0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name is Steve Backshall!
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Oooh!
0:00:05 > 0:00:07This is a white shark!
0:00:07 > 0:00:10These are 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.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19My crew and I are travelling the planet.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Are you coming with me?
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Every step of the way.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36This time on Deadly 60, we are in Venezuela.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39It's an absolute wonderland, at the wild crossroads
0:00:39 > 0:00:42between Central America and the jungles of the Amazon.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46But are there any deadly animals here? Well...
0:00:48 > 0:00:50..One or two.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54'We are travelling to the far north of the country
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'and into a sinister cave system.'
0:00:57 > 0:00:59Have a look at the cave above us.
0:00:59 > 0:01:00How cool is that!
0:01:00 > 0:01:04'To track down our most creepy contender yet.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07'But we begin in the south.'
0:01:08 > 0:01:11One third of Venezuela is covered
0:01:11 > 0:01:15by the world's richest tropical grasslands, called the LLanos.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18There are extraordinary amounts of predators here.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21More crocodiles than anywhere I've seen.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24And that's down to a robust food chain
0:01:24 > 0:01:28with loads of wildlife at every level.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Put simply, it's an animal Eden.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35For me, the Llanos is one of the finest wildlife destinations
0:01:35 > 0:01:37in the whole world.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38The colours of the bird life,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41the diversity of the life here is just extraordinary.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43And it is the best spot I know of to find
0:01:43 > 0:01:47the world's largest, heaviest, strongest snake -
0:01:47 > 0:01:48the green anaconda.
0:01:51 > 0:01:56The green anaconda can grow up to nine metres in length
0:01:56 > 0:01:58and weigh more than I do.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00With all that bulk, they are sluggish on land.
0:02:00 > 0:02:04But in the water, they are sleek and stealthy.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06The eyes and nostrils are on top of the head,
0:02:06 > 0:02:10allowing it to stay submerged in wait for prey.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12And it can do that for days,
0:02:12 > 0:02:16conserving its energy just waiting for an opportune moment.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20When a prime sized animal gets too close,
0:02:20 > 0:02:23the anaconda lunges forward, biting and then constricting.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26They are so strong that they may kill simply
0:02:26 > 0:02:31by bursting the internal organs of their prey before swallowing whole.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Right. This is a perfect place to start looking for anaconda.
0:02:39 > 0:02:41But, before we do,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45I thought I'd introduce you to what makes this animal so special.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48This is the cast of a green anaconda skull.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51It's from a quite decent-sized animal. Definitely a female,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53the girls are much bigger than the boys.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54And this one here,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57I'm guesstimating, from the size of the skull,
0:02:57 > 0:02:59was probably about four, maybe even five metres long.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04But get a load of those gnashers.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06So, on the upper jaw,
0:03:06 > 0:03:08there are two rows of teeth -
0:03:08 > 0:03:10in the upper roof of the mouth,
0:03:10 > 0:03:11and two at the sides.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13All of them are wickedly curved
0:03:13 > 0:03:15and very, very pointed.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19And these would actually draw the prey back towards the throat.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21Once this animal has a hold of something,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24there is simply no way it's letting go.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Look at that.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Now, it may not be venomous,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31but it can deliver an absolutely ferocious bite.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35There is certainly no way I'd want to get bitten by a snake like this.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41To find an anaconda, we need to really put in the hours.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44With as many eyes as possible,
0:03:44 > 0:03:46scouring the landscape.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49During the wet season, this entire area is flooded.
0:03:49 > 0:03:50But now, it's the dry season.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53The pools that are left behind are the best place
0:03:53 > 0:03:56to start our anaconda search.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01Really tricky.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04You certainly can't see anything with your eyes here.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08There's no visibility whatsoever, so you just have to feel your way.
0:04:12 > 0:04:18This really is a particularly creepy way of going looking for wildlife.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20Particularly because the last time
0:04:20 > 0:04:23I went searching for anaconda like this,
0:04:23 > 0:04:25I ended up in a hospital.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30'Whether we see them or not, big predators are never far away.'
0:04:32 > 0:04:33Aaah!
0:04:33 > 0:04:35That was a caiman.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41'Let's hope that doesn't happen again.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44'Another animal keeping an eye out for big snakes
0:04:44 > 0:04:48'is the largest rodent in the world - the capybara.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52'Despite their size, these are a favourite food for anacondas,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55'so they need to be always vigilant.'
0:04:55 > 0:05:00You can see a bit of a line through the vegetation here.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03That's a capybara highway.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05It's somewhere where these enormous rodents
0:05:05 > 0:05:07are moving through these ponds.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09And, if I was an anaconda,
0:05:09 > 0:05:12then I'd set up shop right next to one of those.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15So around here is a really, really good spot.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18'If we're going to find our big snake,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21'it's going to be by learning to read the signs,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23'by tracking them down.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30'And some of our local friends have done just that.'
0:05:30 > 0:05:33They've got something! Great, great!
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Well done, well done, well done!
0:05:38 > 0:05:40OK.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44So there's the tail, and...
0:05:44 > 0:05:47where is the head?
0:05:53 > 0:05:54There he is.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56OK.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59At this size, it could be a male
0:05:59 > 0:06:01or an immature female.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Fantastic! Well done, guys.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12Very, very good job!
0:06:12 > 0:06:14This is an absolutely beautiful...
0:06:14 > 0:06:16There's another one here.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Oh!
0:06:19 > 0:06:21And...
0:06:21 > 0:06:25OK, so in this area here are several anacondas,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29most of which seem to be this kind of size.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31And the possibility is,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33is that these are all males
0:06:33 > 0:06:37and that they've come together around a female.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40So right here is an absolute hotspot.
0:06:40 > 0:06:44It's possible, because what happens is, is called a breeding ball.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46The males would follow the scent of the female,
0:06:46 > 0:06:48they'll all come together around her
0:06:48 > 0:06:50to try and get the right to breed with her.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56OK. Oh, that's a skinny one!
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Really skinny, my goodness!
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Well done, Jack!
0:07:04 > 0:07:07OK. Now, look at the difference between these two animals.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10So they are about the same length,
0:07:10 > 0:07:16but, on this one, you can clearly make out the backbone,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18the flesh is really, really slack.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22This one hasn't eaten for a good while.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Whereas this one is very, very full and thick.
0:07:25 > 0:07:26It has good fat reserves.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28This has been eating very, very well.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I kind of wish that we had smellovision right now,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34because one of the anaconda's best way of defending itself
0:07:34 > 0:07:40is to release a whole bunch of kind of sticky paste from here,
0:07:40 > 0:07:41essentially from the bottom.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45And it has a smell that I just can't describe.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48The last time I handled anacondas I had to throw all of my clothes away.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50There was no way I was getting rid of it.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53And, unfortunately, I'm getting covered with it right now.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58And er...it's really, really horrid.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01That stinks.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04You see the tongue now, flicking out onto the air,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06curling up at the end,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10drawing in different wonderful tastes from the air
0:08:10 > 0:08:11and processing them.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13It's an absolutely wonderful snake,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16but pretty diddy for an anaconda.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19What I really want to do is to show you one of the mammoth females.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22They are the ones that are most impressive.
0:08:23 > 0:08:28'A glorious start, but I'm convinced we can do much better.'
0:08:29 > 0:08:33And, in a couple of seconds, that is going to totally disappear.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38And gone.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40You'd never know it was there.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44'And that, in a nutshell, it's why finding anacondas is so difficult.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47'There are hundreds of species living here in the swamps.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49'And a few genuine surprises.'
0:08:49 > 0:08:50Oh, my goodness! It's that...?
0:08:50 > 0:08:52That's not what I think it is, is it?
0:08:52 > 0:08:55It is! Look at that!
0:08:55 > 0:08:57I don't believe it.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01It's a giant anteater wandering around by the shore.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Just there. Its nose is sticking up.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Out of the water hyacinth.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09Oh, that is beautiful.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13'We're walking around on mats of vegetation above boggy ground.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15'No ant or termite mounds for miles around.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17'What's he doing here!?'
0:09:19 > 0:09:24This is truly one of the great animal oddities found in the world.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28'Giant anteaters have featured on Deadly before.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32'They are real specialist, using a long tongue covered in sticky mucous
0:09:32 > 0:09:38'to slobber up as many as 35,000 ants and termites in a day.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40'But, right now, I think he's just taking a nap.'
0:09:42 > 0:09:45It looks like he's enjoying a quiet snooze.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48And I still have an anaconda to find.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50So let's just move around him.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58'My next tactic is to use a truck,
0:09:58 > 0:10:01'driving the sandy roads that crisscross the Llanos.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03'When anacondas cross the roads,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05'they leave distinctive tracks behind,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07'like this.'
0:10:07 > 0:10:09This has happened relatively recently.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13It's crossing the road!
0:10:13 > 0:10:15'And this is how those telltale tracks were made.'
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Really quite beautiful motion.
0:10:17 > 0:10:19You can see it's scrunching the body up
0:10:19 > 0:10:21and then extending forwards,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23anchoring itself again here.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25And then, moving forwards again.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Isn't that wonderful?
0:10:27 > 0:10:31'Anacondas everywhere but, so far, all males.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35'The females are much bigger so they have reserves of fat to sustain them
0:10:35 > 0:10:36'when they are bearing young.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39'Let's hope the new day brings more luck.'
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Jesus, donde?
0:10:45 > 0:10:49'And, in the next morning, everything goes frantic.'
0:10:49 > 0:10:52We've just had a shout from Jesus.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54He's been out on the road and he's seen a big anaconda.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56This is the moment we've been waiting for.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59We have to mobilise, get there very, very quick.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Unfortunately, my Spanish isn't great,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03so I haven't understood exactly what he's said.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05Just that he's seen a BIG snake.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11'And a big anaconda is the biggest snake on Earth.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13'Here's hoping!'
0:11:17 > 0:11:22So, finally, we have our anaconda.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25And this is probably always going to be our best chance of finding one,
0:11:25 > 0:11:27it was just pure luck.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28The guys were out on the road,
0:11:28 > 0:11:32and they saw this wonderful female at the waterside,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and that's really what we were hoping to find.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36It's a good size. I'm guessing that it's probably
0:11:36 > 0:11:392,5 metres in length.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Possible even, actually,
0:11:41 > 0:11:44getting on for three metres in length.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46And an animal of this size can certainly take down
0:11:46 > 0:11:49the largest birds that you'll find around here at the waterside.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52It might even take on a baby capybara,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56despite the fact that their head is so small,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59it can swell to take in very decent-sized prey.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02And look at the length of it.
0:12:02 > 0:12:03It is really a mighty animal,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05and incredibly strong.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07But, even this one here
0:12:07 > 0:12:10is a baby compared to the true monster anacondas.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14The largest ones that have ever been found are for sure seven metres,
0:12:14 > 0:12:17possibly even as much as nine metres,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20which is as long as a bus.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24And an animal like that is capable of eating a fully-grown capybara,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26even a deer.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27It's a great swimmer.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30It moves with incredible ease through the water
0:12:30 > 0:12:32with a beautiful serpentine motion.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37And also, all of these wonderful colours give it perfect camouflage
0:12:37 > 0:12:40down there in the vegetation from its prey,
0:12:40 > 0:12:42and also from potential predators too.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43Right, OK.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47I'd quite like to show you the teeth,
0:12:47 > 0:12:51and to do that, I need to get control of the head.
0:12:57 > 0:12:58Right, OK.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Now, looking into the mouth of an anaconda,
0:13:05 > 0:13:10you can see those incredibly sharp, pointed teeth.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15They are covered up by a layer of skin.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18There's two rows on the upper jaw
0:13:18 > 0:13:20and one on the lower jaw.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22And because they are so sharp,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24once they've hooked into prey,
0:13:24 > 0:13:28they is simply no way a prey animal is going to escape,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32and it can be funnelled down into that throat.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35'It takes a firm grip to restrain an anaconda.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38'But these snakes are tough enough to constrict crocodiles to death,
0:13:38 > 0:13:41'so this isn't going to hurt the snake one little bit.'
0:13:43 > 0:13:45I'm kind of being wound at the moment
0:13:45 > 0:13:46into a serpent straitjacket.
0:13:48 > 0:13:50'The anaconda was doubtless crossing the road
0:13:50 > 0:13:52'to head to a better hunting pond.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54'So that's where I release it.'
0:13:55 > 0:13:57This is its true environment.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01This is the place where this animal absolutely rules.
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Before I put it back though,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05I just have to say that the green anaconda,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09perhaps the most iconic, legendary snake in the whole world,
0:14:09 > 0:14:14the heaviest, largest-bodied and strongest of all snakes.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16Definitely going on my list.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22This camouflage constrictor is formidably muscular,
0:14:22 > 0:14:23using its bulk to squeeze
0:14:23 > 0:14:25the life out of its prey
0:14:25 > 0:14:29before swallowing it down in one mammoth mouthful.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33The largest, heaviest, biggest-bodied snake on Earth.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41'We're journeying to the north of Venezuela
0:14:41 > 0:14:45'in search of an animal that put the creep in creepy crawling.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50'Ever since I heard of their existence, over a decade ago,
0:14:50 > 0:14:51'I've been dying to find one,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55'so it'll take more than a bit of mud to put me off.'
0:14:55 > 0:14:57We lost all brake power coming down there.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02This could get a little bit messy.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10It doesn't look like we're going anywhere at the moment.
0:15:10 > 0:15:12I think we're walking.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14Pretty sure we're walking. What do you reckon?
0:15:16 > 0:15:20'Walking with all our filming kit, ropes, first aid - the works.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22'It's going to be quite a hefty hike,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26'even to get to the cave where our target lives.'
0:15:34 > 0:15:39What lies ahead is hopefully going to be well worth
0:15:39 > 0:15:41the mud and the sweat.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46In the cave that we are heading to is a truly venomous monster.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50It's one of the most sinister creatures we've ever featured.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53It's called the giant scolopendra.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57The largest species of centipede in the world,
0:15:57 > 0:16:00reaching over 30 centimetres in length,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03that's as long as my forearm.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06The giant scolopendra has up to 23 body segments,
0:16:06 > 0:16:08each with a pair of curved spiky legs.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09And, at the business end,
0:16:09 > 0:16:14a venomous bite with chemicals that cause paralysing pain.
0:16:14 > 0:16:16If this doesn't scare you, well...
0:16:16 > 0:16:18It should.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23'Scolopendra centipedes are found throughout the tropics.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26'They are all venomous and are particularly adept in the dark.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28'But in a few caves in Venezuela,
0:16:28 > 0:16:31'they've been witnessed doing something extraordinary -
0:16:31 > 0:16:33'hunting bats,
0:16:33 > 0:16:36'possibly even catching them midair as they fly past.
0:16:42 > 0:16:46'And there are certainly plenty of bats in here.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48'They've left their mark over hundred of years
0:16:48 > 0:16:52'in piles and piles of stinking droppings known as guano.'
0:16:52 > 0:16:59These cockroaches are feeding on this stuff.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00This is guano.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03It's one of the richest fertilisers in the world.
0:17:03 > 0:17:05And it's also very, very good
0:17:05 > 0:17:07for these horrible, great big cockroaches to feed on.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14I don't like it in here.
0:17:14 > 0:17:15HE LAUGHS
0:17:17 > 0:17:20'It's smelly, humid and just plain horrid,
0:17:20 > 0:17:23'but we've come here to find something special.'
0:17:23 > 0:17:25Look at that - bats!
0:17:25 > 0:17:27'And this is the first part of the puzzle.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32'There's about ten species in here - bats that feed on fruit,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36'on insects and on something a little more grisly.'
0:17:36 > 0:17:41These droppings are all kind of black and slimy.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44This is definitely...
0:17:44 > 0:17:46bats roosting above
0:17:46 > 0:17:51and I reckon that's vampire bats myself.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56That kind of really greasy, slick black droppings.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59It looks like the remains of...
0:17:59 > 0:18:02blood. Mwahahaha!
0:18:02 > 0:18:07Vampire bats are the only mammal to feed solely on blood.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10They are pretty deadly in their own right.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13But we are out looking for a centipede
0:18:13 > 0:18:17that actually snatches, catches and eats bats.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Above us, you can see
0:18:20 > 0:18:22the ceiling has actually caved in
0:18:22 > 0:18:26and this is one of the largest exits out of this cave system.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Come dusk, the thousands of bats in here
0:18:28 > 0:18:31are going to be heading out of there to hunt and, believe it or not,
0:18:31 > 0:18:34this giant scolopendra, the largest centipede in the world,
0:18:34 > 0:18:36that can be as long as my forearm,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39climbs up into the roof of this cave
0:18:39 > 0:18:41and tries to catch the bats as they fly out.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Now, I'd love to get up there obviously,
0:18:43 > 0:18:45but these walls are overhanging
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and much too steep and greasy for me to climb.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50So I think the best thing to do is to get up high
0:18:50 > 0:18:53and abseil down from up there.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56And the best time to do that is when the bats start leaving.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58BATS SCREECHING
0:19:00 > 0:19:03'This skylight in the roof of the cave should allow us
0:19:03 > 0:19:06'to abseil down to the ceilings where the centipedes hunt.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10'As the light fades, the bats will start to emerge.'
0:19:14 > 0:19:15Here we go!
0:19:19 > 0:19:24Oh, that is incredible! Wow!
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Well, I can see bats.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30And lots and lots of cracks and crevices
0:19:30 > 0:19:38that are perfect for our giant bat-eating monster.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41The bats are starting to get active now.
0:19:41 > 0:19:42And this is the time of day
0:19:42 > 0:19:45when they are really at their most vulnerable,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48because they are being funnelled out through this bottleneck here,
0:19:48 > 0:19:50and also because they are predictable.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Any predator knows that this time of day
0:19:52 > 0:19:55is when they are going to be heading out to hunt.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58And its vantage points, like these cliff faces here,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01they are exactly the sorts of positions that the scolopendra
0:20:01 > 0:20:06would climb up to and actually hang out to try and catch a bat.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Just checking out every crack and crevice.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17These are animals that like to cram themselves into little tiny gaps.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20Right now tough, I can't see any.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Passed the cave around hanging,
0:20:22 > 0:20:24so I think the best plan is to get down to the bottom
0:20:24 > 0:20:26and try to find another exit
0:20:26 > 0:20:29where more bats are being funnelled out of the cave.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45We had no luck in the very roof of the cave.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48There are still plenty more entrances and exits
0:20:48 > 0:20:51where the centipedes could be lurking.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53I think though, it's possible that our lights,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56our bright white light might put them off.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59So I think the next thing we should try is that just Graham,
0:20:59 > 0:21:02the cameraman, and I should go searching for them
0:21:02 > 0:21:05and get rid of the light and just film in infrared.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09So if this place was spooky before, it's going to get even worse.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Let's go down into the darkness.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26Of course the only problem is
0:21:26 > 0:21:28that we can't see very much without our eyes,
0:21:28 > 0:21:31so it makes everything around you even more creepy.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36'Even with the special cameras,
0:21:36 > 0:21:41'we can only see a suggestion of what's lurking out in the darkness.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43'When you know that could be a highly venomous centipede,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45'as long as my forearm,
0:21:45 > 0:21:46'it gives you the shivers.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48'And that's not all that's here.'
0:21:48 > 0:21:50Look at that.
0:21:50 > 0:21:5515 pairs of legs and it's off like a shot.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08I have to admit there's something about this cave
0:22:08 > 0:22:10that I really don't like.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Maybe is the fact that I'm being surrounded by vampire bats
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and there could be, out there in the darkness somewhere,
0:22:16 > 0:22:19this lethal venomous centipede.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22Have a look at the cave above us.
0:22:22 > 0:22:23How cool is that!
0:22:23 > 0:22:27'Despite the fact that this cave is dark all the time,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'it still comes alive by night.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33'Countless animals emerging from the cracks and crevices.'
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Look at that, that's wonderful.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46It's another centipede,
0:22:46 > 0:22:48but not the one we're looking for.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Much, much smaller.
0:22:54 > 0:22:58'We pretty much decided to give up for the night, when...'
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Come here!
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Wait, wait, wait, wait. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03OK.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Here it comes. It's coming out, it's coming out, Graham.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Oh, it's big. It is a big one, look at that!
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Oh, my God!
0:23:20 > 0:23:22OK.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24Whoa! I've got to hold my nerve now,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27cos these are very, very strong.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30And it has a set of fangs
0:23:30 > 0:23:34that can probably penetrate
0:23:34 > 0:23:36some parts of the gloves.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41But this is what we came here to find.
0:23:43 > 0:23:44The giant scolopendra.
0:23:44 > 0:23:48The largest species of centipede found on Earth.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52OK, now, we were actually looking in infrared light,
0:23:52 > 0:23:53because we didn't want to freak it out.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57But now that I've got it, we can probably switch back to white light.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59- Do you want to grab the other camera, Graham?- OK.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06Eez! It's really trying to get stuck into my glove.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09I'm a little bit nervous, because the fabric on the back of my hand
0:24:09 > 0:24:12isn't actually strong enough to prevent a bite,
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and if I did get bitten by this,
0:24:14 > 0:24:16it probably wouldn't kill me, only probably.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19What it'd certainly do is make sure that for the next couple of days,
0:24:19 > 0:24:22there would be nothing in my world apart from pain.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25The venom that this centipede has is very, very fast-acting.
0:24:25 > 0:24:29It can take down a bat or a small rodent in a matter of minutes.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34To a human being, it would just cause excruciating pain.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38I guess now, for the first time, I can really see
0:24:38 > 0:24:42how a centipede could be capable of catching a bat.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47Scolopendra mostly feed on other invertebrates,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50but will take rodents, frogs, lizards, even snakes.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54In these caves though, they do something truly extraordinary.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02They climb into parts of the cave where bats funnel through
0:25:02 > 0:25:05on their way out to feed.
0:25:05 > 0:25:07Then attach themselves to the ceiling
0:25:07 > 0:25:09with the last five pairs of legs,
0:25:09 > 0:25:12the other legs outstretched.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16If a bat flies too close,
0:25:16 > 0:25:17they grab it,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21injecting a lethal venom that overcomes it in seconds.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25This is pretty much the exact posture
0:25:25 > 0:25:26that this animal would take up.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Hanging on to the wall with these back legs
0:25:29 > 0:25:30and then the front part of the body
0:25:30 > 0:25:32just up into the air,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34feeling around with those antennae,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36and those two claws
0:25:36 > 0:25:38at the front of the head
0:25:38 > 0:25:41open wide, just ready to bite.
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Right now, it's sinking them right into my finger.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48Those claws are actually the front pair of legs.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52They become modified into a venom-injecting apparatus.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55At the base of them, it's a massive, massive venom gland.
0:25:55 > 0:26:01And it has a venom that is capable of overcoming things like bats
0:26:01 > 0:26:04and rodents in a very, very quick time.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Look at that.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Those antennae are its primary means
0:26:08 > 0:26:10of sensing the environment around it.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12It has very, very poor eyesight.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14The eyes are a little more
0:26:14 > 0:26:16than a way of sensing the difference between light and dark,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19but the antennae are incredibly acute.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22They are almost like a nose, a tongue, they can pick up scents,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25they can pick up different tastes from the world around them.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28And they can also detect movement as well.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31So that's what it's going to use to actually get a hold of bats.
0:26:31 > 0:26:34It's going to sense their flight as they move past the centipede,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36and then it's just going to grab them.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38Absolutely phenomenal.
0:26:38 > 0:26:42And, I have to admit, really kind of frightening.
0:26:53 > 0:26:54The giant scolopendra -
0:26:54 > 0:26:58the largest species of centipede found in the whole world.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01There is no doubt that this animal is going on my Deadly 60.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06The largest species of centipede
0:27:06 > 0:27:07on Earth.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09Injecting a fatal venom
0:27:09 > 0:27:10into its prey,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12which can kill a flying bat
0:27:12 > 0:27:14in seconds.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17And the strongest creature for its size I've ever handled.
0:27:17 > 0:27:18Certainly puts a shiver
0:27:18 > 0:27:20up the spine.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Could this get any creepier?
0:27:27 > 0:27:32'Join me next time as I continue my search for the Deadly 60.'
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd