0:00:02 > 0:00:06# Marauding mice and walls of ice and sharks on a golfing spree (Argh!)
0:00:06 > 0:00:10# Cicada swarms and nasty storms and fish walking out of the sea (Really?)
0:00:10 > 0:00:15# Elks in trees and foaming seas and giant mayfly moths (Huh?)
0:00:15 > 0:00:18# Zombie snails and friendly whales and completely frozen frogs
0:00:18 > 0:00:19# You what?
0:00:19 > 0:00:22# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:00:22 > 0:00:24# Really really wild and really really weird
0:00:24 > 0:00:26# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:00:26 > 0:00:27# They're really really wild
0:00:27 > 0:00:30# They're really really wild and weird. #
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Coming up on today's show, some bizarre behaviour.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Elk with anger management issues.
0:00:38 > 0:00:39A fish on an afternoon stroll.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43And a goat that likes to put its feet up.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Er, Tim?
0:01:03 > 0:01:06- Yeah. - Why are you behaving so bizarrely?
0:01:06 > 0:01:10Well, earlier on this morning I had THE best bit of chocolate cake
0:01:10 > 0:01:11I've ever eaten and I was thinking that
0:01:11 > 0:01:15if I do the wobbly thing then I can go back in time and eat it all again.
0:01:15 > 0:01:16Oh.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19HARP PLAYS
0:01:22 > 0:01:26OLD TIME MUSIC HALL TUNE PLAYS
0:01:34 > 0:01:35HARP PLAYS
0:01:38 > 0:01:39Hm. Do you mean like that?
0:01:39 > 0:01:41That was my chocolate cake.
0:01:41 > 0:01:42Oh, sorry.
0:01:42 > 0:01:45- Shall we watch some clips now? - Yeah.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47I've got more bizarre behaviour to show you.
0:01:48 > 0:01:54- Let's get under way in the US of A. - Oh, very poetic.- Thank you.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56This is Estes Park in Colorado,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59nestled amongst the stunning scenery of the Rocky Mountains.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04A beautiful natural oasis where man and beast exist in peaceful harmony.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Peaceful, that is, until you switch to a heavy metal soundtrack.
0:02:09 > 0:02:10HEAVY METAL MUSIC
0:02:13 > 0:02:16- Uh-oh, uh-oh! No, no! - 'Whoa!'
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Because every autumn the normally placid elk of Estes Park go on
0:02:20 > 0:02:26the rampage, attacking anything that moves, including cars and trucks.
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Talk about road rage.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30'Back up, people. Back up.'
0:02:31 > 0:02:34When their ears go back and their eyes get real big
0:02:34 > 0:02:36and their head just out, then you're in trouble.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42They will charge their reflection in windows.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46People dive over fences. They run in the water. They climb trees.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Whatever they have to do to get out of the way.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Jane and Rick are part of the town's elk response team.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55What's an elk response team?
0:02:55 > 0:02:57It's a bit like the Fire Brigade
0:02:57 > 0:03:00only less fires and more elk.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02Oh.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05Jane and Rick are responsible for making sure that elk don't
0:03:05 > 0:03:07get themselves into too much trouble.
0:03:07 > 0:03:11Every year we have elk with Christmas tree lights
0:03:11 > 0:03:13on their antlers.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Tangled up in Christmas tree lights?
0:03:15 > 0:03:18They're not very bright, are they, these elk?
0:03:18 > 0:03:20I've taken a bicycle off of an elk.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Garbage can lids.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Every kind of fencing material you can imagine.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Er, Naomi,
0:03:27 > 0:03:28would you, er...
0:03:30 > 0:03:32So what have the people of Estes Park done
0:03:32 > 0:03:34to deserve this British behaviour?
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Is it time to call in an expert?
0:03:36 > 0:03:38It most certainly is.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40How about one leaning on a log?
0:03:40 > 0:03:41No problem.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Wildlife consultant Chris Rowe has been studying
0:03:44 > 0:03:45the elk of Estes Park.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48The Estes Valley has probably some of the best elk habitat
0:03:48 > 0:03:49that you can find anywhere.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53And within this general area we have a population that's
0:03:53 > 0:03:58several thousand elk that reside here throughout the entire year.
0:03:58 > 0:04:00You've got the population of people
0:04:00 > 0:04:02and you've got the population of elk.
0:04:02 > 0:04:05For most of the year, it's a pretty peaceful coexistence.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07There's only a couple of times during the year
0:04:07 > 0:04:09where all of a sudden we have conflict.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Every autumn the elk take part in the annual rut.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16It's the time of year when the males are trying to defend their patch
0:04:16 > 0:04:17and attract the ladies.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20What's that, Tim?
0:04:20 > 0:04:24This is my new aftershave for attracting the ladies.
0:04:24 > 0:04:25Eau de elk.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32As we move into the month of September,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36their aggression and their intensity level on protecting those cows
0:04:36 > 0:04:38really, really ramps up.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45They're not afraid to lock antlers and get physical.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Given the fact that Estes sits right smack dab in the middle
0:04:50 > 0:04:52of some of the most perfect habitat,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56all this occurs right in town, in and around the houses,
0:04:56 > 0:04:57in and around the vehicles,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00right in the middle of the street a lot of times.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04During the autumn rut the males are so driven that they'll look upon
0:05:04 > 0:05:07virtually everything as a threat to their dominance.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10Anything that moves is fair game.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12And even a few things that don't.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17They will charge a tree. They will fight bushes.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18They will attack swing sets.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20They have volleyball nets.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23So it's clear. For a male elk protecting his patch,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26absolutely anything is on the hit list.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30And if the idea of being chased down by a 300-kilo,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33antler-wielding, angry animal isn't your idea of fun,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37then you might want to avoid an autumn break to Estes Park.
0:05:38 > 0:05:39- Not bad, Naomi.- Thanks.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43On the internationally recognised bizarre scale of 1 to 10,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45I would award that story a lemon.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49This story, on the other hand, is more of a meringue.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Join me in the quiet suburbs of Florida,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57a place where you might expect to see the odd dog out for a walk.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58But not this.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01What in the world?
0:06:01 > 0:06:03- How weird is that, huh?- It is weird.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04Hopping around in the yard?
0:06:04 > 0:06:07My God. Where are they coming from?
0:06:07 > 0:06:10'Gardens and homes are being overrun...'
0:06:12 > 0:06:14I don't know. That's weird.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16'..by a type of fish.'
0:06:17 > 0:06:19- A fish?- Mm. A fish.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21- What, like a fishy fish? - A fishy fish, yeah.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26And it's not just this neighbourhood. It's happening all over Florida.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29After a storm, these strange creatures appear
0:06:29 > 0:06:31as if from nowhere to walk the land.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35- There's one over there. - Where?
0:06:35 > 0:06:39- Over there. - That is blowing my mind.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42What could be behind this utterly bizarre behaviour?
0:06:44 > 0:06:46- It's a mad scientist, isn't it? - What do you mean?
0:06:46 > 0:06:50A mad scientist who's crossed one species with another
0:06:50 > 0:06:52and that's why it can walk and breathe on land.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Don't be ridiculous.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56- What is it then?- A catfish.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Ha! A cat and a fish.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00No. Just a regular catfish.
0:07:02 > 0:07:05The long feelers that look like whiskers give it away.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08It's a species appropriately named the walking catfish.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Concocted in a secret laboratory by a crazed genius.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16No, born in the water like every other fish.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21But if it's a normal fish, why is it out of the water?
0:07:21 > 0:07:24Well, let's ask scientist Bill Loftus.
0:07:24 > 0:07:27- Oh, is he a mad scientist? - No.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31But he does know how catfish can breathe out of the water.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35It does this by use of a specialised organ that lies behind
0:07:35 > 0:07:38the gill chamber inside of its head
0:07:38 > 0:07:42and it can take oxygen from the air through that organ
0:07:42 > 0:07:43and put it into its bloodstream.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46That's an amazing adaptation for this animal to allow it to get
0:07:46 > 0:07:48out on land and to move around.
0:07:48 > 0:07:53- But where are these fish out of water going?- Erm? I don't know.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55The chip shop?
0:07:55 > 0:07:58Well, it turns out some were heading for Florida resident
0:07:58 > 0:07:59Colin Calway's garden pond.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04When you're looking at a pond every day you know the type of fish
0:08:04 > 0:08:06you've got in there and there's a strange activity,
0:08:06 > 0:08:09something's not right and you've got to find out what it is.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11We've pumped the pond down and instead of approximately
0:08:11 > 0:08:1410,000 rosy barbs,
0:08:14 > 0:08:17we had what looked like 10,000 walking catfish in their place.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24The catfish had eaten all of Colin's other fish.
0:08:24 > 0:08:27Walking catfish are very broad feeders
0:08:27 > 0:08:31so they will feed on fish, invertebrates, amphibians
0:08:31 > 0:08:34and pretty much the whole gamut of aquatic insects.
0:08:35 > 0:08:40So the catfish are taking to dry land in search of new feeding grounds.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44And when they clean out one pond, they just walk off to find the next.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47They'll wait for that night when a good thunderstorm comes,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50or rain comes or a very heavy dew
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and then they'll leave the pond in large numbers
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and they'll keep moving up the ditches and through the grass
0:08:56 > 0:08:57until they find another pond.
0:08:57 > 0:08:59They'll clear that one, then move on again.
0:08:59 > 0:09:03Wow. It is lucky that Colin is not a tropical fish farmer.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06And that pretty well wiped us out as tropical fish farmers.
0:09:06 > 0:09:07Oops.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11So, if it's bizarre behaviour you're after
0:09:11 > 0:09:13then you need look no further than the walking catfish
0:09:13 > 0:09:17because it really is the original fish out of water.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23A walking fish. How do you top that?
0:09:23 > 0:09:24- With a goat.- Goat?
0:09:24 > 0:09:27You can't top a fish with a goat. You'd squash the fish.
0:09:27 > 0:09:29Just watch this, Tim.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32To finish our exploration of all things bizarre,
0:09:32 > 0:09:36we're heading to Tennessee in the deep South of the USA.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39These may look like perfectly normal, healthy goats
0:09:39 > 0:09:42but some of them are acting very strangely indeed.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Ah! Did you see that?
0:09:45 > 0:09:46Goat down.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48And another. And another.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52They're dropping like flies. Big goat-shaped flies. What's going on?
0:09:52 > 0:09:57Well, let's ask local farmer Gene McNutt because he had a shock
0:09:57 > 0:10:00when he and his family first arrived in the area.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04We moved here to Tennessee in 1988.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08My wife immediately wanted a new goat.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12One of our neighbours was kind enough to bring her home
0:10:12 > 0:10:14a 6- or 8-week-old goat.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18That goat became the pet of the house.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20The McNutts adored their new pet
0:10:20 > 0:10:24but then one day Gene had a very unnerving experience.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27One day, the goat falls down.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33And it looks like it has gone stiff with rigor mortis.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37And I said, "Oh, no, I've killed my wife's goat."
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Ooh, I hate it when that happens.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43What have I done? Has it had a heart attack?
0:10:43 > 0:10:46And I'm standing there just in total amazement trying to figure out
0:10:46 > 0:10:48what am I going to do.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52So what on earth had Gene done to his wife's goat?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55I know. He'd used his psychic powers on the goat.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- Look at that stare. - Er, no.
0:10:57 > 0:11:02Suddenly the goat wiggles a little bit, gets up and walks off
0:11:02 > 0:11:04as if nothing had happened.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08I decided to say nothing to my wife about it
0:11:08 > 0:11:10since the goats appeared to be OK.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Never tell your wife about your psychic powers.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15He's not a psychic, Tim.
0:11:16 > 0:11:19TIM'S MIND: 'I wasn't talking about him.'
0:11:21 > 0:11:25I asked a neighbour about the goat
0:11:25 > 0:11:27because it was something that had never happened before
0:11:27 > 0:11:31and he says, "Oh." He says, "Those are just old nervous goats."
0:11:31 > 0:11:33He says, "They're from around here."
0:11:33 > 0:11:36It seems Gene's experience wasn't a one-off.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38All over the deep South,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41goats were heading south only to rise again unharmed.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46That's nothing unusual. I get that every time I think about...
0:11:50 > 0:11:53So what was behind this bizarre behaviour?
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Well, there could be a clue in what triggers their downfall.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59It's all right, I'm back. I'm back.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02I've just got to avoid thinking about...
0:12:03 > 0:12:10Almost any noise that is unusual will cause the goat to stiffen
0:12:10 > 0:12:14or fall over and it will stay in a fallen position
0:12:14 > 0:12:18for 30, 45 seconds and sometimes even up to a couple of minutes.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25Most animals are programmed with a fight or flight response
0:12:25 > 0:12:27when threatened or surprised.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Their muscles suddenly tense up as they prepare to run away or attack.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34It turns out that these goats in Tennessee have
0:12:34 > 0:12:36a glitch in their system.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Instead of tensing up for a split second when they're startled,
0:12:39 > 0:12:41they seize up completely.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47It's all down to a genetic disorder called myotonia congenita
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and it's unique to this particular breed called fainting goats.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Well, if you're going to call them that, what do you expect?
0:12:54 > 0:12:55Of course, in the wild
0:12:55 > 0:12:57this condition would prove fatal for a goat.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00They'd fall off a mountain or be eaten by a predator
0:13:00 > 0:13:03but because these are domestic goats, it seems they've simply
0:13:03 > 0:13:06learnt to live with this peculiar condition.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10When they're young, a lot of things will make them faint.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13But as they get older, even though they'll stiffen up,
0:13:13 > 0:13:18most of the time they'll find something to lean on
0:13:18 > 0:13:22or they'll get their balance because they know, if they're off-balance,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24then they're going to fall over.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27Oh, that would be a right pain in the...
0:13:29 > 0:13:32So, for the gates of Tennessee, it looks like this is
0:13:32 > 0:13:35one type of bizarre behaviour that's here to stay.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41I don't know about you, Naomi, but I could watch goats fainting all day.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42For sure, but what about you, Tim?
0:13:42 > 0:13:46What is this mysterious thing that, every time you think about it,
0:13:46 > 0:13:49- it makes you faint? - Do you really want to know?- Yeah.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50WHISPERING
0:13:54 > 0:13:56# Wild and weird, wild and weird
0:13:56 > 0:13:58# Really really wild and really really weird.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:14:00 > 0:14:01# They're really really wild
0:14:01 > 0:14:06# They're really really wild and weird
0:14:07 > 0:14:10# Wild and weird. #