Unseen 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 from around the world.

'You're coming with me, every step of the way.

'We've travelled six continents for my Deadly 60 list.'

Shark!

'We saw creatures with killer teeth,

'claws, jaws and venom.

'We met so many incredible critters

'that we couldn't fit them on our Deadly 60 list...'

How's that for a display?

'..so we've given them their own programme.

'This is Deadly 60 - Unseen.'

'Australia was packed full of critters

'that did make my Deadly 60 list.'

Look! Look!

'Redback spiders,

'tiger snakes,

'ghost bats and the incredible saltwater crocodile.

'It's in Australia we're going to show you our first unseen critter.

'Creepy crawlies don't get much bigger

'or creepier or even crawlier

'than this.'

Loads of people out there are scared stiff of spiders.

To you, this is probably your worst nightmare.

She really doesn't mean me any harm, just wandering over my arm.

She's a golden orb spider.

You can see she's leaving behind her this trail of silk.

That'll keep on going behind her so she can follow her way back.

It's kind of like Hansel and Gretel leaving a trail of crumbs.

-Is that the story?

-< That's the one, Steve.

I know more about animals than nursery rhymes.

This one's a female. In this species the female's huge.

She does the web building, whereas the male's tiny.

All he does is, well, look for girls.

-A pretty good job, if you ask me!

-LAUGHS

There's 50,000 kinds of spiders.

Almost all of them use venom to catch their prey.

Almost none of them are a real problem for people.

She might not exactly be beautiful, but she's incredibly impressive

and a very good reason to love spiders, not hate them.

The size of those jaws are enormous.

There's no doubt she could give me a really painful bite.

As long as I let her keep moving,

there's no way she's going to bite me.

Anyone who's frightened of spiders, take note.

'After that last encounter, the crew needed some fresh air

'and I wanted to give you a look at a creature

'that's lurking in the leaves.'

How are we going to catch you...? Ow!

Where's a hat when you need one?

Ah. Perfect.

Aagh!

-Did he bite you? >

-No, I chucked him into the hat.

This is a creature I've been seeing quite a lot of here

but haven't yet been able to catch cos he is really rapid.

It's a centipede, a scolopendra, a particularly venomous species.

The reason they're particularly nasty is that, at the front,

there are modified legs turned into claws for injecting venom.

Even a centipede this size would cause me excruciating pain

if it was to bite me.

A friend said it was like sticking a white hot needle into his hand.

Both the head and the tail are very similar in shape.

The two antennae that it uses for feeling where it's going

are almost identical to these claws.

A predator that tries to grab hold of the scolopendra

doesn't know which is the business end.

It's a really good strategy for keeping alive.

Let's see if I can get him to move over my hands.

This is a first for me. I've never had a scolopendra on my hand before.

It's a little nerve-racking but I guess, like all animals,

it's a question of let them feel they're not restrained

and, hopefully, you don't get bitten.

Please don't prove me wrong.

That's great.

Please don't stay in there. I think he's stuck.

Oh, dear. Do you want me to undo your watch strap? >

-Um...

-He's coming out the other side. >

You stay still and he'll be fine. >

'Now, I don't scare easy,

'but the thought of a pain like white hot needles

'as this critter bites me makes me a little bit panicky.'

You're freeing him up.

I think he's going to go...through.

He's nearly all the way through.

He's sitting underneath my watch. This is rubbish!

Out he comes.

I think I've diced with death long enough. He's going back.

Go on. Down you go.

Thank you so much for not biting me.

LAUGHS

'The amazing scolopendra centipede and the huge golden orb spider,

'two amazing animal encounters we haven't shown you before.

'The next leg of our Unseen journey takes us to Borneo, southeast Asia.'

There's nowhere better to look for wildlife than a tropical rainforest.

We're in one of the best on Earth, Borneo.

I'll give you three guesses why they call it the rainforest.

THUNDER CLAP

'It may well be wet, but it's also hot.

'That's what makes Borneo's tropical rainforest amazing for wildlife.

'I was in Borneo with my crew -

'James, Johnny, Rosie, Nick and our guide, Eric.

'We found some great critters, some deadlier than others.'

The reticulated python has got to go on the Deadly 60.

'Whilst looking for our reticulated python,

'we had some animal encounters we haven't had time to show you,

'until now.'

Ooh. Beautiful!

Look! Can we move back a bit?

This is a highly venomous viper...

..called Wagler's pit viper.

And it's absolutely beautiful.

I'm going to be very careful,

because a bite from one of these snakes is potentially deadly.

Even to me.

You can see that head there.

I'll just draw it round.

This is a nightmare, trying to handle an extremely venomous snake

whilst bobbing about on a boat.

It's a pretty mean vicious-looking snake.

But they would only attack humans if they were seriously harassed.

Which is why I'm trying to keep nice and calm and not upset him.

But with those fiery red eyes...

..and huge head, this is the kind of snake that makes people fear snakes.

It's beginning to S a bit as well.

When a snake curves its body into an S shape,

it's preparing itself for a strike.

And with the tongue flicking...

Which means we should let him go.

Wow.

'There were so many snakes and other animals to see,

'we had to continue our river search into the night.'

The jungle takes on a different character when it's dark.

The monkeys and the birds tuck up and go to sleep,

and a different range of animals comes out to play.

One of the best ways to find them is with a spotlight

for the reflection off their eyes.

Crocodiles tend to be bright red, snakes bright yellow.

Even moths and spiders have eye shine,

so it's a fantastic way of finding animals at night.

'Our next encounter was so amazing it looks like camera trickery

'or a special effect.'

Look!

During the day,

kingfishers are probably the hardest birds in the world to film,

but at night time,

they could be one of the easiest.

It is unbelievable, though,

that you can put your face right up this close

to a bird this beautiful, and it just doesn't seem to mind.

CHIRPS

'Kingfishers are deceptively beautiful.

'If you're a fish, a kingfisher is your worst nightmare.

'Fast, streamlined, like a guided missile,

'kingfishers are master fishermen.'

Wow.

-WHISPERS:

-Look at those colours.

'It's just extraordinary to get this close to such a beautiful bird.

'I was also lucky enough to dive in the stunning waters off Borneo

'and see some of the underwater creatures that call it home.'

Absolutely dazzling!

Moving in!

'The super-charged lionfish.'

Unbelievable!

'The mantis shrimp, armed to the teeth with huge spear-like claws.

'And some of the most camouflaged fish in the ocean, the frogfish...

'..and the crocodile fish.

'While we were filming these creatures, we were being watched

'by an animal whose curiosity finally got the better of him.'

That's unusual.

Usually these white eye morays

hide in crevasses.

This one fancies the cameraman!

Coming right up to the camera.

You are beautiful, aren't you?

That snapping of the jaw is probably a threat.

It's probably saying, "Hey, listen!

"If I check you out, that's fine, but don't come closer to me."

I'm not entirely happy about this.

They have got sharp pointy teeth.

It could probably give me a bit of a bite.

He just wants me to know that it's all on his terms.

He's got a female in there.

It's wonderful!

It'll be wonderful up to the moment

that he takes one of my fingers off!

Aren't they beautiful?

'There's no doubt the moray eel's needle-sharp teeth

'make short work of other fish, but they could also give me a nip.

'I do think, though, that he just wants to be pals.'

I can't see it, but I'm guessing...

it's under here somewhere.

STEVE LAUGHS

I can't see what it is, but I've obviously got something

right up underneath my jacket.

HE LAUGHS

Oh, yeah!

How about that? It's a friendly little guy.

These are white eye moray eels.

Moray eels are some of the most extraordinary predators on the reef.

Some are huge.

But, for the moment,

these white eye morays are certainly

some of the most confident and inquisitive. Great stuff!

'They're so confident that you could hardly miss them.

'The total opposite of our next unseen, very unseen, critter,

'which we found on our travels through Africa.'

Now, THAT is what I call camouflage.

Can you see it? No? Come closer.

What about now?

I'll help you out.

HISSING

That is the head of the gaboon viper.

It's shaped like a spade or a missile.

Look at that!

What I want to talk about is the camouflage.

The body's covered

with little triangles of dark browns, light browns,

even lilac colours that merge perfectly

with the dead leaves on the forest floor.

With the dappled sunlight through the trees,

it really is exquisite.

One of the best ways to be a hunter is to be invisible.

'Africa is home to loads of fantastic snakes

'with fiercesome abilities.

'The black mamba is Africa's most feared snake.

'The rinkhal is probably a close second.'

Flicked venom all down my arm.

'The bush here is alive with snakes, spiders, scorpions,

'not to mention lions.

'You might think we're crazy sleeping out, but attacks are rare.

'And there's nothing threatening about our sleepy crew.

'As the sun peeked over the horizon

'and the air filled with the sound of animals and flies,

'which seemed fond of Rich the sound man...

'we set out on another quest for more deadly animals.

'This is one of the best spots in the world for wildlife,

'but a tough place to drag ourselves and our kit.'

Coming up this way.

'Wild tortoise,

'kite spider,

'neither made our Deadly 60 list

'but I love searching this part of Africa

'cos you never know what you might find.'

No.

That's a biggy.

There are rules to obey when you're searching like this.

The first one is not to put your back out, which I nearly did.

The second is to never put your fingers anywhere you can't see,

in case there's a snake or a scorpion.

The third is to make sure you put everything back where you found it.

That way, it's still there

as a home for other bugs in the future.

'Most of the time, it's me trying to find animals.

'Sometimes, the animals find me.

'This is a baby puff adder.'

About to crawl over my boot.

Don't go up my trouser leg.

'I don't want him to bite me.

'Even though he's a baby, his venom is as potent as an adult's.'

OK...

Are you ready cos it ain't gonna stick around for long.

How about that?

That is a whip spider.

It's an arachnid but not a true spider.

They're specialists at living in crevices.

Completely flat body and a night-time hunter.

They hunt by tapping in front of them with these extra legs.

They'll tap on the back of a cricket or insect,

which will run forward,

and get clamped into those medieval, club-like pedipalps

at the front of the head there.

And usually they're running at 100 miles an hour!

It's incredible that it's sat on my hand. That doesn't happen often.

Great.

I'll make it scamper. See how quick they move.

There he goes.

'And if you think the whip spider's weird looking,

'it has nothing on the next animal,

'which lives in the swamps of the southern United States of America.'

Look at the size of the head!

'An alligator snapping turtle has one of the most powerful jaws

'in the animal kingdom.

'That's why it made it onto the Deadly 60 list.'

Look at that!

'After this watery encounter in the deep south,

'we headed to the deserts of Arizona

'where we met the Harris' hawk, deserving a place on the Deadly 60.'

Look at that!

'Our most northerly critter in the US was in Alaska,

'where we saw polar bears, grizzly bears

'and a creature so fearless it inspired an X-Men character,

'the wolverine.'

Ow!

'After making friends with this furry fiend,

'the wolverine's keepers invited us to meet another animal.'

-Let's give it a go then.

-No problem.

'Somewhere inside these fences

'was one of the most beautiful creatures in America.'

Many animals call these forests home, but one is very special to me,

probably my favourite animal in the world - the wolf.

We're in a big enclosure, but in here somewhere

is a grey wolf I'm really hoping we can have an encounter with.

This is not a tame animal, this wolf.

We've got to feel our way through things. It's possible it could turn.

With an animal that's larger than an Alsatian and far more ferocious,

you can't play around.

'And then, padding through the snow,

'comes our wolf.'

Do you reckon he wants to say hello?

I'm going to wait for one minute. We're going to wait for a second.

I think it'll be OK.

'What do you mean? You THINK it'll be OK?

'He may look like a big dog, but this is still a wolf.

'Got to go easy.'

I'm going to let you go over here.

You can run, OK?

Let's go. Let's go.

-You all ready?

-Uh-huh.

All right. That's a good boy.

Give the bucket to Steve. That would be good.

'Unsurprisingly, he heads for the food bucket.'

Steve, you've got to hold that bucket...

-We're done now.

-Let him eat it.

Don't try and take anything away from him.

I wasn't planning on it. LAUGHS

If his pupils get big, you've got trouble.

We don't want his pupils to get big.

Not too close. It's OK.

Right here... GROWLS

Oh! A little growl and snarl there.

SNARLING

'In a split-second, he turned his attention from a chicken supper

'to Johnny our cameraman.'

< It's OK. It's all right.

Are you all right, Johnny?

They like to check out everything that's in their environment.

I don't think I've seen Johnny look so nervous!

'Snack time over, it's time to stretch those legs.'

Oh! Wow!

You nervous, Johnny?

Amazing!

This is a grey wolf, one of the most widespread carnivores,

despite the colouration being almost black.

That's the most usual colour for wolves in this area.

-Come on, big fella! Amazing!

-Let's go!

This is great!

I wouldn't want that in my face!

I'm playing with a grey wolf just like he was a big Labrador.

Well, a very big Labrador!

'Things seemed to be going well, until the wolf gets hold of

'another piece of raw meat.'

He's burying it.

'Suddenly, there's an edge to the wolf's playfulness.

'We don't want outstay our welcome.'

-It's OK.

-Let him go, Miles.

-WHINES

We're going to exit.

Let's go. That's a good boy.

'Join us next time for more deadly animal encounters.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd