0:00:03 > 0:00:06My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09And this is Deadly Pole To Pole.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Ohhh!
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 > 0:00:18..deadly adventures...
0:00:18 > 0:00:21..and deadly animals.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24And you're coming with me, every step of the way!
0:00:24 > 0:00:27Arghhhh!
0:00:27 > 0:00:29Deadly.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32In this special edition of Deadly we're dealing with
0:00:32 > 0:00:35a group of animals that have dominated our planet
0:00:35 > 0:00:37for several hundred million years.
0:00:37 > 0:00:38Oceans.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39Mountains.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Deserts.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Even skies.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47These are the cold blooded killers.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51In particular I'm talking about reptiles -
0:00:51 > 0:00:55crocodiles, turtles, snakes and lizards.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59They are amongst the most successful predators on Earth.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Some roamed the planet before the dinosaurs.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04And that's down to their skills.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Bites,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10speed,
0:01:10 > 0:01:12supersenses
0:01:12 > 0:01:15and venom.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25But first - what does it mean to be cold blooded?
0:01:25 > 0:01:27This doesn't mean they always have cold blood.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30It just means that their blood can fluctuate between warm and
0:01:30 > 0:01:33cold depending on the outside temperature.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I'm in Florida to show you what I mean.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39So, we have one rattlesnake, rattling.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Now, these animals perceive the world in a whole different way to us
0:01:42 > 0:01:44human beings.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46It's very, very difficult to appreciate that with our own senses,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49but we do have a bit of technology to help us out.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51This is a thermal imaging camera
0:01:51 > 0:01:54and it sees the world in a whole different way to us.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55It sees heat.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59So as I'm standing here as a warm blooded mammal
0:01:59 > 0:02:01hopefully what Lizzie's seeing is my body,
0:02:01 > 0:02:03fairly orange, showing that it's hot,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06my eye sockets - which will probably be the hottest thing -
0:02:06 > 0:02:08will be almost white
0:02:08 > 0:02:09and us as mammals need to
0:02:09 > 0:02:13maintain that constant body temperature by eating food.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16'In fact as much as 75% of what we eat is used to
0:02:16 > 0:02:19'power our internal heating systems.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22'For cold-blooded reptiles though it's a very different story.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24'They don't generate their own heat,
0:02:24 > 0:02:27'instead they get it from their surroundings.'
0:02:29 > 0:02:32Now, it's been a cool night and
0:02:32 > 0:02:36the snake's body temperature will have dropped right down,
0:02:36 > 0:02:42so now hopefully you should be seeing a snake whose body
0:02:42 > 0:02:45appears to be blue or even black
0:02:45 > 0:02:48because its blood genuinely is cold right now.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Can you see that, yeah?
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Right now this snake might be pretty chilly,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57but that certainly isn't the whole story.
0:02:57 > 0:02:59What it's going to do, this time of day is
0:02:59 > 0:03:02try and find a nice warm place where it can lie out in the sun and bask
0:03:02 > 0:03:05and that will bring its blood temperature right up.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13And if I place our rattlesnake down here,
0:03:13 > 0:03:14onto the warm surface,
0:03:14 > 0:03:17hopefully it'll start to absorb some of that warmth.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22'This process takes about half an hour
0:03:22 > 0:03:25'so I'm going to speed it up so you can see what's happening.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31'You can see from the snake's change in colour that it's absorbing
0:03:31 > 0:03:33'the sun's heat and warming up.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39'The snake has gone from cold blooded to warm blooded.'
0:03:39 > 0:03:41That's cracking.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43It's such a contrast from where it was before
0:03:43 > 0:03:46and what's really interesting as well is that it's uniform,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49that change in temperature has happened throughout the whole snake.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53Reptiles still need to be warm to be active.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58So this ability to absorb heat is vital
0:03:58 > 0:04:00to them once it's time to find food.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Taking on their heat from their environment
0:04:06 > 0:04:09means they can be incredibly energy efficient.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12It means that in lean times when prey is scarce
0:04:12 > 0:04:15they can go without eating for very long periods of time.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Days, weeks, months, even years.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22The record amount of time that a snake has gone without eating,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26believe it or not, is over three years and at the end of that
0:04:26 > 0:04:28the snake was still in perfect
0:04:28 > 0:04:30condition and could carry on hunting.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33It means that these animals are unbelievably
0:04:33 > 0:04:36energy efficient and that, for a hunter,
0:04:36 > 0:04:39is one of the finest tools you could ever hope to have.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46When they're warm they can be seriously speedy.
0:04:50 > 0:04:55'From the lightning strikes of the world's snakes...
0:04:55 > 0:04:59'..to the snappy reactions of the caiman that bit me in Argentina.'
0:04:59 > 0:05:00Aaargh!
0:05:00 > 0:05:01Are you all right?
0:05:01 > 0:05:04'They can move at surprising speeds.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08'Once warmed up, cold blooded reptiles can even chase down
0:05:08 > 0:05:11'the permanently powered up mammals.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14'Meet the perentie from the Australian outback.'
0:05:15 > 0:05:17And its prey of choice,
0:05:17 > 0:05:18the rabbit.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Now most people would have trouble
0:05:20 > 0:05:24keeping up with the bounding bunny but not the two-metre long
0:05:24 > 0:05:26sprint champion perentie.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Once they've locked in, the chase is on.
0:05:34 > 0:05:39Speeding at over 20mph, the cold blooded perentie can
0:05:39 > 0:05:41outrun their warm-blooded prey.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44It's unusual, but they can sustain these chases
0:05:44 > 0:05:47for several hundred metres.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56And reptiles aren't just fast on their feet.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01This is the fastest tongue in the west.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06Well, not the west,
0:06:06 > 0:06:07but Madagascar.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17For a reptile lover, Madagascar is absolute paradise
0:06:17 > 0:06:19and for one lizard in particular -
0:06:19 > 0:06:21the chameleons.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23This is a male Parson's chameleon
0:06:23 > 0:06:28and it's pretty much as big as chameleons get.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31And this is a dwarf chameleon.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33It's the smallest chameleon on the planet,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35one of the smallest reptiles and
0:06:35 > 0:06:40way smaller than the insects that this bad boy would eat.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Many chameleons hunt in the tree tops.
0:06:43 > 0:06:48Their eyes swivel in all directions, looking for a juicy insect meal.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50They can see nearly 360 degrees,
0:06:50 > 0:06:54scanning for their prey whilst standing perfectly still.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57This incredible eyesight gives them a huge advantage.
0:06:57 > 0:06:59But the chameleon's most deadly skill
0:06:59 > 0:07:02is all down to how it catches its insect prey
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and one of the fastest tongues in the whole animal kingdom.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13This tongue is spring-loaded.
0:07:13 > 0:07:16Sometimes longer than the chameleon's body,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18and with a sticky tip that can envelop an insect.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22The speedy tongue accelerates even faster
0:07:22 > 0:07:24than a jet engine.
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Blink and you'll miss it.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29It's the turbo tongue of the cold blooded world.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35Aaargh.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Ohhhh!
0:07:52 > 0:07:54Messy eaters, aren't they?
0:07:57 > 0:08:00With the fastest tongue in the animal kingdom,
0:08:00 > 0:08:03accelerating faster than a jet engine,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05the chameleon.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Deadly...
0:08:09 > 0:08:11From the speed of the perentie to
0:08:11 > 0:08:14the lightning fast tongue of the chameleon,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17reptiles are full of surprises.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Surprise itself can be a weapon -
0:08:20 > 0:08:23ambush - allowing them to unleash killer bites.
0:08:25 > 0:08:30Our next cold-blooded killer uses a lazy lure to attract prey
0:08:30 > 0:08:33to come to it, before unleashing a snap-attack.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35We've come to an ecology centre where
0:08:35 > 0:08:39they educate people about the local environment and local wildlife
0:08:39 > 0:08:42and they've got one resident here who is a genuine superstar.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49In this pond is a really big alligator snapping turtle.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52And he's called Big Al for a reason. He's massive.
0:08:52 > 0:08:58So I'm going to take this quite easily.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09There he is.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15Now, the alligator snapping turtle is the largest
0:09:15 > 0:09:22species of freshwater turtle found on earth and this is a true monster.
0:09:22 > 0:09:28These animals are notorious for having an extraordinary bite.
0:09:28 > 0:09:29The mouth has no teeth,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33but it does have an edge to the jaw that is truly scalpel sharp.
0:09:36 > 0:09:40And it's not just their bite that makes them cold blooded killers.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45They have an enticing lure which is a triumph of evolution.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50The way they entice them is with a remarkable little structure.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54And it's just like a little wriggling worm or a maggot.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58An enticing little morsel for any fish, frog or bird.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04It'll go right into the mouth of the alligator snapping turtle,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07and when they do, this is what happens.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16Ha! OK. Well, that was pretty quick,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18and obviously you would not want that to be your fingers.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Using a slow motion camera you can see
0:10:23 > 0:10:27that sharp beak slicing through the carrot like a Samurai sword.
0:10:33 > 0:10:34Hah. What a sound!
0:10:34 > 0:10:38The alligator snapping turtle, a true legend of Deadly,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41and the mightiest snap in the swamp.
0:10:44 > 0:10:47All pretty impressive, but when it comes to sheer force
0:10:47 > 0:10:52there's one group of reptiles that's head and scales above the rest.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54With the strongest bite we've ever recorded...
0:10:56 > 0:10:58the crocodiles.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Crocodiles are among the most ancient of reptiles.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05They live in rivers, lakes and even the sea.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08Muscles at the base of the tail give the crocodile propulsion
0:11:08 > 0:11:11to launch itself out of the water...
0:11:15 > 0:11:18..and grab its prey with slam shut jaws.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21In fact, they have the strongest recorded bite
0:11:21 > 0:11:23of any animal on the planet.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I've had some pretty snappy encounters in the past.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28With Orinoco crocs in Venezuela...
0:11:29 > 0:11:32..and the heavyweights in the crocodile world,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34the Australian salty.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41But undeterred, I ventured to get even closer and test
0:11:41 > 0:11:43this mighty bite for myself.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45This looks like it.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47In Cuba, we got a call that an American crocodile was hanging
0:11:47 > 0:11:49out near this boat.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Right, let's go see what we've got.
0:11:54 > 0:11:55Hola.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57- Como esta?- Hi.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02Right. Yes.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06That is a proper American crocodile.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09And I'm guessing that he's got a pretty potent bite force.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12'To test it out we brought the Deadly bite test gauge.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20'And to tempt him to chomp on it we're strapping on some
0:12:20 > 0:12:22'chunks of chicken.'
0:12:25 > 0:12:28OK. Crocodiles have completely
0:12:28 > 0:12:31individual personalities, so I really can't
0:12:31 > 0:12:34predict how this animal's going to react.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37And this one looks like he's paying us some interest.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Might just get my feet out the way.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Right. Here he comes.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52OK, that's just a little nibble with the front part of the jaw.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56It's now going to use the whole body to try and wrench that.
0:12:58 > 0:13:00Oh, wow!
0:13:00 > 0:13:05Just the slightest squeeze of the jaws and the gauge goes zipping up.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12Yes!
0:13:15 > 0:13:17That's a big croc.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23He's gone over 1,000 pounds per square inch.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27'I'm very glad I got my toes out of the way,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31'that force is like the weight of a small motorbike landing on you.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34'But believe it or not, there's a species of crocodile
0:13:34 > 0:13:36'that can more than triple this croc bite.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40'The saltwater croc.'
0:13:41 > 0:13:44This champion chomper hasn't just got the strongest
0:13:44 > 0:13:49recorded bite of all the crocs, but the strongest on the planet.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53At over 3,700 pounds per square inch,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57the force of this bite would be like the weight of a car landing on you.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59The crew and I travelled to Australia
0:13:59 > 0:14:02to a crocodile research centre to put it to the test.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12But things didn't go quite to plan.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14Having to put this gauge into some of the biggest jaws
0:14:14 > 0:14:17on the planet is not for the faint-hearted.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24- Whoa!- You OK?
0:14:24 > 0:14:29I just got absolutely smashed.
0:14:29 > 0:14:35Whoa! Good lord, the power of the animal is phenomenal!
0:14:35 > 0:14:38That is something else.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Unfortunately now, we've lost the bite gauge, the camera
0:14:42 > 0:14:44and the stick.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50Holy moly. Ha, ha!
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Our bite gauge got completely destroyed so
0:14:56 > 0:14:59we didn't get our reading, but I think it's safe to say
0:14:59 > 0:15:02the saltwater crocodile has bite.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Killing with phenomenal force,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and the strongest recorded bite on the planet,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11the saltwater crocodile.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Deadly.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17We've seen that reptiles can be seriously strong and
0:15:17 > 0:15:19use speed and strategy to deadly effect.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25But some have something even more extraordinary -
0:15:25 > 0:15:27supersenses.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Snakes are superb predators,
0:15:37 > 0:15:40perfectly adapted to hunting their prey using evolved supersenses
0:15:40 > 0:15:42far beyond our own.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46The first of these is a tongue for tracking prey.
0:15:46 > 0:15:50And to show this in full effect, the tree-dwelling boomslang.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53We've got a slow motion camera to see
0:15:53 > 0:15:56if we can catch a glimpse of that tongue in action.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59There it goes. There it goes.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01Right, I'm really hoping Johnny managed to get that
0:16:01 > 0:16:03because when you see it slowed down,
0:16:03 > 0:16:07actually it is extraordinary what that tongue is really doing.
0:16:09 > 0:16:13So, the tongue comes out, it waves up and down,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16you can see both sides of that forked tongue
0:16:16 > 0:16:19actually trailing into the air
0:16:19 > 0:16:22and then dropping down onto the branch itself.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26What this snake's doing is tasting its world.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28Now if any lizard, a chameleon perhaps,
0:16:28 > 0:16:30has been wandering along this log,
0:16:30 > 0:16:33it will have left an invisible trail behind it.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36And snakes can use this to track them down.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42But some snakes have a sixth sense.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48Which gives them the ability to hunt in complete darkness
0:16:48 > 0:16:50by seeing heat.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56We're in a cave in Cuba
0:16:56 > 0:17:00in search of a snake that's mastered this supersense, the Cuban boa.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06But for us to film it we have to switch to infrared.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Walking through the cave, the crew and I can't see a thing,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15but we can feel all kinds of creepy crawlies
0:17:15 > 0:17:18scuttling about our feet.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And it's not long before we find what we're looking for.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29No way! There's loads of them.
0:17:37 > 0:17:43So, this is why we've come to this cave. Cuban boas.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46And they are pretty much everywhere.
0:17:46 > 0:17:53There's one reason why this snake is here and one reason alone,
0:17:53 > 0:17:56and that's to feast on bats.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58I'm just trying to keep my eyes on this snake,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00because I can't really see it.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04'These snakes hunt in complete darkness and like us
0:18:04 > 0:18:06'they can't rely on their eyes.'
0:18:06 > 0:18:10But, they do have several senses that enable them to find their prey.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13The first of those, as with all snakes, is their tongue.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16That'll help it to zone in on bats that are roosting in the walls
0:18:16 > 0:18:18and in the ceiling,
0:18:18 > 0:18:23but also it has special scales on the lip which can see heat.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25Cave boas probably see the world
0:18:25 > 0:18:29as if through the lens of our thermal imaging camera.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Their warm bat prey stands out against the cooler background,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43so the boa can spot them and strike with pinpoint accuracy,
0:18:43 > 0:18:45even in the pitch black.
0:18:49 > 0:18:51The Cuban boa.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54It may make its home in a nightmare of a place,
0:18:54 > 0:19:00but for me this is a dream of a snake and, undoubtedly, Deadly.
0:19:02 > 0:19:09With a heat-detecting supersense for hunting bats in complete darkness,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11the cave boa is definitely...
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Deadly!
0:19:16 > 0:19:19When it comes to being a cold blooded killer one of the best
0:19:19 > 0:19:22ways to take down prey is...
0:19:23 > 0:19:26..venom.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32Venom is a toxic fluid used to paralyse, disarm and digest victims.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35And reptiles have some of the most deadly on the planet.
0:19:42 > 0:19:47I'm in Australia to meet the most venomous reptile there is.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50It's the inland taipan.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57'They live in the Australian outback and are seriously difficult to find.
0:19:57 > 0:19:59'But luck was on our side.'
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Stop, stop. Steve, there, there!
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Well, I don't actually believe what I'm seeing.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10We have, at the side of the road,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13the most venomous snake on Earth.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17This is a fierce snake
0:20:17 > 0:20:21sometimes known as an inland taipan.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23Head drawn back into an S shape.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28Just making out like it's ready to strike,
0:20:28 > 0:20:30you can come a bit closer, Graham.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33It's OK, it's fixed on me at the moment, not on you.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37This has the most toxic venom of any snake on Earth.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42'But that venom isn't meant for humans. It's for their rodent prey.'
0:20:42 > 0:20:46So around here there are loads of burrows of rats
0:20:46 > 0:20:50and those animals can be very, very fast,
0:20:50 > 0:20:53so what the fierce snake needs to do is to bite them,
0:20:53 > 0:20:56inject enormous amounts of very, very toxic venom
0:20:56 > 0:21:01and stop them moving very quickly.
0:21:01 > 0:21:02The venom is very complex,
0:21:02 > 0:21:09but the main constituent part is what's called a neurotoxin.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13That is a toxin that affects the nervous system.
0:21:13 > 0:21:15It's very, very fast acting
0:21:15 > 0:21:19and one snake is said to have enough venom to kill 100 people.
0:21:19 > 0:21:25It's an absolutely phenomenal hunter, very rare,
0:21:25 > 0:21:30very difficult to find and the most venomous snake on earth.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33You were very lucky, man.
0:21:33 > 0:21:34Very lucky, man.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36That's one of the best looking fierce snakes,
0:21:36 > 0:21:40wild fierce snakes, I've ever seen. You know, far out.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Though venom use in production is quite common in snakes,
0:21:46 > 0:21:48it's much less common in the lizards.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51This is one of the exception.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53It's a Mexican beaded lizard.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Unlike snakes that have venom glands in their upper jaws
0:21:56 > 0:21:57and inject their venom,
0:21:57 > 0:22:01these creatures have venom glands at the back of the lower jaw.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03And they don't have the ability to inject it,
0:22:03 > 0:22:06instead they have to chew it into their prey.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09This one here wouldn't have enough venom and it isn't strong enough
0:22:09 > 0:22:12to kill a human being, although it would certainly hurt.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14However, there is one lizard that definitely does,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16and it's the largest on the planet.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23In Indonesia is an island ruled by a truly prehistoric predator...
0:22:25 > 0:22:26..the Komodo dragon.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30Dragons aren't just a thing of myths and legends.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33They're loaded with everything that makes a
0:22:33 > 0:22:36cold blooded killer deadly -
0:22:36 > 0:22:37strength,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39speed,
0:22:39 > 0:22:41a supersensing tongue,
0:22:41 > 0:22:44and toxic venomous bite.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47In fact, they're the biggest venomous animal on land.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53My crew and I are journeying to this island to
0:22:53 > 0:22:58see if we can come face to face with these mighty reptiles.
0:22:58 > 0:22:59As soon as I arrive,
0:22:59 > 0:23:02I'm issued with a state of the art dragon defence device.
0:23:04 > 0:23:05Right. OK.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07So being as this is a national park,
0:23:07 > 0:23:09no-one's obviously allowed to carry any guns
0:23:09 > 0:23:11or anything that could harm the dragons,
0:23:11 > 0:23:14but you do need a little protection, so I've got a stick!
0:23:17 > 0:23:20What use that's going to be against a three-metre monster
0:23:20 > 0:23:22I have no idea, but it's better than nothing.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29With no roads on the island we continue on foot.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39First we headed to the rangers huts, which are a regular dragons' den,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41and it wasn't long before we saw one.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43Oh, my goodness, right there look.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Yeah. Our first dragon is right in front of us.
0:23:47 > 0:23:49'And it wasn't alone.'
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Over there, look.
0:23:51 > 0:23:53Such an awe-inspiring animal.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56'Suddenly there were dragons everywhere.'
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Just surrounded by dinosaurs. Oooh, yeah.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03They can really motor when they need to.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06'We hadn't expected to see quite so many.'
0:24:06 > 0:24:12So these are Komodo dragons, the largest lizards on earth.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16OK, big fella, it's all right.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18It's OK.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Don't want to move quickly
0:24:20 > 0:24:24because that could trigger a predatory response.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Much safer just staying calm and still.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33And also a good distance from that venomous mouth.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38Komodo dragons use their serrated teeth
0:24:38 > 0:24:40to rip into their victims' flesh
0:24:40 > 0:24:44before seeping toxic venom into the wound.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46The venom is slow-acting,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50so the dragon has to sit back and wait.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Venom not only guarantees the Komodo a meal,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00it also means they can take down prey many times their own size.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07And once they do, it's a communal feast.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17The dragon's killing technique takes days,
0:25:17 > 0:25:19so to see the dragons at their deadly best,
0:25:19 > 0:25:23I rigged up a chunk of meat to try and draw them in.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32But then something happened that took us by surprise.
0:25:32 > 0:25:36OK, we've already got interest guys so, um...
0:25:36 > 0:25:41Yeah. Right. OK, let's move, guys, let's get going.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43'They locked on to me and the crew.'
0:25:45 > 0:25:47OK, guys, go, go, go, go. OK.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48- You OK?- Yeah, yeah.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51OK, here they come.
0:25:52 > 0:25:54Gray, Gray, Gray!
0:25:56 > 0:26:00'It was an unexpected turn of speed and aggression.'
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Look at that, that's a completely different animal.
0:26:03 > 0:26:04Back up, Graham, back up.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08I cannot believe the total change in attitude of this animal.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10No, no, no, no, no, no.
0:26:10 > 0:26:13As soon as they got food on the brain
0:26:13 > 0:26:17they changed from a slumbering, slow-moving creature,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19into a predatory dinosaur
0:26:19 > 0:26:24and all of a sudden they're not just hunting the meat,
0:26:24 > 0:26:26they're hunting us.
0:26:26 > 0:26:30Whooah! Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:26:31 > 0:26:34OK, one of the dragons has the meat.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Over there, look, it's tearing into it.
0:26:39 > 0:26:40Wow!
0:26:42 > 0:26:46I can see into its mouth - the curved, backward-facing teeth
0:26:46 > 0:26:48and look at the tail thrashing around.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52Now, Komodo dragons have very, very
0:26:52 > 0:26:55occasionally attacked and even killed human beings.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58But you can see that once an easy source of food is available
0:26:58 > 0:27:03they're not focusing on us any more, they're just scented on the meat.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07In all my years of wildlife watching this is one of the only times
0:27:07 > 0:27:10I've felt like an animal would attack me if it got the chance.
0:27:10 > 0:27:14They are one of the world's most formidable predators.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19With speed, strength, super sensing tongue and venomous bite,
0:27:19 > 0:27:22the Komodo dragon has to be the ultimate cold blooded killer.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Deadly.
0:27:27 > 0:27:28Waaah!
0:27:28 > 0:27:31'Join me next time for more Deadly Pole To Pole.'
0:27:31 > 0:27:33This is a true monster.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Whoa.