0:00:02 > 0:00:05My name's Steve Backshall. Wow!
0:00:05 > 0:00:09And this is Deadly 60 On A Mission.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12My team and I are travelling the world
0:00:12 > 0:00:15in search of the planet's deadliest animals.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20'I want to find out what makes them so deadly...' Oh, yeah!
0:00:20 > 0:00:22And that means getting close to them in the wild.
0:00:22 > 0:00:23Wow!
0:00:23 > 0:00:26Only the most lethal will make my list.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28And in this series, we're going to show you
0:00:28 > 0:00:30my most extreme animal encounters.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33And you're coming with me every step of the way.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44This time on Deadly 60, we're in one of the deadliest deserts I know.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46This is Mexico.
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Specifically the Baja Peninsula.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51There's more venomous and poisonous creatures here
0:00:51 > 0:00:53than almost anywhere else on the planet.
0:00:53 > 0:00:57I'm going to take you tantalisingly close to the very best of them.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59That's extraordinary.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02And then we're heading south... for some jungle action.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07The creatures we'll be meeting are all deadly in their own world.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11But there are also a lot of animals that could be dangerous to us.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13So, let's get this mission started.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17Off the coast of Mexico's Baja Peninsula, in the Sea of Cortez,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20where I'm on the trail of a deep-sea monster.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25These guys are fishermen looking for the exact animal
0:01:25 > 0:01:27that we're trying to find.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30The call it Diablo Rojo which is the red devil
0:01:30 > 0:01:33and they tell stories of them ripping fishermen from their boats
0:01:33 > 0:01:35and tearing them to shreds.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38I don't know about any of that, but what I do know for sure
0:01:38 > 0:01:41is that this is one of the most dangerous animals we're going to see
0:01:41 > 0:01:43and it's called the Humboldt squid.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48The Sea of Cortez is heaving with assassin squid,
0:01:48 > 0:01:51and they're an important part of the local fishing catch.
0:01:51 > 0:01:54So we're teaming up with some fishermen in hopes of getting a look
0:01:54 > 0:01:56at one of these beasts.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Camera.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05So what's happening now is these guys are putting lines
0:02:05 > 0:02:10way, way deep down. During the day these squid are about 200m plus
0:02:10 > 0:02:13under water, but now it's dusk time, the sun is going down
0:02:13 > 0:02:16and they'll be coming closer and closer to the surface to feed.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20So they're going to trawl around, see if they can pull something in.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23And when they do, we'll see our first squid.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26We've got something big coming in.
0:02:28 > 0:02:30I'm so excited!
0:02:30 > 0:02:32STEVE PANTS
0:02:32 > 0:02:36On the end of this line could be the creature we're after.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39How much line has he put in here?!
0:02:40 > 0:02:44I see it! I see something! I can see a light shape coming towards us.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46Here it comes.
0:02:46 > 0:02:53Oh, no, look at that! Yes! Yes! Wow!
0:02:53 > 0:02:55Look at the colours pulsing down the body.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57I can't believe it!
0:02:57 > 0:02:59There's the beak he's pointing out to us there.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01That's the danger end.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04I can't believe he's letting his fingers get that close to it.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Look at that! It's like a giant parrot's beak.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10And it can cut straight through flesh and even bone.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13It would easily take off one of my fingers. Right,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16look down the length of all of these tentacles.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Each one has sucker cups running all the way down the length of it
0:03:20 > 0:03:25and every one of those sucker cups is ringed with razor-sharp teeth
0:03:25 > 0:03:29that slice straight through flesh and they use those to catch a hold
0:03:29 > 0:03:31of slippery sardines and small fish
0:03:31 > 0:03:34that they're going to be eating and draw them in.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Our next step has to be get in the water
0:03:36 > 0:03:39and get close to them in their own environment.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41So we're getting kitted up.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44For protection, our safety diver Scott, the cameraman and I
0:03:44 > 0:03:47have to wear chain-mail suits.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51In addition, we'll be attached to the boat by steel safety cables.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55That's because there's a risk that several squid could attack one of us
0:03:55 > 0:03:59and between them, they'd be able to drag their victim into the deep.
0:04:02 > 0:04:03You OK, Steve?
0:04:03 > 0:04:05Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09'Humboldt squid will hunt collectively in squadrons
0:04:09 > 0:04:11'of as many as 1,200.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13'They'll tear apart anything they can overpower,
0:04:13 > 0:04:17'including unwary scuba divers.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22'Scott spots a squid just below the boat
0:04:22 > 0:04:23'and it's a good size.'
0:04:23 > 0:04:26Look at that!
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Wow!
0:04:28 > 0:04:32'At first, he didn't seem that pleased to see us.'
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Look at all the ink it's squirting into the water!
0:04:36 > 0:04:42That's the method the squid uses to get away from its predators,
0:04:42 > 0:04:44because no predator is going to know where it is
0:04:44 > 0:04:46behind that smokescreen.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48Look at it now, covering the camera!
0:04:51 > 0:04:56OK, I'm going to, very gently, just try and take control of the head.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Oh, I've got it!
0:04:58 > 0:05:01I've got my first Humboldt squid underwater!
0:05:02 > 0:05:07Now you can see why they call them the Red Devil or the Red Demon.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Oh, crikey! He just made a lunge for the camera lens there.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18Wow!
0:05:21 > 0:05:22Oh!
0:05:23 > 0:05:25So strong!
0:05:26 > 0:05:29These squid really are extraordinary predators.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34In addition to their crunching beak and serrated suckers,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38they can move at speed using a siphon to power through the water.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46Look there, it's got its tentacles around my arm
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and I can feel the gripping of those teeth.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55Actually, you can feel it, even through the chainmail suit.
0:05:55 > 0:05:59And here, that's where that snapping beak is.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02Just there.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06I want to take great care not to get my fingers close to it,
0:06:06 > 0:06:07because I think I'd lose them.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10Well, I know I'd lose them.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15That's the really ferocious bit of the Humboldt squid.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17'And just as I'm trying to get a better look...
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Oh, crikey! It's got a hold of my hand!
0:06:20 > 0:06:22It's actually... Argh!
0:06:22 > 0:06:24Oh, dear, me! This... Argh!
0:06:25 > 0:06:27The strength of the beak -
0:06:27 > 0:06:30it just actually bit me right through the chainmail suit.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35It really pinched my arm.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41You can see how easy it would be
0:06:41 > 0:06:46for a creature like this to power itself away, using that siphon.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50But also, to create that smokescreen
0:06:50 > 0:06:53that is going to make it almost impossible
0:06:53 > 0:06:56for another predator that uses sight to hunt by
0:06:56 > 0:06:58to find the Humboldt squid.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04OK, Scott.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06I'm just going to release it now.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17That really is a sea monster,
0:07:17 > 0:07:19if ever I saw one.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Ha! I don't think anyone's going to doubt that the Humboldt squid
0:07:30 > 0:07:32has got to go in the Deadly 60.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38Thanks to its siphon, it's jet-propelled...
0:07:39 > 0:07:43..and locks on to its victim with thousands of sucker-cup teeth...
0:07:43 > 0:07:46before devouring it with a scalpel-sharp beak.
0:07:46 > 0:07:50Believe me, Humboldt squid got the adrenaline going.
0:07:53 > 0:07:58Leaving the coast, we're heading for the Baja Peninsula's dry interior,
0:07:58 > 0:08:00in search of a highly venomous collection of creatures.
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Top of my agenda is one of the world's largest wasps,
0:08:06 > 0:08:10which also has one of the most painful stings of any insect.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16Oh, there's one, look.
0:08:19 > 0:08:23This huge insect is the toxic tarantula hawk wasp.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26So called because it hunts tarantulas.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Here it comes, here it comes.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35What he's doing at the moment is just circling around this area
0:08:35 > 0:08:37trying to find his food.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39'Well, actually, that's food for its young,
0:08:39 > 0:08:43'in the form of a giant spider that lives underground.'
0:08:46 > 0:08:47Has he found one?
0:08:47 > 0:08:50'Our guide's seen a wasp disappear into a burrow.'
0:08:52 > 0:08:53That hole there...
0:08:53 > 0:08:56is the hole of a tarantula.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00'This is our chance to catch the wasp on the way out.'
0:09:00 > 0:09:04- It's coming out, it's coming out, it's coming out.- Got him.- OK.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09Right. I've got to be ever so careful how I do this,
0:09:09 > 0:09:12because the tarantula hawk wasp
0:09:12 > 0:09:16has a sting that's reputed to be
0:09:16 > 0:09:17the most painful
0:09:17 > 0:09:19of any invertebrate.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22Ooh! And he's off! No, come back!
0:09:27 > 0:09:28Ah.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32'Yeah, that wasn't a great time to break my net.'
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Got it! Got it, got it, got it, got it, got it!
0:09:39 > 0:09:41Oh, no! He went out the hole!
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Oh, no, I can't believe it! That's so frustrating!
0:09:44 > 0:09:47You come back here now!
0:09:47 > 0:09:49I had him
0:09:49 > 0:09:52but I've got a great big hole in my net.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56And he just flew straight out through it.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58- He's coming this way, Steve.- Right.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Got her. Got her. Right.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Now, this time, you are not getting away.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11I've got to be ever so careful. I don't want to damage her,
0:10:11 > 0:10:16but also, her sting is absolutely paralysing.
0:10:18 > 0:10:19There she is.
0:10:21 > 0:10:22That...
0:10:24 > 0:10:28..is the tarantula hawk wasp, or pepsis wasp.
0:10:29 > 0:10:31And she is...
0:10:33 > 0:10:38..one of the most incredible predators
0:10:38 > 0:10:40found anywhere in the world.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43Look at the size of her sting.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47(Right. There we go.)
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Look at that.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Glorious, glorious colour -
0:10:51 > 0:10:53very vibrant metallic blue,
0:10:53 > 0:10:56with bright orange wings,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59but don't let her beauty fool you.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02This is one the most grotesque killers
0:11:02 > 0:11:04in the whole of the animal kingdom.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09This giant predatory wasp first locates a tarantula...
0:11:11 > 0:11:15..then outmanoeuvres it and hits it with a paralysing venomous sting.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20The spider's still alive but completely defenceless.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23Then things get REALLY nasty.
0:11:25 > 0:11:28The wasp drags its paralysed victim to a safe place
0:11:28 > 0:11:31and lays an egg in the spider's abdomen.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36The egg hatches out into a grub, which grows,
0:11:36 > 0:11:40slowly devouring the living spider from the inside out.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45Look at the mandibles. Look at the size
0:11:45 > 0:11:48of these jaws here.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51This creature here has a strength way beyond her size.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Well, if I was to get stung by this,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57I'd be able to think about nothing else for 24 hours.
0:11:57 > 0:11:59So, I don't think there is any doubt
0:11:59 > 0:12:02that the tarantula hawk wasp has got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07It vies with the Japanese giant hornet
0:12:07 > 0:12:09for the title of biggest wasp in the world...
0:12:09 > 0:12:12it preys on even bigger spiders...
0:12:12 > 0:12:15..paralysing them with an incredibly painful sting.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Approach with caution - this insect is deadly.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26'As bad as a sting from this wasp could be,
0:12:26 > 0:12:28'when we head South to the jungle,
0:12:28 > 0:12:32'we'll be meeting a creature capable of inflicting even more pain.'
0:12:33 > 0:12:35'But first, this is Baja,
0:12:35 > 0:12:39'just about the best place in the world for all kinds of rattlesnakes.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44'I can't leave a hotspot like this without devoting a day
0:12:44 > 0:12:47'to getting some rattlers on my list.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50'In no time, we've got one.'
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Hey, yeah, you beauty!
0:12:55 > 0:12:56OK, guys.
0:13:01 > 0:13:02No.
0:13:03 > 0:13:04Don't go anywhere.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09I didn't want to say anything, cos I didn't want to tempt fate,
0:13:09 > 0:13:14but this was exactly the animal I've come here hoping to find.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16Got it. Got it. Yeah.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22This is THE snake
0:13:22 > 0:13:24of the Baja Peninsula.
0:13:24 > 0:13:27It's a red diamond rattlesnake.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30If I lay it down,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33you can see the distinctive diamond-shaped pattern
0:13:33 > 0:13:35running all the way down its back.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39The colouration on that can be a really vibrant red,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41which is where it gets its name from.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47The rattle's not used at all in actually catching its prey.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50The whole purpose of it is getting rid of animals
0:13:50 > 0:13:52that are big and might threaten it,
0:13:52 > 0:13:54but are far too big for it to try and eat.
0:13:56 > 0:14:00Rattlesnakes are in a group of snakes called the pit vipers,
0:14:00 > 0:14:02and if you look very closely at his head, you'll see,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05in between the nostril and the eye
0:14:05 > 0:14:07a tiny pit which can sense heat
0:14:07 > 0:14:11in the moving muscles of the things it feeds on.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14It's actually quite a lazy snake.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16The way it was sitting when we found it is how it will spend
0:14:16 > 0:14:19its entire day and sometimes two or three days at a time
0:14:19 > 0:14:24until a warm-blooded animal like a small mouse walks past.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27And then, the movement is like lightning.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31It's less of a bite, really, and more of stab.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37The fangs deliver a dose of haemotoxic venom,
0:14:37 > 0:14:42attacking the victim's circulatory system, causing unchecked bleeding.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44The snake then retreats and waits for the animal to die.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46If you were a mouse,
0:14:46 > 0:14:50you wouldn't last seconds with the red diamond rattlesnake.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52'Well, that's one for the list
0:14:52 > 0:14:55'and I reckon there's more rattlers to come.'
0:14:55 > 0:14:57I don't believe it!
0:14:57 > 0:15:00Wow, that is a very heavy-bodied snake.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04'First was another, bigger red diamond rattler 100m away.'
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Look how thick and heavy the body is.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14Look at that. That's a big venomous snake.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16Really big.
0:15:16 > 0:15:21'Two rattlesnakes in ten minutes! Surely it couldn't get any better?
0:15:21 > 0:15:25'Well, yes, because it's after dark that rattlesnakes get active.'
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Ooh! There's a completely different species of rattlesnake
0:15:30 > 0:15:32just over here.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36'It's a Baja rattler, unique to this region.'
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Right. Stay there.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40It's OK. It's OK, it's all right.
0:15:40 > 0:15:41- SNAKE RATTLES - Listen to that!
0:15:48 > 0:15:51This place is absolutely crawling with rattlesnakes.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57I don't believe it! Come round, guys.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00'And then, to top off the best snake-hunting day I've ever had,
0:16:00 > 0:16:04'a speckled rattlesnake.' Look at that tail going!
0:16:06 > 0:16:10'So I've notched up three kinds of rattlesnake - the red diamond,
0:16:10 > 0:16:15'the Baja and this speckled rattler in less than eight hours!'
0:16:15 > 0:16:19Well, this has been one of the best snake-catching days of my life,
0:16:19 > 0:16:21and there's no way I can leave here
0:16:21 > 0:16:25without putting all of the rattlesnakes of the Baja Peninsula
0:16:25 > 0:16:27onto my Deadly 60.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Right, off you go, fella.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37With heat-seeking pits, it finds prey in complete darkness...
0:16:37 > 0:16:40then it strikes in a split second...
0:16:40 > 0:16:44..injecting a fatal dose of venom with its fangs.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Baja's rattlesnakes are all on the Deadly 60.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55Baja, Mexico, has more than lived up to its lethal reputation
0:16:55 > 0:16:58and I've had a blast!
0:16:59 > 0:17:04Now this mission's going South, in search of equally deadly predators -
0:17:04 > 0:17:06and potentially my most painful encounter yet -
0:17:06 > 0:17:09in the rainforests Central America.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12In Panama's remote jungle, we've set ourselves
0:17:12 > 0:17:14and almost impossible task -
0:17:14 > 0:17:17to try and find and film a giant aerial predator
0:17:17 > 0:17:21that dominates the treetops - the harpy eagle.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26It's first thing in the morning and we're heading into those hills
0:17:26 > 0:17:28in search of our harpy eagle.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33The guys here have said there's a nest two, three hours' walk away.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35'And it's only thanks to their local knowledge
0:17:35 > 0:17:39'that we've any chance of finding one.'
0:17:41 > 0:17:43This is SO exciting.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48Walking through the forest, knowing that, perhaps, two hours away,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51is an encounter with a harpy eagle,
0:17:51 > 0:17:57an animal which I've never seen and is one of the most special.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00These extraordinary-looking birds are extremely rare.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06It has talons the size of grizzly bear claws...
0:18:08 > 0:18:11..and a two-metre wingspan.
0:18:11 > 0:18:12The harpy is one of the heaviest
0:18:12 > 0:18:16and one of the most powerful birds of prey in the whole world.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21But more than that is the fact that they are so difficult to see.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25I know people who've lived their lives in these forests
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and never come across a harpy eagle.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32This could be one of the greatest privileges of my whole life.
0:18:32 > 0:18:34'If we ever find one.
0:18:36 > 0:18:41'After hours slogging through the forests, our guide spots something.'
0:18:41 > 0:18:44- WHISPERS: - He's pointing at something.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46He's pointing up that way.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I think that's where the nest must be.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00- WHISPERS:- Oh, my goodness!
0:19:00 > 0:19:02This is her tree.
0:19:02 > 0:19:03It's HUGE!
0:19:05 > 0:19:08It's called a kapok tree.
0:19:08 > 0:19:13Harpies always go for what's called an "emergent" tree.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17That is one that bursts up above the canopy,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19the tallest trees for miles around.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22- She's calling. - BIRD CALLS
0:19:24 > 0:19:28That is beautiful. She knows we're here.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36Our job now is to find another tree here somewhere that we can climb
0:19:36 > 0:19:37so we can film it.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43'The plan is to use a lookout tree to get up
0:19:43 > 0:19:45on the eagle's eye-level and hopefully see it in action.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48'Our climbing expert, James, is going up first
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and he's taking no chances.'
0:19:52 > 0:19:56You'll notice that, in addition to all the normal climbing gear,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59James is also wearing a stab vest
0:19:59 > 0:20:03and one of these, very much like the things worn by riot police.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08There aren't many animals on the Deadly 60, let alone birds,
0:20:08 > 0:20:11that you have to wear this to get close to.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13But it's all for good reason -
0:20:13 > 0:20:18James has been attacked by a harpy eagle before and they're fearless.
0:20:20 > 0:20:24This bird is a top predator and will take on large, tree-dwelling prey,
0:20:24 > 0:20:29including coatis, sloths and monkeys.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36'James has done his recce up high, but has he seen our eagle?'
0:20:36 > 0:20:41Can't see the tree, let alone the nest.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44- OK. That IS bad news. - JAMES SIGHS
0:20:44 > 0:20:47'Time for Plan B.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51'Next morning and we've found another tree,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54'that will hopefully give us a better view of the eagle's nest.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57'James is rigging the tree in preparation for a climb
0:20:57 > 0:20:59'and I'm going up, too.'
0:21:01 > 0:21:05'Fingers crossed, we actually see the bird this time.'
0:21:10 > 0:21:15- Cor, dear. It's properly sweaty work, isn't it?- Oh, yeah.
0:21:16 > 0:21:17Right.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22There's our eagle tree.
0:21:22 > 0:21:24Just see the top of it
0:21:24 > 0:21:27off in the distance out that way.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30But she's too well hidden. I can't really see her.
0:21:30 > 0:21:32SIGHS
0:21:32 > 0:21:34Oh, dear.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37This is proving to be incredibly tough.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40They're very canny birds.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43They choose spots where they can see their prey.
0:21:43 > 0:21:48They've got a good view of monkeys and sloths, things they like to eat.
0:21:48 > 0:21:55And moving they, themselves, are still quite well hidden.
0:21:55 > 0:21:56'With time running out,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01our only chance of seeing a harpy eagle now is from the ground.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05We're throwing everything we have at this.
0:22:05 > 0:22:09Can't come all this way and not see them. That would be a tragedy.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14'Incredibly, our cameraman's zoom lens has picked out the nest.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16'But it's empty.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18'And we're about to give up, when...
0:22:18 > 0:22:22'..a speckled wing flashes into shot...'
0:22:24 > 0:22:27She is magnificent.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30'..and then the crested head of this near-mythical creature.'
0:22:32 > 0:22:37Well, it's cost us several bucket loads of sweat - each.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42But finally, we've got our view of the harpy eagle,
0:22:42 > 0:22:46something I honestly never thought I'd ever see.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49The most powerful, one of the largest birds in the world.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52And also one of the rarest.
0:22:52 > 0:22:58People spend their lives in these forests and never get a glimpse.
0:22:58 > 0:23:02There she is, stood up there in the nest..
0:23:02 > 0:23:05I reckon this magnificent bird has got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11One of the world's largest eagles, with a two-metre wingspan...
0:23:11 > 0:23:15and talons the size of grizzly bear claws.
0:23:15 > 0:23:17The most powerful of all eagles.
0:23:18 > 0:23:21The harpy eagle is going on my Deadly 60.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28'This mission is almost over,
0:23:28 > 0:23:30'but before I leave Central America,
0:23:30 > 0:23:33'I promised you an encounter with an agony-inducing creature
0:23:33 > 0:23:37'that makes me shudder just thinking about it!'
0:23:38 > 0:23:44If you ask people who live here what animal they're most frightened of,
0:23:44 > 0:23:48they won't say snakes or scorpions, they'll probably say
0:23:48 > 0:23:52the tiny insects that are living in this tree.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56It might surprise you to know
0:23:56 > 0:23:58that they're ants.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02I'll just see if I can get some to come out with my snake hook.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08That's the entrance to their nest, just there.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11And...look at that.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18These...are bullet ants.
0:24:18 > 0:24:22They're called bullet ants cos being stung by one
0:24:22 > 0:24:25feels a bit like being shot.
0:24:25 > 0:24:31They've got the most painful toxin, venom, of any insect.
0:24:31 > 0:24:33It's a powerful neurotoxin,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36intended to attack the central nervous system
0:24:36 > 0:24:38of anything trying to mess with it.
0:24:38 > 0:24:39I'm watching very carefully,
0:24:39 > 0:24:42making sure they don't run up my trouser leg.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44There was a guy called Schmidt
0:24:44 > 0:24:49who tested the stings of insects to find out which are most painful.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52And this one came out on top.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56He described it as "a pure, intense, brilliant pain"
0:24:56 > 0:25:01that was like "stepping your heel into a rusty nail".
0:25:01 > 0:25:06I can confirm that the bullet ant is the most painful experience.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09I've been stung by these many, many times.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13A few years back, I took part in a ritual in the Amazon,
0:25:13 > 0:25:18where I was stung by hundreds of bullet ants at the same time.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Within a short period of time,
0:25:20 > 0:25:24I lost consciousness because of the pain.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Obviously, I lived to tell the tale,
0:25:27 > 0:25:32but I do have a very healthy respect for these ants.
0:25:32 > 0:25:37The bullet ant's incredible sting isn't really for overcoming prey.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42They spend time hunting up in the canopy, down on the ground.
0:25:42 > 0:25:48They use their powerful mandibles or jaws to overcome their insect prey.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52The sting is used for getting rid of animals that hunt them.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56The reason it's so painful is so that if something big
0:25:56 > 0:26:01sticks its nose in the nest, it'll get stung, perhaps many times,
0:26:01 > 0:26:06and think that it's in real danger because of the incredible pain
0:26:06 > 0:26:09caused by the bullet ant's sting.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12Now, I know that, if get stung again,
0:26:12 > 0:26:15it's going to hurt a lot, but it's not dangerous.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17I won't have an allergic reaction.
0:26:17 > 0:26:23If I didn't know that, I wouldn't do what I'm about to try.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28If you're ever anywhere where there are bullet ants, don't try this.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30I'm going to get one of these little fellas...
0:26:30 > 0:26:34"Little fellas"?! What am I talking about? The biggest ant in the world!
0:26:34 > 0:26:39I'm going to see if I can get one of these ants to walk over my hand
0:26:39 > 0:26:42without biting me.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44- Are you nervous?- Very nervous.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47OK. So...
0:26:48 > 0:26:54..I've now got the world's most painful stinging insect on my hand.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56I am very nervous.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Although I've been stung by this before,
0:26:58 > 0:27:01I can remember how badly it hurt.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03If you look at it up close,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06it really is one of the most awesome creatures.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09I mean, an animal this size...
0:27:09 > 0:27:11Look at it cleaning its antennae. Isn't that beautiful?
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Running them through his mandibles.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17Those are his primary sensory mechanisms as he's running along.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21It is extraordinary that an animal of this size
0:27:21 > 0:27:23has a sting that's powerful enough
0:27:23 > 0:27:27to incapacitate an animal the size of me.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Think how many times bigger I am.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35But one little sting is going to have me crying on the floor.
0:27:35 > 0:27:41That has to be one of the miracles of Mother Nature.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44And, as you can probably see, I'm shaking a bit.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46LAUGHS NERVOUSLY
0:27:46 > 0:27:52I reckon, for that alone, the bullet ant has to go on the Deadly 60.
0:27:52 > 0:27:53An animal this size...
0:27:55 > 0:28:00..that can make a huge animal like me cry.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01I didn't get stung!
0:28:05 > 0:28:09The largest ant species in the world...
0:28:09 > 0:28:11with a highly toxic sting...
0:28:11 > 0:28:15take it from me, the most painful in the insect world.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19The bullet ant is definitely worthy of a place on the Deadly 60.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26'From on deadly end of Central America to the other,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28'this has been a toxic tour.' Wow!
0:28:28 > 0:28:32'I've narrowly avoided being stung by giant insects...
0:28:32 > 0:28:35'and caught three species of rattlesnake in just one day!
0:28:35 > 0:28:38'I've moved heaven and earth for a glimpse of a harpy eagle...
0:28:38 > 0:28:41'and felt the full force...' Oh, crikey!
0:28:41 > 0:28:43'..of a Humboldt squid.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45'Join me next time for Deadly 60 On A Mission.'
0:28:45 > 0:28:48He went out the hole! You, come back!
0:28:59 > 0:29:02Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk