0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name's Steve Backshall...
0:00:05 > 0:00:07..and this is my search
0:00:07 > 0:00:10for the Deadly 60.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12That's not just animals that are deadly to me,
0:00:12 > 0:00:15but animals that are deadly in their own world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19My crew and I are travelling the planet
0:00:19 > 0:00:22and you're coming with me every step of the way.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30(Deadly!)
0:00:30 > 0:00:36'Deadly 60 is all about giving you a sense of the spectacular,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39'showing you animals in their natural environment
0:00:39 > 0:00:42'and revealing hidden elements of their behaviour.'
0:00:42 > 0:00:46Argh! It just bit me right through the chainmail suit!
0:00:46 > 0:00:51'Over the years, we've seen unprecedented animal dynamism,
0:00:51 > 0:00:55'been on some hardcore adventures
0:00:55 > 0:00:57'and had some fairly close calls...'
0:00:57 > 0:00:59He's tasting my face.
0:01:04 > 0:01:05Wa-hay!
0:01:05 > 0:01:09But every now and again, we need to bring you animal behaviour
0:01:09 > 0:01:12that happens in ways the human eye simply cannot appreciate.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Then, we turn to technology
0:01:14 > 0:01:16to bring you killer shots.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22These scintillating images have only been possible
0:01:22 > 0:01:25through the use of hi-tech equipment,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29taking human beings to places we've never been before.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40We've come to this film studio to look at some of the fancy kit we use
0:01:40 > 0:01:44to show you wildlife doing stuff that happens in total darkness,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47perhaps painfully slowly,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49or maybe phenomenally quickly.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Using hi-tech, we can slow down reality,
0:01:52 > 0:01:54even freeze moments in time.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Some of the most sophisticated and exciting killer shots
0:02:01 > 0:02:05in wildlife film-making come from this simple-looking box of tricks.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08But don't be fooled by its appearance.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09This is a Photron camera.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13It's one of the most extraordinary bits of hi-tech you will ever see.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17This machine has the ability to take a millisecond of real time
0:02:17 > 0:02:20and slow it down so it lasts an eternity.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23That's important because it enables us to see the world in the same way
0:02:23 > 0:02:26certain animals would do, perhaps a bird of prey or a fly,
0:02:26 > 0:02:30that has a different perception of speed to human beings.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34So we have a special Deadly 60 experiment to show you
0:02:34 > 0:02:35this camera in full effect.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39OK. Time for a Photron's perspective on how the world works.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Let's have a look.
0:02:45 > 0:02:46So...
0:02:46 > 0:02:50All of this has happened in the blink of an eye.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00Look at that! That is just exquisite.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Watching it slowed down
0:03:03 > 0:03:06to approximately 80 times slower than reality.
0:03:06 > 0:03:11Every single droplet of water almost hanging motionless in the air
0:03:11 > 0:03:13and then dropping out of frame
0:03:13 > 0:03:17like some giant kind of constantly moving crystal. Gorgeous.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22And if the Photron camera can do that with a humble water balloon,
0:03:22 > 0:03:25imagine what it can do with the behaviour of wild animals.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33And one wild animal I've been wanting to film with this camera
0:03:33 > 0:03:35for nearly a decade was...
0:03:35 > 0:03:39the most frightening fish on Earth, the great white shark.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44In certain locations, great whites attack by breaching,
0:03:44 > 0:03:48launching their whole body out of the water as they smash
0:03:48 > 0:03:52seals in their jaws. But it's all over in milliseconds.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54So to really get to grips with what's happening
0:03:54 > 0:03:58in this remarkable predatory moment, we wanted to slow it down.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03So we headed to Gansbaai in South Africa,
0:04:03 > 0:04:06the great white shark capital of the world.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10This is essentially a fake seal.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13It's got polystyrene with wetsuit rubber on top.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16We'll drag it behind the boat and hopefully, a great white shark
0:04:16 > 0:04:20will sense it and come racing up from the depths and try and hit it.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22That's the plan, anyway.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26So, this allows us to focus on where the shark's going to strike,
0:04:26 > 0:04:31giving us a much better chance of filming it with the hi-speed camera.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34The breaching attack of the great white shark is so fast, blink
0:04:34 > 0:04:37and you miss it. So, Johnny, the cameraman, will have this
0:04:37 > 0:04:41on his shoulder, pointed at our decoy. Then when it happens,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43I have to hit this trigger button.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46The image then gets recorded on this laptop.
0:04:46 > 0:04:47Hopefully, if we get it right,
0:04:47 > 0:04:50we should see the whole thing beautifully slowed down
0:04:50 > 0:04:53so that you can fully appreciate the strike.
0:04:53 > 0:04:54It's a pretty tall order though.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00All we need is for a shark to hit the decoy at the right minute,
0:05:00 > 0:05:03for me to hit the button at the right minute,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05for Johnny to have the focus perfect,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08with the shark in the middle of the frame, and it'll be great!
0:05:09 > 0:05:13So, I think we're also going to need a bit of luck.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19As the decoy's moving across the surface of the water,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22it's creating very much the same kinds of vibrations
0:05:22 > 0:05:24as a real seal would if it was swimming
0:05:24 > 0:05:26and the shark can detect those.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It has a special organ that runs down the length of its body
0:05:29 > 0:05:34called the lateral line. It picks up tiny vibrations in the water.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37But once it gets close, it's going to switch to using its eyesight.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40In the last few metres, it'll focus in on its target
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and then hit it with incredible, explosive power.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46Well, that and 300 razor-sharp teeth.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Yep.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56It looks like our fake seal has worked!
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Ready for another one?
0:05:58 > 0:05:59Yep.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01It's down.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07That was incredibly impressive, but it was a massive, massive animal.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09What do you reckon, Johnny? Shall we have a look?
0:06:11 > 0:06:13Let's see what we've got.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20Oh! Wow!
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Superb. Absolutely superb.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32The high-speed camera perfectly illustrates the immense force
0:06:32 > 0:06:35that the sharks use to hit their seal supper.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42The shots are sublime.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46But Johnny's a perfectionist and reckons we can still get better.
0:06:56 > 0:06:57Well...
0:06:58 > 0:07:02That was it. That was almost a complete breach.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05The tail was flung out of the water, it hit it.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07Now we've just got to see what happened.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12'At normal speed, it barely registers.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15'But slowed right down, it's so dramatic
0:07:15 > 0:07:17'it simply leaves us spellbound.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24'For a second, this gigantic oceanic predator is almost defying gravity.'
0:07:24 > 0:07:29Oh! That is absolutely extraordinary!
0:07:29 > 0:07:31John boy!
0:07:32 > 0:07:36- Teamwork, man. - Teamwork! How about that?!
0:07:36 > 0:07:39That is extraordinary.
0:07:39 > 0:07:45I mean, it is just out of this world that an animal of THAT size
0:07:45 > 0:07:48can throw itself bodily, fully out of the water.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Can you imagine the power it must be generating?
0:07:50 > 0:07:54That truly is one of the most extraordinary predatory methods
0:07:54 > 0:07:57you will ever, ever see.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00And seen in super slo-mo.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Look at this!
0:08:03 > 0:08:06It's happy days. Shall we have another go?
0:08:06 > 0:08:08STEVE LAUGHS
0:08:08 > 0:08:11You genius! You genius!
0:08:11 > 0:08:14In super slo-mo, you can see the shark's scything tail
0:08:14 > 0:08:17generating enormous momentum,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20the chomping teeth, the thrashing water...
0:08:20 > 0:08:22It's awe-inspiring.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25And it's not just sharks that have been captured
0:08:25 > 0:08:28with this extraordinary camera.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Slowed down, you can see that a chameleon's tongue
0:08:31 > 0:08:35actually grips a hold of its prey, almost like our hands would.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41Some of the simplest things can look surprisingly beautiful.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50We've seen how salmon catapult themselves up waterfalls...
0:08:50 > 0:08:54And how perfectly-positioned bears have to be to catch them.
0:08:58 > 0:09:03When filmed at high speed, you can see the way a boomslang snake
0:09:03 > 0:09:05uses its tongue to taste its world.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09The two forks work independently, trailing through the air,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12then down on to the branch, picking up invisible scents
0:09:12 > 0:09:15that their prey may have left behind.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20The camera's revealed the pace and precision a kingfisher employs
0:09:20 > 0:09:24as it hammers into the water to retrieve small fish.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30And that a sprinting cheetah spends more than half of its time
0:09:30 > 0:09:32completely airborne!
0:09:34 > 0:09:35A puff-adder strike
0:09:35 > 0:09:37is normally over and done with
0:09:37 > 0:09:38in a fifth of a second, so
0:09:38 > 0:09:40we wouldn't usually see the detail.
0:09:43 > 0:09:48But slowed down, we can appreciate it in a whole new way.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51They have hinged fangs which swing forward like a switch-blade,
0:09:51 > 0:09:54stabbing into its prey before it retreats to safety.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04So, that's fast things slowed-down.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Now for slow things speeded up.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08(Deadly!)
0:10:08 > 0:10:10This is a time-lapse camera.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14It can be set to run for hours, days, weeks, even years.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17And then the results can be speeded up to a pace
0:10:17 > 0:10:20that us human beings can truly comprehend.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Or it can take real life, like this...
0:10:23 > 0:10:25and just give it a bit of zip.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Come on, guys! Get a move on.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36Time-lapse camerawork reveals subtle things
0:10:36 > 0:10:39that take too long for our eyes to see...
0:10:39 > 0:10:41with magnificent results.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48From seeing spiders constructing intricate silken webs...
0:10:52 > 0:10:56..to revealing border disputes between coral,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00something you could never appreciate in real time.
0:11:00 > 0:11:02They may look like stationary rocks on the sea bed,
0:11:02 > 0:11:06but corals are actually living creatures that feed at night.
0:11:06 > 0:11:11They also defend and extend their territories like this.
0:11:11 > 0:11:17The polyps project their guts out and digest their rivals alive.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21We've captured carnivorous plants called sundews
0:11:21 > 0:11:24catching and slowly digesting their prey.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31And huge starfish hunting.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34The sunflower starfish is a metre across
0:11:34 > 0:11:37and has an appetite for brittle stars and urchins,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39which it uses its feet to taste for.
0:11:39 > 0:11:44When we condense hours to minutes, you can see that the brittle stars
0:11:44 > 0:11:48are pretty accomplished at avoiding being munched.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51Sand dollar sea urchins, on the other hand,
0:11:51 > 0:11:52aren't so good at escaping,
0:11:52 > 0:11:56so they cluster together as a defence.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00But even en masse, they're no match for the sunflower starfish.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04It ejects its stomach over them and liquidises their soft parts
0:12:04 > 0:12:07until only their white skeletons remain.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11As well as revealing predatory behaviour,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15time-lapse photography is also great for demonstrating
0:12:15 > 0:12:17the beauty in the passage of time
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and the transition from day to night.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24But filming in the dark requires an altogether different piece of kit.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27One of the big challenges that we face with wildlife
0:12:27 > 0:12:30is that so many animals are really awkward
0:12:30 > 0:12:34and choose to be active and come out at night when it's completely dark.
0:12:37 > 0:12:39So one thing we can do is use spotlights.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41But obviously, it can be quite fierce
0:12:41 > 0:12:45and sometimes, it'll stop animals actually doing their natural thing.
0:12:45 > 0:12:49So what we can also use is one of these.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52This is an infra-red camera and it sees
0:12:52 > 0:12:54in a whole different spectrum.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56So, if I lose that light there...
0:12:58 > 0:13:02..we can see Ash, the cameraman, waving there,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and Simon, the sound recordist,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08even though it is totally pitch-black.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14So, filming in infra red enables us to see animals
0:13:14 > 0:13:17and they can't see us, so they just go on doing their thing.
0:13:17 > 0:13:21And it's enabled us to get some truly cracking shots.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Infra-red light has a different wavelength to visible light,
0:13:26 > 0:13:28so we can't see it.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31The technology's portable, so we can take it anywhere.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34We can set up infra-red lights in the wild
0:13:34 > 0:13:36or rig them onto vehicles,
0:13:36 > 0:13:38then use special cameras to capture the shots.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44There's a multitude of hidden hunts that go on when night falls.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Loads of carnivores go to work under the cover of darkness.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52So with these cameras and lights, we've been able to capture action
0:13:52 > 0:13:55that would otherwise have been completely missed.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00It's also revealed some fascinating activity in the depths of a cave.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Mountains of bat droppings maintain a living carpet
0:14:03 > 0:14:05of flesh-eating cockroaches and beetles.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Gross! Any baby bats that can't yet fly
0:14:08 > 0:14:12and are unlucky enough to lose their footing don't stand a chance.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Another piece of equipment that's saved my bacon
0:14:20 > 0:14:22hundreds of times over the years is this.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25It's fairly simple, really. It's just a camera with a motion sensor.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27But the great thing about these camera traps
0:14:27 > 0:14:30is that they're always working. We can be back in our hammocks
0:14:30 > 0:14:35or in our tents snoring away, but this carries on watching.
0:14:35 > 0:14:37Any animal that passes through the motion sensor
0:14:37 > 0:14:41is going to get photographed, often with spectacular results.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44We used camera traps in Peru
0:14:44 > 0:14:48when trying to see a black caiman out of the water.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53So, these here are camera traps.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56What we're going to do is probably tie these to some trees,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59put them all around this area here and then
0:14:59 > 0:15:02put some bait down at the centre there.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05We'll set a trip line up around here.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08And anything big that comes in here to check out that meat's
0:15:08 > 0:15:11going to trip the cameras, and hopefully, we should get some shots
0:15:11 > 0:15:12of them on these.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21It's a beautiful, still, windless morning
0:15:21 > 0:15:23and we're just heading back to the camera traps,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25they're in the bushes ahead of us.
0:15:25 > 0:15:29There's quite a heightened sense of anticipation among the team
0:15:29 > 0:15:31as to what's going to be on the cameras.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37We can still see the cameras, they've not been eaten by anything.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41The trip wire's gone.
0:15:48 > 0:15:49Meat's gone!
0:15:52 > 0:15:53No way!
0:15:55 > 0:15:58OK, let's have a look at what we've got.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07This is really exciting.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09We've got something on here.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13Been triggered by something, but I can't see anything.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17CREW: Is that the end of the tape?
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Almost. Into the last five minutes and there's nothing there.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Oh!
0:16:29 > 0:16:30Look at that!
0:16:30 > 0:16:32That's fantastic!
0:16:34 > 0:16:35Right at the end of the tape.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Look at that, it's a huge black caiman, look at the size of it!
0:16:41 > 0:16:44You've got to see this, guys. You've got to see it.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46'At over four metres long,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50'this giant must weigh more than all of us put together.'
0:16:50 > 0:16:52You wouldn't want to be going swimming in there.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55No, no. You really wouldn't.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Black caiman are the largest members of the alligator family.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01A really broad, flattened snout,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05very, very powerful around here, which allows it to use those jaws
0:17:05 > 0:17:07with great strength, wrenching its prey around.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10At the moment though, it's just slinking off,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13back into the water with our meat.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15That is an absolute triumph.
0:17:19 > 0:17:24We've shown you how we film things that happen extraordinarily slowly,
0:17:24 > 0:17:26at lightning speeds,
0:17:26 > 0:17:28in pitch darkness...
0:17:30 > 0:17:32..and when we're not even there.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36Now for a bit of kit that really turns up the heat.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Every now and then, we get a chance to use a really impressive toy,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44something like this thermal imaging camera.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49Conventional cameras see using light, but this picks up warmth.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53So, if I set it running,
0:17:53 > 0:17:55I've got a way of showing how this works.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59So...
0:17:59 > 0:18:02now the camera's looking at me and it should see
0:18:02 > 0:18:08my hands and my face, which are exposed, as very bright colours,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11as whites and yellows. But the parts of my body insulated by clothing
0:18:11 > 0:18:14should be darker, kind of blues and purples.
0:18:14 > 0:18:18In front of me, I have a glass of cold water,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21so that should be dark blue.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25But if I take a kettle of very hot water...
0:18:26 > 0:18:29..you should see an instant change.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33This camera is really effective
0:18:33 > 0:18:35for tracking animals at night.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39It's also very good for telling which parts of the animal are warm
0:18:39 > 0:18:43and it gives a really good idea of how some predators
0:18:43 > 0:18:46see their moving prey at night.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Certain snakes, like pythons and pit vipers,
0:18:52 > 0:18:55have special heat-sensitive pits in their faces,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59usually on the lips or between the nostrils and the eye.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02These are actually incredibly sensitive to warmth
0:19:02 > 0:19:04and many of their prey species -
0:19:04 > 0:19:08animals like this mouse - are always warm.
0:19:08 > 0:19:09As they move around,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13they're just giving off heat that the snake can sense
0:19:13 > 0:19:15and our thermal-imaging camera allows us to see
0:19:15 > 0:19:18pretty much what those snakes must be perceiving.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22Even in the dead of night, an animal like this is easy game.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26The rattlesnake is superbly camouflaged,
0:19:26 > 0:19:29so almost invisible to other animals.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31But because of its special thermal pits,
0:19:31 > 0:19:34it can see its prey, even in the dark.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37To the snake, this packrat stands out from its background
0:19:37 > 0:19:40like a bright light.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42As long as the snake doesn't move,
0:19:42 > 0:19:44the packrat won't see it,
0:19:44 > 0:19:47so it just has to wait until the rat comes close enough.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Then it strikes,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56injecting its lethal venom.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57The rat tries to escape,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01but it leaves a trail of heat with every footstep.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05The snake can just watch and wait
0:20:05 > 0:20:08for the venom to take effect, then move in for its meal.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23Cameras nowadays can be unbelievably small
0:20:23 > 0:20:25and that has many different advantages,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28one of which is that you can get very, very close to animals
0:20:28 > 0:20:32and be nothing like as intrusive as you would be with a huge camera.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36So, I have here a rather wonderful
0:20:36 > 0:20:38dead leaf mantis.
0:20:38 > 0:20:44Now, Nick, if you just focus in on those raptorial forearms,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47hopefully, by getting close, you should be able to see
0:20:47 > 0:20:53all of the barbs that run down the under-side of those legs,
0:20:53 > 0:20:55the chief weapon of the mantis.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00It's just lunging out into the air at the moment,
0:21:00 > 0:21:02almost striking towards the camera.
0:21:04 > 0:21:09It's just fabulous, it's such an intimate view of this bug,
0:21:09 > 0:21:12that normally you'd never get a chance to see.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15We can, though, go one stage further
0:21:15 > 0:21:18because this particular species has something very, very special
0:21:18 > 0:21:22it does, in response to a threat.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26So, if I make it think...
0:21:27 > 0:21:29..that there's a predator around...
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Here we go. Look at that.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43These are called flash colours
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and that's the display of this mantis
0:21:46 > 0:21:51which it'll use to intimidate and frighten off any predators,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54and they are absolutely beautiful.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58On the underside of the four wings,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00you can see those eye spots. When those come up,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03it kind of makes the predators think that a much larger animal is there
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and frightens them away.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09What a wonder-bug! And our minicam
0:22:09 > 0:22:14gives us a perfect intimate view.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Gorgeous.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Some of these cameras are so manoeuvrable and inconspicuous
0:22:24 > 0:22:28that we've got them into rather unlikely places.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30It's like having a tiny cameraman
0:22:30 > 0:22:32filming whilst hidden in the shadows.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36We've watched birds of prey bringing in food for their precious young.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Skullcam has spied on vultures coming in to feast.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47There have been cameras inside termite mounds and hornet nests...
0:22:49 > 0:22:51..and on a snake.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56Plus, we've had intimate probecam shots inside a scorpion burrow,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00showing a mother scorpion giving birth.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07On Deadly 60, we always want to try and bring you with us
0:23:07 > 0:23:11wherever we go. Now, obviously, with a camera that's that size,
0:23:11 > 0:23:13it isn't always so easy.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17But luckily, modern cameras are so small,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20so rugged, so tough, that they can be fixed pretty much anywhere.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25Onto a plane, a train, a bike, a kayak, even onto my helmet.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29Basically, it means that the technology is doing the hard work,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32so he doesn't have to, and he can go and have a cup of tea.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38Using these cameras, I've given you a taste of white-water kayaking...
0:23:41 > 0:23:43..mountain biking...
0:23:44 > 0:23:46..flying around the bush...
0:23:48 > 0:23:50..climbing trees...
0:23:50 > 0:23:53tangling with all sorts of animals...
0:23:53 > 0:23:56trying to hover like a kestrel...
0:23:56 > 0:23:59climbing rock faces.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03'With cameras like these, I can take you anywhere.'
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Oh, my goodness! Oh!
0:24:06 > 0:24:10'But it's not just me that we fix cameras on to.'
0:24:10 > 0:24:12Our final killer shot gives us an opportunity
0:24:12 > 0:24:16to get the ultimate insight into an animal's world.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18Modern cameras have got so tiny,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20they give us opportunities that ten years ago,
0:24:20 > 0:24:22would have been simply unthinkable.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25This is Ellie, she's a goshawk.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Now goshawks are a resident native bird to the UK
0:24:28 > 0:24:31and one of our most spectacular birds of prey.
0:24:31 > 0:24:35But this particular bird has been trained to fly wearing
0:24:35 > 0:24:39this tiny harness and a camera that fits on to this
0:24:39 > 0:24:42and is no bigger than my little finger.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44That points forward so that as Ellie is flying through
0:24:44 > 0:24:47the densest of woodlands, the kind of places she'd be hunting,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51it gives us the chance to see as a goshawk would see
0:24:51 > 0:24:53and fly as a goshawk would fly.
0:24:56 > 0:25:03This tiny little wonder is our miraculous onboard camera.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07It sends a signal through this antenna here
0:25:07 > 0:25:13to this satellite dish and you can see, there,
0:25:13 > 0:25:15the little camera looking at me.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20All we need to do is to mount that on to the back of Ellie...
0:25:20 > 0:25:22I'm going to let you do that, Lloyd,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24cos I've a feeling she'll probably take my fingers off.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Yes, she's happier with someone else doing that, I think. Thank you.
0:25:28 > 0:25:33Good, right, so what I'll try and do is pop it on
0:25:33 > 0:25:38- so that it's just about there, like so.- Wonderful.
0:25:38 > 0:25:44And now the camera's looking right down the nape of Ellie's neck
0:25:44 > 0:25:47and is going to see exactly what she sees
0:25:47 > 0:25:51as she goes soaring through these trees.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Ellie's been trained to fly with this camera,
0:25:55 > 0:25:58so once it's attached, it won't hold her back,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00and she can go about her deadly business.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05'Now, that really is a bird's eye view!'
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Woah!
0:26:10 > 0:26:12That was absolutely remarkable.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Right, let's have a little look at our hero,
0:26:14 > 0:26:16or should I say heroine, in action.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24Here she goes. Launch, the head drops,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26a few swift beats of the wing
0:26:26 > 0:26:30and then just banking and weaving in amongst those trees
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and, at the last minute, you just see, she's coasting in
0:26:33 > 0:26:36and then the wings flare back and she stops
0:26:36 > 0:26:39and everything goes absolutely crazy. The amount of action
0:26:39 > 0:26:42at that exact moment is incredible.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46She's gone from about 30 miles an hour to a complete stop
0:26:46 > 0:26:48in the space of under a second.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50But all of that force would have gone into the prey,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53all the force from the flight is just going to hit the prey
0:26:53 > 0:26:56and really, it's going to be all over within seconds.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03Advances in filming technology are not just about pretty pictures.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06They show us things that we'd never see with our eyes alone.
0:27:06 > 0:27:11Killer shots offer us a totally new perspective on the wild world.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14So all of this kit is what it takes to capture
0:27:14 > 0:27:16and fully appreciate the Deadly 60.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Without this equipment, there's so much we wouldn't see.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23With it, we reveal biology, behaviour and beauty,
0:27:23 > 0:27:25and we're constantly learning incredible new things
0:27:25 > 0:27:27about our planet.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30John boy!
0:27:32 > 0:27:37'Join me next time, as I continue my search for the Deadly 60.'
0:27:37 > 0:27:40Here they come. Oh, back up, Graham, back up!
0:27:54 > 0:27:57Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd