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 > 0:00:17Deadly 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 > 0:00:27HE SCREAMS
0:00:31 > 0:00:35The long road south to Antarctica has brought us to northern Peru,
0:00:35 > 0:00:37an area known as the Chaparri.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40It's a dry forest with loads of cactus
0:00:40 > 0:00:42and surrounded by mighty mountains.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48These mountains form part of the longest mountain
0:00:48 > 0:00:50range on the planet, the Andes.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53They run down through Peru and beyond.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59We're in the north of Peru,
0:00:59 > 0:01:026675 miles into my journey.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09We witnessed the spine tingling ambush of a night-time killer...
0:01:09 > 0:01:13Ohhh! My goodness.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15That could give you nightmares.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19..and stake out the biggest bird of prey on earth.
0:01:21 > 0:01:23This is really going to kick off!
0:01:26 > 0:01:28But first, we hit the trails
0:01:28 > 0:01:30to look for some impressive ambush attackers.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38This dry wilderness is a perfect place for deadly serpents
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and the one I am searching for is a special snake that only
0:01:41 > 0:01:43lives in this small part of the world
0:01:43 > 0:01:45the Barnett's Lancehead.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52The Barnett's Lancehead is a pit viper, a snake that can sense its
0:01:52 > 0:01:55prey using heat sensitive pits on the side of its face.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00These snakes have a venom which stops prey dead,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02then it can be swallowed whole.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Pit vipers usually hide out under rocks, logs or other debris waiting
0:02:09 > 0:02:12to ambush passing prey so that's where I am going to go looking.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Abandoned, deserted outbuildings like this and all the building
0:02:19 > 0:02:23materials around them are a really good place to look for snakes.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Particularly this sort of stuff.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29And it also seems to be a great place
0:02:29 > 0:02:31to find other venomous critters.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Oh! I've got a big scorpion.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Yes. Up he comes!
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Wow!
0:02:41 > 0:02:46That...is one of the most beautiful scorpions I've ever seen.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49So there are two species found in this area.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52One of them is very small and has spots and then this one,
0:02:52 > 0:02:56the Gold, which is much, much larger and much more impressive.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00I am going to handle it quite carefully because it's got a thick
0:03:00 > 0:03:03enough tail that I know it would hurt if I got stung.
0:03:05 > 0:03:09The Peruvian Gold scorpion only occurs in this part of the world.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12It can't be found anywhere else and it's quite unusual
0:03:12 > 0:03:16really in having both sets of weapons being quite well-developed.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19So usually with scorpions you have either the pincers being fat
0:03:19 > 0:03:22and heavy, meaning they are good at mashing up their prey or
0:03:22 > 0:03:25they have a thick, fat tail packed with venom which means
0:03:25 > 0:03:28that's their primary weapon. This has both.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32It means it is adapted for killing all different kinds of prey.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35That could be other scorpions, it could be insects,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37cockroaches, crickets
0:03:37 > 0:03:39and most of its hunting is going to be done at night but you can
0:03:39 > 0:03:44see in the daytime, it is a gorgeous, glorious golden colour.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47I think it's absolutely beautiful.
0:03:55 > 0:03:59'Beautiful, but not the venomous striker I am looking for.
0:03:59 > 0:04:00'So, on with the search.'
0:04:03 > 0:04:07This is really frustrating. I know there must be snakes here.
0:04:11 > 0:04:12'We're beginning to give up hope,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15'but then we hear that one has been found close to base.'
0:04:18 > 0:04:21So everyone in the local area knows that we are on
0:04:21 > 0:04:25the lookout for a particular snake and one has been found.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29And it's been found very, very close to where we've been sleeping.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Hola. Hola! Es aqui?
0:04:32 > 0:04:35- Yes.- Si. Gracias!
0:04:35 > 0:04:40OK, so it's in here. They've found it and kept it for us.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41Let's have a look.
0:04:48 > 0:04:49Oh! That's a beauty!
0:04:58 > 0:05:00So this...
0:05:00 > 0:05:02is the Barnett's Lancehead.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Or cascabel as it's known in the local region.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11It is a pit viper that only occurs in Peru.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Oi-ya-ya!
0:05:14 > 0:05:17I am paying this snake a lot of respect.
0:05:17 > 0:05:22They have a reputation for being fiery, feisty
0:05:22 > 0:05:24and quick to strike.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30The Barnett's Lancehead is the most dangerous snake to human beings
0:05:30 > 0:05:34in this part of the world and it doesn't bear human beings
0:05:34 > 0:05:37any malice. It's just down to the fact that they are drawn into
0:05:37 > 0:05:40buildings where human beings live because they are looking for rats
0:05:40 > 0:05:41which are their main food.
0:05:41 > 0:05:45Like all pit vipers, they have a special organ in the face able to
0:05:45 > 0:05:49pick up even the tiniest amounts of warmth and when it does,
0:05:49 > 0:05:52it lunges out in a strike towards it.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54It's very, very quick, very, very fast
0:05:54 > 0:05:58and it may react to any warm-blooded stimulus in the same
0:05:58 > 0:06:00way that it would to potential prey
0:06:00 > 0:06:04and that could be a person that is walking nearby.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08So, every once in a while, someone gets bitten and trust me,
0:06:08 > 0:06:11I really don't want that to happen to me today because the venom
0:06:11 > 0:06:13is really unpleasant.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16It has elements in it that actually rot flesh.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Such a stunning snake
0:06:18 > 0:06:22and able to take down small mammals in a matter of minutes.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26The Barnett's Lancehead, a pit viper that only occurs here in Peru.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30Fast striking, fast-acting venom. Deadly.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34With their incredible camouflage...
0:06:35 > 0:06:37..toxic venom...
0:06:39 > 0:06:42..and ability to pinpoint warm-blooded prey...
0:06:42 > 0:06:46the Barnett's Lancehead is a true Andean ambush attacker.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54These mountains are home to the biggest
0:06:54 > 0:06:58bird of prey on the planet, the Andean Condor.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01And that is the creature I'd like to find next.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Condors are simply breathtaking birds of prey.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10They're giant-sized, with a wingspan of three metres.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15These birds are scavengers so don't usually do their own hunting
0:07:15 > 0:07:17but this doesn't mean they are weak.
0:07:19 > 0:07:24They have a beak that can rip apart even the toughest of carcasses.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26THEY SQUAWK
0:07:26 > 0:07:28They also have incredible eyesight which means
0:07:28 > 0:07:30they can spot potential meals from afar.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37The only way to coax condors down from the mountains is with
0:07:37 > 0:07:39the promise of free food which we have got.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43We have a carcass over there which is reasonably fresh,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45enough that I can smell it, anyway.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50Our plan is to set up a few remove cameras around the carcass
0:07:50 > 0:07:54to capture any scavengers that might wander by through the night.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00And then come back tomorrow morning to wait in this well disguised hide
0:08:00 > 0:08:03and see if any condors are attracted in.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Early the next day, we climb into position before dawn
0:08:19 > 0:08:23and wait for the scavenging birds to be tempted down.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40The sun's now come up and has fallen over the carcass.
0:08:42 > 0:08:45There are a couple of turkey vultures that are showing
0:08:45 > 0:08:48some interest in the carcass.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52These are usually the first birds to turn up.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55They have an extraordinary sense of smell, which is
0:08:55 > 0:08:57very unusual for birds.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00So the birds that are up in the sky will be able to smell
0:09:00 > 0:09:02the food down below.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06As the hours pass, more vultures are drawn close,
0:09:06 > 0:09:09but not, as yet, the massive beasts we're hoping for.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17And it's not just us who are getting frustrated by this.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22The first animals to turn up at a carcass don't have the strength
0:09:22 > 0:09:26in their beak to get through the tough hide to open it up.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29They're going to have to wait for the arrival of the bigger birds.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33King vulture, Andean condor.
0:09:39 > 0:09:44Time ticks on and still no sign of our giant bird of prey.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48We're beginning to give up hope.
0:09:48 > 0:09:50I decide to check out what's on the camera traps
0:09:50 > 0:09:53we placed around the carcass overnight to see
0:09:53 > 0:09:56if anything interested strayed close after we left.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01OK, this is still in the day. Yeah.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04An elegant view of my bottom there.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11As night falls, the animals start appearing.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16There's a fox sniffing around. They're quite common round here.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20It's standing no more than ten metres away from the camera trap.
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Very, very close. And then we see something completely unexpected.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Oh, wow! It's a mountain lion.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32The main predator that stalks these mountains
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and it's come in to have a look at our carcass.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39That's incredible!
0:10:39 > 0:10:44Mountain lions, also known as pumas, are very shy elusive animals,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47so it's really special to have captured one on camera.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49That's fantastic!
0:10:49 > 0:10:54Let's hope this is a sign of big things because we're hoping to see a
0:10:54 > 0:10:59bird whose wingspan is maybe double the length of this fabulous big cat.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04And if it can attract the attention of a puma, maybe, just maybe,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07it can attract in an Andean condor.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15After several hours of waiting, many birds have come down,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18but not the giant that we're hoping for.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23I would guess there's maybe 15 birds, but half of them
0:11:23 > 0:11:28are turkey vultures and the other half are black vultures.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31But certainly no sign of condor.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35But there is another stunning scavenger on its way.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38That's a king vulture. That is a king vulture.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47Now, king vulture isn't the bird that we've come here to see,
0:11:47 > 0:11:49but they are utterly spectacular.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Probably the most colourful vulture in the world.
0:11:52 > 0:11:58These king vultures are giant birds with comical clown-like faces,
0:11:58 > 0:12:02but like the condor, they have a large beak that can rip right
0:12:02 > 0:12:07into the carcass, allowing the other smaller vultures to get stuck in.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10But not for long.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Oh, no!
0:12:16 > 0:12:18I'm not sure what just happened,
0:12:18 > 0:12:22but all of the birds have just flown, every one of them.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24Something spooked them.
0:12:24 > 0:12:26And it wasn't us.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30It'll take hours now before these birds will come back here
0:12:30 > 0:12:33and I'm guessing that means the condors too.
0:12:33 > 0:12:37So I think our time in the hide is done.
0:12:37 > 0:12:41With the birds gone, we decide to head back to base and leave
0:12:41 > 0:12:46the cameras running, in case a condor turns up after we've left.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49As the hours pass, the remote cameras capture the birds returning.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54And then finally, an Andean condor appears
0:12:54 > 0:12:57and takes pride of place on top of the carcass.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59This bird is only a juvenile,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02but it still dwarfs all the other vultures around it.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08And its powerful beak easily tears into the meat.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12It's a real success to have captured this condor feeding with
0:13:12 > 0:13:15the remote cameras, but now, I want to see one myself.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Condors are naturally incredibly wary birds.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28It's just about impossible to approach them close in the wild.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32Luckily, this aviary, which is part of the captive breeding project,
0:13:32 > 0:13:36is going to give me the perfect opportunity to see one nose to beak.
0:13:42 > 0:13:43Come on in.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Condor numbers have decreased dramatically in Peru.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50There are now less than 500 left in the wild.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Captive breeding is a part of the solution.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56This bird is fed regularly by its keepers
0:13:56 > 0:13:58and is quite used to human beings.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01So I'm hoping...that she'll come over
0:14:01 > 0:14:04and we can get a closer look at her.
0:14:04 > 0:14:11Fairly soon, hunger and curiosity will overcome her natural care.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21Ah, here we go. Building up a bit more confidence now.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25She can see that I don't mean her any harm.
0:14:25 > 0:14:31The beak that right now is being used as a precision tool is
0:14:31 > 0:14:35actually as tough as a pair of bolt cutters.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Now, we're really getting confident.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Even thinking about taking it from my fingers.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48I don't really want that to happen because a beak that can get
0:14:48 > 0:14:54through hide and bone could make a right mess of my fingers.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57No, no. Look, I've not got anything.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Oh, dear!
0:15:01 > 0:15:07All of a sudden, the fear has turned a little bit too much confidence.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09Despite the fact that it's a scavenger,
0:15:09 > 0:15:14it has all the tools of a big eagle.
0:15:14 > 0:15:20It certainly has the ability to hunt, even if it doesn't use it.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23And right now, it's showing its cheeky side.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Hey! Give us a bit of space. You're freaking me out.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Seriously.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Aye, aye, ah!
0:15:36 > 0:15:40So this is actually exactly what I would
0:15:40 > 0:15:43expect from the personality of a condor.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48To begin with, it has to be really, really cautious because there could
0:15:48 > 0:15:53be another predator around and now she's decided it's safe,
0:15:53 > 0:15:54it's dinner time.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58And she's not going to stop until all the food is gone.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03A total change in character. Absolutely incredible.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06And slightly unnerving.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09She is very, very big.
0:16:12 > 0:16:13So...
0:16:13 > 0:16:17they're beautiful, they're the biggest bird of prey on Earth
0:16:17 > 0:16:19and they're deadly.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23With their giant wingspan, over three metres across,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27strong beak for tearing apart carcasses,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31and able to spot food from high in the sky,
0:16:31 > 0:16:35Andean condors are mighty scavengers of the Peruvian Andes.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45It's not just during the day that predators can be found
0:16:45 > 0:16:48up in these mountains.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53Out here, some of the most gruesome predators come out after dark.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59One of the great things about staying out in the wilds like this
0:16:59 > 0:17:02is that eventually, the wildlife starts to invade,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05it actually starts coming in to your house.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10So, this is where we're staying and there are bugs everywhere.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Oh, look at that!
0:17:15 > 0:17:19But I'm looking for a specific ambush killer whose strike
0:17:19 > 0:17:21means fear to many people.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23The tarantula.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29And there are absolutely dozens of them.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Normally, I would try and take this into my hand.
0:17:38 > 0:17:43But right now, as you can see, they're hunting.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47So if I put my fingers anywhere near that one, I'd get bitten.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50And though the venom's not very strong, the fangs
0:17:50 > 0:17:55themselves are long, curved and it would be a very, very painful bite.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58So instead of trying to catch one, I've got a much better idea.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08The underside of all of these steps has small holes in them
0:18:08 > 0:18:13at almost every single one is occupied by a female tarantula.
0:18:13 > 0:18:18What I'm going to try and do is set up night vision cameras
0:18:18 > 0:18:21watching the spiders and leave them in place, running.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Hopefully, something is going to wander nearby
0:18:24 > 0:18:28and we'll get a chance to see one of these spiders hunting.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30That would be extraordinary.
0:18:32 > 0:18:33OK.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36So there she is, looking beautiful.
0:18:45 > 0:18:47We'll collect the cameras later
0:18:47 > 0:18:50and play back the footage to see what's happened.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01This tarantula is sat right in the mouth of her burrow and you'll
0:19:01 > 0:19:05just see there is some silk at the outside of that burrow, there.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09They don't make webs, as such, apart from when they're mating,
0:19:09 > 0:19:13but they will use silk to extend the area around the burrow where
0:19:13 > 0:19:16they can feel vibrations from prey coming in close.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21We just need to wait for something
0:19:21 > 0:19:24to come in close enough to be noticed.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27What's that in the corner of shot?
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Oh, my goodness!
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Absolutely nailed!
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Oh, that could give you nightmares!
0:19:40 > 0:19:43She grabs it, almost using that front pair of legs as
0:19:43 > 0:19:46if they were hands, kind of gathering the food up
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and bringing it back towards the fangs.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54And there's just a little glistening drop of venom as she turns
0:19:54 > 0:19:57her back and goes into the burrow.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02That is horrid!
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Right, this is camera two. It's a slightly smaller tarantula.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11There's a little shadow there. What's that?
0:20:11 > 0:20:13She can sense it.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16Just moving... Yes!
0:20:16 > 0:20:22So what she's doing now is pumping venom into the prey, which will
0:20:22 > 0:20:26paralyse it, and then just covering it with digestive enzymes,
0:20:26 > 0:20:31a kind of goo that turns it into a sort of liquid meat soup,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33which she'll then suck down.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38Oh! We've got a cricket.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41A cricket with big long antenna coming in.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Argh!
0:20:45 > 0:20:48One bite and it's all over.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51I can understand, looking at these, why
0:20:51 > 0:20:54so many people are so frightened of these spiders.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58They're big, they're hairy, they're frightening looking,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01they are absolutely no danger to human beings,
0:21:01 > 0:21:06but looking at that, it's like a horror movie.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09But we can go one better.
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Because we're going in search of an insect that actually
0:21:19 > 0:21:21hunts down these tarantulas.
0:21:23 > 0:21:27It's a wasp that turns these tarantula predators into their prey.
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Oh, good lord!
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Quick, quick, quick!
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Just look down there. It might be hunting.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45In front of us at the base of this tree is the biggest wasp
0:21:45 > 0:21:49in the world. It's called a pepsis wasp.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52Otherwise known as the tarantula hawk.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57This is, I reckon, the biggest one I have ever seen.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00The reason I'm not dashing in and trying to catch it straightaway
0:22:00 > 0:22:05is that right now, this female wasp is on the search for a tarantula.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10These animals, as adults, don't feed on spiders.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Instead, what they do is they feed on nectar, but they go
0:22:13 > 0:22:17and they catch and they paralyse tarantulas to feed their young.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21And right now, that's what this wasp is trying to do.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25I think the best thing is just to sit back and watch and see
0:22:25 > 0:22:27if she has any success.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30She is enormous!
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Can you still see her?
0:22:36 > 0:22:38It's landed...
0:22:38 > 0:22:41right down there.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43I think I see her. Come back.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50OK. Eyes open, absolutely everyone.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56There's the tarantula. There, there, there!
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Oh, my goodness! I can't believe that this could
0:22:59 > 0:23:02actually possibly happen. They're both on the same tree.
0:23:09 > 0:23:14So, this little spider here is in enormous trouble.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18It's being chased by its absolute mortal enemy.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26And she is doing laps around the trunk, trying to find this spider.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29Where's she gone? Where's she gone?
0:23:33 > 0:23:35There she is, there she is, there she is!
0:23:35 > 0:23:38She's getting closer and closer to it!
0:23:38 > 0:23:40She is getting closer and closer to it!
0:23:40 > 0:23:43It's going to be smelling the presence of the spider here.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46That's why she's going round and round the tree, doing laps.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48She knows there's a spider here.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51She just hasn't quite managed to find out where.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54And if she does, all hell is going to break loose!
0:23:54 > 0:23:58This is one of the great mini confrontations in the whole
0:23:58 > 0:24:00natural world.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Back off, just a touch.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Just a touch.
0:24:10 > 0:24:14But despite the tense chase, she seems to have lost the scent
0:24:14 > 0:24:16and has flown off to hunt down another victim.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22This spider has had a very lucky escape.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26The tarantula hawk wasp didn't sense it and carried on flying.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29But I'm hoping this isn't the last tarantula hawk wasp we see
0:24:29 > 0:24:32because they're one of the deadliest creatures on the planet.
0:24:33 > 0:24:39Female pepsis wasps do battle with tarantulas to the death.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46They don't do this to feed themselves though,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49but to create a living host for their young.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57This wasp's aim is to lay an egg onto the spider.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00This egg will hatch out into a larvae that will eat
0:25:00 > 0:25:02the tarantula from the inside out...
0:25:05 > 0:25:09..while it's paralysed, but still alive.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15Before she can do this,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18the wasp has to inject the tarantula with a paralysing venom.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25Then, after stinging,
0:25:25 > 0:25:29she drags the tarantula into her lair where she'll lay her egg.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40We didn't have to wait long to find another one though.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42One's been spotted in a nearby tree.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Great, OK. You ready, Mike? Yeah?
0:25:48 > 0:25:51OK. So, we've got her.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Now, this is the tricky bit.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57Along with the bullet ant, the tarantula hawk wasp is said to have
0:25:57 > 0:26:04the most painful sting of any insect on Earth, so getting her out without
0:26:04 > 0:26:09getting stung and without damaging her is essential and really tricky.
0:26:11 > 0:26:12OK, I've got her.
0:26:14 > 0:26:16So, there she is, up close.
0:26:19 > 0:26:23She has massive, massive mandibles. I'll see if I can show those to you.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28But when she's battling with a tarantula,
0:26:28 > 0:26:32it's the stinger that does the dirty work.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35And that's here at the end of the abdomen.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38This is what delivers the venomous strike that completely
0:26:38 > 0:26:40paralyses tarantulas.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44This animal is a parasite and as such,
0:26:44 > 0:26:48is one of the most gruesome and grisly creatures on the planet,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51but you have to admire their incredible strength
0:26:51 > 0:26:54and the guts as well in taking on something as terrifying
0:26:54 > 0:26:58as a tarantula, that is in many cases much bigger than she is.
0:26:58 > 0:27:02And, of course, is armed with the famous tarantula fangs.
0:27:02 > 0:27:03The tarantula hawk wasp.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07The largest wasp in the world and with a sting powerful enough
0:27:07 > 0:27:11to paralyse a spider many times its own size.
0:27:11 > 0:27:15I think they're absolutely awesome. And without doubt, deadly.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19With their paralysing venom...
0:27:21 > 0:27:24..ability take down prey nearly twice their size...
0:27:25 > 0:27:29..able to turn tarantulas into a living snack,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32tarantula hawk wasps are stinging demons of the insect world.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40Join me next time, as I continue my journey on Deadly Pole To Pole.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44He could certainly do me some serious damage!
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Oh, whoa!