0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Whoo!
0:00:05 > 0:00:10And this is my search... for the Deadly 60.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Not just animals that are deadly to me,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15but animals that are deadly in their own world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20My crew and I are travelling the planet.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24And you're coming with me! Every step of the way.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29'Deadly!'
0:00:29 > 0:00:34'Deadly is this time making its home in South America.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'Diverse, dramatic, dripping with wildlife
0:00:39 > 0:00:42'and all with a distinctly Latin flavour.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46'We'll journey up jungle river systems
0:00:46 > 0:00:49'in search of the most notorious fish.'
0:00:49 > 0:00:52Argh!
0:00:52 > 0:00:57'And into the Brazilian highlands, where an unusual maned canine
0:00:57 > 0:00:59'stalks the land by night.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03'But we begin in Venezuela.'
0:01:13 > 0:01:16The first animal I'm hoping to put on my Deadly 60
0:01:16 > 0:01:21is a nocturnal hunter which haunts the waterways of Latin America.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25It's a creepy customer, and I warn you now, hang on to your hats
0:01:25 > 0:01:29because this animal is electric. Literally.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34'Humans only learnt how to harness electricity a few hundred years ago,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37'but nature got there first.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40'A few aquatic creatures can generate electricity,
0:01:40 > 0:01:43'but we're seeking the champion, a creature with the power to shock,
0:01:43 > 0:01:47'to stun, even to stop a heart from beating.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51'The deep pool beneath this bridge is a classic place
0:01:51 > 0:01:53'to find them hunting.'
0:01:53 > 0:01:55So here is our bridge.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00Down there is where we're looking.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Yes! There you go. Our first one.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07It's an electric eel.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13And that is a spectacled caiman.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24'And not just one.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27'In fact, there are hundreds of these toothy crocodiles.
0:02:27 > 0:02:31'This pool must be a prime feeding ground.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36'Spectacled caiman have already claimed a place on the Deadly 60,
0:02:36 > 0:02:39'but they're not usually aggressive to people.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43'I'm fairly confident that when I wade in, they should move away.'
0:02:44 > 0:02:47The electric eels are a different story.
0:02:47 > 0:02:51They can generate enough power to knock me off my feet
0:02:51 > 0:02:52and possibly even to kill me.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56This is the most powerful electricity-producing animal.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00'The electric eel is not a true eel, but a freshwater fish
0:03:00 > 0:03:04'that has the extraordinary ability to make, store
0:03:04 > 0:03:06'and discharge electricity.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09'80% of its body is jam-packed with electric organs
0:03:09 > 0:03:11'which function like batteries.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13'It stores up power and can deliver a burst
0:03:13 > 0:03:17'of up to 600 volts towards prey.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20'Or even an intruder like me in the water.'
0:03:22 > 0:03:25If I went in wearing the clothes I'm wearing now,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29I could get hit with a shock that could literally stop my heart.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33So the best way to deal with this is to get in there wearing waders
0:03:33 > 0:03:36and long rubber gloves to insulate me from the electricity.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38I need to catch one of these eels
0:03:38 > 0:03:42because we've got an experiment to show you how lethal they can be.
0:03:45 > 0:03:50So...the plan is to wade in there
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and try and catch one with this fishing net.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58What could possibly go wrong?
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Well, there's our first problem.
0:04:03 > 0:04:09We've got a caiman sat exactly where I want to get into the water. Go on!
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Oh, I can't tell you how spooky this is!
0:04:19 > 0:04:22'Just metres away from me, sinister shadows
0:04:22 > 0:04:25'lurk eerily beneath the surface.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28'They're like something out of a horror movie.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31'They constantly emit electrical pulses
0:04:31 > 0:04:34'which they use like a radar to navigate their world.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36'These eels will already know I'm here,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40'but until they surface, I have no idea where they are.'
0:04:43 > 0:04:45STEVE EXHALES
0:04:54 > 0:04:58OK, this is good. They're starting to get used to me being here.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03And they're popping up much more often.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Eels have gills like other fish,
0:05:05 > 0:05:11but because the environments they live in are very low in oxygen,
0:05:11 > 0:05:16they'll also come up to the surface and gulp air.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19And that's the time I'm going to see one
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and I stand most chance of catching them.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26Could this get any creepier?
0:05:26 > 0:05:29There's one. There.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Argh!
0:05:34 > 0:05:38Oh, no!
0:05:41 > 0:05:43So tense. He's right in front of me.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Yes! No!
0:05:48 > 0:05:51I'm standing on the brink of the deep water right now
0:05:51 > 0:05:54and I can't go any closer to them.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Three ugly, hulking shapes.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00I just have to wait for them to come to me.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07'We might have more success if I could encourage them to hunt me.'
0:06:11 > 0:06:15So just making a noise with my hand of a struggling fish.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Hoping that might attract their attention.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21Come on now.
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Looks like it might work.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Oh, they're all coming in, look! It's definitely working!
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Oh, this is horrible!
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Yeah, there's one right in front of me.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57- Got him!- Yeah!- Yes! - CHEERING
0:06:57 > 0:07:01We finally...got our stunner!
0:07:01 > 0:07:04OK. Now, what I really want to do
0:07:04 > 0:07:06is get this out of the water.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11We've got a little tub up here where we can show you its true powers.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14Because this is absolutely phenomenal.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18I may seem to be being obsessively careful about this,
0:07:18 > 0:07:23but water is fantastic at conducting electricity
0:07:23 > 0:07:29and this animal has enough electrical power
0:07:29 > 0:07:32to at least put me on my back
0:07:32 > 0:07:34and possibly even to kill me.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37So...all of this
0:07:37 > 0:07:41is definitely not overkill.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Now, we do have a way of actually testing the electricity
0:07:49 > 0:07:51that's coming out of this animal.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Here we have two electrodes...
0:07:55 > 0:07:58which, when placed into the water,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01should be able to sense electric currents
0:08:01 > 0:08:03that are being given off
0:08:03 > 0:08:08just even as this animal is completely static and not moving.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11We should hear it through this loudspeaker.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15So you can hear those popping sounds.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17- RAPID POPPING - Ooo!
0:08:17 > 0:08:20That little trill there...
0:08:22 > 0:08:24..that was a burst of power.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30'Every pulse you can hear through the speaker
0:08:30 > 0:08:34'is an electrical current being made and discharged by the eel.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39'The more frequent the pulses, the more intense the charge.'
0:08:40 > 0:08:43But this animal...
0:08:43 > 0:08:45RAPID POPPING
0:08:45 > 0:08:49..is a hyper-powered marvel. Listen to that!
0:08:49 > 0:08:51RAPID POPPING
0:08:53 > 0:08:57'Focus charge can be used to zap its prey.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02'Stunned fish are then swallowed whole.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09'Thinking the rubber gloves would keep me insulated,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13'I decided to try to lift the electric eel up out of the water.'
0:09:14 > 0:09:15Argh!
0:09:15 > 0:09:18- Did it get you?- Yes!
0:09:18 > 0:09:20STEVE LAUGHS
0:09:20 > 0:09:23It was like I grabbed an electric cow fence!
0:09:23 > 0:09:25OK, I won't put both my hands in again.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31The awe-inspiring electric eel,
0:09:31 > 0:09:34with enough force to blow a horse off its feet
0:09:34 > 0:09:36or to stun fish into submission.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39This is one of the most extraordinary beasts
0:09:39 > 0:09:42we'll ever have on the Deadly 60.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49'A haunting addition to the murky waters of South America.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54'And the most powerful electricity-producing animal.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58'Stunning their prey before gulping it down whole.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01'They're spooky, they're sinister and they're...'
0:10:01 > 0:10:03'Deadly!'
0:10:06 > 0:10:10'We're leaving Venezuela and travelling to its neighbour Brazil
0:10:10 > 0:10:13'in search of more aquatic marvels.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20'By night, the waters are ruled by nocturnal predators,
0:10:20 > 0:10:22'but during the day, those animals lay low,
0:10:22 > 0:10:26'allowing a whole new rota of hunters to clock on.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30'The people who live here certainly have a lot to contend with.'
0:10:30 > 0:10:33The Amazon River Basin has more predatory animals
0:10:33 > 0:10:35than any other place I know of.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38Some are very well-known. You could say they're notorious.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43The next animal I'm looking for is one of those. It's a piranha.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47But not just any piranha, the largest. The giant black piranha.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50'Piranhas take no prisoners.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55'Their interlocking teeth are as sharp as a surgical scalpel.
0:10:55 > 0:10:59'We've filmed both red and yellow bellied piranha on Deadly 60.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04'They hunt in shoals. When feeding, the water can seem to be boiling.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08'There are as many as 60 species and they're all very different.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12'The one I've always wanted on my list is the daddy of them all.'
0:11:12 > 0:11:17The black piranha is such an iconic animal of this part of the world.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20It has possibly the sharpest teeth of any animal.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24A bright, burning red eye, and they are absolutely huge.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29It's an animal that can take a human finger off with one single bite.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35'As youngsters, they feed by biting chunks off other fishes fins,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38'but as adults, they're much more commanding.'
0:11:38 > 0:11:42This lagoon has an eerie quality about it.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46At one stage, all of this was above the water and it's been flooded.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49And the trees have just basically drowned.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Craggy silhouettes are sticking up out of the water.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54It's like a ghost town.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57'Our piranhas will be stalking
0:11:57 > 0:12:00'amongst the tangled roots of the ghost trees.'
0:12:02 > 0:12:06Now all we have to do is get the hook in and wait for action,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08which would all be well and good,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11except that I am a spectacularly useless fisherman.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22Ooo, that was a good one!
0:12:22 > 0:12:24STEVE LAUGHS
0:12:25 > 0:12:28I reckon I've lost my bait.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32This is always a tricky moment. You're thinking,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35should I leave it there and find out or pull it up?
0:12:35 > 0:12:39'There isn't much a black piranha wouldn't sink its teeth into.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42'They eat their own kind, tear chunks off large animals
0:12:42 > 0:12:46'struggling in the water or scavenge on carrion.'
0:12:51 > 0:12:52Oh, no!
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Well, part of it's gone.
0:12:55 > 0:12:56Most of it's gone!
0:12:56 > 0:12:59It's a start. They're here.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02'The piranhas' teeth are so sharp,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06'they've managed to shave off pieces of my bait and just leave my hook.'
0:13:08 > 0:13:10I've caught a tree.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12STEVE LAUGHS
0:13:13 > 0:13:16I did say I wasn't very good at this.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18How's that?
0:13:19 > 0:13:23'The crew were starting to think I'd never catch one.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26'I was determined to prove them wrong.'
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Oh, I've got a fish!
0:13:30 > 0:13:33It's a little piranha.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Good stuff! OK.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42Well, it is only diddy, but it's very much a start.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45This definitely isn't the piranha species we're looking for.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49This is an absolutely tiny one by comparison.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53But it still has the same basic body shape.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56Look how undercut the jaw is.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58It really sticks out...
0:13:58 > 0:14:01from beyond the top of the upper jaw,
0:14:01 > 0:14:04which makes it much more easy for this to get in
0:14:04 > 0:14:07and take a chunk of flesh out of whatever it's feeding on.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11'Some species of piranha feed only on fruit,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14'but this one is definitely a carnivore.'
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Let me just see if I can show you those teeth. Look at those.
0:14:20 > 0:14:25Even on this little itty-bitty piranha,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28it's still enough to give you quite a nasty bite.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33OK. Catch number one.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37But an absolute miniscule fish in comparison to the monster
0:14:37 > 0:14:39that we're here trying to find.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48'As our first spot hadn't been a success, we moved on down the river,
0:14:48 > 0:14:51'trying out other likely-looking locations.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56'To increase our chances, everyone got fishing.'
0:15:01 > 0:15:06Something you always do when fishing for piranha is to agitate the water,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09replicating the movements of a struggling animal.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Perhaps a struggling bird or fish.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14The piranha are very likely to investigate.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17So every once in a while...
0:15:22 > 0:15:26..just that should be enough to excite their attention.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29'Piranha zone in on movement, using an organ
0:15:29 > 0:15:32'that runs down their body called the lateral line.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36'It's laden with hair cells agitated by vibrations in the water.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38'Add to that a honed sense of smell
0:15:38 > 0:15:41'and they have the advantage over their prey,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45'even in the murkiest of waters.'
0:15:52 > 0:15:53Oh, no!
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Oh! I had something big there and it's got away!
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Argh!
0:16:01 > 0:16:04I'm almost certain that was a black piranha.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Yargh! Close, but not close enough.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10'But having everyone fishing has paid off.'
0:16:12 > 0:16:16The guy in the next boat caught something and passed me his line.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21OK. It's a black piranha.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28It's not one of the real monsters.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31In fact, it's quite average size.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Although you can see it still has quite a snap on it.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39And a superlative set of gnashers.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41Argh!
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Argh!
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Really mistimed that quite badly!
0:16:47 > 0:16:49- Oh, ow! - STEVE LAUGHS
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Well, it was about time that happened.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58I've been catching piranhas for a long time and I've not been bitten.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02But that's my first piranha battle scar.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08The black piranha is really very distinctive.
0:17:08 > 0:17:13Very dark in colour, but it has these incredible red eyes.
0:17:13 > 0:17:17It has a very, very stocky body. Look at it in cross-section,
0:17:17 > 0:17:22if you look at it end on, it's almost bulldog-like in appearance.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Because it's not very long, it's very manoeuvrable.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28It can move incredibly quickly.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Moving in towards food, taking a bite,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33then instantly swimming away at great pace.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37They don't actually hunt in packs, as is traditionally believed.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Actually, they tend to hunt on their own.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Looking at this one, you can see it's a little bit tatty
0:17:44 > 0:17:46around the tail and around these fins.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50The reason for that is other piranhas will actually come in
0:17:50 > 0:17:53and take big chunks out of the fins.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55They are cannibalistic
0:17:55 > 0:17:58and they'll certainly waste no opportunity to munch down
0:17:58 > 0:18:02big chunks of these fins, but leaving the fish alive.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Let me just see if I can show you these teeth.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Look at those. Absolutely fearsome.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15The black piranha.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17With its burning red eyes
0:18:17 > 0:18:20and some of the sharpest teeth on earth,
0:18:20 > 0:18:25it truly is one of the most fearsome hunters of the flooded forest.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28And got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33'With some of the sharpest teeth in the whole animal kingdom
0:18:33 > 0:18:38'and dramatically honed senses, they're cannibalistic carnivores
0:18:38 > 0:18:43'and that burning red eye makes them look utterly evil.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45'Black piranhas...'
0:18:45 > 0:18:47'Deadly!'
0:18:47 > 0:18:50'I'm not going to bear any grudges.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53'This feisty fish has earned his freedom.'
0:18:53 > 0:18:56'Leaving the Amazonian waterways behind us,
0:18:56 > 0:19:01'we headed further south in Brazil and up into the highlands.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03'And a new mission.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06'This time, for a hot-blooded hunter.'
0:19:06 > 0:19:10The animal we're looking for is called the maned wolf.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13It's a highly unusual member of the dog family.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17Any opportunity to see one of them out in the wild is a real treat.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21We're going to go on a tour of the wolf's world.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25'At almost a metre tall,
0:19:25 > 0:19:28'the maned wolf is South America's largest wild dog
0:19:28 > 0:19:32'and one of the most crazy-looking canines in the world.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35'Their strange long legs
0:19:35 > 0:19:39'are probably an adaptation to hunting in grasslands.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42'Allowing them to look down on terrestrial prey,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44'while keeping their eyes on the horizon.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46'Their ears are perfect for pinpointing
0:19:46 > 0:19:49'the exact location of even the most hidden prey.
0:19:49 > 0:19:55'And with calculated precision, they pounce, claiming their victim.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59'Maned wolves are endangered. They're also shy and solitary,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02'so it's going to be no mean feat to find one.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04'But we like a challenge on Deadly 60,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08'and there's a good reason we've come here to track our wolves.'
0:20:09 > 0:20:13These animals feed to a tremendous degree on fruit.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16It's not just going out and catching live prey.
0:20:16 > 0:20:1850% of their diet is made up
0:20:18 > 0:20:21from the kind of fruit they find in forests.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26So during the day, quite often, they take refuge in places like this.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31'So I'm in tracking mode,
0:20:31 > 0:20:36'on the search for any sign that wolves use these trails.'
0:20:36 > 0:20:39Oh, now, there you go.
0:20:39 > 0:20:43Now, that...is a definite...print.
0:20:43 > 0:20:46Look at that.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Really, really good.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52The thing that tells me this is a dog print rather than a cat print
0:20:52 > 0:20:57is that very visible at the front of each toe is a claw mark.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02The jaguars and mountain lions found in this part of the world
0:21:02 > 0:21:06all have retractile claws which wouldn't be visible in a print.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10So that's definitely from a member of the dog family.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12It's quite splayed, quite open.
0:21:12 > 0:21:16And domestic dog prints tend to be more compact than that.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20I'm going to say I reckon that's a maned wolf right there.
0:21:20 > 0:21:24That's good news. And it's fresh. Nice. And heading in that direction.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30'These tracks are from several different animals
0:21:30 > 0:21:32'and some are fresher than others.
0:21:32 > 0:21:36'There's not just one lone wolf here, but a whole population.'
0:21:36 > 0:21:40During the daytime, our chances of seeing them are very slim.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42However, we do have a grand plan.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46There's a place that they've been being fed for the last 15 years.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49With a little luck, they'll come right to us.
0:21:53 > 0:21:58'Well, as long as maned wolves don't mind a little rain.'
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Out there in the gloom and the drizzle are the mountains,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05forest and savannas where the maned wolves live.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09And this wonderful building is the monastery, merganser.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Around about 15 years ago, the monks realised that something,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16a large carnivore, was going through their rubbish.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20And they worked out it was the maned wolves.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Ever since, they've been putting out food for them.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27So we've got here a big pile of meat
0:22:27 > 0:22:29and hopefully, pretty soon,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33the maned wolves will start coming in for a free feed.
0:22:33 > 0:22:37This could be the best place in the whole world to see them up close.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40All we have to do now is wait and hope.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44BELL TOLLS
0:22:48 > 0:22:50I think that's the dinner bell.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55Hopefully the wolves are listening.
0:22:59 > 0:23:01THUNDERBOLT
0:23:01 > 0:23:03That storm's getting closer.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07You couldn't make it up. It's like something out of a Hollywood movie.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Sat in an electrical storm,
0:23:09 > 0:23:14waiting for an endangered wolf to wander out of the darkness.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17'Surely with lightning clattering around the sky,
0:23:17 > 0:23:23'any self-respecting wolf will be curled up somewhere warm and dry.'
0:23:24 > 0:23:27OK. Everyone keep very, very still.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Our first...canine shape...
0:23:36 > 0:23:39..has just wandered out of the gloom.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44And there it is.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47My first ever maned wolf.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57I have to say, I've seen the majority
0:23:57 > 0:24:01of members of the dog family around the world,
0:24:01 > 0:24:06and I've never seen one that has quite these proportions
0:24:06 > 0:24:09and is quite such an odd-looking animal.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19It kind of looks like someone's taken a red fox...
0:24:19 > 0:24:21and just stretched it.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25'The wolf's behaviour seems totally bizarre.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29'Rather than keeping his eyes on us, he heads back to the steps
0:24:29 > 0:24:32'and stares off into the darkness.
0:24:32 > 0:24:36'But he's not just looking out for danger.'
0:24:36 > 0:24:40His ears are twitching around like satellite dishes.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44One ear is pointed forward, listening for sounds from in front,
0:24:44 > 0:24:48the other ear is pointed backwards, channelling sounds from behind it.
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Wow! That was extraordinary!
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Absolutely extraordinary!
0:25:00 > 0:25:04'The maned wolf does its hunting between sundown and midnight.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07'And there isn't much they won't tuck into.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12'From unattended eggs to insects and from fruit to small mammals.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21'They also have no problem with eating carrion.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25'And the free meat on offer is too much for our maned wolf to ignore.'
0:25:33 > 0:25:38You can hear with the tougher bits of meat, the bone,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41it's being transported to the back of the jaw
0:25:41 > 0:25:46and crunched down using the cheek teeth, they're called carnassials.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49As it's standing facing away from us right now,
0:25:49 > 0:25:52you can see that mane that gives it its name.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56It runs down the nape of the neck and across the shoulders.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58It's a darker area of fur.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00And it can be held erect
0:26:00 > 0:26:04when this animal is feeling threatened or aggressive.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07It's just a way of making the animal look larger
0:26:07 > 0:26:09and more intimidating towards her foe,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12which will almost always be another maned wolf.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18'Wolves are usually thought of as being pack animals,
0:26:18 > 0:26:21'but that's certainly not true of the maned wolf.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25'They live alone and will defend territory of up to 10 square miles.'
0:26:25 > 0:26:28(They're coming together. Great.)
0:26:31 > 0:26:34'So this was staggering.'
0:26:34 > 0:26:38'It would be easier to believe if this were a mating pair,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40'but I was sure they were both males.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42'Truly extraordinary.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46'I can scarcely believe my eyes.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53'Maned wolves rarely, if ever, feed together in the wild.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56'To see just one is a privilege, but to have two
0:26:56 > 0:27:00'feeding at the same time right in front of me, was breathtaking.'
0:27:02 > 0:27:06'Opportunist, omnivore and long-legged loner of the savanna,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10'the maned wolf is on the list.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16'South America's largest wild dog.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21'Pounces with precision to claim its prey.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26'With enormous ears to pick up the smallest of sounds.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29'Long legged and lethal.'
0:27:29 > 0:27:31'Deadly!'
0:27:31 > 0:27:36'Join me next time as I continue my search for the Deadly 60.'
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Oy, oy, oy!
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd