0:00:02 > 0:00:03Welcome to my Nightmares Of Nature.
0:00:07 > 0:00:08I'm Naomi Wilkinson.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10Woo-hoo!
0:00:10 > 0:00:14And I'm coming face to face with the nightmares of the animal world.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19The ones that make your spine tingle...
0:00:20 > 0:00:22..your heart beat faster...
0:00:25 > 0:00:27..and your blood run cold.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Are they truly terrifying?
0:00:32 > 0:00:33Or is there a twist in the tale?
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Come with me as I shine a light on wildlife's deepest, darkest secrets.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45And see if you can guess which will be my Worst Nightmare.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50This series, I've traversed the globe,
0:00:50 > 0:00:54seeking out the biggest, ugliest,
0:00:54 > 0:00:57creepiest and those hidden horrors on my quest
0:00:57 > 0:01:01to find nature's very worst nightmares.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04But some of the nasties me and my crew have met,
0:01:04 > 0:01:07we just haven't had time to show you.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Until now.
0:01:09 > 0:01:11So, I give you
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Naomi's Nightmares Of Nature: The Bonus Bits.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20'We'll venture to a not-so-serene temple in Thailand...'
0:01:20 > 0:01:23LOUD SCREECHING
0:01:23 > 0:01:26'..search the dark, creepy rainforests of Borneo
0:01:26 > 0:01:28'for a nocturnal nasty...'
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Look, creeping through the branches!
0:01:31 > 0:01:33'..and track down an eight-legged legend
0:01:33 > 0:01:37'in the baking deserts of Mexico.'
0:01:37 > 0:01:38Those are massive fangs!
0:01:40 > 0:01:44But my unseen adventures start in the freezing snows of Finland.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50I've come to Ranua Wildlife Park to meet Miia.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Hiya, I'm Naomi.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00'She's taking me to meet Finland's biggest big cat, the lynx.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07'But first impressions can be deceptive...'
0:02:07 > 0:02:11What a gorgeous creature, just looks like a big pussycat
0:02:11 > 0:02:12you want to cuddle and stroke.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14What could be nightmarish about that?
0:02:16 > 0:02:21'But Miia tells me that behind this giant pussycat exterior,
0:02:21 > 0:02:23'there lurks a fearsome feline
0:02:23 > 0:02:27'with a very unique way of catching its prey.'
0:02:27 > 0:02:31If I was to see a wild lynx hunting,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34how would it go about it in these sort of conditions?
0:02:34 > 0:02:37They would run and then they would do
0:02:37 > 0:02:40a few giant leaps towards the prey.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43So, quite springy, those legs are very powerful.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Yes, especially the hind legs.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48This powerful pounce enables the lynx
0:02:48 > 0:02:51to take down prey four times their own size.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58They'll eat wild pigs, rabbits and even young reindeer.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01'But the lynx's lethal leap means you don't have to live
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'on the ground to make it onto their menu.'
0:03:05 > 0:03:07So, does that mean she eats things like birds?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Yeah, actually, that's one of the important foods for the lynxes.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12She can catch them in the air?
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Yeah, if there's a good opportunity she will jump up...
0:03:14 > 0:03:18- And snatch them out of the sky? - Yeah, quite fast.- Whoa!
0:03:18 > 0:03:23'Plucking birds out of the sky - now, this I have to see.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26'But at the ripe old age of 18,
0:03:26 > 0:03:28'Bella is a bit too old for the high jump.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33'However, just next door, there's a leaping legend
0:03:33 > 0:03:37'capable of astonishing aerial acrobatics.'
0:03:37 > 0:03:40In this enclosure we have Betina, who's Bella's daughter,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44she's a lot younger and she's in her prime, so hopefully she's going to
0:03:44 > 0:03:48show us the lynx's leaping prowess, using this.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Going to put a little bit of bait on the end
0:03:50 > 0:03:53and do a spot of cat fishing!
0:03:53 > 0:03:56'Cameras rigged, and Betina looks raring to go!'
0:04:00 > 0:04:02We're lowering the bait.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05She's got her beady eye on it!
0:04:07 > 0:04:09Come on, let's see the spring in those legs.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Wow, what a jump!
0:04:16 > 0:04:21She did a real squat down, coiled spring and then...kapow!
0:04:24 > 0:04:27She must have hit that at about three metres.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32'That's the equivalent of me jumping as high as a house!'
0:04:37 > 0:04:40She nearly pulled me in with it!
0:04:40 > 0:04:44That was amazing - two front paws just...
0:04:44 > 0:04:47That was nuts, how high she jumped.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49'But can she go higher?'
0:04:49 > 0:04:52This is going to be worth a leap.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58This is all part of the enrichment programme for the lynx here.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01It replicates the methods they'd have to use in the wild
0:05:01 > 0:05:04to catch their food, so it's good for her.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07Yes, yes, yes!
0:05:08 > 0:05:11She caught it with her paw - she can reach it there.
0:05:11 > 0:05:13That's amazing, go on!
0:05:13 > 0:05:15Ohh!
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Nearly, nearly, nearly.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25Wow, did you see that?
0:05:25 > 0:05:29What an impressive jump, and from a standing start.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30I would not want to be on the menu
0:05:30 > 0:05:33of a hungry, wild lynx. No, thank you!
0:05:33 > 0:05:35There's nowhere to hide, and that is why the lynx's
0:05:35 > 0:05:39nightmare credentials could see it leap into the lead.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48If there's one place that really puts the fear into me,
0:05:48 > 0:05:49it's rainforests.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53They're full of biting bugs and all sorts of scary beasts.
0:05:55 > 0:06:01And I found the tropical rainforests of Borneo were no exception.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04A haven for all things nightmarish.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07That is so impressive.
0:06:07 > 0:06:08Waah!
0:06:10 > 0:06:12I've never seen anything like it!
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Huh, it just popped it open - pop!
0:06:19 > 0:06:23'But if there's one thing more terrifying than daytime jungle,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25'it's the jungle at night,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29'and that's when my next nightmare creature starts to stir.'
0:06:31 > 0:06:34Oh, yes - love coming out in the jungle at night.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35Not creepy at all(!)
0:06:38 > 0:06:41'Luckily, I've got a guide in the darkness.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43'This is Kirsty...
0:06:48 > 0:06:52'..a primate researcher at the Danau Girang Field Centre.'
0:06:52 > 0:06:55So, do you often go out at night in the forest?
0:06:55 > 0:06:57Yeah, pretty much, that's what I do here.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01You see loads of animals, a lot more at night than you do in the day.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03OK, so, what animal is it that we're going to see?
0:07:03 > 0:07:05We're going to go and see a slow loris.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07A slow loris, hmm!
0:07:12 > 0:07:14'Well, that sounds OK.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17'If it's slow, we can run away,
0:07:17 > 0:07:18'and "loris" sounds kind of cute!
0:07:20 > 0:07:23'Maybe this night-time jungle thing isn't so bad.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33'On our hunt for this mystery mammal, we've got technology on our side.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37'The slow loris we are after has been fitted with a radio collar,
0:07:37 > 0:07:42'so, with help of Kirsty's colleague, Roxy, we hope to track it down.'
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Hi, Roxy. Have you found it?
0:07:45 > 0:07:47It's up there.
0:07:47 > 0:07:48Right, I can't see anything.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51I don't really know what I'm looking for. What sort of size is it?
0:07:51 > 0:07:55So, if you keep your light up...
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Oh, there, there, there.
0:07:57 > 0:07:59Look, there, creeping through the branches!
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Slow lorises are distant cousins of monkeys,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07and closely related to lemurs.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13They're nocturnal, hence those enormous, doe-y eyes.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17Their hands are designed for grasping,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20ideal for moving around their treetop home.
0:08:20 > 0:08:26Oh, and of course, covered in snugly fur - lovely!
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Now, that looks super cute.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33What could possibly be a nightmare about that?
0:08:33 > 0:08:37See, these are actually the only venomous primates in the world.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Their bites are really toxic.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42They can actually, like, rot flesh.
0:08:42 > 0:08:47Humans have actually died from the bite of the slow loris
0:08:47 > 0:08:50and we've actually witnessed this slow loris in a fight with
0:08:50 > 0:08:54- another one, and the other one's head was ripped to pieces.- Urgh!
0:08:54 > 0:08:59'Oh! So, more highly toxic and head-ripping than cute.'
0:09:01 > 0:09:06So, they've got a gland on their elbows that secretes a fluid
0:09:06 > 0:09:08and they mix this fluid with their saliva
0:09:08 > 0:09:11and that gives them a venomous bite.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14- So they'll bite into the other animal.- Ohh!
0:09:14 > 0:09:17That's a wolf in sheep's clothing, then, isn't it?
0:09:17 > 0:09:22'One theory is that the slow lorises take the toxins from the poisonous
0:09:22 > 0:09:28'insects they eat and then condense them down to make their own venom.
0:09:28 > 0:09:33'But why does this not-so-sweet little primate need venom?'
0:09:33 > 0:09:36There's a few reasons that scientists think why.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38One is for predator defence,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42because nothing's going to go near it when it's so venomous,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46and another reason is that it's an insecticide,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49so, slow lorises hardly have any leeches or mites on them.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Not having the problems we're having tonight,
0:09:52 > 0:09:53with all these bugs everywhere!
0:09:53 > 0:09:58If they've got babies, the mothers will cover the babies in the venom
0:09:58 > 0:10:02and then they can go off and leave them, and they'll just be fine.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05So if anything did come along and bite them, they'd just spit them out.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07Brilliant!
0:10:07 > 0:10:11'So, highly venomous, but at least they're slow -
0:10:11 > 0:10:14'I could still run away if worst came to worst.'
0:10:14 > 0:10:18They're not slow at all! It was named completely wrong.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Oh. Why did it get that name, then, do you think?
0:10:21 > 0:10:24When it's scared, they freeze,
0:10:24 > 0:10:28so that's their way of, like... And they'll hide their face.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Think they'll be more hidden if they don't move at all?
0:10:31 > 0:10:32Yeah, definitely.
0:10:32 > 0:10:37Well, it turns out you can't judge a book by its cover.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39At first glance, you just want to give that gorgeous little
0:10:39 > 0:10:42fluff ball a cuddle, but actually, in reality, the loris is a
0:10:42 > 0:10:46toxic-tongued terror and could easily run away, and not that slowly,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50I might add, with the Worst Nightmare gold medal.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57On my journey around the world,
0:10:57 > 0:11:00I took a road trip along the glorious UK coast
0:11:00 > 0:11:05to search for our very own home-grown horrors.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07Oh, my goodness!
0:11:07 > 0:11:10They're not scared of us, are they?
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Ninja limpet - who would have thought it?
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Yee-hoo-hoo!
0:11:25 > 0:11:32But there is one particularly slimy UK beast that you haven't seen yet.
0:11:32 > 0:11:34'Warning - if you are of a nervous disposition,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37'you probably shouldn't watch this.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40'I'm on the hunt for lugworm...
0:11:44 > 0:11:47'..a beach burrower that lives all around our shores
0:11:47 > 0:11:50'and has some very nasty toilet habits.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56'For this search, I've enlisted help from local fisherman Neil...'
0:11:58 > 0:12:01'..who comes to dig up worms for bait,
0:12:01 > 0:12:05'and he gives me the lowdown on what we're looking for.'
0:12:05 > 0:12:07- Horrible-looking things.- Are they?
0:12:07 > 0:12:09But... Yes!
0:12:09 > 0:12:11That's lugworm there.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14- So you found all of these just this morning?- Yeah.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17Urgh, look at them all, writhing around in there!
0:12:17 > 0:12:19How many are there of these things?
0:12:19 > 0:12:25- Oh, millions, I'd say. - Are there?- Yeah.- Eugh!
0:12:25 > 0:12:28'In fact, there can be up to 100 lugworm
0:12:28 > 0:12:31'in one square metre of beach!'
0:12:31 > 0:12:34So, that's what makes all these squiggles you see in the sand?
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Yeah, the casts.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39'Lugworm live beneath the surface.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43'They suck up great mouth-loads of sand, filtering out anything
0:12:43 > 0:12:49'they can eat, and squirt the unwanted bits out of their bottoms.'
0:12:49 > 0:12:51So, essentially, that's really lugworm poo?
0:12:51 > 0:12:53- Yes.- Nice(!)
0:12:53 > 0:12:55'Even so, I can't resist finding out
0:12:55 > 0:12:59'if they feel as disgusting as they look!'
0:12:59 > 0:13:05- Oh, no, that doesn't feel too bad. - No.- Quite slimy, bit cold.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Oh, what's this yellow goo coming out of it?
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Ammonia.
0:13:10 > 0:13:12- Ammonia?- Yeah.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14What, is this its wee, or...?
0:13:14 > 0:13:19- I should think so, yeah.- Great(!)
0:13:19 > 0:13:21'So, pooing on the beach and weeing on my hand -
0:13:21 > 0:13:24'not much to like about the lugworm so far.'
0:13:26 > 0:13:28Stop giggling, stop laughing!
0:13:28 > 0:13:30It's just done a wee on my hand.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Urgh, look at its weird face!
0:13:33 > 0:13:37That is the strangest mouth I've ever seen.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42Urgh, it's creeping me out! Really, really gross. What is it doing?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44It's kissing you, Nomes.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Is it giving me a kiss? Doesn't make it feel any better.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52Urgh! Sorry if you are currently eating your breakfast.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54That is going to totally put you off.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56'But despite their appearance,
0:13:56 > 0:14:01'lugworm actually do an essential job around our coast.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04'By eating all the dead material
0:14:04 > 0:14:06'that would otherwise smell and spread disease,
0:14:06 > 0:14:11'they ensure that Britain's beaches are some of the best in the world.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14'So, instead of focusing on that face
0:14:14 > 0:14:17'that, really, only a mother could love...'
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Urgh, it's creeping me out! Really, really gross.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25'..or the fact their toilet habits leave a lot to be desired...'
0:14:25 > 0:14:27It's just done a wee on my hand.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30'..maybe we should be thanking the slippery lugworm
0:14:30 > 0:14:33'for the clean-up job they do.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36'So, for that reason, I'm going to say
0:14:36 > 0:14:40'that lugworm is NOT going to be my Worst Nightmare.'
0:14:46 > 0:14:49The biggest fish on the planet -
0:14:49 > 0:14:53the whale shark was just one of the spine-tingling encounters
0:14:53 > 0:14:55I had in the Wild West of Mexico,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58where I found shootin', tootin' nightmares
0:14:58 > 0:15:01popping up all over the place.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10They'll make another bird puke up the fish and then eat it mid-air?
0:15:10 > 0:15:12- Yup.- Oh!
0:15:12 > 0:15:17'But my bonus beastie of the Baja Desert is a creature
0:15:17 > 0:15:19'straight out of a horror movie.'
0:15:19 > 0:15:22We've featured a lot of spiders on Nightmares Of Nature,
0:15:22 > 0:15:26some big, some small, some venomous, some harmless, some ugly, some...
0:15:26 > 0:15:28Others not quite so ugly.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32So, you might think we've pretty much covered our eight-legged friends.
0:15:32 > 0:15:34But there is one spider we haven't met yet,
0:15:34 > 0:15:37and it's probably the most famous spider of all.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43When it comes to nightmare animals, the tarantula is a real superstar.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48It's featured as a terrifying threat in countless films and books,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51where that ominous, arachnid outline
0:15:51 > 0:15:54has turned it into the ultimate creepy-crawly.
0:15:58 > 0:16:04But is this menacing reputation really deserved?
0:16:04 > 0:16:08This desert is the perfect place to go on a tarantula hunt, because
0:16:08 > 0:16:11there are literally thousands and thousands of them living here.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14Sadly for us, though, we've run out of time, haven't we?
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Aww, that's a shame. - No, no, we're OK for time.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24Tarantulas are the biggest spiders on the planet.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28They ambush their prey and dispatch them with a single bite!
0:16:28 > 0:16:32Being largely nocturnal, they spend most of the day
0:16:32 > 0:16:36hidden in a burrow, making them quite hard to find.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40So, I've enlisted the help of local wildlife expert Victor
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and translator Scott.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53Come over and see this, Steve.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56Victor's found a spider's web under a rock.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Do you think there's a tarantula under the rock now?
0:17:01 > 0:17:04- It's possible, si. - It's possible?- Si.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10So, might the tarantula come to investigate what's happening now?
0:17:10 > 0:17:12HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:17:12 > 0:17:14So, we might see a tarantula in a minute.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:17:16 > 0:17:19It'll come out and look for food, right!
0:17:19 > 0:17:23'But... Oh, what a shame, looks like nobody's home.'
0:17:23 > 0:17:25HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:17:25 > 0:17:27We're going to look elsewhere.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29- TRANSLATOR:- And hope for luck.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31We'll hope for luck, or not!
0:17:34 > 0:17:38'Never has anyone tried harder NOT to find a tarantula.'
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Look at me, searching enthusiastically(!)
0:17:45 > 0:17:48'And looks like my luck has held. Yes!
0:17:48 > 0:17:51'Oh, no - there's something more powerful than luck
0:17:51 > 0:17:53'and that's a spider that Victor found earlier.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00'Hurrah, so I am going to get to meet one after all! Yay(!)'
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Whoa!
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Really? Won't it hurt me?
0:18:07 > 0:18:09Oh, scratchy.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11So, it's got little hooks on the end
0:18:11 > 0:18:13and that helps it grip and climb up things.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:18:16 > 0:18:19- TRANSLATOR:- That is to trap the prey.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Aah! Oh, I think we're going to see its fangs now.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Does this hurt it?
0:18:24 > 0:18:27- No. - HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:18:27 > 0:18:29- TRANSLATOR:- Just the same as opening his mouth.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31Oh, right, like opening your mouth, easy!
0:18:31 > 0:18:35- But those are massive fangs!- Si.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38'These hollow, hinged fangs deliver a fatal, venomous bite
0:18:38 > 0:18:41'into the tarantula's victim.'
0:18:41 > 0:18:45And that kind of turns its prey into sort of soup
0:18:45 > 0:18:48and it can slurp it all up like a straw?
0:18:48 > 0:18:50- Yes, si. - HE SLURPS
0:18:50 > 0:18:54What sort of animal would the tarantula be hunting?
0:18:54 > 0:18:56HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:18:56 > 0:19:01- TRANSLATOR:- They can eat insects, small lizards and even mice.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04Are they dangerous to humans?
0:19:04 > 0:19:05HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:19:05 > 0:19:07- TRANSLATOR:- You can have it if you want also.
0:19:07 > 0:19:09Erm...!
0:19:10 > 0:19:14Just to prove to you that they're not dangerous to us.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17I'm not that keen on spiders, but if you say so.
0:19:17 > 0:19:18HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:19:18 > 0:19:20OK, come on.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23It's so light, isn't it?
0:19:23 > 0:19:26What would happen if it bit me?
0:19:26 > 0:19:29HE SPEAKS SPANISH
0:19:29 > 0:19:32- TRANSLATOR:- So, it would just be a little bit painful. OK.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Has anyone ever died from a tarantula bite?
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- TRANSLATOR:- In all of Mexico there is not any species of tarantula
0:19:38 > 0:19:40that is dangerous to humans.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- So, really not dangerous.- No.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Look at me - holding a big old hairy spider, and I'm all right.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51This is progress. You can overcome your fears. I'm living proof.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54Look, I'm OK!
0:19:54 > 0:19:56'I feel like I'm starting to see another side of
0:19:56 > 0:19:59'this supposedly fearsome beast.'
0:19:59 > 0:20:02I actually don't mind this at all.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06My feeling towards spiders have changed massively.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09But they do look pretty creepy.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11You can see why people are afraid of them.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14- Si.- They're pretty big spiders, aren't they?
0:20:16 > 0:20:21'It seems that the terrible tarantula is not so terrifying after all.'
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Far from being the vicious villains they're made out to be,
0:20:24 > 0:20:29this big, dare I say it, beautiful spider is actually quite mellow
0:20:29 > 0:20:32and really not any danger to us humans at all.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35Mind you, if I was an insect or a lizard, I wouldn't fancy
0:20:35 > 0:20:38being on the pointy end of those enormous, big fangs, so perhaps
0:20:38 > 0:20:43the tarantula is still in with a chance of being my Worst Nightmare.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48'My next stop is Thailand, a country packed with
0:20:48 > 0:20:52'nightmares on a truly impressive scale.'
0:20:57 > 0:20:59You are incredible!
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Argh! If only I had wrists like gibbons'.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08SHE SCREAMS
0:21:13 > 0:21:16This snake is enormous.
0:21:19 > 0:21:23'After all that nightmare hunting, I think it's time to find
0:21:23 > 0:21:28'somewhere calm, tranquil, peaceful.
0:21:28 > 0:21:30'A place to relax.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34'And what better place than a Buddhist temple?'
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Buddhism is the central religion of Thailand,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40and its followers regularly practise the ancient art
0:21:40 > 0:21:44of meditation. It's a fantastic way to relax,
0:21:44 > 0:21:48to be at one with the world, find your inner peace,
0:21:48 > 0:21:50eradicating all those nightmares.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55SCREECHING
0:21:58 > 0:22:00LOUDER SCREECHING
0:22:06 > 0:22:08EVEN LOUDER SCREECHING
0:22:08 > 0:22:10'But my peaceful moment is short-lived,
0:22:10 > 0:22:16'interrupted, as so often happens to me, by the stuff of nightmares.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21'Aargh! Blood-sucking vampires!'
0:22:25 > 0:22:29All that noise is coming from these trees over here.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33They've been taken over by an enormous colony of giant bats.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35Look at them all!
0:22:36 > 0:22:42These are Lyle's fruit bats, one of largest bats in the world.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45From tip to tip, they can stretch almost a metre.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50'Bats the world over put the fear into so many people,
0:22:50 > 0:22:55'and when they're this gigantic, they certainly look pretty scary.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00'But is this huge and slightly creepy-looking bat
0:23:00 > 0:23:02'really the stuff of nightmares?'
0:23:03 > 0:23:07In truth, these are not blood-sucking vampires.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08They do have another name -
0:23:08 > 0:23:11they're also called fruit bats, they're vegetarians.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14They dine on fruit and flowers, not flesh.
0:23:14 > 0:23:19'That said, they are still very, very noisy!'
0:23:19 > 0:23:21All the noise is just them competing for space.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25There's a bit of a premium on every little branch here.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27They're all fighting over it.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30They're everywhere - from the lowest branch right to
0:23:30 > 0:23:33the top of the tree is absolutely covered.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37It's like a spooky Christmas tree, covered in bat baubles.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43'But the plus side of living in someone else's armpit is that
0:23:43 > 0:23:47'any predator coming to look for a meal is going to face
0:23:47 > 0:23:50'a confusing mass of beating wings.
0:23:51 > 0:23:55'Picking out one bat in this chaos is far from easy.'
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Even if you don't find them frightening,
0:23:59 > 0:24:03there is one aspect of this mass of bats that is a nightmare.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07It's been a lovely day and yet it's been raining bat poo!
0:24:07 > 0:24:12Mmm! I really do not approve of their toilet habits.
0:24:12 > 0:24:16Don't poo - you, straight above me!
0:24:16 > 0:24:19'But even their nightmarish toilet habits
0:24:19 > 0:24:21'have a very important role to play.
0:24:24 > 0:24:29'Having feasted on fruit, every fruit bat poo is full of seeds
0:24:29 > 0:24:33'and packaged up with a pile of fertiliser to help them grow.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38'Fruit bats can fly up to 60km in a single night,
0:24:38 > 0:24:41'planting trees as they go.'
0:24:48 > 0:24:50It's getting late.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52The sun is just dipping over the horizon
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and the bats are starting to get a little bit restless.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58Something big is about to happen.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02'As dusk approaches, these bats prepare
0:25:02 > 0:25:04'to head off in search of food.'
0:25:06 > 0:25:10It's fantastic - against this beautiful, reddish-pink sunset,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12you've got bat silhouettes everywhere.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20The sun is almost down, more and more are taking to the skies.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26'We've had a report that they're flying out over the river.'
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Come, Steve. Come, Rich.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31'And this could give us a chance
0:25:31 > 0:25:34'to get a really good look at those enormous wings.'
0:25:37 > 0:25:40It started out just one or two of them
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and now there is more and more coming out over the river.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47Oh, my goodness, they're everywhere!
0:25:47 > 0:25:50Feels so exciting to be right in the middle of all the action.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56It's the perfect bat silhouette against the sky.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12'All over the tropics, fruit bats leave their day roosts
0:26:12 > 0:26:15'in their thousands to look for food.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20'Their large, hairless wings would dry out in the tropical sun,
0:26:20 > 0:26:23'and so flying at night is their best option.'
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Part of me is in awe of this spectacle, the other half
0:26:29 > 0:26:31can't help but be a little spooked.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33It's like a scene from Dracula's castle.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36They may be harmless veggies, but they are enormous,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39they're noisy and their toilet habits are revolting.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44This batty bonanza could well flap its way to become my Worst Nightmare.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55'So, that rounds up my global travels.
0:26:56 > 0:27:01'All that remains is for me to decide which new nasty will top my list.
0:27:03 > 0:27:10'Could it be the leaping lynx with its flying feline predation method?'
0:27:10 > 0:27:12What an impressive jump!
0:27:12 > 0:27:15'Or the terrifying tarantula with its rascally reputation?'
0:27:15 > 0:27:20They do look creepy, you can see why people are afraid of them.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23'This time, the creature that tops my bonus list of
0:27:23 > 0:27:26'nightmare encounters is...
0:27:26 > 0:27:29'that wolf in sheep's clothing,
0:27:29 > 0:27:34'the vicious, venomous and not-so-cuddly slow loris.'
0:27:35 > 0:27:39Humans have actually died from the bite of the slow loris.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47Ay-yi-yi-yi!
0:27:47 > 0:27:50Ohh! Stew, the producer
0:27:50 > 0:27:52has just had something bite his bottom.
0:27:52 > 0:27:55It was a mammoth or a giant tiger or something.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58It's probably an ant.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01Stew, if you see loads of ants on the floor, don't stand in them!