Top 10 Worst Nightmares Naomi's Nightmares of Nature

-Welcome to my Nightmares of Nature.

-HOWLING

I'm Naomi Wilkinson.

Argh!

And I'm coming face to face with the nightmares of the animal world.

The ones that make your spine tingle...

..your heart beat faster...

Ah! Ha-ha!

..and your blood run cold.

Are they truly terrifying?

Ooh! Or is there a twist in the tail?

Whee-hee!

Come with me as I shine a light on wildlife's deepest, darkest secrets.

And see if you can guess which will be my worst nightmare.

'Throughout this series, I've come face-to-face

'with a whole host of nightmares of nature.

'In tracking them down, I've braved the darkness...'

NAOMI GASPS

Oh, I don't like that one!

'..battled the big chill...'

Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!

'..and submerged myself into a subterranean world.

'And my trusty crew have put me through my paces

'in an attempt to be like some of the animals I've met.'

I cannot believe I'm going to be sleeping up here, this high!

'But one thing's for certain, it's been a journey full of nightmares!'

Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!

Yes. Ooh!

'In this programme, I'll be counting down

'through my top ten worst nightmares of the series

'and revealing which one I have chosen

'to take the top spot as my very worst.

'Kicking off the countdown and in at number ten,

'it's a primeval predator with a seriously snappy reputation.

'The alligator snapping turtle.

'I went out looking for them in the swamps of Florida

'with wildlife expert, Jerry.

'But I don't think I was prepared for what I was about to see.'

I thought that was a turtle, but that's its head?

This is what we were talking about.

Oh! His head is as big as mine!

Whoa! Look at that!

Goodness me!

-Oh, my gosh!

-Wow!

He is so prehistoric and like a big dinosaur.

An angry one who's looking at me quite meanly.

I'm going to back off a bit.

'And I had every right to be fearful.

'Alligator snapping turtles will snap at anything that moves.

'Fish, birds, and reptiles are all on the menu.

'Inside their mouth is a tongue that looks like a worm,

'which the turtle uses as a lure.

'Tempting prey right into its giant jaws

'before snapping down with a powerful beak.'

What damage can he do with his beak?

Er...he could take your hand off.

-Are you serious?

-I'm dead serious.

'They're crammed with nightmare credentials.

'And having seen one of these titanic turtles in the flesh,

'they're definitely snapping up my number ten.

'Roaring into number nine,

'it's the haunting howls of a mysterious mammal.

'Which I heard deep in the jungles of Belize.'

-FAINT HOWLING

-(There, there! Can you hear that?)

HOWLING

Are we sure that dinosaurs are extinct?

Because it sounds like there is a Tyrannosaurus rex in that tree.

'Howler monkeys are thought to be

'the loudest land mammal in the world.

'These deep, resonating, guttural growls

'are made as a clear sign to other troops to keep their distance.

'And it wasn't until the sun rose in the jungle

'I saw the animal responsible for this riotous racket.'

HOWLING

The level of the sound coming from

just about five animals up there is unbelievable.

It's a monkey.

The calls of this monkey are so loud,

they can be heard across the jungle

from a distance of around two miles.

And I think you can believe that, listening to this racket.

They have a large pouch in their throats

and a specially-modified voice box

that allows them to amplify their voice!

VOICE ECHOES

A-hem!

Not even sure how I did that.

As warnings go, it's a pretty clear one.

'So the haunting howls of this jungle dweller

'make this loud-mouthed monkey a noisy number nine.

'Battling it out for number eight,

'it's the terrifying takeover of two alien invaders.

'The North American bullfrog

'versus the giant African land snail.

'Both have an astronomical appetite,

'but which one will eat up a place on my top ten list?

'The first one under the spotlight

'is the gluttonous giant African land snail.

'It might sound like the plot from a science-fiction B-movie,

'but in Florida's suburbs,

'these escaped pets are munching their way through hundreds of plants

'and even the plaster off people's walls.

'So Richard Gaskalla and his team

'are doing their best to control the problem.'

It doesn't sound much, but it's a giant snail.

It gets up to 20cm and can do a lot of damage.

'So we really needed to track them down.'

Here, here, here, here, here, here, here!

Here, here, here, here, here!

Snail! My first find!

Ooh! And there's another one!

Tiny little one hiding in there.

So I've just found my first few snails.

They don't look giant to me, they look tiny.

Those are probably weeks to maybe a month old at best.

'But back at snail defence HQ,

'Richard wanted to introduce me to the real problem.'

Richard, is this as big as they get?

No. That's an adult snail, but they get about twice that size.

-So they get very large.

-Double that?

I am very glad to be wearing these gloves

because he/she is making a lot of slime.

They are definitely slimy and leave a trail of slime

and excrement wherever they go.

So, it's not just slime, it's also their poo that's getting everywhere?

-Yes. And nobody likes snail poo.

-No.

'So these giant invaders are no doubt a nightmare

'and rampaging through the suburbs of Florida.

'But in the UK, I encountered another nightmare invader

'that could certainly rival it. The North American bullfrog.

'It's a titanic terror that arrived on ships from America

'hidden amongst garden pond plants.

'And now populations are starting to pop up around the UK.

'But with a voracious appetite

'and not at all fussy about what they eat,

'they're clearing out our garden ponds.

'I joined up with Jonathan Cranfield,

'who's been battling the bullfrog invasion.'

Oh! You've got it! You've got it!

Ooh, well done!

My goodness, that's huge!

That is huge!

I can see why that is going to cause a problem

for our own much smaller wildlife.

So this is a bullfrog.

You think this is a fully grown...?

Fully-grown female bullfrog, yeah. It's in the wrong place.

-If it was in the right place, it's not a problem.

-Yeah.

In the UK, we have isolated incidences

of frogs being found in the countryside.

We have found breeding populations over the last 20-odd years.

And that's what's the concern, that they're out there

and people not realising the big frog they see in their garden ponds

isn't meant to be there.

'With these frogs capable of laying up to 20,000 eggs at any one time,

'this problem could quickly get out of hand,

'turning into a totally terrifying takeover.

'So the bullfrog may be a bully and a definite top ten contender,

'but the relentless rampaging of the giant African land snail

'has beaten it for me.

'A massive mollusc that eats plants and plaster,

'leaving a slimy trail of destruction

'and poo wherever it goes.

'Now, that certainly earns its nightmare place at number eight.

'Sizing up seventh,

'it's the most dangerous animal in Alaska's Anchorage.

'It's the large, lumbering moose.

'With around 300 to 500 wild moose living in Anchorage

'alongside its human inhabitants, the chances of a run-in

'with one of these massive mammals is pretty high.

'As wildlife biologist Jesse and I found out.'

-There he is!

-Where, where?

-In front of us.

Ah! Look at it!

-He's got big old antlers, hasn't he?

-Yeah.

'A male moose can weigh over half a tonne

'and they use these lethal-looking weapons on their head

'to do battle with each other.

'So I was suddenly feeling really rather nervous

'about being this close to one.

'But Jesse wanted to take a closer look.'

Oh, my goodness!

'As this male had got himself in a bit of a tangle with a towrope.'

Now he's starting to come towards us. Now where do we go?

Come this way. No, this way, you guys, this way.

This way. Steve, this way.

Look at the size of him!

-Yeah.

-Those antlers are massive!

'Male moose shed their antlers in the winter.

'So although it may be a little annoying,

'this bull will soon be free of his towrope.

'Meaning Jesse's not worried about him at all.

'Me, on the other hand...'

I just feel so intimidated by an animal that size

with antlers that big because you know they could do you such damage.

If it doesn't want you there, just one little kick, ta-ta.

'So an up-close encounter with a mammoth moose

'sees it marching straight into seventh.'

'Scuttling in at six, it's a whole host of spine-tingling arachnids.

'I've certainly met my fair share

'of eight-legged creatures throughout this series.

'And been to the extremes to track them down.

'I've been deep underground

'to get a glimpse of a creepy cave-dwelling critter.'

Ooh! Ooh, sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

They're so creepy! Ho-ho-ho-ho!

'Headed deep into the desert to meet a tinsy-wincy spider

'with a wheely clever talent.

'And I've braved the darkness to trace a trio of terrors

'in the Costa Rican jungle.'

-Ah!

-There it is!

A trap door spider's home.

'A spider that has a rather startling way of catching its prey.'

When an insect walks on top of the door,

the spider will feel the vibration.

And it'll wait for the insect to walk off the door

and right at that moment, the spider will leap out,

grab the prey, pull it down into the home

and there it will have dinner.

'And unfortunately for me,

'this jungle was teeming with plenty more spine-chilling spiders.'

Oh, my word! Are you serious?!

That's the biggest web I've ever, ever seen!

'And this grand design was home to the golden orb spider.

'A spider that uses its web to capture its prey

'before delivering a deadly bite

'and liquefying the unfortunate victim

'and then sucking it up like a milkshake.

'Eurgh!

'And if that wasn't bad enough,

'the final spider on my jungle jaunt was even worse.'

Oh, I don't like that one!

This is the Bolivian wandering spider.

The venom is a neurotoxin, so it works very, very fast

and it can put down, say, a tree frog in a matter of seconds.

What would happen if we were bitten?

It could be deadly within two to 12 hours of the bite.

Whoa!

'So even though my fear of spiders is starting to subside,

'the contenders I've met throughout this series

'have still sent a shiver down my spine.

'And for that very reason,

'these arachnids are scurrying into sixth position.

'We've reached the halfway point of our countdown.

'And so far, we've had one seriously snappy customer,

'a very vocal primate that has a blood-curdling call,

'a mammoth mollusc that's on the rampage,

'a mighty mammal that's terrorising a town...

'..and a stack of scary spiders.

'Could anything be more of a nightmare?

'Battling it out for our midway crown, we have two contenders

'that look cute, but happen to be hiding some creepy credentials.

'It's the peculiar peccary and the ominous oxpecker.

'Flying in first is the oxpecker.

'A beautiful bird I was foolishly looking forward to meeting.'

Oh! They're quite cute, aren't they?

Ian, I think you're going to have your work cut out

trying to encourage me that these are a nightmare.

They're so lovely!

'But it was the revelations about what these pretty peckers do

'that soon changed my opinion.'

They are known in the softer-skinned animals to open up sores.

And then they actually feed on

little bits of flesh and blood that they can pull off.

-They feed on blood?

-Yeah.

'In fact, these vampire-like birds have a tantalizing taste for it.

'They get a lot of blood in their diet

'from the engorged ticks that they eat,

'but they also peck away at already-open wounds,

'exposing the fresh blood below.

'And they started to try it on us.'

Ooh, he's going to draw blood. Ooh, no! He hasn't, has he?

Oh, he has a little bit, there, look. He's drawn blood!

Oh, no! He's drawn blood on your ear now! Do you want a handkerchief?

It's fine. No, don't worry, I've got one.

Oh! Did I say birds were my favourite?

I'm changing my mind rapidly.

'So the oxpecker is no doubt a nightmare,

'but there's another crafty contender fishing for fifth place.

'It's the peculiar peccary.

'Who I met in Belize with zoo director, Sharon.

'On first appearances, Chanelle looked like a harmless hog.'

Look at your nose, it's fantastic!

-Down, Chanelle.

-It's like a dog, isn't it? Down, boy!

'But this cute behaviour didn't last long.'

Ooh, he's getting a bit cross now with us. Aaaahhh!

Chanelle has suddenly changed attitude completely.

'And when the rest of the herd turned up, things only got worse.'

Oh-ho-ho!

I'm glad I'm behind this fence.

GRUNTING

Ooh, scrap!

Chanelle is letting them all know he is what we call the alpha male.

'And he didn't particularly like our cameraman either.

'But even though this feisty fur ball has a deceptive demeanour,

'it's the oxpecker that has really flown into my nightmares.

'A beautiful bird that eats ticks, parasites and blood

'secures its place firmly in fifth.

'Swimming into fourth is the cantankerous cape fur seal.

'They may look sweet and innocent at first glance,

'but cape fur seals have a seriously bad attitude

'when it comes to getting on with each other.

'During the mating season,

'males fight fiercely over their territories.

'These combats are fought chest to chest

'and can inflict some serious injuries.

'And their bad attitude never lets up.

'Which local expert, Pieter, showed me on the beaches in Namibia.'

It's hard to keep a track of what's going on where.

Males roaring and sizing each other up.

It's just...activity everywhere.

It really is one big beach battle.

You can see their teeth!

I never would have thought they'd have teeth that size.

It's quite frightening to be this close.

'And even the tiny new pups were in the firing line of all this fury.'

You can see those pups right in between these two males fighting.

-How easily they could be in trouble.

-Exactly, yeah.

They just can't move out of the way fast enough, can they?

These big males are totally focused on what they are doing.

And in that process, 300-350kg of seal

can move over a tiny little one and injure them, even kill them.

'So their bolshie bad attitude sees the cape fur seal

'fight its way into fourth.

'With only three places left, what's made it onto my nightmare podium?

'My trusty crew have thrown some pretty hairy challenges at me

'throughout this series,

'but two of them have really pushed me to the limits.'

Oh! Come on, Naomi.

'So it's a battle of endurance in at third.

'And fighting it out for a place on the podium

'is a terrifying night spent high up in the tree canopy

'up against a chilling encounter in the crippling cold.

'But which one will win the spot?'

Pull it?

'First up, it's the terrifying tree sleep.

'To experience what it was like to sleep like a tent-making bat,

'my crew arranged for me to sleep high up in the trees.'

I cannot believe I'm going to be sleeping up here, this high!

That's ridiculous!

The...the reality of what we're about to do has just dawned on me.

'And as night fell, my fears turned into nightmares.

'And sleep became a distant memory.'

ANIMAL AND BIRD CALLS

2:52.

I've just been woken up by some very strange noises.

A really creepy noise.

GRUNTING

I don't know what is making that noise.

'So trying to sleep in a tree was suitably scary,

'but braving the bitter cold could certainly rival it.'

'In the winter months, animals in Alaska

'have to withstand temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius.

'Equivalent to living in a freezer.

'So, what better way to experience their frozen world?'

Just have a little look at the temperature I'm going into.

Oh! -22 Celsius.

'And, of course, to really feel it like the animals do,

'I had to leave all my winter clothes outside.'

-Here goes nothing.

-All right.

-After you.

Oh, I can feel the cold already!

-Yes.

-A-a-a-a-a-ah!

Yes.

All right?

'As the cold started to take effect,

'medical expert, Maureen, set me some quite simple challenges.'

Er...there!

NAOMI LAUGHS

Eight times eight?

I know my eight times table!

Eight...

'But even these seemed too difficult to manage.'

If I stayed in here a long time, what would happen to me eventually?

-You will die.

-OK. So, you would die?

That's right.

'So although a night spent at dizzy heights was truly terrifying,

'life in a freezer would be far, far worse.

'Temperatures that drop below -20

'that could freeze my blood and stop my heart.

'Now, that's a nightmare.

'Clinching it for the cold and catapulting it into third.

'Teaming up for second place,

'it's the skilful hunt of the African wild dog.

'Hunting in packs of up to 20 individuals, African wild dogs

'are the most efficient large carnivores in Africa,

'with over 80% of their hunts resulting in a kill.

'Their success is down to incredible teamwork and co-operation.

'And while I was out looking for them in Namibia with ranger, Tim,

'I was privileged enough to see them in action.'

Look at them all just stalking through the thicket, ears back!

They've got a job to do, this lot.

-There they go.

-And they're off!

'These determined dogs had their eye on an eland,

'the largest antelope in Namibia.'

-They've got it!

-Have they?

-They've got it.

-They've taken it down. Yes, there it is, over there.

NAOMI GASPS

You can see how efficiently they did that.

I'm sorry, I've never seen a kill before, so...

-Um...it's a very emotional thing to watch.

-Yeah.

On the upside, you can see how skinny this animal is.

And so it has been struggling

throughout this dry season in the drought in Namibia.

So it would most probably have died quite soon.

The condition's very poor.

And it's quite rough to see wild dogs do this,

but it's going back into the ecosystem.

-Instead of dying...

-And being wasted.

-..and being wasted,

it's feeding five little wild dog pups.

'So a tactical takedown takes position two.

'But if the hunt of the African wild dog wasn't my worst nightmare,

'then what was?

'It's time for my nightmare countdown.

'Position ten was snapped up by the alligator snapping turtle.

'Nipping in at nine, the haunting hollers of the howler monkey.

'Eating up eighth, it's a mighty mollusc.

'Charging into seventh, it's the mammoth moose.

'Scurrying in at six, it's the eight-legged arachnids.

'Flying into fifth is the outrageous oxpecker.

'Fur is flying at four with the crabby cape fur seal.

'Chilling out at three, it's the big freeze.

'And it's a tactical takedown at two,

'with the hunt of the African wild dog.

'So, who is going to be my number one?

'What will take the top spot as my worst nightmare of nature?

'It's got to be...

'3.5 tonnes of humungous,

'aggressive, highly-territorial hippo!

'One of the most aggressive animals in the world,

'the hippo is responsible for killing more people in Africa

'than any other large mammal.

'Males are highly territorial

'and defend their stretch of the river ruthlessly.

'With their razor-sharp colossal canines,

'they can inflict some serious damage.

'And while I was in the waterways of South Africa with ranger, Stacey,

'she certainly put this aggression in perspective.'

You work with a lot of dangerous animals in your job, don't you?

-Mm-hm.

-Are you afraid of any of the animals?

Hippos.

-SNARLING

-Did you hear that?

Hippos can bite crocodiles of 3m in half.

Right. OK. Hippos are well scary!

You wouldn't want to mess with a hippo.

'Hippos give little warning to their attack

'and can charge in the water or on land.

'And don't be fooled by their size.

'These humungous hippos can reach speeds of up to 25mph.

'Armed with all of these frightening facts,

'my crew thought it would be a good idea

'for me to come face-to-face with a rescued hippo.

'And Jessica wasn't shy about introducing herself.'

-Can you reach here?

-Yes. Ooh!

'Although this was close enough for me, Toni had other ideas.'

Oh, good grief, look at the size of those teeth!

-Like this? Yeah?

-That's it.

-Just keep on feeding.

-Oh!

I can't believe I am feeding a hippo.

Yes, it's a great honour feeding her.

She is a wild hippo.

But you would never get this close to a wild hippo, would you?

-Yes, you would.

-Well, apart from Jessica.

You won't live to tell the tale.

LAUGHTER

'And for that reason, hippos have to take the top spot.

'Jessica may have been the exception,

'but behind their endearing eyes,

'hippos have a well-hidden temper.

'Making this humungous, giant jouster

'my worst nightmare.'

How I arrive for the zoo!

LAUGHTER