0:00:02 > 0:00:04Welcome to my Nightmares Of Nature.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09I'm Naomi Wilkinson!
0:00:09 > 0:00:10Oh, my goodness!
0:00:10 > 0:00:14And I'm coming face-to-face with the nightmares of the animal world.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Oh!
0:00:16 > 0:00:18The ones that make your spine tingle...
0:00:18 > 0:00:19SHE WHIMPERS
0:00:19 > 0:00:22..your heart beat faster...
0:00:22 > 0:00:23NAOMI GASPS
0:00:23 > 0:00:25There it is! There it is!
0:00:25 > 0:00:26..and your blood run cold.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30Are they truly terrifying...
0:00:32 > 0:00:34..or is there a twist in the tale?
0:00:35 > 0:00:41Come 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 > 0:00:50Hello, down there!
0:00:50 > 0:00:54Yes, I have only gone and got myself a helicopter, haven't I?!
0:00:54 > 0:00:58This time, I've come to the edge of the Arctic Circle.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Welcome to Iceland!
0:01:04 > 0:01:05Aaah!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Stuck out on the edge of the Arctic Circle,
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Iceland is a country of fire...
0:01:14 > 0:01:16..and ice...
0:01:17 > 0:01:18..Vikings...
0:01:18 > 0:01:20and ancient legends.
0:01:20 > 0:01:21Whoo-hoo-hoo!
0:01:21 > 0:01:25Perfect territory to hunt down some terrifying terrors,
0:01:25 > 0:01:26from a ticking time bomb...
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Did you just say this is an active volcano?
0:01:28 > 0:01:31- Yes.- Are we landing here?
0:01:31 > 0:01:32- Yes.- We're landing?
0:01:32 > 0:01:35..to a legend unmasked.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37- Is it right near the boat?- Yep.
0:01:37 > 0:01:38There it is! There it is!
0:01:39 > 0:01:42First, we start with a bang.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48When you think of nightmares of nature,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51you might think of something that can bite you or sting you,
0:01:51 > 0:01:53maybe even kill you,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56but what about a sleeping giant so powerful
0:01:56 > 0:01:59it can wipe out entire cities?
0:02:00 > 0:02:02Well, guess what.
0:02:02 > 0:02:03I'm going to go and find one.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11Volcanoes - a titanic force of nature.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15Erupting out of the earth with a deadly blast.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Spewing lava that devours everything in their path.
0:02:21 > 0:02:26Iceland is one of the most volcanically active places on Earth,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28where the people live with the constant threat
0:02:28 > 0:02:31of a volcano going off at any moment.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Have I bitten off more than I can chew?
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Thankfully, I'm not alone,
0:02:40 > 0:02:42as I've got Rikki with me,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44who knows all there is to know
0:02:44 > 0:02:46about volcanoes.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48OK, guys, ready to start up?
0:02:48 > 0:02:49Yeah, ready.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56And up here is the perfect place to spot how Iceland has been torn apart
0:02:56 > 0:02:59by these immense volcanic forces.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Look at that epic scenery!
0:03:03 > 0:03:04It's amazing!
0:03:04 > 0:03:08You can tell we're on the edge of the Arctic Circle, can't you?
0:03:17 > 0:03:21So, up ahead, these look like big craters in the mountain.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24This is just one big volcano.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26- This is a volcano?- That's a volcano.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32So, what exactly is a volcano?
0:03:32 > 0:03:35A volcano is simply the centre
0:03:35 > 0:03:38where all the molten rock comes out of the earth.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42When it melts, it creates a high pressure inside the earth
0:03:42 > 0:03:46and at some point it can't withstand the pressure any more on the surface
0:03:46 > 0:03:49and it breaks apart and it creates an eruption.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Like a balloon that's got too much air in it,
0:03:51 > 0:03:54- it just has to go somewhere and so it...- Exactly.- ..explodes.- Yeah.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57And the only way to go is up.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00So, really, they could go off at any time?
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Some of them have very short warning.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12We've got steam coming out of the ground here!
0:04:12 > 0:04:15Yeah. This is the active volcano.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19Did you just say this is an active volcano?
0:04:19 > 0:04:25Yes. Actually, it's three active volcanoes in one area.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27So...is it a safe place to be?
0:04:28 > 0:04:32- We'll be perfectly fine. - OK. I trust you.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41- Are we landing here?- Yes.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45- We're landing?- I'm just going to show you something down here.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47That...that doesn't sound like a very good idea.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50I'm not liking this. That's... No.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Whoa! It stinks out here!
0:05:02 > 0:05:03That's all the sulphur.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Sulphur? It smells like rotten eggs, doesn't it?
0:05:06 > 0:05:10- Eurgh!- It does.- And are we safe to stand on this ground?
0:05:10 > 0:05:13As long as you walk only where there's grass, you're safe.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15- Why is that?- Don't step off it,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19because here you can have unstable ground,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22you can step a foot through it, and it will boil your feet.
0:05:22 > 0:05:23NAOMI GASPS
0:05:23 > 0:05:26So, please just stay on all the grass here.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27I will! I will!
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Phwoar!
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Staying on the grass at all times.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Do not want to put my foot through and boil my feet.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43We're surrounded by ominous-looking volcanic pools.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46This looks a little bit less grassy.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49- Is this safe? - OK, you take big steps here.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51- This is fine.- Just take big steps.
0:05:51 > 0:05:52Ooh!
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Oh, wow!
0:05:59 > 0:06:01- Ooh...- Be careful!
0:06:01 > 0:06:04I'm going to stand right next to you! Whoops.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08So, is this really dangerous?
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Well, if you jump in there, yes.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12What would happen if I were to jump in there?
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Well, you would get boiled.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16- Oh, just...- You can see, it is boiling.- ..boiled?
0:06:16 > 0:06:18But there is also... Some of them are very acidic,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22so some of it is like boiling acid.
0:06:22 > 0:06:23So it would dissolve me?
0:06:23 > 0:06:25Yes. In some places.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28That would be a bad way to go, wouldn't it?
0:06:28 > 0:06:30I'm not going anywhere near that.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34Do you actually like volcanoes, Rikki?
0:06:34 > 0:06:36Do you think there's anything good about them?
0:06:36 > 0:06:38- I love them.- Do you?
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Yeah, of course. I study them, I love them,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42but they also make Iceland liveable,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46because if we didn't have the energy from the volcanoes,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49or the heat and the electricity we produce,
0:06:49 > 0:06:51we wouldn't be able to live here.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56Incredibly, Iceland gets a whopping 25% of its electricity
0:06:56 > 0:06:59from the heat coming out of the earth.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Yeah, so, they are pretty amazing.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02They are.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05Well, I think we should get out of here, before anything erupts
0:07:05 > 0:07:07or we step in a boiling hot pool.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09How about that?
0:07:22 > 0:07:26Living under the constant shadow of a ticking time bomb -
0:07:26 > 0:07:29that has got to be a serious concern, cos it's not just that
0:07:29 > 0:07:31huge, catastrophic volcanoes HAVE gone off,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34it's that they're going to happen again.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37It is going to take a lot to prevent Iceland's volcanoes
0:07:37 > 0:07:40from erupting into first place.
0:07:47 > 0:07:50OK, safely back on the ground,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54my Icelandic adventure continues in Iceland's capital, Reykjavik.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01Ever since the Vikings lived here, Iceland has always had tales
0:08:01 > 0:08:04of weird animals and ferocious monsters,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07and these stories have terrified Icelanders for centuries.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Have a look at this.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12We have got a 400-year-old map of Iceland
0:08:12 > 0:08:14and it is filled with monsters.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18GROWLING Here, here, here...
0:08:18 > 0:08:21But do these monsters exist today?
0:08:25 > 0:08:29It's time to go monster hunting.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31With the map as my guide,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34I'm going to find some of these beasts for myself.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38The map shows the bizarre creatures in the sea surrounding Iceland.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44So, it's down to the harbour to find some clues.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49Excuse me. Could I bother you a moment?
0:08:49 > 0:08:52- Yeah.- Have you ever seen anything like that here?
0:08:52 > 0:08:56- Does that exist?! - Well, I'm trying to find out!
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Do you recognise any of these animals?
0:08:59 > 0:09:03We have a...like this, in lake in the east coast,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05who comes up...
0:09:05 > 0:09:07People have seen it come up out of the lake.
0:09:07 > 0:09:09- Like Loch Ness.- Yes.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12So, people here have heard about these?
0:09:12 > 0:09:13They're actually here?!
0:09:14 > 0:09:17I kind of thought this was all made up.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22The plot thickens...
0:09:22 > 0:09:24and I have a tip-off about a biologist
0:09:24 > 0:09:26who might be able to help me.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32- Hi!- Hi.- Hi, I'm Naomi.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35- Are you Johannes? - Yeah.- Good to meet you!- Same here.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- So, you've lived here a long time. - Surely.- Is that right?
0:09:38 > 0:09:41So, I was wondering whether you might have any idea...
0:09:41 > 0:09:44- Have you ever seen any creatures... - Whoa!- ..like this?
0:09:46 > 0:09:48Let me show you something.
0:09:48 > 0:09:49- OK.- It might be...
0:09:49 > 0:09:55- A monster?!- You might be interested in this I have here.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57You haven't got one of these in the back of your car, have you?
0:09:57 > 0:10:00Yeah, it's a fish that I would like to show you.
0:10:02 > 0:10:04Whoa!
0:10:06 > 0:10:10- We call it an Icelandic steinbitur. It's...- That is ugly.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13- Look at its teeth!- Yeah. - They're like fangs!
0:10:13 > 0:10:16- Agh!- And the molar, here, crushing the molluscs.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19It's got all teeth all down the back of it's throat.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20Yeah. It's...
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Look, that could be this one, couldn't it?
0:10:22 > 0:10:24That looks like that.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Yeah, it's... It has a similar charm, in fact.
0:10:27 > 0:10:28They got the same sort of teeth.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31OK, so, what about these ones, down here?
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Yeah, they are much bigger.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Yeah!
0:10:35 > 0:10:38And to find those, you have to go out there.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Oh...
0:10:46 > 0:10:49So, with this new lead, it was anchors aweigh
0:10:49 > 0:10:53and into the freezing, dark waters of the Atlantic
0:10:53 > 0:10:55to find the monsters of the map.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04But I'm not on my own,
0:11:04 > 0:11:06as I am in the company of Gardar,
0:11:06 > 0:11:07who knows these waters
0:11:07 > 0:11:09like the back of his hand.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19Hey, Gardar, where are we headed?
0:11:19 > 0:11:20We're going to head out there.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23That's where the creatures live.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26So, you do think we might see some creatures like these.
0:11:26 > 0:11:29I mean, this one, it says it's
0:11:29 > 0:11:33"an horrible sea monster, swallowing the seal at one bite."
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Well, we do have some large creatures called hvalur
0:11:35 > 0:11:37that eat seals.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40- Do you?- Yes.- Oh, no!
0:11:41 > 0:11:42What could they be?
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Were these creatures real?
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Is there one around? Is there one right here?
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Yes, it's on the starboard side of the ship here in front of us
0:12:03 > 0:12:06- at our one o'clock. - How big is it?
0:12:06 > 0:12:09It's, like, 15 to 17 metres.
0:12:09 > 0:12:10WHAT?!
0:12:10 > 0:12:14You come with me, cos I need your support.
0:12:14 > 0:12:20And then, a real-life monster appears right in front of us.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22NAOMI GASPS There it is! There it is!
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I don't believe it! It's real!
0:12:26 > 0:12:30But hang on a minute - that, to me, looked very much like a whale.
0:12:30 > 0:12:31Yes, hvalur is a whale.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Oh! So, it's not going to hurt us.
0:12:34 > 0:12:36- No, they're harmless.- Oh...
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Oh, phew, that's such a relief.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43We found some humpback whales...
0:12:43 > 0:12:46NAOMI GASPS There it is, look!
0:12:46 > 0:12:48..and it started to make sense.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Hvalur is Icelandic for whale,
0:12:53 > 0:12:56and it looks like the monsters on the map aren't from someone's
0:12:56 > 0:13:01imagination but are actually based on the animals that live here.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04So, why are the whales here in these waters?
0:13:04 > 0:13:06Well, these waters are very rich,
0:13:06 > 0:13:08so they come here to feed in the summertime.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Lots of food for them. What sort of food they like?
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Well, it's mainly krill - tiny crustaceans -
0:13:14 > 0:13:17and sometimes small fish.
0:13:17 > 0:13:18So, they're not going to be eating us?
0:13:18 > 0:13:20No, never happened.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23And they're not going to be, like, landing on top of the boat?
0:13:23 > 0:13:24I hope not.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28I've seen one ocean giant today
0:13:28 > 0:13:32so what are the other beasts on the map?
0:13:32 > 0:13:37Could the monster that swallows seals be a killer whale?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40This top predator is found in Iceland
0:13:40 > 0:13:42and is known to munch seals for breakfast.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Or the one that's described as being the size of an island.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53Could it be the biggest creature on the planet, the blue whale?
0:13:53 > 0:13:5930 metres of moving mammal that also swims in these food-packed waters.
0:14:02 > 0:14:06It looks like this mystery is finally solved.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10I came, I saw, and I found a real-life monster.
0:14:10 > 0:14:14OK, they won't hurt you or eat you, that much is make-believe,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17but can you imagine how it would have felt 400 years ago
0:14:17 > 0:14:21to see a creature of that size rising up out of the ocean?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24No smartphone to quickly look it up and check what it is.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28In that moment, that would have felt like a very real nightmare so,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31for that reason, the monsters on this map are right in the running.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41Now it's off into the snowy wilds of Iceland,
0:14:41 > 0:14:45as the crew and I head for a meeting with a very special animal.
0:14:47 > 0:14:52There's a creature here that has survived ferocious storms...
0:14:52 > 0:14:53sub-zero temperatures...
0:14:55 > 0:14:56..even earthquakes.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01It is the toughest animal in Iceland.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06NAOMI LAUGHS
0:15:06 > 0:15:07Yep, it's a horse!
0:15:11 > 0:15:16Let me introduce you to the hardest horse in the world, ever.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19OK, just bear with me.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24The Icelandic horse might look like a toy pony,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26but it is hard as nails.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30Iceland's brutal weather and super challenging landscape
0:15:30 > 0:15:32make it one of the harshest places to live
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and, ever since Vikings brought them here,
0:15:35 > 0:15:38these horses have had to survive the nightmare
0:15:38 > 0:15:40of living outside in the wild.
0:15:42 > 0:15:43I've met up with Ruth,
0:15:43 > 0:15:45who's going to show me what
0:15:45 > 0:15:46these four-legged wonder horses
0:15:46 > 0:15:47are made of.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Ruth, these are amazing looking horses, aren't they?
0:15:51 > 0:15:53- Yeah.- I love the hairdo!
0:15:53 > 0:15:55Just fantastic.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57So, are they outside all the time?
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Yeah, they are outside all the time.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01It's pretty cold in winter in Iceland.
0:16:01 > 0:16:02- Yeah.- How do they survive that?
0:16:02 > 0:16:05They have really good hair.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07You can see here, it's, like, really thick.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09They lose some when...
0:16:09 > 0:16:12'In fact, not just one but two layers.'
0:16:12 > 0:16:14So, this gives them an extra layer of insulation?
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Yeah.- And how do they cope with the snow?
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Does that not get them cold and wet?
0:16:19 > 0:16:22No, the snow actually don't melt.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25The snow is just on the horse,
0:16:25 > 0:16:29but it doesn't get into the fur so it doesn't get cold.
0:16:29 > 0:16:31- So, it that thick...- Yeah. - ..their skin doesn't
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- get touched by the snow at all? - Yeah.- Ah!
0:16:38 > 0:16:44So these super-insulated horses can tough it out in the extreme cold,
0:16:44 > 0:16:49but what about overcoming Iceland's rocky, icy and treacherous terrain?
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Well, they can do something that no other horse can do.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56So, where are we going now?
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Now I'm going to show you something really fun.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02- OK.- The Icelandic horse is the only one in the world
0:17:02 > 0:17:05- that has two extra gaits.- Gate...
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Like a metal gate you go through to enter your garden?
0:17:09 > 0:17:12No, it's like the way they move, or run.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14- Ah! And you're going to show me that?- Yeah.- Great.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17And, before I know it,
0:17:17 > 0:17:21the horses with these super big hairdos are strutting their stuff.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25First up, the Icelandic tolt.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27You can see the horse in tolt.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- Tolt?- Yeah. That's the really...
0:17:30 > 0:17:32really comfortable gait.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35Yeah. It's legs look like it's speeded up!
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Yeah, it's like speed walk.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Yeah, yeah! Power walker.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44It's really funny! It's funny.
0:17:45 > 0:17:49It looks like these guys have considered a silly walk contest
0:17:49 > 0:17:53but this way of moving allows them to run over rough ground...
0:17:55 > 0:17:58..and gives the rider a bounce-free ride -
0:17:58 > 0:18:01perfect for Iceland's rocky roads.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04RUTH SPEAKS OWN LANGUAGE
0:18:06 > 0:18:08Next up is the superfast version.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12You can see the horse in flying pace.
0:18:12 > 0:18:13Flying pace.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Look how fast it's going.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20Whoa!
0:18:23 > 0:18:25That's amazing! Stop!
0:18:28 > 0:18:30That's incredible, isn't it?!
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Well, rather him than me on the horse.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Oh... Famous last words.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39I'm going on a horse and...
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Oh, dear.
0:18:41 > 0:18:42..I can't ride horses.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46It can't be THAT hard...
0:18:47 > 0:18:48..can it?
0:18:50 > 0:18:52Like, yeah, exactly.
0:18:52 > 0:18:54Quick lesson from Ruth.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Reins... Left, right - check.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01She's a really expert horse, yeah?
0:19:01 > 0:19:03- Yeah, really expert. - Cos I'm not a expert rider.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08Right, shall we try this, then?
0:19:09 > 0:19:12Hope Sylvie the horse doesn't like playing Buckaroo.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Yes! Ooh...
0:19:14 > 0:19:15Ooh!
0:19:15 > 0:19:18- Rein!- Let's not go into a canter just yet.
0:19:18 > 0:19:19Left rein!
0:19:19 > 0:19:21MUSIC: William Tell Overture by Rossini
0:19:21 > 0:19:23Yeah, that's good!
0:19:24 > 0:19:25Holy Moley...
0:19:26 > 0:19:28Ooh! Well done!
0:19:28 > 0:19:33Shall we stop there? Let's stop there.
0:19:33 > 0:19:34I think she's finished!
0:19:37 > 0:19:41OK, I might need to scrub up on my riding skills.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Apparently, the ride on one of these horses is so smooth that if
0:19:44 > 0:19:46the rider is doing it correctly,
0:19:46 > 0:19:49they should be able to hold a jug of water without spilling a drop.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50Yeah, right(!)
0:19:53 > 0:19:54You are having a laugh.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01This is just going to go everywhere, isn't it?
0:20:01 > 0:20:04- Are you ready?- I'm ready! Let's go.- Keep contact on the reins.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Contact on the reins. Good girl, Sylvie.
0:20:07 > 0:20:08Off we go.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13But, with Sylvie's sure-footed skills, I'm in safe hands...
0:20:13 > 0:20:15or safe hooves...
0:20:15 > 0:20:17or... Well, you get my drift.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Oh... OK, let's not canter...
0:20:26 > 0:20:28Whoa... Whoa, whoa, whoa!
0:20:29 > 0:20:31And... Ooh!
0:20:33 > 0:20:36I think I've built up the few new muscles in my bicep but...
0:20:37 > 0:20:39..that is pretty impressive.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41I thought the whole lot was just going to go all over me.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45I did spill a few drops but, then, I'm no pro rider.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47I can't honestly believe that!
0:20:47 > 0:20:49That's incredible.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Well done. Good girl.
0:20:51 > 0:20:52Smooth rider!
0:20:56 > 0:20:58So, they may look like small, funny-haired horses,
0:20:58 > 0:21:02but when the going gets tough, they get going.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04The Icelandic horse has certainly found ways
0:21:04 > 0:21:07to cope with the brutal and nightmarish conditions here.
0:21:07 > 0:21:11But will they gallop to glory and be the odds-on favourite
0:21:11 > 0:21:14to take my Worst Nightmare title? HORSE WHINNIES
0:21:14 > 0:21:17Was that a yes? I think that might have been a yes.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Get ready, folks, because our next wild thing lives off-road
0:21:26 > 0:21:27but, in this bad boy...
0:21:28 > 0:21:30..we don't need roads.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Whoa, whoa... You all right, you OK?
0:21:42 > 0:21:44SHE LAUGHS
0:21:51 > 0:21:54The creature I'm heading for is the Arctic fox.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01These mini meat-eaters look too cute to be nightmares, to me.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05So, I'm off to investigate.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15To help me, I've teamed up with biologist and fox-follower Ester.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20You've got to hand it to the foxes -
0:22:20 > 0:22:24they've chosen a rather gnarly and cold place to live.
0:22:25 > 0:22:29Foxes have recently been seen in the area but they're shy and elusive.
0:22:32 > 0:22:34So, time for a stakeout.
0:22:36 > 0:22:41Stu has his monster lens on, I have my binoculars - we're all set.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48And so the waiting begins.
0:22:50 > 0:22:51How long could we be waiting?
0:22:53 > 0:22:56- It could take hours. - Could it?- Yeah.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Yeah.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02Get comfy then, everybody.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03This could be a long wait.
0:23:05 > 0:23:07What do they normally eat?
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Everything. They're not very picky.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12- No?- No. They can't afford it.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16If they find something, they will, you know, try to eat it.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18- Anything?- Anything.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21Old, dead sheep or old, dead bird.
0:23:21 > 0:23:22- Ugh!- Yeah.
0:23:24 > 0:23:25Even... Yeah.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28- Whatever they find. - Go on, what were you going to say?
0:23:28 > 0:23:30- Even what?- Well...
0:23:30 > 0:23:34I've...I've seen them eat droppings from a bird.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37- Like...- Poo? They eat poo? - Yeah, just like...
0:23:37 > 0:23:39- Yeah.- That is desperate.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- Yeah.- You must be desperate, mustn't you, out there,
0:23:41 > 0:23:44to start eating other creatures' poo?
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Yeah, I think that's the limit, I think.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50- Yeah.- And they look kind of funny in the face when they're chewing on it,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53so it probably doesn't taste good.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54I bet it doesn't!
0:23:54 > 0:23:55Eurgh!
0:23:56 > 0:23:58When they're not eating poo,
0:23:58 > 0:24:02the Arctic fox is a predator not to be sniffed at.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06In the empty wilderness of the Arctic,
0:24:06 > 0:24:09they use their highly tuned sense of hearing
0:24:09 > 0:24:11to find rodents under the snow.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14But how do you catch what you can't see?
0:24:15 > 0:24:16Like this.
0:24:38 > 0:24:43Faced with these ninja skills, the rodents doesn't stand chance.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47I've heard that they save their food for a rainy - well, a snowy day.
0:24:47 > 0:24:49- Is that true?- Yeah.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51It's because the food is really...
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- Scarce?- ..scarce in the winter, but plenty in the summer.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58Mm. So, how do they then find it again?
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Cos there's a lot of snow out there.
0:25:00 > 0:25:02How do they find the spot where they buried their food?
0:25:02 > 0:25:04They've sometimes marked it with their own scent.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07- So, they pee on it. - They wee on their food?
0:25:07 > 0:25:09Oh, yeah.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11I know it's...
0:25:11 > 0:25:15- Mmm(!)- ..horrible, but it's better to find it again, you know?
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- Is it?!- Well, than to lose it and starve.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Oh, and then they eat it, all covered in their own wee?
0:25:20 > 0:25:22Mm. Yummy.
0:25:27 > 0:25:32Unfortunately for us, our foxes were keeping a low profile
0:25:32 > 0:25:36but, like all great stakeouts, we had a backup plan.
0:25:36 > 0:25:37Come on, fox!
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The night before, we'd put out some camera traps
0:25:41 > 0:25:45that would film anything sneaking past.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47But would they come up trumps?
0:25:51 > 0:25:53OK, let's see what we've got!
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Fingers crossed.
0:25:56 > 0:25:57OK...
0:25:59 > 0:26:01..somebody going to the toilet, I think,
0:26:01 > 0:26:03on their way to the toilet block.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- Snow.- Yeah, lots of snow.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Just snow. Just lots and lots of snow.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21Oh!
0:26:23 > 0:26:25- We've got one!- There's our fox.
0:26:27 > 0:26:28Oh!
0:26:28 > 0:26:29So white!
0:26:32 > 0:26:33We've got one!
0:26:35 > 0:26:37So, we may not have seen it in the daytime,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39but at least our camera traps caught it.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41They thought they outfoxed us, but they didn't!
0:26:43 > 0:26:47These furry, little foxes may look picture-postcard cute,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49but they are no pushover.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53Under that fur, there is a crafty, fearless, tenacious carnivore
0:26:53 > 0:26:55that it's sure to be scrapping for
0:26:55 > 0:26:58a place at the top table of my Worst Nightmares.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03I still can't get over that weeing thing.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10Well, that is it for Iceland. Time to relax.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13But before you do, just the small matter of my Ultimate Nightmare.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16Was it the real-life monsters?
0:27:16 > 0:27:19Well, they turned out to be whales, so, no.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Or the super-hard horses?
0:27:23 > 0:27:25Not with that hair.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28To be honest, a nightmare that can to destroy whole cities
0:27:28 > 0:27:31and kill thousands of people at any moment -
0:27:31 > 0:27:32how can you ignore it?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Volcanoes - my Worst Nightmare.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45Get ready, folks, cos our next wild thing lives off-road
0:27:45 > 0:27:48but in this bad boy...
0:27:48 > 0:27:50we don't need roads.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54LAUGHTER