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 > 0:00:34The rainforests of Central America have more kinds of plant and animal
0:00:34 > 0:00:35than anywhere else on earth.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39The treetops are known as the canopy,
0:00:39 > 0:00:42and form a whole wild city above the forest floor.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46This time on Deadly 60 we're in Costa Rica in Central America.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50A land of endless rainforests, active volcanoes
0:00:50 > 0:00:53and loads of deadly animals.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01At the bridge between North and South America, Costa Rica is
0:01:01 > 0:01:03a tropical rainforest wonderland.
0:01:07 > 0:01:10And bursting with possible contenders for the Deadly 60.
0:01:17 > 0:01:23But it's hot, wet and humid, which makes it especially tough for us.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26But perfect for our first contenders.
0:01:28 > 0:01:29If you've seen Deadly 60 before,
0:01:29 > 0:01:31you'll know I've got a bit of a thing for snakes.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33This is an absolute beauty.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35Woah-hoo-hoo!
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Absolutely gorgeous snake.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Most people think snakes are evil, slimy creatures
0:01:42 > 0:01:45that are just waiting to leap from the bushes
0:01:45 > 0:01:46and bite you on the bottom.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50I'd like to do a bit of myth busting now, so I've assembled a hit list
0:01:50 > 0:01:53of Costa Rica's most incredible snakes - they're complex,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57they're fascinating and they're very, very different.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00All we need is to figure out which one makes it onto the Deadly 60.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06The first contender in our Costa Rican snake contest
0:02:06 > 0:02:08is the mighty boa constrictor.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12The largest snake in Central America,
0:02:12 > 0:02:14they can grow up to 4m in length.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18They eat rodents, lizards and birds.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22And the larger ones have been known to eat monkeys, pigs and sloths.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26They lurk hidden for days or even weeks at a time,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29then use their formidable power to overcome their prey.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Not everyone likes snakes as much as me.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39This boa constrictor had slithered into a local farmer's backyard.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41I'm taking it back to the wild,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44but first I want to show you their special skills.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Snakes have to eat their prey whole,
0:02:47 > 0:02:50so a boa this size could never eat something as large as me.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54But it could still choke the life out of me.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59This magnificent creature...
0:03:00 > 0:03:02..is a boa constrictor.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Boa refers to the group of snakes that this belongs to.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10They're thick, heavy-bodied snakes.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12What I'd really like to do is show you how it hunts,
0:03:12 > 0:03:14that's the constrictor bit.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18And to do that I'm going to need to get control of it.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Wow, listen to that hiss.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24SNAKE HISSES
0:03:24 > 0:03:27You can see it's not actually trying to bite me, those strikes
0:03:27 > 0:03:30are just to try and frighten me away, as is the hissing sound.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34'Believe me, with all that solid muscle,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37'this isn't going to hurt the snake at all.'
0:03:37 > 0:03:42Right, so, look into the mouth at those thin,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46needle-shaped, backward-pointing teeth.
0:03:46 > 0:03:51They're really vicious and designed for hooking into their prey.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57'So this is what the boa does best.'
0:03:57 > 0:03:58Right.
0:03:58 > 0:04:03Let's see if I can show you a little more about how this snake hunts.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07So now, you can see quite a lot of the snake's bulk
0:04:07 > 0:04:09has gone straight around my neck.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Around here is where my windpipe is.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Where air comes in and out of my lungs.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20And also where the arteries are that carry blood to my brain.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23Now, as I breath out...
0:04:29 > 0:04:32..the snake is very subtly
0:04:32 > 0:04:36increasing the pressure around my throat.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38As you can see.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42That's making it more and more difficult for me to breathe.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47And every time I breathe out it just tightens a little bit more.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52Until eventually I can't get any air in or out of my lungs.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55And already, at this stage...
0:04:56 > 0:05:00..if I wasn't...just to ease the pressure...
0:05:00 > 0:05:04..I would be finding breathing very difficult indeed.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08This is what constricting means.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10If you see me starting to go blue or purple in the face,
0:05:10 > 0:05:14then I might need a little bit of help.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Constricting basically means to strangle,
0:05:17 > 0:05:20to suffocate the life out of prey.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24And that's how this magnificent animal...
0:05:24 > 0:05:25SNAKE HISSES
0:05:25 > 0:05:30..manages to kill the mammals it's feeding on.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33Oh, his tail's going round the back of my neck now.
0:05:33 > 0:05:39It's just finding places and ways of getting purchase to use
0:05:39 > 0:05:42its really strong muscles
0:05:42 > 0:05:44in choking me.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Now, I've only got quite a short time
0:05:46 > 0:05:50that I can show you this before I'm going to have to release myself.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55The amazing thing that happens next is that the boa constrictor
0:05:55 > 0:05:58will actually start to swallow its prey whole.
0:05:58 > 0:06:05And to do that, it can open this mouth incredibly wide.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07Oh!
0:06:10 > 0:06:15Actually... Yeah, it's amazing how strong it is.
0:06:15 > 0:06:20I mean, this snake is only actually feeding on mammals
0:06:20 > 0:06:24about that sort of size, maximum.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28And if it has the strength to choke the life out of me...
0:06:28 > 0:06:33I mean, I must be ten times, 20 times the size of its normal prey.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37And he easily has enough strength to choke me.
0:06:40 > 0:06:45There's no doubting this is an incredibly strong predator.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50I don't know, I think it's going to be very hard to beat.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53- Can I take this off now, please?- Yep.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56If I can get her off my neck.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10So, the boa constrictor is the muscle man
0:07:10 > 0:07:12of the snake world here in Costa Rica.
0:07:12 > 0:07:16Big, bulky, dashing and handsome.
0:07:16 > 0:07:17Kind of like me, really.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19What?! What's wrong with that?!
0:07:19 > 0:07:24Anyway, our next contender could not be more different.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29This is the wonderful eyelash pit viper.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33This eyelash viper is another rescue case.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36And is also going back to the wild
0:07:36 > 0:07:39once it's shown us its deadly prowess.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44Even if you're someone who hates snakes, you'd have to admit
0:07:44 > 0:07:47that that is a really beautiful animal.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51But they're also very highly-adapted hunters.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54And the clue to that is in their name. Pit vipers.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59That doesn't mean, as I thought when I was a kid, that they live in pits.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02Actually what it's talking about is a tiny pit that they have
0:08:02 > 0:08:08which is incredibly sensitive at picking up heat.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11Now, I've got a special camera here.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Nice little toy.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Hopefully, I can get close enough to show you that pit.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Very carefully here.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28I don't want to have it strike at me.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32That's looking right down the heat-sensitive pit
0:08:32 > 0:08:35of the eyelash pit viper.
0:08:35 > 0:08:41Now, that pit works as a kind of sixth sense,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43it can actually pick up heat.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47And how that helps it hunting is that most of the animals
0:08:47 > 0:08:51actually generate warmth in their muscles as they move.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54So even if it's completely dark,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57it can build up a three-dimensional picture
0:08:57 > 0:08:59of anything that it wants to hunt
0:08:59 > 0:09:02just using those incredible heat-sensitive pits.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Now, I've got a little Deadly 60 experiment
0:09:06 > 0:09:10that I'm hoping will show you how those pits work.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13I've been dying to give this a go.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Typical food for the eyelash pit viper
0:09:17 > 0:09:19would be something like a small mouse,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23perhaps a bat, they'll even catch hummingbirds on the wing.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26The core body temperature of a bird or a small mammal is
0:09:26 > 0:09:28around about 38 degrees.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31So what I've got here is a balloon filled with hot water
0:09:31 > 0:09:34that is almost exactly that temperature.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36I'm going to move it in, close to the viper,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40and hopefully I'll get it to strike towards the balloon.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Here, we've got our mini-cam set up and ready to record at high speed.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47That means that we should see the strike slowed right down,
0:09:47 > 0:09:50and be able to really appreciate quite how awesome it is.
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Right, let's give it a go.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Let's see what happens.
0:10:01 > 0:10:02HE LAUGHS
0:10:03 > 0:10:05That was amazing.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08What do you reckon, Nick? You got it?
0:10:08 > 0:10:10- Yeah, definitely. - Let's see, let's see.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Incredible.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19Absolutely incredible.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Saw the mouth open almost so it was fully wide like that.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Almost so it was creating a stabbing kind of shape.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29Rather than a downward strike.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33And the fangs were almost used like daggers to pierce into the balloon.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37That was amazing.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40Can I have another go? Is it all right?!
0:10:40 > 0:10:43- Can I have another go?!- Definitely. - I could do this all day!
0:10:49 > 0:10:53I can't see how any snake in the world is going to beat this.
0:10:56 > 0:11:01That's so perfect, you can just see it re-setting itself at the end.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Just setting the jaw back, letting the fang come back into position.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09That's incredible, absolutely incredible.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15I can't see how anything's going to beat that.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19But the last snake's very name strikes fear
0:11:19 > 0:11:21into the hearts of the locals.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Bushmasters are the largest of the pit vipers,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28growing up to four metres long.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31It's such an impressive, dragon-like snake,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34and can deliver enormous amounts of lethal venom.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39The venom works so fast, it can stop a rat in seconds
0:11:39 > 0:11:41and could kill a man in minutes.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45One of the snake's most potent weapons
0:11:45 > 0:11:47is its ability to blend into the background.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Its camouflage is so good you could walk right by one and not see it.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59To help me show you how effective this camouflage is,
0:11:59 > 0:12:04Pompilio, a local snake expert, is going to hide this bushmaster.
0:12:04 > 0:12:06And I'm going to see if I can find it.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15If one of us accidentally stepped on the bushmaster,
0:12:15 > 0:12:17it'd probably bite in defence.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20And that would be very bad indeed.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23Pompilio's going to watch where we walk very carefully.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25OK, boys, snake's hidden.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28- Right, OK.- Any advice? - Any advice?
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Yeah, keep right in the centre of the trail,
0:12:31 > 0:12:33let me do the kind of looking.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36And hopefully they'll warn us if we get too close.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40I'm going to start looking around about here.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Now, Pompy said he's not going to put it
0:12:43 > 0:12:45too far off the side of the trail.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47It's going to be very, very close.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48So...
0:12:48 > 0:12:53Just look down here, looking into this leaf, you can see what it is
0:12:53 > 0:12:55that makes the snake so well camouflaged.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57The leaves are all different colours.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Some of them are dark, some of them are light,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02and they all tend to have that triangular pattern to them
0:13:02 > 0:13:04which runs down the back of the bushmaster.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09That's how it blends in so well on the forest floor.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14Big heavy-bodied pit like that, they don't climb like the eyelash viper.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16They're always down on the ground.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21OK, this would be a great spot.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24The only time I have actually seen a bushmaster in the wild,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28it was coiled up right alongside a log, like just here.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31It would be perfect, but it's not there.
0:13:31 > 0:13:32I'm pretty sure it's not there.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37OK.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Am I getting warmer, Pompey?
0:13:48 > 0:13:49Mm...
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Tell me, I don't know.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55- STEVE LAUGHS - I don't think I'm very doing well.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Ah.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00I have it.
0:14:00 > 0:14:01OK.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Oh, that is just amazing.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10OK, I'm going to go in quietly and carefully so it doesn't move.
0:14:10 > 0:14:16And I think you'll have a lot of trouble spotting it.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23Right, OK, so,
0:14:23 > 0:14:24follow the end of my stick.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30That is its head.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32- Can you see that?- Yep.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Yeah?
0:14:36 > 0:14:41Just remarkable, the way all those diamond patterns down the back
0:14:41 > 0:14:43and the stripe down the back of its neck
0:14:43 > 0:14:44completely break up its outline
0:14:44 > 0:14:46and make it almost invisible.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50And this is exactly the kind of position this snake will hang in,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53perhaps for days on end, waiting for a meal to come past.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58Right, let's get him out so I can show you him properly.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10Such a heavy-bodied, thick snake,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12and all of that weight is
0:15:12 > 0:15:14used to anchor it down
0:15:14 > 0:15:15as it strikes.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21Really heavily, what's called, keeled scales.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Very dinosaur-like.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27And absolutely magnificent.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Well, I have to say, I'm a little bit undecided.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35I mean, all three have been utterly magnificent.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38What do you think, guys? Nick, what do you reckon?
0:15:38 > 0:15:42- I'm going bushmaster.- Yeah? Why's that?- It's a mean snake!
0:15:42 > 0:15:45- Em?- Do you know what, I'd like to stick with the eyelash viper.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47This is really tough.
0:15:47 > 0:15:51There is no doubt all three snakes deserve a place on the Deadly 60.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54The boa is, by far, the most powerful.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57The eyelash viper is accurate enough to catch hummingbirds on the wing.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01And the bushmaster has enough venom to bring down a buffalo.
0:16:01 > 0:16:02It seems wrong to pick just one,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06but because of its incredible display on the day,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08I'm giving it to the eyelash pit viper.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Maybe we'll catch up with the bushmaster and boa another time.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18So fast they can catch a hummingbird on the wing,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20with fierce, fast-acting viper venom
0:16:20 > 0:16:25and heat-sensitive pits that help it hunt in pitch darkness,
0:16:25 > 0:16:30eyelash pit viper could be the most striking snake on the Deadly 60.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38'Right, time for a bit of bush-bashing,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41'and a quest for our next crazy creature.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46'But first, a quick quiz.'
0:16:48 > 0:16:52South and Central America, which is also known as Latin America,
0:16:52 > 0:16:56has hundreds of different kinds of poisonous and venomous animals.
0:16:56 > 0:17:00In fact, the most poisonous animal in the whole world is right here
0:17:00 > 0:17:02in Latin American forests.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05But its identity might surprise you.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07What do you think it is?
0:17:07 > 0:17:09- A snake?- Nope.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11- Any ideas?- A scorpion?
0:17:11 > 0:17:12No, miles off.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15In actual fact, the most poisonous creature in the world,
0:17:15 > 0:17:21by some distance, is a tiny frog no bigger than the end of my thumb.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23They're called poison dart frogs
0:17:23 > 0:17:26and one beautiful variety is found here around us.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Poison dart frogs secrete poison onto their skins.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32When Colombian Indians are hunting,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35they wipe their blowpipe darts on the back of the frog.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Any animal they hit with their dart will be dead within minutes.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41These technicoloured amphibians
0:17:41 > 0:17:44come in an array of different bright colours,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46warning how dangerous they are.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49So, I'm going to enlist the help of my crew to try and find one.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52- Guys, you up for it?- Yep. - OK, so what we're listening for
0:17:52 > 0:17:54is a sound which goes something like...
0:17:54 > 0:17:58HE MAKES RASPING SOUND
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Go scrabble around in the leaves, see if you can find one.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'They are only tiny and very difficult to find,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07'but many spying eyes should increase our odds.'
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Use a stick, rather than your hands. There are lots of snakes around.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Have they found one yet?
0:18:20 > 0:18:23I'll just relax until they find one. They could be some time.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32- It's hard work, isn't it, frog searching?- It is.
0:18:34 > 0:18:35'Yeah, thanks, guys(!)
0:18:35 > 0:18:38'There no I in team, right?'
0:18:45 > 0:18:47(You've got to stick near the expert...)
0:18:48 > 0:18:50(..then pretend you found it.)
0:18:51 > 0:18:54Just in here. Listen. In there.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57OK, no, there's three, there's three in there.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04Now, I've made sure that I've washed my hands,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08because these frogs are very, very sensitive in the skin.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15And you don't want insect repellent or anything hurting them.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20Most people are absolutely blown away the first time
0:19:20 > 0:19:23they see a dart frog by how small they are.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26It's incredible to think that an animal this size
0:19:26 > 0:19:30can be the most poisonous on the planet.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Those bright, bright colours are part of the reason
0:19:33 > 0:19:37that this frog is actually found active during the day.
0:19:37 > 0:19:39Every other frog round here comes out at night time.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42It's deafening, with the calls of frogs.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44But these dart frogs can be active during the day
0:19:44 > 0:19:47and they are brightly coloured because they know that predators
0:19:47 > 0:19:51are going to see these colours and know it means just one thing -
0:19:51 > 0:19:54this is highly poisonous and certainly not good to eat.
0:19:54 > 0:19:59So, the poisons that are created by this little frog
0:19:59 > 0:20:02are one of the absolute miracles of nature.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Originally, they start off in the leaves of plants.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08Ants eat the leaves, frogs eat the ants
0:20:08 > 0:20:12and then they almost sweat the poison out on their skin.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15There's one species of dart frog, about the same size as this one,
0:20:15 > 0:20:19it's found in Colombia, and it has enough poison in its body
0:20:19 > 0:20:22to kill ten people. That's pretty incredible.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30This tiny little animal is a living chemical-weapons factory
0:20:30 > 0:20:34and, for that reason alone, it's got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36Small, but utterly deadly,
0:20:36 > 0:20:40their vibrant colours say, "Don't eat me - or else."
0:20:40 > 0:20:45Some species have the most powerful natural poisons on the planet.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Dart frog?
0:20:48 > 0:20:49Deadly!
0:20:52 > 0:20:55On the edge of the forest, a lot of people make their living
0:20:55 > 0:20:58through cattle ranches, but there is one lethal predator
0:20:58 > 0:21:01that comes in at night and feeds on the cows.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04This guy here, Don Fernando, has a ranch
0:21:04 > 0:21:07and he is hopefully going to show me the damage done to his cattle.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10- Hola. Hola.- Hola.
0:21:17 > 0:21:18Pass that through to me.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25'But first, a bit of hardcore... cow catching.'
0:21:34 > 0:21:37Cow wrangling. Don't you just love it(?)
0:21:38 > 0:21:39HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:21:49 > 0:21:54This is one of the cows that's been preyed on by our deadly predator.
0:21:54 > 0:21:59You can just see here... We can see the evidence of the presence
0:21:59 > 0:22:01of our next deadly animal.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05This is all dried blood. It's been lapped up
0:22:05 > 0:22:08and then spilled down onto the fur.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12The next animal we're looking for is a vampire.
0:22:27 > 0:22:32The farmer reckons that the vampires spend their days in a nearby cave.
0:22:34 > 0:22:38So, just there ahead of us, that dark hole is a cave.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41That's where we're heading.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Watch your step, it's slippery.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49Heading into the dark where the vampires roost
0:22:49 > 0:22:52is seriously spooky stuff.
0:22:52 > 0:22:53Whose idea was this?!
0:22:57 > 0:22:58Ugh!
0:22:58 > 0:23:02'The cave stinks with hundreds of years of poo.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05'It's the perfect hidey hole for bats.'
0:23:05 > 0:23:08Ugh! Yuck!
0:23:08 > 0:23:11WATER SPLASHES
0:23:11 > 0:23:13Ugh!
0:23:21 > 0:23:23In the darkest corners of the cave,
0:23:23 > 0:23:25fluttering shapes catch my eye.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Oh, look at that!
0:23:29 > 0:23:32BATS SQUEAK
0:23:34 > 0:23:35(Right.)
0:23:35 > 0:23:37(Let's see what we can get.)
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Can you see that, Johnny?
0:23:41 > 0:23:43BATS SQUEAK
0:23:55 > 0:23:56- One in?- Yep, got one.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05So what I have in this bag is an animal that's probably
0:24:05 > 0:24:08inspired more myth and legend
0:24:08 > 0:24:10than any other animal in the world.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12It's a vampire bat.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17They have also possibly the sharpest teeth of any animal,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21which explains why I'm wearing these big, thick gardening gloves
0:24:21 > 0:24:23before I even think about trying to get it out.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31Last time I tried to do this, it bit clean through the glove
0:24:31 > 0:24:33and into my finger.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35So I'm going to go quite careful.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47BAT SQUEAKS
0:24:52 > 0:24:53Right.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Let's get you into a good position.
0:24:57 > 0:25:03Look at him whirling around to try and get his...huge canine teeth
0:25:03 > 0:25:04into my fingers.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07BAT SQUEAKS
0:25:07 > 0:25:08OK.
0:25:08 > 0:25:13So that is the face that all the fuss is about.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15The vampire bat.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20If you look at its mouth, you can see the most special set of teeth
0:25:20 > 0:25:23found just about anywhere.
0:25:28 > 0:25:32Above me now is a roost of about 30 or 40 vampire bats.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36At night, they'll take wing...
0:25:36 > 0:25:39BAT SQUEAKS
0:25:39 > 0:25:44..using that remarkable wing membrane,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and fly out in search of a warm-blood meal.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51They use the ridiculously sharp teeth
0:25:51 > 0:25:53at the front of the mouth here...
0:25:53 > 0:25:55I don't want to get my finger too close,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57I just know I'll get bitten on camera!
0:25:57 > 0:26:00But they shave away a portion of hair from the animal
0:26:00 > 0:26:02they're going to be feeding on,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06and then bite a tiny hole and then lap away at the blood
0:26:06 > 0:26:10that leaks out, and their saliva keeps the blood flowing,
0:26:10 > 0:26:12it's what's called an anticoagulant.
0:26:12 > 0:26:18They take in about a soup spoon of blood, which doesn't sound like much
0:26:18 > 0:26:20but when you look at the size of this tiny bat,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23actually, for its body weight,
0:26:23 > 0:26:25that's an enormous meal.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28While it might seem that everything about vampire bats
0:26:28 > 0:26:31is just a bit grim and grotesque,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35amongst themselves, they're really quite thoughtful creatures.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38In fact, if they come back from having got a very good meal,
0:26:38 > 0:26:41and there's another bat here that hasn't managed to feed,
0:26:41 > 0:26:44one of these guys will actually regurgitate their blood meal
0:26:44 > 0:26:46and give some to the other bat.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49They look after each other.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54So, vampire bats - they may be the creature of nightmares
0:26:54 > 0:26:57but with possibly the sharpest teeth in the whole animal kingdom,
0:26:57 > 0:27:00I reckon they're worth a place on the Deadly 60.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07- Where's he gone? He's not on my back, is he?- No.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12With the sharpest teeth in the world,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15guzzling a third of their body weight in blood every meal,
0:27:15 > 0:27:19they're ghastly, blood-sucking nightmares.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Vampire bats.
0:27:21 > 0:27:22Yuck!
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Join me next time for more deadly animal encounters.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:56 > 0:27:59Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk