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Welcome to my Nightmares Of Nature. | 0:00:00 | 0:00:02 | |
I'm Naomi Wilkinson. | 0:00:07 | 0:00:08 | |
Whoo-hoo! | 0:00:08 | 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... | 0:00:16 | 0:00:19 | |
..your heart beat faster... | 0:00:20 | 0:00:23 | |
..and your blood run cold. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:28 | |
Are they truly terrifying? | 0:00:28 | 0:00:32 | |
Or is there a twist in the tale? | 0:00:32 | 0:00:33 | |
Come with me as I shine a light on wildlife's deepest, darkest secrets. | 0:00:35 | 0:00:39 | |
And see if you can guess which will be my worst nightmare. | 0:00:41 | 0:00:45 | |
Ola, amigos! | 0:00:52 | 0:00:53 | |
This time, we are in Mexico, | 0:00:53 | 0:00:55 | |
a sizzling Latin American nation bursting with creepy jungles, | 0:00:55 | 0:00:59 | |
spooky temples and plenty of natural nightmares. | 0:00:59 | 0:01:02 | |
We're setting out to explore the Yucatan | 0:01:05 | 0:01:07 | |
peninsula on the eastern coast of this giant Central American country. | 0:01:07 | 0:01:12 | |
I'll be... | 0:01:14 | 0:01:16 | |
witnessing one of the greatest natural spectacles on earth... | 0:01:16 | 0:01:20 | |
That's amazing! | 0:01:20 | 0:01:22 | |
..placating a prehistoric monster... | 0:01:22 | 0:01:26 | |
I'm going to give it some space. | 0:01:26 | 0:01:28 | |
..hunting down a lethal kung fu assassin... | 0:01:28 | 0:01:31 | |
..and turning detective on the trail of a mischievous mammal. | 0:01:34 | 0:01:37 | |
But first, I'm off to solve a cold-blooded conundrum. | 0:01:40 | 0:01:44 | |
Snakes are firm favourites here on Nightmares Of Nature. | 0:01:47 | 0:01:51 | |
They rank amongst the most dangerous animals on the planet. | 0:01:51 | 0:01:54 | |
But for every snake that's equipped with lethal life-threatening venom, | 0:01:56 | 0:02:00 | |
there are many more that are completely harmless to us humans. | 0:02:00 | 0:02:04 | |
The big question is, how do you tell them apart? | 0:02:06 | 0:02:10 | |
There are two colourful characters here in Yucatan | 0:02:10 | 0:02:13 | |
that look just like twins. | 0:02:13 | 0:02:16 | |
The king snake and the coral snake. | 0:02:16 | 0:02:20 | |
One of these is harmless. | 0:02:20 | 0:02:23 | |
The other is so venomous, it could kill me with a single bite. | 0:02:23 | 0:02:28 | |
So, which is which? | 0:02:28 | 0:02:30 | |
I've come to the home of local vet Martin | 0:02:39 | 0:02:42 | |
for help unpicking this puzzle. | 0:02:42 | 0:02:45 | |
-Ola, Martin. -Hi. | 0:02:45 | 0:02:48 | |
-Good to meet you. -Good to meet you. | 0:02:48 | 0:02:49 | |
Naomi. | 0:02:49 | 0:02:51 | |
Do both of these species occur commonly here in Yucatan? | 0:02:51 | 0:02:54 | |
Very common. You can find it in your garden, sometimes inside a house. | 0:02:54 | 0:02:59 | |
-Really? -Under the rocks, under the roots. -Everywhere. | 0:02:59 | 0:03:01 | |
-Everywhere. Everywhere. -They're everywhere. | 0:03:01 | 0:03:04 | |
Why do the two of them look so similar? | 0:03:04 | 0:03:06 | |
Because predators and people is afraid of their poisons. | 0:03:07 | 0:03:11 | |
So the other one is protecting from the predators. | 0:03:11 | 0:03:14 | |
-So it protects itself by trying to pretend it's the venomous one? -Mhm. | 0:03:14 | 0:03:17 | |
Even though it's harmless. | 0:03:17 | 0:03:19 | |
The king snake is a constrictor. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:23 | |
It kills its prey by wrapping itself around its victim | 0:03:23 | 0:03:27 | |
and squeezing it to death. | 0:03:27 | 0:03:28 | |
But it's too small to be a threat to humans. | 0:03:30 | 0:03:33 | |
Not so for the highly toxic coral snake. | 0:03:34 | 0:03:38 | |
And people have died from coral snake bites, haven't they? | 0:03:38 | 0:03:41 | |
Many, many people. | 0:03:41 | 0:03:42 | |
How quickly could you die from coral snake bite? | 0:03:43 | 0:03:47 | |
It depends on your reaction. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:49 | |
If you're allergic, immediately, but if not, probably two hours. | 0:03:49 | 0:03:53 | |
Seriously? | 0:03:53 | 0:03:54 | |
Seriously. | 0:03:54 | 0:03:56 | |
That's horrendous. | 0:03:56 | 0:03:58 | |
-Horrible. -So you'd die in about two hours. -Mhm. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:02 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:04:02 | 0:04:04 | |
Right, well, I would quite like to try and handle a king snake, | 0:04:04 | 0:04:07 | |
but I don't want to end up accidentally handling | 0:04:07 | 0:04:10 | |
the coral snake by mistake, so how do I tell them apart? | 0:04:10 | 0:04:12 | |
No problem, don't worry. I can help you. | 0:04:12 | 0:04:14 | |
There's an old rhyme, which is this one. | 0:04:14 | 0:04:17 | |
Oh, right. OK. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:18 | |
Um, "red on yellow will kill a fellow | 0:04:18 | 0:04:20 | |
"but red on black is a friend of Jack." OK. | 0:04:20 | 0:04:23 | |
Oh, thank you. | 0:04:23 | 0:04:25 | |
Um, "Red next to black, venom I lack, yellow and red, you are dead." What? | 0:04:25 | 0:04:31 | |
And... What's this? | 0:04:31 | 0:04:32 | |
"Black and white, say goodnight..." | 0:04:32 | 0:04:35 | |
Oh, you're just doing this to confuse me. | 0:04:35 | 0:04:37 | |
With the "helpful" suggestions from the crew, | 0:04:39 | 0:04:43 | |
it's time to make a decision. | 0:04:43 | 0:04:45 | |
Which snake is safe? | 0:04:45 | 0:04:47 | |
"Red next to black, venom I lack, | 0:04:49 | 0:04:54 | |
"Red on yellow will kill a fellow, | 0:04:54 | 0:04:58 | |
"Red on black is a friend of Jack." | 0:04:58 | 0:05:00 | |
OK, I've thought about this very carefully | 0:05:03 | 0:05:06 | |
and because this one has red on black - | 0:05:06 | 0:05:08 | |
"next to black, venom lack" - I think this is the king snake. | 0:05:08 | 0:05:13 | |
Well, you can try it. | 0:05:13 | 0:05:15 | |
I should just try it. | 0:05:15 | 0:05:16 | |
Right, confidence. | 0:05:18 | 0:05:19 | |
Hello. | 0:05:23 | 0:05:25 | |
Of course, these little rhymes are fun, but it's important to | 0:05:25 | 0:05:29 | |
remember that we've got an expert here to make sure we don't go wrong. | 0:05:29 | 0:05:33 | |
You should never try to do anything like this yourself. | 0:05:33 | 0:05:37 | |
I hope this is the right one. | 0:05:38 | 0:05:40 | |
-Martin. -Yes, that's OK. | 0:05:47 | 0:05:49 | |
Is this the right snake? | 0:05:49 | 0:05:51 | |
-Yes. -Oh! Phew. | 0:05:51 | 0:05:53 | |
Thank goodness for that. | 0:05:53 | 0:05:55 | |
I mean, both species are absolutely beautiful, aren't they? | 0:05:56 | 0:05:59 | |
-Beautiful. -Oh! I got the right one. Phew! | 0:05:59 | 0:06:03 | |
Identifying snakes is an expert's game, | 0:06:03 | 0:06:06 | |
so if you come across one in the wild, | 0:06:06 | 0:06:09 | |
probably best to stay out of its way. | 0:06:09 | 0:06:12 | |
When it comes to tests, the king snake/coral snake conundrum | 0:06:12 | 0:06:16 | |
is definitely one you want to revise for. | 0:06:16 | 0:06:18 | |
Get it wrong, and you could end up with a dose of potentially | 0:06:18 | 0:06:21 | |
lethal venom and that's why this puzzling pair could certainly | 0:06:21 | 0:06:25 | |
be in contention for my worst nightmare. | 0:06:25 | 0:06:28 | |
Yucatan is rich with reptilian nightmares, | 0:06:31 | 0:06:35 | |
and to meet my next one, I'm going in search of an ancient wonder. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:39 | |
There's an old Mexican legend that the remote regions | 0:06:44 | 0:06:46 | |
of the Yucatan Peninsula hide a place that time forgot... | 0:06:46 | 0:06:51 | |
..where giant prehistoric monsters still rule the earth. | 0:06:54 | 0:06:58 | |
My trusty crew and I have travelled far... | 0:07:01 | 0:07:05 | |
..braved many dangers to reach this lost world... | 0:07:07 | 0:07:11 | |
..through dark, dense jungle... | 0:07:13 | 0:07:15 | |
Wah! Whoo-hoo! | 0:07:15 | 0:07:17 | |
..past ancient forgotten temples... | 0:07:20 | 0:07:22 | |
..and across the scorching sands of... | 0:07:25 | 0:07:27 | |
..a tourist beach? | 0:07:29 | 0:07:30 | |
OK, so it's not the land that time forgot. | 0:07:37 | 0:07:39 | |
It's Tulum, an ancient walled city on the shore of the Caribbean Sea | 0:07:39 | 0:07:43 | |
and it is one of the most popular destinations in all of Mexico. | 0:07:43 | 0:07:48 | |
But believe it or not, it does have a population of prehistoric monsters. | 0:07:48 | 0:07:54 | |
IT ROARS | 0:07:54 | 0:07:57 | |
Iguanas are among the largest of all lizards | 0:07:59 | 0:08:02 | |
and look about as close to a living, | 0:08:02 | 0:08:04 | |
breathing dinosaur as it's possible to get in this day and age. | 0:08:04 | 0:08:08 | |
There are many species of iguana. | 0:08:10 | 0:08:12 | |
But the black spiny-tailed iguanas that live here at Tulum look | 0:08:15 | 0:08:19 | |
particularly like petrifying prehistoric predators. | 0:08:19 | 0:08:23 | |
So I'm on my guard. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:26 | |
One advantage of being in tourist territory, | 0:08:32 | 0:08:35 | |
rather than the lost world, is there is an expert at hand to show me | 0:08:35 | 0:08:39 | |
around, in the form of local biologist Raul. | 0:08:39 | 0:08:43 | |
Oh, it's coming to see us. RAUL LAUGHS | 0:08:48 | 0:08:51 | |
Those spines look dangerous. | 0:08:51 | 0:08:53 | |
Ho-ho! | 0:08:53 | 0:08:54 | |
What are they used for? | 0:08:54 | 0:08:56 | |
This tail is an amazing way to defend themselves | 0:08:56 | 0:08:58 | |
from predators like birds of prey and foxes, and they will whip | 0:08:58 | 0:09:03 | |
the tail against other males also, fighting for territory and females. | 0:09:03 | 0:09:07 | |
Other predators? | 0:09:08 | 0:09:10 | |
Well, occasionally, they will eat small animals, such as mice | 0:09:10 | 0:09:14 | |
or even bats and tiny lizards, but their main diet is plants. | 0:09:14 | 0:09:19 | |
That's weird, isn't it? Because it looks like such a ferocious creature. | 0:09:19 | 0:09:22 | |
Plants and flowers. | 0:09:22 | 0:09:23 | |
And it likes to eat flowers and not flesh? That's really funny! | 0:09:23 | 0:09:27 | |
So they don't have to chase after prey and hunt it down. | 0:09:28 | 0:09:31 | |
Does that mean they're rather slow animals? | 0:09:31 | 0:09:34 | |
-Oh, no! It can run up to 20mph. -Oh! | 0:09:34 | 0:09:36 | |
Imagine that. Faster than you. | 0:09:36 | 0:09:38 | |
Why do they need to be able to run so fast? | 0:09:38 | 0:09:40 | |
Mainly running away from dangers. | 0:09:40 | 0:09:43 | |
So it's all for defence? It's not to try and attack anything? | 0:09:43 | 0:09:45 | |
No. Mainly for defence, yeah. | 0:09:45 | 0:09:47 | |
'That's not to say that iguanas don't get angry, though.' | 0:09:47 | 0:09:51 | |
What's he doing now? What's that head-nodding behaviour? | 0:09:51 | 0:09:54 | |
Well, males do that to attract females. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
But mainly, it's like, "Get out of my territory". | 0:09:57 | 0:10:01 | |
-"Give me some space!" -That's right. | 0:10:01 | 0:10:03 | |
I'm going to give it some space. | 0:10:04 | 0:10:06 | |
'But it seems he's not the only one on the defensive.' | 0:10:13 | 0:10:16 | |
Look at that one. Look at that male over there doing his display. | 0:10:16 | 0:10:20 | |
'Thankfully, it's not aimed at me this time.' | 0:10:20 | 0:10:23 | |
Oh, there's another male! | 0:10:23 | 0:10:25 | |
'It's for another iguana.' | 0:10:25 | 0:10:27 | |
Oh, there might be a fight, because we've got this male | 0:10:27 | 0:10:30 | |
defending his territory and this one coming to try and invade. | 0:10:30 | 0:10:34 | |
-Oh, yes, yes. -And he doesn't like it. | 0:10:34 | 0:10:36 | |
Let's follow this. | 0:10:36 | 0:10:37 | |
The other one is running away. | 0:10:37 | 0:10:39 | |
-So he knows that this one should not be messed with. -Oh, yeah. | 0:10:40 | 0:10:46 | |
With his territory secure, he can get back to flirting with his females. | 0:10:46 | 0:10:50 | |
"Hey, ladies. How you doing?" | 0:10:52 | 0:10:55 | |
So, despite their fierce and prehistoric looks, | 0:11:06 | 0:11:09 | |
these iguanas aren't the dangerous dinosaurs you might expect. | 0:11:09 | 0:11:12 | |
Their speed is for escape, not pursuit. | 0:11:12 | 0:11:14 | |
Their spines are for defence rather than attack | 0:11:14 | 0:11:17 | |
and they would much rather sink their teeth into a nice | 0:11:17 | 0:11:20 | |
bunch of flowers instead of another animal, | 0:11:20 | 0:11:22 | |
so can I really call these reptiles of the ruins my worst nightmare? | 0:11:22 | 0:11:27 | |
To catch a glimpse of my next animal, | 0:11:31 | 0:11:33 | |
I'm going to have to get streetwise. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:37 | |
This seems like a nice, quiet everyday neighbourhood | 0:11:37 | 0:11:40 | |
but I've heard reports that this town is home to | 0:11:40 | 0:11:42 | |
an unruly gang of banditos, plaguing the local residents with | 0:11:42 | 0:11:46 | |
a crime spree of theft and vandalism. | 0:11:46 | 0:11:50 | |
So it's time for me to put on my detective hat | 0:11:50 | 0:11:53 | |
and launch an investigation. | 0:11:53 | 0:11:56 | |
The first thing any good detective will do | 0:12:08 | 0:12:11 | |
is go and examine the crime scene. | 0:12:11 | 0:12:13 | |
Yep, I think we might have found a clue right here. | 0:12:14 | 0:12:17 | |
Clearly, something has been going through this bin, | 0:12:17 | 0:12:20 | |
leaving rubbish everywhere - very antisocial. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:23 | |
I bet they were after those tortillas. | 0:12:23 | 0:12:26 | |
Probably made a quick getaway into those trees. | 0:12:26 | 0:12:28 | |
Mmm. | 0:12:28 | 0:12:30 | |
I think we're on the right track. | 0:12:30 | 0:12:32 | |
The next step is to look for witnesses, and there are plenty | 0:12:37 | 0:12:40 | |
of locals who have suffered at the hands of this mystery mob. | 0:12:40 | 0:12:44 | |
What have you seen them doing? | 0:12:44 | 0:12:46 | |
Begging for food, climbing the walls in the houses. | 0:12:46 | 0:12:50 | |
They've got this beautiful long snout and a really, really long tail | 0:12:50 | 0:12:55 | |
that has rings on it. | 0:12:55 | 0:12:57 | |
Furry. | 0:12:57 | 0:12:58 | |
They're furry. What else? | 0:12:58 | 0:13:00 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:13:01 | 0:13:03 | |
-That's how they walk? -How did they walk? | 0:13:03 | 0:13:05 | |
Oh! They walk like that! Ooh! | 0:13:07 | 0:13:10 | |
Armed with all this evidence, I have a fair idea | 0:13:14 | 0:13:17 | |
of where our little criminal gang likes to hang out. | 0:13:17 | 0:13:22 | |
We've just pulled into a local shopping centre car park, | 0:13:22 | 0:13:25 | |
because an informant tells us that our suspects, daily between five | 0:13:25 | 0:13:29 | |
and six o'clock, run across this wall and over to those bins there... | 0:13:29 | 0:13:33 | |
..to raid them. | 0:13:35 | 0:13:37 | |
So we are on a stakeout. | 0:13:37 | 0:13:39 | |
Oi! | 0:13:41 | 0:13:42 | |
Look. He's putting rubbish there. That's good. | 0:13:44 | 0:13:47 | |
They'll come for the rubbish. | 0:13:48 | 0:13:50 | |
Yeah, yeah, yeah! | 0:13:52 | 0:13:55 | |
Just when we're thinking they've given us the slip... | 0:13:58 | 0:14:01 | |
They're at the... There's one. Can you see it? | 0:14:06 | 0:14:08 | |
There it is, just coming over the fence now. | 0:14:08 | 0:14:10 | |
Oh! | 0:14:10 | 0:14:11 | |
'Long snout. Ringed tail.' | 0:14:11 | 0:14:14 | |
There's our culprit. | 0:14:14 | 0:14:18 | |
It's a coatimundi. | 0:14:18 | 0:14:20 | |
And they're mammals, closely related to kinkajou and racoons. | 0:14:20 | 0:14:24 | |
This particular species is called the white-nosed coati | 0:14:25 | 0:14:29 | |
and with the black fur around its eyes too, | 0:14:29 | 0:14:31 | |
it really does make it look like it's wearing a burglar's mask | 0:14:31 | 0:14:34 | |
and considering its behaviour - that's pretty appropriate. | 0:14:34 | 0:14:38 | |
'In the jungle, they live in the trees, | 0:14:39 | 0:14:42 | |
'coming down to the ground in the day, | 0:14:42 | 0:14:45 | |
'to forage for insects and fruit.' | 0:14:45 | 0:14:47 | |
But here in a more urban setting, | 0:14:49 | 0:14:51 | |
sometimes they'll just pick up whatever we throw away, | 0:14:51 | 0:14:54 | |
other times, they'll pinch it when we're not looking. | 0:14:54 | 0:14:57 | |
Their long claws make them great climbers. | 0:14:59 | 0:15:01 | |
Look at it. Climbing down the tree. | 0:15:04 | 0:15:06 | |
No trouble at all. | 0:15:06 | 0:15:07 | |
They're not dangerous to humans. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:13 | |
Oh, look how cute that one is! | 0:15:13 | 0:15:16 | |
I think they might be too cute to call criminals. | 0:15:16 | 0:15:19 | |
It's time to wrap up our investigation | 0:15:22 | 0:15:24 | |
and what have we learnt? | 0:15:24 | 0:15:25 | |
Well, yes, coatis can be a bit of a menace, raiding our bins | 0:15:25 | 0:15:29 | |
and stealing the occasional sandwich, but, in their defence, | 0:15:29 | 0:15:31 | |
they're just doing what comes naturally to them - | 0:15:31 | 0:15:34 | |
foraging for food. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:35 | |
So should I let them off, or send them down as my worst nightmare? | 0:15:35 | 0:15:39 | |
During my search for the world's nastiest natural nightmares, | 0:15:46 | 0:15:49 | |
I've come face-to-face with plenty of creepy crawlies, | 0:15:49 | 0:15:52 | |
things that bite, sting, inject venom, even drink your blood. | 0:15:52 | 0:15:57 | |
D'you know what? | 0:15:57 | 0:15:58 | |
I think I might have finally found an insect I'm really going to love. | 0:15:58 | 0:16:03 | |
The praying mantis has no venom or sting | 0:16:03 | 0:16:06 | |
and there's even one species that looks like a flower. | 0:16:06 | 0:16:10 | |
Ah! | 0:16:10 | 0:16:11 | |
The "praying" in its name has nothing to do with a predatory nature. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:15 | |
It's down to the prayer-like position of its forelimbs. | 0:16:15 | 0:16:19 | |
So I'm betting on the praying mantis being | 0:16:20 | 0:16:22 | |
just as saintly as its name suggests. | 0:16:22 | 0:16:24 | |
The praying mantis is a master of disguise. | 0:16:30 | 0:16:33 | |
Many have evolved to blend perfectly in with their surroundings | 0:16:33 | 0:16:37 | |
so they can look like leaves, bark, | 0:16:37 | 0:16:40 | |
which in here, makes them virtually invisible. | 0:16:40 | 0:16:43 | |
To help you look for this needle in a haystack, | 0:16:44 | 0:16:47 | |
I've once again called on the services of local biologist Raul. | 0:16:47 | 0:16:51 | |
And he knows exactly where to look. | 0:16:51 | 0:16:53 | |
Hey, Naomi. There's a praying mantis on this tree. Can you spot it? | 0:16:57 | 0:17:02 | |
Um... | 0:17:02 | 0:17:03 | |
No. | 0:17:05 | 0:17:07 | |
-I can't. -It's right here. | 0:17:07 | 0:17:09 | |
Oh, my goodness. Yes! | 0:17:10 | 0:17:12 | |
-Oh, it's quite tiny, isn't it? -Oh, yes. | 0:17:13 | 0:17:16 | |
Are they usually that sort of size? | 0:17:16 | 0:17:18 | |
Well, praying mantis came in different sizes. They can be | 0:17:18 | 0:17:22 | |
-as small as your fingernail and as big as your hand. -Really? | 0:17:22 | 0:17:26 | |
That camouflage is just incredible. It looks just like a twig. | 0:17:27 | 0:17:31 | |
Does it use that camouflage to protect itself? | 0:17:31 | 0:17:33 | |
Yeah. They can be the prey of birds, or lizards, even frogs. | 0:17:33 | 0:17:39 | |
They use it for protection, but also for hunting. | 0:17:39 | 0:17:42 | |
Ah, so they're disguised. | 0:17:42 | 0:17:44 | |
So how do they hunt? | 0:17:47 | 0:17:49 | |
KUNG-FU FIGHTING MUSIC | 0:17:49 | 0:17:52 | |
Butterfly, or whatever the prey is, will come. | 0:17:52 | 0:17:57 | |
And in less than a second it will be on top of him. | 0:17:58 | 0:18:01 | |
And these spiky little things that they have in their arms | 0:18:04 | 0:18:07 | |
is helping them to do that. | 0:18:07 | 0:18:09 | |
So those little spikes, barbed weapons, | 0:18:11 | 0:18:14 | |
chop down on their unsuspecting prey like a kung fu fighter? | 0:18:14 | 0:18:17 | |
That's right. | 0:18:17 | 0:18:18 | |
KUNG-FU FIGHTING SOUND EFFECTS | 0:18:18 | 0:18:21 | |
And then they start eating their prey alive. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:24 | |
Ooh! | 0:18:24 | 0:18:25 | |
Starting with their head also. | 0:18:25 | 0:18:27 | |
Oh! | 0:18:27 | 0:18:29 | |
'Yes, a praying mantis dinner party is not for the squeamish. | 0:18:29 | 0:18:33 | |
'Forget the starter. | 0:18:33 | 0:18:35 | |
'These guys like to go straight for the main course - | 0:18:35 | 0:18:38 | |
'while it's still moving! | 0:18:38 | 0:18:41 | |
'But these ghastly gourmets have an even darker side.' | 0:18:41 | 0:18:45 | |
Raul, I've heard that praying mantises | 0:18:45 | 0:18:47 | |
-have a rather unusual mating ritual. -Oh, yes. | 0:18:47 | 0:18:50 | |
The females, when they finish, they eat the male, | 0:18:50 | 0:18:54 | |
starting with the head. | 0:18:54 | 0:18:56 | |
Well, I'm all for girl power, but that does sound a bit extreme. | 0:18:57 | 0:19:01 | |
Wow! | 0:19:01 | 0:19:02 | |
You don't want to mess with the praying mantis. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:06 | |
-I don't want to be a male... -No! -..praying mantis! | 0:19:06 | 0:19:09 | |
So to summarise, they use their camouflage to launch sneak attacks, | 0:19:10 | 0:19:16 | |
skewering their victims before eating them alive. | 0:19:16 | 0:19:19 | |
And if they're still hungry, | 0:19:21 | 0:19:23 | |
they might just snack on their boyfriend, too! | 0:19:23 | 0:19:25 | |
Having learned a bit about this beastie, | 0:19:27 | 0:19:30 | |
I think the praying mantis should perhaps consider changing its name - | 0:19:30 | 0:19:34 | |
maybe to the kung fu mantis, | 0:19:34 | 0:19:35 | |
or the head-munching mantis might be more appropriate. | 0:19:35 | 0:19:37 | |
Whatever you call it, this cannibalistic creepy-crawlie | 0:19:37 | 0:19:41 | |
is certainly in the running for my worst nightmare! | 0:19:41 | 0:19:44 | |
For my final outing, I'm heading deep into the jungle... | 0:19:49 | 0:19:52 | |
..for a nocturnal nightmare encounter. | 0:19:54 | 0:19:57 | |
At night, the jungle comes alive with things that sneak, slither, | 0:20:04 | 0:20:08 | |
creep and crawl. | 0:20:08 | 0:20:10 | |
Even the very air itself is filled with nocturnal nightmares. | 0:20:10 | 0:20:14 | |
Like bats. | 0:20:18 | 0:20:19 | |
True horror story stars. | 0:20:19 | 0:20:21 | |
They are the masters of stealth. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:26 | |
And when they take to the air, they do it in their millions. | 0:20:27 | 0:20:30 | |
137 different species darken Mexico's skies every night | 0:20:37 | 0:20:44 | |
and nine of those could be out hunting in this remote | 0:20:44 | 0:20:48 | |
patch of Yucatan jungle right now. | 0:20:48 | 0:20:52 | |
I've got to say, it's pretty unnerving. | 0:20:52 | 0:20:54 | |
However, if there is one thing that this show has taught me | 0:20:54 | 0:20:57 | |
about fear, it's that it's best to meet it face-to-face. | 0:20:57 | 0:21:00 | |
Helping me do that tonight is a bat research team, | 0:21:02 | 0:21:05 | |
headed by wildlife expert Jorge. | 0:21:05 | 0:21:08 | |
He's been monitoring the bat species here by catching them | 0:21:12 | 0:21:15 | |
in these very fine mist nets, before releasing them unharmed. | 0:21:15 | 0:21:22 | |
As my Spanish isn't up to much, our translator Scott | 0:21:22 | 0:21:27 | |
is going to help introduce me to Jorge's first catch of the night. | 0:21:27 | 0:21:32 | |
What have we got here? | 0:21:32 | 0:21:34 | |
This is known as a ghost-faced bat. | 0:21:34 | 0:21:38 | |
It's a really peculiar-looking bat. Hang on. | 0:21:38 | 0:21:41 | |
So those...those are his eyes. | 0:21:41 | 0:21:44 | |
Ears behind. | 0:21:44 | 0:21:46 | |
And that's his mouth! | 0:21:46 | 0:21:48 | |
OK. | 0:21:48 | 0:21:50 | |
What do the bats do all night? | 0:21:50 | 0:21:53 | |
This bat leaves the cave to go out to hunt mosquitoes and insects. | 0:21:53 | 0:21:59 | |
And how many mosquitoes and insects will one bat eat in a night? | 0:21:59 | 0:22:03 | |
Each bat eats approximately half of its own bodyweight. | 0:22:04 | 0:22:08 | |
Which is a lot, cos mosquitoes weigh nothing. | 0:22:09 | 0:22:12 | |
'Jorge's nets are attracting a raft of colourful characters tonight.' | 0:22:13 | 0:22:18 | |
Oh! Is he happy? Looks like he's going "Argh!" | 0:22:21 | 0:22:26 | |
Quite a scary face he's got there. | 0:22:26 | 0:22:28 | |
Common Moustached Bat. | 0:22:32 | 0:22:34 | |
It does have big long hairs around its mouth. | 0:22:34 | 0:22:36 | |
Ooh! Does that hurt? | 0:22:39 | 0:22:41 | |
Are you going off bats, now that it's doing this to you? | 0:22:41 | 0:22:45 | |
Oh, you're good! You love bats. | 0:22:45 | 0:22:47 | |
Isn't that an odd-looking bat? | 0:22:51 | 0:22:53 | |
Why is it got no hair on its back? | 0:22:53 | 0:22:56 | |
It actually does have hair there. | 0:22:56 | 0:22:58 | |
What you're looking at is a membrane that covers the hairs on its back. | 0:22:58 | 0:23:02 | |
Oh, look at its little body. It's totally cute. | 0:23:03 | 0:23:07 | |
How can anyone think you're a nightmare? | 0:23:07 | 0:23:10 | |
In fact, this looks so friendly, I want to release this one. | 0:23:10 | 0:23:14 | |
He's going to put it there, and you just hold it down with your thumb. | 0:23:16 | 0:23:20 | |
-If it lets go, it's fine. -If it... If it goes, it's OK. | 0:23:20 | 0:23:23 | |
Oh, it's going to go. It's going to go. | 0:23:23 | 0:23:25 | |
Straight up into the night. | 0:23:25 | 0:23:27 | |
That was a little treat for me. | 0:23:27 | 0:23:29 | |
Well, we have met several members of the local bat population tonight | 0:23:32 | 0:23:36 | |
and I have to say that, up close, they really aren't that scary at all. | 0:23:36 | 0:23:39 | |
OK, some aren't exactly blessed in the looks department, | 0:23:39 | 0:23:42 | |
but nightmares of nature? Absolutely not. | 0:23:42 | 0:23:45 | |
Oh, no! | 0:23:47 | 0:23:48 | |
"Meeting one bat face-to-face may not be frightening, but what | 0:23:48 | 0:23:52 | |
"about meeting an army of bats so huge, they number | 0:23:52 | 0:23:54 | |
"into the millions? | 0:23:54 | 0:23:55 | |
"Dare you face the force of El Volcan de los Murcielagos?" | 0:23:55 | 0:24:00 | |
The bat volcano? What's the bat volcano? | 0:24:00 | 0:24:04 | |
Well, I'm about to find out. | 0:24:07 | 0:24:10 | |
We returned to the forest in daylight and while it certainly seems | 0:24:10 | 0:24:14 | |
a little less spooky now, that might be about to change. | 0:24:14 | 0:24:18 | |
Ho-ho-ho, ho-ho! | 0:24:19 | 0:24:21 | |
Down here in this sinkhole is the entrance to a cave | 0:24:21 | 0:24:24 | |
and that cave is home to around 2.5 million individual bats. | 0:24:24 | 0:24:30 | |
Well, we know they're there, cos we can see quite a few already, | 0:24:30 | 0:24:33 | |
but it also reeks of bat droppings around here. | 0:24:33 | 0:24:36 | |
It's a pretty overwhelming smell. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:39 | |
We're told that just before sunset, | 0:24:39 | 0:24:41 | |
all the bats in this cage will emerge to hunt. | 0:24:41 | 0:24:45 | |
I'm a little bit nervous and a little bit excited. | 0:24:46 | 0:24:51 | |
I hope they're not going to fly straight at my face! | 0:24:51 | 0:24:53 | |
They use a high-pitched navigation system, | 0:24:55 | 0:24:58 | |
which will steer them clear of objects - like me - but only just. | 0:24:58 | 0:25:04 | |
Whoo! | 0:25:04 | 0:25:06 | |
They went right in front of my face! | 0:25:06 | 0:25:08 | |
I'm suddenly starting to think this might not be quite so fun | 0:25:09 | 0:25:12 | |
when there are millions. | 0:25:12 | 0:25:14 | |
But as the bat army's main body of troops emerged, my fear turns to awe! | 0:25:15 | 0:25:20 | |
Can you hear that? | 0:25:22 | 0:25:24 | |
The beating of all their wings? Can you hear? | 0:25:24 | 0:25:27 | |
Oh, my word! That's amazing. | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
Have you ever seen anything like it? I haven't. | 0:25:34 | 0:25:37 | |
They're all moving so fast. | 0:25:39 | 0:25:42 | |
They're making all the trees | 0:25:44 | 0:25:46 | |
and leaves whirl round in the same direction. | 0:25:46 | 0:25:49 | |
Actually creating a real breeze. Oh! | 0:25:50 | 0:25:53 | |
Cor! No wonder the locals refer to this as the bat volcano. | 0:25:58 | 0:26:01 | |
It's literally like an eruption of bats rising up from the ground. Wow! | 0:26:01 | 0:26:07 | |
Wow, wow, wow, wow! | 0:26:07 | 0:26:09 | |
I'm absolutely speechless. | 0:26:18 | 0:26:20 | |
Which is not very helpful when you're a television presenter. | 0:26:20 | 0:26:24 | |
I thought this was going to be a frightening experience, | 0:26:28 | 0:26:31 | |
but it is not. This is just truly beautiful sight. | 0:26:31 | 0:26:34 | |
As the sun begins to set, | 0:26:36 | 0:26:38 | |
we make a quick dash up the hill to see them off into the night. | 0:26:38 | 0:26:42 | |
No matter how long you spend watching wildlife, | 0:26:43 | 0:26:46 | |
nature always has new ways of surprising you. | 0:26:46 | 0:26:48 | |
I thought that 2.5 million bats would be a terrifying prospect, | 0:26:48 | 0:26:53 | |
but it's turned out to be one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. | 0:26:53 | 0:26:56 | |
They might call it the bat volcano, | 0:26:56 | 0:26:58 | |
but this is one eruption I'm happy to have been here to witness. | 0:26:58 | 0:27:01 | |
My Mexican adventures are at an end, | 0:27:06 | 0:27:08 | |
but have you managed to guess what my worst nightmare will be? | 0:27:08 | 0:27:11 | |
Is it the spines and spikes of the prehistoric iguana? | 0:27:11 | 0:27:15 | |
"Hey, ladies! How you doing?" | 0:27:17 | 0:27:18 | |
The sneaky antics of the furry coarti? | 0:27:20 | 0:27:23 | |
There it is, just coming over the fence now. | 0:27:23 | 0:27:26 | |
Perhaps dicing with death on a snake identity parade? | 0:27:27 | 0:27:30 | |
I hope this is the right one! | 0:27:32 | 0:27:34 | |
No, it was none of those. | 0:27:35 | 0:27:36 | |
My worst nightmare is the kung fu fighting, boyfriend-chomping | 0:27:36 | 0:27:40 | |
cannibal critter, the praying mantis. | 0:27:40 | 0:27:43 | |
So it's five letters, Rich. | 0:27:50 | 0:27:52 | |
It starts with a C, ends with an I. And you haven't got any idea? | 0:27:52 | 0:27:56 | |
Is it an animal? | 0:27:59 | 0:28:01 | |
SHE LAUGHS | 0:28:01 | 0:28:04 | |
What? | 0:28:04 | 0:28:05 |