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-Welcome to my Nightmares of Nature. -WOLF HOWLS | 0:00:02 | 0:00:05 | |
-I'm Naomi Wilkinson. -SHE SCREAMS | 0:00:07 | 0:00:10 | |
'And I'm coming face-to-face with the nightmares of the animal world. | 0:00:10 | 0:00:14 | |
'The ones that make your spine tingle, | 0:00:17 | 0:00:21 | |
-'your heart beat faster...' -SHE SCREAMS | 0:00:21 | 0:00:25 | |
'..and your blood run cold.' | 0:00:25 | 0:00:27 | |
Are they truly terrifying... | 0:00:28 | 0:00:32 | |
or is there a twist in the tale? | 0:00:32 | 0:00:34 | |
'Come with me as I shine a light on wildlife's deepest, darkest secrets, | 0:00:35 | 0:00:41 | |
'and see if you can guess which will be my worst nightmare.' | 0:00:41 | 0:00:45 | |
This time I'm searching for my Nightmares of Nature | 0:00:47 | 0:00:50 | |
a little closer to home. | 0:00:50 | 0:00:52 | |
Here in the UK we have a whole host of wonderful wildlife | 0:00:52 | 0:00:55 | |
right on our doorstep, most of which you may think you know, | 0:00:55 | 0:00:59 | |
but I'm going to reveal some of the hidden nightmare credentials | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
of our much-loved inhabitants. | 0:01:02 | 0:01:04 | |
Some may shock you, some may surprise you | 0:01:04 | 0:01:07 | |
and some may really make your skin crawl. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:12 | |
'Right here in the UK, we have our fair share of nightmare candidates, | 0:01:13 | 0:01:18 | |
'and I'm going to be tracking some of them down. | 0:01:18 | 0:01:21 | |
'I'll be delving deep underground to try and catch a glimpse | 0:01:21 | 0:01:24 | |
'of an elusive subterranean mammal.' | 0:01:24 | 0:01:26 | |
There, there, there! | 0:01:26 | 0:01:28 | |
'Finding out some pretty revolting revelations about a critter | 0:01:29 | 0:01:33 | |
'that might surprise you. | 0:01:33 | 0:01:35 | |
'And relying on some thermal technology | 0:01:36 | 0:01:39 | |
'to track down a hidden countryside resident. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:42 | |
'But, first, I'm on the hunt for an invasive amphibian.' | 0:01:44 | 0:01:48 | |
Here in the UK, our ponds are packed with watery wildlife, | 0:01:51 | 0:01:55 | |
from tiny tadpoles to nimble newts. | 0:01:55 | 0:01:57 | |
But there is one giant invader that overshadows them all. | 0:01:57 | 0:02:01 | |
In fact, this voracious visitor is threatening our native species | 0:02:01 | 0:02:04 | |
from thriving. | 0:02:04 | 0:02:06 | |
Now that certainly sounds like a nightmare to me. | 0:02:06 | 0:02:08 | |
'As its name suggests, | 0:02:09 | 0:02:12 | |
'the North American bullfrog would be far more at home in America, | 0:02:12 | 0:02:16 | |
'but populations started to pop up in the UK | 0:02:16 | 0:02:19 | |
'when they arrived in the country hidden amongst shipments of plants | 0:02:19 | 0:02:22 | |
'imported for garden ponds. | 0:02:22 | 0:02:24 | |
'The question is, how can an innocent amphibian | 0:02:25 | 0:02:29 | |
'be causing such a nightmare? | 0:02:29 | 0:02:31 | |
'I'm teaming up with Jonathan Cranfield, | 0:02:34 | 0:02:37 | |
'who has been keeping a beady eye on the bullfrog boom.' | 0:02:37 | 0:02:41 | |
Right, Jon, what are we dealing with here, then? | 0:02:41 | 0:02:44 | |
Well, to put things in perspective, I've brought along an example | 0:02:44 | 0:02:47 | |
-of a common frog. -Aaah, you're cute. Hello. | 0:02:47 | 0:02:51 | |
OK, so he's quite little, he's quite cute. | 0:02:55 | 0:02:58 | |
And are there any similarities between our common frog | 0:02:58 | 0:03:01 | |
and the North American bullfrog? | 0:03:01 | 0:03:03 | |
Well, basically, they are both frogs | 0:03:03 | 0:03:05 | |
and this little guy is quite slimy and can jump, | 0:03:05 | 0:03:08 | |
just like a North American bullfrog would. | 0:03:08 | 0:03:10 | |
-Webbed feet. -Very much webbed feet. | 0:03:10 | 0:03:13 | |
-FROG CROAKS -Oh, he's croaking. | 0:03:13 | 0:03:15 | |
But also they hunt in a similar way. | 0:03:15 | 0:03:17 | |
They sit and wait and they leap out at flies and other insects, | 0:03:17 | 0:03:21 | |
but obviously they are much, much smaller scale. | 0:03:21 | 0:03:24 | |
Yeah, the similarities end about there. | 0:03:24 | 0:03:27 | |
-So is this our biggest frog? -This is our, you know, largest native frog. | 0:03:27 | 0:03:32 | |
They can get a bit bigger than this but the one we're looking for | 0:03:32 | 0:03:36 | |
is probably four to five times bigger than that. | 0:03:36 | 0:03:39 | |
Four to five times bigger than that?! | 0:03:39 | 0:03:41 | |
OK, let's put him back. | 0:03:41 | 0:03:44 | |
What's the best way of finding one of these mega frogs? | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
-Well, we need to get into that pond over there... -OK. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:51 | |
..and you're going to need a pair of these. | 0:03:51 | 0:03:54 | |
Ah, waders - fabulous! | 0:03:54 | 0:03:57 | |
So how easy are these bullfrogs going to be to find? | 0:04:04 | 0:04:07 | |
Well, sometimes you actually manage to hear them before you see them. | 0:04:07 | 0:04:11 | |
-Is it quite a loud call? -It's a very deep, resonating call | 0:04:11 | 0:04:15 | |
-which is very much like a cow or a bull. -Hence the name! | 0:04:15 | 0:04:19 | |
-And I've got an example here. -You do? Let's have a listen. | 0:04:19 | 0:04:22 | |
LOUD CROAKING | 0:04:23 | 0:04:25 | |
Yeah, it does sound like a cow, crossed with a sheep baa-ing. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:30 | |
That's cool. OK, we might hear that. That might give it away. | 0:04:30 | 0:04:33 | |
Right, what's my method, then? | 0:04:33 | 0:04:36 | |
I'm basically disturbing the silt. | 0:04:36 | 0:04:39 | |
So you just run it along the bottom... | 0:04:39 | 0:04:42 | |
-Yep. -..scoop it out and see what you've caught in your net. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:46 | |
That's right. | 0:04:46 | 0:04:48 | |
'And if these bullfrogs are making this pond their home, | 0:04:49 | 0:04:53 | |
'it's crucial we find them. | 0:04:53 | 0:04:55 | |
'These are one of the worst alien animal invaders in the world. | 0:04:55 | 0:04:59 | |
'Growing up to 20cm in length, | 0:04:59 | 0:05:02 | |
'they dwarf any of our own pond residents | 0:05:02 | 0:05:05 | |
'and eat pretty much anything that fits in their mammoth mouths. | 0:05:05 | 0:05:10 | |
'As if all that wasn't bad enough, these astronomical amphibians | 0:05:10 | 0:05:14 | |
'have the ability to take over their territory.' | 0:05:14 | 0:05:18 | |
How many babies can they have? | 0:05:19 | 0:05:21 | |
Our native frog, they produce about 3,000 eggs. | 0:05:21 | 0:05:25 | |
A female bullfrog, she lays 20,000 eggs. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:29 | |
Ugh! 20,000?! | 0:05:29 | 0:05:31 | |
-20,000. So if they all grew up... -Into adult bullfrogs... | 0:05:31 | 0:05:35 | |
-All it takes is two frogs. -20,000 tadpoles. | 0:05:35 | 0:05:38 | |
Big problems on our hands. | 0:05:38 | 0:05:40 | |
In light of that, we need to find a bullfrog, because I have no idea | 0:05:40 | 0:05:43 | |
what one looks like and we need to be on our guard | 0:05:43 | 0:05:46 | |
and keep an eye out for this frog. | 0:05:46 | 0:05:48 | |
I've got a good feeling about this. Ready? | 0:05:52 | 0:05:55 | |
Told you. | 0:05:57 | 0:05:59 | |
-Any joy, Jon? -Not yet. | 0:06:13 | 0:06:16 | |
-No. Shall we try another pond? -We certainly can. | 0:06:16 | 0:06:19 | |
Right, what's the best way to get into this one, do you think? | 0:06:19 | 0:06:23 | |
Use your net, carefully ease yourself in. | 0:06:23 | 0:06:26 | |
OK. Ooh! | 0:06:26 | 0:06:28 | |
I'm getting deeper and deeper. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:34 | |
And I'm still going down. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:37 | |
You got it, you got it! | 0:06:38 | 0:06:40 | |
Oh, well done. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:42 | |
My goodness, that's huge. That is huge. | 0:06:42 | 0:06:45 | |
I can see why that is going to cause a problem | 0:06:45 | 0:06:48 | |
for our own smaller wildlife. | 0:06:48 | 0:06:50 | |
So this is a bullfrog. And you think this is a fully grown... | 0:06:50 | 0:06:54 | |
A fully grown female bullfrog, yeah. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:56 | |
It has got really beautiful eyes, hasn't it? | 0:06:56 | 0:06:59 | |
It is, it's a fantastic animal. It's really beautiful. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:03 | |
It's just that it's in the wrong place. | 0:07:03 | 0:07:05 | |
If it was in the right place, then it's not a problem. | 0:07:05 | 0:07:08 | |
Yeah, it's a shame, isn't it? | 0:07:08 | 0:07:10 | |
Poor little thing. Well, not little. | 0:07:10 | 0:07:12 | |
Poor humungous thing! | 0:07:12 | 0:07:14 | |
'There's no disputing, this is an incredible animal, | 0:07:16 | 0:07:20 | |
'but unfortunately, in certain areas, these frogs are breeding | 0:07:20 | 0:07:24 | |
'and there could be populations we don't yet know about.' | 0:07:24 | 0:07:28 | |
Take a good look at that, everyone. This is a bullfrog. | 0:07:29 | 0:07:32 | |
If we see one of these, what should we do? | 0:07:32 | 0:07:34 | |
If you think you've seen one of these, it's important to report it, | 0:07:34 | 0:07:38 | |
because the one problem that we have, we don't know where they are. | 0:07:38 | 0:07:42 | |
So if you see one, if you can get a photograph of it or a recording, | 0:07:42 | 0:07:47 | |
you can send that in by e-mail to your local wildlife trust | 0:07:47 | 0:07:51 | |
or a wildlife society that's recording wildlife in your area. | 0:07:51 | 0:07:54 | |
That way we can identify where individuals are | 0:07:54 | 0:07:57 | |
and possibly other populations in the UK. | 0:07:57 | 0:08:00 | |
'Now we've caught this giant girl, | 0:08:01 | 0:08:03 | |
'it would be illegal for us to return her to the water, | 0:08:03 | 0:08:06 | |
'as these bullfrogs are such an invasive animal. | 0:08:06 | 0:08:10 | |
'Thankfully, though, she's off to a local zoo to educate others | 0:08:10 | 0:08:14 | |
'about non-native species.' | 0:08:14 | 0:08:16 | |
The mention of frogs might not initially fill us with fear, | 0:08:17 | 0:08:20 | |
but this giant alien invader is wreaking havoc in our wetlands. | 0:08:20 | 0:08:25 | |
By the time they're adults, they're cannibalistic carnivores | 0:08:25 | 0:08:28 | |
and they are eating their way through our watery wildlife, | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
so this colossal croaker | 0:08:31 | 0:08:33 | |
could well leap straight up onto my nightmare podium. | 0:08:33 | 0:08:36 | |
There is one animal that lives here in the UK | 0:08:39 | 0:08:41 | |
which is extremely elusive. | 0:08:41 | 0:08:44 | |
So elusive, in fact, that few people have actually seen it in the flesh. | 0:08:44 | 0:08:48 | |
It's a solitary animal that spends almost its entire life underground | 0:08:48 | 0:08:52 | |
in total darkness, | 0:08:52 | 0:08:54 | |
so, as nightmares go, this one is off to a pretty good start! | 0:08:54 | 0:08:57 | |
'Moles are the masters of moving mountains | 0:08:58 | 0:09:01 | |
'and the ultimate digging machines. | 0:09:01 | 0:09:04 | |
'Shifting serious sums of soil, | 0:09:04 | 0:09:06 | |
'they excavate tunnels hundreds of metres long. | 0:09:06 | 0:09:10 | |
'And these brilliantly busy bulldozers | 0:09:11 | 0:09:14 | |
'seem to do it with no effort at all. | 0:09:14 | 0:09:17 | |
'But how is this manic mammal deserving of a place | 0:09:18 | 0:09:21 | |
'in my nightmares? | 0:09:21 | 0:09:23 | |
'I've come to meet mammal expert Nick... | 0:09:26 | 0:09:30 | |
'..where these elusive mammals are thought to be making their home.' | 0:09:32 | 0:09:36 | |
Nick, we know that moles spend an awful lot of their time underground | 0:09:36 | 0:09:40 | |
but here we've got some pretty clear signs that moles are in the area. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:43 | |
Yeah, well, as moles are tunnelling under the ground, | 0:09:43 | 0:09:46 | |
they have to move a lot of soil and a lot of that gets pushed | 0:09:46 | 0:09:50 | |
to the surface and that's where we get mole hills. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:53 | |
So is there a particular habitat or type of soil that they prefer? | 0:09:53 | 0:09:56 | |
Yeah, they like quite deep soil, so the kinds of soil you find in | 0:09:56 | 0:10:00 | |
woodlands, but also fields and farmlands and places like that. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:03 | |
-This is perfect. -And how many moles would have made all of these hills? | 0:10:03 | 0:10:08 | |
Well, it could have been quite a few, | 0:10:08 | 0:10:10 | |
or maybe all of these could have been made by one solitary mole. | 0:10:10 | 0:10:13 | |
-Really? -All of them, yeah. -Talk about busy! | 0:10:13 | 0:10:17 | |
So I'm guessing it's a very strong animal to be able to move | 0:10:17 | 0:10:20 | |
this amount of earth from deep underground. | 0:10:20 | 0:10:22 | |
-How big are moles exactly? -It's a lot of soil to move | 0:10:22 | 0:10:25 | |
and yet they're really small. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:27 | |
We've got a skeleton, if you'd like to see it. | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
-So... -That's a mole? That big! | 0:10:30 | 0:10:33 | |
They're not very big at all. | 0:10:33 | 0:10:35 | |
But look at the size of that compared to a mole hill. | 0:10:35 | 0:10:38 | |
I mean, how does it do that? | 0:10:38 | 0:10:40 | |
They can move about their own body weight in soil | 0:10:40 | 0:10:43 | |
pretty much every minute. | 0:10:43 | 0:10:45 | |
They're really, really speedy, fast, strong critters. | 0:10:45 | 0:10:49 | |
How do they do that, then? | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
What's interesting about them is how big certain parts of the bodies are. | 0:10:51 | 0:10:55 | |
So you see this really long bone here, on its back, | 0:10:55 | 0:10:58 | |
that's their shoulder blade, and a huge amount of muscle is attached | 0:10:58 | 0:11:01 | |
to that, so they're really, really strong. | 0:11:01 | 0:11:04 | |
But there's something really important about their hands. | 0:11:04 | 0:11:07 | |
They have a massive surface area so they can use them like spades | 0:11:07 | 0:11:10 | |
-to move a lot. -Shovelling the soil. -Exactly. | 0:11:10 | 0:11:13 | |
So they may be tiny but they are a mighty mammal. | 0:11:13 | 0:11:17 | |
They are a mighty mammal. | 0:11:17 | 0:11:19 | |
There's clear evidence that we've got moles right here, but they're | 0:11:19 | 0:11:22 | |
not going to come out so we're going to bury some tiny cameras | 0:11:22 | 0:11:25 | |
deep underground and see if we can catch a glimpse | 0:11:25 | 0:11:28 | |
-of these elusive burrowers. -Lovely. | 0:11:28 | 0:11:31 | |
OK, all the cameras are in place | 0:11:40 | 0:11:42 | |
and plugged into this - our mole control centre. | 0:11:42 | 0:11:46 | |
Our live feed that's coming in right now. | 0:11:46 | 0:11:48 | |
Great. We'll leave these cameras in place for a few hours | 0:11:48 | 0:11:51 | |
and come back and see if we have any inquisitive moles. | 0:11:51 | 0:11:54 | |
'And while we're waiting for our moles to show off to the cameras, | 0:11:58 | 0:12:02 | |
'I'm heading into the city to find out about one of our creepiest | 0:12:02 | 0:12:05 | |
'contenders yet.' | 0:12:05 | 0:12:07 | |
I'm not looking forward to meeting my next Nightmare of Nature. | 0:12:08 | 0:12:11 | |
It's our smallest contender yet, but that doesn't stop | 0:12:11 | 0:12:14 | |
this miniature mite from having some serious nightmare potential. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:18 | |
But before I meet it, I want to see if anyone knows | 0:12:18 | 0:12:21 | |
what this creepy critter is. | 0:12:21 | 0:12:24 | |
And see if they have any ideas where it might live? | 0:12:28 | 0:12:31 | |
If you had to guess what that is, what would you say? | 0:12:33 | 0:12:36 | |
A flea? | 0:12:36 | 0:12:37 | |
-Is it a panda? -A panda? | 0:12:37 | 0:12:40 | |
A bear. | 0:12:40 | 0:12:41 | |
Spider? | 0:12:41 | 0:12:42 | |
-Where do you think it lives? -In the forest. | 0:12:42 | 0:12:45 | |
Underground, I would have thought. | 0:12:45 | 0:12:48 | |
South Africa. | 0:12:48 | 0:12:50 | |
-Hong Kong? -Hong Kong? | 0:12:50 | 0:12:53 | |
How big do you think it might be? | 0:12:53 | 0:12:55 | |
Tinsy - like, really small. | 0:12:55 | 0:12:58 | |
-Humungous. -Humungous? | 0:12:58 | 0:13:00 | |
Even though it looks big in the picture, I think quite small. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:04 | |
-Would you like this anywhere near you? -No. | 0:13:04 | 0:13:07 | |
No. | 0:13:07 | 0:13:08 | |
-Why? -It doesn't look very nice. | 0:13:08 | 0:13:11 | |
It might gobble you up. | 0:13:11 | 0:13:13 | |
I would probably kill you. | 0:13:13 | 0:13:15 | |
-Shall I tell you what it is? -Yeah. | 0:13:15 | 0:13:18 | |
This is an eyelash mite. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:22 | |
Eww! | 0:13:22 | 0:13:23 | |
An eyelash mite? | 0:13:23 | 0:13:25 | |
Um, I'm not really sure what to think about that. | 0:13:27 | 0:13:30 | |
That's gross! | 0:13:30 | 0:13:31 | |
Any guesses what it might be doing on your eyelashes? | 0:13:31 | 0:13:35 | |
Dancing or something? | 0:13:35 | 0:13:38 | |
-Dancing on your face? -Yeah. -Having a disco in your eyelashes. | 0:13:38 | 0:13:41 | |
-What sort of dancing do you think it might do? -The Conga. | 0:13:42 | 0:13:45 | |
What are they actually there for? | 0:13:51 | 0:13:54 | |
I have no idea. I'm going to find out. | 0:13:54 | 0:13:57 | |
'So I'm heading to the University of Cardiff | 0:13:58 | 0:14:01 | |
'to meet up with Dr Sarah Perkins, | 0:14:01 | 0:14:04 | |
'an expert in all things microscopic.' | 0:14:04 | 0:14:07 | |
Sarah, I have had a slightly disturbing morning. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:11 | |
-Is it true these eyelash mites live on our eyelashes? -Yes, it is true. | 0:14:11 | 0:14:15 | |
We refer to them as eyelash mites. Is that where they prefer to live? | 0:14:15 | 0:14:19 | |
The eyelash is a great habitat for these mites | 0:14:19 | 0:14:22 | |
but actually they are hair follicle mites, | 0:14:22 | 0:14:25 | |
so they're follicle mites or face mites. | 0:14:25 | 0:14:27 | |
-We may find them all over our face. -On your head and...? | 0:14:27 | 0:14:31 | |
Well, they're on our cheeks, on our chin, our nose, | 0:14:31 | 0:14:34 | |
in our ears and even up our nose. | 0:14:34 | 0:14:36 | |
-So you could have hundreds of them on you? -Potentially, you could. | 0:14:36 | 0:14:40 | |
I'm loath to ask, but do you think I've got some on me? | 0:14:40 | 0:14:43 | |
I think there's a very good chance you're going to have mites on you. | 0:14:43 | 0:14:47 | |
'So, begrudgingly, it's time to take a look.' | 0:14:48 | 0:14:52 | |
Let's see what's living on my face. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:56 | |
You've got to look on there, and will it come up on here? | 0:14:56 | 0:14:59 | |
It will come up on here after a little while, | 0:14:59 | 0:15:01 | |
once I've found something, hopefully. | 0:15:01 | 0:15:04 | |
This is magnified lots and lots of times. | 0:15:05 | 0:15:07 | |
-What's this? -Mascara. | 0:15:07 | 0:15:10 | |
Almighty amounts of mascara. | 0:15:12 | 0:15:15 | |
Oops. | 0:15:15 | 0:15:17 | |
It's quite hard to see actually | 0:15:18 | 0:15:20 | |
because there's quite a lot of mascara. | 0:15:20 | 0:15:23 | |
I've suffocated all my mites with mascara, haven't I? | 0:15:23 | 0:15:26 | |
You may well have done. | 0:15:26 | 0:15:29 | |
Looks like I may have got away with it. | 0:15:30 | 0:15:33 | |
Crew, could you give us a couple of eyelashes, please? | 0:15:33 | 0:15:36 | |
Now we're not going to know who's got the mites, are we? | 0:15:37 | 0:15:40 | |
We're not going to know whose is whose. | 0:15:40 | 0:15:43 | |
Crew's selection of eyelashes. | 0:15:44 | 0:15:47 | |
Here we go. | 0:15:47 | 0:15:48 | |
They're going to be absolutely crawling with mites, the crew ones. | 0:15:48 | 0:15:52 | |
Let's see. | 0:15:53 | 0:15:55 | |
OK, so I'm going to show you what I'm seeing down the microscope | 0:16:00 | 0:16:04 | |
-on that screen over there. -Have you found something? | 0:16:04 | 0:16:07 | |
Maybe. | 0:16:07 | 0:16:09 | |
Crew, you're covered in mites. | 0:16:10 | 0:16:12 | |
OK, let's have a look. | 0:16:12 | 0:16:14 | |
Oooh! | 0:16:15 | 0:16:17 | |
It's like an alien, isn't it? | 0:16:17 | 0:16:19 | |
So this is Steve, our cameraman's eyelash. | 0:16:19 | 0:16:22 | |
How does it feel knowing that's living on your eyelash? | 0:16:22 | 0:16:25 | |
Not good, not good. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:27 | |
-It's a weird thing, isn't it? -There they are. | 0:16:27 | 0:16:30 | |
Oh, hang on, there's something... What's this in the front? | 0:16:31 | 0:16:34 | |
Look! | 0:16:34 | 0:16:36 | |
Oh, it makes me itchy. | 0:16:37 | 0:16:40 | |
It's so active. | 0:16:42 | 0:16:44 | |
Look! | 0:16:44 | 0:16:46 | |
Look at its face! You can see its face! | 0:16:46 | 0:16:49 | |
You can see those two eyes, you can see whatever those bits are. | 0:16:49 | 0:16:53 | |
Oh, look, look. Something's moving on that. | 0:16:56 | 0:16:58 | |
It's its mouth. | 0:16:58 | 0:17:01 | |
-Have they got teeth? -Well, a form of teeth. | 0:17:01 | 0:17:04 | |
Mouth parts that actually munch at cells. | 0:17:04 | 0:17:07 | |
What are they feeding on? | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
So they're feeding on dead cells and they're feeding on sebum - | 0:17:09 | 0:17:13 | |
the oil that your hair follicles naturally produce. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:16 | |
Look, you can see all four legs really clearly there. | 0:17:17 | 0:17:20 | |
It's a bit gross, isn't it, when you see it like that? | 0:17:21 | 0:17:24 | |
Are they moving around like this all the time? | 0:17:24 | 0:17:27 | |
No, they're not, actually, they are photophobic, | 0:17:27 | 0:17:30 | |
so they don't like the light. | 0:17:30 | 0:17:32 | |
They're only really moving around when it's dark. | 0:17:32 | 0:17:35 | |
So at night-time, they'll come out and take a stroll across your face. | 0:17:35 | 0:17:39 | |
-So they're nocturnal nightmares? -Absolutely. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
And I'm getting a free facial while I'm asleep? | 0:17:42 | 0:17:45 | |
-You could think of it like that, yes. -Result. | 0:17:45 | 0:17:48 | |
But they are absolutely tiny. This is blown up many, many times. | 0:17:48 | 0:17:52 | |
They are absolutely tiny. I mean, they are microscopic. | 0:17:52 | 0:17:55 | |
So they are less than a millimetre. | 0:17:55 | 0:17:58 | |
They're not doing us any harm, are they? | 0:17:58 | 0:18:00 | |
They're not doing us any harm at all, no. | 0:18:00 | 0:18:02 | |
The reason you didn't know they were there is because they are not really | 0:18:02 | 0:18:06 | |
doing anything other than eating dead cells | 0:18:06 | 0:18:08 | |
so offering a cleaning service, really. | 0:18:08 | 0:18:11 | |
-They're actually doing us good. -Yeah. | 0:18:11 | 0:18:13 | |
So these mites might be minuscule | 0:18:13 | 0:18:15 | |
but where they choose to live is truly terrifying. | 0:18:15 | 0:18:18 | |
They literally are making my skin crawl. | 0:18:18 | 0:18:20 | |
But surprisingly, rather than being repulsed by them, | 0:18:20 | 0:18:23 | |
I'm actually quite grateful that nature has come up with | 0:18:23 | 0:18:26 | |
a free facial that I can't even feel. | 0:18:26 | 0:18:29 | |
So it's a tough one. | 0:18:29 | 0:18:30 | |
It's a cleaning critter crammed with creepy credentials. | 0:18:30 | 0:18:34 | |
Could it be my worst nightmare? | 0:18:34 | 0:18:36 | |
My next contender doesn't exactly conjure up images of nightmares. | 0:18:38 | 0:18:42 | |
In fact, anything but. | 0:18:42 | 0:18:44 | |
It's cute, it's cuddly, it frolics in fields, | 0:18:44 | 0:18:47 | |
so I'm quite looking forward to this one. | 0:18:47 | 0:18:49 | |
'Brown hares are usually nocturnal, shy and solitary animals | 0:18:50 | 0:18:56 | |
'but in March, they spring into action. | 0:18:56 | 0:19:00 | |
'It's the perfect time to catch a glimpse of them | 0:19:00 | 0:19:03 | |
'as they show off their incredible agility and Olympic speeds. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:07 | |
'But what could possibly make them a frontrunner | 0:19:09 | 0:19:12 | |
'for my worst Nightmare of Nature?' | 0:19:12 | 0:19:14 | |
'I've teamed up with Russell, | 0:19:19 | 0:19:22 | |
'who is going to help us find these hyperactive hares | 0:19:22 | 0:19:25 | |
'with the aid of his camouflaged haremobile.' | 0:19:25 | 0:19:28 | |
What makes this a particularly good habitat for hares? | 0:19:29 | 0:19:32 | |
Well, it's a fair chunk of grass, a big grassy area, | 0:19:32 | 0:19:35 | |
and the grass of about the right length for them, really. | 0:19:35 | 0:19:38 | |
They don't like it too tall, they just sort of like to hunker down. | 0:19:38 | 0:19:42 | |
-So they don't live underground? -They don't burrow like rabbits. | 0:19:42 | 0:19:46 | |
What they would do is make a very shallow indent | 0:19:46 | 0:19:50 | |
which they can then hunker down into | 0:19:50 | 0:19:52 | |
which takes them just below the level of the surface. | 0:19:52 | 0:19:56 | |
'And this disappearing act makes hares extremely difficult to spot, | 0:19:58 | 0:20:02 | |
'even in the shortest of grass. | 0:20:02 | 0:20:05 | |
'So finding them today could be a little trickier than I thought.' | 0:20:06 | 0:20:10 | |
So how are we going to find them? | 0:20:10 | 0:20:13 | |
Well, today, we're going to have a look and see if we can use | 0:20:13 | 0:20:16 | |
our thermal camera to see if we can find them. | 0:20:16 | 0:20:19 | |
-This? -Yeah. | 0:20:19 | 0:20:21 | |
Let's hope this helps us find one. | 0:20:21 | 0:20:23 | |
'The thermal camera will show up any heat sources that may be | 0:20:26 | 0:20:30 | |
'hiding in the grass... | 0:20:30 | 0:20:32 | |
'and will hopefully help us find our hidden hares.' | 0:20:33 | 0:20:37 | |
Look, there, there, there. It's really hunkered down. | 0:20:39 | 0:20:42 | |
Oh, yes. | 0:20:44 | 0:20:46 | |
It's glowing like a beacon. | 0:20:46 | 0:20:48 | |
Wow, look at it just hidden in the grass. | 0:20:49 | 0:20:52 | |
It's some of the best camouflage I've ever seen. | 0:20:53 | 0:20:56 | |
-It blends in brilliantly. -They are absolutely fantastic. | 0:20:56 | 0:20:59 | |
Masters of disguise for sure. | 0:20:59 | 0:21:02 | |
-What's it doing? -It's eating. | 0:21:02 | 0:21:04 | |
It's eating. That'll be eating its poo, that'll be. | 0:21:04 | 0:21:07 | |
-They eat their own poo? -They eat their own poo. | 0:21:07 | 0:21:09 | |
That's pretty disgusting, isn't it? Some serious nightmare potential. | 0:21:09 | 0:21:13 | |
I think so, yeah. | 0:21:13 | 0:21:15 | |
'With a diet mainly made up of grass, | 0:21:16 | 0:21:18 | |
'hares don't get much nutrition from their food | 0:21:18 | 0:21:20 | |
'the first time around, so they eat their poo | 0:21:20 | 0:21:23 | |
'to make sure they get the very best from what they've eaten.' | 0:21:23 | 0:21:27 | |
The lovely habits of the hare. | 0:21:28 | 0:21:30 | |
That's going to run in a minute. | 0:21:31 | 0:21:33 | |
Look at it go. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:39 | |
That really can pick up some speed. | 0:21:39 | 0:21:42 | |
'So much so, that hares are in fact the fastest land mammal | 0:21:42 | 0:21:45 | |
'we have here in the UK, clocking speeds of up to 45mph | 0:21:45 | 0:21:50 | |
'and pulling off some pretty harey moves | 0:21:50 | 0:21:53 | |
'in order to escape predators.' | 0:21:53 | 0:21:56 | |
It's very interesting in the morning, | 0:21:57 | 0:22:00 | |
they're a bit like our athletes, where our athletes have to stretch | 0:22:00 | 0:22:03 | |
and that sort of thing. | 0:22:03 | 0:22:05 | |
And you watch the hares when I come on here first thing in the morning, | 0:22:05 | 0:22:09 | |
-it can be quite chilly... -They're doing a warm up? | 0:22:09 | 0:22:11 | |
They go through a whole stretch thing. | 0:22:11 | 0:22:14 | |
It's because they have to be like athletes when they go for a run. | 0:22:14 | 0:22:17 | |
They've got to warm them up, otherwise they damage their muscles. | 0:22:17 | 0:22:20 | |
-A bit of hare aerobics in the field. -Absolutely. | 0:22:20 | 0:22:23 | |
And they really do extend themselves tremendously. | 0:22:23 | 0:22:26 | |
Hare Zumba class going on. | 0:22:26 | 0:22:28 | |
'And these workouts come in very handy in March. | 0:22:30 | 0:22:33 | |
'It's the height of the breeding season | 0:22:33 | 0:22:36 | |
'and the hares become extremely aggressive. | 0:22:36 | 0:22:39 | |
'Boxing becomes their favourite sport. | 0:22:40 | 0:22:43 | |
'These bouts are fought between males and females | 0:22:43 | 0:22:46 | |
'as she susses out her suitors | 0:22:46 | 0:22:48 | |
'to see which one is strong enough to win her over. | 0:22:48 | 0:22:52 | |
'And during these battles, fur can really fly.' | 0:22:53 | 0:22:57 | |
-Look at these two. -There's another one. They're all popping up. | 0:23:01 | 0:23:05 | |
Ooh! | 0:23:05 | 0:23:07 | |
Springing, showing off. | 0:23:07 | 0:23:09 | |
Yes, it is, that's what it's all about. It's all about how good I am. | 0:23:09 | 0:23:14 | |
-It looks so harsh, doesn't it? -They are, they are very brutal. | 0:23:15 | 0:23:19 | |
I'm so shocked that these cute, fluffy animals | 0:23:19 | 0:23:22 | |
can be that aggressive. | 0:23:22 | 0:23:24 | |
It is. They get right up onto their hind legs, they will box, | 0:23:24 | 0:23:28 | |
kick and indeed, when they really get going, | 0:23:28 | 0:23:31 | |
they will start to bite one another | 0:23:31 | 0:23:33 | |
and they will bite lumps of fur and they will bite their ears. | 0:23:33 | 0:23:36 | |
-It's not the best way to get a girlfriend, is it? -No, it isn't. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:39 | |
Well, I never thought I would consider putting one of our | 0:23:45 | 0:23:48 | |
cutest countryside residents on my list of nightmare contenders | 0:23:48 | 0:23:52 | |
but behind this peaceful, calm, serene exterior, | 0:23:52 | 0:23:56 | |
the bare knuckle boxing bouts of these hyper hares | 0:23:56 | 0:23:59 | |
could certainly knock the other competitors | 0:23:59 | 0:24:01 | |
straight off the nightmare top spot. Pow! | 0:24:01 | 0:24:04 | |
'With three of four nightmare contenders pinned down, | 0:24:07 | 0:24:10 | |
'it's time for us to return to our mole cameras | 0:24:10 | 0:24:13 | |
'to see if we had any luck tracking down our elusive mammal.' | 0:24:13 | 0:24:16 | |
After you. | 0:24:17 | 0:24:19 | |
Right, exciting times. | 0:24:20 | 0:24:22 | |
Let's see what we've got. | 0:24:22 | 0:24:25 | |
Oh, just some earth being shifted. | 0:24:27 | 0:24:30 | |
-Yeah, there's definite... -There's definitely something behind there | 0:24:30 | 0:24:34 | |
that doesn't want us to see it today. | 0:24:34 | 0:24:36 | |
There, there, there, oh! | 0:24:36 | 0:24:38 | |
I saw its nose completely poke through the soil. | 0:24:38 | 0:24:41 | |
It's just snuffling and sniffing and moving really fast all the time. | 0:24:41 | 0:24:45 | |
Constantly using that nose to find its way around | 0:24:45 | 0:24:48 | |
in complete darkness as well. | 0:24:48 | 0:24:50 | |
We can see this but that's using infra-red light at the moment | 0:24:50 | 0:24:53 | |
so it's pitch black down there. | 0:24:53 | 0:24:55 | |
'And because moles live in total darkness, | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
'they don't rely on their eyesight. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:00 | |
'Instead, they have a bare pink snout that's covered in | 0:25:00 | 0:25:03 | |
'super sensitive hairs for feeling their way around | 0:25:03 | 0:25:06 | |
'their underground world.' | 0:25:06 | 0:25:07 | |
Ha-ha! It's stopped to have a look at the camera. | 0:25:09 | 0:25:13 | |
You can really see the size of its hands there. | 0:25:13 | 0:25:16 | |
They just work like a bulldozer, don't they? They're like a machine. | 0:25:17 | 0:25:20 | |
Gosh, it moves so fast, I feel I need to watch it in slow motion. | 0:25:22 | 0:25:26 | |
It's looking for something, is it? Always looking for something. | 0:25:26 | 0:25:29 | |
They're always looking for food. They're active day and night, | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
so they sleep for about three hours, they're active for three hours, | 0:25:32 | 0:25:36 | |
they sleep for three hours and then they're active, | 0:25:36 | 0:25:39 | |
and as soon as they wake up, they're after food. | 0:25:39 | 0:25:41 | |
They tend to eat about half their body weight every single day. | 0:25:41 | 0:25:45 | |
Could you imagine being able to do that - eat half your body weight | 0:25:45 | 0:25:49 | |
of food? That would be great, but you'd have to move as fast | 0:25:49 | 0:25:52 | |
-to burn it all off. -I don't think you'd want to eat the same things | 0:25:52 | 0:25:55 | |
that they eat. They eat insects and grubs | 0:25:55 | 0:25:58 | |
and also they're big fans of eating earthworms. | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
'But their insatiable love of worms means they have a deadly | 0:26:02 | 0:26:05 | |
'and disgusting secret. | 0:26:05 | 0:26:08 | |
'If a mole is not ready to devour its dinner immediately, | 0:26:08 | 0:26:11 | |
'it will bite off the heads of the unfortunate victims, | 0:26:11 | 0:26:14 | |
'keeping them alive but paralysed.' | 0:26:14 | 0:26:17 | |
No! | 0:26:18 | 0:26:20 | |
And they keep them in little larders | 0:26:20 | 0:26:23 | |
so they can go back when they're hungry | 0:26:23 | 0:26:25 | |
-and there's a whole load of earthworms. -Paralysed and headless. | 0:26:25 | 0:26:29 | |
That's right. | 0:26:29 | 0:26:31 | |
Poor worm. | 0:26:32 | 0:26:33 | |
Moles may be seriously small and subterranean, | 0:26:34 | 0:26:37 | |
but they have bulging biceps and can move mountains. | 0:26:37 | 0:26:41 | |
Well, mole mountains! | 0:26:41 | 0:26:43 | |
And on top of that, their insatiable appetite never lets up, | 0:26:43 | 0:26:46 | |
chomping their way through oodles of earthworms, | 0:26:46 | 0:26:49 | |
even biting their heads off to save them for a rainy day. | 0:26:49 | 0:26:52 | |
So all of that means this mighty munching mammal | 0:26:52 | 0:26:55 | |
could be my worst nightmare. | 0:26:55 | 0:26:56 | |
Well, that's it. Our UK adventure has drawn to a close. | 0:26:58 | 0:27:02 | |
All that's left for me to do is name my nastiest nightmare. | 0:27:02 | 0:27:05 | |
Will it be the brutal boxing battles fought by those hyperactive hares? | 0:27:05 | 0:27:10 | |
The face frolicking of the miniature mite that only comes out at night? | 0:27:10 | 0:27:15 | |
Look! Look at its face! You can see its face! | 0:27:15 | 0:27:18 | |
Or the manic subterranean mammal that can paralyse its prey? | 0:27:18 | 0:27:23 | |
Well, they all have proven nightmare potential | 0:27:29 | 0:27:32 | |
but the one that's going to leap into first place | 0:27:32 | 0:27:34 | |
is the astronomical amphibian, that colossal croaker | 0:27:34 | 0:27:38 | |
that's munching its way through our pretty ponds. | 0:27:38 | 0:27:40 | |
My worst UK nightmare is the bulging bullfrog. | 0:27:40 | 0:27:44 | |
Pardon you, Steve! | 0:27:54 | 0:27:56 |