0:00:06 > 0:00:09'Welcome to my Deadly Top Ten.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19'A chance to choose the top ten fiercest, fastest, most tactical,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22'toxic and well-armed animals on the planet.
0:00:23 > 0:00:28'All deadly in their own world, and sometimes deadly to me!
0:00:28 > 0:00:33'Who do you think will be Number One of my Deadly Top Ten?'
0:00:35 > 0:00:41'In this countdown, I'm choosing my top ten toxic animals,
0:00:41 > 0:00:45'creatures who are poisonous.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49'They all have deadly bites,
0:00:49 > 0:00:52'stings, spit
0:00:52 > 0:00:55'and even sprays.
0:00:55 > 0:01:00'Not the kind of critters you want to get too close to,
0:01:00 > 0:01:03'let alone try to handle.'
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Ow!
0:01:05 > 0:01:09'Time to kick off my Toxic Top Ten countdown.
0:01:21 > 0:01:26'The creature with a massive sting in its tail.
0:01:26 > 0:01:30'Scorpions are very well-armed animals.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35'As well as a sting at the back, they have claws at the front.
0:01:35 > 0:01:40'They inject poisonous fluid into their prey to kill it.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45'This is called venom, and a fat tailed's sting is full of it.
0:01:47 > 0:01:49'Very nasty venom, too.'
0:01:50 > 0:01:52Ooh!
0:01:54 > 0:01:57OK. Got to hold my nerve here.
0:01:57 > 0:02:03I'm getting pinched, but the pinch is not the problem.
0:02:03 > 0:02:08This is probably one of the most venomous scorpions in Africa.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11This one has a really nasty punch.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14An extraordinary thing about this species
0:02:14 > 0:02:17is that it doesn't stop there.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21It can actually flick its venom at an attacker,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24and it can be really accurate.
0:02:24 > 0:02:30'They need this deadly capability as they have formidable predators.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35'To a scorpion, a meerkat is like a T Rex.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38'Meerkats are deadly scorpion-hunters
0:02:38 > 0:02:41'who can dig into the earth for their prey.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46'But this scorpion has fat-tailed fire power.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51'It takes aim with its flicking tail, the venom sack pulses
0:02:51 > 0:02:54'and the sting squirts venom.
0:02:54 > 0:03:00'The toxic spray could blind the meerkat who, wisely, backs off.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04'Trust me, this is not a creature to pick a fight with.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06'Neither is Number Nine,
0:03:06 > 0:03:09'the Sydney funnel web spider -
0:03:09 > 0:03:13'perhaps the most deadly toxic of all spiders,
0:03:13 > 0:03:17'which lives around the Australian city of Sydney.'
0:03:17 > 0:03:20In England, if I find a spider in my house, I pick it up
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and throw it out in the garden.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26In Sydney, you have to be more careful, and here's why.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32That's certainly the most aggressive spider I've ever seen.
0:03:32 > 0:03:38She's standing up with her legs up like this.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41It's a classic threat posture.
0:03:41 > 0:03:47She's saying, "I'm big. I'm dangerous. Don't mess with me!"
0:03:47 > 0:03:50'They use venom to paralyse invertebrate prey.
0:03:50 > 0:03:57'What makes them dangerous to us is their habit of wandering about.
0:03:59 > 0:04:04'Lovesick funnel webs often enter houses searching for a mate.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10'But there's nothing romantic about their bite.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14'The one-centimetre fangs can stab through your toenail!
0:04:14 > 0:04:19'It can bite many times and its venom is especially toxic to humans.
0:04:19 > 0:04:26'It's one of the most potentially dangerous spiders in the world.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28'AND they like hiding in boots!
0:04:30 > 0:04:36'People sometimes get bitten on the foot. It's excruciatingly painful.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40'The venom is so toxic because it gets injected directly
0:04:40 > 0:04:44'into victims' bodies and blood streams.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49'Funnel web venom affects the human heart and lungs,
0:04:49 > 0:04:55'and victims need special medicine, an antivenom, to pull through.
0:04:55 > 0:04:58'This, curiously, comes from other funnel web spiders.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02'In special captive spider milking centres,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06'venom is sucked off their huge fangs with a mini vacuum.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11'This is used to make life-saving antivenom.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15'A single drop can save a person's life.
0:05:15 > 0:05:21'But I'd still check your boots if you go to Australia.
0:05:21 > 0:05:27'We've had a scorpion and a spider. What do you think I've chosen next?
0:05:27 > 0:05:31'They're long, thin, have venomous bites...
0:05:31 > 0:05:36'One of the most toxic snakes in the world.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43'These slinky sea snakes swim and hunt under water,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45'and live in the tropics.
0:05:45 > 0:05:51'Snakes aren't everyone's cup of tea but watch how elegantly they swim.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54'Each has enough venom
0:05:54 > 0:05:57'to, theoretically, kill several people.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01'Happily, they're not aggressive to humans.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04'It would be a different story if I was a fish.'
0:06:06 > 0:06:10It's a really murky, spooky place, this.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15Just the kind of place you expect to find a sea monster,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19or one of the most venomous snakes in the world.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24'The sea krait is quite easy to find as it lounges about on rocks,
0:06:24 > 0:06:26'waiting to catch its prey.'
0:06:26 > 0:06:29The reason the venom needs to be so strong
0:06:29 > 0:06:34is that fish, once they're bitten, can swim away.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38If the venom is powerful enough to work quickly,
0:06:38 > 0:06:43the fish can't get far away, and he gets a meal.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47'Toxic snakes have a pair of hollow fangs,
0:06:47 > 0:06:51'teeth which inject venom into their prey.
0:06:51 > 0:06:57'The venom is stored in special sacs called venom glands in their heads.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01'The effect of the sea krait bite is almost instantaneous,
0:07:01 > 0:07:05'so they can tackle fish as long as they are.
0:07:05 > 0:07:11'They devour their meal whole. One like this will last for weeks.
0:07:11 > 0:07:18'Sea kraits advertise the fact they're toxic with bright colours.'
0:07:20 > 0:07:26That banded black and white colouration is incredibly pretty.
0:07:26 > 0:07:29It's there for a reason.
0:07:29 > 0:07:33These markings show potential predators...
0:07:34 > 0:07:38..that it's dangerous. They're a warning.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41'Being deadly beautiful is great defence.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45'It's perhaps why sea kraits seem so chilled out.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48'Potential predators avoid them.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53'Smelly seven is also one to stay away from - the skunk.
0:07:53 > 0:07:59'Such a toxic animal, the military are copying its deadly chemistry.'
0:07:59 > 0:08:04Look at that! I think he's quite a young one, actually.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Just scampering off into the bushes.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11I have to say, I'm secretly quite glad.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14You wouldn't want to get sprayed by a skunk.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17There is nothing funny about it.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22If a skunk sprays you, you are in a world of pain.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26I remember our dog got sprayed a few years back.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31Everything it sat on or even went close to had to be thrown away.
0:08:31 > 0:08:36The smell was so powerful it made you want to vomit just being close.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41'Skunk-size mammals are often on the menu for all sorts of predators.
0:08:41 > 0:08:47'One spray from the skunk's under-tail glands, they soon learn.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52'This young mountain lion is about to be taught a valuable lesson.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57'The mountain lion is ten times the size of our hero.
0:08:57 > 0:09:03'But eau de skunk is nature's most unstomachable stench -
0:09:03 > 0:09:09'a grizzly cocktail of garlic, burnt rubber and rotten eggs.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12'This horrific smell is so effective,
0:09:12 > 0:09:16'it's used to disperse crowds of people.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20'Now, did you know there are deadly toxic...
0:09:20 > 0:09:22'snails?
0:09:25 > 0:09:30'A marine mollusc with a shocking weapon, it lurks in coral reefs,
0:09:30 > 0:09:34'and sometimes hangs out in rock pools.
0:09:34 > 0:09:40'The size of a carrot, it's one seashell you never want to pick up.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45'For all its sluggish behaviour, it has a lightning strike.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49'You won't believe how! Watch closely.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53'The cone shell glides into range.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00'This alert little fish has no idea what's going to hit it.
0:10:02 > 0:10:10'The cone shell extends its lethal weapon, a snake-like harpoon.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15'The sinister piece of spaghetti reaches the fish
0:10:15 > 0:10:17'and fires a toxic spear!
0:10:18 > 0:10:24'The venom is so strong, the fish is paralysed immediately.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26'Game over.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33'Time for a toxic recap.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38'We've had a squirting scorpion, the fearsome funnel web,
0:10:38 > 0:10:42'slinky sea kraits, a super-spray skunk
0:10:42 > 0:10:44'and the chilling cone shell.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48'Which toxic animals do you think are to come,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52'as we count down towards Number One?
0:10:52 > 0:10:57'It's a clash of the Titans fighting for position five.
0:11:01 > 0:11:07'Both are so awesome and so toxic, I can't choose between them.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09'See what you think.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14'I got too close to a massive water monitor in the Philippines,
0:11:14 > 0:11:20'a seriously impressive reptile with a seriously toxic bite.'
0:11:20 > 0:11:23I'm going to sit very, very still.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Nose-to-nose...
0:11:28 > 0:11:31..with a living dinosaur.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37This is a bit closer than I would really be comfortable with.
0:11:37 > 0:11:42Inside that mouth is one long line of teeth
0:11:42 > 0:11:45that are, honestly, razor-sharp,
0:11:45 > 0:11:47backwards curving
0:11:47 > 0:11:50and covered with...
0:11:53 > 0:11:58He's tasting my face! He just stuck his tongue in my eye!
0:12:01 > 0:12:05This is where I start to get a little bit nervous.
0:12:05 > 0:12:11From there, he could have my arm in his mouth in a second.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14Look at him tasting my hand!
0:12:17 > 0:12:21As I was saying, the mouth...
0:12:21 > 0:12:23has razor-sharp teeth
0:12:23 > 0:12:26which are covered in bacteria.
0:12:26 > 0:12:30Those bacteria, once they get into a wound,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34will almost instantly start to become infected.
0:12:34 > 0:12:39Any bite from a monitor lizard is very serious indeed.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47Wow! He is utterly, utterly beautiful.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51'Pretty awesome, isn't it? But if you think he was impressive,
0:12:51 > 0:12:57'wait till you meet his bigger, badder cousin, the komodo dragon.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01'They can be three metres long and twice as heavy as me.
0:13:01 > 0:13:07'These lizards evolved in Australia, where their even bigger ancestors
0:13:07 > 0:13:11'developed venom to attack megafauna, giant mammals.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16'Those monsters are extinct, but the komodo dragon survives.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19'It's the largest lizard on Earth,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23'and it's the biggest venomous animal alive.
0:13:23 > 0:13:30'It's like a dinosaur fight when two of these three-metre monsters clash.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34'Their lethal weapon is killer drool.
0:13:34 > 0:13:39'It's laden with a venom which many snakes would be proud of.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41'Administered with a savage bite,
0:13:41 > 0:13:46'the venom induces a critical drop in blood pressure
0:13:46 > 0:13:49'and helps the victim bleed to death.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55'So, who to crown at Number Five?
0:13:56 > 0:13:59'The magnificent monitor
0:13:59 > 0:14:01'or kingly komodo?
0:14:01 > 0:14:07'Even though I had such an intense encounter with the water monitor,
0:14:07 > 0:14:11'for sheer size, weight and its savage toxic bite,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14'the komodo dragon steals the show.
0:14:16 > 0:14:21'Now, time to go from my biggest to my smallest candidate.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29'These sneaky blood thieves are found in Australia.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33'They put more children in hospital and kill more pets
0:14:33 > 0:14:38'than venomous spiders and snakes put together.
0:14:38 > 0:14:44'But they're really hard to find, so a vet's is a good place to try.'
0:14:44 > 0:14:49Hello. I understand you've got an animal with a paralysis tick.
0:14:49 > 0:14:54- It's actually this gentleman, Lindsey.- I'm not a paralysis tick.
0:14:54 > 0:14:57I'm sorry, I was expecting a dog or something!
0:14:57 > 0:15:00'After all, this is a vet's.'
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Oh, wow! That is absolutely tiny.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06It is about the size of a pinhead.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10There's no way you'll see it on a big camera. Here we go.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15'This is a lipstick camera, which magnifies anything small.'
0:15:15 > 0:15:20- Do you mind if I poke around behind your ear?- Knock yourself out.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23It's just there.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Absolutely tiny.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30The head of the tick is buried
0:15:30 > 0:15:32into the flesh.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35It's pumping Lindsey's blood into it.
0:15:35 > 0:15:39They have, in their saliva, in their spit,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41almost like a venom,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45which can totally paralyse the creature they're feeding on.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48It's not just people or pets that are affected,
0:15:48 > 0:15:54a lot of wild animals suffer from paralysis ticks too.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57'The tick lurks in the undergrowth and lies in wait
0:15:57 > 0:15:59'for a fresh blood meal.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01'It senses the vibration
0:16:01 > 0:16:06'and tastes carbon dioxide from its victim's breath.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11'As the animal brushes past, the tick jumps on and clings to the fur
0:16:11 > 0:16:13'or clothes, if it's a human.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18'Finally, it's guided by heat down to the skin, and begins to feed.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25'Large fruit bats, also known as flying foxes,
0:16:25 > 0:16:27'are very badly affected.
0:16:27 > 0:16:33'As the tick bites, it injects its deadly saliva.
0:16:33 > 0:16:38'The flying fox becomes paralysed and, without treatment, they'll die.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40'But some bats get lucky.
0:16:40 > 0:16:46'They're taken to a bat rescue centre and given tick antivenom.
0:16:50 > 0:16:54'This one is nearly strong enough to be released.'
0:16:56 > 0:17:02An animal the size of a pinhead that can bring down a human, a dog
0:17:02 > 0:17:04even a flying fox.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09'The paralysis tick truly is a toxic terror.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12'Two more are jostling for Number Three
0:17:12 > 0:17:17'I've got two toxic centipedes to choose from.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26'It's a tough call, as I really don't like scutigera centipedes.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31'They live in caves full of bat poo in places like Borneo.'
0:17:31 > 0:17:36Of all the horrors that live in this absolutely nightmarish place,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40down here is perhaps the most frightening.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Oh, crumbs! I have to say, I absolutely hate them!
0:17:48 > 0:17:51CRIES OUT
0:17:51 > 0:17:56One just ran over my hand. I'll be more gutsy this time.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59Careful, there's one the other side of that rock. >
0:18:01 > 0:18:05This is scutigera, the long-legged centipede.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08There's another one on the other side of the rock.
0:18:08 > 0:18:13So I'm being very careful about how I handle this.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15It is quite venomous.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17One guy living in the area here
0:18:17 > 0:18:22was bitten by one and spent a week in hospital, so I'm taking care
0:18:22 > 0:18:24not to get bitten.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27They actually have...
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Eugh! It just ran over my arm!
0:18:35 > 0:18:42As it moves, it'll stop and tap some of those legs over the rock surface.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47It's using every one of those feet
0:18:47 > 0:18:50to feel everything about the surface,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54building up a mental picture of its environment,
0:18:54 > 0:18:58and if there's anything that it might be able to eat.
0:18:58 > 0:19:04'It can grow to be as long as my foot, has a very venomous bite
0:19:04 > 0:19:09'and with those long legs, nothing down here can escape it.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12'Its toxic rival, the giant centipede,
0:19:12 > 0:19:18'looks very different, with shorter legs and a far chunkier body.
0:19:18 > 0:19:23'It's 35 centimetres long and is as strong as a small snake.
0:19:23 > 0:19:29'The poison in its black-tipped fangs is lethal.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34'It hunts in the dark bat caves of Venezuela.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38'It uses its antennae to feel for its prey.
0:19:38 > 0:19:44'It's not after the swarming beetles. It's after bigger quarry.
0:19:44 > 0:19:49'And it knows it can find that by climbing.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57'It's heading for the ceiling.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06'Now, in the darkness, it can sense bats flying past it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12'It reaches out into their flight path.
0:20:12 > 0:20:14'No! I can't believe it's gonna...
0:20:14 > 0:20:17'Yes! It's got one!
0:20:17 > 0:20:21'An injection of venom from its fangs kills the bat
0:20:21 > 0:20:24'almost instantaneously.
0:20:24 > 0:20:30'It might take it an hour, but it will eat all of the bat's flesh.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35'They're both supremely toxic and pretty creepy, but who wins?
0:20:35 > 0:20:40'Scuttling scutigera or bat-eating giant centipede?
0:20:40 > 0:20:44'Although the scutigera really creeped me out,
0:20:44 > 0:20:49'for me, its bat-battering venom and superior strength
0:20:49 > 0:20:54'mean I have to crown the giant centipede at Number Three.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58'Toxic Two, though, is even more awesome.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05'The largest venomous snake on Earth.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10'It can reach a length of five and a half metres.
0:21:10 > 0:21:13'That's as long as a lorry!
0:21:13 > 0:21:16'It can rear up as high as I am tall
0:21:16 > 0:21:20'and has enough venom to kill an elephant.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23'Not a snake to mess about with.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26'I'm assisted by Mr Koom,
0:21:26 > 0:21:30'who's been working with snakes since he was ten.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32'And it's just as well.'
0:21:32 > 0:21:36Even though this is a snake with incredible capabilities,
0:21:36 > 0:21:43you can see all it really wants to do is escape from danger.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48Its first instinct is to flee, to get away.
0:21:48 > 0:21:54But when it realises that Mr Koom here doesn't want to let it go,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57it's putting on a display to make itself seem larger,
0:21:57 > 0:22:03make it seem more threatening - and it is unimaginably vast!
0:22:03 > 0:22:08This snake is getting on for four metres long.
0:22:08 > 0:22:11Its head is the size of my hand
0:22:11 > 0:22:16and the fangs are long, thin needles that can inject
0:22:16 > 0:22:18venom deep into the muscle.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21That's what allows it to work so quickly
0:22:21 > 0:22:25and why it's so potentially dangerous to people.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29He is figuring me out, making sure that I keep my distance.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Where I am now, I'm safe.
0:22:32 > 0:22:38If I got a few inches closer, he'd be able to bite me.
0:22:38 > 0:22:45The king cobra needs to be very venomous. That's down to its prey.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49The king isn't interested in warm-blooded animals.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53It hunts far, far more dangerous quarry -
0:22:53 > 0:22:58other snakes, like this Indian cobra.
0:22:58 > 0:23:03This is a stand-off between toxic superpowers.
0:23:03 > 0:23:07Between them, these two snakes have enough venom
0:23:07 > 0:23:10to kill a platoon of soldiers.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15The king cobra strikes first.
0:23:18 > 0:23:22Its ultimate-strength venom paralyses and kills the other cobra.
0:23:22 > 0:23:28This is why the king cobra is toxically armed to the hilt.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33It's a predator of some of the most venomous snakes in the world.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Not only is its venom terrifyingly toxic,
0:23:36 > 0:23:41it also has a degree of immunity to the bites of other snakes.
0:23:41 > 0:23:47The king cobra, the most magnificent regal snake in the world.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51It's on my list because it's the ultimate killer of other snakes.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54Utterly magnificent.
0:23:54 > 0:23:59'If the king cobra isn't my Number One, can you guess who is?
0:23:59 > 0:24:02'Time for the Top Ten toxic countdown.
0:24:02 > 0:24:06'Tail-spraying ten, the fat tailed scorpion.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09'Noxious nine, the Sydney funnel web.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13'Elegant eight, the sea krait's great.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17'Super-spraying seven, stinky skunk heaven.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20'Sinister six, the cone shell tricks.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24'Fearsome five, komodo dragons alive.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27'Freaky four, the paralysis tick.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31'Terrifying three, the giant centipede.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34'And titanic two, the king cobra.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38'So, at number one... I said, at number one...
0:24:38 > 0:24:41'it's...
0:24:41 > 0:24:46'What do you think? Well, a clue is where they live.'
0:24:46 > 0:24:50South and Central America, also known as Latin America,
0:24:50 > 0:24:54has hundreds of poisonous and venomous animals.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57The most poisonous animal in the world
0:24:57 > 0:25:02is here in Latin American forests, but its identity might surprise you.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06'It's not a scorpion, a spider or a snake.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11'The ultimate toxic animal?
0:25:11 > 0:25:16'Dart frogs secrete a poisonous fluid onto their skins.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20'It's not a venom, as they don't bite or inject it.
0:25:20 > 0:25:25'These technicoloured amphibians come in a kaleidoscope of colours
0:25:25 > 0:25:29'warning how dangerous they are.'
0:25:31 > 0:25:36Most people are blown away the first time they see a dart frog,
0:25:36 > 0:25:38about how small they are.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42It's incredible to think that an animal this size
0:25:42 > 0:25:45can be the most poisonous on the planet.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50The poisons that are created by this little frog
0:25:50 > 0:25:53are one of the miracles of nature.
0:25:53 > 0:25:57They start in the leaves of plants. Ants eat the leaves.
0:25:57 > 0:26:02Frogs eat the ants and they almost sweat the poison out.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05There's one species of dart frog,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07the size of this, found in Colombia,
0:26:07 > 0:26:13that has enough poison in its body to kill ten people!
0:26:13 > 0:26:16When Colombian indians go hunting,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19they wipe their darts on the back of the frog.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24The poison now becomes the most deadly venom in the world,
0:26:24 > 0:26:27as darts inject it into an animal's body.
0:26:27 > 0:26:31It kills in minutes.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Those bright colours are part of the reason
0:26:36 > 0:26:40why this frog is active during the day.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43Every other frog round here comes out at night.
0:26:43 > 0:26:49These dart frogs can be active during the day because they know
0:26:49 > 0:26:53predators see these colours and know it means one thing.
0:26:53 > 0:26:59This is highly poisonous and certainly not good to eat.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01The tiny frogs don't have to hide.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05They can patrol their territories in broad daylight.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10They're bolshie personalities who get into ninja-style fights
0:27:10 > 0:27:12with their neighbours.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14Check out the moves!
0:27:23 > 0:27:28No other frogs in the world dare to display amphibian karate!
0:27:32 > 0:27:37This tiny animal is a living chemical weapons factory.
0:27:37 > 0:27:44A daring daytime leaf fighter, and my totally toxic Number One.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Don't forget to join me next time
0:27:52 > 0:27:55for more Deadly Top Tens.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Who's going to be the Deadly Number One?
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:02 > 0:28:04E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk