0:00:02 > 0:00:04# Wormy fish killers Convoys of caterpillars
0:00:04 > 0:00:06# Super-clever brainless slime
0:00:06 > 0:00:08# Bunny rabbit swarms, raging storms
0:00:08 > 0:00:10# And pigs that swim at dinner time
0:00:10 > 0:00:13# Tornados of fire, starfish going haywire
0:00:13 > 0:00:15# Algae balls from space
0:00:15 > 0:00:16# Prairie dogs that chat
0:00:16 > 0:00:19# Birds going splat and fish slapping in your face
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 > 0:00:26# They're wild and weird, wild and weird
0:00:26 > 0:00:29# They're really, really wild and really, really wild and weird. #
0:00:29 > 0:00:33Coming up on today's show, some otherworldly weirdness.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36A worm with a wandering tongue.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39Some unidentified floating objects.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42And... I don't even know what that is, but it's coming up later.
0:01:03 > 0:01:04- What are you doing?- Shh.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Stay back!
0:01:06 > 0:01:09I think I've discovered a new form of extraterrestrial life.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12- Tim...- I've searched all of the encyclopaedias,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16the entire internet and I cannot find a species match.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19- Tim...- There's no real way of ascertaining
0:01:19 > 0:01:20just how dangerous this is,
0:01:20 > 0:01:23so I've called in the whole of Nasa to come and check it out.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26It's marmalade. I spilt a bit earlier, sorry.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31- It's marmalade.- Don't worry,
0:01:31 > 0:01:34there are still plenty of creepy alien life forms out there.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35- Shall I show you?- Yeah, go on!
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Fire away. Nothing scares me.
0:01:40 > 0:01:45This amazing footage from Thailand shows an unexpected catch
0:01:45 > 0:01:47from a fisherman's net.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51But it's what happens next that is truly unexpected.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Aah!
0:01:55 > 0:01:57Cool, eh?
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Tim, I thought you said you weren't scared of anything.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01I dropped my pen.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03What pen?
0:02:04 > 0:02:05I dropped it again.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Let's take another look at that in slow-mo, shall we?
0:02:12 > 0:02:15It really does look like a bizarre form of alien life.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Thank goodness there's only one of them!
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Well, actually, these things have been cropping up all over the area.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Eurgh, it looks like a giant bogey with a tongue!
0:02:26 > 0:02:29So where do these strange slimy monsters come from
0:02:29 > 0:02:32and what are they up to?
0:02:32 > 0:02:34HAMMERING
0:02:34 > 0:02:37I don't know, but I'm pretty sure they plan to enslave humanity.
0:02:37 > 0:02:39We better start barricading ourselves in.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Don't worry, Tim, they're not really space-invading aliens.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Oh, no? What are they, then?
0:02:45 > 0:02:49These peculiar animals are called ribbon worms.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52There are over 1,000 different species,
0:02:52 > 0:02:54but most of them live in the deep ocean,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57so I'm afraid you're very unlikely to ever see one.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01Trust me, Naomi, nobody wants to see one of those.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03- Emma does.- Who's Emma?
0:03:03 > 0:03:05Emma Sherlock from the Natural History Museum.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08She LOVES ribbon worms!
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Ribbon worms are incredible animals.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Emma, over here! That's it.
0:03:15 > 0:03:16They really are
0:03:16 > 0:03:18a unique set of worms.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21And it's pretty obvious what sets these worms apart.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Oh, my goodness!
0:03:23 > 0:03:28That thing is called a proboscis and it has a slightly sinister purpose.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31- It's going to go. - Enslaving humanity!
0:03:31 > 0:03:34No. But unlike the earth-eating worms
0:03:34 > 0:03:36you might dig up in your garden,
0:03:36 > 0:03:40ribbon worms have an appetite for something more substantial.
0:03:40 > 0:03:42Ribbon worms are predators.
0:03:42 > 0:03:46They are the carnivores around in the worm world.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50She is WAY too excited about a flesh-eating worm.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52And what they'll do is they'll send out this proboscis,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54sense that it's something that they want to eat...
0:03:54 > 0:03:58- And then...- Goodnight, human race!
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Tim, they are not going to enslave the human race!
0:04:01 > 0:04:03Most ribbon worms are only 20 centimetres long.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Oh, phew.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Hang on, wait, what? What do you mean, "most"?
0:04:08 > 0:04:11Well, there is one species that can grow up to 30 metres long.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13But let's not worry about that.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16So, how does it work?
0:04:16 > 0:04:20Well, the proboscis usually stays in a sac on top of the worm's gut.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24But once the worm senses prey approaching, its muscles contract,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26forcing fluid into the sac
0:04:26 > 0:04:29and shooting it out through a hole in the worm's head.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Worst dinner party guest ever.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Sometimes, these probosces have little stylets on,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40so hooks that they stab into their prey.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Some will also produce mucus, which then can stun their prey.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47And remember our little friend from earlier?
0:04:47 > 0:04:49Oh, how could I forget?
0:04:49 > 0:04:51It's one of only two species of ribbon worms
0:04:51 > 0:04:55that have a spectacular branching proboscis.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59It's absolutely fantastic and it's absolutely very weird.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06- Neat, eh?- Yeah, if gut-spewing, flesh-eating worms
0:05:06 > 0:05:07is your sort of thing.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11Personally, I prefer my weird alien life forms a little more docile.
0:05:11 > 0:05:12- Like what?- Like this.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Sydney, Australia, 2014.
0:05:17 > 0:05:23The sun, sea, surf and something altogether more strange.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25What? What is it?
0:05:25 > 0:05:27Green balls.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29No need to be rude. I was only asking.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31No, that's what was strange.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34The sands of Dee Why Beach were transformed
0:05:34 > 0:05:36into something of a Martian landscape today,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38covered in green alien balls.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43They really ARE weird.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48But they can't actually be aliens, can they?
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Well, the Aussies are a smart bunch.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52- Yeah.- Let's ask the locals.
0:05:52 > 0:05:54They could be anything. They could be aliens.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- Not much help. - No, let's try someone else.
0:05:57 > 0:05:58I'm not sure what they are.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00I haven't heard anyone who does know
0:06:00 > 0:06:02what they are, actually. They're crazy.
0:06:02 > 0:06:03Er...
0:06:03 > 0:06:06OK. Well, forget the locals, we'll try an expert.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08How about Dr Mark Spencer?
0:06:08 > 0:06:10He's got some balls in a jar.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14So when these strange green furry balls washed up on the beach
0:06:14 > 0:06:16in Australia, lots of people were really confused.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18Yeah, we know.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21These green balls are basically a type of algae.
0:06:21 > 0:06:26- Algae?- Yes, they're highly complex organisms of very little value.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31Algae are very simple plants, but they're really important.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32That's what I meant.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37And they use sunlight energy, like land plants,
0:06:37 > 0:06:40to photosynthesise to produce food.
0:06:40 > 0:06:43But algae normally just grows on rocks.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Why are they transforming themselves into beach balls?
0:06:46 > 0:06:50In this situation, they're doing something rather unusual.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Each little tiny colony, bit by bit,
0:06:53 > 0:06:56is rolling around on the bottom of the sea
0:06:56 > 0:06:59and as sunlight energy hits the top of the ball,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02it grows a bit and then it rotates and then it grows a bit
0:07:02 > 0:07:05and that means the growth is kept even
0:07:05 > 0:07:09and slowly getting bigger and bigger as the seasons progress
0:07:09 > 0:07:11until you get these wonderful green balls.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14I know what you're thinking.
0:07:14 > 0:07:16- Do you?- You're thinking,
0:07:16 > 0:07:19"I would really love one of those green slimy balls for myself."
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- Um, actually...- So here we go!
0:07:22 > 0:07:23- Oh...- Ha-ha-ha!
0:07:23 > 0:07:26You are welcome!
0:07:26 > 0:07:28What am I supposed to do with this?
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Well, you can worship it or keep it as a pet.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32Ha-ha-ha, very funny.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34No, I'm not even joking.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37In Lake Akan in Japan,
0:07:37 > 0:07:39these furry wonders have been rolling around for years
0:07:39 > 0:07:42and they are so revered by the indigenous Ainu people
0:07:42 > 0:07:46that they hold a three-day festival in their honour every year.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50And elsewhere in Japan,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54people have taken to keeping these spherical sensations as pets.
0:07:54 > 0:07:55There's even a cuddly toy!
0:07:55 > 0:07:58TOY PLAYS RECORDED LAUGHTER
0:08:00 > 0:08:04All of which goes to prove what a rich and colourful life
0:08:04 > 0:08:07a simple green ball of algae can have.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10You know, keeping one as a pet may not be as daft as it sounds.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14- Why?- Well, for starters, it can play fetch the ball all by itself.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16- Look. Fetch! - SPLAT!
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- See?- Hey, that was a gift!
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Anyway, I've got another mysterious unidentified object
0:08:22 > 0:08:25and this one you definitely wouldn't want as a pet.
0:08:25 > 0:08:31The city of Raleigh in North Carolina, USA -
0:08:31 > 0:08:33leafy, quiet, safe.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38We're a mid-size government town, a lot of beige architecture,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42don't get a lot of monsters.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43Monsters?
0:08:43 > 0:08:46This isn't another scary story, is it?
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Depends on your definition of scary.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51I mean, spare underpants on standby scary.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Oh, no!
0:08:55 > 0:08:57Thanks, though. PFFRT!
0:08:57 > 0:09:03Like every city, below the roads and pavements is a network of sewers.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05What's a sewer for?
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Oh! That's revolting!
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Where did you think it all went?
0:09:14 > 0:09:16I thought the Poo Fairy came and collected it all.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22For a sewer system to carry away our toilet waste properly,
0:09:22 > 0:09:25it needs constant maintenance.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28We have to monitor the condition of the pipes on a frequent basis
0:09:28 > 0:09:30because they can get blocked.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34You'd never catch me doing that job.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37Strange things you'll see are money,
0:09:37 > 0:09:39there's jewellery.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40On second thoughts, maybe I would.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Or snakes, and we certainly see our fair share of rats.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46On third thoughts...
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Actually, Tim, it's all done using robots.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52But on April 27th 2009,
0:09:52 > 0:09:54one of the robot cameras spotted something
0:09:54 > 0:09:57the likes of which this city had never seen before.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59Whoa!
0:09:59 > 0:10:03A bizarre clump of pulsating slimy matter.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06I was at a loss for an explanation.
0:10:08 > 0:10:13It was really something that I'd seen out of a science fiction movie.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16So what do you reckon, Tim?
0:10:16 > 0:10:19A real-life town under attack from an alien life form?
0:10:19 > 0:10:21HE CHUCKLES Hardly!
0:10:21 > 0:10:23I'm sure the town wasn't in the least bit bothered.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26It's not like Godzilla turned up, is it?
0:10:26 > 0:10:29It was as though Godzilla had shown up.
0:10:29 > 0:10:30Oh.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34There was a clamour, a great alarm in the streets.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36It really did seem as though Raleigh was starring
0:10:36 > 0:10:38in its very own B movie.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41There was a movie called The Blob
0:10:41 > 0:10:44and so everyone was making a lot of Blob references,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47people thought that it was radioactive.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Maybe it was an experiment gone wrong,
0:10:49 > 0:10:51maybe something slithered out of a test tube
0:10:51 > 0:10:54and into the sewer system.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56There were...
0:10:56 > 0:10:58People thought that it was pudding come to life.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Did he just say people thought it was pudding come to life?!
0:11:04 > 0:11:07- I think so.- What kind of people?
0:11:07 > 0:11:09Don't know. Hungry ones?
0:11:11 > 0:11:14But if it wasn't the Creature From The Black Forest Gateau Lagoon,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17then what was this gruesome globule?
0:11:17 > 0:11:21Could there really be a sensible scientific explanation?
0:11:21 > 0:11:23Well, yes. Yes, there could.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28Evolutionary biologist Dr Casey Dunn has the answers.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30These are worms, annelid worms.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Actually close relatives of earthworms.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35What is it with you and worms?
0:11:36 > 0:11:40It's actually not quite known how many species,
0:11:40 > 0:11:43but they're loosely called tubifex.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46Tubifex worms live in the water,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48anchoring themselves against the current
0:11:48 > 0:11:50and grabbing food as it passes.
0:11:52 > 0:11:55The prime real estate for something like a tubifex is somewhere
0:11:55 > 0:12:00where you can attach to the bottom firmly and there's food going by.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Obviously, a sewer wouldn't be our first choice for a home,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06but for a tubifex, it's absolutely perfect.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08That many resources in one place,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11you can get really dense clumps of them.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13What does he mean by resources?
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Wait, it EATS it?
0:12:20 > 0:12:22Oh! What, the...? From the...?
0:12:23 > 0:12:26Oh, that's disgusting!
0:12:26 > 0:12:31So it turns out this sewage-eating monster isn't a single animal,
0:12:31 > 0:12:34it's lots of different worms bonded together.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Each worm can sense movement around it and then it can also contract,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43so that's almost like a chain of dominoes.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45And as they are no danger to people,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48the citizens of Raleigh can sleep safe at night,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51even if the thought of a pulsing alien blob
0:12:51 > 0:12:53under their streets is rather disconcerting.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58I think people are genuinely weirded out by whatever lives in the sewer
0:12:58 > 0:13:03and if it's a giant shiny, slimy pulsing ball of worms,
0:13:03 > 0:13:07then I can understand why they'd be grossed out.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11There you go, Tim. Another alien story debunked.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14- What the...? - PHONE RINGS
0:13:17 > 0:13:19- Hello?- 'Hi, Naomi, it's me.'
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Tim, where are you?
0:13:21 > 0:13:24- What's going on? - 'Don't worry about me, I'm safe.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27'I'm at my nan's. I forgot to tell Nasa about the marmalade
0:13:27 > 0:13:30'so they've quarantined the house for two weeks.'
0:13:30 > 0:13:31Two weeks?!
0:13:31 > 0:13:34'Yeah! Anyway, listen, got to go.
0:13:34 > 0:13:36'Nan's cooking some pork chops.'
0:13:36 > 0:13:38- DISCONNECTED TONE - Wait, what do I...?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48# They're wild and weird Wild and weird
0:13:48 > 0:13:50# Really, really wild and really, really weird
0:13:50 > 0:13:52# They're wild and weird Wild and weird
0:13:52 > 0:13:53# They're really, really wild
0:13:53 > 0:13:57# They're really, really wild and weird... #
0:13:59 > 0:14:02Wild And Weird!