0:00:02 > 0:00:04My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:08 > 0:00:10And I'm on a mission, searching for...
0:00:10 > 0:00:11deadly places,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13deadly adventures
0:00:13 > 0:00:14and deadly animals.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21And you're coming with me, every step of the way!
0:00:26 > 0:00:27Arghhhh!
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Our planet-spanning expedition from the Arctic to Antarctica
0:00:35 > 0:00:37is now halfway through.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Our next deadly destination is 4,500 miles south
0:00:42 > 0:00:45from our start point in the Arctic Circle.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47We've reached the Tropics,
0:00:47 > 0:00:52and are here to explore a group of 700 islands - the Bahamas.
0:00:54 > 0:00:56Surrounded by the Caribbean Sea
0:00:56 > 0:01:00these warm waters are filled with a phenomenal diversity of life.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03And we're about to meet some of their most formidable residents...
0:01:05 > 0:01:07This is absolute chaos!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10..avoiding the attentions of tiger-striped sharks..
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Whoa! Whoa! Slow, slow, slow!
0:01:14 > 0:01:16- RADIO:- Everyone all right down there?
0:01:16 > 0:01:19..and tangling with a toothy reptilian terror.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22It sends a chill up your spine. Where's it gone?
0:01:27 > 0:01:30At the moment, all I'm doing is shaking with fear.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33And I face my worst nightmares.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35No way!
0:01:41 > 0:01:43There's one group of animals that we come back to
0:01:43 > 0:01:46over and again on Deadly... the sharks, for obvious reasons.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49But this time we're aiming to take our understanding of sharks
0:01:49 > 0:01:50to a whole new level.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55The experiment I have in mind can only work
0:01:55 > 0:02:00if we can get enough sharks to take part. And this is just the place.
0:02:00 > 0:02:02The sharks here are used to being fed,
0:02:02 > 0:02:05and the second the boat's turned up, we are surrounded.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09I'm going to be getting in the water
0:02:09 > 0:02:10and feeding them by hand.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Wearing chainmail should protect me from any accidental nip.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Our aim is to film a shark's bite as never before,
0:02:21 > 0:02:25using a specialist rig called a time-slice.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31It has 20 small cameras, all aligned around this semicircle of metal and
0:02:31 > 0:02:36they'll all fire off simultaneously, allowing us to freeze in time
0:02:36 > 0:02:38the exact moment of a shark's bite.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41It'll mean that we can see it in three dimensions,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45understand it in super-slow speed, and it should give us
0:02:45 > 0:02:48a better understanding of the anatomy of a shark bite.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56'Using the time-slice on land would be tricky, but underwater and
0:02:56 > 0:03:01'surrounded by a shiver of sharks, it'll be a serious challenge.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05'To get a shark to bite on cue, we have a boxful of fish bait.'
0:03:07 > 0:03:09OK, so this is the plan.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12I'm going to try and bring a shark in and get it
0:03:12 > 0:03:14to bite right dead in the centre.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19It might sound easy, but trust me, it's not going to be.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29There are sharks everywhere!
0:03:31 > 0:03:33I'm getting absolutely beaten up here.
0:03:35 > 0:03:40'I need a clean, clear bite, right in the epicentre of the cameras...
0:03:42 > 0:03:44'..while taking care not to get bitten
0:03:44 > 0:03:46'by an overenthusiastic shark.'
0:03:48 > 0:03:49Oh, ow.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57'Despite being super keen to feed, there's no mindless frenzy here.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03'Finally, we start to get the hang of it.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06'Our plan is coming together.' Yes!
0:04:09 > 0:04:10Perfect!
0:04:16 > 0:04:19'But with this many excited sharks,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21'you need eyes in the back of your head.'
0:04:23 > 0:04:25Oh...!
0:04:25 > 0:04:26Argh!
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Well, I got pretty hammered there.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Got a hold of my hand and dragged me off.
0:04:37 > 0:04:38I don't think it meant to bite me.
0:04:38 > 0:04:42I just didn't get my hand out of the way in time.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48'I'm a little shaken, but no more than a few scratches.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51'It's a good job I was wearing the chainmail.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54'And it seems the sharks have worked out where the food is.'
0:04:55 > 0:04:57Um...!
0:04:57 > 0:05:00I think we've got a bit too many sharks for this.
0:05:00 > 0:05:01Argh!
0:05:02 > 0:05:07'It's a good time to get out and see what the time-slice has captured.'
0:05:08 > 0:05:10OK, so...
0:05:10 > 0:05:14you can see the lemon shark coming in here.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Oh, wow!
0:05:18 > 0:05:21That is incredible!
0:05:21 > 0:05:23Fantastic.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28'The time-slice has captured the exact moment of the strike.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31'It allows us to analyse the bite from every angle.'
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Now, because the mouth is on the underside of the head,
0:05:37 > 0:05:40it needs to lift the nose up quite considerably to be able to
0:05:40 > 0:05:42stand any chance of getting a bite.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45But the jaws are very, very different
0:05:45 > 0:05:47to the jaws that you'd see in a mammal.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50We have our upper jaw fused to our skull
0:05:50 > 0:05:53and only our lower jaw can move free.
0:05:53 > 0:05:56In a shark, it's completely different.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59And you can see that at this moment of the strike.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02There.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06Both the shark's upper and lower jaws thrust forward.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Rows of thin, pointed teeth can snag larger prey.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Smaller prey is just hoovered up.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Its huge gaping mouth creates a massive cavern
0:06:17 > 0:06:20and water is sucked in like a vacuum.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27'The lemon shark's skewer teeth,
0:06:27 > 0:06:29'suction strike and jutting jaws
0:06:29 > 0:06:31'are unquestionably deadly.'
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Agh!
0:06:40 > 0:06:43'Our next target is another shark,
0:06:43 > 0:06:45'but not one for the time-slice,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48'and the chainmail will have little effect on its mighty jaws.
0:06:48 > 0:06:53'It's the Bahamas' largest and most feared predator.'
0:06:55 > 0:06:59So, this is Tiger Beach, except there's no beach
0:06:59 > 0:07:01and no tigers either.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Well, not the obvious kind, anyhow.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06In actual fact, it's a shallow sandbank, surrounded by miles
0:07:06 > 0:07:08and miles of open sea.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13'And Tiger Beach is home to tiger sharks,
0:07:13 > 0:07:15'stripy underwater undertakers
0:07:15 > 0:07:19'that can be at least double the size of the lemon sharks.'
0:07:19 > 0:07:22Got something coming back. I don't know if it's a tiger now.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25Big dark spot coming in right now.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28'The silhouette is distinctly different to the lemons,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30'so we kit up and drop in.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33'Tiger sharks are opportunistic
0:07:33 > 0:07:36'and one of the most omnivorous of all creatures.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40'They course up and down the water column taking a bite out of...
0:07:40 > 0:07:42'well, just about anything.'
0:07:44 > 0:07:48So far, all I can see are lemon sharks.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Oh, my goodness!
0:07:57 > 0:08:02Well, THIS is why we came here to Tiger Beach!
0:08:02 > 0:08:05It's a true monster of a tiger shark.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10It's easy to tell them apart from the lemons.
0:08:11 > 0:08:17The tiger shark is noticeably broader and stouter.
0:08:18 > 0:08:19The eyes are black...
0:08:20 > 0:08:24..and it has these stripes and dappling colouration
0:08:24 > 0:08:25running down the sides...
0:08:26 > 0:08:28..that give it its tiger name.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31It's a much more menacing shark.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38'The teeth are also totally different to the lemons -
0:08:38 > 0:08:41'stout, wide, curved and with a serrated edge,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44'they can carve through seabirds, turtle shells,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47'even other sharks.'
0:08:50 > 0:08:55So, now we have two tiger sharks in the mix
0:08:55 > 0:08:59and that's completely changed the situation. Three?!
0:08:59 > 0:09:01Yes, another one.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05Right, from here on in, we're going to have to be much more careful.
0:09:07 > 0:09:11If a tiger shark got a hold of you, even wearing a chainmail...
0:09:11 > 0:09:13it's going to be very bad indeed.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17I'm...I'm really nervous about this tiger here, it's a bit...
0:09:17 > 0:09:19a bit too...
0:09:20 > 0:09:22..aggressive for my liking, actually.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27That one there, it's got attitude.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33The other ones I'm fine with, but that one, that needs to be watched.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38I'm not comfortable with you at all.
0:09:40 > 0:09:41Whoa!
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Do you know what?
0:09:45 > 0:09:48This shark is not good.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54'It's obvious that every shark has a different personality.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57'This one is bold, confident and inquisitive,
0:09:57 > 0:10:00'and as sharks don't have hands to feel with,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04'they use their mouths and their teeth.'
0:10:04 > 0:10:06I've got my eye on you.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14This is absolute chaos!
0:10:17 > 0:10:20There - on your fin, Si. No, draw in your foot.
0:10:20 > 0:10:21Draw in your foot, seriously.
0:10:21 > 0:10:23Whoa, whoa, whoa! Si, Si, Si!
0:10:28 > 0:10:29RADIO: Everyone OK down there?
0:10:32 > 0:10:35That shark very, very nearly took a bite of Simon's leg...
0:10:37 > 0:10:40..and that's a tiger, that's not good news.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45'Best not to overstay our welcome. This is the tiger sharks' domain.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51'Weighing up to half a tonne, these awe-inspiring beasts
0:10:51 > 0:10:54'are the true lords of the Caribbean seas.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04'I'm continuing my search for the Bahamas' most deadly
0:11:04 > 0:11:06'by heading inland.'
0:11:06 > 0:11:09What lies ahead is one of the most challenging, certainly for me,
0:11:09 > 0:11:13THE most frightening thing that we've ever done on Deadly.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18'This time, it's not a predatory animal, it's a deadly place.'
0:11:20 > 0:11:21Over the years, I've done
0:11:21 > 0:11:24expeditions in every kind of environment -
0:11:24 > 0:11:26mountains, desert, arctic.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30But there's one that scares me more than any other. It's caves.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33And if there's one thing that's more frightening than a cave,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36it's a flooded cave that has absolutely no air in it.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50'These pools mark the entrance ways to flooded passages and caves,
0:11:50 > 0:11:53'stretching for hundreds of miles underground.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57'Caves are some of the most beautiful
0:11:57 > 0:11:59'and unexplored places on Earth,
0:11:59 > 0:12:01'but have the potential to be lethal.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05'So, back in the UK, I've been training hard to prepare.
0:12:08 > 0:12:12'The only things that keep you alive are planning, specialist kit
0:12:12 > 0:12:14'and a bit of nerve.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21'Here in the Bahamas I've teamed up with some elite cave divers.'
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Flooded caves are one of the most unexplored environments
0:12:25 > 0:12:28on the planet, but they're also one of the most dangerous and
0:12:28 > 0:12:30one of the reasons for that is, there's no air inside them.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33If you're diving out in the sea and something goes wrong, you can
0:12:33 > 0:12:36come to the surface. You can't in a cave.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39So, we've got enormous amounts of compressed air.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43The other complete nightmare with cave diving would be
0:12:43 > 0:12:46if everything went dark, because then you'd get lost
0:12:46 > 0:12:48and if you get lost, you're probably not going to come out alive.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51So, I've got an awful lot of light.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'Whenever I get into a cave, I start feeling claustrophobic
0:12:55 > 0:12:59'and I can feel my heart rate going up and it does really frighten me.'
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Can't put it off any longer.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Over all the years that Johnny the cameraman and I have been
0:13:13 > 0:13:17working together, we've done all sorts of dives -
0:13:17 > 0:13:19sharks, whales, crocodiles.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21This is the first time that he's not allowed to come with me.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25'All these precautions are for good reason.'
0:13:28 > 0:13:32At the moment, all I'm doing is shaking with fear.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34'The other cave divers will be watching my back
0:13:34 > 0:13:37'and also filming what we find.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41'It's time to leave my crew behind.'
0:13:45 > 0:13:48Three...two...one.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09'Not far from the last light,
0:14:09 > 0:14:10'our first find.'
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Amazing!
0:14:12 > 0:14:16There's not much life living in these caves,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18but there are a few...
0:14:18 > 0:14:20creatures that make their home here.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Like these...tiny shrimp.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27Look at all of the long antennae that it's tapping around
0:14:27 > 0:14:30in the darkness with. It can't see...
0:14:30 > 0:14:34so it needs to make best use of those long, sensory appendages.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37'This cave shrimp is a rare find.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40'They survive here by feeling their way with tactile antennae,
0:14:40 > 0:14:44'sensing food and evading predators in the pitch black.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49'A little deeper in the cave is a truly prehistoric find.'
0:14:51 > 0:14:52It's called a brotula.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56These fish are predatory,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59so they'll swallow just about anything.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02The extraordinary thing is, they're very, very primitive fish,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05they've probably been around on the planet
0:15:05 > 0:15:07maybe even hundreds of millions of years,
0:15:07 > 0:15:11and remain pretty much unchanged.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16And the only place they live is in caves like this.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27'Further into the cave system, the water clears
0:15:27 > 0:15:29'and a world of wonder emerges.'
0:15:35 > 0:15:37No way!
0:15:41 > 0:15:44I've never seen anything like it in my life.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48That is incredible,
0:15:48 > 0:15:54even more so because so few people will ever have seen it before.
0:16:00 > 0:16:04'This cavern is adorned with stalagmites and stalactites
0:16:04 > 0:16:08'that were formed thousands of years ago before the cave flooded.'
0:16:08 > 0:16:12It's easy to be so overwhelmed
0:16:12 > 0:16:14by the beauty and the majesty
0:16:14 > 0:16:16of all the features in these caverns
0:16:16 > 0:16:20that you totally forget where you are
0:16:20 > 0:16:22and, all of a sudden, you remember
0:16:22 > 0:16:24that you're underground and underwater
0:16:24 > 0:16:28and a very, very long way from safety.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32'We've now ventured so deep into the cave
0:16:32 > 0:16:35'that there would be no chance of rescue.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39'It's all too easy to get lost,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42'it's a maze of tunnels and dead ends.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45'And, as if to remind me,
0:16:45 > 0:16:48'we find the bones of a long-dead deadly animal.'
0:16:48 > 0:16:50It's the remains of a crocodile.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55This has probably come from about 4,000 years ago.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00You can still see the upper jawbone...
0:17:00 > 0:17:02some of the teeth.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Actually, it's still in remarkably good condition.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15'Our air's running low.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16'Time to head for the light.'
0:17:24 > 0:17:26There's no doubt that caves,
0:17:26 > 0:17:29particularly flooded caves like this, are a deadly environment.
0:17:29 > 0:17:33I mean, there's very little margin for error. You get things wrong
0:17:33 > 0:17:36and you haven't really got a lot of chance of surviving.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38But they've got to be one of the most
0:17:38 > 0:17:42magical, mystical places on the planet...
0:17:42 > 0:17:44and, uh...
0:17:44 > 0:17:46I'm not going to forget that in a hurry.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56'Our pole-to-pole journey rolls on south
0:17:56 > 0:17:59'to the exotic Caribbean island of Cuba.'
0:18:04 > 0:18:06It's the largest island in the Caribbean,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and a place that's legendary for its music, its culture,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12its salsa dancing and its classic cars.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16But we're here to show you a completely different side to Cuba.
0:18:16 > 0:18:17The deadly side.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24'Like the Bahamas, Cuba has a subterranean underworld which
0:18:24 > 0:18:26'very few people ever see.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29'The cave we are heading to is not, thank goodness,
0:18:29 > 0:18:33'filled with water, but is filled with wonders of the wild kind.'
0:18:35 > 0:18:37It doesn't look like much, yet.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41But there's something very, very special inside this cave.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45There's at least half a million bats roosting inside.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48And many, many other predators have come here to take advantage of that.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53'And one that can only be found here...
0:18:55 > 0:18:56'..the Cuban boa.'
0:18:58 > 0:19:02To show them to you, I have to take a journey into the underworld.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07'These animals choose to live here in darkness for a reason.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11'So as not to disturb them and cause a flying stampede,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13'we're switching to infrared light.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17'So, from now on, we'll be working almost in complete darkness.'
0:19:20 > 0:19:24When you can't see very well, all of a sudden, you start to feel uneasy,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and particularly here in this cave where
0:19:27 > 0:19:30there are kind of sounds of things moving around you.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Occasionally, you'll see something scuttling off into the darkness,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36but you're not quite sure what it is.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38It really, really gives you the fear.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42BUMP
0:19:43 > 0:19:47'The very floor seems to be moving, crawling with cockroaches.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51'They're feasting on guano,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54'the droppings of thousands of bats roosting on the ceiling above.'
0:19:57 > 0:19:58But where are those bats?
0:20:01 > 0:20:05'Our mission to find the cave boa has now taken over two hours
0:20:05 > 0:20:09'and we've travelled half a mile into the cave.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12'If we can find the main concentration of bats,
0:20:12 > 0:20:15'the boas hunting them won't be too far away.'
0:20:17 > 0:20:19Unbelievable.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26Now, that is what I call a bat cave.
0:20:29 > 0:20:34Caves like this are an absolute hell for human beings.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38They're hot, they're humid, we're ankle deep in poo,
0:20:38 > 0:20:43creepy-crawlies everywhere. But for bats, they're a kind of paradise.
0:20:43 > 0:20:45The temperature in here is constant,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47they're safe from the elements, from the weather.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49This is a place where they can come
0:20:49 > 0:20:53and they can roost during the day and be pretty much safe.
0:20:53 > 0:20:57Safe, that is, apart from one rather terrifying predator.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02'That's what we're here to find.' Got one! Got one! Got several!
0:21:02 > 0:21:05There's loads of them.
0:21:05 > 0:21:06No...way!
0:21:12 > 0:21:14So...
0:21:14 > 0:21:18this is why we've come to this cave.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Cuban boas.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25There's one reason why this snake is here
0:21:25 > 0:21:27and one reason alone,
0:21:27 > 0:21:30and that's to feast on bats.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33Just trying to keep my eyes on this snake
0:21:33 > 0:21:35cos I can't really see it.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39I wasn't really expecting to find anything this big, but I guess when
0:21:39 > 0:21:43there's this much food around, you can grow to be a really good size.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50'In the pitch dark, boas can't rely on eyesight to catch bats.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56'Instead, lip scales packed with sensitive nerve endings
0:21:56 > 0:21:59'allow it to sense heat.
0:21:59 > 0:22:03'A thermal-imaging camera shows how the bats may appear to the snake.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10'With a bat targeted, the boa lashes out with pin sharp teeth.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15'Then it constricts, preventing blood, oxygen
0:22:15 > 0:22:17'and nerve impulses travelling around the body.'
0:22:19 > 0:22:23The Cuban boa, it may make its home in a nightmare of a place,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26but, for me, this is a dream of a snake.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29And undoubtedly deadly.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35'To my great relief, we're done with caves
0:22:35 > 0:22:38'and heading out to the Paradise Coast.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43'But we're in paradise to find a crocodile that could be
0:22:43 > 0:22:46'the biggest and baddest in the New World.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50'The American crocodile.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53'And we're hoping to film one underwater.'
0:22:56 > 0:22:59These islands are dotted with loads of paradise beaches,
0:22:59 > 0:23:03and it's the perfect place to start looking for crocodiles.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Are you all right there, mate?
0:23:06 > 0:23:07THEY LAUGH
0:23:07 > 0:23:10'The beach is covered with animal tracks.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12'But none look like crocodile.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15'So, what are they?'
0:23:16 > 0:23:19- Look!- There's lots of them. - Look at that!
0:23:20 > 0:23:22This is absolutely remarkable.
0:23:22 > 0:23:27All of a sudden, all of the bushes have just erupted with life.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29And one of them has to be
0:23:29 > 0:23:32one of the most curious-looking critters I've ever seen.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Look at this!
0:23:35 > 0:23:38This is a Cuban hutia.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44And they only occur in Cuba.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47It's like someone's taken the head of a beaver
0:23:47 > 0:23:50and stuck it onto a wallaby.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Surely the hermit crabs aren't going to come
0:23:56 > 0:23:59and take things out of my hand. That would be too bizarre for words.
0:23:59 > 0:24:00Nope.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06I was expecting Cuba's wildlife to be special...
0:24:07 > 0:24:08..but not quite this special.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Unfortunately, though, we're on the hunt for deadly animals.
0:24:11 > 0:24:14I'm not sure that any of this lot qualify.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17'So, it's back to the water.
0:24:19 > 0:24:21'Noel, our Cuban biologist, is taking us
0:24:21 > 0:24:24'to a lagoon where crocs are often seen, and, apparently,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27'there's a good chance they might even come and find us.'
0:24:27 > 0:24:30HE CALLS
0:24:32 > 0:24:35'The wild crocodiles are sometimes fed by the locals.'
0:24:36 > 0:24:38HE CALLS
0:24:38 > 0:24:41'When they hear these calls,
0:24:41 > 0:24:44'they know there's opportunity for a free feed.'
0:24:44 > 0:24:47And there's already a crocodile heading straight towards us.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54'It's not fully grown but its senses are fully formed.'
0:24:56 > 0:24:59You can see how much it's driven by vibrations.
0:24:59 > 0:25:00If I just...
0:25:01 > 0:25:04..thrash the water slightly with my hand...
0:25:05 > 0:25:07'The sound mimics the splashing
0:25:07 > 0:25:09'of an injured fish or animal in the water.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'They're detected by sensory bumps in the lip scales.'
0:25:12 > 0:25:15It's going to come straight towards me
0:25:15 > 0:25:17and I'm going to take my fingers out of the water
0:25:17 > 0:25:21because, otherwise, I think I'd probably lose them.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24'If you think I'm being overdramatic,
0:25:24 > 0:25:26'a few years ago in Argentina...
0:25:26 > 0:25:30'I accidentally stepped on another fairly small croc.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:34HE SCREAMS
0:25:34 > 0:25:36That was a Caiman.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40And I've just been given a really nasty bite.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44'A lucky escape, but I still needed ten stitches in my leg.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48'So, youngster or not, he gets my full respect and attention.'
0:25:50 > 0:25:53There aren't many rules for diving with crocodiles,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56mostly because not many people have been dumb enough to do it.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01'So I'm going to stick to the rules I use for swimming with sharks.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05'Be confident and big in the water.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11'Don't flail hands and feet around that could look like fishy food.'
0:26:13 > 0:26:14OK, here goes nothing.
0:26:17 > 0:26:20'And the last rule, keep your eyes on the animal
0:26:20 > 0:26:22'so they can't take you by surprise.'
0:26:22 > 0:26:24Where have they gone?
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Your ten o'clock, about ten metres away, just gone under.
0:26:27 > 0:26:30Be careful, fellas. Straight ahead of you now.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Yes, I see him.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35It's such a chilling sight,
0:26:35 > 0:26:38having a crocodile head straight towards you like this,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42particularly when they're capable of just dropping out of sight
0:26:42 > 0:26:44and becoming invisible.
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Steve, there's another one here on the right. It's bigger.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54'A larger and more menacing beast to share the water with.'
0:27:05 > 0:27:07When you lose sight of it...
0:27:08 > 0:27:10..it sends a chill up your spine.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Where's it gone?
0:27:18 > 0:27:22His head is this far from my leg.
0:27:25 > 0:27:27I don't want to move because any movement
0:27:27 > 0:27:29might make me look like food.
0:27:31 > 0:27:35'Hold your nerve, no sudden movements,
0:27:35 > 0:27:39'and somehow keep an eye on two separate circling crocodiles.'
0:27:42 > 0:27:44Such a magnificent creature.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50'When hunting, they rely more on vibrations than their eyesight.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56'Lying perfectly still under the water for 30 minutes or more,
0:27:56 > 0:28:00'they wait for a fish, bird or mammal to alert their senses...
0:28:02 > 0:28:06'..finally using their cone-shaped pointed teeth to finish the job.'
0:28:10 > 0:28:14The American crocodile, one of the largest reptiles in the world.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16There's no doubt they're deadly.
0:28:16 > 0:28:19And I feel very lucky to have kept all my fingers.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26'The caves and waves of the Caribbean
0:28:26 > 0:28:29'have proved a hefty challenge.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35'But next we'll head to the heart of darkness
0:28:35 > 0:28:39'and the finest, most pristine jungle on the planet
0:28:39 > 0:28:45'as we continue our expedition from pole to deadly pole.'