0:00:02 > 0:00:05My name's Steve Backshall. Wow!
0:00:05 > 0:00:08And this is my mission to find the Deadly 60.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12That's not just animals that are deadly to me,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15but animals that are deadly in their own world.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20My crew and I are exploring the planet
0:00:20 > 0:00:23and you're coming with me every step of the way.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32For this brand new series, I've decided to come
0:00:32 > 0:00:35to one of the deadliest deserts on the planet.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36This is Mexico.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Specifically the Baja Peninsula.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50There's more venomous and poisonous creatures here
0:00:50 > 0:00:53than just about anywhere else I know.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56In fact, this is a place that has to be taken really, really seriously.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00MARIACHI MUSIC
0:01:00 > 0:01:02HE SIGHS
0:01:04 > 0:01:06This programme is a game of two halves
0:01:06 > 0:01:09and two environments that couldn't be more different.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12We'll be back in the dry desert later on,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16but our first lethal creature is a monster of the deep seas.
0:01:18 > 0:01:19To lure one up from the depths
0:01:19 > 0:01:22I'm going to need a whole bunch of high-tech kit,
0:01:22 > 0:01:25a boat and a bit of local help.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Over the last few years looking for deadly animals
0:01:34 > 0:01:37there's been one that I've heard more crazy stories about
0:01:37 > 0:01:39and has captured my imagination more than any other
0:01:39 > 0:01:42and that's why we're here in the Sea of Cortez.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48These guys are fishermen looking for the exact animal
0:01:48 > 0:01:49that we're trying to find.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The call it Diablo Rojo which is the red devil
0:01:52 > 0:01:56and they tell stories of them ripping fishermen from their boats
0:01:56 > 0:01:57and tearing them to shreds.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00I don't know about any of that, but what I do know for sure
0:02:00 > 0:02:03is that this is one of the most dangerous animals we're going to see
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and it's called the Humboldt squid.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12The dark depths of the Sea of Cortez are teeming with Humboldt squid,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16but catching one requires serious effort.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19They're fearsomely strong and can be as long as a car.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22These fishermen usually catch the squid for food,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26but tonight, we just want to come face to...tentacle with one.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Camera.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35So what's happening now is these guys are putting lines
0:02:35 > 0:02:39way, way deep down. During the day these squid are about 200m plus
0:02:39 > 0:02:42under water, but now it's dusk time, the sun is going down
0:02:42 > 0:02:45and they'll be coming closer and closer to the surface to feed.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49So they're going to trawl around, see if they can pull something in.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53And when they do, we'll see our first squid.
0:02:53 > 0:02:56'I have so much respect for these fishermen,
0:02:56 > 0:02:58'dragging up squid with just a line,
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'a lure and a whole lot of sweat.'
0:03:02 > 0:03:04We've got something big coming in.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09I'm so excited!
0:03:09 > 0:03:11STEVE PANTS
0:03:12 > 0:03:14MAN SPEAKS SPANISH
0:03:14 > 0:03:15STEVE GIGGLES
0:03:15 > 0:03:18How much line has he put in here?!
0:03:20 > 0:03:24I see it! I see something! I can see a light shape coming towards us.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25Here it comes.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27Oh, no, look at that!
0:03:27 > 0:03:30Yes! Yes! Wow!
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Look at the colours pulsing down the body.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36I can't believe it!
0:03:36 > 0:03:39There's the beak he's pointing out to us there.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40That's the danger end.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43I can't believe he's letting his fingers get that close to it.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Look at that! It's like a giant parrot's beak.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49And it can cut straight through flesh and even bone.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53It would easily take off one of my fingers. Right,
0:03:53 > 0:03:55look down the length of all of these tentacles.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59Each one has sucker cups running all the way down the length of it
0:03:59 > 0:04:05and every one of those sucker cups is ringed with razor-sharp teeth.
0:04:05 > 0:04:06Look at that!
0:04:06 > 0:04:09They're like the teeth of a piranha.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13They'll slice straight through flesh and they use those to catch a hold
0:04:13 > 0:04:16of slippery sardines and small fish
0:04:16 > 0:04:20that they're going to be eating and draw them in. I don't believe it.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Our next step has to be get in the water
0:04:22 > 0:04:24and get close to them in their own environment.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27'Even a small squid like this,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30'with those sucker teeth and that ferocious beak,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32'could do me some serious damage.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35'Imagine what a squadron of fully grown ones could do.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41'For protection, safety diver Scott, cameraman Simon and I
0:04:41 > 0:04:45'have to wear chainmail suits like medieval knights...
0:04:45 > 0:04:47'going scuba diving.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50'Another danger is being dragged down into the deep ocean
0:04:50 > 0:04:53'by several squid at once, so we'll be attached to the boat
0:04:53 > 0:04:55'by steel safety cables.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59'And we're also going to be in radio contact with the surface...'
0:04:59 > 0:05:02That's fantastic, mate. Over.
0:05:02 > 0:05:04'..so they'll know if we have a problem.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08'We don't need to dive deep. At night there's a good chance
0:05:08 > 0:05:11'the big squid will come up to the surface to feed.'
0:05:15 > 0:05:17You OK, Steve?
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20Purge, please.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23'Squadrons of as many as 1,200 squid
0:05:23 > 0:05:26'patrol the darkness looking for prey.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29'They'll tear apart anything they can overpower,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31'including unwary scuba divers.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37'And from the darkness, Scott spots a squid just below the boat
0:05:37 > 0:05:38'and it's a good size.'
0:05:39 > 0:05:41Look at that!
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Wow!
0:05:43 > 0:05:46'At first, he didn't seem that pleased to see us.'
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Look at all the ink it's squirting into the water!
0:05:52 > 0:05:57That's the method the squid uses to get away from its predators,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00because no predator is going to know where it is
0:06:00 > 0:06:01behind that smokescreen.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03Look at it now, covering the camera!
0:06:06 > 0:06:09OK, I'm going to, very gently, just try and take control of the head.
0:06:12 > 0:06:13Oh, I've got it!
0:06:13 > 0:06:16I've got my first Humboldt squid underwater!
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Now you can see why they call it the Red Devil or the Red Demon.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27The water is just full of ink!
0:06:29 > 0:06:34Oh, crikey! He just made a lunge for the camera lens there.
0:06:36 > 0:06:37Wow!
0:06:39 > 0:06:40Oh!
0:06:41 > 0:06:43So strong!
0:06:44 > 0:06:45That is amazing.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50'I'm handling this squid very carefully, and for good reason.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54'As well as their hooked beak and serrated suckers,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56'they're incredibly strong.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01'They can move in any direction in an instant,
0:07:01 > 0:07:04'by either flapping their fins or using a water jet called a siphon.'
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Look there, it's got its tentacles around my arm
0:07:20 > 0:07:24and I can feel the gripping of those teeth.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Actually, you can feel it even through the chainmail suit.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33And here, that's where that snapping beak is.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36Just there.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40I want to take great care not to get my fingers close to it,
0:07:40 > 0:07:41because I think I'd lose them.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Well, I know I'd lose them.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48That's the really ferocious bit of the Humboldt squid.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Ooh, look at the colour change there!
0:07:52 > 0:07:56It's bright red. Look at the pulsing there.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58'Even though this squid seems calm,
0:07:58 > 0:08:02'you can never be too careful with a fierce predator like this.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04'Good job safety diver Scott was on hand.'
0:08:06 > 0:08:07It's actually... Argh!
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Oh, dear, me! This... Argh!
0:08:11 > 0:08:13The strength of the beak -
0:08:13 > 0:08:16it just actually bit me right through the chainmail suit.
0:08:19 > 0:08:20It really pinched my arm.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26You can see how easy it would be
0:08:26 > 0:08:31for a creature like this to power itself away, using that siphon.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35But also, to create that smokescreen
0:08:35 > 0:08:38that is going to make it almost impossible
0:08:38 > 0:08:42for another predator that uses sight to hunt by
0:08:42 > 0:08:44to find the Humboldt squid.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48That really is one of the weirdest,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51most beautiful, creatures I've ever seen.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56OK, Scott.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58I'm just going to release it now.
0:09:04 > 0:09:06Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09That really is a sea monster,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11if ever I saw one.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30I've never seen such a remarkable creature
0:09:30 > 0:09:32underwater in my entire life.
0:09:32 > 0:09:36Ha! I don't think anyone's going to doubt that the Humboldt squid
0:09:36 > 0:09:38has got to go in the Deadly 60.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Jet-propelled through the water,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46with a scalpel-sharp beak
0:09:46 > 0:09:50and over 16,000 sucker cup teeth,
0:09:50 > 0:09:54the Humboldt squid is one of the most genuinely scary killers
0:09:54 > 0:09:55on the Deadly 60.
0:09:59 > 0:10:02'So, back to the desert -
0:10:02 > 0:10:06'a hot, dry place where you can go days without finding water.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08'Ah... Busted(!)'
0:10:09 > 0:10:12For the next few days, we're going to be staying
0:10:12 > 0:10:16at this wonderful, deserted, run-down cattle ranch.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It's an amazing little oasis in the middle of nowhere
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and there's incredible wildlife right here.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Let me show you around.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26Do you mind?
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Thank you(!) Right, come this way.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35That's my bed down there, under the stars.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38In here, where the other guys are sleeping,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41some of them in hammocks, look.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Some people working hard. There's James.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Keep coming.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48That's Nick the soundman's bed.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50And check this out.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54We've got our own mango tree. Nick, can you get your boom pole in?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Argh! Ha-ha!
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Look at that Perfectly ripe mangoes.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00CRUNCH!
0:11:00 > 0:11:03NICK GUFFAWS
0:11:04 > 0:11:06That one's not ripe, at all!
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Totally fresh, ripe mangoes.
0:11:12 > 0:11:13SQUELCH!
0:11:13 > 0:11:14Mmm.
0:11:14 > 0:11:17I think this used to be some of the stables
0:11:17 > 0:11:21and now...it's our kit room.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25- There's Emma working...- Hello! - ..and all our boxes of stuff here.
0:11:25 > 0:11:30At night, this place is absolutely full of snakes and scorpions.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32I love this place!
0:11:32 > 0:11:37'Our next target may be the most gruesome, savage critter
0:11:37 > 0:11:41'we've seen yet. And this is just the sign I'm looking for.'
0:11:42 > 0:11:46I just noticed something this morning, while I was having my bath,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48something interesting, just over here.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54It's a tarantula burrow, but there's a twist.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57It's not a giant spider we're looking for, for the list.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00It's something that eats them alive!
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Let's meet our spider first.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04Now, this won't do her any harm...
0:12:06 > 0:12:09..but it might get us a good look at her.
0:12:16 > 0:12:17There she is.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23I'm just using my knife here to block off the entrance
0:12:23 > 0:12:26to the burrow, so she can't get back in again.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30I just want to do this easily.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32I don't want to damage her burrow
0:12:32 > 0:12:34and certainly not damage her.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Let's see if we can get her in the hand.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Although their venom is not very strong,
0:12:44 > 0:12:48they can give you a very nasty, unpleasant, painful bite.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52And that is because of those fangs. I don't know if you can see those.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54If I just hold her up to you...
0:12:57 > 0:12:58I know, for a lot of people,
0:12:58 > 0:13:01a spider like this is their worst nightmare,
0:13:01 > 0:13:07but round here, there's an animal that is the absolute sworn enemy
0:13:07 > 0:13:08of the tarantula.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12And that's what I'm really hoping to find, for my Deadly 60 list.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19'What kind of creature would have the guts to take on a giant spider?
0:13:19 > 0:13:22'Well, it's a monster insect -
0:13:22 > 0:13:24'the largest wasp in the world.'
0:13:29 > 0:13:30'In the dense trees,
0:13:30 > 0:13:34'we heard the animal before we saw it.'
0:13:34 > 0:13:35Oh, there's one, look.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Yeah, it's coming this way, Steve.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43'This fast-flying, buzzing bundle of deadliness
0:13:43 > 0:13:45'is out hunting spiders.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48'It's called a tarantula hawk wasp.'
0:13:48 > 0:13:50Here it comes, here it comes.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57What he's doing at the moment is just circling around this area
0:13:57 > 0:13:59trying to find his food.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03'It's in search of a tarantula, just like the one we've just found.'
0:14:06 > 0:14:07Has he found one?
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Oh... OK.
0:14:09 > 0:14:14We could be about to see one of the most incredible spectacles
0:14:14 > 0:14:16in the animal kingdom.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18I can't quite believe this is happening,
0:14:18 > 0:14:19but that hole there...
0:14:22 > 0:14:25..is the hole of a tarantula.
0:14:28 > 0:14:29When the wasp locates a spider,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32it will out manoeuvre it, like a kung-fu master,
0:14:32 > 0:14:35and deliver a single paralysing sting.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41The spider's still alive, but completely defenceless.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46This is only half the story.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The paralysed spider is dragged by the wasp to a safe burrow,
0:14:49 > 0:14:52where it will lay an egg, which will hatch into a maggot,
0:14:52 > 0:14:56which will slowly devour the spider while it is still alive.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11- It's coming out, it's coming out, it's coming out.- Got him.- OK.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Right. I've got to be ever so careful how I do this,
0:15:15 > 0:15:18because the tarantula hawk wasp
0:15:18 > 0:15:22has a sting that's reputed to be
0:15:22 > 0:15:24the most painful
0:15:24 > 0:15:25of any invertebrate.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Ooh! And he's off! No, come back!
0:15:34 > 0:15:37'Ah. Yeah, that wasn't a great time
0:15:37 > 0:15:38'to break my net.'
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Got it! Got it, got it, got it, got it, got it!
0:15:46 > 0:15:47Oh, no! He went in the hole!
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Oh, no, I can't believe it! That's so frustrating!
0:15:50 > 0:15:52You come back here now!
0:15:54 > 0:15:55I had him
0:15:55 > 0:15:57and I've got a great big hole in my net.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02And he just flew straight out through it.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- He's coming this way, Steve.- Right.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09Got her. Got her. Right.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13Now, this time, you are not getting away.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17I've got to be ever so careful. I don't want to damage her,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21but also, her sting is absolutely paralysing.
0:16:25 > 0:16:26There she is.
0:16:28 > 0:16:29That...
0:16:31 > 0:16:34..is the tarantula hawk wasp, or pepsis wasp.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37And she is...
0:16:39 > 0:16:44..one of the most incredible predators
0:16:44 > 0:16:45found anywhere in the world.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Look at the size of her sting.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52(Right. There we go.)
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Look at that.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57Glorious, glorious colour -
0:16:57 > 0:17:00very vibrant metallic blue,
0:17:00 > 0:17:02with bright orange wings,
0:17:02 > 0:17:04but don't let her beauty fool you.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08This is one the most grotesque killers
0:17:08 > 0:17:11in the whole of the animal kingdom.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14This creature here has a strength way beyond her size
0:17:14 > 0:17:17and a sting that, well,
0:17:17 > 0:17:18if I was to get stung by this,
0:17:18 > 0:17:22I would be able to think about nothing else for at least 24 hours.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25It's way up there with being the most painful sting
0:17:25 > 0:17:27of any insect on the planet.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29But she is incredible.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31Look at the mandibles. Look at the size
0:17:31 > 0:17:33of these jaws here.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35So strong.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39So, I don't think there is any doubt
0:17:39 > 0:17:43that the tarantula hawk wasp has got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45I'm just hoping that, when we let her go,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48she doesn't try and take it all out on me.
0:17:59 > 0:18:00The biggest wasp in the world.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Takes on giant tarantula spiders.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07And is armed with a vicious sting.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12The tarantula hawk wasp is on the Deadly 60.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18'That's two deadly critters down
0:18:18 > 0:18:22'and living nightmares are coming out of the woodwork.'
0:18:24 > 0:18:27From a distance, this probably looks just like an earthworm.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Victor, our snake guy,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32actually found this burrowing not so far away from here.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35It's not until you look up close that you realise quite how weird
0:18:35 > 0:18:39this is. They call them mole lizards and if you look closely,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43you'll see it, kind of, almost burrowing forward, like a mole,
0:18:43 > 0:18:44using those two front legs.
0:18:44 > 0:18:47It's not actually a lizard at all, though.
0:18:47 > 0:18:48It is a reptile,
0:18:48 > 0:18:52but they are completely distinct from the other snakes and lizards.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55They are in a group all to themselves and they feed on
0:18:55 > 0:18:57invertebrates, insects and things
0:18:57 > 0:18:59they find when burrowing beneath the soil.
0:18:59 > 0:19:00And you have to say,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04they are one of the oddest creatures on the planet.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09Perfect!
0:19:09 > 0:19:14'Many animals are forced into hiding by the heat of the day,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16'so by searching at night,
0:19:16 > 0:19:19'we are going to find a whole load of different creatures.'
0:19:19 > 0:19:20Look at that.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22'Straight away, we run into an old favourite -
0:19:22 > 0:19:23'scorpions.'
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Oh, there's another one. And another one!
0:19:27 > 0:19:30There's about four in one little tiny area here. Look at this.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35I have never seen so many scorpions in my entire life.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40I have got here this special torch, which can help me to see scorpions,
0:19:40 > 0:19:42so I'm going to try...two minutes?
0:19:42 > 0:19:44And see how many scorpions I can find.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48If everyone else knocks off their lights...
0:19:48 > 0:19:49let's see what we can get.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51OK, ready?
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- And you're off.- OK.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57There's one. Down there.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59On the ground.
0:19:59 > 0:20:00Three seconds, one scorpion.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06There's a bit of a tail, up there.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Two.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13These palm trees... Loads of places for them to hide.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Absolutely perfect for scorpions.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17There's another one there, look.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Johnny, can you see that one?
0:20:23 > 0:20:24Little flat one, up there.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Oop!
0:20:29 > 0:20:31There's one.
0:20:31 > 0:20:32Under there, look.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36Ooh, there's one, look. Johnny?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38That's a lot of scorpions.
0:20:38 > 0:20:39And that's time up.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42- What did you think about that?- A lot of scorpions.- A lot of scorpions.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44Are we sleeping here tonight?
0:20:44 > 0:20:45Er...
0:20:45 > 0:20:46Maybe!
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Good, excellent(!)
0:20:48 > 0:20:53I think the lesson is, make sure you look before you lie down.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55- Understood? - Can I have that torch now, please?!
0:20:55 > 0:20:59- Cheers, I'll just keep hold of it. - Can we all have one of those?
0:21:05 > 0:21:08'After a good night's sleep, we get an early wake-up call
0:21:08 > 0:21:10'from a friendly cow.'
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'At least, I hope she's friendly.
0:21:13 > 0:21:18'It will take more than that to get my lazy crew out of bed!'
0:21:19 > 0:21:21Ha-ha-ha!
0:21:21 > 0:21:22Very good job.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25SLURPING
0:21:25 > 0:21:29'No better way to start the day than a quick splash in the stream.'
0:21:29 > 0:21:33# How do you wanna get out of bed this morning...? #
0:21:33 > 0:21:34'But...
0:21:34 > 0:21:36'we're not alone.'
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Dave, look, a snake's come past.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Wow! What an amazing start!
0:21:54 > 0:22:01Just woken up, taking a bath, and already got our first snake.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04'It's called a Cape water snake.'
0:22:04 > 0:22:08Quite aggressive, not surprisingly, because I've just picked him up.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12But, erm, he's not venomous,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14so I'm not too bothered.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16He doesn't like the microphone on top of the camera.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19He obviously thinks it's something threatening
0:22:19 > 0:22:22and he keeps having a bit of a lunge at it, like that, look.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23Oh!
0:22:25 > 0:22:27I think your microphone's dead, Johnny. He-he-he!
0:22:31 > 0:22:32Right. Let's put him back.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37'We'd barely started and we were already tripping over snakes.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41'This place is Serpent Central!'
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- OK, turn back, crew.- Ow! Got bit.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50'First up, a coachwhip in the kit room...'
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Oh, sorry, Johnny!
0:22:52 > 0:22:55'..not as pleased to see me as I was to see him.'
0:22:55 > 0:22:57Ooh, he's very... Ow!
0:22:57 > 0:23:00'They're not venomous, but have certainly got a fiery temper.'
0:23:00 > 0:23:01Ow!
0:23:01 > 0:23:05'Second, another coachwhip.
0:23:05 > 0:23:06'And this one a real whopper.'
0:23:10 > 0:23:12I've never seen one anything like this size.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18'We were falling over snakes, without leaving camp,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22'so what might we find if we actually started looking for them?
0:23:22 > 0:23:25'Well, I've got one kind of snake in mind.'
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Hey, yeah, you beauty!
0:23:30 > 0:23:31OK, guys.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37No.
0:23:37 > 0:23:38Don't go anywhere.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44I didn't want to say anything, cos I didn't want to tempt fate,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48but this was exactly the animal I've come here hoping to find.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50Got it. Got it. Yeah.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56This is the snake
0:23:56 > 0:23:58of the Baja Peninsula.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01It's a red diamond rattlesnake.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04If I lay it down,
0:24:04 > 0:24:07you can see the distinctive diamond-shaped pattern
0:24:07 > 0:24:09running all the way down its back.
0:24:09 > 0:24:12The colouration on that can be a really vibrant red,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14which is where it gets its name from.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21The rattle's not used at all in actually catching its prey.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24The whole purpose of it is getting rid of animals
0:24:24 > 0:24:26that are big and might threaten it,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28but are far too big for it to try and eat.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Rattlesnakes are in a group of snakes called the pit vipers,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and if you look very closely at his head, you'll see,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39in between the nostril and the eye
0:24:39 > 0:24:42a tiny pit which can sense heat
0:24:42 > 0:24:44in the moving muscles of the things it feeds on.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47It's actually quite a lazy snake.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50I mean, the way it was sitting when we found it is how it will spend
0:24:50 > 0:24:54its entire day and sometimes two or three days at a time
0:24:54 > 0:24:58until a warm-blooded animal like a small mouse walks past.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01And then, the movement is like lightning.
0:25:01 > 0:25:06It's less of a bite, really, and more of stab.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09The teeth plunge into the prey
0:25:09 > 0:25:12more like an assassin with a very sharp dagger
0:25:12 > 0:25:16and then it retreats and waits for the animal to die.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22'Despite being the world's noisiest snakes,
0:25:22 > 0:25:26'rattlesnakes are still, like most snakes, incredibly hard to find.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28'They'll lie low if a human approaches,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32'so you can spend weeks searching and not find a single one.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:33If you were a mouse,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37you wouldn't last seconds with the red diamond rattlesnake.
0:25:37 > 0:25:38He's definitely going on ...
0:25:38 > 0:25:42'Hold your horses, Backshall! We're not done yet.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45'After that, it was a regular rattlesnake round-up.'
0:25:45 > 0:25:47They're everywhere! I don't believe it!
0:25:47 > 0:25:51Wow, that is a very heavy-bodied snake.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55'First was another, bigger red diamond rattler 100m away.'
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Look how thick and heavy the body is.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04Look at that. That's a big, venomous snake.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07Really big.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11'Two rattlesnakes in ten minutes! Surely it couldn't get any better?
0:26:13 > 0:26:18'Well, as the light began to fade, something really special happened -
0:26:18 > 0:26:22'a Baja rattler. This is the only place in the world they're found.'
0:26:22 > 0:26:26Ooh! There's a completely different species of rattlesnake
0:26:26 > 0:26:27just over here.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28Right. Stay there.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31It's OK. It's OK, it's all right.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33- SNAKE RATTLES - Listen to that!
0:26:36 > 0:26:39This one's a lot more active.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43This place is absolutely crawling with rattlesnakes.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48I don't believe it! Come round, guys.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52'And then, to top off the best snake-hunting day I've ever had,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56'a speckled rattlesnake.' Look at that tail going!
0:26:56 > 0:26:59'That's three kinds in one day - a hat-trick,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03'or to coin another footballing phrase, back of the net.'
0:27:03 > 0:27:05And there it is.
0:27:09 > 0:27:15Well, this has been one of the best snake-catching days of my life,
0:27:15 > 0:27:17and there's no way I can leave here
0:27:17 > 0:27:22without putting all of the rattlesnakes of the Baja Peninsula
0:27:22 > 0:27:23onto my Deadly 60.
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Right, off you go, fella.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31'With the ability to see its prey in complete darkness...
0:27:33 > 0:27:36'..its strike is done in half a second,
0:27:36 > 0:27:40'and with venom that can kill its prey in 20 seconds...
0:27:40 > 0:27:45'Baja's rattlesnakes are all on the Deadly 60.'
0:27:47 > 0:27:53'Join me next time, as I continue my search for the Deadly 60.'
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Unbelievable!
0:28:04 > 0:28:06Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:06 > 0:28:09E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk