0:00:03 > 0:00:06My name's Steve Backshall. Wooh!
0:00:06 > 0:00:09And this is my search for the Deadly 60.
0:00:09 > 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.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20My crew and I are travelling the planet.
0:00:20 > 0:00:21And you're coming with me!
0:00:21 > 0:00:23Every step of the way.
0:00:28 > 0:00:29WHISPERED: Deadly!
0:00:29 > 0:00:35Deadly is in Florida, in the south-east of the US of A.
0:00:35 > 0:00:40Despite being a well populated state, it has plenty of wild places
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and much of that is swamp.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45The swamplands of Florida have something very special about them.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48There's a really mystery to them, they're slightly sinister as well.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51You kind of expect that there's going to be some kind of monster
0:00:51 > 0:00:56lurking in these dark waters and of course, this being Deadly 60,
0:00:56 > 0:00:57there are monsters here.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06The question is, which one are we going to find?
0:01:15 > 0:01:20When you talk about swamps, I guess people tend to think of nasty,
0:01:20 > 0:01:26stinking boggy places that are just alive with nasty mosquitoes
0:01:26 > 0:01:28and other things that bite and sting,
0:01:28 > 0:01:32but to me, this is as serene, as beautiful,
0:01:32 > 0:01:36as perfect an environment as you could ever hope to find.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40It's just a wonderful place to go looking for wildlife.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44After hours trudging through the squelchy waters,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Simon the soundie nearly steps on our first prospect.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50Whoa, I've got something, got something!
0:01:50 > 0:01:53OK, OK, OK!
0:01:53 > 0:01:56Ah, yes, fantastic, it's a beauty!
0:01:56 > 0:01:57Well spotted, Simon!
0:01:58 > 0:02:02And it's in a beautiful position.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Look at that!
0:02:06 > 0:02:11It's the cottonmouth, one of the most venomous snakes in Florida.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13They're also known as water moccasins,
0:02:13 > 0:02:15as they spend their lives in or near water,
0:02:15 > 0:02:19taking advantage of all the prey that lives in the swamp.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23They're vipers, and like all members of the viper family,
0:02:23 > 0:02:27are well-camouflaged, patient,
0:02:27 > 0:02:29fast-striking
0:02:29 > 0:02:33and possess fiery venom that can stop their prey dead.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57Now, its first instinct is to head for water
0:02:57 > 0:03:02because this is extremely unusual amongst the vipers
0:03:02 > 0:03:09in that it spends almost all of its time in or very close to water.
0:03:09 > 0:03:14The scientific name of this snake is piscivora,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17which means fish eater,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and it is a stunning, stunning snake.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24Look at that, little strike there, opening its mouth,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28showing off the white interior that gives it its name, the cottonmouth.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31It is a viper, and vipers,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34generally speaking, tend to feed on warm-blooded prey,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36things like birds and rodents,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38so this animal is highly, highly unusual
0:03:38 > 0:03:41in the fact that it goes for fish and frogs.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43When they come to strike,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45they swing forward and stab into their prey,
0:03:45 > 0:03:47injecting venom which actually
0:03:47 > 0:03:50affects the blood and the circulatory system.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53It's fast acting, it's potent.
0:03:53 > 0:03:55I certainly wouldn't want to get bitten.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59And they're just a snake that really typifies this environment.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02It could not be more at home than in amongst all of these plants,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04just swimming when it needs to,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06crawling onto dry land when it needs to,
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and hunting anything that it finds around the water's edge
0:04:09 > 0:04:11and in the water itself.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16The cottonmouth or water moccasin is the classic snake of the swamps.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20But I'm not ready to leave this sublime habitat just yet.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23These murky waters are home to many other predatory beasts.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Ooh, that's deeper than I imagined.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29Let's see what we can find.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41It's always exciting wandering through a swamp like this.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46In reality, if there are alligators or snakes around here,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49they'll sense me coming and probably make a break for it
0:04:49 > 0:04:51before I'm anywhere near them.
0:04:51 > 0:04:52But not always.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55It does make things kind of, well, kind of spicy.
0:05:01 > 0:05:06Being up to your waist in gloomy waters filled with potent predators
0:05:06 > 0:05:08certainly heightens the senses.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14I've spent some of the most exhilarating days of my life
0:05:14 > 0:05:15in places like this.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20In order to enhance my chances,
0:05:20 > 0:05:23we left out some baited traps overnight
0:05:23 > 0:05:26in the hope that they'd lure in some lethal beasts.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27Let's see what we've got.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33No, no success from that one.
0:05:36 > 0:05:37No.
0:05:40 > 0:05:42Oh! Lots of catfish!
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Well, it's a shame I'm not fishing for my dinner.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48Oh, that is a good-sized catfish.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53You see these long sensory barbells
0:05:53 > 0:05:56for tapping around in the darkness,
0:05:56 > 0:05:57finding its food,
0:05:57 > 0:05:59its great long whiskers
0:05:59 > 0:06:00extending out everywhere.
0:06:00 > 0:06:05It's kind of a charismatic-looking fish, that.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Well, if I was fishing, that would be a really, really good haul.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14But that's not what I'm looking for.
0:06:14 > 0:06:15A couple more traps to check.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Ooh, look at that!
0:06:17 > 0:06:22A tiny, itty-bitty little terrapin.
0:06:24 > 0:06:28We are getting a wonderful cross-section
0:06:28 > 0:06:31of the life found around here.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32Look at that.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35It actually had a little bit of a snap at me.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37It's certainly got ideas above its station.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Even at this size, I think it would probably hurt quite a lot
0:06:40 > 0:06:42if you got bitten by that.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46Kind of cute, but a little bit diddy to be making it onto my Deadly 60.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56There's one particular swampland oddity I want to show you,
0:06:56 > 0:07:00but we've only got one trap left and there's been no sign of it.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Looks like it might be back to the drawing board.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07This is quite creepy cos you,
0:07:07 > 0:07:12you can only just feel around with your toes for what's below.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17Now, what have we got in here?
0:07:17 > 0:07:18Oh, my goodness!
0:07:18 > 0:07:20Success!
0:07:20 > 0:07:22HE LAUGHS
0:07:22 > 0:07:24Let's see if I can transfer it to the bucket.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28In it goes.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31I'm just going to wait for him to settle a little bit,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33and then handle him very, very gently
0:07:33 > 0:07:38because apparently, these things have quite a fierce bite
0:07:38 > 0:07:40and I don't particularly want to get nailed.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Ooh!
0:07:44 > 0:07:47It's really silky feeling.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52You can see already that I'm getting lots of goo and slime
0:07:52 > 0:07:53on my fingers.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57This...
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Ah! No!
0:08:01 > 0:08:04That is one of the most difficult animals to handle
0:08:04 > 0:08:06I've ever seen.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08- HE LAUGHS - OK.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12This is amphiuma.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15It's a salamander and it has,
0:08:15 > 0:08:19I guess, in every way,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22the same body form that you would expect to see in an eel.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27The body is long, dark, cylindrical and very, very slimy.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30But actually, it's an amphibian
0:08:30 > 0:08:34and much more closely related to newts, frogs and toads.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38We do like odd animals on the Deadly 60
0:08:38 > 0:08:40and you don't get much odder than this.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44You can see the tiny remnants of limbs, both front and back.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47It has got four legs, although they don't do very much.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51And it's pretty sure that perhaps, in a few thousand years,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54these legs will have atrophied away to nothing at all.
0:08:54 > 0:08:59It may look pretty weird writhing through my hands like this,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03but at night time, this turns into a remarkable,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05incredibly active hunter.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08It'll go out in search of things like crayfish and small fish
0:09:08 > 0:09:12and snap them down with great force and a formidable bite strength.
0:09:18 > 0:09:24The mouth is lined on both jaws with sharp, small, pointed teeth
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and then it wrenches backwards using its whole body strength
0:09:27 > 0:09:30to tear away at anything that's attacking it.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34I certainly don't want to get bitten.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37There's a line of dots running down the length of its body,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41which is much like the lateral line you find in fish.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44And that can sense the movement of animals around it.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48It's functioning like a complete sixth sense for this animal
0:09:48 > 0:09:49to zone in on its prey.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53I think it's strangely wonderful!
0:09:53 > 0:09:56And the amphiuma is going on my list!
0:09:56 > 0:09:58If I can keep a hold of it!
0:10:00 > 0:10:04These opportunistic hunters eat anything they can catch.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06They have a bone crushing bite
0:10:06 > 0:10:11and a super sixth sense to detect their prey.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16It's the amphiuma. It's weird, it's wonderful,
0:10:16 > 0:10:17it's... Deadly!
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Leaving the swamps, we head for the dry pine woodlands
0:10:29 > 0:10:31that cover much of Florida.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37We're on the hunt for one of America's top predators.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40The snake we're looking for is the most iconic and feared
0:10:40 > 0:10:42in this part of the world.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45In the spring, they're not massively active
0:10:45 > 0:10:49and very hard to find. So luckily, we've got professional help.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Bruce Means has been studying snakes longer than I've been alive.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56He uses transmitters to track their movements,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59so we may just have a chance of finding one.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02The beeping from this system here means that we have a snake
0:11:02 > 0:11:05somewhere nearby. Let's go see if we can find it.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Let's do it. We need to be careful!
0:11:10 > 0:11:1450 species of snake can be found in Florida,
0:11:14 > 0:11:16but only six of them are venomous.
0:11:16 > 0:11:21We met one of those, the cottonmouth, in the swamps.
0:11:21 > 0:11:27But out here in the drier pine woods lives a truly regal reptile.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31It's highly venomous, has some of the longest fangs of any snake...
0:11:33 > 0:11:37..and delivers a massive amount of venom with each bite.
0:11:37 > 0:11:43It's the largest rattlesnake on the planet - the Eastern diamondback.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47This is Bruce's research area.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51And as a snake lover, he does all he can to make it snake-friendly.
0:11:51 > 0:11:56If you really want to attract reptiles to the place where you live
0:11:56 > 0:11:59you can't do better than putting out some old timber.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02I don't believe it! We have a snake, flat snake!
0:12:02 > 0:12:06Where'd it go, where'd it go?
0:12:10 > 0:12:13- There!- He's coming to you! I got him!
0:12:15 > 0:12:17There he is! Well done!
0:12:19 > 0:12:21It's a racer.
0:12:22 > 0:12:26Extremely glossy. Looks like it's just shed its skin.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30And it's in absolutely glorious condition.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34How alert it is! How keen it is to move off!
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I can feel in my hands, it's very, very warm.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40It's been lying underneath these slabs of tin,
0:12:40 > 0:12:45gaining warmth and it's absolutely full of beans.
0:12:45 > 0:12:50Look at that! The tongue going crazy on the air!
0:12:50 > 0:12:54It's trying to take shelter in Richard's camera at the moment!
0:12:54 > 0:12:58This is one of the fastest snakes you will ever see on the ground.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01They move with just extraordinary pace.
0:13:01 > 0:13:07They've got a very glossy underside, so very little friction as it moves across the ground.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10But it can still grip with those belly scales
0:13:10 > 0:13:14and move with sinuous movements of its body, driving itself forward.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Probably faster than I can run.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21This snake feeds on small rodents, things that we consider pests.
0:13:21 > 0:13:26This snake is actually extremely beneficial to us human beings.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29And also, really rather beautiful.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34I reckon this is going to be a good snake day!
0:13:35 > 0:13:37Snake life is all about temperature.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42If it's warm enough for one species to be around, there may be others.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Despite having the rattlesnakes tagged with radio transmitters,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52it's still proving exceptionally hard to find them.
0:13:52 > 0:13:58It's frustrating that there is a snake nearby, but we can't see it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03They are phenomenally well-camouflaged animals.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06The diamondback coloration that gives them their name
0:14:06 > 0:14:11helps them to blend in perfectly with this kind of vegetation.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Knowing we could step on one at any second, we're all a bit jumpy.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Argh, oh!
0:14:24 > 0:14:26HE LAUGHS
0:14:26 > 0:14:29You scared the living daylights out of me!
0:14:29 > 0:14:32He just trod on a log and it jumped up in front of me!
0:14:32 > 0:14:34HE LAUGHS
0:14:42 > 0:14:45- Ah, ah.- All right, I'm going to turn this off.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49I've seen a snake, now y'all have to find it.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51- Oh, my goodness!- Good for you!
0:14:51 > 0:14:56- That's enormous!- Good man! - That's absolutely huge!
0:14:56 > 0:15:01Oh, my goodness, that is the biggest rattlesnake I have ever seen.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Wow!
0:15:03 > 0:15:07The Eastern diamondback is in fact the largest venomous snake
0:15:07 > 0:15:08found in North America.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16OK, what Simon, the sound recordist, is hearing now...
0:15:18 > 0:15:22..is, to my mind, THE sound of North America.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27It's the warning rattle of this extraordinary snake.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31I kind of feel, even if you've never seen a rattlesnake before,
0:15:31 > 0:15:33you'd know that that means trouble.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37And this is obviously the way this snake has of scaring away
0:15:37 > 0:15:39something that might be a threat.
0:15:39 > 0:15:45And it's just the most fabulous sound.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48As we approached, the snake was stretched out, basking,
0:15:48 > 0:15:50soaking up the sun's warmth.
0:15:50 > 0:15:55Now, it's drawn itself back into a much more defensive position.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58It's clearly ready to strike if it needs to, here.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02The head's drawn back into a wonderful S-shape which gives it
0:16:02 > 0:16:06room to strike out. And the tail is held up in the air,
0:16:06 > 0:16:07and being shaken around.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11And the reason it makes that sound is that there are dried up cusps
0:16:11 > 0:16:15which develop each time the snake sheds its skin,
0:16:15 > 0:16:17and forms that fabulous rattle.
0:16:17 > 0:16:21It's the snake's last warning. A means of frightening away
0:16:21 > 0:16:24anything threatening it can't eat.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Wow!
0:16:28 > 0:16:31You can hear, as I've got closer to it,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35the intensity of the rattle has just gone up.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37The muscles that vibrate that tail
0:16:37 > 0:16:40could well be the fastest moving of any vertebrate.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43It almost creates a buzz, like an insect's wings.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49For me, encountering an Eastern diamondback rattlesnake
0:16:49 > 0:16:53in the wild is one of the great wildlife experiences of the Americas.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56There is something else to show you about this snake,
0:16:56 > 0:17:00but I need to get it into a much more controlled situation.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09These animals have remarkably sophisticated teeth.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Just hidden underneath these flaps of skin here,
0:17:12 > 0:17:18those there are its fangs, there, just being exposed.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23They're absolutely enormous. Very, very thin and sharp
0:17:23 > 0:17:25and they're hollow as well,
0:17:25 > 0:17:29so the venom will trickle down the inside of those fangs,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31you can see it just there, kind of yellow,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35and be injected into its prey.
0:17:35 > 0:17:39When the snake's mouth is closed, those fangs fold back
0:17:39 > 0:17:42along the roof of the mouth, like that and then as it strikes,
0:17:42 > 0:17:45it opens its mouth, just like it's doing now,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48swings them forward and stabs them into its prey.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57The strike is so fast that if you blinked, you'd miss it.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00It gushes venom down hollow hypodermic fangs
0:18:00 > 0:18:05that destroy blood cells and tissues, getting to work instantly.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12If left alone, they won't bite humans, but a rat or a rabbit
0:18:12 > 0:18:15would be a corpse within minutes.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19The Eastern diamondback rattlesnake,
0:18:19 > 0:18:22with its hinged, hypodermic needle fangs,
0:18:22 > 0:18:26and that wonderful warning rattle,
0:18:26 > 0:18:30one of the most impressive snakes in the whole world,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and definitely going on the Deadly 60.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40The largest rattlesnake in the world, with a fast strike
0:18:40 > 0:18:42and highly toxic venom.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47And that rattle lets other animals know to stay well away.
0:18:47 > 0:18:52The Eastern diamondback rattlesnake. Small furry mammals, beware.
0:18:52 > 0:18:53Deadly!
0:18:57 > 0:19:02So we started this show in the water and that's where we'll end up,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04but this time at the coast.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10We're travelling to the south of the Sunshine State, the Florida Keys.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14The Keys have around 1,700 islands, surrounded by warm, clear waters,
0:19:14 > 0:19:18and are home to everyone's favourite marine marvel.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25The animal we hope to find today is one of the most familiar,
0:19:25 > 0:19:29and best-loved in the whole world. The bottle-nosed dolphin.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Despite their friendly appearance,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34this is an animal that is a calculated hunter
0:19:34 > 0:19:38and what we hope to see today is a hunting co-ordinated strategy
0:19:38 > 0:19:40that occurs nowhere else on earth.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45Dolphins are up there
0:19:45 > 0:19:49with the most intelligent animals to feature on Deadly 60.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Some of them even protect their noses with sponges
0:19:52 > 0:19:54when nosing in the seabed for fish.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58Around the world, they've developed ingenious methods
0:19:58 > 0:20:01to catch their prey, relying on communication.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03This allows them to work efficiently as a team,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06deliberately stranding fish that they can then devour.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08But in this part of Florida,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11they've learnt something even more inspired.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14It's called mudringing.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17The dolphins stir up mud from the shallow seabed with their tails,
0:20:17 > 0:20:19to create rings of murk.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21The fish feel hemmed in,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24panic and try to jump to freedom,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27but only leap straight into the dolphins' waiting mouths.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40These are the only bottlenose dolphins
0:20:40 > 0:20:42that have been documented catching fish this way.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44We don't just want to see dolphins,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47but to watch mudringing at work.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00It is absolutely perfect for mudringing.
0:21:00 > 0:21:01We're looking out -
0:21:01 > 0:21:05there's small islands covered with mangroves, loads of bays, inlets,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08channels with nice shallow water
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and lots of their chosen food fish, which is mullet.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15The sky is completely blue, the seas are totally flat...
0:21:15 > 0:21:17so far, things are looking good.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Dolphin expert Laura Engleby was the first person to document
0:21:22 > 0:21:25this remarkable team strategy.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28So, who better to have taking us out into the bay?
0:21:28 > 0:21:31And already, it's a dolphin day.
0:21:31 > 0:21:33This is perfect.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35We have a small group ahead of us.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38One of them is a mother with a young calf.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41What we have to do now is assess what's going on with this group.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46A dolphin's day will go through a whole different range of activities,
0:21:46 > 0:21:49from feeding, to socialising, to moving, to hunting.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52At the moment, it looks as though they're just playing around
0:21:52 > 0:21:56and in fact heading straight towards our boat, probably to check us out.
0:21:58 > 0:21:59Oh!
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Doesn't matter who you are,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04you can be the world's most hardened naturalist,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08but, still, it puts a great big grin on your face being close to one.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12As our boat moves,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15it creates a pressure wave ahead of it
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and the dolphins are almost surfing it.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22It's called bow wave riding and it's only when they get this close
0:22:22 > 0:22:25that you get any sense of the scale of the animals
0:22:25 > 0:22:29and how each one is certainly bigger than I am.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32And they clearly just enjoy playing around,
0:22:32 > 0:22:35in front of the boat.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Life as a dolphin must be so much fun!
0:22:45 > 0:22:50Look at that! The youngster, probably only a few months old,
0:22:50 > 0:22:52clasped right by its mother's side.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Obviously, that's for protection, but also it helps
0:22:58 > 0:23:00in that it can actually get some kind of drive
0:23:00 > 0:23:02from being alongside its mother.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04The wake that she creates will carry it along.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10This is wonderful!
0:23:21 > 0:23:24Wow!
0:23:24 > 0:23:28Wonderful as this is, ideally, we'd like the dolphins
0:23:28 > 0:23:31to stop paying quite so much attention to us
0:23:31 > 0:23:32and start thinking about feeding a bit.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37This lot are too busy mucking about to get to hunting.
0:23:37 > 0:23:41If we are going to see mudringing in action,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44we'll have to find a more hungry dolphin pod.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54These paradise lagoons hold hidden dangers.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57We could be in trouble.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03It's all getting a little bit hairy at the moment.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06We're finding ourselves in very, very shallow water
0:24:06 > 0:24:09and there is a real danger of us becoming grounded.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11If we got stranded here,
0:24:11 > 0:24:15it would mean dragging the boat miles through waist-deep mud.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18That, or a call to the Coastguard.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20So, when the waters finally get deeper,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22we all breathe a sigh of relief
0:24:22 > 0:24:25and we've got dolphins.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29There's probably, I reckon,
0:24:29 > 0:24:31eight or nine dolphins all coming together
0:24:31 > 0:24:33over quite shallow water ahead of us.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35They're moving with purpose
0:24:35 > 0:24:38and it's entirely possible that they're about to start mudringing.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Oh, there's another two coming in!
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. There, there, there!
0:24:45 > 0:24:50And it's about to happen right in front of us!
0:24:50 > 0:24:51Oh, my goodness!
0:24:51 > 0:24:53It's happening!
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Yes, there you go!
0:24:57 > 0:25:00The dolphins are in full predatory mode, working together,
0:25:00 > 0:25:04circling the fish, trapping them in their mud ring.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Hey! Good catch!
0:25:06 > 0:25:10See that? Fantastic!
0:25:14 > 0:25:18To our left, another small group is going to work on a shoal of mullet.
0:25:18 > 0:25:23Conditions here are clearly perfect. Yeah, yeah, yeah!
0:25:23 > 0:25:25They're going absolutely crazy now!
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Oh! Wow!
0:25:30 > 0:25:32This is extraordinary!
0:25:32 > 0:25:36Dolphins at the surface with their mouths open.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Just waiting to catch the mullet that are herded towards them.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45This is all about increasing their efficiency.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49By working together as a group, they're managing to get more mullet.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53They're coordinating and communicating,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55using sound, using ultrasonic clips
0:25:55 > 0:25:58that are mostly too high for human ears to appreciate.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02All these animals have their own roles that have been assigned
0:26:02 > 0:26:06and they're just working like a kind of regiment, really.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08It's just fantastic to watch.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11You can see on the surface of the water,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14where the sand's been churned up
0:26:14 > 0:26:17where that one dolphin has gone around and created a barricade
0:26:17 > 0:26:21of sandy water. And the mullet leap to try and escape from it,
0:26:21 > 0:26:25straight into the waiting jaws of all his pals.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35You see these dolphins hunting in conditions like these,
0:26:35 > 0:26:36you can really appreciate
0:26:36 > 0:26:40quite what an extraordinary method of catching fish this is.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42The water quality here is absolutely lousy,
0:26:42 > 0:26:43there's almost no visibility.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47They use sound to echo-locate and communicate.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Zero visibility is irrelevant to them.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56This intelligence, innovation and teamwork
0:26:56 > 0:27:00are what make the bottlenose dolphins the perfect predator.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Magical, mudringing marvels.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Coordinated, cooperative, intelligent,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17bottlenose dolphins are on the list.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22With bigger brains than human beings,
0:27:22 > 0:27:25co-operating and communicating
0:27:25 > 0:27:29and always learning new methods of overwhelming prey.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Being a fish must be a miserable life,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34especially when you've got this lot on your case.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37- Bottlenose dolphins.- Deadly!
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Join me next time as I continue my search
0:27:40 > 0:27:43for the Deadly 60.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47I've got my first glowing gremlin in the dark. Fantastic!
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd