0:00:02 > 0:00:05My name's Steve Backshall.
0:00:05 > 0:00:06Whoa!
0:00:06 > 0:00:09And this is Deadly 60 On A Mission.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12My crew and I are travelling
0:00:12 > 0:00:14the planet in search of its deadliest creatures.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19It's not just animals that are deadly to me. Woaw!
0:00:19 > 0:00:22But animals that are deadly in their own world.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24Only the most lethal will make my list.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26And you're coming with me...
0:00:26 > 0:00:27every step of the way.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39This time we're down under and begin in Australia...
0:00:39 > 0:00:42perhaps the deadly capital of the world.
0:00:42 > 0:00:46So buckle up for a white knuckle ride of venom...
0:00:46 > 0:00:49bite...
0:00:49 > 0:00:51and bulk.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54This is absolute madness.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03We're laden with deadly record breakers.
0:01:03 > 0:01:06And first up is the saltwater crocodile.
0:01:06 > 0:01:11The biggest reptile on earth with the most powerful recorded bite.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13But I'm not going to take the scientist's word on that.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16I'm going to test it myself.
0:01:16 > 0:01:21Inside here, hidden underneath all those aquatic plants is
0:01:21 > 0:01:24a 4.7 metre long crocodile
0:01:24 > 0:01:26and we've got a perfect opportunity to
0:01:26 > 0:01:29actually test out its bite using one of these.
0:01:31 > 0:01:35This loop of rubber is filled with pressurised jelly and records
0:01:35 > 0:01:38the bite force of anything we can convince to chew on it.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43The facility we're at now is owned by this guy, Adam Britton,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46he's a zoologist who specialises in crocodiles
0:01:46 > 0:01:49and the animal that's inside here is used as part of his research to
0:01:49 > 0:01:53find out as much about the biology of this magnificent creature as possible.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57OK. Let's head inside carefully, quietly, slowly.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00The last thing we want to do is to spook him too early.
0:02:01 > 0:02:02You ready for this?
0:02:02 > 0:02:05We've used this gauge before on Deadly.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09My feeble bite force registers 120lb per square inch.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13A nibble from a spotted hyena scored 400.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15And Komodo dragons topped 600.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20But the saltwater croc should eclipse us all.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30The challenge is in getting the gauge into the croc's mouth.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Woaw!
0:02:47 > 0:02:48OK.
0:02:48 > 0:02:56Well that was a tiny little bite and it registered 1,200lb per square inch.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02And that was nothing. Let go of it almost instantly.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04So, we need to try again.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06The thing is to leave him for about five or 10 seconds
0:03:06 > 0:03:08and then do the same as you did before.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09OK.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Woaw!
0:03:20 > 0:03:21OK?
0:03:21 > 0:03:25I just got absolutely smashed.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Good Lord, the power of the animal is phenomenal.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34I think I'm going to need a new bite test gauge.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39So we only got 1,200lb per square inch but salties have registered
0:03:39 > 0:03:443,700, the highest recorded bite force of any animal.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50But there's much more to the tale of the crocodile than just bite.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57We've done some pretty out there things on Deadly 60
0:03:57 > 0:04:00over the years but today could be the most extreme.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03This time of year, female saltwater crocodiles have laid their eggs
0:04:03 > 0:04:05into nests and they're fiercely guarding them.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08The people we're working with today have to get into those nests
0:04:08 > 0:04:10to monitor the populations of crocodiles.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12The problem is, the ones we're going to are in a swamp.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15You can't walk there, can't drive there, you can't even take a boat.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19In fact, the only way to get into them is in a helicopter.
0:04:20 > 0:04:25Not inside the helicopter, but slung underneath it on a line.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27We'll be lowered to within metres of the nest.
0:04:27 > 0:04:30- I'll leave you with this one. That's yours.- OK.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33To protect us we have a crate and a pole.
0:04:33 > 0:04:38Hopefully if the croc has them to chew on it won't chew on me.
0:04:38 > 0:04:39Good luck, mate!
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Can't quite believe he's dropping out of sight onto the nest of one
0:04:49 > 0:04:52of the most dangerous animals in the whole world.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56He's got some guts or he's totally insane. One of the two.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00OK, they're coming back for me.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03The cane grass is too dense and swampy to approach on foot.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Believe it not, this is the safest way.
0:05:06 > 0:05:11Female crocs stay near or even on top of their nest to protect them.
0:05:11 > 0:05:17We are now flying in on a sling, heading into the nest.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19This is absolute madness!
0:05:24 > 0:05:26It's down there in that really dense cane grass.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I'm now coming down, trying to find some where to land.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39There's a croc on the nest. Right on top of it.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43She's mere metres away and will probably charge
0:05:43 > 0:05:45and could be on top of us in seconds.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Very few animals in the world scare me
0:05:50 > 0:05:54but an angry salty is easily capable of killing all three of us.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56We need to move with extreme caution.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00This is where it's going to get dangerous here, Steve.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03She's just here sitting on her nest.
0:06:03 > 0:06:06OK, now as soon as we start advancing on her, making noise,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08she's going to come towards us.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11So we've just got to make sure that we've got a getaway.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14This is seriously nerve-wracking stuff.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18The undergrowth here is incredibly dense.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Stay there, girl. Stay there. You're all right.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25We're just having a look.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26Here she comes. Get back.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34OK. You see how fast they move?
0:06:36 > 0:06:38She's in this wallow now.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40She's completely disappeared in that water.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- You'd never know she was there. - Yeah.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47There she is.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Every time she takes a lunge she's using up that energy.
0:06:55 > 0:06:56OK.
0:06:56 > 0:07:01So saltwater crocodiles are so-called cold blooded
0:07:01 > 0:07:05that means that they need the sun's warmth to get enough energy
0:07:05 > 0:07:08to start being mobile and as it's quite early in the morning
0:07:08 > 0:07:10she's not going to have a tremendous store of energy.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13A couple of swipes at us and she's going to run out of gas
0:07:13 > 0:07:16and it'll be much, much safer for us to be here.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19So we just need her to show us where she is
0:07:19 > 0:07:22because when she's down there in that she could be anywhere
0:07:22 > 0:07:24and this is obviously quite a dangerous time.
0:07:24 > 0:07:29But this here, this big mound is the actual nest and from her behaviour
0:07:29 > 0:07:32I would say almost certainly there are eggs inside that.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40OK, now the tail's disappeared. There she goes here. There she goes.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- OK so she's gone off into the undergrowth.- She's here.
0:07:44 > 0:07:45And you can hear her...
0:07:46 > 0:07:51- heading off that way. She's gone at least six/seven metres away.- Yeah.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54And for her to come close to here, we'd hear it.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58So this is time for us to get stuck into the nest very quickly, OK?
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Oh, she's still moving.
0:08:01 > 0:08:03OK, Matt - do your thing. I'll keep my eyes open.
0:08:03 > 0:08:06'By opening up the nest, we can see how many eggs there are,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08'check if they look healthy,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11'see if the site looks vulnerable to flooding and log the position.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14'This is all going to help build up data about how
0:08:14 > 0:08:15'crocs are doing in the area.'
0:08:15 > 0:08:19This is a saltwater crocodile egg.
0:08:19 > 0:08:25Inside there is a very, very small, but perfect miniature crocodile.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Now, there's something really remarkable about this animal.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31Like many reptiles, the temperature that the nest is kept at
0:08:31 > 0:08:34determines what sex the baby comes out as.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37It's a very odd way of doing things, but that's evolution for you!
0:08:39 > 0:08:42This has been a thoroughly successful mission.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44Now all we have to do is close the nest up, leave it
0:08:44 > 0:08:48exactly as we found it and get out of here before she comes back.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52If you can hear me, you can crank up and start plucking these boys out.
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Getting pretty hot in here, mate.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59'Carefully examining the nest won't damage the eggs in anyway.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02'The female will return as soon as we're gone to continue
0:09:02 > 0:09:04'to protect her brood.
0:09:04 > 0:09:08'Though pretty terrifying, that proves that crocs have just
0:09:08 > 0:09:12'as much maternal instinct as any animals we may consider more cuddly.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15'My respect for salties has gone through the roof.'
0:09:23 > 0:09:26I can honestly say I can't quite believe we just did that.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Being that close to a female saltwater crocodile
0:09:29 > 0:09:33on the nest is one of the great experiences of my life.
0:09:33 > 0:09:37'An unforgettable encounter with our first record-breaking deadly.'
0:09:54 > 0:09:57'Our next superlative creature is found in the remote centre
0:09:57 > 0:09:59'of Queensland.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04'Another record-breaker and one I've wanted to see in the wild
0:10:04 > 0:10:06'since I was a little boy.
0:10:06 > 0:10:09'But they live so far away from people and are so rarely seen,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13'that our chances are as remote as the location.'
0:10:20 > 0:10:24The snake we're here looking to find is an incredibly difficult
0:10:24 > 0:10:26animal to look for.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29They're very elusive, not massively common
0:10:29 > 0:10:32and really only out in the open for a couple of hours a day,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35but they are well worth us searching for
0:10:35 > 0:10:39and it is the most venomous snake on earth, full stop.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43I mean, I've filmed some incredible snakes over the years -
0:10:43 > 0:10:47king cobras, black mambas, boomslangs, bushmasters...
0:10:47 > 0:10:53But none of them come even close to this remarkable toxic terror.
0:10:53 > 0:10:58'It's the inland taipan, also known as the fierce snake.
0:10:58 > 0:11:02'Drop for drop, no snake can beat the toxicity of its venom.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06'Theoretically, it could kill the whole team with one fangful.'
0:11:06 > 0:11:08So to try and find one,
0:11:08 > 0:11:12we've got absolutely everything we can possibly have on our side -
0:11:12 > 0:11:18two local guides, Kevin and Craig, who are absolute snake whisperers.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21If these guys can't find an inland taipan, then no-one can.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24All we've got to do now is put in the hours,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26keep our eyes on the road.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34'Shortly after dawn, the snakes come out onto the tarmac to bask,
0:11:34 > 0:11:37'warming their bodies and charging themselves with energy
0:11:37 > 0:11:40'before retreating from the sun's most potent rays.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43'It gives us a scary short window of opportunity.'
0:11:43 > 0:11:45There's a brown right here on the left!
0:11:45 > 0:11:49'But the road is a real reptile hotspot.' It IS a speckled brown!
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Look at that!
0:11:55 > 0:11:59Australia is full of highly venomous snakes
0:11:59 > 0:12:03and perhaps the most feared are the brown snakes.
0:12:04 > 0:12:11They have extremely toxic venom and they are often quite fiery.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14I know this is quite a small snake, but it certainly has
0:12:14 > 0:12:19the ability - the toxic venom - to do me damage.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22So I'm just going to keep my distance...
0:12:23 > 0:12:27So on any other morning of snake searching,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30I would be definitely putting this snake on the Deadly 60 list,
0:12:30 > 0:12:34but the snake I'm really looking for is so toxic,
0:12:34 > 0:12:38it makes this look like nothing.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40So I think I'm going to say it's an awesome snake,
0:12:40 > 0:12:43but for now, the speckled brown is just the start of what
0:12:43 > 0:12:48I'm hoping it's going to be a classic morning's snake hunting.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51'A fierce snake's venom is at least double the toxicity of any
0:12:51 > 0:12:53'brown snake.
0:12:53 > 0:12:58'But the sun is already cooking and our hopes are slipping away.'
0:12:58 > 0:13:03- The ground is far from hot.- Yes, we've still got a bit of time.- Yep.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Stop, stop!
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Well, I don't actually believe what I'm seeing.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30We have at the side of the road the fierce snake,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32sometimes known as an inland taipan...
0:13:34 > 0:13:38..drawing itself up into a classic threat position...
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Head drawn back into an S shape...
0:13:45 > 0:13:47..just making out like it's ready to strike.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49You can come a bit closer, Graham.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52It's OK, it's fixed on me at the moment, not on you.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Can you see its tongue, flickering out on the air?
0:13:55 > 0:13:58Sensing me and sensing whether I'm any threat to it.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02But it hasn't yet made any attempt at a strike.
0:14:02 > 0:14:07But what is fierce about this snake is its venom.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11This has the most toxic venom of any snake on earth
0:14:11 > 0:14:13and there's a very good reason for that.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15It's not for attacking human beings.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19This is a snake that has never, to our knowledge, killed a human being.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21What it does have though,
0:14:21 > 0:14:24is the ability to bring down
0:14:24 > 0:14:26and kill a rat
0:14:26 > 0:14:28within seconds.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30So around here,
0:14:30 > 0:14:32there are loads of burrows of rats
0:14:32 > 0:14:35and those animals can be very, very fast.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38So what the fierce snake needs to do
0:14:38 > 0:14:40is to bite them, inject enormous
0:14:40 > 0:14:42amounts of very toxic venom
0:14:42 > 0:14:45and stop them moving very quickly.
0:14:46 > 0:14:50'Drawing the body into an S shape prepares the snake for a strike,
0:14:50 > 0:14:54'like a coiled spring with lethal potential.'
0:14:54 > 0:14:56The venom is very complex,
0:14:56 > 0:14:59but the main constituent part
0:14:59 > 0:15:00is what's called a neurotoxin.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04That is a toxin that affects
0:15:04 > 0:15:06the nervous system and it's very,
0:15:06 > 0:15:08very fast-acting.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10'To be bitten out here,
0:15:10 > 0:15:13'so far from any hospital would be simply unthinkable,
0:15:13 > 0:15:16'so I think it's time to let this snake get on with hunting.'
0:15:18 > 0:15:21I've been catching snakes for most
0:15:21 > 0:15:23of my life and I've seen some of the
0:15:23 > 0:15:26most impressive in the entire world,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28but this for me is the most special.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30It's an absolutely
0:15:30 > 0:15:33phenomenal hunter.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Very rare, very difficult to find
0:15:36 > 0:15:38and the most venomous snake
0:15:38 > 0:15:40on earth. There is no doubt
0:15:40 > 0:15:42that the fierce snake
0:15:42 > 0:15:44has to go on the Deadly 60.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49You were very lucky, man. Very lucky.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51That's one of the best looking fierce snakes,
0:15:51 > 0:15:54wild fierce snakes I've ever seen.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Far out.
0:16:08 > 0:16:10..that will kill its prey in seconds.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14And venom that...
0:16:17 > 0:16:19'As any Australian will soon tell you,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22'their country is THE venue for venom.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25'And you don't have to go out in the bush to find it.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28'Here in the heart of Sydney Harbour is a surprising deadly jewel -
0:16:28 > 0:16:30'the blue-ringed octopus.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32'It's tiny, but delivers a venom
0:16:32 > 0:16:35'10,000 times more potent than cyanide.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38'It's mostly used to paralyse crabs and fish,
0:16:38 > 0:16:41'but has occasionally killed careless humans.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44'We have some extra eyes to help our search - Rob
0:16:44 > 0:16:49'and Nick - two octopus experts from Manly Sea Life Sanctuary.'
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Great, thank you very much.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57Tools of the trade.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59It's not quite a machete or a snake stick, is it?
0:16:59 > 0:17:02'But the net will keep distance between my fingers
0:17:02 > 0:17:05'and the blue ring's lethal venom.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09'If we DO find one, we'll handle it as carefully as any venomous snake.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13'There are cases of people picking up blue rings only to die
0:17:13 > 0:17:16'hours later, without even realising they'd been bitten.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23'Imagine living in a big city with all THIS on your doorstep!
0:17:28 > 0:17:32'Clockwork brittle stars, a stingray,
0:17:32 > 0:17:36'and an inflatable fish with some toxins of its own.'
0:17:37 > 0:17:39I just found something really cool.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41It's a puffer fish.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45They're really cool fish, but the most remarkable thing about them
0:17:45 > 0:17:48is that these animals have a poison in their skin
0:17:48 > 0:17:52and organs which is exactly the same as the venom that's
0:17:52 > 0:17:54injected by the blue-ringed octopus.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56So to find a puffer fish right here
0:17:56 > 0:17:59while I'm looking for the blue-ringed octopus, is just crazy!
0:18:02 > 0:18:06'For the majority of their lives, the blue rings are drably coloured,
0:18:06 > 0:18:09'merging in with their background, practically invisible.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16'It takes a keen eye to see, lurking under a shell,
0:18:16 > 0:18:19'our first blue-ringed octopus.'
0:18:26 > 0:18:30This is the tiny wonder that I've come halfway round the world
0:18:30 > 0:18:34to find. Look at that bright, bright colour change - gorgeous!
0:18:36 > 0:18:38Classic warning colours,
0:18:38 > 0:18:40and they are obviously used to
0:18:40 > 0:18:43intimidate animals that might want to feast on a blue-ringed octopus.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46That would be a very bad idea,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49because this is one of the most toxic creatures on earth.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52It is such a superlative predator.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55It has only one hard part of its body - that's a beak which
0:18:55 > 0:19:00is like a miniature parrot's beak, and that's located in here,
0:19:00 > 0:19:03right in the centre of all of those arms.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06That actually has a special venom that's dribbled onto the beak and
0:19:06 > 0:19:11can be injected into prey - things like crabs, worms, even small fish.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14It is so potent that it's going to make them
0:19:14 > 0:19:17stop moving almost instantaneously.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19It's only tiny, but it has a bite that is easily
0:19:19 > 0:19:22capable of killing a human being and has done in the past.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26It really is one of the strongest poisons on the planet.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31The flamboyant blue-ringed octopus - one of the smallest animals
0:19:31 > 0:19:35we've ever had on the Deadly 60, but also one of the most venomous.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41..they stalk their prey.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45..used to paralyse crabs and fish,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48chewing in venom which is even strong enough to kill
0:19:48 > 0:19:49an adult human.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55'Our quest for deadly record-breakers is taking us
0:19:55 > 0:19:58'from Australia across the Tasman Sea to New Zealand.
0:19:59 > 0:20:03'Here we'll be tracking a gargantuan beast with a host of nature's
0:20:03 > 0:20:04'gold medals.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10'But first, a bizarre tangent - seeking light in the darkness.'
0:20:15 > 0:20:21We're in the Waitomo Caves on the North Island of New Zealand.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26They're really stunning - raging rivers cutting through
0:20:26 > 0:20:29limestone caverns full of beautiful geological features.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31But we haven't come here to see that -
0:20:31 > 0:20:34we've come here to find a very peculiar animal indeed.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37One which feasts on the tiny flying insects that move through
0:20:37 > 0:20:38these passageways.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49OK, I think you're going to have to pass me the camera here, Graham.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54'As we go deeper, it gets narrower and narrower.'
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Oh, that is nasty!
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Caves and me just don't get on.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16You hang here for a sec, Graham.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18'But it was all worth it,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22'for the peculiar dangling prize we find in the blackness.'
0:21:25 > 0:21:32Isn't that spectacular? It's like some fabulous natural chandelier.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35'These silken threads are actually the work of an unlikely master -
0:21:35 > 0:21:39'the larvae of the fungus gnat.'
0:21:39 > 0:21:42If you look at them really closely, along the length of them,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44you can make out tiny little blobs of mucus.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48It's very sticky and these work like fishing lines, just hanging
0:21:48 > 0:21:52out in the air, trying desperately to catch a hold of flying insects.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56And you can see here where it's worked. Right there...
0:21:57 > 0:22:02..is an adult winged mayfly.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07And it's just hanging suspended, caught in that silk.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11The vibrations that it set off will alert the fungus gnat larvae
0:22:11 > 0:22:15and it will reel in that line and then munch down the insect.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24This is a truly exquisite display,
0:22:24 > 0:22:28but there's one perhaps even more beautiful, certainly more
0:22:28 > 0:22:32bizarre thing that these fungus gnats can do to attract prey.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37'In order to see it, we're going to need total darkness,
0:22:37 > 0:22:39'so switch to our infrared camera.'
0:22:41 > 0:22:45OK, so hopefully now under infrared light,
0:22:45 > 0:22:48you can see the true beauty of these creatures.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51It looks like the stars at night
0:22:51 > 0:22:53on a particularly clear evening.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57But that's actually created by chemicals inside the body
0:22:57 > 0:22:59of the fungus gnat larvae
0:22:59 > 0:23:02and those are mixed together with oxygen to create a light which
0:23:02 > 0:23:06is almost without heat, but which is incredible in its intensity.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10'This bright light is a neon attractant
0:23:10 > 0:23:13'and no insect can resist it.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16'There can be literally hundreds on one cave wall
0:23:16 > 0:23:20'and the hungrier they are, the brighter they glow.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24'Luring insects to their death, they're a real deadly beauty.'
0:23:26 > 0:23:32So the fungus gnat larvae - they may be incredibly beautiful, but at the
0:23:32 > 0:23:36same time, they are fabulous experts at catching flying insects on the
0:23:36 > 0:23:40wing and for that reason, I reckon they've got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46It lurks in the darkness...
0:23:56 > 0:23:59'Now, back to the wild record-breakers
0:23:59 > 0:24:02'and a search for a genuine animalympian!'
0:24:10 > 0:24:12If we find one, it will be the biggest animal that we've
0:24:12 > 0:24:16ever had on the Deadly 60 - 18 metres, 50 tonnes is not unusual.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20It's the animal with a larger brain than any other animal on earth,
0:24:20 > 0:24:25the largest toothed animal on earth, it is an absolute monster.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27'This is the sperm whale,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29'named for the waxy substance called spermaceti
0:24:29 > 0:24:31'that fills their massive head.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34'They're classically found in deep seas, but an oceanic trench
0:24:34 > 0:24:36'within reach of shore makes
0:24:36 > 0:24:38'Kaikoura the prime place to see them.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:40But that doesn't mean that they're easy to find.
0:24:40 > 0:24:44I mean, this is an awful lot of sea.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46'But we'll focus our search using sound.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50'Sperm whales are one of the loudest creatures on earth, using clicking
0:24:50 > 0:24:51'sounds to echolocate for squid
0:24:51 > 0:24:54'in the darkness of the oceans' depths.'
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Now, we've got here a hydrophone,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01which can pick up those clicking sounds underwater,
0:25:01 > 0:25:05so we're listening in now to try and hear where our sperm whale is.
0:25:05 > 0:25:08CLICKING
0:25:09 > 0:25:11'We zone in on the clicks to try
0:25:11 > 0:25:14'and work out where they're coming from.'
0:25:14 > 0:25:16CLICKING
0:25:16 > 0:25:17That way.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21'Sperm whales are the world champions at free diving.
0:25:21 > 0:25:23'They can go to several kilometres
0:25:23 > 0:25:26'and stay down two hours before surfacing to breathe.
0:25:29 > 0:25:34'But they're air-breathing mammals, so will eventually have to come up.'
0:25:36 > 0:25:39OK, we've been tracking our whale using the hydrophone
0:25:39 > 0:25:43and getting some really loud clicks coming from this area that
0:25:43 > 0:25:46we're over right now, but it's gone silent and usually,
0:25:46 > 0:25:49a few minutes before they surface, that's exactly what happens -
0:25:49 > 0:25:52they stop clicking because they're not hunting any more. So...
0:25:52 > 0:25:56We're just waiting. Any second now, it could break the surface.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00Very, very exciting.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06Come on, big fella.
0:26:12 > 0:26:16There he is, over there! Just over there! Do you see him?
0:26:16 > 0:26:17Have you got him?
0:26:19 > 0:26:23He's about... 200 metres in front of us.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28'It's essential to keep our distance in the main boat,
0:26:28 > 0:26:31'but we have special permission to approach closer in the kayak -
0:26:31 > 0:26:35'too small to bother a 50-tonne leviathan.'
0:26:35 > 0:26:38OK, I'm going to approach very cautiously - the last
0:26:38 > 0:26:39thing I want to do is spook him.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43After all, he's at the surface to recuperate.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45This is his rest time in between hunts.
0:26:47 > 0:26:51'He'll spend eight to ten minutes at the surface after a dive,
0:26:51 > 0:26:54'taking in as much air as he can, oxygenating his blood, then
0:26:54 > 0:26:59'storing the oxygen in his muscles before he heads back to the deep.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02'I need to keep clear of those mighty tale flukes.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05'One swipe could swat me and my kayak like a mosquito,
0:27:05 > 0:27:09'but up close, able to smell his breath and see
0:27:09 > 0:27:12'the sheen on his skin is one of the most humbling moments imaginable.'
0:27:14 > 0:27:16You can see when you're up close
0:27:16 > 0:27:20the massive S-shaped blowhole on the head
0:27:20 > 0:27:25which it's using to drive out all of the spent air from its lungs.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Wow!
0:27:33 > 0:27:36The tail flukes are absolutely gigantic.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42They are almost as broad across as my kayak
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and up they go!
0:27:44 > 0:27:47Totally dwarfing me!
0:27:47 > 0:27:51That was magnificent!
0:27:51 > 0:27:56Today has been a day of giants and I have to say, it's been one
0:27:56 > 0:27:59of the most special I've ever spent out on the seas,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02but sperm whales - that massive animal that is hunting
0:28:02 > 0:28:06in the dark beneath me now - just had to go on the Deadly 60.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Look at that glassy patch of water where he was.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13That's all that remains of that mighty animal...
0:28:13 > 0:28:16Oh! And a little fur seal in the middle of it!
0:28:35 > 0:28:38'The Antipodes have shown me a bounty of animal champions -
0:28:38 > 0:28:42'truly Deadly central!
0:28:42 > 0:28:45'Join me next time for more Deadly 60 On A Mission.'
0:29:04 > 0:29:08Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd