0:00:02 > 0:00:04Welcome to my nightmares of nature.
0:00:07 > 0:00:08I'm Naomi Wilkinson...
0:00:08 > 0:00:10SHE SCREAMS
0:00:10 > 0:00:13..and I'm coming face-to-face with the nightmares of the animal world.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20The ones that make your spine tingle...
0:00:21 > 0:00:23'..your heart beat faster...'
0:00:25 > 0:00:27..and your blood run cold.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Are they truly terrifying?
0:00:31 > 0:00:33Or is there a twist in the tale?
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Come with me as I shine a light
0:00:37 > 0:00:40on wildlife's deepest, darkest secrets...
0:00:41 > 0:00:45..and see if you can guess which will be my worst nightmare.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Hello. This time I am in Central America,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54exploring the deepest, darkest jungles of Costa Rica
0:00:54 > 0:00:56and if it's nightmares that you're after,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58then this really is the place to be.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Costa Rica may only be a small country,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06but its jungles are big on wildlife.
0:01:06 > 0:01:07I'll meet a colourful character
0:01:07 > 0:01:09'with a toxic taste in fashion...'
0:01:09 > 0:01:11What can you see?
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Wow!
0:01:13 > 0:01:16'..investigate the horrific habits of high-level hanger-on...'
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Wait, wait, wait, what? They only go to the toilet once a week?
0:01:19 > 0:01:21Once a week.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24'And scale to new heights for a surprisingly scary sleepover...'
0:01:24 > 0:01:28I cannot believe I'm going to be sleeping up here this high.
0:01:28 > 0:01:33But before all of that, it's time to face one of my greatest fears.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I have been scared of spiders since I was a little girl,
0:01:38 > 0:01:40but during my search for nature's nightmares,
0:01:40 > 0:01:44I have overcome my fears several times.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47Oh-oh-oh!
0:01:47 > 0:01:50- Right, there we go.- Ohhh...
0:01:50 > 0:01:54But the jungles here in Costa Rica are absolutely crawling
0:01:54 > 0:01:58with spiders of all different shapes and sizes,
0:01:58 > 0:02:00so when it comes to my own personal nightmare,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03a trip in here is going to be the ultimate test.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05At least I don't have to do it in the dark.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10Oh, you are kidding me!
0:02:18 > 0:02:19Yes, unfortunately for me,
0:02:19 > 0:02:22the best time to see the eight-legged residents
0:02:22 > 0:02:24of the rainforest is at night.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29My guide for this nocturnal nightmare is spider fanatic
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Tracie Stice...
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Now, a lot of people like me are scared of spiders.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36Why do you love them?
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Oh, I think they're the most incredible creatures on the planet.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42So do you think I could learn to love spiders?
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I think anybody could
0:02:44 > 0:02:46and I think everybody should.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50So Tracie believes she can turn my fear to fascination.
0:02:50 > 0:02:53Her plan is to show me three very different spiders,
0:02:53 > 0:02:55but will any of them persuade me
0:02:55 > 0:02:59that they aren't just a total nightmare?
0:02:59 > 0:03:03I have something really incredible to show you here.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06- Oh, dare I ask what it is? - Oh, you're going to love this.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09- Really?- I would say, for the spider enthusiast,
0:03:09 > 0:03:13this is one of the top five spiders to see in the world.
0:03:13 > 0:03:14Wow.
0:03:15 > 0:03:22Right here, we've got the door to a trapdoor spider's home.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- I do not know how you knew that was there.- Let's open it.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30- Would the spider come out? - I think we'll see it.- OK.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34- NAOMI GASPS - There it is.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40- Oh!- It just closed the door. - It just closed the door.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42It went, "Get off, leave me alone."
0:03:42 > 0:03:43Talk me through what it's doing.
0:03:43 > 0:03:46When an insect walks on top of the door,
0:03:46 > 0:03:51the spider will feel the vibration and from that, it will analyse if
0:03:51 > 0:03:55it's capable of taking the creature on. It will wait for the insect
0:03:55 > 0:04:00to walk off the door and right at that moment the spider will leap out,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03grab the prey, pull it down into the home
0:04:03 > 0:04:05and there it will have dinner.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07Oh, sounds pretty nightmarish.
0:04:07 > 0:04:11The spiders dig these holes themselves, then use silk and soil
0:04:11 > 0:04:13to make the ingenious camouflage door.
0:04:13 > 0:04:15DOOR CREAKS
0:04:15 > 0:04:17How venomous is this spider?
0:04:17 > 0:04:19They do pack a punch,
0:04:19 > 0:04:22but it's not a spider that we would really need to be concerned about,
0:04:22 > 0:04:29because they spend their entire lives hidden away inside their home.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Well, it may be a nightmare to a passing bug,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34but with all that door-slamming,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36I actually find these spiders rather comical.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39DOOR SLAMS LOUDLY
0:04:39 > 0:04:41What will I make of spider number two?
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- Oh, Naomi take a look at this. - Oh, my word. Are you serious?
0:04:45 > 0:04:48- That's the biggest web I've ever, ever seen.- Isn't it amazing?
0:04:48 > 0:04:51Hang on, let me come over there.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56This is Latin America's largest orb-spinning spider.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59It's called the golden orb spider.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02And I can see why, it's got kind of golden dots all over its body.
0:05:02 > 0:05:07Yeah, and actually the silk itself is this brilliant gold colour
0:05:07 > 0:05:10and that's why it gives it its common name...
0:05:10 > 0:05:15Oh, yes. Like it's made with golden thread. Wow.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18- Oh, oh, oh, something's just landed in her web.- Uh-huh.
0:05:18 > 0:05:22- So what's she doing? - Well, she's going to envenomate it...
0:05:22 > 0:05:23- By biting it?- Uh-huh.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27And there she's delivering the deadly bite.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30So that will kill that moth quite quickly, will it?
0:05:30 > 0:05:34Basically, what they're going to do is liquefy the contents of the insect
0:05:34 > 0:05:37and then they're going to slurp it up like you would a milkshake.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39Eww.
0:05:41 > 0:05:46This silk is actually stronger than steel, stronger than Kevlar,
0:05:46 > 0:05:52so now you could take this and turn it right into a bulletproof vest.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54Wow. That's incredible.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Would you like to harvest some spider silk?
0:05:58 > 0:06:00- Can we do that? - We can try.- Yeah, OK.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03So what we're going to do is just gently ask our spider
0:06:03 > 0:06:06to come to a more open area.
0:06:06 > 0:06:12Now, as she moves, she leaves behind a line of non-sticky silk
0:06:12 > 0:06:17and if we just grab a hold of that, we can just, hand over hand,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19pull it right from the spider.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24So you've got it, you've got it.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26I've got it, I've got it!
0:06:26 > 0:06:28- There we go.- So now I'm attached to this spider?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30If I just keep pulling, she keeps making it?
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Uh-huh, and you're pulling that right from the rear-end of the spider.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37- This doesn't hurt her, or bother her?- No, not at all.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39And she can just make as much as she needs?
0:06:39 > 0:06:40Well, there would be a limit,
0:06:40 > 0:06:45but you might get a total of, say, 1,000ft, if she would let you.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48That's 300m,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52enough silk to stretch the length of three football pitches.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57Wow. It's like lovely blonde hair.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00And despite all our technology,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04we can't come up with something of equal quality,
0:07:04 > 0:07:07nothing as strong and as elastic as spider silk.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11- That is naturally beautiful, isn't it?- It's incredible.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17So with its stylish looks and stunning silk,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21I have to admit that the golden orb weaver doesn't seem creepy, either.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Can I really get through three spiders without a single scare?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Look what we've got here.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31What? Where?
0:07:31 > 0:07:35It is actually one of the world's most dangerous spiders.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38- Where, where, where? - Come over here.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41Right there.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Oh, I don't like that one!
0:07:43 > 0:07:46This is the Bolivian wandering spider.
0:07:46 > 0:07:48There's actually eight species.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Their scientific name is phoneutria boliviensis
0:07:52 > 0:07:56and "phoneutria" is the Greek word for "murderess".
0:07:57 > 0:07:59So we're not picking this one up?
0:07:59 > 0:08:02- No, definitely not.- Good.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06The venom is a neurotoxin, so it works very, very fast
0:08:06 > 0:08:10and it can put down, say, a tree frog in a matter of seconds.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14What would happen if we were bitten?
0:08:14 > 0:08:18If you did receive a full venom load,
0:08:18 > 0:08:23it could be deadly within two to 12 hours of the bite.
0:08:23 > 0:08:24Whoa!
0:08:24 > 0:08:28If you were to put your finger even slightly near this spider,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31it would likely pounce on.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33If you were to shake your hand...
0:08:33 > 0:08:38It might even be difficult to shake it off and when you finally do,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42it will just sit back down on that leaf as though nothing ever happened.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Urgh, creepy.
0:08:44 > 0:08:46It's a very bold spider.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52- You need to treat this spider with a lot of respect?- Definitely.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54You know, these spiders,
0:08:54 > 0:08:58they are not only one of the most venomous in Latin America,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01but they are also one of the most aggressive.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04So there you have it,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08three dates in the dark with three very different spiders.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11I survived!
0:09:11 > 0:09:15As night-time strolls go, this was definitely on the scary side,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18but even for someone like me who's nervous around spiders,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20it is incredible to see the ingenious ways
0:09:20 > 0:09:22they have of catching prey.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25It does not, however, take a genius to work out which one gave me
0:09:25 > 0:09:26the biggest shivers.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Because of its aggressive attitude and its virulent venom,
0:09:29 > 0:09:33the creepy wandering spider is in with a very good chance
0:09:33 > 0:09:35of being my worst nightmare.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Here on Nightmares Of Nature we love the unexpected
0:09:41 > 0:09:44and when it comes to weird wildlife, my next jungle critter
0:09:44 > 0:09:48is head and shoulders above the competition.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51There is an animal that lives here in Costa Rica
0:09:51 > 0:09:53that spends almost all of its life up in the trees.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Half of that time it's sleeping,
0:09:55 > 0:09:58the other half its just hanging around.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Sounds more like a dream than a nightmare.
0:10:03 > 0:10:08The sloth is a tree-living mammal, native to Central and South America
0:10:08 > 0:10:10and, as its name suggests,
0:10:10 > 0:10:12it doesn't like to do things in a hurry.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15In fact, these furry forest residents
0:10:15 > 0:10:18are the kings of taking it easy.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22But is being a sloth really all rest and relaxation?
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Or can life in the slow lane be a bit of a nightmare?
0:10:32 > 0:10:34I'm at the Toucan Rescue Ranch,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38a wildlife rehabilitation centre run by Leslie Howle...
0:10:40 > 0:10:44..and she's about to introduce me to one of their newest arrivals.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46So, Leslie, who do we have here?
0:10:46 > 0:10:48- This is little Cooper.- Cooper.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51He's a young three-toed sloth
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and he came in from the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, he was rescued.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Why are they this slow?
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Well, they're slow because they're conserving their energy.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04They eat leaves and there's not a whole lot in the leaves and so they
0:11:04 > 0:11:11want to take that energy and only use it when they absolutely have to.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Does their slowness make them really vulnerable to predation?
0:11:15 > 0:11:20Yes, when they're up in the tops of the trees,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24they could be prey for Harpy eagles and so eagles and hawks
0:11:24 > 0:11:27and things like that will take a young sloth.
0:11:27 > 0:11:32And then when they come down once a week to potty, they...
0:11:32 > 0:11:35Wait, wait, wait, wait...what? They only go to the toilet once a week?
0:11:35 > 0:11:36Once a week.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38That sounds uncomfortable!
0:11:40 > 0:11:45Yes, with a blistering average speed of about 1 metre a minute,
0:11:45 > 0:11:48a sloth has to choose its toilet breaks very carefully.
0:11:49 > 0:11:54If a predator spots them on the ground, they've no chance of escape.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56RUDE NOISES
0:11:56 > 0:12:02So they prefer to hold it all in for a gut-busting seven days at a time.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05TOILET FLUSHES
0:12:07 > 0:12:10Before he climbs too far away, might I be able to hold him?
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Yes, let me go and see if I can bring him back down.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18I'll grab this blanket, shall I?
0:12:21 > 0:12:24Come here then Cooper, come and say hi.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27I'm expecting him to feel all wiry like a coconut.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30- He's actually really soft.- Is he? - And he's got these...- Yes, he is.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32..big claws that he's just going to clamp on.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35He's giving your hair a comb.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37So, are they for climbing?
0:12:37 > 0:12:39For climbing and for reaching leaves
0:12:39 > 0:12:43and they're also a way to defend themselves. They can take the claws
0:12:43 > 0:12:44- and go wheesh!- Oh.- They can scratch.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47- Don't do that to me, please. - And try to defend themselves.
0:12:47 > 0:12:48Now he looks ever so neat and tidy,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50you obviously care for him very well,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53but they're not always this clean in the wild, are they?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Right, in the wild he would have this nice green, like, tint to him,
0:12:56 > 0:12:59which is moss and algae that are growing in the fur,
0:12:59 > 0:13:02just like you see in the rainforest in the trees,
0:13:02 > 0:13:05and then along in that would be these little tiny moths
0:13:05 > 0:13:10and all kinds of bugs that live within him like his own ecosystem,
0:13:10 > 0:13:13like a moving little rainforest.
0:13:13 > 0:13:14Yuck.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18So the life of the sedentary sloth
0:13:18 > 0:13:21may not be as straight-forward as it seems.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Yes, sleeping and hanging around all day might sound like
0:13:24 > 0:13:26a very nice way to spend your time,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30but eating leaves for every single meal, having to wait a week
0:13:30 > 0:13:34between toilet trips and having bugs crawling all over your body...
0:13:34 > 0:13:38that certainly sounds like a nightmare of nature to me.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44When it comes to a line-up of nature's biggest nightmares,
0:13:44 > 0:13:47this part of the world can provide quite a few...
0:13:47 > 0:13:49but there is one colourful character that
0:13:49 > 0:13:53lives in the jungles of Central and South America which I think
0:13:53 > 0:13:57deserves pride of place on a list of notorious nightmare offenders
0:13:57 > 0:14:01and its identity might just surprise you...
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Talk about toxic animals and most people think of the three S's,
0:14:05 > 0:14:09spiders, snakes and scorpions.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11But lots of other creatures use venom and poison
0:14:11 > 0:14:14for attack or defence.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17And there's one creature in this jungle that has taken toxic terror
0:14:17 > 0:14:19to a totally new level.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24To help me track down this mysterious animal,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27I've enlisted the help of local guide, Emmanuel.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35CREATURE CHIRPS LOUDLY
0:14:38 > 0:14:42We can definitely hear them, so we know they're all around us,
0:14:42 > 0:14:44it's just a matter of finding one.
0:14:48 > 0:14:49What can you see?
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I don't know if you can see it cos it is very, very small,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59but that there is the animal we have come to find.
0:14:59 > 0:15:00It's a frog.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Now that might sound crazy, because you wouldn't normally think
0:15:03 > 0:15:05of a frog as a nightmare of nature,
0:15:05 > 0:15:09but this is a poison dart frog.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11FROG CHIRPS
0:15:17 > 0:15:19So Emmanuel has managed to grab one of these frogs
0:15:19 > 0:15:21so we can have a good look at it.
0:15:21 > 0:15:25I need to wash my hands with water first. A little bit of agua.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27Thank you.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31- That's to keep the frog safe, to protect the frog.- Yeah.- OK.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36- OK.- Will it stay still?
0:15:36 > 0:15:40Oh! Tiny. Tiny little frog..
0:15:40 > 0:15:44So this is a strawberry poison dart frog.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48The Spanish name for this frog is rana con pantalones,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52blue jeans frog, because of its bright blue legs.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55There are hundreds of different types of poison dart frog
0:15:55 > 0:15:59and they all come in an incredible array of bright colours.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05But those bright colours aren't just for decoration,
0:16:05 > 0:16:08they actually serve as a warning to any would-be predator,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13because making a meal of this tiny frog would be a really bad idea.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15They secrete their poison through their skin,
0:16:15 > 0:16:20so even touching this frog could make you very, very sick.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Which means it doesn't matter that they stick out like a sore thumb,
0:16:23 > 0:16:26because predators associate their bright colours
0:16:26 > 0:16:28with a mouthful of lethal poison.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32All poison dart frogs are toxic to varying degrees.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Luckily for me, this one doesn't have particularly strong poison,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40but its close relative, the golden poison dart frog,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43is one of the most toxic animals on the planet.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47Its tiny body holds enough poison to kill, get this, ten people.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55A frog might not be the most obvious nightmare animal, but this
0:16:55 > 0:17:00tiny amphibian packs just as much toxic terror as any snake or spider,
0:17:00 > 0:17:05so I think it just has to be in with a shout of being my worst nightmare.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Before I leave Costa Rica, I've heard there's another creature
0:17:11 > 0:17:13living in this part of the rainforest
0:17:13 > 0:17:17which I think would be perfect for a show about nature's nightmares.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21Bats are classic creatures of the night,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24mysterious cave dwellers clad all in black,
0:17:24 > 0:17:27which only emerge after the sun sets,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29in search of unsuspecting victims.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34These dastardly denizens of the dark, with their fearsome fangs
0:17:34 > 0:17:38and wily ways, have been scaring us all for centuries...
0:17:38 > 0:17:41but do the bats here in the Costa Rican jungle
0:17:41 > 0:17:43live up this petrifying persona?
0:17:49 > 0:17:53'To investigate, I've teamed up with scientist Adriana.'
0:17:57 > 0:18:00We're just setting up this special bat-catching net
0:18:00 > 0:18:03which is designed to trap the bat as it flies out,
0:18:03 > 0:18:05but it won't hurt or damage the bat in any way,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08it'll just give us the opportunity to get a really good look at it.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11So once this is all set up, we just have to stand back
0:18:11 > 0:18:13and wait and see what flies by.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24- IN THE DISTANCE:- We caught one, we caught one!
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Ooh, come and see, come and see.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31We've got one already.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37That happened so fast.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41Ah! Teeny-tiny.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Adriana, we've got it out of the net.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46'Time to meet this bone-chilling monster of the night.'
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Oh, wow.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52That is the tiniest, cutest little bat I've ever seen.
0:18:52 > 0:18:59- What species is this?- This is a Honduran white bat.- And it's white!
0:18:59 > 0:19:00- Yes.- That's so unusual, isn't it?
0:19:00 > 0:19:02I've never seen a bat like that before.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06Does being white make it difficult for it to hunt at night?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Does everything see it coming?
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Well, this bat is... didn't hunt.
0:19:11 > 0:19:17- These bats are frugivores, so they eat fruit.- Fruit eaters, ah.- Yes.
0:19:17 > 0:19:23And this bat, this species of bat, eats only one fruit.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26- It eats a little fig. - A fig.- Yes.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28So, being white is not a problem, really,
0:19:28 > 0:19:31- cos figs don't need to run away from it.- No.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35So we've had a good look at it, shall we let it fly away?
0:19:35 > 0:19:40- Yes, it's time for dinner. - OK, let it go and find some figs.
0:19:42 > 0:19:44You're free!
0:19:44 > 0:19:45And it's gone.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51So these Honduran white bats don't fit the nightmare image at all.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Unlike other species of bat, they don't dress in black
0:19:54 > 0:19:57and they don't stalk victims in the night.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Next you'll be telling me they don't live in caves.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Well, believe it or not, that's true.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Because Honduran white bats are also called tent-making bats.
0:20:11 > 0:20:12'To find out more,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15'I'm heading back to where the bats hang out during the day.'
0:20:19 > 0:20:25So here we have our tent-making bats roosted under this leaf and we
0:20:25 > 0:20:28need to be really quiet and careful because we don't want to spook them.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Now, Adriana, it looks like they're just hanging
0:20:31 > 0:20:33under a regular leaf, but that's not true, is it?
0:20:33 > 0:20:38No, it's not. This is a bat tent and the bats make it.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40How do they make that?
0:20:40 > 0:20:47It's really interesting, because the bat use their teeth, so it bites
0:20:47 > 0:20:51the leaf and then the leaf will fall just in the shape that you can see.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57So with a simple nibble of the stem, the bats have a ready-made tent.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00And this gives them protection from the wind and the rain.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04From the wind and the rain, yes. It's like your home, for example.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Nice and snug and warm in there.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10And not only does it protect against the weather,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14it also hides the bats from predators, because the sunlight
0:21:14 > 0:21:18that passes through the leaves makes their white fur appear green,
0:21:18 > 0:21:21perfect camouflage for the jungle.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Are they all asleep at the moment?
0:21:24 > 0:21:27Right now, yeah. At day, they usually sleep.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30That's all they do, all day, hang around upside down, asleep?
0:21:30 > 0:21:32Asleep and scratching...
0:21:32 > 0:21:34- That's it.- And then asleep again.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Tough life for a bat.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43So it seems that tent-making bats are just full of surprises.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45They're a completely different colour to most other bats,
0:21:45 > 0:21:49their favourite prey is fruit and instead of caves, they live
0:21:49 > 0:21:52in specially designed leaf tents that they've made for themselves.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54So one thing is absolutely certain,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57they are not a nightmare of nature!
0:21:59 > 0:22:01Might have guessed there'd be one more surprise.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04"Naomi, tent-making bats may not be a nocturnal nightmare,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07"but their habit of hanging above the forest floor
0:22:07 > 0:22:10"sounds like a seriously scary way to sleep...
0:22:10 > 0:22:13"so we hope you have a head for heights?"
0:22:13 > 0:22:15Oh, dear.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Yes, my crew ever inventive crew have arranged for me
0:22:21 > 0:22:24to spend the night camping out in my very own tent...
0:22:25 > 0:22:27..up a tree!
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Now, they may only roost 1m or 2m above the ground,
0:22:31 > 0:22:34but when you consider the size of the tent-making bat,
0:22:34 > 0:22:36they're pretty small, so that's pretty high.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40So to make this a fair comparison, I'm heading way up there.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42SHE WHIMPERS
0:22:47 > 0:22:51I've already seen about 20 bugs and I'm this high off the ground.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56'As I don't have wings, I'm going to have to rely on ropes
0:22:56 > 0:23:00'and some good old-fashioned muscle power to get me to my bed.'
0:23:02 > 0:23:06I cannot believe I'm going to sleeping up here this high!
0:23:06 > 0:23:08That's ridiculous.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14So high. And so wobbly.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22The reality of what we're about to do has just dawned on me.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25We're going to be here for so many hours.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30It's going to be fine.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Fortunately, like the bats in their roost, I'll also have some company,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41in the shape of climbing expert Tim and director Adam.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45This is just crackers!
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Being up here, I can't quite get over how high we are,
0:23:48 > 0:23:53how flimsy these beds feel. They're very wobbly, just swinging around.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00As darkness falls, it's time to try and get comfy.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05RUSTLING
0:24:13 > 0:24:15I can't turn over or anything.
0:24:28 > 0:24:342:52 and I've just been woken up by some very strange noises.
0:24:34 > 0:24:39DISTANT ROARING
0:24:39 > 0:24:41It's a really creepy noise.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43ROARING CONTINUES
0:24:48 > 0:24:52DISTANT ROARING
0:24:57 > 0:25:00Thankfully they sound pretty distant.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05ANIMAL GRUNTS
0:25:09 > 0:25:11I don't know what is making that noise.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23LOUD SNORES
0:25:23 > 0:25:27I think the strange sound I'm hearing now
0:25:27 > 0:25:29is the elusive and very rare
0:25:29 > 0:25:32purple-bearded director...
0:25:32 > 0:25:33snoring.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40Think I was actually asleep for a minute then. Quarter to four...
0:25:43 > 0:25:46..it'll be light in about two hours.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57This has got to be, by a long way,
0:25:57 > 0:25:59the most unusual place I've ever woken up.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08I say woken up. You have to be asleep to wake up, so...
0:26:13 > 0:26:16It may have been a rather nerve-racking experience,
0:26:16 > 0:26:20but I have to admit, the view is spectacular.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25I did it, yay me! I slept the night in a tree,
0:26:25 > 0:26:29in a tent, in the middle of the jungle, just like a tent-making bat.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Unlike the bats, though, I got no sleep at all.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34Never mind, it just goes to show that, for us humans, sleeping this
0:26:34 > 0:26:40high up in the dark on a very flimsy bed has real nightmare potential.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42Now, how on earth am I going to get down?
0:26:46 > 0:26:48Well, my jungle journey is at an end,
0:26:48 > 0:26:51but which Costa Rican creature gave me the biggest scares?
0:26:51 > 0:26:55'Was it a date in the dark with a giant venomous spider?'
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Ew! I don't like that one!
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Was it the festering fur of the super slow sloth?
0:27:05 > 0:27:09Or was it the lovely, but lethal poison dart frog?
0:27:10 > 0:27:12- Oh! - SHE LAUGHS
0:27:12 > 0:27:14No, it was none of those.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18My worst jungle nightmare was trying to sleep like a tent-making bat,
0:27:18 > 0:27:23hanging perilously 20m above the forest floor in the pitch black.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Now that really was a total nightmare.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38I've just dropped my phone.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42I think it went down that hole.