South Africa 1 Deadly 60

My name's Steve Backshall.

And this is my search

for the Deadly 60.

Not just animals deadly to me,

but animals that are deadly in their own world.

My crew and I are travelling the planet.

And you're coming with me,

every step of the way.

This time on Deadly 60, we're in South Africa,

which has some of the grandest, most impressive,

most epic landscapes imaginable.

Which is fitting,

because we'll be dealing with one

of the grandest, most impressive,

most epic animals on earth.

We've met it before on Deadly 60,

but we've got unfinished business with this king of the ocean.

We'll also be heading inland,

where there's no shortage of epic animals.

But first, we're heading for the water.

The seas of Africa's southern coast are daunting.

The conditions can be horrendous,

and if any seas can said to be truly shark infested, then these can.

Their dangers to humans are massively exaggerated,

but that doesn't mean these animals aren't the perfect predators,

and one shark, the largest purely predatory fish on the planet,

and perhaps the most impressive animal on earth,

the great white shark.

Last time we filmed great whites, the weather was really against us.

Great white shark!

We saw them, but I didn't get a chance

to show you what makes them worthy of a place on the deadly list.

This time, we want to film them hunting from the surface,

then, for a close-up

of their deadly attributes, I want to get in the water with them.

It's pretty early in the morning.

The colours in the sky are just glorious.

It looks like we're heading to open ocean,

but in the distance,

two small, rocky islands are home to seals,

the great white shark's favourite food.

This whole set-up makes this place the best spot in the world

to come and see this incredible animal.

And we barely had time to drop anchor

before they made an appearance.

Johnny, Johnny, Johnny!

Real predation going on.

Oh, it's a biggie. It's a biggie!

Holy moly!

Let's get up to the front of the boat. Front of the boat.

Directly off... Oh, this is huge.

Absolutely huge.

This is unbelievable.

The shark is coming fully out of the water!

This is one of the most extraordinary things.

I never thought that we'd see a shark genuinely hunting a seal.

Oh! The tail of the shark is just lashing around.

You can see the dorsal fin and the tail breaking the surface.

You can just see the seal, leaping out of the water,

purposely, trying to get away from the shark.

The water is just churning.

The force of it just lashing side to side, trying to find the seal.

This tiny little seal is just battling for survival.

Leaping clear out of the water, trying to evade the shark.

No way!

And then it all goes silent again.

It's all about that one moment, hitting them hard, first time,

and if it doesn't work, they pretty much give up.

But if they get it right, then it is all over in a second.

And it's this first moment of impact we're here to film.

To do this, we need to be a bit resourceful.

This is a fake seal.

It's got polystyrene with wetsuit rubber over the top.

We'll drag it behind the boat.

Hopefully a great white will sense it,

and come racing up from the depths and try and hit it.

That's the plan, anyway.

So, the decoy's in. Let's hope that it attracts some action.

As the decoy's moving across the surface of the water,

it's creating the same vibrations as a real seal swimming.

And the shark can detect those.

It has a special organ down the length of its body,

called the lateral line,

and can pick up tiny vibrations in the water.

But once it gets close, it'll switch to using its eyesight.

And in the last few metres, it'll focus in on its target

and then hit it with incredible, explosive power, well,

that and 300 razor-sharp teeth.

Oh, my! No way! No way! I don't believe it.

We've only been towing for a few minutes and, already,

the great white just hit it!

Just one big smack.

And that's a huge shark.

It just shows how precarious life is for a seal

in this tiny channel of water.

Every single time they go out into the sea,

they're in danger of being hit

by the biggest set of jaws on the planet.

Let's see what damage has been done.

Oh, my goodness! Look at that!

Well, you can see

where the great white's teeth have just sliced clean through

that neoprene, and that is

exactly what it would do to the skin of the seal.

Otherwise, our decoy seems to have got off fairly unscathed.

And the whole thing, really, was over in the blink of an eye.

What we really need is some deadly technology,

just to slow things down a little bit.

And we've got just the thing.

Johnny's going to point this slow motion camera at the decoy,

When the shark breaches,

I'll hit a button to record it to our laptop.

Getting it right is going to be a tall order,

so, fingers crossed.

Well, that was it.

That was almost a complete breach.

The tail was sprung out of the water. It hit it.

Now we've just got to see what happened.

Outstanding!

Imagine the power it must take to launch a tonne of shark

right out of the water.

And the spectacle had barely begun.

Breach after phenomenal breach.

Bursting through the surface, through waves and spray.

A predatory performance that had us all spellbound.

If that was a real seal, it doesn't bear thinking about.

And I don't think we'll be getting that decoy back.

Well, we've seen great white's hunting, now, the only thing

that could make this better would be to see one up really, really close.

And the best way to do that is to get in the water with them.

With the sun setting on a satisfying day, it's time to go ashore.

But we'll be back.

We're heading inland to see an unusual contender.

Not a carnivore, but don't let that put you off.

Cape buffalo are one of Africa's biggest mammals.

Although grazers, they're known as the Black Death,

because they're deadly defenders.

Every day, they have to face off truly mighty predators,

but the buffalo's bulk and lethal horns make them

some of the most formidable animals in Africa.

When they charge, it's best to get out of the way, quick.

Huge herds give them strength in numbers,

tonnes and tonnes of grumpy buffalo, as intimidating as wildlife gets.

Buffalo are here in large numbers, but it's a big reserve.

The best way to find them is to get an eagle's eye view.

If we're going to get close to them,

we need an aircraft that's small, manoeuvrable and discreet.

Something like this.

Here we go!

Wooh!

OK, so, now we're airborne.

This wonderful little plane

offers us so many opportunities.

We can cover a much broader range, and because we're so much higher,

if there is a large herd of buffalo down there, we will see it.

There's plenty of other wildlife here.

Elephants!

Elephants! Ooh! Wow! That's a big herd of elephants.

And a group of rhino.

This is a great way to see Africa's giants.

And our target was just below us.

What do you see?

I see them! I see the buffalo!

Wow! It is a massive herd.

Oh, I cannot believe how many there are.

I reckon this herd of buffalo must be 200 animals strong.

Oh, look at that!

Well done! Good job! Good job!

Well, this plane is the perfect spotting platform,

but it's not much of a filming platform.

So we know where the animals are, now we need to take the car

and get in as close as we can on the ground,

without the turbulence.

Now we've located the herd, we want to approach them on foot,

but it's not going to be easy.

If the buffalo are still in the same position

as when I saw them from the air,

they are probably about 300 metres in that direction.

Now, buffalo are animals that are always alert to possible predators.

They've got several hundred pairs of eyes, looking out for danger,

and a very keen sense of smell and hearing.

So it's important that we approach them from downwind of the animals,

so our scents and our sounds are being carried away from them.

From here on in, it's stealth mode.

We do need to be very careful, here. Always be on the lookout.

After all, it's not just Cape buffalo that are in this area.

There are elephant, rhino and lion.

So it's very wise just to be always stopping

and checking what's going on.

It wasn't long before we got proof we were on the right track.

These are buffalo tracks.

Distinctive, quite rounded profile to the print and the cloven hoof.

Heading in that direction.

And they're very fresh.

The closer we get to the herd,

the more and more important it is to move slowly and quietly,

but that's really hard when the ground is so dry.

It's a bit like walking on dry cornflakes.

The closer we got, the more careful and quiet we had to be.

Spooking them could be genuinely dangerous.

Those five or six bulls have all come to stand up very proud,

looking towards us, slight shakes of the head,

and advancing in our direction.

These are all quite menacing movements.

Some are starting to get closer in those bushes, over there.

You can see this large bull standing

with his head up high,

sniffing the air.

Sniffing to try and get a scent of us and what we are.

They are very, very alert.

Watching out for the members of their herd and their family.

They've got a very, very close eye on us.

Now, this is really, as close as I want to get to a Cape buffalo.

But for their role as a deadly defender,

you've got to say they have to be on the Deadly 60.

Their head adorned

with giant heavy horns,

a grumpy unpredictable nature

can make them incredibly dangerous,

and the instinct to group together

into huge defensive herds.

Cape buffalo rampage onto the list.

South Africa is positively bursting with venomous snakes

that you wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of,

but the next two animals make easy meals of the most dangerous snakes.

And, remarkably, they're both birds.

To show their strategies, I want to do an experiment.

To meet our first bird, I've come to an endangered species centre.

And this is the first of our subjects.

It's the ground hornbill.

It's an incredibly impressive looking bird.

With a rather wonderful call,

and its favourite food in the whole world is a snake.

They're instantly very inquisitive.

Obviously quite intelligent birds,

and you definitely need to watch out for that beak.

Right.

We're using a rubber snake to try and entice them

to behave as they would in the wild.

Straight for the head. Straight for the head. Real precision, there.

Now, that has very real purpose.

Imagine if this was something like a puff adder,

if it was to snap towards the tail,

that would give the puff adder the perfect chance

to snap around and land a venomous bite,

but if you take out the head, instantly,

then you've got rid of every bit of threat.

That beak is strong enough, and sharp enough,

that this snake would already be dead.

This is the male bird.

Slightly larger.

And the beak, well, that is a superb precision tool.

But the other thing you can't miss is the eyelashes.

Those eyelashes are perfect

for keeping dust and seeds out of the eyes.

I think it's realised, though, that my plastic snake is not edible.

Now it's trying to figure out what else round here

might be worth a munch.

So ground hornbills don't just hunt snakes.

They'll also take furry things like mammals.

And right now, Nick's boom pole is taking just that part.

I think this really shows the intelligence of the ground hornbill.

It's sussing out everything that's in its world,

and figuring out if it's going to be good to eat.

So the ground hornbill is a true professional

at taking out snakes on the ground.

But there's one more bird, round here,

that'll also hunt the most venomous snakes in Africa.

And it has a rather different way of doing it.

Aaah! Aha-ha-hoo-hoo!

That was my toe!

Daaaa!

I think it might be time to leave.

Where's the exit?

So we've met our first ground hunting bird.

We now have a second contender, and it's really very different.

You can probably hear it warming up in the wings.

So, this is my snake, and this...

Come and say hello. This is our leggy bird.

It's a secretary bird,

and look at those great, long, stilt-like legs.

They may look a little bit comical, but they have deadly potential.

And that's what I'm hoping to show you in this experiment.

OK, so I've got my snake in position.

My secretary bird looking interested.

Let's give it a go. Look!

Did you see? Then again, look at that!

That is incredibly impressive.

I really wasn't expecting it

to be that decisive.

Come on, give us one more. Give us one more.

Wow!

My goodness! I think he's dead.

He wasn't taking any chances.

Just when you think you can't be surprised by animals any more,

something like that happens.

This bird's been raised in captivity.

It's never seen its parents.

It hasn't been taught this behaviour.

This is completely innate.

This is something that it's been born with.

The ability to head straight for the head of a venomous snake

and take it out.

It's like some kind of deadly, avian boxer.

So impressive!

As long as I keep the snake moving,

he'll keep stamping.

And the second I stop...

..he'll just keep on stamping.

Of course, this is, actually,

sensible, because there are a lot of snakes

that once attacked, will play dead,

but will still be capable of delivering a bite,

so the secretary bird is just making really sure

that its prey is finished off.

I'm pretty sure it's dead, now.

Honestly, he's had it.

And just watching, actually, as the bird's stamping,

it's the rear half of the foot

that's hitting, and a thick, curved back talon,

so it truly is, not just delivering a hammer blow

downwards with extreme force,

but also a stabbing killer blow with that back talon, as well.

Even the most venomous snakes in Africa wouldn't stand a chance.

Despite the ground hornbill's precision, and big black beak,

the secretary bird has won me over. He's brilliant.

The snake stomping secretary bird just has to go on the Deadly 60.

They show no fear

when taking on some

of Africa's most venomous snakes.

With the longest legs

of any bird of prey,

and large strong toes,

they stamp prey to death

with killer accuracy.

The secretary bird strides

onto our list.

We're back to the seas off the south coast,

to try get a close counter with one of our great whites.

This time we're getting in the water,

and were hoping to entice the sharks in so we can film them close-up.

The guys are creating what's called a chum slick -

it's fish blood and oil, and it's going to travel out behind the boat,

in a big broad area, and sharks have such keen olfactory senses, that is,

their sense of smell is so keen, they'll pick this up and travel

back to find the source, which is going to be us.

Hopefully this should be all we need to tempt the sharks in.

Coupled with our bait line and decoy, it certainly does the trick.

Now, the best way to get shots of these animals is for me

to get in the water with them and use this underwater camera.

We've got sharks. We've got visibility.

This is going to be out of this world.

Fingers crossed for some action.

The water's really clear, but are the sharks still around?

The answer is a definite yes.

Our first shark cruises by...

..closely followed by more and more.

Soon, we're surrounded.

This is unreal! The water's like crystal.

Amazing visibility,

and there's two huge sharks circling around and around and around,

making passes at the bait.

It's phenomenal.

The size of them. The elegance of them.

But they are very, very sinister looking animals.

I'm staring down the throat of, perhaps,

the world's most frightening beast.

And they're starting to build up some momentum.

Ah! You see that burst of speed there?

This is nothing compared to the amount of velocity

they'd have to build up to come crashing out of the water,

but even so...

When they propel themselves with that broad, flattened tail,

they can really move at speed.

Just cannot imagine how fast they must have to be travelling

to breach their bodies completely out of the water.

This is better than we could ever have hoped for.

The great whites are truly displaying

everything that makes them deadly.

That's the difference!

That's when they come up almost vertically.

The shark went right down, very, very low in the seabed,

but keeping its eyes on the bait,

and then came straight up, vertically.

The speed was phenomenal,

but still not enough to drive it out of the water completely.

Wow! I've got to stop saying wow.

Oh! That is just extraordinary!

You can see as the shark comes in.

Its eye rolls back in its socket to protect it,

just in case there's the teeth of a seal waiting to go for that eye,

that's really vulnerable.

The great white is one of the largest predators on earth.

And these are only about three metres long.

The biggest have been over six metres long.

I can't even conceive of a great white that big.

Some animals that just seem to totally rule their environment.

They just have this aura of invincibility about them.

Oh! That was extraordinary!

Almost completely left the water.

Oh, and bashed the cage on the way through, as well.

That's not just one of the most ferocious animals on the planet,

it's one of the most ferocious animals that's ever lived.

Oh!

We've had perfect sea conditions, terrific visibility,

and the closest, clearest views of this iconic beast I've ever seen.

We're all totally blown away.

Here in shark alley,

you see this incredibly, highly, honed hunting strategy

from one of the most impressive predators on earth.

We've seen a bit of everything from the great white shark today.

A highly honed hunting strategy.

Speed, elegance, grace.

Oh, my goodness.

What we haven't seen is a mindless killing machine.

This animal is far more intelligent than that.

And for that reason alone, it has to go on the Deadly 60.

They can breach their huge bodies

completely clear of the water.

With the exceptional ability

to detect prey from up to 5km away,

and mouths that are lined with up to

300 razor sharp teeth.

No-one can question

great whites on the deadly list.

Join me next time as I continue my search for the Deadly 60.

I don't believe it!

It's the creepiest thing I've seen today.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd