0:00:02 > 0:00:05My name's Steve Backshall.
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 deadly to me,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15but animals deadly in their own worlds.
0:00:17 > 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 > 0:00:31This time on Deadly 60,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33we're at the beach!
0:00:33 > 0:00:34That is the Indian Ocean...
0:00:35 > 0:00:37..and this is Mozambique.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Mozambique is on the Southeast coast of Africa -
0:00:41 > 0:00:45tricky to spell, but awesome for wildlife.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49'Some of the best encounters here are to be found in the sea,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53'so first, we've got to get ourselves, our cameras,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56'and our dive kit out beyond the waves.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00'Hold on to your hats, everyone!'
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Every different ecosystem, whether it's the jungle,
0:01:29 > 0:01:30the desert or the ocean,
0:01:30 > 0:01:32has to have loads of different animals
0:01:32 > 0:01:34all playing their own special part.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35For all the big predators,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38you've got to have tiny things for them to feed on.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41In order to show you those in the ocean,
0:01:41 > 0:01:45I've borrowed a pillow case from our hotel...
0:01:45 > 0:01:47and I'm going to go for a swim.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57'Now, bear with me as I conduct this little experiment.
0:01:57 > 0:02:02'There's a deadly animal coming and it eats what I'm trying to collect
0:02:02 > 0:02:03'in my pillow case.'
0:02:06 > 0:02:08Let's see what we've got.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Check that lot out!
0:02:11 > 0:02:13My pillow case trick actually worked!
0:02:13 > 0:02:19All of those weird swimming things inside there are plankton.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Plankton essentially comes in two types. You've got phytoplankton,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26which is plants, and zooplankton, which is animals.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29And if you don't believe me,
0:02:29 > 0:02:31you can see it all swimming!
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Now, this might not look like much of a meal,
0:02:34 > 0:02:37but there is an enormous amount of it.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39So, if you're an animal with a big enough mouth
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and you can hoover this stuff down,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43actually, this can provide a meal
0:02:43 > 0:02:46for some of the biggest animals on the planet.
0:02:46 > 0:02:49'And those big-mouthed animals are what we're here to find.'
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Be free!
0:02:51 > 0:02:53Swim away, little fishies!
0:02:58 > 0:03:00When you put them under the magnifying glass,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03you can see they really are tiny baby animals.
0:03:03 > 0:03:08These can be eaten by small fish, which are eaten by medium-size fish
0:03:08 > 0:03:11and are then eaten by big fish.
0:03:11 > 0:03:12It's called a food chain,
0:03:12 > 0:03:16where everything's eaten by something more deadly.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19But some animals bypass the whole chain
0:03:19 > 0:03:21and go straight for the plankton,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23swallowing it in huge numbers.
0:03:23 > 0:03:28And they are the biggest animals on Earth.
0:03:28 > 0:03:34Manta rays, basking sharks, huge fish, with huge mouths.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38And the biggest of them all is the mighty whale shark.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42This part of Mozambique is a great place to find them.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50'After an hour or two of searching,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53'Mark, our guide, spots a huge shadow in the water.'
0:03:53 > 0:03:55- Whale shark?- Whale shark.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Oh, this is a fantastic bit of luck!
0:03:59 > 0:04:03The high chair, up there, is a perfect spot
0:04:03 > 0:04:06for seeing big animals in the sea.
0:04:06 > 0:04:11And it looks like just up here, we have the biggest fish,
0:04:11 > 0:04:12the biggest shark in the sea.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Wow! Look at the size of that! Huge!
0:04:16 > 0:04:20We need to get ourselves prepped up pretty quick, get in the water.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Can you take your radio transmitter...?
0:04:23 > 0:04:28This is by no means certain, but if we do get close to this whale shark,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31it'll be the biggest animal we've ever had on the Deadly 60.
0:04:31 > 0:04:37There are unconfirmed reports of whale sharks 18 metres long.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40For absolute certain, they get to 12 metres,
0:04:40 > 0:04:42which is double the length of this boat.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46A whale shark that big could weigh as much as a double decker bus!
0:04:46 > 0:04:49That is a serious fish.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Right, are we looking good?
0:04:51 > 0:04:54OK, Steve...
0:05:01 > 0:05:04It's absolutely huge!
0:05:10 > 0:05:16'Coming out of the blue, towards me, is a gigantic, speckled spaceship.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25'With deceptively slow sweeps of its huge tail,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28'it was moving faster than any Olympic swimmer.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35'It was more like swimming with a submarine, than a fish!
0:05:38 > 0:05:41'The shark wasn't hunting, but moving quickly,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43'as if searching for its next meal.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47'It was just way too fast for any of us to swim alongside.'
0:05:49 > 0:05:51We're really struggling to keep up!
0:05:51 > 0:05:54I think I'll have to get onto scuba.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57'Up until now, I'd been using a mask and snorkel.'
0:05:57 > 0:06:01It wasn't working, going after the whale shark with a snorkel,
0:06:01 > 0:06:04so I'm swapping over into my scuba mask.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07Hopefully, that'll give me more chance to go down to his level
0:06:07 > 0:06:09and try and keep pace with it.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12'And it'll mean I'll be able to talk to you.'
0:06:12 > 0:06:15It's hard work!
0:06:15 > 0:06:19Three, two, one, go!
0:06:22 > 0:06:24'Our timing was perfect.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27'We jumped in practically on top of the shark
0:06:27 > 0:06:30'and, this time, it was demonstrating its deadly abilities.'
0:06:30 > 0:06:33HE LAUGHS
0:06:33 > 0:06:35He's feeding!
0:06:35 > 0:06:41When he's eating like this, you can see that this is actually a hunter.
0:06:41 > 0:06:47Look at that, gulping great loads of plankton in that huge mouth!
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Just gulping the food!
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Ooh! Crikey!
0:06:54 > 0:06:56I just got clobbered!
0:07:04 > 0:07:06With such a graceful animal,
0:07:06 > 0:07:09it's easy to forget what incredible hunters they are.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12A feeding whale shark is awesome.
0:07:12 > 0:07:17With each mighty gulp, it can devour tens of thousands of creatures.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Just look at the size of its mouth!
0:07:19 > 0:07:21You could park a car in there.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26It doesn't just eat plankton.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Here, a school of tiny fish is being hunted by larger tuna.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33The tuna pick at the edges, but the whale shark
0:07:33 > 0:07:35can gulp right through the middle of the school.
0:07:35 > 0:07:40If the tuna don't watch themselves, they'll end up getting munched too.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53You know, it's such a huge creature,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56it's one of the wonders of nature
0:07:56 > 0:08:00that all the things it feeds on are so tiny.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04These little specks of plankton in the water
0:08:04 > 0:08:08are its main food.
0:08:08 > 0:08:14But they can also gulp down small fish.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19And it needs so little energy to travel.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24You can see, because the tail is so huge,
0:08:24 > 0:08:30and such a big paddle, it can drive itself through the water
0:08:30 > 0:08:34with really tiny little bits of effort.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36Look at the size of the tail!
0:08:38 > 0:08:43The shark was so big that it was causing quite a stir on the surface.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47It's definitely the size of the boat. The boat is eight metres long.
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Eight metres.
0:09:01 > 0:09:07What a wonderful, graceful, beautiful giant.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13They are utterly awe-inspiring.
0:09:16 > 0:09:17Look at that.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24I can't keep up with him!
0:09:24 > 0:09:26He's so fast!
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Come back!
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Don't swim off!
0:09:36 > 0:09:43Is there anything more majestic in the world's oceans?
0:09:51 > 0:09:55At first sight, the whale shark may seem like a strange thing to go for
0:09:55 > 0:09:57for the Deadly 60.
0:09:57 > 0:10:02Obviously, they're totally harmless creatures to people,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05but we saw there the whale shark gulping at the surface.
0:10:05 > 0:10:10It was swallowing hundreds of thousands, millions,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13of tiny baby animals
0:10:13 > 0:10:14with every single gulp.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16That makes it a hunter -
0:10:16 > 0:10:19one of the most efficient, one of the biggest
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and one of the most majestic on the planet.
0:10:21 > 0:10:26And for those reasons I'm putting the whale shark on the Deadly 60.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28Whoo-hoo!
0:10:32 > 0:10:33Great stuff.
0:10:36 > 0:10:38The biggest fish in the sea.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41The mightiest mouth of any shark,
0:10:41 > 0:10:46with a gulp that hoovers up thousands of baby animals.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49The whale shark is a whopper.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57'Just after we'd seen the whale shark,
0:10:57 > 0:11:02'we spotted another marine monster with a similar method of feeding.'
0:11:02 > 0:11:04..straight towards it.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11- Whoa!- Oh!
0:11:11 > 0:11:15In the distance, two breaching humpback whales.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Then, cruising alongside our boat,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22a mother humpback and her van-sized calf.
0:11:22 > 0:11:2550 metres away, just on the surface.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27James, James, very close.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31That's the calf.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Oh!
0:11:33 > 0:11:36And that's Mum.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39She's like a nuclear submarine!
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Wow.
0:11:50 > 0:11:51Whales are mammals like us,
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and they have to come to the surface to breathe.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58And as they come up you can hear that expulsion of air.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08There's something tremendously life-affirming
0:12:08 > 0:12:10about seeing whales in their natural environment.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12As far as I'm concerned,
0:12:12 > 0:12:14any day where you can see a whale or a dolphin
0:12:14 > 0:12:17is automatically a very good day.
0:12:20 > 0:12:21Amazing.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30'That would have to rate as a pretty good day.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33'We're heading back after being thrown about on the sea
0:12:33 > 0:12:34'all day long.
0:12:34 > 0:12:40'Just as we're about to hit the hay, in scuttles an unexpected visitor
0:12:41 > 0:12:43'that could be the ultimate natural nightmare.'
0:12:47 > 0:12:50They're not venomous, but they can bite.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53How do you want to do this? Where's he gone?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56I think he's gone, I think he's gone.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- No, he hasn't gone!- Argh!
0:13:03 > 0:13:05This has all got a little bit frantic.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I've got one of the most remarkable invertebrates in the world
0:13:08 > 0:13:09under my net.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13How I'm going to show him to you, I have absolutely no idea,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16because this is the fastest invertebrate on the planet.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19OK. I think what I'm going to do is take the net off
0:13:19 > 0:13:23and try and get the glass down on top of it and see what happens.
0:13:25 > 0:13:31- OK.- How fast is it? - Very fast. Very, very fast.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36'Underneath my net is one creepy crawly
0:13:36 > 0:13:39'you'd not want scuttling up your trouser leg.'
0:13:39 > 0:13:41How am I going to do this?
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Oh, no! Don't go that way!
0:13:49 > 0:13:51Oh, no, I think we've lost him now.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52Yes! I've got him!
0:13:54 > 0:13:57Oh, they are one of the creepiest creatures you'll ever see.
0:13:57 > 0:13:58Yeah, I've got it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02- Um, right, who's going to take it up there from me?- I will.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03Er, not me.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05HE LAUGHS
0:14:05 > 0:14:07No, no. No, no, no.
0:14:07 > 0:14:08James.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10- Are you feeling brave, James?- No.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Look at the size of his jaws.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17Right...
0:14:18 > 0:14:20I know this is a little bit weird,
0:14:20 > 0:14:23but I really can't think of any other way
0:14:23 > 0:14:25of showing you this remarkable animal.
0:14:25 > 0:14:28This is a solifugid.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31They're known by many different names -
0:14:31 > 0:14:34sometimes they're called camel spiders or wind scorpions.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37They are arachnids, but not true spiders.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Although, if you count the legs -
0:14:40 > 0:14:42if he'll stay still long enough -
0:14:42 > 0:14:46you will see one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight legs.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49So they are arachnids, they're related to spiders.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53But the most incredible thing about it is if you look at the head,
0:14:53 > 0:14:58because the mandibles, the jaws, are just enormous.
0:14:58 > 0:15:00They have an incredible force
0:15:00 > 0:15:04that's generated by the muscles in that whacking, great big head.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08And they use those mandibles, they work almost separately,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10like big tools to tear apart insects
0:15:10 > 0:15:13that they'll catch using their incredible speed.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16And it would have to be one of the creepiest creatures on the planet.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23In relation to its size,
0:15:23 > 0:15:27this animal has the biggest jaws of anything on earth.
0:15:27 > 0:15:28Full stop.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31And it's that simple really.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33If you're its prey, it's faster than you,
0:15:33 > 0:15:37it chases you, it grabs you and then it minces you
0:15:37 > 0:15:40with those giant jaws.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42They really give me the creeps.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47There are so many myths about solifugids,
0:15:47 > 0:15:49so much nonsense that's written about them
0:15:49 > 0:15:51and it's not surprising really, cos they are
0:15:51 > 0:15:55one of the most frightening looking creatures on the planet.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57They're said to chase after people,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01to have a kind of venom that means you can't feel when they bite you
0:16:01 > 0:16:03and they slowly eat you alive.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06None of that is actually true, they don't have venom glands.
0:16:06 > 0:16:10They just rely on the enormous strength and power of those jaws
0:16:10 > 0:16:12and their incredible speed.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14I mean, I don't think there's any doubt
0:16:14 > 0:16:18that these incredible arachnids should go on the Deadly 60.
0:16:20 > 0:16:22I think really though, you need to see him at work.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24And to do that,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27we're going to have to release him from his little glass prison,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29and see him running around.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31I'm going to start doing that on my hand.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34This could be the bravest thing I do all week.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Eugh-ah-ha-ha!
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Oh, that's so freaky!
0:16:44 > 0:16:46OK, let's see where he goes.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55I don't know if you can see this,
0:16:55 > 0:16:56but all over the legs
0:16:56 > 0:16:58are enormous,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00great long sensory hairs.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03Some of them almost as long as the legs themselves.
0:17:03 > 0:17:07These are used to sense movements in the air around,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10even chemicals from its prey.
0:17:13 > 0:17:14Where are you off to?
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Ah! He's gone!
0:17:16 > 0:17:19'And with that, it disappeared off into the night,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22'probably to scare some other TV crew.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26'Now, I don't think anybody's going to argue
0:17:26 > 0:17:28'with me putting this on the Deadly 60.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33'Solifuge, camel spider, wind scorpion,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35'whatever you want to call it,
0:17:35 > 0:17:37'it's deadly.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43'The fastest invertebrate in the world.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46'With the biggest jaws around,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50'and scarier than an attic full of ghosts.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56'The solifugid is on the Deadly 60.'
0:18:01 > 0:18:03It's a little after sunrise
0:18:03 > 0:18:06and we found ourselves on this beautiful, calm,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09peaceful, tranquil paradise beach,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12but I'm kind of hoping that our day isn't going to stay
0:18:12 > 0:18:14calm and peaceful and tranquil.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17In fact, I'm hoping for some serious action,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21cos out there in the Indian Ocean is one of the fastest,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23fiercest fish on the planet.
0:18:23 > 0:18:27We've got a whole bunch of Deadly 60 tricks to try and find one.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32'Today, I'll be requiring one boat.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33'Check.
0:18:35 > 0:18:37'Some seaworthy shipmates.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39'Check.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43'A keen sense of adventure.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45'Check.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47'And possibly, a sick bag.
0:18:47 > 0:18:48'Check.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52'Cos we're going to be looking for the most awesome fish in the sea.'
0:18:53 > 0:18:57The fish that we've come to find are known collectively as billfish.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02'Billfish have huge long noses, or bills.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04'They use these fearsome spiky weapons
0:19:04 > 0:19:08'to stun and kill the smaller fish they feed on.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12'That's deadly enough,
0:19:12 > 0:19:16'but driving them forward at insane speed is a hypercharged engine room,
0:19:16 > 0:19:22'powerful muscles, streamlining and a scythe-like tail.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25'All billfish are fast, but the fastest of the lot
0:19:25 > 0:19:29'is the sleek, the speedy, the savage predator - the marlin.'
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Our fishing boats are powerful, modern speedboats
0:19:33 > 0:19:36with 250 horsepower engines.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38And we're really rattling along at the moment,
0:19:38 > 0:19:43but unbelievably, a marlin can just cruise straight past us
0:19:43 > 0:19:45as if we were standing still.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47They've been clocked at over 80mph,
0:19:47 > 0:19:51which makes them easily the fastest fish in the sea.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55And they can accelerate faster than a Formula One racecar.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01'So if they're so fast, how do we hope to see one?
0:20:01 > 0:20:04'As ever, we have a trick up our sleeve.
0:20:04 > 0:20:05'We're going fishing.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09'But not with hooks - with an underwater camera.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13'We'll tow a fluffy lure behind our boat,
0:20:13 > 0:20:16'the fish will go mad for it, thinking it's food,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19'and we'll be able to see the whole thing up on deck on a TV screen.'
0:20:23 > 0:20:26It'll work, Steve. It'll work.
0:20:27 > 0:20:28'Good start!
0:20:28 > 0:20:32'So far, we've got a picture.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35'Now, let's get it in the water.'
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Come on, fishy.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46'We didn't have to wait long before predators spotted the bait.'
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Oh, oh! There's fish coming in and checking out the bait.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52Look at that!
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Whoa!
0:20:54 > 0:20:57- What do you reckon they are? Any ideas?- Torpedo scads.
0:20:57 > 0:20:58Oh, look at that!
0:20:58 > 0:21:02That's a big shoal!
0:21:02 > 0:21:05'These fast-hunting fish are called torpedo scad.'
0:21:05 > 0:21:07Wow!
0:21:07 > 0:21:11They're certainly going after the bait, coming in,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14checking it out... That's awesome!
0:21:14 > 0:21:16They're like little torpedoes!
0:21:17 > 0:21:22These fish are probably about the length of my arm
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and exactly the kind of things that marlin and other billfish
0:21:25 > 0:21:27will be feeding on.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Coming right into the bait!
0:21:30 > 0:21:31Look at that!
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Just a flash of silver and then they're gone.
0:21:35 > 0:21:36Wow!
0:21:36 > 0:21:39What an amazing shot!
0:21:40 > 0:21:41'Things were all looking good.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45'We were getting great shots of hunting fish with our tow camera
0:21:45 > 0:21:47'and there were predators about.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51'A school of dolphin, bow-riding, proved that.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53'But despite all the time trying,
0:21:53 > 0:21:57'we didn't catch a single glimpse of a marlin.'
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Well, we do like a gamble on Deadly 60,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04but this was perhaps too much of a long shot.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06We've been out here for two days now
0:22:06 > 0:22:08and we still haven't found our marlin
0:22:08 > 0:22:11and unfortunately, it's time to move on. But even so...
0:22:11 > 0:22:14'Hopefully you'll agree it was worth persevering
0:22:14 > 0:22:17'to try and see one of these awesome hunters.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19'I'm not going to put it on the Deadly 60
0:22:19 > 0:22:24'because I think the marlin and I have unfinished business.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'However, there is another animal I have in mind,
0:22:27 > 0:22:29'but it couldn't be more different.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39'The animal I'm trying to find isn't fast, but in its own way,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43'it's more destructive than anything else on the Deadly 60.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'It lives on the sea bed, so it's time for a spot more diving.'
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Three, two, one, go.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00SO beautiful!
0:23:03 > 0:23:06It's like a huge aquarium down here!
0:23:06 > 0:23:10So many colours!
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Oh, look!
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Devil ray.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25They're quite a way away.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29'The devil rays are swimming fast into the distance.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33'And I want to keep descending to the sea bed on my mission.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37'Then, we get sized up by one of the biggest mouths on the reef.'
0:23:37 > 0:23:38Oh, look!
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Mark! Mark! Look at this!
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Hello there, big fella!
0:23:45 > 0:23:49This is a potato grouper.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53They're quite often quite friendly.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57I think they're wonderful fish.
0:23:58 > 0:24:03Great big enormous mouths,
0:24:03 > 0:24:08full of solid teeth for crunching down crustaceans.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Awesome! And they always look so grumpy, too!
0:24:13 > 0:24:15HE LAUGHS
0:24:17 > 0:24:20'Munching spiny lobster in their cavernous jaws,
0:24:20 > 0:24:24'grouper could be a contender.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28'But, for the moment, I'm sticking to plan A.'
0:24:29 > 0:24:31Oh!
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Guys!
0:24:36 > 0:24:39Am I imagining things?
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Wow! Look at this!
0:24:47 > 0:24:50This is exactly what I was hoping to find!
0:24:51 > 0:24:57This big, bizarre, pin cushion-like creature in front of me
0:24:57 > 0:24:59is a starfish.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02But it's a very special kind of starfish
0:25:02 > 0:25:04and I'm not going to try and pick this one up.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07It's a crown-of-thorns.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11All these spines covering the top of it,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13covering the arms,
0:25:13 > 0:25:17carry venom, and certainly while I'm this far underwater,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21the last thing I would want would be to get nailed by this.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I mean, it potentially could kill me.
0:25:24 > 0:25:30However, that's not the reason why this, the crown-of-thorns starfish,
0:25:30 > 0:25:34is going to go on the Deadly 60.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38'Nope, I've not gone completely bonkers.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40'This is a starfish.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44'And if you think starfish are just like star-shaped rocks,
0:25:44 > 0:25:47'take a look at them speeded up.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52'Our starfish, the crown-of-thorns,
0:25:52 > 0:25:55'hunts and kills coral.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00'They creep up on their defenceless prey
0:26:00 > 0:26:02'on tube-like feet.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05'To eat, they throw up their stomach lining,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08'out through their mouths, over the living coral.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12'That's the yellow stuff that looks a bit like cabbage.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16'Its stomach contains highly-toxic digestive juices
0:26:16 > 0:26:20'which dissolve the coral, killing it.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25'So the starfish pulls in its stomach...
0:26:26 > 0:26:29'..and, using those tube-like feet,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32'moves on to feast on a fresh part of the coral reef.
0:26:36 > 0:26:39'Just one of these deadly critters is destructive enough,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41'but if there's lots of them,
0:26:41 > 0:26:45'they can devastate a once-lush coral garden,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49'reducing it to a brittle, lifeless skeleton.'
0:26:52 > 0:26:55This is a real horror!
0:26:55 > 0:26:59And that's why the crown-of-thorns is on the Deadly 60.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03It's a destroyer of coral!
0:27:04 > 0:27:06'Covered in poison-tipped spines,
0:27:06 > 0:27:09'they can throw up their stomachs
0:27:09 > 0:27:13'and dissolve an area of coral the size of a city.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16'Definitely on the Deadly 60.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25HE LAUGHS
0:27:25 > 0:27:26Whoa!
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Look at that!
0:27:29 > 0:27:31'Join me next time, as I continue my search
0:27:31 > 0:27:34'for the Deadly 60.'
0:27:34 > 0:27:35Wow!
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Whoo!
0:27:36 > 0:27:40Just flying under my feet! Ahhh!
0:27:52 > 0:27:55Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:55 > 0:27:58E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk