0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09And this is Deadly Pole To Pole.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Oh!
0:00:11 > 0:00:13From the top of the world to the bottom...
0:00:13 > 0:00:15Whoa!
0:00:15 > 0:00:17..deadly places,
0:00:17 > 0:00:18deadly adventures
0:00:18 > 0:00:21and deadly animals.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24And you're coming with me every step of the way!
0:00:26 > 0:00:27Argh!
0:00:30 > 0:00:33My quest from the top of the planet to the bottom
0:00:33 > 0:00:36has finally reached South America.
0:00:36 > 0:00:41This vast continent is home to the world's largest river...
0:00:43 > 0:00:45..the longest mountain range...
0:00:47 > 0:00:50..and the largest rainforest.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53I'm starting this leg of my epic adventure in Guyana.
0:00:54 > 0:00:57Guyana's about the size of Great Britain
0:00:57 > 0:00:59but with a population less than the city of Leeds.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05There is no excitement that quite beats flying over Guyana,
0:01:05 > 0:01:07knowing that below you there are hundreds of miles
0:01:07 > 0:01:10of rainforest where no human being has ever been.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Knowing that there are thousands, possibly tens of thousands,
0:01:13 > 0:01:16of species of animals that are completely unknown to science.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19But it's exciting for another reason too,
0:01:19 > 0:01:21because Guyana is a land of giants.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25We're getting super-sized with gigantic jungle beasts...
0:01:27 > 0:01:30I'm a little bit scared about handling this one.
0:01:30 > 0:01:31Ooh...ah.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34..camp out in the canopy in search of
0:01:34 > 0:01:36the largest eagle on the continent...
0:01:36 > 0:01:38(I can see him.)
0:01:38 > 0:01:41..and scour the savannah for a mysterious monster.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43GROWLING
0:01:43 > 0:01:45I have never heard that before.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49Ah. Here we are.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Big, big adventures ahead.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59We're wasting no time.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02My search for giants starts in the pristine jungles.
0:02:02 > 0:02:07But the weather round here can be... well, changeable.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10They don't call this a rainforest for nothing.
0:02:10 > 0:02:12THUNDER RUMBLES
0:02:12 > 0:02:16These jungles are pretty much defined by rain.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Sometimes it seems like the heavens just open.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26It's like standing under a shower.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30But this heavy rain brings out frogs,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33which, in turn, brings out monster serpents.
0:02:35 > 0:02:39Oh, yeah, I see it. Oh, cribo, cribo, cribo! Amazing.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53Now that is an incredibly impressive snake.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58I have to be really careful, because it's not especially venomous
0:02:58 > 0:03:03but it has one of the strongest bites of any snake,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05if not THE strongest bite.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08What a find.
0:03:08 > 0:03:12This is a yellow-tailed cribo.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17And you can see where it gets its name from.
0:03:17 > 0:03:20The tail is a gorgeous amber, golden-yellow colour.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24And this...
0:03:25 > 0:03:29..although it's not a great danger to human beings,
0:03:29 > 0:03:33would have a call to being one of the most deadly snakes
0:03:33 > 0:03:35in this part of the world.
0:03:35 > 0:03:36OK.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Here we go.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41After a few minutes, he begins to calm down and get used to me,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43so I can get a better look.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49The main part of its diet is other snakes -
0:03:49 > 0:03:53things like the bush master, the fer de lance.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56All of them could potentially be prey to this wonderful snake.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59And the way it catches them and kills them
0:03:59 > 0:04:01is not through constriction, it's not through venom.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It's through an incredibly powerful bite.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06The jaw muscles are said to be
0:04:06 > 0:04:09one of the strongest of any snake on Earth,
0:04:09 > 0:04:12and once it's got a hold of its snake prey,
0:04:12 > 0:04:17it'll thrash around, smashing it on nearby tree trunks and roots
0:04:17 > 0:04:19until it simply knocks it senseless.
0:04:21 > 0:04:23What an unbelievable animal.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25It's well over two metres in length
0:04:25 > 0:04:28and as thick around as my wrist.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32This is prime hunting time for this titanic snake,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34so we let him go.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41That, right there, is why I love the rainforest.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51The forest gets even deadlier after dark.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56This is when a whole new set of creepy critters come out to hunt.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00These forests are home to many giants.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03One in particular is the very largest of its kind
0:05:03 > 0:05:07and for many people, it would be their worst nightmare.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13And we might have just found the home of our horrifying hunter.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17There's a burrow just down underneath this tree root
0:05:17 > 0:05:20and I think I can see her just inside it.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25If I'm right, the owner of this burrow is a cunning ambush hunter.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29The vibrations made by rubbing my twig at the entrance
0:05:29 > 0:05:32are similar to those made by an insect walking past
0:05:32 > 0:05:36and, with luck, the predator inside will pounce.
0:05:39 > 0:05:40Whoa!
0:05:42 > 0:05:49That...would be one very dead cricket or cockroach.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52It's a Goliath bird-eating spider,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55the largest spider in the world.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00It's coming up my lure. Look at this. This is amazing.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06Oh, my goodness. I have never seen fangs that size before.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Her method of retreat is to go back into her burrow
0:06:11 > 0:06:16so if I simply blank that off with my machete,
0:06:16 > 0:06:20she'll have to stay out in the open for now at least.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Just got in there in time.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34I'm a little bit scared about handling this one.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Her fangs are absolutely vast.
0:06:48 > 0:06:49Ooh.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54Come on, man up, Backshall.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58No.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08There she is.
0:07:09 > 0:07:14The Goliath bird-eating spider - what an absolute beauty.
0:07:16 > 0:07:22Arachnophobia is the most common fear on Earth, the fear of spiders.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26For me, that is utterly unjustified,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29and this animal sums up why.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33It is an absolute miracle of nature.
0:07:33 > 0:07:38This big, carefully moving docile spider,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42everything I've done, she hasn't tried to bite me even once.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Early explorers to this part of the world
0:07:45 > 0:07:48told of giant spiders the size of dinner plates
0:07:48 > 0:07:52that catch, kill and eat birds.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56That gave rise to the legend of the bird-eating spider.
0:07:58 > 0:08:02Now, these animals are certainly capable of killing birds
0:08:02 > 0:08:04and on occasion it has happened
0:08:04 > 0:08:07but it's not a major part of their diet.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Most of what they feed on are lizards, frogs,
0:08:10 > 0:08:12things like crickets and cockroaches.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16They've even been seen feeding on some of the most venomous snakes
0:08:16 > 0:08:18found in this part of the world.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21And the way they do it is with their fangs.
0:08:21 > 0:08:26To show you those fangs, I need to gently get a better hold of her.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Look at those. Those fangs are as long,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35sharp and curved as a cat's claw
0:08:35 > 0:08:37and though the venom might not be that toxic,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39certainly to us as human beings,
0:08:39 > 0:08:44simply the force of that bite would be extraordinarily painful.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48The Goliath bird-eating spider,
0:08:48 > 0:08:51the largest and heaviest spider found on Earth,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53with THE longest fangs.
0:08:53 > 0:08:54They're of no danger to human beings,
0:08:54 > 0:08:57but to pretty much anything else that wanders around
0:08:57 > 0:08:59on the forest floor,
0:08:59 > 0:09:03they are an eight-legged nightmare and for that reason they're deadly.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Two-centimetre-long fangs.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Reaching the size of a dinner plate.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15Powerful enough to catch and eat birds.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20The Goliath bird-eating spider is an unparalleled arachnid.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Deadly.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28For my next encounter, we had to be up at four in the morning.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32Me and my bleary eyed crew have left the jungle behind
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and we're exploring a new habitat.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38Guyana's savannah grasslands.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Feels very weird to be in Guyana,
0:09:42 > 0:09:45which is a country where I'm so used to being
0:09:45 > 0:09:48in the dark-green cavern of the rainforest,
0:09:48 > 0:09:50and be out here in open grasslands,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53I mean, it's almost more like what you'd expect to see in Africa.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56You're kind of expecting to see a herd of elephants
0:09:56 > 0:09:58wandering across in the distance.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01But we're on the search for a totally different kind of giant.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Our super-sized savannah specialist hunts at night.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Soon after the sun's up, they'll look for somewhere to hide away
0:10:08 > 0:10:11and sleep during the day.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13We've not got much time, so we're spreading out
0:10:13 > 0:10:15to cover as much ground as possible.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Even the local cattle-herders are helping out.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22It's great. We've just had a guy come thundering up to us
0:10:22 > 0:10:24on horseback and say, "There's one over there!
0:10:24 > 0:10:27"There's one over there, off in the distance."
0:10:27 > 0:10:29And he's leading us off.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33We've got a cowboy taking us to find our very own crazy critter.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43This is where the herder says he saw it.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Let's hope it hasn't gone far.
0:10:50 > 0:10:55Sure enough, one of the crew spots a dark shape in the distance.
0:10:55 > 0:10:58We'll just go in...nice and quiet.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06It's hiding in this thicket.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12LOW GROWLING
0:11:19 > 0:11:22I have never heard that before.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24That sounds more like the growl
0:11:24 > 0:11:27you'd expect to hear from a big cat.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31You kind of need to take that threat pretty seriously.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34We're clearly not welcome,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37so we're backing off and leaving this animal in peace.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40But this is a great opportunity to show you
0:11:40 > 0:11:43why this animal really is deadly.
0:11:44 > 0:11:48The owner of these terrifying growls isn't a big cat.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52It's another lethal leviathan - the giant anteater.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55It may not be deadly to me,
0:11:55 > 0:11:58but out here on the savannah, the giant anteater
0:11:58 > 0:12:00is Armageddon for ants and termites.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03To get to this nutritious prize,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06first they have to break into the centre of the termite mound...
0:12:07 > 0:12:10..which is a bit like trying to break into a bank.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14And to show you quite how hard it is to get into one,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I've got a hatchet.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20This looks destructive, but the termites
0:12:20 > 0:12:22will rebuild it in no time at all.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Made from mud mixed with the termites' spit,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30these structures set as hard as cement.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33But for an invading anteater, it's no problem.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Powerful front legs and huge claws
0:12:35 > 0:12:39rip, tear and smash their way into these rock-like structures.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42The force required is incredible,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44even with an axe.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48We've been hammering away for ten minutes
0:12:48 > 0:12:51and still haven't got to the termites inside.
0:12:53 > 0:12:54Do you know what?
0:12:54 > 0:12:56It's not occupied.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Er, shall we pick another one, chaps?
0:13:07 > 0:13:12So, there you go. Finally, I've got in to termites
0:13:12 > 0:13:16and I've done that with a steel hatchet.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18All these termites are packed with protein.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21In fact, they have a higher percentage of protein
0:13:21 > 0:13:22in their tissues than beef does.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25So they're a great food source and they're here in their millions.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27But the amount of effort that you have to go to
0:13:27 > 0:13:30to get in there is extraordinary.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Once the anteater's opened up the mound using its claws,
0:13:33 > 0:13:36it then uses one of the most remarkable tongues
0:13:36 > 0:13:38found in the whole natural world.
0:13:38 > 0:13:42A long, sticky thread which will go right inside,
0:13:42 > 0:13:45lapping up these termites by the thousand.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53So far, we've only glimpsed this giant.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56To see their deadly side, we're heading back out in the afternoon.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00With luck, we might find a more willing anteater.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03This time of day is when they emerge from daytime hideaways
0:14:03 > 0:14:05to head out hunting for the night.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10We've spotted an anteater, maybe a kilometre or so away.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13We're moving in to try and see what it's up to.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25(We've got one. There's a giant anteater.)
0:14:25 > 0:14:28(It's not moving that fast.)
0:14:28 > 0:14:30(We need to keep low, keep our profile low.)
0:14:30 > 0:14:33(And, um... And very, very quiet.)
0:14:38 > 0:14:43Anteaters have a good sense of hearing,
0:14:43 > 0:14:46and an exceptional sense of smell
0:14:46 > 0:14:49and, unfortunately, the light wind is carrying...
0:14:53 > 0:14:57..our sounds and our scent towards the animal.
0:14:57 > 0:15:02They do, though, have a very poor sense of sight
0:15:02 > 0:15:06so, as long as we approach while he's got his head down,
0:15:06 > 0:15:07I think we'll be OK.
0:15:10 > 0:15:13'We've managed to sneak to within 20 metres of him.'
0:15:15 > 0:15:20This is one of the most peculiar sights in the whole natural world.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26It's an animal that's kind of been stretched at one end,
0:15:26 > 0:15:29almost like it's trapped its nose in a door
0:15:29 > 0:15:31and just kept pulling backwards
0:15:31 > 0:15:36until it's developed this great, big, long, tunnel-tube-shaped nose.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40At the moment, he is in search of a meal.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43The nose is down, close to the ground.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46He's smelling for the presence of ants and termites.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54I think that pause there was because he heard my voice.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59The hair is unbelievably coarse
0:15:59 > 0:16:02and it protects the body from the bites and stings of its food.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06And that big, flag-like tail -
0:16:06 > 0:16:08that also has a use as well,
0:16:08 > 0:16:10because it tends to live out here in the savannah,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12where it's very exposed and very hot.
0:16:12 > 0:16:15There's not necessarily any shade during the day.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18They'll use that like an umbrella, like a parasol,
0:16:18 > 0:16:20to cover themselves up.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25They are exceptional at the job they do,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28of feeding on those nasty, biting insects.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30'It's getting too dark to film.
0:16:30 > 0:16:35'So we'll have to leave this giant to continue his night-time hunting.'
0:16:35 > 0:16:38The giant anteater, a true animal oddity,
0:16:38 > 0:16:43hoovering down tens of thousands of biting insects every single night.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45Bizarre and deadly.
0:16:48 > 0:16:49Strong, curved claws.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53A 50-centimetre tongue.
0:16:54 > 0:16:59Capable of munching 30,000 termites in a day.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01The giant anteater may look weird...
0:17:02 > 0:17:04But it's perfectly...
0:17:04 > 0:17:05deadly.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11So far, we've found a host of Guyana's gargantuan beasts.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15But there's one I'm still desperate to see.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17It's the largest eagle on the continent
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and, to my mind, the most majestic bird on earth,
0:17:20 > 0:17:21the harpy eagle.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27This formidable feathered predator has a wingspan over two metres
0:17:27 > 0:17:29and talons longer than a grizzly bear's claws.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33Known as flying wolves,
0:17:33 > 0:17:35they snatch monkeys and sloths from branches
0:17:35 > 0:17:37high up in the canopy
0:17:37 > 0:17:40and are rarely seen on the forest floor.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42They are the ghosts of the rainforest.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48It is an extraordinarily challenging animal to find and film.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Some people will spend their entire lives in these jungles
0:17:51 > 0:17:52and never catch sight of them.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56This is going to be one of our greatest ever Deadly challenges.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01'We need all the help we can get,
0:18:01 > 0:18:03'so we've teamed up with local trackers.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07'They're leading us to a tree where harpy eagles have been nesting.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08'If we're not too late,
0:18:08 > 0:18:10'and the adult harpies are still raising a chick,
0:18:10 > 0:18:14'then it will be by far our best chance of seeing one.'
0:18:14 > 0:18:19Ahead of us is a truly monster rainforest giant.
0:18:21 > 0:18:23A vast tree...
0:18:23 > 0:18:26that's possibly 40 metres tall.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31And way up in the top of that is the nest of our harpy eagle.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34The only way we'll be able to film this
0:18:34 > 0:18:36is by getting up above the canopy ourselves.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40So we're going to have to climb one of these trees -
0:18:40 > 0:18:42not sure which one yet -
0:18:42 > 0:18:48and try and find one that offers us a view down into the nest.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50This is going to be the really tricky part.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54'To get up into the harpy eagle's world,
0:18:54 > 0:18:56'we need some serious climbing kit.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01'But, as we unpack, I spot a lethal stowaway.'
0:19:03 > 0:19:05I was just going back through some of our climbing kit
0:19:05 > 0:19:07and found something scary.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Move really, really slowly now
0:19:11 > 0:19:16because this is one of the very few animals in this forest
0:19:16 > 0:19:19that really can do you a lot of damage.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21They're very fast and scuttley.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37I spend a good deal of my life
0:19:37 > 0:19:41trying to convince people that they shouldn't be scared of spiders.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Well, this is one of the exceptions to the rule.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46It's a wandering spider,
0:19:46 > 0:19:50and it could well be the most venomous spider on the planet.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54Most big spiders that you find in this part of the world
0:19:54 > 0:19:57are slow-moving, they're not aggressive
0:19:57 > 0:19:59and their venom is really weak.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02The wandering spider is exactly the opposite.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05It's fast and scuttley, it can be VERY aggressive.
0:20:05 > 0:20:08A bite from this could easily be fatal to me,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10which is why I'm not letting it on my hands
0:20:10 > 0:20:13but instead I'm handling it on this piece of bark.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16They get their name from their habit of always being out and about,
0:20:16 > 0:20:18wandering in search of prey.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21They're very active in the way they go and find
0:20:21 > 0:20:23things like cockroaches and crickets
0:20:23 > 0:20:26and that can quite often bring them into contact with human beings.
0:20:26 > 0:20:28If I'd put my clothes on or some boots on
0:20:28 > 0:20:31with this spider inside of it, I could well have got bitten,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34and that, out here, far from help,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36would be a very, very bad thing indeed.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42'With living nightmares like this down on the forest floor,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45'I'm looking forward to getting up in the canopy.'
0:20:45 > 0:20:46And to do that...
0:20:48 > 0:20:50..you need the world's best catapult.
0:20:51 > 0:20:56'I need to fire this thin line over a strong branch...'
0:20:56 > 0:20:57Pretty good!
0:20:58 > 0:21:02'..and then attach the climbing ropes and haul them up.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12'I've selected the only suitable tree with a view of the nest,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14'but it's much closer than we planned,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16'just 15 metres away from the nest tree.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22'I need to have my wits about me.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25'Adult harpy eagles will defend their nests from intruders.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28'A few years ago, this BBC wildlife team
0:21:28 > 0:21:30'was chased off by a protective parent.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40'We should be far enough away not to disturb the birds
0:21:40 > 0:21:43'but I still need eyes in the back of my head.
0:21:45 > 0:21:49'35 metres up, I finally get my first look into the nest.
0:21:49 > 0:21:50'But it's empty.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53'The chick has already fledged and flown away.
0:21:54 > 0:21:57'But there is still a chance.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59'Harpy eagle chicks rely on their parents
0:21:59 > 0:22:03'to hunt and bring food back to the nest for well over a year,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06'but it can be many days between visits.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09'I'll have to dig in for a long stakeout.'
0:22:11 > 0:22:13If the chick does come back,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16it's going to be within a stone's throw of me,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18we should have a fantastic shot from here.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20It's a really beautiful vista.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23There's a small hill off in the distance over there,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25covered in forest
0:22:25 > 0:22:28and most of the canopy is below me now.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32It is an incredible experience to be up here in the harpy eagle's world.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35But it's going to be a very uncomfortable place
0:22:35 > 0:22:36to spend a few days.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39'All I have is a tiny plank to sit on,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42'with nothing but thin air to the forest floor.
0:22:42 > 0:22:43'It's a precarious perch...
0:22:44 > 0:22:46'..cramped and sweltering hot.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54'After six hours, there's no sign of the harpy eagle
0:22:54 > 0:22:58'and I'm beginning to think that this is a massive long shot.'
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Oh, I so hope this happens.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05'But, for today at least, it looks like we've run out of luck.'
0:23:09 > 0:23:12The sun's just about to drop below the hills in the distance,
0:23:12 > 0:23:14and it's going to start getting dark
0:23:14 > 0:23:18and, tempting as it is to return back to the forest floor,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22I think our best chance of seeing a harpy eagle
0:23:22 > 0:23:25is to actually make camp up here tonight.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29I'm going to try and sleep in a special tent,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31suspended from a branch,
0:23:31 > 0:23:34just in case the harpy eagle returns.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38So it's going to be incredibly uncomfortable
0:23:38 > 0:23:40cos you have to sleep in your harness.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Obviously you could easily roll out the side of the tent,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47so I don't think there's going to be a tremendous amount of sleep here.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49Lots and lots of bugs
0:23:49 > 0:23:52and it's a bit rainy outside as well.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54Not ideal.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02The most uncomfortable night imaginable
0:24:02 > 0:24:04and it didn't come to anything.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06But, at first light, we're back in position.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11It's 7:30 in the morning, we've been up for three and a half hours
0:24:11 > 0:24:13and still no sign of a harpy eagle.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16But I do have a trick up my sleeve.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21This little machine here has on it a harpy eagle call.
0:24:21 > 0:24:23So I'm going to play it
0:24:23 > 0:24:27and, hopefully, we'll get some kind of reaction from the bird.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29EAGLE CALL PLAYS
0:24:29 > 0:24:30'The harpy eagle's piercing call
0:24:30 > 0:24:33'will travel right out across the canopy.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36'If the chick or adult are in earshot,
0:24:36 > 0:24:38'they may come in to investigate.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:41EAGLE CALL CONTINUES
0:24:44 > 0:24:46'Suddenly, there's movement in the nest tree
0:24:46 > 0:24:48'and it's something big.'
0:24:49 > 0:24:51He's there, I see him.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54I can see the chick.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58It's pretty close but a bit higher up than me,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01really difficult to get a shot.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05It is a stunning, stunning bird.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10It's somewhat lighter than the adults,
0:25:10 > 0:25:14has this incredible shock of white feathers over the top of the head.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20I'm pretty sure it knows I'm here.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22It's continually moving the head around
0:25:22 > 0:25:25from side to side and up and down.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29We human beings have one focal point in the back our eyes,
0:25:29 > 0:25:31but eagles have two,
0:25:31 > 0:25:34so they're continually moving the eyes around
0:25:34 > 0:25:37to engage first one focal point and then the other.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40It gives them greatly improved depth perception.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43'They use this to target and home in on their prey
0:25:43 > 0:25:46'while dodging between trees.'
0:25:46 > 0:25:50It's an enormous bird but this is still a juvenile.
0:25:50 > 0:25:55It's only just started learning to fly within the last week or so.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57It's got a lot of growing left to do.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04The biggest harpy eagle ever measured was nine kilos in weight -
0:26:04 > 0:26:07that's almost as much as a sack of potatoes.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Imagine something that big, that heavy, on the wing
0:26:10 > 0:26:13and you can get a sense of how powerful this bird is.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20What a beautiful bird.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23And sitting here, right up in his world -
0:26:23 > 0:26:27a place where very, very few people ever get to go -
0:26:27 > 0:26:28what an experience!
0:26:33 > 0:26:35He just ruffled or roused his feathers,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38and had a poo, went to the toilet, lightened the load -
0:26:38 > 0:26:41that's a sign that he could be about to fly.
0:26:53 > 0:26:56Well, he's off now and I don't know if or when he'll be back.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00I've sat up in this tree top for two days,
0:27:00 > 0:27:04and it's been thoroughly uncomfortable, eaten alive by bugs,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07but worth every single second.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11But that was the encounter of a lifetime -
0:27:11 > 0:27:13harpy eagles.
0:27:13 > 0:27:15Deadly.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Probably the most powerful bird of prey in the world.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Talons longer than a grizzly bear's claws.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Capable of catching and carrying off monkeys and sloths.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30The harpy eagle -
0:27:30 > 0:27:32true ghosts of the rainforest.
0:27:32 > 0:27:33Deadly.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38'Join me next time as I continue my journey
0:27:38 > 0:27:40'on Deadly Pole to Pole.'
0:27:41 > 0:27:42I can see him.
0:27:42 > 0:27:44ANTEATER GROWLS
0:27:44 > 0:27:46I have never heard that before.