0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Wow!
0:00:05 > 0:00:08This 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 > 0:00:16but 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.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34This is Madagascar.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36It's a vast island in the Indian Ocean,
0:00:36 > 0:00:37off the east coast of Africa.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Everything that lives here is just a little bit special.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Even the trees, like these mighty baobabs,
0:00:42 > 0:00:45are weirder than you find them anywhere else.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47But when it comes to the wildlife, it's so unique
0:00:47 > 0:00:51that most of it isn't found anywhere else on the planet.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54As a vast island separated from Africa,
0:00:54 > 0:00:59Madagascan animals have evolved in isolation for thousands of years.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03And they come in some surprising shapes and sizes.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09We'll be travelling right across the country,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12from the dry forests in the west to the rainforests of the east.
0:01:12 > 0:01:18Two very different habitats, each with their own wacky, weird
0:01:18 > 0:01:21and sometimes death-dealing wildlife.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24# When I say jump You say, how high
0:01:24 > 0:01:28# I ain't never seen nobody get so high... #
0:01:28 > 0:01:33We begin in Kirindi, a remote camp famous for a predator
0:01:33 > 0:01:35that is truly one of a kind.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39A mysterious beast, neither a dog nor a cat,
0:01:39 > 0:01:44it stalks around these forests and bites the faces off its victims.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48And it's called the fossa.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54Exhausted after a long day travelling,
0:01:54 > 0:01:59we've just unpacked the gear when we're instantly called into action.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04Just sitting down to have dinner when someone shouted the magic word
0:02:04 > 0:02:07we've all been wanting to hear... "Fossa".
0:02:08 > 0:02:12Somewhere over here is Madagascar's largest carnivore
0:02:12 > 0:02:15and it's just been wandering around these huts.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20This is very weird, not how I expected to have my first encounter
0:02:20 > 0:02:23with the most feared animal in Madagascar.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27But...it's somewhere in here.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31'Then, from across the camp, a shout.'
0:02:31 > 0:02:32Fossa!
0:02:32 > 0:02:35'It's been spotted.'
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Hello? You see?
0:02:38 > 0:02:40'The race is on.'
0:02:46 > 0:02:50Oh, look at that. Yeah, yeah, I see.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55I just got fierce eye-shine coming back off it.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01'The fossa has a long, lithe, elegant form.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'But its ferocity gives it the power of an animal many times its size.
0:03:05 > 0:03:10'This is my first time face-to-face with a fossa, and suddenly,
0:03:10 > 0:03:12'I'm not sure if I want to be this close.
0:03:12 > 0:03:16'Fossae will take on prey at least as big as themselves,
0:03:16 > 0:03:18'and she's clearly not frightened of me.'
0:03:18 > 0:03:22This is such a rare sight, we are so lucky.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24And I think she's heading towards...
0:03:27 > 0:03:30She's going to head towards the garbage, the rubbish tip.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32And look at that!
0:03:34 > 0:03:37'As she leaves, she drags scent glands around her bottom
0:03:37 > 0:03:41'along the ground, so other fossae will know she's been here.'
0:03:41 > 0:03:43And that's the path to the rubbish.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46She's heading off that way.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53'She disappears off into the darkness and vanishes.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55'Has she given us the slip?'
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Is there somebody checking out the other path,
0:04:00 > 0:04:01in case it doubles back?
0:04:01 > 0:04:06'It's all hands on deck, we really want to find that fossa.'
0:04:11 > 0:04:13(Oh, look at that.)
0:04:13 > 0:04:16'Just as we thought, she's at the rubbish pit.
0:04:16 > 0:04:21'Not even remotely bothered by the sound of our noisy generator.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24'To find out more about these rare animals,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26'scientists put radio collars on some of them.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30'And you can see one around this female's neck.'
0:04:32 > 0:04:37This maybe seems like a weird place to encounter a fossa.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43They're known as being ferocious hunters and killers.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46But they're not stupid.
0:04:46 > 0:04:49If they get the chance of an easy meal, then they'll take it.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And right here, this rubbish tip is full of protein-rich food
0:04:52 > 0:04:55and also the cockroaches that feed on it.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00And right now, all she's doing is saving herself the energy
0:05:00 > 0:05:02of having to hunt.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08And now she's heading off into the thorn thicket,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10and I don't think I can follow her through there.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12It's much too dense.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17I can't believe we got our first glimpse of a fossa!
0:05:18 > 0:05:22'But it's late, so we call it a night.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25'I' m desperate to see more of this mysterious hunter
0:05:25 > 0:05:27'before we put them on the Deadly 60.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31'So we'll head out tomorrow to track them down in the daylight.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40'We all wake early, keen to get out on the search for those fossae.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44'But first of all, we have to deal with some rather cheeky neighbours.'
0:05:45 > 0:05:47Boing!
0:05:47 > 0:05:49This is why people come to Madagascar.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54Lemurs just wandering around all over the place.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Look at this lot!
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Oh, look, one's about to go into your room, Johnny.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00Oh, it's Charlie's room.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Look at this! Just totally fearless.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Look, he's in Charlie's room.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Ah, he just ran out this way!
0:06:12 > 0:06:14You cheeky monkey!
0:06:14 > 0:06:17What are you after, eh?
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Ah, ah, ah...
0:06:19 > 0:06:22HE LAUGHS
0:06:24 > 0:06:25Lesson number one -
0:06:25 > 0:06:29never leave bananas in your room. That's what they were after.
0:06:29 > 0:06:33'As well as brazen brown lemurs passing through camp,
0:06:33 > 0:06:37'we also found another type of lemur - the sifaka.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41'With a comedy spring in its step. Get a load of this!
0:06:41 > 0:06:43# I like to move it, move it
0:06:43 > 0:06:45# I like to move it, move it
0:06:45 > 0:06:47# I like to move it, move it
0:06:47 > 0:06:49# Ya like to move it... #
0:06:49 > 0:06:52'Sifaka are awesome jumpers,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55'leaping up to ten metres between trees.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59'But they have to be, they're the favourite food of our fossae.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06'So, back on the trail of our predator,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09'and we pick up a clue there might be one close by.'
0:07:09 > 0:07:10Wow!
0:07:16 > 0:07:20There are some sifaka in the trees around us.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22And the little call...
0:07:22 > 0:07:24SIFAKA CALLS
0:07:24 > 0:07:27..is an alarm call because they've spotted a fossa.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30And the fossa is actually out here somewhere...
0:07:32 > 0:07:34..trying to hunt them.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36'The lemurs are on high alert,
0:07:36 > 0:07:39'terrified their fossa foe could be silently hunting them.'
0:07:39 > 0:07:42There's a mother with her babies, understandably worried.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48It could be the fiercest predator in Madagascar,
0:07:48 > 0:07:49around here anywhere.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53She's got a youngster, but she herself
0:07:53 > 0:07:56would be an easy meal for a fossa.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00'And this is how our fossae hunt.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05'Even up in the trees, a sifaka isn't safe.
0:08:05 > 0:08:09'If caught in the fossa's sights, she'll have to leap for her life.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14'The fossa rockets up the tree,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17'using its curved claws like crampons.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20'They bound and bounce through the branches, fearless,
0:08:20 > 0:08:22'locked onto their target.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25'The fossa's tail helps provide balance,
0:08:25 > 0:08:28'and its strong legs power it as it leaps from branch to branch.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36'Pound for pound, the fossa could be
0:08:36 > 0:08:39'the deadliest carnivore on the planet.'
0:08:42 > 0:08:45(Oh, wow!)
0:08:45 > 0:08:48'It seems the local sifakas had good reason to be worried.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51'A fossa's been spotted right in our camp.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54'And it's a different animal to last night.'
0:08:55 > 0:08:59The fossa's just found a nice patch of shade under one of the huts
0:08:59 > 0:09:01that we're sleeping in.
0:09:03 > 0:09:04(Look at those teeth!)
0:09:09 > 0:09:11'Lounging in the shade,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15'there's not just one, but two fossae.'
0:09:17 > 0:09:21There's two fossae, both male.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23I think actually, they're brothers.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27They will sleep together, hunt together, fight together.
0:09:27 > 0:09:28So all the lemurs around here
0:09:28 > 0:09:31have got an awful lot to be worried about.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35That's two sets of very, very sharp teeth,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39and two quick, agile, supreme hunters.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Oh, look at that yawn!
0:09:47 > 0:09:51That's just shown off the teeth that make the fossa so special.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58'The fossa's teeth have dagger-like canines
0:09:58 > 0:10:01'and bone-crunching rear teeth.'
0:10:06 > 0:10:10The underside of the paw is turned up, it has soft pads
0:10:10 > 0:10:12and sharp claws...
0:10:13 > 0:10:17..which are perfect for running up trees.
0:10:18 > 0:10:24Also, the back feet can turn almost completely around,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28which allows the fossa to also run down tree trunks.
0:10:28 > 0:10:34It means he's a master, both on the ground and in the tree tops.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38'These are Madagascars most bloodthirsty animals.'
0:10:38 > 0:10:43They may not look all that deadly, sprawled out in the shade here,
0:10:43 > 0:10:47but actually, what it shows is that they can be this comfortable
0:10:47 > 0:10:53in front of me. Their cocky, confident attitude.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56They know they're in charge.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59It's just the kind of attitude you expect from a predator
0:10:59 > 0:11:03that's at the top of the tree and has nothing to fear from anything.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07'And as they begin to wake up,
0:11:07 > 0:11:09'they start licking their lips
0:11:09 > 0:11:12'and coming a little bit too close for comfort.'
0:11:12 > 0:11:17The fossa, vicious hunter of Madagascar...
0:11:18 > 0:11:20..is on the Deadly 60.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24'A deadly acrobatic assassin,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28'the fearless fossa is a lemur's living nightmare,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31'killing by using its bone-crunching jaw
0:11:31 > 0:11:34'to bite their faces off.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37'Fossa is on the Deadly 60.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45'We're leaving the dry west coast and heading east,
0:11:45 > 0:11:46'to the lush jungles,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50'home to some of the world's most colourful creatures.'
0:11:51 > 0:11:55For a reptile lover, Madagascar is absolute paradise.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57And for one lizard in particular -
0:11:57 > 0:11:59the chameleons.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01This is a male Parson's chameleon,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04and it's pretty much as big as chameleons get.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07And this...
0:12:07 > 0:12:08is a dwarf chameleon.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11It's the smallest chameleon on the planet,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13one of the smallest reptiles.
0:12:13 > 0:12:18And way smaller than the insects that this bad boy would eat.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23'That difference in size would be like you meeting a person
0:12:23 > 0:12:25'five times as tall as a giraffe,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29'and weighing as much as ten elephants!
0:12:29 > 0:12:32'Although they can look very different,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35'chameleons all use the same lethal killing techniques.'
0:12:35 > 0:12:39I'm hoping to show you now why I think chameleons have to go
0:12:39 > 0:12:40on the Deadly 60.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44'The most famous thing about chameleons
0:12:44 > 0:12:48'is that they can change the colour of their skin.'
0:12:49 > 0:12:52What people don't know is, the chameleons will change colour
0:12:52 > 0:12:54much more quickly in response to their emotions.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58To fear, to anger, and to try and protect a territory.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02'So chameleons might look pretty,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05'but just like miniature dinosaurs, when they get cross,
0:13:05 > 0:13:07'they really show it.'
0:13:09 > 0:13:13When two males come face-to-face, they put on a remarkable display
0:13:13 > 0:13:16to try and frighten the other one off. I'm not going to
0:13:16 > 0:13:18put two chameleons together to fight,
0:13:18 > 0:13:20but I can show them their own reflection.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22And hopefully, that'll get the same response.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24Let's give it a try.
0:13:30 > 0:13:31Yes!
0:13:37 > 0:13:38Oh!
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Didn't like that, at all!
0:13:40 > 0:13:42He nearly broke my mirror.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47'The mirror looks like a rival,
0:13:47 > 0:13:49'and this male's message was clear -
0:13:49 > 0:13:51'back off.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54'Let's see how a different male reacts.'
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Look at that gape, look at the mouth.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11'So, male chameleons will stand their ground and put on a show
0:14:11 > 0:14:14'to protect their patch.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18'But it's bug hunting that makes them really deadly.
0:14:18 > 0:14:20'Chameleons eat insects.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23And keep their boggly eyes peeled in all directions,
0:14:23 > 0:14:25'looking for a juicy meal.'
0:14:25 > 0:14:28But the chameleon's most deadly skill is all down to how
0:14:28 > 0:14:30it catches its insect prey.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34And one of the fastest tongues in the whole animal kingdom.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42The tongue can be longer than its body,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45it has a sticky tip that can envelop an insect,
0:14:45 > 0:14:49and it can fire out in 1/125th of a second.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53'Don't blink or you'll miss it.'
0:14:53 > 0:14:55Oh!
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Ah!
0:14:58 > 0:15:00'Imagine catching your dinner
0:15:00 > 0:15:04'by launching your tongue across the school canteen.'
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Yuck!
0:15:09 > 0:15:11A climbing, clambering,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14insect-catching, colour-morphing chameleon,
0:15:14 > 0:15:16with his lightning-fast tongue...
0:15:18 > 0:15:20..is on the Deadly 60.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Messy eaters, aren't they?
0:15:28 > 0:15:31'Chameleons are feisty reptilian fighters,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33'with 360 degree vision...
0:15:35 > 0:15:37'..and equipped with one of the fastest tongues
0:15:37 > 0:15:39'in the animal kingdom.
0:15:41 > 0:15:44'There's no doubt about it, chameleons are deadly.'
0:15:47 > 0:15:50I've never been to Madagascar before.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53But you'd think, that having spent half of my adult life
0:15:53 > 0:15:55in tropical rainforests,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58there ought to be something here that's familiar to me.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02Well, actually, that couldn't be further from the truth.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06In fact, the vast majority of species found
0:16:06 > 0:16:10in Madagascar's rainforests are what's known as endemic.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15That means they occur here and nowhere else in the world.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17Which is quite exciting, really.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24'Species like this peculiar, and aptly named,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26'giraffe-necked weevil...
0:16:29 > 0:16:33'..the glorious, howling indri lemur...
0:16:39 > 0:16:42'..and this scary scuttling spider.'
0:16:42 > 0:16:43Wow!
0:16:45 > 0:16:49'All these animals are only found here in Madagascar.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51'As is our next deadly creature.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54'But finding it isn't going to be as easy.'
0:16:54 > 0:16:59The guys have told me that somewhere in this very tiny area here,
0:16:59 > 0:17:03is one of the animals that I most want to see while I'm in Madagascar.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07However, it is about as well camouflaged as any creature
0:17:07 > 0:17:09on the planet.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12So, I'm going to see if I can find it. I know it's here somewhere.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14Let's see how long it takes me.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23Oh, it's gone.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30This is crazy.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34'After ages staring at the same clump of branches,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37'I think I might have finally spotted it.'
0:17:37 > 0:17:40OK, Johnny, what I need you to do,
0:17:40 > 0:17:45I need you to frame up on that portion of tree there.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47- OK.- Can you see it?
0:17:47 > 0:17:48No.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51OK, let's try zooming in
0:17:51 > 0:17:53right where my finger is.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Can you see those eyes?
0:17:55 > 0:17:57All I can see is leaves.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00- Just there, see where my finger...? - Oh, yeah.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02OK, and zoom back out.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07- Have you got it?- Yeah.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12This is a leaf-tailed gecko.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14See if I can make him move a little bit.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16And then you will see him.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18That's the tail there.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23At this time of day, they kind of... Oh!
0:18:25 > 0:18:28The leaping leaf-tailed gecko.
0:18:30 > 0:18:34It takes a lot to surprise me, particularly with reptiles.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38I actually think that's the most beautiful lizard I've ever seen.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42The most incredibly camouflaged.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Look down the bottom lip, where it's touching my watch strap.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49It's got kind of tassels hanging off it
0:18:49 > 0:18:51that look just like moss or lichen.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55And all down the body and legs and those incredible digits,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59are just covered with little tassels that make it blend in
0:18:59 > 0:19:02perfectly with the tree bark.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06You are wondrous.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11He's like a living tree.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15This time of the day they're usually sleeping.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17It's very much a...
0:19:17 > 0:19:19nocturnal hunter.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24But you can see, they can be pretty mobile when they need to be.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29And, if you're a little cricket or something, scampering up the bark,
0:19:29 > 0:19:32you would never see him coming.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34Get close to those jaws,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37it'll be the last thing you ever did.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Wow!
0:19:42 > 0:19:46They actually have a limited ability to change their skin colour.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49Not as fast or dramatic as chameleons,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52but enough that, if they have a favoured tree,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55they can make themselves match it...
0:19:55 > 0:19:57even more closely.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59You never know,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02he might change so that he looks like my face after a while!
0:20:03 > 0:20:05He couldn't be that ugly!
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Well...
0:20:07 > 0:20:10do you reckon insects will see him if he stays here?
0:20:10 > 0:20:14I think I might be spoiling his camouflage a little bit.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Come on, back to the tree. Go where you're more at home.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29'The gecko lies low to avoid the attentions of daytime predators.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37'Then they use the same secret skills,
0:20:37 > 0:20:39'an impressive leap and sticky toes,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43'to head up into the canopy at night to ambush their prey.'
0:20:48 > 0:20:51He is an absolute miracle.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54And to insects, one of the deadliest creatures
0:20:54 > 0:20:57in the Madagascan forests.
0:20:57 > 0:21:01The leaf-tailed gecko is on the Deadly 60.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05'Leaf-tailed geckos are the ultimate
0:21:05 > 0:21:07'masters of disguise.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10'Even their eyeballs are camouflaged,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12'and with their super-suction feet,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16'they've earned a place on the Deadly 60.
0:21:22 > 0:21:28'Madagascar is probably the world's centre for weird wildlife.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31'But we've saved the most bizarre beast till last.
0:21:33 > 0:21:37'This country has one deadly animal, so difficult to find
0:21:37 > 0:21:40'that we've had to come to a zoo's breeding programme to see it.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43'The creature we're here to see
0:21:43 > 0:21:46'could be the strangest looking animal in the world.
0:21:48 > 0:21:50'We quietly set up an infrared camera
0:21:50 > 0:21:53'that can film in complete darkness
0:21:53 > 0:21:57'to try and get our first glimpse of this very unusual predator.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02'As a tropical storm beats down on the roof overhead,
0:22:02 > 0:22:03'we've just got to wait.'
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Come on, come on.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Here he comes.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Oh, my goodness.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25That is one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29And I've seen some real animal oddballs in my time.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34This is an aye-aye.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39It's one of the weirdest creatures in the world.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44'And another contender for the Deadly 60 list.'
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Look at those great big, long weird fingers.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54The reason the eyes are glowing like that is,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57they have a very special design to them that allows them to see
0:22:57 > 0:22:59really well in the dark.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02It's a reflective layer at the back of the eye
0:23:02 > 0:23:06that makes it much more easy for them to see in low light.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Right, I think we'll give him a little while just to settle down,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15then I'm going to go in and get better acquainted.
0:23:17 > 0:23:19How weird was that?!
0:23:21 > 0:23:25'This gremlin-like creature is totally unique.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27'Take a look at this.
0:23:28 > 0:23:29'It possesses one of the most
0:23:29 > 0:23:32'specialised weapons in the natural world.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34'And that's what makes it deadly.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37'But that's not a dagger it's carrying around with it,
0:23:37 > 0:23:40'that's actually one of its fingers.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45'This skinny twig-like finger drums against a tree trunk,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48'while super-sensitive ears are tuned in to the rustlings
0:23:48 > 0:23:50'of any potential prey hiding inside.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53'If there's a meal to be had,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56'the aye-aye will find it.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00'Once locked on, it unleashes its awesome chisel-like teeth
0:24:00 > 0:24:03'that make short work of the bark,
0:24:03 > 0:24:07'before poking in that deadly digit and hooking out a juicy meal.'
0:24:19 > 0:24:21OK, so we're going to make our way into this cage.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25I just hope it'll be OK with us going in there.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Dead quiet.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33'I' m dying to get a closer look at that strange hunting technique,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35'and hoping we can show it to you.'
0:24:37 > 0:24:40There he is, there he is. He's in here.
0:24:40 > 0:24:42There, Johnny, up there, look.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Can you see him?
0:24:57 > 0:25:01This is such a spooky experience.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03You almost totally forget that you're in a zoo,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06with this crazy goblin.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11Crikey!
0:25:11 > 0:25:14I think she thought my finger was...
0:25:14 > 0:25:16something edible, for a second there.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18When it comes down to it,
0:25:18 > 0:25:20they are pretty fierce.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28The first zoologists that are ever discovered the aye-aye
0:25:28 > 0:25:31really didn't know what to do with it.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34It's such a mish-mash of animal parts.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36It's got a great big, long bushy tail,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39so they thought it might be a squirrel.
0:25:39 > 0:25:44It also has long incisor teeth, like a rodent, that never stop growing.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48So they kind of thought that it was like a very peculiar squirrel,
0:25:48 > 0:25:50but it's not at all.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52It is a lemur, it is a primate.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54But the strangest one I've ever seen.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57'Perhaps that's the weirdest thing of all -
0:25:57 > 0:26:00'as a primate, she's distantly related to you and me.'
0:26:02 > 0:26:06The aye-aye is a very specialised feeder.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09If you look at that front foot, you'll notice
0:26:09 > 0:26:14that the middle finger is kind of all weird looking.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18It has no flesh, no muscle.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22It's just one long jointed pencil-like digit.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27(Look what he's doing right now.)
0:26:31 > 0:26:33Just using that finger to dig out
0:26:33 > 0:26:37little grubs that are beneath the bark.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40That is crazy!
0:26:51 > 0:26:54With their superhero hearing...
0:26:55 > 0:26:59..that crazy fish-hook finger...
0:27:00 > 0:27:03..the aye-aye is truly one of the greatest,
0:27:03 > 0:27:07weirdest insect hunters in the world.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15And the strangest animal on the Deadly 60.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18'The remarkable aye-aye.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20'Equipped with night vision,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24'huge satellite-dish ears that give it superb hearing,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27'and the world's freakiest finger!
0:27:27 > 0:27:31'All in all, a grub's worst nightmare.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36'Join me next time as I continue my search for the Deadly 60.'
0:27:36 > 0:27:37Up there, the silverback.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46The chimp's going after them. No way!
0:28:02 > 0:28:05Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:05 > 0:28:08E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk