0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name is Steve Backshall.
0:00:04 > 0:00:05Woo!
0:00:05 > 0:00:09And this is my search for the Deadly 60.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11That's not just animals that are deadly to me,
0:00:11 > 0:00:14but animals that are deadly in their own world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19My crew and I are travelling the planet.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22And you're coming with me, every step of the way.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34This deadly mission brings us to Alaska,
0:00:34 > 0:00:37one of the best places on Earth for a big adventure.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45It's the largest state in America,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48more than six times the size of the UK.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53It's one of the wildest, most rugged wonderlands you'll ever see,
0:00:53 > 0:00:57graced with towering mountains, icy lakes, forests and rivers.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59And the wildlife is pretty spectacular, too.
0:01:02 > 0:01:03Alaska's Pacific coast
0:01:03 > 0:01:05is absolutely laden with life.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07The seas around us are stuffed with fish,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11from shoals of tiny ones that can be miles across
0:01:11 > 0:01:14to halibut, that can be bigger and heavier than I am.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16And all of these boats here have come here
0:01:16 > 0:01:18to take advantage of all that bounty.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21But it isn't just human beings who like eating fish.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25With fish-filled seas come mega predators
0:01:25 > 0:01:27in search of full stomachs.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32And these include the largest animals on Earth - the whales.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Humpbacks come here to feed in the summers,
0:01:35 > 0:01:38offering some of the greatest spectacles imaginable.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50The boat's made its way out into very deep sea.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53It's not really ideal conditions for spotting in -
0:01:53 > 0:01:58it's quite foggy, windy, wavy and pretty damp as well.
0:01:58 > 0:01:59And the animals we're looking for
0:01:59 > 0:02:02are amongst the largest animals on Earth,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06but the sea is a very, very big place.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10So I think we're relying on a bit of Deadly 60 luck.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14And I'm also hoping to get my sea legs some time soon.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17'The whales fatten up here on herring,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21'so we're looking out for their spouts and flapping tail flukes.'
0:02:21 > 0:02:24OK. Keep an eye out and if you see any whales, relay it back to us
0:02:24 > 0:02:26cos these folks are very interested in filming them.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31This high-tech machine here is called the fish finder.
0:02:31 > 0:02:36And what you can see here are solid areas in the sea in front of us.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Essentially, a sonic click is being sent out
0:02:39 > 0:02:41and it's bouncing off any objects in the water
0:02:41 > 0:02:43and then coming back to us
0:02:43 > 0:02:46so we can build a picture of what's in front of us.
0:02:46 > 0:02:47This here is the seabed
0:02:47 > 0:02:50and these dark areas here are shoals of fish.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52First of all, this is very good,
0:02:52 > 0:02:55as it means there are likely to be predators feeding on those fish,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and that could mean our whales.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59But also, this is very similar to the way
0:02:59 > 0:03:02that whales and dolphins find their own food.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06So, looking at this, hopefully, we're in the right spot.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09All the essential undersea elements are in place.
0:03:09 > 0:03:13Now, we just need to spot some whales.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18There's quite a lot of bird activity here.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22You see lots of different seabirds all off the side of the boat.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24And this is all down to the fact that these seas
0:03:24 > 0:03:27are just stuffed full of life.
0:03:27 > 0:03:28They are very cold,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31but as the tides are so heavy and there are so many currents,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33it brings up nutrients from down low.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36The small fish feed on that, the bigger fish feed on those,
0:03:36 > 0:03:38and the predators feed on them.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41And that's why these seas are so full of some of the largest,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45some of the most spectacular animals in the whole world.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49Which certainly applies to the humpback.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52Humpbacks are perhaps the most playful and dynamic of all whales,
0:03:52 > 0:03:55breaching their bodies clear of the water.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57Obviously, they're no danger to us.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Well, unless they were to land on you.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04However, to small fish, like sardines and herring,
0:04:04 > 0:04:07humpbacks are undoubtedly death from the deep.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- Straight ahead.- Oh, yes, yes! I see one!
0:04:16 > 0:04:19There's, there's the spout again.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20Oh, yes!
0:04:20 > 0:04:22There's two.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26About 200 metres in that direction.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29Yes, yes, there we go.
0:04:29 > 0:04:30Just there, Johnny.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34It's a humpback.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36And it looks to me like...
0:04:36 > 0:04:38probably a mother and calf.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41And they just dropped down,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43just off to the side of us here.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Just here, Johnny, look.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48That's definitely a calf.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Humpback whales migrate throughout the year,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55so in the summer months they come up here where it's really, really rich
0:04:55 > 0:04:58and the sea is full of food and gorge themselves,
0:04:58 > 0:05:01they get really, really fat.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04And then, there... That's...
0:05:04 > 0:05:07the large one heading off into the distance.
0:05:07 > 0:05:09Oh, that looked like a dive.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12When they go up almost vertically like that
0:05:12 > 0:05:15and straight down with their tail really displayed,
0:05:15 > 0:05:17it usually means that they are going down.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20That either means they are going for quite a long dive
0:05:20 > 0:05:23or they are going to come rushing out to the surface
0:05:23 > 0:05:25and possibly breach afterwards.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29But, generally, it means they'll be down for a good few minutes.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32After not eating all winter,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35the whales here will be really ready to feed up.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Their pleated throats expand as they gulp in huge mouthfuls of water,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43full of krill, plankton and small fish.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Then they filter the water out
0:05:46 > 0:05:49through their sieve-like baleen plates.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53Tons of seafood chowder in a gargantuan gulp.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57But to capitalise on the food bonanza of the Alaskan summer,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01the humpbacks here have developed a unique way of hunting cooperatively.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06In this coordinated attack, each whale plays a crucial part.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09After diving down and taking up their positions,
0:06:09 > 0:06:12the herders begin to circle the fish to keep them contained
0:06:12 > 0:06:16before another whale dives beneath the shoal and emits a deafening cry
0:06:16 > 0:06:18that's as loud as a rocket launch.
0:06:18 > 0:06:20WHALE CRIES
0:06:20 > 0:06:23This terrific sound confuses the fish,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25driving them upwards as they try to escape the noise.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29Next, another whale begins blowing a net of bubbles around the shoal,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32the fish won't swim out of this shimmering curtain
0:06:32 > 0:06:34and are corralled like sheep in a pen.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38The team of humpbacks then race up through the tunnel of bubbles,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41engulfing the fish in their massive mouths.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45They can eat more than ten times my weight in food every day.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Working as a team,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51their hunts bring in an unprecedented volume of fishy food,
0:06:51 > 0:06:55enough to put most other predators to shame.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00'For now, the seas have quietened and there's nothing to be seen.
0:07:00 > 0:07:05'But below us are lurking the ocean's true heavyweight hunters.'
0:07:08 > 0:07:12These immense marine mammals can weigh up to 40 tons,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16coming together to hunt as a coordinated team,
0:07:16 > 0:07:21and funnelling tonnes of fish into their guzzling gullets.
0:07:21 > 0:07:22The glorious humpback,
0:07:22 > 0:07:25with a taste for fish by the truckload.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29So from whales, the largest of marine mammals,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31to the very smallest.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33And this contender could not be more different.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36On Deadly 60, there's one group of animals
0:07:36 > 0:07:39that we just keep on coming back to, because they are so aggressive
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and so well-known for punching above their weight.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44It's the weasel family.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45We've had giant river otters...
0:07:48 > 0:07:50..the wolverine...
0:07:50 > 0:07:51Ow!
0:07:51 > 0:07:52..the honey badger...
0:07:54 > 0:07:56..even stoats and weasels.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00But there's one that we haven't managed to film yet
0:08:00 > 0:08:02and I'm hoping it's in there somewhere.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07This is the sea otter,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10one of the cutest animals we've featured on Deadly 60.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16But that cuddlesome image hides a diving master.
0:08:16 > 0:08:20They're quick, resourceful, manoeuvrable and hungry.
0:08:20 > 0:08:21Wow!
0:08:21 > 0:08:24There's a pretty good raft just over there!
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten...
0:08:27 > 0:08:3011, 12... Oh, my goodness! That's unreal!
0:08:32 > 0:08:33Wow!
0:08:34 > 0:08:38The recovery of sea otters has been a real success story.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42This is an animal that was hunted almost to extinction for its fur.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45And now, it's doing really well, particularly here in Alaska.
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Probably around 90% of the world's sea otters
0:08:48 > 0:08:51are found right here in these seas.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56And just off our bow here, there must be 20 animals,
0:08:56 > 0:08:59all tied into the kelp in what's known as a raft.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02What they are doing is making sure they don't drift away
0:09:02 > 0:09:04so they can just rest easy at the surface.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07And some of them are watching us.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11Superb!
0:09:11 > 0:09:13There are just wonderful animals, aren't they?
0:09:13 > 0:09:15Like little floating bears.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Sea otters breed all year round
0:09:17 > 0:09:19so there are plenty of fluffy pups around.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27See this slick of weed on the surface here?
0:09:27 > 0:09:31It's kelp. And this is really like a forest beneath the water.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35And the sea otters' life is totally bound to this kelp.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37I mean, it's a place where they can find security,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39where they can raft up, like now,
0:09:39 > 0:09:41but it's also a place where they can hunt.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43And to show you why the kelp is so special
0:09:43 > 0:09:45and why the sea otters love it so much,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47there's only one thing I can do.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49I can't quite believe I'm saying this,
0:09:49 > 0:09:54but I'm going to need to get in, and it looks really, really cold.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05Oh...crumbs.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08It really quite takes the breath away.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11It's very, very, very cold.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16Of course, the sea otter has such thick, dense fur,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18the densest fur of any animal,
0:10:18 > 0:10:22that they can actually live in these waters with no problem whatsoever.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Even with my wet suit, this is a bit unpleasant.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28OK. I'm going to dive down, have a look.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35This plunge into their icy world
0:10:35 > 0:10:40is a taste of how challenging it must be to be a sea otter.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42There's evidence of they're feeding everywhere
0:10:42 > 0:10:45but it's quite dark and hard to find your way around.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Yet almost every time they dive, they come up with food.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51And this alone makes them clear contenders.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Ah! Oh, my head! Oh!
0:10:56 > 0:10:59I've got the worst ice-cream headache I've ever had!
0:10:59 > 0:11:02Oh, it's so cold! Oh!
0:11:03 > 0:11:05So much life down there.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07There are shells everywhere.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09So much food!
0:11:09 > 0:11:12But these animals really need it.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15Sea otters have such rapid metabolisms
0:11:15 > 0:11:19that they need to feed almost constantly.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23And this kind of area in here, in the kelp,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26just offers so many opportunities for them.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28It's great -
0:11:28 > 0:11:31They're all just popping up to spy on me from a distance.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36They're very cute, but I think if you went in for a cuddle,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38you'd get a nasty surprise.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42Like all members of the weasel family, they do have a dark side.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47Sea otters are purely carnivorous and find their food down deep,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49diving to as much as 75 metres
0:11:49 > 0:11:53and staying under for up to ten minutes at a time.
0:11:53 > 0:11:57Their stout, crushing teeth make easy meals of clams, mussels,
0:11:57 > 0:12:00spiky sea urchins, crabs and other crustaceans.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03They need to eat a quarter of their body weight a day.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06That is a whole heap of crabs!
0:12:07 > 0:12:10And they also need to watch their backs.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Sea otters are territorial
0:12:12 > 0:12:15and males will fight ferociously to defend their patch.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17Look at that!
0:12:17 > 0:12:20They really do look like fighting, swimming bears!
0:12:24 > 0:12:25Oh...
0:12:25 > 0:12:28You can see why the kelp
0:12:28 > 0:12:31is such an important environment to the sea otters.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34But the water is just way too cold for me.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I think I'm going to head for a sea kayak,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40much more my kind of thing.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46So far, so cuddly.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49In order to put sea otters on the list,
0:12:49 > 0:12:51I'd really like to show them at work.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And on the outskirts of the rafts of resting otters,
0:12:54 > 0:12:57there are bound to be some foraging.
0:12:59 > 0:13:00Ho-ho!
0:13:03 > 0:13:05Hello, fella!
0:13:05 > 0:13:09This is an adult male sea otter.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10Larger than the females.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14I can tell it's an adult because he's got that wonderful blonde head.
0:13:14 > 0:13:18I know this animal looks impossibly cute and cuddly right now
0:13:18 > 0:13:20but actually what it's doing
0:13:20 > 0:13:23is the very reason why it has to go on the Deadly 60.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25Look at that.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27I mean, I can't quite see what he's got,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29but I can hear the crunching sound.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Their front teeth are very, very sharp canines.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36But towards the back of his mouth, he has cheek teeth,
0:13:36 > 0:13:39which can be used to crunch right through
0:13:39 > 0:13:43the thick shells of certain kinds of shellfish.
0:13:43 > 0:13:48But if they're too hard, what the sea otter will do...
0:13:48 > 0:13:52is lay a flat stone on its chest.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55and smash shellfish on it
0:13:55 > 0:13:57using this kind of motion.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Yeah, sea otters use rocks as tools.
0:14:03 > 0:14:06They dive down and choose a nice, flat rock,
0:14:06 > 0:14:08place it on their chest
0:14:08 > 0:14:10and repeatedly smash shellfish against it
0:14:10 > 0:14:13to get at the flesh inside.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16They've even been known to hammer open shells
0:14:16 > 0:14:18on the side of expensive yachts.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26This is wonderful!
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I can't believe he's just sitting here,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33feeding just in front of me.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Totally unbothered.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39And the crunching sound from his teeth...
0:14:41 > 0:14:43..is just amazing.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46Wow!
0:14:46 > 0:14:48What a creature!
0:14:48 > 0:14:49The sea otter.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54It might well be the cutest animal we ever deal with on the Deadly 60,
0:14:54 > 0:14:56but that doesn't make it any less lethal.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Definitely going on my list.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02The deceptively cuddly sea otter -
0:15:02 > 0:15:06impressive divers that can hold their breath for up to ten minutes.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Resourceful enough to use rocks as tools,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12and as far as their appetites, they're just plain greedy.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16Crab-smashing, tool-using, stomach-stuffing sea otters.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21For our next candidate,
0:15:21 > 0:15:25we need to take a plane ride further into the wilderness.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Where we're headed now is about as far away from civilisation
0:15:32 > 0:15:35as you can get in the modern world. There are no roads, no neighbours,
0:15:35 > 0:15:39but there should be some extraordinary wildlife.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'The views are initially stunning.
0:15:43 > 0:15:45'But then, banks of cloud and fog roll in,
0:15:45 > 0:15:48'until we can barely see anything at all.'
0:15:48 > 0:15:51Visibility is really coming in, and that's a concern,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54because then our pilot will struggle for us to land,
0:15:54 > 0:15:58and we're rather desperate to get to where we're going to.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00It'd be a disaster if we can't land.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04This is not looking good.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09Looks like we're probably going to have to turn back.
0:16:09 > 0:16:10Oh!
0:16:10 > 0:16:14'This is a major setback in our quest to find Alaska's deadly icon,
0:16:14 > 0:16:16'the grizzly bear.'
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Well, I do love Alaska,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22but the weather is always your worst enemy here.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Luckily, pretty much anywhere in this state can be bear country,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29so now we've got to get inland and see what we can find.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36So, now it's a road trip!
0:16:38 > 0:16:42Things like this happen all the time when you're trying to film wildlife,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47so you need to be as resourceful as a sea otter, as cunning as a coyote.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48Basically, you need a plan B!
0:16:52 > 0:16:55'We had a tip-off that the Kenai River was a good place to try,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59'so we headed that way, and got ourselves a boat.'
0:16:59 > 0:17:02I don't think I've ever seen quite so many fishermen
0:17:02 > 0:17:03in one place at one time.
0:17:03 > 0:17:09The reason for that is that there is just so much salmon in these rivers.
0:17:09 > 0:17:10A lot of the fish are quite tired,
0:17:10 > 0:17:13they've battled their way up against the flow,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15I guess it's an easy source of protein,
0:17:15 > 0:17:19not just for the people, but for the animals around here as well.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23That can be the wolves, the eagles, and, of course, the bears.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25It's going to be very difficult for us to film bears
0:17:25 > 0:17:28while moving along at this speed - the river's running quite fast,
0:17:28 > 0:17:31so we'll have to find somewhere that's easy to pull up,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35and looks like a good spot, and just sit and wait it out.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40At this time of year, tens of thousands of sockeye salmon
0:17:40 > 0:17:42are making the mammoth journey upstream
0:17:42 > 0:17:44to reach their spawning grounds,
0:17:44 > 0:17:48so the river is absolutely thick with them.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50And where you find a river swarming with salmon,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53there's a pretty good chance of bear.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02This looks like a pretty good spot up here.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04Lots and lots of gulls, no people.
0:18:05 > 0:18:10Gulls, as everyone knows, will take an easy meal where they can find it.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13I'm sure you've all had one trying to nick your chips down the beach.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15And here...
0:18:16 > 0:18:22..they're feeding on the remnants of the salmon.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Look at that, what a gorgeous colour!
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Looks almost good enough to eat.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29You can see the gulls have gone straight for the eyes.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32This, though, has been cut by an knife,
0:18:32 > 0:18:35this has been cleaned off by the fishermen.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38They've taken the choice cuts of the salmon, thrown them in the river,
0:18:38 > 0:18:42and they've drifted down here and got stuck on this corner.
0:18:42 > 0:18:44So the gulls know to come in here and feed on it,
0:18:44 > 0:18:49this could well be a place that the bears know, too, has free food.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'And the gulls aren't the only indicator
0:18:52 > 0:18:54'that bears might be around.'
0:18:54 > 0:18:55Oh, yes!
0:18:55 > 0:18:58Well, there's only one animal that can come from.
0:18:59 > 0:19:04That is a big, fat bear scat.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07And very, very fresh.
0:19:07 > 0:19:08Very black in colour,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12which means the animal's been feeding on a lot of meat,
0:19:12 > 0:19:14most of it's going to be salmon.
0:19:14 > 0:19:16There's also just some flies' eggs,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20so it's probably within the last couple of hours.
0:19:20 > 0:19:21Oh, yes!
0:19:21 > 0:19:23That's great!
0:19:23 > 0:19:27I know it might seem a bit crazy getting so excited about fresh poo,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30but to me, that is as good as a signpost saying,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32"A bear was right here."
0:19:34 > 0:19:37Good spot, guys. Very good spot.
0:19:37 > 0:19:42Hopefully, it's only a matter of time before one makes an appearance.
0:19:44 > 0:19:45There he is.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52We have our first bear,
0:19:52 > 0:19:56in the river, about 100 metres ahead of us.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00What a wonderful sight.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Oh, it's another one!
0:20:03 > 0:20:05There's another one coming in from the right.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Now these both, to me, look like young bears.
0:20:12 > 0:20:20So possibly, what we could have is two, maybe three-year-old cubs,
0:20:20 > 0:20:23which means that mum could be around here somewhere.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Look at that!
0:20:27 > 0:20:28That one's almost gold!
0:20:31 > 0:20:35You can see, they're just picking up scraps of salmon from the stream.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Obviously, these bears are capable of being superb predators,
0:20:39 > 0:20:42if they've got the chance of an easy meal, they'll take it,
0:20:42 > 0:20:43they're not stupid.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51Look at that, just standing up out of the water.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54And there's another one beyond it!
0:20:54 > 0:20:56This is unbelievable!
0:20:58 > 0:21:02OK, this is definitely two cubs and mum.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Yeah, you can see the one over to the right,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09much broader at the back...
0:21:09 > 0:21:10that's the female.
0:21:10 > 0:21:14And the two in front of the cubs.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16She's really impressive.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18It's such a wonderful sight,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22this is an animal that won't necessarily tolerate other animals
0:21:22 > 0:21:25around it, apart from when you have a mother and young,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28and they'll stick with her for a good few years.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30These two here look almost like adult bears,
0:21:30 > 0:21:34they're really big and sizable, but they're still keeping close to mum.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Quite a touching sight, really.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39They're incredibly cuddly,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42I almost want to run up and give them a great big cuddle.
0:21:42 > 0:21:46But that wouldn't be a good idea. I wouldn't advise it.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49# I want to give you a bear hug. #
0:21:55 > 0:21:58That was a very good start. If I was being picky,
0:21:58 > 0:22:00I'd have to say it was a little bit public,
0:22:00 > 0:22:04there were a lot of people around, and also, the bears were scavenging,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07so we didn't really get a chance to see them doing what they do best,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09that is, being deadly.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12There is, though, a falls up this way,
0:22:12 > 0:22:14and if we head up there on foot,
0:22:14 > 0:22:17we do stand a chance of seeing them in action.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21I hear waterfall!
0:22:24 > 0:22:27'Now, we just need to find a good vantage point.'
0:22:29 > 0:22:31This looks like a really good spot, actually,
0:22:31 > 0:22:36there's a big pool over there that's absolutely full of salmon,
0:22:36 > 0:22:40and any salmon jumping up here could be following that salmon ladder
0:22:40 > 0:22:43on that side, that's an artificial way to help the salmon up here,
0:22:43 > 0:22:46and they're going to be really vulnerable.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48This is the kind of place that, if I was a bear,
0:22:48 > 0:22:50I would choose to come and hunt.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55I think if we sit here and wait for a while, we might get lucky.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00'Well, the salmon are here, there's only one thing missing.'
0:23:10 > 0:23:12THE CREW SHOUT
0:23:16 > 0:23:17The size of that!
0:23:19 > 0:23:22It's come straight down, it's going to head straight into the water,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26and it's got a young cub, two young cubs! Yearlings!
0:23:30 > 0:23:32She's gone straight in.
0:23:33 > 0:23:34How about that?
0:23:34 > 0:23:39The two cubs are right up behind her, they're absolutely beautiful.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Look at the size of her!
0:23:46 > 0:23:50She's just jumped right into the water, scattering salmon everywhere!
0:23:50 > 0:23:55She's got one, she's got her first fish! Look at that!
0:23:55 > 0:23:59'So much bulk, strength and power, but in the end,
0:23:59 > 0:24:02'you'll need skill and accuracy to snare a slippery salmon.'
0:24:02 > 0:24:06You see her shredding that red salmon meat,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09but it has really, really strong, powerful teeth,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12great for catching their food,
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and remember, that's a very slippery fish.
0:24:15 > 0:24:17OK, the two cubs, they're still quite young,
0:24:17 > 0:24:21these would actually have been born at the beginning of this year,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24and they still have quite a little bit of white around the collar.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28And they're not quite sure, but they're going to come in,
0:24:28 > 0:24:31she's going to allow them some food any second now.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36They are so cute!
0:24:41 > 0:24:45I don't believe how quickly this has happened, this is just unbelievable.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53You see the cubs are actually just practising their fishing.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58They're certainly not as good as mum, though.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00This is one of the great wildlife sights
0:25:00 > 0:25:02you'll find anywhere in the world.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06The grizzly bear vies with the polar bear
0:25:06 > 0:25:09for the title of the largest land carnivore,
0:25:09 > 0:25:15and it's such an impressive, massive, bulky, powerful animal,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18but yet they can run and move surprisingly quickly.
0:25:18 > 0:25:24They've been clocked running as fast as 35, even 40 miles an hour.
0:25:26 > 0:25:28So now, I think, you can see why
0:25:28 > 0:25:32grizzly bears have to be on the Deadly 60.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34Even though they spend so much of their lives
0:25:34 > 0:25:38just feeding on things like berries, insects, moths,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41when they have the opportunity, when the food is there,
0:25:41 > 0:25:45when the salmon are running, they are so efficient.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50She's going in for another one, look at that! Look at the weight of her!
0:25:50 > 0:25:53The water just erupts as she leaps in, and she's got another one!
0:25:53 > 0:25:55Absolutely perfect.
0:25:55 > 0:26:00The grizzly bear has a long, dog-like muzzle, 42 teeth,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04the front ones, canines, are used for snaring those fish,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08and remember, this is a very fast-moving and slippery fish,
0:26:08 > 0:26:11so it really needs to be snagged with incredible precision,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14and then the rear teeth - the crunching cheek teeth -
0:26:14 > 0:26:16are used to munch it down,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20and she can shred even a huge salmon and eat it within a minute or two.
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Going in for another go.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Here she goes, she's wading in.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27These are really, really large animals,
0:26:27 > 0:26:29so they need a lot of food,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32particularly now in the summer, when they're fattening up.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34The nose has gone into the water -
0:26:34 > 0:26:36she's sniffing around, locating the fish.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40And completely immersing herself... and another one!
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Three hunts, three fish!
0:26:43 > 0:26:46And the youngsters are just standing back
0:26:46 > 0:26:48and letting Mum do all the work.
0:26:48 > 0:26:49Wow. Wow!
0:26:55 > 0:26:58The grizzly bear - they may be cute and cuddly,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01but they are a salmon-snatcher extraordinaire.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03And they're definitely going on the Deadly 60.
0:27:05 > 0:27:06Yes!
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Weighing in at up to 600 kilograms,
0:27:12 > 0:27:15they're one of the largest carnivores on earth.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17With long, curved claws,
0:27:17 > 0:27:21clocking running speeds of up to 40 miles an hour,
0:27:21 > 0:27:23we've got a deadly list,
0:27:23 > 0:27:27and there's no question that the bear is there.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32This is absolutely incredible!
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Listen to that crunching!
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Join me next time, as I continue my search for the Deadly 60.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd