's going to be our guide.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Dudu is an expert in the local wildlife,
0:02:33 > 0:02:34especially fish.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37And he suggested we start looking for one particular suspect
0:02:37 > 0:02:40at one of the nearby floating villages.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46The fish we've come here to see is called the arapaima.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49It's a total legend in this part of the Amazon
0:02:49 > 0:02:55and it is a Leviathan, Goliath, gargantuan, that means big, fish.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59Only problem is that it's become endangered due to over fishing.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01So local people have decided the best way to save it,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05is to farm them in ponds like this.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09Somewhere in there is one of the biggest fish in the world.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13So to bring one of these big fish to the surface,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17apparently I need to use a little fish tied to a stick!
0:03:17 > 0:03:19It's technical stuff.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24I think they're over there is what's happening.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26Whoa!
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Whoa, look at that!
0:03:34 > 0:03:35Ooh!
0:03:38 > 0:03:39Whoa!
0:03:39 > 0:03:42That is a strong fish.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46STEVE LAUGHS
0:03:47 > 0:03:49I think we've had enough of a tease.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52- I think we should try and catch one, yes?- Yes.
0:03:52 > 0:03:53One, two, three...
0:03:56 > 0:03:58This is a bit nerve-racking, actually.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02To actually catch one, the fishermen's usual method
0:04:02 > 0:04:04is to walk a net across the pen.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06So, I'm going to join them.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11So there's probably about 30 fish in here.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Erm...they're all of them huge.
0:04:14 > 0:04:19And we're just trying to corral them in this end of the pen.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22There is a danger that they might leap out over the top of the net
0:04:22 > 0:04:25so we've got to watch what we're doing cos they're very big
0:04:25 > 0:04:29and, er, it could get interesting.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42We only need one, we only need one!
0:04:46 > 0:04:47Oh!
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Oh! I just got head-butted by an arapaima!
0:04:50 > 0:04:51Look at that!
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Absolutely extraordinary, prehistoric looking creature.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58The scientific name means bony-tongued
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and actually, the whole thing is pretty bony.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03The head is solid as a rock
0:05:03 > 0:05:07which I could attest to cos I just got slammed by it.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09It nearly knocked me out!
0:05:09 > 0:05:12That is magnificent.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Look at those red tints to the scales. It's beautiful!
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Kilos? Kilos?
0:05:18 > 0:05:2025 kilos.
0:05:20 > 0:05:2325 kilos, 25 kilos.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26This is about a tenth of the size that this fish can grow to.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31THEY LAUGH
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Yeah. I don't think I want to be handling anything bigger than that.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Oh... Obligado, obligado.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Stevie, you've actually got a cut right above your right eye, mate.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43I'm getting out of here.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46These are the biggest predatory fish in the Amazon,
0:05:46 > 0:05:48but that's not enough for my list.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51There's much deadlier stuff lurking in the flooded forest,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55so the team and I are going exploring in the smaller canoes.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03We had the strange sensation that we were being watched.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And then, from nowhere...
0:06:09 > 0:06:10SPLASHING
0:06:10 > 0:06:13..mysterious missiles came out of the tree tops,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15plummeting into the water around us.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19SPLASHING
0:06:19 > 0:06:23The animals threatening to sink the canoes were the huge iguanas
0:06:23 > 0:06:25watching us from the tree tops.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27They're quite canny, these iguanas.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30If they think they can get away with it, they'll just dive
0:06:30 > 0:06:33and it's like a fighter-bomber coming out of the sky
0:06:33 > 0:06:34and hitting the water.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Bizarre, yes. But mostly, plant eaters are not deadly.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40So we keep searching and I have one animal in mind.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Deadly 60's taken us all over the world looking for snakes.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46And one of the first things I try and say about snakes
0:06:46 > 0:06:49is that they're amazing predators and fascinating animals,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52but very rarely, if ever, dangerous to people.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55There is one snake that lives here in the flooded forest
0:06:55 > 0:06:57which is an exception to that rule.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59They're called the lanceheads.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02And I have to say it's one of the only snakes in the world
0:07:02 > 0:07:04that I'm genuinely frightened of.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07So we're going to move slowly and carefully and keep our eyes peeled.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14The lancehead, or fer-de-lance as they're sometimes known,
0:07:14 > 0:07:16are responsible for more human deaths in the Americas
0:07:16 > 0:07:20than any other snake, so we have every reason to go carefully.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Steve, snake!
0:07:25 > 0:07:27- Yes.- Right here, man.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29Right here as in where?
0:07:29 > 0:07:32- Here on this little branch. - Don't...stick...
0:07:32 > 0:07:34- I see it, I see it.- You see it?- OK.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39- Everyone move really, really carefully.- It's poisonous, man.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43It's definitely a lancehead.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46Let's not knock...knock this tree.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51OK, back me up just a little bit. Dudu, is it possible?
0:07:51 > 0:07:54I'm going to do everything very carefully and cautiously
0:07:54 > 0:07:57cos it would be a nightmare if someone got bitten out here.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Erm, Dudu, would you just edge me forward?
0:08:01 > 0:08:03No more than a couple of feet please, mate.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17Wow.
0:08:18 > 0:08:23This is...the velvety lancehead.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27All right, fella. It's all right.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29He's tasting it on the...
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Ooh, and just having a little nibble at the snake hook.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Probably looks like I'm squashing him here,
0:08:34 > 0:08:36especially when he's thrashing like that,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38but these snakes are sturdy and strong
0:08:38 > 0:08:40and I'm well away from his vital organs.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44This is easily the best way to comfortably handle the snake.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49I've been calling him a lancehead, you see he has a very thin neck.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54And the head is shaped like a spearhead
0:08:54 > 0:08:56and lance is an old word for a spear.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01It's without doubt the most dangerous snake to humans
0:09:01 > 0:09:06in all of Central and South America. It's bite is extremely powerful
0:09:06 > 0:09:10and it's all really down to the way that the fer-de-lance hunts.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13They stay very, very still for long periods of time,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15waiting for prey to wander close by.
0:09:15 > 0:09:21If by accident a person happens to step close to or on the lancehead,
0:09:21 > 0:09:22then they get bitten.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25The venom works almost instantaneously.
0:09:25 > 0:09:30and is not only extremely painful, but can very, very quickly cause...
0:09:30 > 0:09:34well, serious injury or even death. Phew!
0:09:35 > 0:09:36Dangerous, yes.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39But it's a magic moment nonetheless.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- Magnificent!- Well spotted.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51I'm almost certain that what he'll do is just drop into the water
0:09:51 > 0:09:52when he's released.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- WHISPERS:- Wow!
0:10:05 > 0:10:08This is the venomous snake that poses the most threat
0:10:08 > 0:10:10to every other creature in the flooded forest,
0:10:10 > 0:10:11including humans.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13Fiery attitude,
0:10:13 > 0:10:14a scintillating strike
0:10:14 > 0:10:16and vicious venom -
0:10:16 > 0:10:18the lancehead.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24We just found our first Deadly 60 animal
0:10:24 > 0:10:26and we're on our way back to the big boat,
0:10:26 > 0:10:28when we stumble on something.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30Stop steering, stop. Stop.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33Sat in front of me...
0:10:33 > 0:10:38is just a whole host of deadly stuff going on.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42This big patch of kind of weird furriness
0:10:42 > 0:10:47is not a whole bunch of vegetation.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48It isn't even one animal.
0:10:48 > 0:10:54In fact, it's probably about 40 or 50 caterpillars.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56They're called processionary caterpillars.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59At night-time, they'll head out in a single line,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03up and down these trees and branches cos it makes them look like a snake.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07Therefore, other animals are less likely to attack them.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09They're covered in hairs.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13And those hairs, if they get onto your skin, leave you with a burn
0:11:13 > 0:11:16which in some cases can last for three or four months.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18I've had them myself and it's absolutely hideous.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Honestly, three or four months later you get sweaty and you wipe them
0:11:22 > 0:11:24and you start itching all over again.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27But there's something else deadly here.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31Some of the caterpillars are covered in little white lumps.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36What's happened there, is that a special kind of parasitic wasp
0:11:36 > 0:11:38has laid its egg on these caterpillars,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41eggs on these caterpillars. And the larvae have hatched
0:11:41 > 0:11:44and started eating the caterpillars from the inside out.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48The really clever bit is that they leave all of the essential organs
0:11:48 > 0:11:52so that the caterpillar stays alive and therefore the meat stays fresh
0:11:52 > 0:11:55for the wasp larvae. It's all pretty hideous.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02With an environment like this that's so totally dominated by water,
0:12:02 > 0:12:05some of the most important animals are always going to be fish.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08And this part of the world has one of the most famous
0:12:08 > 0:12:11and the most savage on the planet.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13I give you the piranha.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16There are more than 30 species in the Amazon.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19Most can eat seeds and fruit, but let's be honest,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21we're not interested in them.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25We're after the ones that like eating flesh.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33They use their razor-sharp teeth to snap and tear
0:12:33 > 0:12:35at dead or living prey.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40Usually it's fish, but anything that falls into the water is fair game.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44Lizards, insects, birds, even mammals.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49Different species can shoal together in large numbers.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51And if they all decide to hunt together,
0:12:51 > 0:12:52that's an awful lot of teeth.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59So if these dark waters are absolutely infested with piranha,
0:12:59 > 0:13:03and trust me they are, you'd have to be insane to go swimming here.
0:13:03 > 0:13:06Or would you? Let me show you something.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10I'm going to pop on this strange underwater camera
0:13:10 > 0:13:14so you can see what I'm seeing and hop in.
0:13:25 > 0:13:30As you can see from the camera, the piranhas are staying well away.
0:13:31 > 0:13:33Do you reckon he's going to come back up, guys?
0:13:33 > 0:13:37- Looks like he's all right. Let's get him back out.- Phew.
0:13:37 > 0:13:38STEVE CHUCKLES
0:13:38 > 0:13:41You worried us for a minute there, you disappeared.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44There's nothing to worry about here. It's... Argh!
0:13:44 > 0:13:46THEY LAUGH
0:13:49 > 0:13:52There is a serious side to this experiment.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55There are piranha here, I just couldn't see them.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57When the water levels are high like this,
0:13:57 > 0:13:59they aren't a threat to people.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02OK, so if you have no cuts on yourself
0:14:02 > 0:14:06and the water's full and high and there's lots of food around,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09you're pretty safe in the water. But that's not always the case.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- Is it, Dudu?- Not really.
0:14:11 > 0:14:17When it's dry season, all the rivers get very, very low and shallow.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19They all concentrate there. At this time...
0:14:19 > 0:14:23- The piranhas are in much higher concentration.- Concentrated.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Sometimes you cannot wash your hands.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27If you were to wash your hands in the river?
0:14:27 > 0:14:30- They can bite you, for sure. - And then what happens?
0:14:30 > 0:14:34- Bite and take a finger off.- It would actually take a finger off?- Yeah.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38But we still want to see one.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40To do that, we're going fishing.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43Hooray!
0:14:43 > 0:14:45It's got away.
0:14:45 > 0:14:47No!
0:14:47 > 0:14:49OK, so I'm rubbish at fishing,
0:14:49 > 0:14:51but Dudu's the master.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54His special trick is vibrating the tip of his rod
0:14:54 > 0:14:57to mimic a panicky, struggling animal.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59The piranha's go mad for it.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02- Yup.- Yes!- Ooh, right. There we go.- Score!
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Wherever we put the boat, Dudu got a bite.
0:15:05 > 0:15:06Yeah, that's one.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09Oh, for goodness sake.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13This is ridiculous!
0:15:13 > 0:15:17Oh, honestly. I am the worst fisherman in the world.
0:15:17 > 0:15:2115 piranhas to Dudu, none to me.
0:15:21 > 0:15:22DUDU LAUGHS
0:15:22 > 0:15:25I'm just useless.
0:15:27 > 0:15:28What have you caught, Steve?
0:15:28 > 0:15:30A tree.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35We, or rather Dudu, were catching all different kinds of piranha.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39Copying Dudu's technique, I hooked the most aggressive of the lot.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42- Yeah!- Oh, ha-ha! Wow.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Superb. Finally.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Finally I get one.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Oh, that's a good one as well.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53This is the red-bellied piranha.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Come on. It's very slippery.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Yay. There we go.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09This is the famous red-bellied piranha.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12And this is quite a savage little fish. Isn't it, Dudu?
0:16:12 > 0:16:16- Oh!- Look at those teeth.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Look at that.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20That, obviously, is the bottom jaw
0:16:20 > 0:16:24and those interlock perfectly with the teeth on the upper jaw.
0:16:24 > 0:16:25You know, people say
0:16:25 > 0:16:28the word razor-sharp too often.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32This genuinely is a set of teeth that are razor-sharp.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36There's no doubt that piranha have
0:16:36 > 0:16:38the most ferocious reputation in the Amazon,
0:16:38 > 0:16:40but I hadn't actually seen for myself
0:16:40 > 0:16:43one of their famous feeding frenzies.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46So I wasn't sure they deserved to be on the Deadly 60.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49We all headed back to the boat and fished off the side for our dinner.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Then, we spotted movement in the water.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05It was something infinitely more scary than a piranha.
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Oh, my goodness. Look at that!
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Oh, that is grotesque!
0:17:11 > 0:17:15The strange ghostly shapes were a kind of catfish
0:17:15 > 0:17:17called giant candiru.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Normal candiru are about the size of my little finger,
0:17:20 > 0:17:22so these ones are relative monsters.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Oh, look at that! It's got right into the belly cavity.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34That is one single bite.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37It just looks like he's bored a hole
0:17:37 > 0:17:40straight into the gut of that fish.
0:17:44 > 0:17:45That is horrible.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49That is absolutely horrid.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53- You going to go swimming now? - Eh, no. No. Or possibly never again.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59This calls for a Deadly 60 experiment.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00OK.
0:18:00 > 0:18:05I'm going to time how long it takes them to devour this piece of steak.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Just imagine if you fell into the water.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13How long would it take before the candiru started attacking you?
0:18:13 > 0:18:15They are possibly the most grotesque,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18the most frightening fish I think I've ever seen.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22And no sooner have I put this bit of meat into the water,
0:18:22 > 0:18:23then all of a sudden it's... Ouch!
0:18:25 > 0:18:33Ha-ha! Suddenly surrounded by seething, white grotesque catfish.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37Look at... They're shredding it! They are absolutely shredding it.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41They just get a grip with those teeth and then spin their body
0:18:41 > 0:18:44round and round and round and bore into it,
0:18:44 > 0:18:47like some insane living drill bit.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58Dudu reckons that they'll actually do this to a living animal
0:18:58 > 0:19:00swimming these waters at night.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05That is grim.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Argh!
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Can I take piranhas off the Deadly 60 and put candiru on instead?
0:19:11 > 0:19:14- Yeah.- I wasn't planning on it,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17but I have to say that's one of the scariest fish I've ever seen.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Oh, ho-ho!
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Look at that.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34From steak to nothing... in 48 seconds.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38I'm certainly not going swimming in there.
0:19:38 > 0:19:39They are evil.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44One of the most gruesome animals on the list
0:19:44 > 0:19:46they drill a hole through their prey
0:19:46 > 0:19:47and can strip fish or meat
0:19:47 > 0:19:49right down to the bone
0:19:49 > 0:19:50in a matter of minutes.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52They're absolutely horrifying.
0:19:52 > 0:19:53They're the giant candiru.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Night time is by far the best time to explore the flooded forest.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17You're absolutely guaranteed to run into something interesting.
0:20:22 > 0:20:23Flooded forests like this
0:20:23 > 0:20:26are one of my favourite habitats in the whole world
0:20:26 > 0:20:28to go out searching for wildlife.
0:20:28 > 0:20:30Particularly at night, like now.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32I mean, first off, it really is
0:20:32 > 0:20:35one of the spookiest environments you'll ever see.
0:20:35 > 0:20:38If you were going to make a monster movie,
0:20:38 > 0:20:39you'd set it here.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41But secondly, and more importantly,
0:20:41 > 0:20:43it's absolutely crawling with wildlife.
0:20:54 > 0:20:55Oh, look at this!
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Look at that.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15How's about that?
0:21:15 > 0:21:17This is a spectacled caiman.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20In between the eyes, you can see the bridge there
0:21:20 > 0:21:23which looks like a pair of spectacles. See that there?
0:21:23 > 0:21:24That's what gives it its name.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26OK then, fella.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28Time to set you free.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Ha-ha-ha!
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Great stuff. I LOVE it here!
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Let's see what else we can find.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Steve, Steve! Right there.
0:21:41 > 0:21:42Oh, my goodness!
0:21:42 > 0:21:44Look at the size of that!
0:21:44 > 0:21:47Another snake. Not venomous, this time.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49This is an Amazon tree boa.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51He's a good sized one.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Wow!
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Look at that!
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Wonderful.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01I absolutely love these snakes.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05Look at that.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07Look how strong it is
0:22:07 > 0:22:12at holding its body while anchored on my hand.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15That's perfect when you're in an environment like this
0:22:15 > 0:22:17where you can move around between branches
0:22:17 > 0:22:20doing exactly what he's doing now. Look at that.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23You can just use that incredible muscular form
0:22:23 > 0:22:28to really hold him. He's holding about half of his body length now
0:22:28 > 0:22:31while he's stretching out to try to find a tree to move to.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36This is one of the best climbing snakes you'll ever see.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40And absolutely perfect for hunting in the flooded forest.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44- I think he likes you, Marky. - Yeah, I think he does, doesn't he?
0:22:44 > 0:22:45STEVE CHUCKLES
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Our time on the Amazon was nearing its end
0:22:50 > 0:22:52and I still needed one more animal.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55Dudu knew a place where we could get closer than I'd ever been
0:22:55 > 0:22:58to one of the weirdest creatures on the planet.
0:22:58 > 0:23:01They look like a prehistoric river dinosaur,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05but they're actually a dolphin and they're bright, luminous pink.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07Oh, look at that! Look!
0:23:08 > 0:23:11I don't believe it. Look-look, look-look!
0:23:11 > 0:23:13They're so close.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17This is actually one of the hardest animals in the world to film
0:23:17 > 0:23:19in a completely natural setting.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21I've spent months on the Amazon
0:23:21 > 0:23:24and you see pink river dolphins popping up every now and again
0:23:24 > 0:23:26and it's no more than a fin and then it's gone.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28Already... We've been here for two minutes
0:23:28 > 0:23:31and I've had better sightings of pink river dolphins
0:23:31 > 0:23:34than I have in all the months on the Amazon put together.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37This is going to be very, very special indeed.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Oh, wow!
0:23:50 > 0:23:51That was quick.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Look at that!
0:24:01 > 0:24:04Well, I think it's probably worth just slipping straight in.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Just at the edge, it's shallow enough that I can stand up.
0:24:10 > 0:24:11Hello!
0:24:12 > 0:24:15The water's like sort of, warm cola, here.
0:24:15 > 0:24:23I should say straight off that these are totally wild dolphins. Whoa!
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Ha-ha! Totally wild.
0:24:28 > 0:24:32But the reason they're here is actually...
0:24:32 > 0:24:36exactly the same reason why they're deadly.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40These animals have huge brains, they're really intelligent.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42And if there's a free meal on offer,
0:24:42 > 0:24:47why waste time and energy on going out and hunting?
0:24:47 > 0:24:50But as soon as I've finished feeding them they're going to be off
0:24:50 > 0:24:52catching fish for themselves.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55They're not biting me despite the fact
0:24:55 > 0:24:58that there's loads of them down here, there are loads.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00And they're quarrelling over the fish,
0:25:00 > 0:25:05but I haven't yet had any of those teeth... Oh, crikey!
0:25:05 > 0:25:07You tell him.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09Little fight there over the fish.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12I haven't yet been nibbled. Touch wood.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14Whoa!
0:25:17 > 0:25:19OK, so we've seen that they eat fish,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21but why am I considering putting
0:25:21 > 0:25:25a bright pink dolphin on the Deadly 60?
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Well, look at this.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30When pink river dolphins hunt,
0:25:30 > 0:25:32they take on a whole different personality.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37Their first deadly ability is sonar,
0:25:37 > 0:25:40just like a hunter-killer submarine.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42By emitting clicks, they can form a picture underwater
0:25:42 > 0:25:46and find fish trying to hide from them in the murky depths.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52One on one, they have the power and speed to kill a single fish,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56but when they club together, they can herd large schools of fish
0:25:56 > 0:25:58using a riverbank to corner them.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00If you're a fish being hunted by these guys,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03there is nowhere to hide.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06It's one thing feeding them from the boat,
0:26:06 > 0:26:09but to really appreciate their power
0:26:09 > 0:26:12I wanted to swim with them in the open river.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Like most Deadly 60 animals they're no threat to me,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19but they are very, very powerful and very fast
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and they don't seem to mind shoving us out of the way
0:26:22 > 0:26:23to get at the fish.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26They're very strong. When they thrash against you,
0:26:26 > 0:26:33you can feel that they are just one packed muscle
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and... Whoa! When they want the fish, they take it.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Ha! Ha-ha!
0:26:43 > 0:26:47Amazing! He just decided he wanted Richard's boom pole, the sound man.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Look at it, he's going for it again.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53I think he's decided that Richard's boom pole's food.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55Drop it down a bit again. Again, Rich?
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- I don't want to lose my boom! - You won't lose it.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01Hello.
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Ha-ha, ha-ha, ha-ha, ha-ha!
0:27:06 > 0:27:10They're acrobatic, they're brainy and they're beautiful.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14River dolphins are on the Deadly 60.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17Yes, you are.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22In many ways these pink predators
0:27:22 > 0:27:23are the ultimate hunters
0:27:23 > 0:27:25of the flooded forest.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Big brained, team trained,
0:27:27 > 0:27:28sonar hunting machines.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30And that's precisely why
0:27:30 > 0:27:32they're going on the Deadly 60.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38Join us next time on Deadly 60.
0:27:38 > 0:27:39Look at that.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43- WHISPERS:- Never seen anything this big before.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49- Watch out, Rich!- Oh!
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:57 > 0:28:00E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk