Bonus Bites Naomi's Nightmares of Nature

Welcome to my Nightmares Of Nature.

I'm Naomi Wilkinson.

SHE SCREAMS Oh, my goodness!

And I'm coming face-to-face with the nightmares

of the animal world.

Ohh!

The ones that make your spine tingle...

SHE WHIMPERS

..your heart beat faster...

There it is! There it is!

..and your blood run cold.

Are they truly terrifying?

Or is there a twist in the tail?

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

darkest secrets.

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

'Ten countries.

'Over 50 animals.

'And a whole lot of nasty nightmares.'

SHE GASPS

Ah!

'This series, I've brought you the best of the worst in the world.'

Look at that eight-legged monstrosity.

'But we packed so much into our globetrotting travels,

'that there are some nightmare naughties...'

SHE GAGS

'..we simply couldn't squish into the other shows.

'So I present to you...'

Naomi's Nightmares Of Nature - Bonus Bites.

My unseen adventures start

in my favourite nightmare-hunting destination.

The Bahamas.

Oh, yes!

'But, of course, the crew know how to ruin a good holiday.'

All they said was be at Compass Quay jetty at high tide,

don't be late and look for clues in the sand.

A stethoscope.

A toy shark.

Oh.

And a vacuum cleaner.

What on earth?

A medical shark that likes cleaning?

What?!

Well, I can see lots of dark shapes circling in the water

but seeing as I know this nightmare contender's going to meet me

on dry land,

at least I know it's not going to be a shark.

Is it?

Of course it is.

And now I get the inflatable shark and stethoscope.

They're nurse sharks.

Very good, crew, well done.

Not as daft as you look, are you?

I must be daft to consider going near one, though.

Their mouths may be small but they have a vice-like grip

designed not for biting but for sucking and grinding their prey

to death.

They cruise around the seabed ambushing unsuspecting shellfish,

like this conk.

Placing their chops over the entrance,

they suck until the struggling snail ends up in that mashing mouth

to be dispatched in a few short gulps.

Normally, on land, I feel safe from sharks...

'but not here.'

Hang on, they're all on the jetty.

Hopefully Tucker can shed some light on this bizarre scene.

-Am I safe to come down here? Yeah?

-Yeah.

How come they've all come up here?

-What do you do?

-Feed them.

-You feed them?

-Yeah.

For years, Tucker's put food out for them.

First, for two sharks, then they bred.

And now all their little ones come too,

through choice, everyday, at high tide

when the water helps them up onto the jetty.

This is really weird. I'm standing in a load of sharks.

-SHE GASPS

-Relax.

-Are you sure?

-Yeah.

-I might just move away from its mouth.

I can't believe you're just standing there with your bare feet.

You're not worried he's going to think your toes are fish?

They would if you just swipe it in front of their mouth

-but that's what you don't want to do.

-No.

'If I do get my toes too close, this is what will happen.

'Feeding time!'

Drop it in front of that one there.

SHARK GULPS NAOMI GASPS

SHE LAUGHS NERVOUSLY

That nearly bit the other one's face off.

-That's quite a scary sound, isn't it?

-It is.

NAOMI SLURPS

SHARK GULPS

That sound! SHE SLURPS

Don't you suck my toes.

Nurse shark mouths are so powerful

it's said they can suck with the power of ten vacuum cleaners.

VACUUM CLEANER WHIRS

Which is why I'm so concerned for my poor feet.

Oh. Erm...right.

Goodness me!

SHE SIGHS NERVOUSLY

I'm really on edge. Relax!

It's fine. Stay there, you.

See what I'm doing?

-You're petting them!

-Yeah.

-Can I touch one then?

-Yeah, touch this one right here.

Wow!

'It feels like slimy sandpaper.'

Giving me a little hand manicure there.

Cor! I never thought I'd do this.

SHE GIGGLES EXCITEDLY

'Being so close is strangely calming.

'I'm even getting used to the sound of them chomping.'

What's their favourite food?

They like squid, chicken, steak.

-Medium rare.

-Medium rare!

They like it medium rare.

Like the crews' sunburnt feet.

Brave, come on. Next one down.

I don't want to go. I'm not.

I'm staying here. I don't particularly want to lose my toes.

'Wusses! They need to take a leaf out of Tucker's book.'

Just chilling out.

Just got a shark on your foot.

It's no wonder they're so calm around Tucker,

he protects them from the threat of fishermen.

Making sure they're around for future generations to appreciate.

If you treat them with respect, they'll treat you the same way.

Well, it's really nice to meet you.

Thanks for coming up to say hi

without me having to get my wet suit on for once.

Makes a nice change.

If this was a competition for slurping up a meal,

then I think the nurse sharks would easily take the gold medal.

But can I call such a punctual shark,

polite enough to come and meet me up here on the jetty,

my worst nightmare?

This series, I travelled further than I've ever travelled before.

All the way upside down to New Zealand.

There I found a home away from home.

Familiar green pastures,

familiar burpy sheep...

SHEEP BAHS AND BURPS

But when it came to their garden critters,

there the familiarity ended, as I was about to find out.

The crew haven't told me very much about what I'm doing here today

and that is never a good sign, is it?

Go on, then, what's in store?

SHE GASPS What?!

Eugh!

'Want to see what I'm seeing?'

SHE GAGS That is totally gross.

Snails, not exact scary.

Well, think again.

New Zealand has some of the largest land snails in the world.

But it's not the lettuce patch you need to worry about.

These ones eat meat.

Schlurping up worms like they're spaghetti.

So gross!

It's amazing.

And it's time to meet some.

Courtesy of Auckland Zoo snail keeper Donald.

They're pretty sensitive to vibration, so tippy toes.

WHISPERS: Tiptoe, crew. Shhh!

Thank you.

And here they are...the sinister slurpers.

This is an empty shell

but this is the kind of size they get to.

That's a pretty good size, isn't it,

-for a snail?

-Whooping, isn't it?

But are they fast?

Cos, obviously, snails are notoriously pretty slow.

Yeah, snails have a reputation for being slow

but when compared to the rest, actually, they are quite fast.

-Are they?

-So these guys can move something like 20m in a night.

Or one mile every two and a half months.

Now, don't blink or you'll miss him.

Oh.

So these ones are about two years old?

About two years old, that's right.

Don't be put off by their comparative small size.

They can take a worm many, many times their length.

Yeah, that image is seared in my mind...

Arghh!

..forever!

It was a pretty swift movement I saw.

Kind of vomited out its mouth.

-That's not too far from how I describe it actually.

-Really?

-Yes.

This alien-like structure comes out of their face.

It's lined with rows and rows of teeth.

They've got teeth?

Not teeth like we know it but they're certainly sharp

and there are a lot of them.

They literally grab hold and pull the worm in.

And that is fast. In that moment, they're fast.

Fast and greedy.

These snails have been known in the wild to rather engorge themselves

and when they've been discovered by scientists who are looking for them,

some of them actually vomit them back up.

Because to pull themselves back in the shell,

they've got to get rid of all those worms.

Ewww! Poor worm.

-Is it still alive?

-Yes.

How long would it take before it would be all digested?

Goodness me. I'm afraid snails stick to form and it's rather slowly.

"Help!

"Hello!"

"Anybody out there?"

-Pretty grim end, isn't it?

-Really.

Well, they're great but they don't seem to be doing a lot.

Yes, that's because like any good predator of course,

-they operate at night.

-Ah!

'To wake them up, we need to enter...'

the dark zone.

Here, Shelly Shelly!

SNAIL SNORES

Yoo-hoo.

Show me your lovely scary mouthparts.

SNAIL SNORES

These snails like to take their time, it seems.

In you go.

Ohh!

SNORING CONTINUES

Mm. Not a lot of love from these guys.

I bet they've eaten too many juicy worms.

Uh-oh!

New Zealand's meat-eating snails schlurp up worms

with impressive efficiency.

Can you do the same?

Eugh! Guys!

I'm not eating any worms.

Don't worry, they are not that mean. It's just...

Sweeties.

So, using only our mouths we have to slurp these up.

The first one to finish is going to be the winner. Ready?

Take your positions.

Three, two, one, go!

-Done!

-No! No!

-Well done.

-Yes!

Snails often appear to be a bit boring but not in New Zealand.

Oh, no! Imagine being a worm.

Seeing one of these, you'd think,

"Oh, it's a friendly snail."

And then bam! Suddenly half of you is inside it.

That's enough to give anyone nightmares.

And makes these monstrous molluscs serious title challengers.

'Onwards! Or should I say backwards? To the Caribbean again.'

'You see, the crew have cottoned on to quite how scared I am

'of underwater monsters.'

SHE SCREAMS No! No! No! No! No!

'So they lured me here with the promise of sun and sand

'and then found any opportunity to throw me into the sea.

'This time with a toxic people killer.'

This nightmare of nature has a nasty reputation.

They're packed with poison,

they have stinging cells powerful enough to kill a human.

They're found in every ocean on the planet and they have no brain.

Oh, yeah, and I don't mean that as an insult.

They really have no brain.

I'm off to get hands-on with a jellyfish.

Some jellyfish grow to be bigger than humans.

Others swarm in their thousands, blocking all view of the sun.

Special stinging cells on their tentacles stun their prey

or fend off predators.

I'm off on a jellyfied safari with Caribbean connoisseur Lisha

for an encounter with an upside-down jellyfish.

'Yeah, there really is such a thing.'

-So we're going to go into the water with them?

-Yes.

-Is that a good idea?

-It's a good idea. Come on.

-We're going to be safe?

-We're completely safe.

All right.

-Oh, great.

-Come on, Stu.

Come on, don't be a scaredy-cat. It's going to be fine.

'You just can't get the crew these days.'

Right, tell me what we are looking for. What do they look like?

So, they're going to look like a snowflake, actually.

-Like a snowflake?

-Like a snowflake, yeah.

-Oh!

-They're really pretty.

-They can grow up into a huge dinner plate size.

-Ergh!

OK, so, the very crucial question - do they sting?

Yes, they will sting, but these ones are very minimal,

-so you're going to be OK.

-OK.

Upside-down jellyfish are actually composed of 95% water.

-95% water?

-95% water.

Only a tiny proportion of the other 5% is made up of venom.

So the bigger the jellyfish, the more it can sting you.

But they are very minimal, which you will find out in a few moments.

-We have one just up here.

-You can see one? Where? This?

-This is the tentacles that are floating.

-Er....

-But it's upside down.

-That is upside down.

That would explain its name, then.

Are you picking it up?

We're going to pick it up so I can show you the other side here.

Oh, be careful, be careful!

It's very important to say, at this point,

you shouldn't just go around and pick any old jellyfish.

You can only do this cos we're with a local expert

who knows exactly what type of jellyfish we're dealing with.

-Are you...OK?

-I'm OK.

So this, actually, this is the bell side of a jellyfish.

So this is the part that you can touch.

-It's just like jelly that you have with ice cream.

-It is.

This one may be harmless...

..but other species, like the box jellyfish,

contain some of the deadliest venom known to man

that can stun or kill in an instant.

In all of these giant jelly jewels,

it's the tentacles you've got to watch out for.

At the end of the tentacles,

there is a harpoon-like structure that actually hooks into your skin

and that's where it releases the venom into your bloodstream.

-So your hands aren't hurting?

-Not at all. No, absolutely not.

But it's still doing it, is it?

It's just that the venom's really mild.

It is being released, but I don't feel it.

The eight tentacles don't just have stingers...

each end also has mouths.

40 of them...

per tentacle!

8 x 40 is 320 mouths on an upside-down jellyfish.

I was going to say that's exactly how many...

-How many?!

-320.

-Mouths?

-On just this little creature.

A brainless blob with 320 mouths?

That hangs out upside down?

It's almost alien.

So, I'm used to seeing jellyfish this way up.

What's this one doing upside down? Is it sunbathing or something?

You're absolutely right, it is like it's sunbathing.

-It's sunbathing?!

-Absolutely.

Upside-down jellyfish need the sun to grow their own food.

Their tentacles are home to algae

that use the sunlight to make sugar

which is then eaten by the jellyfish.

In return, the algae have a nice, safe place to live.

So, it's just lounging around in the sun

letting someone else do all the hard work and making its energy.

-Very easy life.

-Lazy!

-Very lazy!

-Lazy jellyfish.

And the algae have an advantage too cos it's now been provided a home.

Aw!

-It's a nice little partnership, isn't it?

-Exactly.

Clever jellyfish.

Considering you have no brain, you're quite clever.

The more I get to know this little monster,

the braver I feel.

So...I want to try and touch this one, then,

-if you think I'm going to be all right.

-Absolutely.

So, we can pick it up here.

-You got it.

-Oh, my word, it's so beautiful.

-It's so soft, isn't it?

-It is very soft.

If you turn it the other way,

you may have a tiny bit of sensitivity in your hand.

-Oh, look at it pulsing.

-You see?

-Really mild tingling.

-Very mild.

-But nothing...

-Nothing to be worried about.

-No.

I've heard you should wee on a jellyfish sting. Is that true?

-No, it is absolutely...

-That's not true?!

-Someone just made that up to have a laugh at their friend?

-I think so.

-You will want vinegar.

-LAUGHTER

Vinegar! Not wee. You got that?

That's good to know. I would've asked someone to wee,

and I'm glad I know that now.

Armed with all this info,

I'm growing rather fond of this little lovely.

-It's quite mesmerising, just watching it, isn't it?

-Absolutely.

Especially with the sun glistening underneath on the sand,

it's beautiful.

This upside-down, sunbathing jelly may well be harmless to people,

but the same can't be said for its relatives.

With their harpoon-like stingers and terrifying toxins,

I think the jellyfish could well wobble into first place

on my nightmare leaderboard.

After the delights of the Caribbean,

it was with some trepidation that I headed inland

to the dusty desert of South Africa.

And sure enough, I faced, you know,

just the most terrifying experience of my entire life!

-Makes you feel part of the future.

-WHISPERING: Oh, my gosh.

So, when the crew asked me to meet a bloodthirsty aerial assassin...

I was prepared for the very worst.

Dotted across this landscape are trees hung with dried grass.

They look like haystacks with a trunk.

And in these haystacks can live up to 500 weaver birds.

But these noisy nesters are not my nightmare.

In fact, something is wiping them out.

Only about a quarter of the chicks in this nest

will make it through to adulthood.

And sure enough...

there is an invader in their midst.

It's a bird of prey with vicious claws and a hooked beak.

This winged impostor has taken over one of the chambers in the nest

and it has a taste for fresh meat.

Could this fluttering fiend be our weaver killer?

To get a good look at this burglar bird,

I have to get up before the sun. ALARM BEEPS

No! Oh, no, shh. Shh.

Shh. Shush. What time is it?

4.30?! O...

-Morning!

-Morning!

-SHE GASPS

-Hiya, Naomes.

-Morning.

What are you lot doing here?

-It's time to go.

-Time to go.

-Birdies.

-All right, I'm coming. Oh...

-Do you want to do your hair first?

SOBBING: I'm so tired. I'm so tired.

Our guide on this early morning safari is Anthony.

He's been studying this prowling predator for the last few years.

So, we're about to meet

this neighbourhood nightmare face-to-face, then?

Yes, yes, we are.

SHE LAUGHS EVILLY

And we've reached the weaverbird nest.

It's full of chambers, like individual weaver houses.

In one of those holes is our assailant.

Catching one requires specialist kit,

like...a pillow case,

to block off the chamber.

Oh, that's what that's for?

Yes, that goes over the entrance and then I also have...

-A stick!

-Yeah, it's not the most...

-Trusty stick.

-..scientific of devices,

but we just try and make a little noise

so it'll just jump straight into the bag.

Here goes.

-WHISPERING: Good luck.

-Thank you.

OK. Pillowcase is over the nest.

You've got it! It's in the pillowcase. Yes!

-Well done, Anthony.

-Thank you.

And we've got it in there.

OK, let's go and meet this nightmare neighbour face-to-face.

Soon it will be back in its home,

but first, Anthony needs to give our detainee a health check.

-Certainly a bit easier now the sun's coming up, isn't it?

-It is, yes.

See what we're doing.

-Right, I'm going to give you this.

-Thank you very much.

Time to reveal our offender.

SHE GASPS Oh, it's tiny-weenie.

That is super sweet. Look at that.

This is a pygmy falcon.

Not unlike its cousin, the fearsome peregrine falcon.

Except...it got shrunk in the wash.

That is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?

But don't be fooled by its cute, ickle face!

This tiny terror can take down small mammals

and it eats birds, too.

Worrying for those weavers it shares its nests with.

It feels more fragile than ferocious, though.

-Get a pink ring.

-Pink one. Yeah.

Almost a bit Nightmares Of Nature colour.

-And this doesn't hurt it or anything?

-Nuh-uh, no.

With this ring on, Anthony will be able to identify our flighty felon

without needing to recapture it.

Sweet.

And she'll happily climb in, then you have to put her upside down.

-Oh, is that to weigh it?

-Yeah.

-Oh!

-What does it weigh?

-59.7 grams.

That's less than half the weight of a banana.

Not a lot, is it?

A ruthless killer? Really?

What I want to know is do these birds eat the weaverbirds?

Erm...occasionally, it's been reported that they do,

but not as its main source of food.

They prefer to eat lizards and insects.

Oh! Well, this clearly isn't our culprit, then.

So what are they doing in the weaver nests?

The nests provide a cool place during the hot summer days

and are much warmer during the winter nights.

Just squatting, then.

Sounds a bit rubbish for the weavers.

Do they have any perks from having

-this little guy living in amongst them?

-Potentially.

We're looking to see whether they can keep away potential predators.

Oh, right!

So cape cobras and other snakes will come in

and take up the 75% of social weaver chicks and eggs.

Finally we've found the real offenders

that are wiping out most of our weavers.

These sinister serpents probe the chambers for chicks

when Mum and Dad weaver are out foraging for food.

If they find one,

they will inject it with venom and swallow it whole.

It's thought, though, that having falcons about

might actually keep snakes away.

So, for the weavers, having this living with them

is kind of like having a very cool security guard,

but one that could potentially eat you.

Pros and cons!

From harasser to hero.

This could be my favourite bird ever.

Mine too.

Well, on the face of it, having a bird of prey

living right on your doorstep, that does sound like a nightmare.

But this little one who likes to eat lizards

and who might even fend off the odd predator for you,

can I really call her my worst nightmare?

I think it's time to let you go.

Ready? Three, two, one, off you go.

My worldwide round-up is over,

and it's time for me to pick which bonus beastie

will top this globetrotting chart.

So, toe-nibbling nurse sharks?

Not nasty enough.

-You're petting them.

-Yeah.

Pygmy falcon - simply too sweet.

That wobbly wonder, the upside-down jellyfish

was more beauty than beast.

Oh, my word, it's so soft, isn't it?

Which leaves that wolf in sheep's clothing,

the sinister, shlurping, cannibalistic carnivorous snail.

OK, I'm coming out, guys.

I'm not sure how.

How do I get out of here?

Excuse me.

SHE SHRIEKS

Not that way. Just walk through, just walk through them.

It's fine. Just walk.

Duh, duh, duh... walking through sharks.

Urgh!