0:00:02 > 0:00:05Welcome to my Nightmares of Nature.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11I'm Naomi Wilkinson and I'm coming
0:00:11 > 0:00:14face-to-face with the nightmares of the animal world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19The ones that make your spine tingle...
0:00:19 > 0:00:21SHE SCREAMS
0:00:21 > 0:00:23..your heart beat faster...
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Whooo!
0:00:24 > 0:00:26..and your blood run cold.
0:00:26 > 0:00:27BEAR GROWLS
0:00:27 > 0:00:28What's that noise?
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Are they truly terrifying?
0:00:30 > 0:00:32Or is there a twist in the tale?
0:00:32 > 0:00:34SHE SCREAMS
0:00:34 > 0:00:38Come with me as I shine a light on wildlife's deepest,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40darkest secrets...
0:00:40 > 0:00:42Oohh!
0:00:42 > 0:00:45..and see if you can guess which will be my worst nightmare?
0:00:48 > 0:00:50CAMEL GRUNTS
0:00:50 > 0:00:53Throughout this series I've faced up to a whole host
0:00:53 > 0:00:55of nightmares of nature!
0:00:55 > 0:00:58I've been in some spine-chilling environments,
0:00:58 > 0:01:00risen to some terrifying challenges
0:01:00 > 0:01:04and I've met a remarkable range of curious creatures,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06from the ghoulish and ghastly,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09to the surprisingly gorgeous.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12In this special programme, I'm going to be counting down
0:01:12 > 0:01:15through my top ten worst nightmares of the series and revealing
0:01:15 > 0:01:20which I have chosen to take the top spot, as my very worst nightmare.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Kicking off the countdown at ten, it's a huge, powerful,
0:01:26 > 0:01:31armoured bird with a vicious reputation to boot - the Cassowary.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35I went out looking for them in the Australian rainforest with
0:01:35 > 0:01:37bird expert, Phil.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Goodness me, they're enormous.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Look at those feet. They are monster feet, aren't they?
0:01:46 > 0:01:50- So they've got huge power in those legs?- Yes.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53And their inner claw, that's the one that does the damage.
0:01:53 > 0:01:59So if they were feeling at all threatened or nervous by us,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03they can kick you with those? Yes. What should you do if they do that?
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Back off. Don't run, just back off.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09- It's kind of warning you.- What will happen?- It'll chase you.- Oh!
0:02:09 > 0:02:12You don't want that. It can run faster than you can.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20No you definitely wouldn't want to be chased by a cassowary!
0:02:20 > 0:02:23These giant flightless birds are not to be messed with.
0:02:28 > 0:02:31They're unpredictable, fast and strong, and they're capable
0:02:31 > 0:02:36of delivering fatal blows with their lethal legs and dagger-like claws.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40They're clearly huge and powerful,
0:02:40 > 0:02:44and having had a close up view of those impressive claws,
0:02:44 > 0:02:48I think the karate-kicking cassowary is a worthy number ten.
0:02:54 > 0:02:57It's a nightmare challenge at nine, which involved me
0:02:57 > 0:03:00throwing myself out of a perfectly good aeroplane.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11After meeting a peregrine falcon, I was challenged to experience what
0:03:11 > 0:03:15it must be like for them to hurtle towards the ground after their prey.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21This meant climbing to a height of 4,000 metres.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Then, along with a professional skydiver...
0:03:34 > 0:03:35SHE SCREAMS
0:03:37 > 0:03:39..jumping out of a plane.
0:03:40 > 0:03:41Aaaargh!
0:03:47 > 0:03:51Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on Earth, and they plummet
0:03:51 > 0:03:56towards the ground at sensational speeds, when chasing their prey.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Imitating them was a pretty tall order.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07NAOMI SCREAMS
0:04:14 > 0:04:19I probably travelled about a mile at around 120 miles an hour.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23To think a peregrine will go at 200 miles an hour or more,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27I mean I just would not want to go any faster than that.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30I think my face would have turned inside out! Whoo!
0:04:30 > 0:04:34SHE SCREAMS
0:04:34 > 0:04:38That utterly terrifying nightmare challenge is a perfect,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40nail-biting nine on my countdown.
0:04:42 > 0:04:43Battling it out for number eight
0:04:43 > 0:04:46it's two grisly, flesh-eating nasties,
0:04:46 > 0:04:49the plough snail, versus the hagfish.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Both have oodles of nightmare potential,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54but which will make my top ten list?
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Whoo-haa-haa-haa!
0:05:00 > 0:05:04First up, let's consider the plough snail.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09They live in the sea, and have some pretty strange skills.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14They feed on the flesh of animals that have washed up on the shore.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18When they detect a meal, they expand their large fleshy foot,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21catch a wave, and ride it up to the shoreline!
0:05:22 > 0:05:27# One way or another I'm gonna find ya... #
0:05:27 > 0:05:30The minute the wave comes past, they stick out that foot
0:05:30 > 0:05:32and just surf in!
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Once these strange surfing snails are out of the water,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39they follow the faint scent trail of their food on the damp sand,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42and almost row up the beach.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45We'd put some fish out, in the hope that they would come
0:05:45 > 0:05:47and feed...
0:05:47 > 0:05:49'If the gulls didn't get to it first!'
0:05:49 > 0:05:51Go away!
0:05:51 > 0:05:54You're spoiling our experiment.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08And this is where it gets disgusting.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12They use their proboscis to probe into the dead animal
0:06:12 > 0:06:14and suck up its flesh!
0:06:16 > 0:06:19And as if that wasn't disturbing enough, inside that
0:06:19 > 0:06:22proboscis are dagger-like teeth, used for tearing up the meat.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Yuk!
0:06:24 > 0:06:28So the plough snail is definitely a nightmare,
0:06:28 > 0:06:31but the strange, grotesque-looking hagfish,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35have certainly got out-grossing potential.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42So, let's have the facts.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45They have no stomachs, no jaws,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49no eyes and they have teeth on their tongue.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52And that's not the worst of it.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56They have one of the most horrific defence mechanisms.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02Ohhh! I don't want to do it.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Oh! Ohh!
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Right, get brave, get brave! Oh. Uhh!
0:07:10 > 0:07:13Ohh, he's going to try and bite me.
0:07:13 > 0:07:17LAUGHS NERVOUSLY
0:07:17 > 0:07:20Oh, my gosh, I don't like them.
0:07:20 > 0:07:22SHE SQUIRMS
0:07:24 > 0:07:26Oh.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Whoo-hoo!
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Uh, almost instantly, it is producing tons and tons
0:07:31 > 0:07:37of egg-yolky slime. That's incredible.
0:07:40 > 0:07:45It's just like thick bogey, really!
0:07:47 > 0:07:49Yes, hagfish are pretty unsavoury,
0:07:49 > 0:07:53and a definite top ten contender, but I'm afraid the repulsive
0:07:53 > 0:07:56image of a plough snail sucking up rotten fish flesh is
0:07:56 > 0:08:00something that's definitely going to stay with me for a long time.
0:08:00 > 0:08:06So it's the macabre munching plough snail that's taking eighth place.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12Slithering in at seven, it's one of the most dangerous
0:08:12 > 0:08:15snakes in North America, the rattlesnake.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21I've met snakes in every country I've been to for this series.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24A couple of milligrams of his venom is enough to kill an adult.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28I helped remove a Western Brown snake from someone's swimming
0:08:28 > 0:08:29pool in Australia...
0:08:29 > 0:08:30That's it. Beautiful.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33..and I met some school kids in South Africa
0:08:33 > 0:08:35that deal with snakes as part of everyday life.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37It does it to warn you.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40But my closest encounter was with a Southern Pacific
0:08:40 > 0:08:42rattlesnake in California.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50These deadly snakes get their name from their rattling tails
0:08:50 > 0:08:53that they use to warn off predators.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57They have two centimetre long fangs
0:08:57 > 0:08:59that inject lethal venom into their prey,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01before swallowing it whole.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06The venom is strong enough to kill a human being within 24 hours,
0:09:06 > 0:09:10and over 800 Americans are accidentally bitten every year.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I met Sierra, who had been bitten two weeks earlier.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20So you were bitten by a rattlesnake two weeks ago?
0:09:20 > 0:09:22- Yeah.- Tell me what happened.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24The snake was in our porch
0:09:24 > 0:09:28and then my dad carried me in our house and then I was screaming
0:09:28 > 0:09:31on the floor.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36Where did it bite you?
0:09:36 > 0:09:39- On here.- Did you feel its teeth go in?- Yeah.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43- And then what happened to your body? - It all swell up like that.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47It changed colour, like black and red and...
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- Your leg went black and red and blue?- Mm-hmm.
0:09:50 > 0:09:53I'm really glad you're all right.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56What should I do so I don't get bitten by a rattlesnake?
0:09:56 > 0:09:58You'd better watch out!
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Sierra was right, I had better watch out.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05'But luckily I was in safe hands for my rattlesnake liaison.'
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Where's the best place for me to stand?
0:10:07 > 0:10:10- You're out of the strike range.- Woah.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13'Dr Sean Bush is an all round snake expert.'
0:10:13 > 0:10:16He wanted me to meet a captive snake,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18but to ensure our safety, and the snake's,
0:10:18 > 0:10:23he encouraged it into a plastic tube so I could have a closer look.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28- Just make sure he's good and in. - Yeah, let's do that!
0:10:30 > 0:10:31There he is.
0:10:31 > 0:10:36Oh! I'm eyeball to eyeball with a rattlesnake.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- I'm going to stay right here. - He's strong.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Aww, you can feel how strong he is, too.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Ohh!
0:10:48 > 0:10:51- Long as you don't panic, we're good.- I am panicking.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55- If you get bit, then it's OK to panic.- Ha-ha!#
0:10:58 > 0:11:03- Wow, holding something that has the power to kill me.- Absolutely.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10They're seriously scary snakes and a sizzling number seven.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14In at six, it's a tiny,
0:11:14 > 0:11:18but terrible, bloodsucking beast - the paralysis tick.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23No bigger than your finger tip,
0:11:23 > 0:11:28the paralysis tick doesn't look like much, but looks can be deceiving.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31These miniature monsters can bring down animals many,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34many times their size, with one single bite.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43They prey on the bats of Northern Australia's rainforests, and
0:11:43 > 0:11:48once they've latched on, they inject a toxin that paralyses their victim.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51They can feed on a bat for several weeks, swelling to many
0:11:51 > 0:11:56times their original size, as they gorge on their unlucky host.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06I went out looking for bats that had been affected by this parasite,
0:12:06 > 0:12:09with Jenny from the Tolga Bat Hospital.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11And we quickly found our first patient.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- Oh, oh, oh!- Here's one.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Poor little thing.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- Aw, poor thing.- Here you go.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22There you go, sweetheart.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25See if we can help you.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29- We're going to remove this tick, now, then?- Yeah we will.
0:12:29 > 0:12:30Let's get it off. Ughh!
0:12:32 > 0:12:37In peak tick season, the Tolga bat hospital deals with 50 adult and
0:12:37 > 0:12:4230 baby bats per day, and they're all victims of these toxic ticks.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51- Ooh, that's horrible. - Now this is...
0:12:51 > 0:12:53I tried to help Jenny remove the tick,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56but it was pretty stomach churning!
0:12:56 > 0:12:59After the ticks are removed, the bats recover in the hospital,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02and are eventually returned to the wild.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06A tiny, tick that can drink its own weight in blood, and paralyses
0:13:06 > 0:13:10its victims, is definitely the stuff that bad dreams are made of!
0:13:10 > 0:13:13We're halfway through our countdown,
0:13:13 > 0:13:15and we've had a bad-tempered bird,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18a terrifying skydive...
0:13:20 > 0:13:23..a scavenging snail,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26a venomous viper,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30and a bloodsucking, paralysing tick -
0:13:30 > 0:13:33what could be worse than all of those?
0:13:33 > 0:13:37It's going to be those perfect predators that have given me
0:13:37 > 0:13:39nightmares for as long as I can remember -
0:13:39 > 0:13:41sharks!
0:13:44 > 0:13:48I've always been petrified of sharks.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51There are nearly 500 species in the world,
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and for most of my life, I've happily avoided them all.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Their rows of razor sharp teeth fill me with fear,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01their sleek, menacing appearance gives me the creeps, and their
0:14:01 > 0:14:05well-earned position at the top of the food chain has always made me
0:14:05 > 0:14:08confident that staying away from them was the sensible option.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17But for this series, I decided to confront my fear
0:14:17 > 0:14:22and with the help and support of some die-hard shark lovers,
0:14:22 > 0:14:27I found myself taking a dip in shark-infested waters.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32If Backshall can do it, I can do it.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Blacktip sharks are fast,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54fierce pack hunters that work as a team to hunt small fish.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01So when I got into the water, it wasn't with one or two,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04I came face to face with about 30 of them.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Ohh! Quite simply, the most terrifying
0:15:20 > 0:15:22thing I've ever done.
0:15:22 > 0:15:28That was unbelievably scary, but brilliant.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32I think sharks will always make me nervous,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35so they're definitely still a bit of a nightmare to me.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38But having shared the sea with all those blacktips,
0:15:38 > 0:15:40and seen that they didn't want to harm me,
0:15:40 > 0:15:45I don't think I can call them my worst nightmare anymore.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48It's another face-off for fourth place,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51but this time between two nightmare challenges -
0:15:51 > 0:15:54spending the night sleeping out
0:15:54 > 0:15:57in the scorpion-infested Australian outback,
0:15:57 > 0:16:01versus delving deep underground into a dark, dismal cave.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06Two equally unappealing challenges, but which will make my top ten?
0:16:11 > 0:16:14First up, my scorpion sleepover.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18Not only was I expected to camp out in the middle of the desert,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22I had to camp with no tent, and to make matters worse,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25before going to bed, some Aussie experts took me out
0:16:25 > 0:16:29to see exactly how many nightmare critters I could end up
0:16:29 > 0:16:31sharing my sleeping bag with.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33Ohh, really!
0:16:34 > 0:16:36- Number two.- Oh.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39There's number three.
0:16:40 > 0:16:41Here's number four.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43That's number six.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46OK, just be on the lookout for death adders as well.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Oh, are you joking?
0:16:48 > 0:16:52- Eight.- Is that eight? - That's eight!- Eight.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58So, as I checked my sleeping bag for invaders,
0:16:58 > 0:17:03it looked like it was going to be a long, sleepless night.
0:17:14 > 0:17:15RUSTLING
0:17:15 > 0:17:17What was that?
0:17:23 > 0:17:27I somehow made it through the night, but I didn't get much sleep!
0:17:27 > 0:17:31So what could be worse than spending a night amongst all those
0:17:31 > 0:17:33creepy crawlies?
0:17:33 > 0:17:36How about going somewhere that's dark, confined,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39and brimming with unsavoury critters?
0:17:41 > 0:17:43I'm talking about caves.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- Are you guys behind me? - Now we get low.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- Oh, no.- And this is where you start crawling.- Oh, steady.
0:17:51 > 0:17:55'In South Africa, I headed underground with a particularly
0:17:55 > 0:17:58'enthusiastic caving doctor.'
0:17:58 > 0:17:59Right, follow me!
0:17:59 > 0:18:02Poo! It absolutely pongs.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05What's this I'm lying on?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07- Bat droppings.- Is this bat droppings?
0:18:07 > 0:18:11- It can be quite dangerous, can't it? - In large quantities, yes.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Guano harbours a lot of fungi
0:18:15 > 0:18:18and that causes my favourite disease...
0:18:20 > 0:18:21Which is?
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Acute benign pulmonary histoplasmosis.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30And bats and their droppings aren't the only nightmares underground.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32Anything that lives in a cave
0:18:32 > 0:18:36has to be able to survive in complete darkness.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39And caves around the world are renowned for harbouring
0:18:39 > 0:18:41some real nightmares.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45From hideous giant centipedes, to creepy crustaceans
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and bizarre blind salamanders.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Sleeping out with all those scorpions was scary,
0:18:54 > 0:18:57but for me, going caving was worse.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Being in the dark with dangerous animals is bad enough,
0:19:00 > 0:19:05but add to that large quantities of poo, the fear of deadly diseases,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08and getting trapped - caving has got to have the fourth spot
0:19:08 > 0:19:10on my nightmare countdown.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15So what's going to take third place?
0:19:15 > 0:19:17It's those tiny, buzzing,
0:19:17 > 0:19:21bothersome, bloodsuckers - mosquitoes.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Oh, go away!
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Oh. Ahh.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28They've accompanied us pretty much everywhere we've been
0:19:28 > 0:19:30and I can't bear them!
0:19:31 > 0:19:33Ohhhh!
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Oh, oh, oh, oh.
0:19:35 > 0:19:40Eeeh. I hate that noise, when it's right by your ear. Bzzz. Bzz.
0:19:40 > 0:19:41Eughh.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43And whilst they're annoying for me,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46they can be a real menace to wildlife.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50It's only the females that bite
0:19:50 > 0:19:52and they need blood to make their eggs.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55They track us down by our movement, our smell
0:19:55 > 0:19:59and by the carbon dioxide in our breath.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03Then they land on their target, stick their sharp proboscis in,
0:20:03 > 0:20:06and suck until their abdomen is full with blood!
0:20:08 > 0:20:11And they are pretty hard to escape because there are more than
0:20:11 > 0:20:153,000 species, and they're found almost everywhere in the world.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17They're everywhere.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20So they're ever present, they bite, they suck our blood
0:20:20 > 0:20:23and they definitely deserve a space in the top three.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31We're only one nightmare away from the top spot now.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33It's time for the runner up,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36and it's an animal that's not to be messed with.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42Small, feisty and renowned for punching way above its weight,
0:20:42 > 0:20:44it's the honey badger.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Honey badgers are fierce, aggressive and utterly unafraid.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53In fact they're often referred to as the most fearless
0:20:53 > 0:20:55animal on the planet.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58Their tough skin is impermeable to the stings of bees,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and they're even immune to the venom of some snakes!
0:21:01 > 0:21:03And if all that wasn't enough to make them
0:21:03 > 0:21:07a nightmare contender, they're unbelievably clever too.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10NAOMI GASPS
0:21:10 > 0:21:14When I was in South Africa, I met a particularly intelligent
0:21:14 > 0:21:16honey badger, with wildlife man, Brian,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19who was well aware of their ferocious reputation!
0:21:19 > 0:21:23With the help of a stick, we were given a superb
0:21:23 > 0:21:26demonstration of their incredible ingenuity.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31He's looking to see if he can get out with the stick now.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35Watch this, he's going to carry it on his back, then he puts it up.
0:21:35 > 0:21:36NAOMI GASPS
0:21:36 > 0:21:38Cheeky thing!
0:21:38 > 0:21:42He's watching me. He knows when he gets up, I'll push him down.
0:21:42 > 0:21:44He can't get out.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Oh, I am nervous of him.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54NAOMI LAUGHS
0:21:57 > 0:22:00He is, he's coming up.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04Wow, he's so intelligent. He's coming up.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06Don't, you'll buzz yourself!
0:22:06 > 0:22:09He's persistent, I'll give him that.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11See the back legs?
0:22:11 > 0:22:13So now he knows that could
0:22:13 > 0:22:15potentially get him out of here.
0:22:15 > 0:22:17He knows and he'll make a plan.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19There he goes with his stick.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- He's going to put his stick up again. - You can really see him
0:22:22 > 0:22:26- thinking of what to do next.- He's scheming.- Figuring out his strategy.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31'Trying to get the stick back, wasn't so simple!'
0:22:31 > 0:22:34I want your stick. Come here.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Ohh!
0:22:37 > 0:22:41- He's got, he's got it up. There it is.- Ohh!
0:22:41 > 0:22:44- He won't let go. - Be careful. Be careful.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46- He's going to get my hand now.- No!
0:22:48 > 0:22:49Oh!
0:22:49 > 0:22:51HONEY BADGER SNARLS
0:22:52 > 0:22:57We'll never get that stick away from him. No ways!
0:22:57 > 0:23:00So if the brave, brainy,
0:23:00 > 0:23:04honey badger wasn't my worst nightmare, then what was?
0:23:07 > 0:23:09It's time for my nightmare countdown.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13It's a tough bird at ten, the karate-kicking cassowary.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Plummeting in at nine, it's diving like a peregrine.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22Feeding on the bait at eight, it's the plough snail.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26Slithering in at seven, it's the mighty rattlesnake.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29In at six, it's paralysis ticks.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33There are fins at five, with blacktip sharks.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36Crawling on the floor at four, it's caving.
0:23:36 > 0:23:41Flying in at three, it's the menacing mosquito.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45Tactical two with the high IQ, it's the honey badger.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48So who is going to be my number one?
0:23:48 > 0:23:51What will take the top spot as my worst nightmare of nature?
0:23:51 > 0:23:54It's got to be that ancient,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56armoured, cold blooded killer,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58- the salt water crocodile.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Growing up to six metres long, these giant predators are the largest
0:24:08 > 0:24:12crocodiles in the world, and they have a fearsome reputation.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16Their massive jaws can deliver the most powerful bite ever
0:24:16 > 0:24:20recorded, and they're masters of the ambush attack.
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I went in search of them in the lagoons of Northern Australia.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32They're one of Australia's top predators,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35and they've been known to attack people,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37so I didn't want to get too close.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41Wow. Do we need to be quiet?
0:24:41 > 0:24:43No, no, he's good.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50I never thought I was going to get this close in the boat.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55SHE GASPS
0:24:55 > 0:24:57This one is enormous.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03Croc expert, Adam, explained how they hunt.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07They've got these incredibly powerful jaws, as we all know,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11and the reason they've got these, is so they can clamp onto something.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14And then what they can do is use the rest of their body, which is
0:25:14 > 0:25:17basically pure muscle, to then rip it apart.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20What they do is something called the death roll. So they grab onto
0:25:20 > 0:25:24something and they start twisting their body. Give me your hand.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28- OK, so a crocodile has just grabbed you.- Yeah.- Then it starts to roll.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31You imagine that crocodile keeps rolling and keeps rolling.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35- It's all just going to come off. - Yeah, it's going to come off.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I didn't fancy that happening to me,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41so I was happy to stay in the safety of the boat.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45But, back at Adam's conservation centre, the crew had arranged
0:25:45 > 0:25:51for me to get a close up view of a salty, in his home, at lunchtime.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58Oh, I don't like underwater stuff.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02He is, he's looking straight up. Can see his teeth from up here.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Right, Naomi, deep breath. One, two, three...
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Getting into a tank with a predator the size of a small car
0:26:12 > 0:26:13was terrifying.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38Flippin' 'eck! This is taking every bit of courage I have got.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41Ohh!
0:26:41 > 0:26:43He's really intimidating.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47I wish I could put into words, how small I feel.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59'Just as I was getting more confident, Adam served up lunch.'
0:27:07 > 0:27:10Woah!
0:27:10 > 0:27:13LAUGHS NERVOUSLY
0:27:13 > 0:27:17I didn't realise that was going to happen and all of a sudden,
0:27:17 > 0:27:19he just opened his mouth. Ohh!
0:27:22 > 0:27:24That was pretty terrifying,
0:27:24 > 0:27:28and it certainly sealed the salty's place on my countdown.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31Yes, having witnessed the lightning fast strike of this giant
0:27:31 > 0:27:33crocodile at close quarters,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that this death rolling,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40muscle bound monster has got to be my worst nightmare.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Can you go steady?
0:27:46 > 0:27:49Oh! I'm trying to put lipstick on back here.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Oh, no!
0:27:52 > 0:27:54No!
0:27:54 > 0:27:56CREW LAUGHS
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Ah, you're joking!
0:28:04 > 0:28:10Ready to film. Right, what animal, what animal am I filming? Ready!
0:28:10 > 0:28:12Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd