0:00:02 > 0:00:06# Marauding mice and balls of ice and sharks on a golfing spree
0:00:06 > 0:00:08# Cicada swarms and Martian storms
0:00:08 > 0:00:10- # And fish walking out of the sea - Really?
0:00:10 > 0:00:15- # Elks in trees and foaming seas and giant mayfly mobs...- Argh!
0:00:15 > 0:00:17# Zombie snails and friendly whales
0:00:17 > 0:00:19- # And completely frozen frogs - You what?
0:00:19 > 0:00:21# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:00:21 > 0:00:23# Really, really wild and really, really weird
0:00:23 > 0:00:25# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:00:25 > 0:00:27# They're really, really wild
0:00:27 > 0:00:29# They're really, really wild and weird. #
0:00:29 > 0:00:31It's all things magical on today's show,
0:00:31 > 0:00:33including an amazing escaping octopus...
0:00:33 > 0:00:35- He's going for it.- No way.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36I'm telling you, right now.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39A stoat that hypnotises its prey...
0:00:39 > 0:00:41And a classic Now You See It, Now You Don't -
0:00:41 > 0:00:43it's the disappearing lake illusion.
0:00:43 > 0:00:46MUSIC CONTINUES
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Are you sure you know what you're doing?
0:00:53 > 0:00:57Naomi, it's all under control. OK?
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Right, just pop your head in there.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00You've definitely done this before?
0:01:00 > 0:01:03- Yeah, yeah, I did it on my nan. - OK.- She was a great sport.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05What do you mean, "was"?
0:01:05 > 0:01:07OK. There we go.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Step one, head in. OK.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Er, step two is carrots.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15They go in there, just...
0:01:15 > 0:01:18OK.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Step three, let's not worry about that. Step four...
0:01:20 > 0:01:22- What was step three?- ..insert blade above victim's head.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26- Victim?- Volunteer's head.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28OK, step five.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30DRUM ROLL And now for the piece de resistance.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Oh.
0:01:35 > 0:01:37Sorry, whoa, sorry,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41you're just putting me off a little bit and I've really got to...
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Sorry.
0:01:44 > 0:01:45OK.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51Just close your eyes.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- Argh!- Oh!
0:01:54 > 0:01:57- It actually worked.- I feel...- You OK?
0:01:57 > 0:01:59I'm better than the carrots.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02You know, there is a much easier way for you to show me magic, Tim.
0:02:02 > 0:02:03- Is there?- Yeah,
0:02:03 > 0:02:08just take a look at this first contender from the natural world.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10- Oh, Tim?- Yeah?
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- Could you get me out of this thing? - Oh...
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Where's the manual?
0:02:17 > 0:02:21This deep sea conjurer comes from Alaska, North America.
0:02:23 > 0:02:27In August 2010, a fishing party reeled in
0:02:27 > 0:02:29more than they had bargained for.
0:02:31 > 0:02:35A huge 2.5m octopus was a surprising enough catch
0:02:35 > 0:02:40but what it did next had people staring in disbelief.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42- He's going for it.- No way.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44I'm telling you, right now.
0:02:44 > 0:02:45Going for what?
0:02:45 > 0:02:46To everyone's amazement,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49it began to escape through a tiny gap in the boat.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51Yeah, there's his nose,
0:02:51 > 0:02:53- he's just all the way through it now.- Except for...
0:02:53 > 0:02:56- Oh, just the top. - Just his nose, yeah.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59There he goes. Wow, wow.
0:03:01 > 0:03:07The escape artist in question is in fact a giant Pacific octopus.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Octopus expert James Wood has been studying
0:03:10 > 0:03:13these slippery underwater magicians.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Sharks eat them, marine mammals like dolphins and seals eat them,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20some marine birds eat them, but if you can't find something,
0:03:20 > 0:03:25it's pretty hard to eat it. Their primary defence is camouflage.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30And the king of camouflage is the aptly named mimic octopus.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33This animal can take on the colour of nearly any setting it finds
0:03:33 > 0:03:37and remarkably, also copies the shape of other sea creatures.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45It can impersonate anything, from a flatfish to a sea snake
0:03:45 > 0:03:50in order to protect itself but if an octopus can't dazzle its predators
0:03:50 > 0:03:53with illusions, it does have another trick up its eight sleeves.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56- Oh, very clever.- Thank you.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59It resorts to plan B.
0:03:59 > 0:04:01MUSIC: She Said by Plan B
0:04:01 > 0:04:04# She said, "I love you more than words can say"... #
0:04:04 > 0:04:05No,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08I don't mean music from popular singer-songwriter Plan B...
0:04:08 > 0:04:10- Oh.- ..I mean an actual plan B -
0:04:10 > 0:04:11escape.
0:04:11 > 0:04:16- Oh, I can do escape.- Yeah, give us some escape music, please.- Yeah.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21MUSIC: Main Title (The Great Escape) by Elmer Bernstein
0:04:21 > 0:04:24And this is where not having a hard outer shell or skeleton
0:04:24 > 0:04:29is the secret to its success. James, take over.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Octopuses are the most intelligent of all of the invertebrates.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37They have a brain to body weight ratio that is higher
0:04:37 > 0:04:40than some groups of vertebrates like fish and birds.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44And that very intelligence means it can assess its environment
0:04:44 > 0:04:48in a matter of seconds, and in the case of our boat-confined octopus,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51spot a hole and make its escape.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54You have to agree, a master illusionist.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56MUSIC CONTINUES
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Hey, speaking of which - that reminds me, time for a bit of hypnotism.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06- Oh.- Look into my eyes, no, my hands.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09No, my eyes. Ooh...
0:05:09 > 0:05:10You feeling sleepy?
0:05:10 > 0:05:12- No.- Oh, er...
0:05:12 > 0:05:13I know.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15FRANTIC MUSIC
0:05:18 > 0:05:20How about now?
0:05:20 > 0:05:23- I feel a bit sick actually. - Oh, do you? Strange,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25it worked for this next animal.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Up in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, local resident Brian Allinson
0:05:30 > 0:05:34filmed these stoats going crazy in his back garden.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42I noticed outside the window this display on the lawn
0:05:42 > 0:05:47when the stoat was tearing round. I couldn't believe my eyes.
0:05:47 > 0:05:53One day that I shan't forget occurred about September-time.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58The swallows were gathering on the telephone wires up here
0:05:58 > 0:06:01and all of a sudden, the stoat appeared on the lawn
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and started his usual routine, but then the swallows started
0:06:05 > 0:06:08to take an interest in the proceedings
0:06:08 > 0:06:11and they proceeded to buzz at the stoat.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15It was like an aerial bombardment. The stoat responded,
0:06:15 > 0:06:18I think it thought it was some sort of a game.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23The stoat was jumping up two feet in the air and this went on for,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25oh, I should think for 10, 15 minutes.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30So where does hypnotism fit into all this merriment?
0:06:30 > 0:06:34Ah, let me explain.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37This madcap stoat behaviour isn't exclusively reserved
0:06:37 > 0:06:39for Brian's back garden.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42In fact, stoats have been busting some groovy moves
0:06:42 > 0:06:44all over the country.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49But it's not just for fun -
0:06:49 > 0:06:52there's a deadly mission in mind.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55It's believed that this unusual form of dancing might be used
0:06:55 > 0:07:00to confuse and hypnotise its prey,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03perfectly illustrated here by these hi-tech special effects.
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Ooh, I'm definitely feeling sleepy now.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12MUSIC: He Sure Could Hypnotize by The Clovers
0:07:12 > 0:07:14# He sure could hypnotise, uh-huh-huh... #
0:07:14 > 0:07:18All of these magical antics allow them to get close enough
0:07:18 > 0:07:23to their prey and then in one fatal flash of fur, it's game over.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25All that's left is to carry your dinner,
0:07:25 > 0:07:28which can weigh ten times your own weight, back to your den.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32# Oh, look at that brother, alakazoo
0:07:32 > 0:07:38# Oh, he could make you do anything he wanted you to... #
0:07:38 > 0:07:39- Good trick.- Mmm.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42You know, I've got another trick to show you.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Oh, what is it this time?
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Only a trick that magicians have been working on for centuries -
0:07:48 > 0:07:49disappearing.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51Well, there's the door. Feel free.
0:07:51 > 0:07:56- No, I'm talking about disappearing in front of your very eyes...- Ooh.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00..using just this cloth, I will magically transport away.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- Go on, then. - You see me, now you don't.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08You see me, now you don't.
0:08:08 > 0:08:09Wow, how did you do that?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12It's not like you're hiding behind the sofa or anything, is it?
0:08:12 > 0:08:13Anyway, hurry back.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15It is time for our next trick from the natural world -
0:08:15 > 0:08:18the disappearing lake illusion.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22That sounds amazing. Let's see.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Well, hang about - how did you do...?
0:08:27 > 0:08:32For this illusion, we're heading to America's Sunshine State - Florida.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37This is Lake Jackson, a pristine six square mile freshwater lake
0:08:37 > 0:08:39teeming with wildlife.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43It WAS home to dozens of species of bird,
0:08:43 > 0:08:48even American alligators swam in its crystal clear waters.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50"Was"? "Swam"?
0:08:50 > 0:08:53Why the past tense?
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Remember I said it was a disappearing lake?
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- Yeah.- Well, now you see it...
0:09:00 > 0:09:02..now you don't.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Now, that's a vanishing trick.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08That is very good. Go on, tell me how they did that
0:09:08 > 0:09:10- and I'll tell you how I did my vanishing trick.- Oh, no.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13A good magician never reveals his secrets.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14In the case of the lake though,
0:09:14 > 0:09:16larger natural forces were at work.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Oh, goblins? No?
0:09:22 > 0:09:26In 1999, Florida was hit by a terrible drought.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Michael Hill from the Wildlife & Fish Commission
0:09:29 > 0:09:32records water levels in the region
0:09:32 > 0:09:36and his gauge was giving him some extraordinary readings.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41I monitor the water levels pretty often, every few days,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43and there is one particular day in early September,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47I saw it go down a couple of feet in one day
0:09:47 > 0:09:52and I came back and it had gone down another two feet.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56The lake was disappearing faster than anyone could have predicted
0:09:56 > 0:09:59and it was beyond anything you'd expect to see from a drought.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06For the creatures of the lake, the situation was becoming critical
0:10:06 > 0:10:08and with nowhere else to go,
0:10:08 > 0:10:12some of these desperate animals went for any water they could find.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Are you videotaping it?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19I am videotaping everything right now.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21Let me go down to the water
0:10:21 > 0:10:25and look at the alligator in our pool...
0:10:25 > 0:10:29that Daddy is about to lasso.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33OK, you guys, sit.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37You fall in there and I'll kill you.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39Oh, motherly love.
0:10:43 > 0:10:44Oh, my... All right, kids -
0:10:44 > 0:10:46back this way.
0:10:48 > 0:10:51How cool was that?
0:10:51 > 0:10:52Er...
0:10:52 > 0:10:54That's not very cool if you live next door.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Yeah, I've heard of throwing slugs and snails over the fence,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58but a gator!
0:10:58 > 0:11:01That's on a different level.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Meanwhile, back at the lake,
0:11:03 > 0:11:05the last of the water was rapidly draining away
0:11:05 > 0:11:08- and guess what they found? - A giant plug.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12No, a giant hole where a giant plug should have been.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14- Funny you say that...- Oh!
0:11:14 > 0:11:18There was indeed a gaping hole in the bottom of the lake.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20So, mystery of the disappearing lake solved, then.
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Except -
0:11:21 > 0:11:24where did the hole come from?
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Any ideas, magic man?
0:11:27 > 0:11:28I'm getting a vision...
0:11:28 > 0:11:32A vision of a human man...
0:11:32 > 0:11:37that's tall and he's wearing a blue top, I think a polo shirt...
0:11:37 > 0:11:40What, like this guy on the TV right now?
0:11:40 > 0:11:44Oh, wow. Yeah, that's him.
0:11:44 > 0:11:49Harley Means has spent his life studying the area.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52Beneath us here, at some depth, is limestone
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and this limestone is very porous and full of cavities.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Through geologic time, these cavities can become enlarged
0:11:58 > 0:12:01due to acids in ground water
0:12:01 > 0:12:05and at some point when the conditions are appropriate,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07you can have a collapse.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Yeah, you see, now at this point in the proceedings,
0:12:09 > 0:12:12a decent magician like moi would restore that lake
0:12:12 > 0:12:14- to its former glory.- Oh, yeah?
0:12:14 > 0:12:16How would you do that?
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Well, I'd just simply utter the magic words,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Okeeheepkee.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Yeah.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27I'll let water expert Tyler McMillan explain.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30The legend has it that the original Native American name
0:12:30 > 0:12:34of this lake is Okeeheepkee, which means "disappearing waters".
0:12:34 > 0:12:36Obviously if the natives were calling it that
0:12:36 > 0:12:39many hundreds of years ago, this event has been going on
0:12:39 > 0:12:42many, many times over the centuries.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44Meaning that if it had drained away before,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47surely this could mean that it might refill again?
0:12:47 > 0:12:49Correct.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53Florida's drought finally broke in 2001.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56Mud and debris washed by rainwater re-plugged the sinkhole
0:12:56 > 0:12:59and the water level started to rise.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04Insects buzzed, fish grew large with an abundance of new food,
0:13:04 > 0:13:07encouraging once-familiar bird species to return -
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Lake Jackson was reborn.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Hallelujah. That was good.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Right, time for me to do a trick on you. Get down there...
0:13:17 > 0:13:20- What?- ..and look here, a lovely red and green box.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22- Er...- I'm just going to put my hand through here to show you
0:13:22 > 0:13:24- it is empty.- OK.- Happy with that?
0:13:24 > 0:13:27- Not really.- Right, just stick that on your head like that.- OK.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29- OK, are you nice and comfortable? - Not really, no.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31- OK.- What's this called?
0:13:31 > 0:13:33It's called the Head Twister of Doom.
0:13:33 > 0:13:35The Head Twister of what?!
0:13:35 > 0:13:38Yeah, it'll be fine. I'll just say the magic words...
0:13:38 > 0:13:39Okee-teep-kee.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41- They're not magic words. - Ready? Here we go.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43Ooh!
0:13:45 > 0:13:47- Ooh, how does that feel?- Ow!
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Oh, I've never had so much fun.
0:13:49 > 0:13:50See you next time.
0:13:50 > 0:13:51Argh... Bye!
0:13:56 > 0:13:58# Wild and weird, wild and weird
0:13:58 > 0:14:00# Really, really wild and really, really weird
0:14:00 > 0:14:02# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:14:02 > 0:14:03# They're really, really wild
0:14:03 > 0:14:09# They're really, really wild and weird. #