0:00:02 > 0:00:05My name is Steve Backshall.
0:00:05 > 0:00:06Whoa!
0:00:06 > 0:00:09'And this is Deadly 60 On A Mission.'
0:00:11 > 0:00:13'My crew and I are travelling the planet,
0:00:13 > 0:00:15'in search of its deadliest creatures.'
0:00:15 > 0:00:18It is not just animals that are deadly to me.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Whoa!
0:00:19 > 0:00:22But animals that are deadly in their own world.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24'Only 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.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40We are back in Africa.
0:00:40 > 0:00:42It is a continent that always delivers with Deadly 60
0:00:42 > 0:00:44cos it is packed with dazzling wildlife.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48'But I figured you already know about obvious stuff like big cats
0:00:48 > 0:00:52'so we are going for a more offbeat idea of deadly in Africa.'
0:00:54 > 0:00:57'Cities, mountains, skies.
0:00:57 > 0:00:58'It is an unconventional picture
0:00:58 > 0:01:01'of the dark continent's lethal side.'
0:01:05 > 0:01:06Just here.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09'We have a midnight meeting with a nightmare beast
0:01:09 > 0:01:11'that is full of surprises.'
0:01:11 > 0:01:14One of the most despised animals in Africa.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18'We track a herd of punk-haired primates
0:01:18 > 0:01:21'with canines to match any carnivore...'
0:01:22 > 0:01:26That is so impressive.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29'..and have breakfast with a snake-scoffing bird.'
0:01:29 > 0:01:33Ow! That was my toe!
0:01:33 > 0:01:36'We begin in Ethiopia, East Africa -
0:01:36 > 0:01:39'in many people's minds, a place of deserts but actually blessed
0:01:39 > 0:01:44'with lush mountains and one of the rarest deadlies we will ever see.'
0:01:45 > 0:01:49'Our first target is thought of as a tawdry, grotesque scavenger.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52'Both harsh and untrue.
0:01:52 > 0:01:54'Bizarrely, our best chance to meet one is here.'
0:01:56 > 0:02:00This hustling, bustling morass of people is Harar town
0:02:00 > 0:02:01and this is the market.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03And you have to say that somewhere like this where
0:02:03 > 0:02:06there are so many people living shoulder to shoulder would have to
0:02:06 > 0:02:09be one of the worst places on Earth to come into contact with
0:02:09 > 0:02:12a cunning, elusive, intelligent predator.
0:02:12 > 0:02:14'The spotted hyena.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17'Fearless, ferocious, frightening.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20'They're pack hunters that gang up on their prey
0:02:20 > 0:02:22'and with that peculiar rocking gait,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26'can wear animals down before tearing them apart.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29'They will even drive lions off their kills.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32'Much of their diet is scavenged or stolen.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35'Their stout skulls allow them to crunch through bone
0:02:35 > 0:02:39'and caustic stomach acids digest even hide and hooves.'
0:02:41 > 0:02:44'So, why have I come to a city to see them?'
0:02:45 > 0:02:49People obviously use these holes now as entrance ways into the city
0:02:49 > 0:02:53but originally they were built so that hyenas could come inside.
0:02:53 > 0:02:55'Traditionally, people in Harar
0:02:55 > 0:02:59'believed that feeding hyenas would rid the town of evil spirits.'
0:03:00 > 0:03:02'They are still coaxed into the town even now
0:03:02 > 0:03:07'and have overcome their natural wariness around humans.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10'So I am about to go nose to nose
0:03:10 > 0:03:13'with an animal that sends lions packing.'
0:03:13 > 0:03:15This is Yusuf.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18He has been feeding hyenas here for about 17 years
0:03:18 > 0:03:20and his family for many generations before that.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22We are sat just outside his house
0:03:22 > 0:03:26and the walls of the city are maybe 15, 20 metres behind me
0:03:26 > 0:03:30and when he wants to call the hyenas in, all he does is whistle.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33HE WHISTLES AND CALLS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:03:38 > 0:03:42OK, we have got our first shape lumbering out of the darkness now.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44Graham, over there. Just here.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48Oh, my life.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57OK, I wasn't expecting that. That was rather quicker than I expected.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04This is totally freakish.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10This goes against everything I have ever learnt about spotted hyenas.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15This is a totally wild animal and this is one of the most feared,
0:04:15 > 0:04:18in some cases despised, animals in Africa.
0:04:23 > 0:04:25OK, I can just see off in the darkness now there's a couple
0:04:25 > 0:04:27more shapes loping towards us.
0:04:30 > 0:04:32Oh, my goodness.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Look at the size of this one.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Now, that is a much more threatening-looking animal.
0:04:43 > 0:04:47Look how broad the head is. Really frightening-looking.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51It is not surprising that these animals have inspired so much fear.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Being as the hyenas are being so cooperative in our presence,
0:04:55 > 0:04:58there is something I would love to try. This is a bite test gauge.
0:04:58 > 0:05:02It is essentially a pressure gauge and if you bite on it here...
0:05:05 > 0:05:09..then the pressure registers there.
0:05:09 > 0:05:14So I came up at just under 200 pounds per square inch.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16'Let's see what the hyenas can do.'
0:05:18 > 0:05:20Go on. Go on.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24Oh, lordy!
0:05:26 > 0:05:30OK. That was just a little snap.
0:05:31 > 0:05:37And that registered four times my bite force pressure.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39One little grab.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43'This female hyena gave the bite gauge no more than a nibble.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46'Just a mere suggestion of what they're capable of.'
0:05:48 > 0:05:51'The broad muzzle and stout cheek teeth exert an almost
0:05:51 > 0:05:53'unfathomable force.'
0:05:54 > 0:05:58'That snout probably delivers the strongest bite of any mammal.'
0:06:07 > 0:06:11That yawn really showed off those teeth.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17I just can't get used to this at all.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Imagine any other situation where you could come
0:06:21 > 0:06:23nose to nose with a predator this powerful...
0:06:25 > 0:06:27..and not get savaged.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32This is a bit much for me, I have to say.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43'Spotted hyenas,
0:06:43 > 0:06:46'with one of the strongest jaws in the whole animal kingdom.'
0:06:46 > 0:06:48CRUNCHING
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Listen to that crunching.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56And that sound is why spotted hyenas have to go on the Deadly 60.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03'With cooperation and teamwork, they're a potent pack predator.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06'With a dynamite bite, pound for pound, they are one
0:07:06 > 0:07:11'of the most powerful mammals and can digest bone, hide and horn.'
0:07:13 > 0:07:15'Somewhat relieved to still have all my fingers,
0:07:15 > 0:07:20'I am bound for the Guassa Mountains -
0:07:20 > 0:07:23'the domain of some highly endangered deadlies.'
0:07:27 > 0:07:31This is stunning. We have come up to about
0:07:31 > 0:07:333,500 metres above sea level
0:07:33 > 0:07:36and it is starting to get a little chilly.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39The views are worth it though.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42'Somewhere on the slopes and cliff faces of this high altitude
0:07:42 > 0:07:47'haven are vast herds of an unusual, spectacular primate.'
0:07:53 > 0:07:56To find it, we are going to need quite a lot of leg work.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Well, this is just wonderful.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07That is the droppings of the animal we are looking for.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11This is quite fresh too. It is still quite sticky.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Oh, very strong-smelling. We are getting closer.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22'The dung belongs to the gelada baboon.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25'They graze on these high mountain pastures of Ethiopia.'
0:08:26 > 0:08:29'But what is a grass-munching monkey doing on Deadly?'
0:08:29 > 0:08:31'Well...'
0:08:33 > 0:08:35'..look at these teeth.'
0:08:35 > 0:08:39'Geladas are the owners of the most ferocious-looking set of canines
0:08:39 > 0:08:41'on the primate planet.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46'Flipping back their upper lip to display their oversized utensils,
0:08:46 > 0:08:48'they are surprisingly intimidating.
0:08:48 > 0:08:52'Geladas band together in the largest troops of any primate.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'Sometimes well over 100 individuals.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58'Their last dominion on earth is the highlands of Ethiopia.'
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Now, this should be a good outlook.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Got them. Yes.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10Just down below us.
0:09:10 > 0:09:11Steve, quick, look at this.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Whoa! Look at that.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17It's incredible how fast they run over this terrain.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20It's rocky, it's uneven, very steep.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22But they just sprint over it.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26It must be going, I would think, between 25 and 30mph.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Look how close we are getting.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37This is extraordinary.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38Look at them all.
0:09:38 > 0:09:43They're just standing there and they are not at all fussed.
0:09:43 > 0:09:47I guess they kind of know that, on these hillsides, they rule.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55Almost all of the animals that we feature on Deadly 60 are carnivores,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57they are predators, they eat meat.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00But very occasionally you will find a herbivore,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02an animal that feeds on vegetable matter,
0:10:02 > 0:10:03that is worthy of consideration
0:10:03 > 0:10:06and I think the gelada is just such an animal.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12I mean, it has got canine teeth that would equal those of a lion
0:10:12 > 0:10:15so obviously they are not being used to munch down grass,
0:10:15 > 0:10:18they're used for a totally different purpose.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20'And that purpose is defence.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23'Geladas have many potential predators.'
0:10:25 > 0:10:28'Hyena, jackals, even leopard.'
0:10:32 > 0:10:36'If attacked, male geladas respond with heroic aggression
0:10:36 > 0:10:38'and those teeth.'
0:10:41 > 0:10:44'But males don't just have to defend themselves from predators,
0:10:44 > 0:10:45'but challenges from each other.'
0:10:49 > 0:10:54'Fur and blood flies as fights erupt between top males in disputes
0:10:54 > 0:10:56'over females and the right to breed.'
0:10:57 > 0:11:00'The heavy mane of hair deflects many bites
0:11:00 > 0:11:03'but those teeth can easily deliver a lethal injury.'
0:11:08 > 0:11:11Oh, that is so impressive.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14When a male gelada yarns like that, it's not
0:11:14 > 0:11:17because they are tired or bored, it is because they're
0:11:17 > 0:11:20showing off those teeth and, right now, he is showing them off to me.
0:11:20 > 0:11:23He is letting me know that he is not to be trifled with.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28Oh, wow.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I have never seen anything quite like that in my life.
0:11:31 > 0:11:37He just did the most extraordinary jump for joy gesture, teeth bared.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40He has certainly got attitude, this one.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Gelada baboons may be herbivores but they have the swagger,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48that attitude, the arrogance...
0:11:51 > 0:11:53..and those teeth -
0:11:53 > 0:11:55they have got to put them on the Deadly 60.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01'The gelada baboon - a fast, fearless, agile primate.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04'Armed with a formidable set of canine teeth.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08'And brave enough to defend itself against leopard and hyena.'
0:12:10 > 0:12:14'The Guassa Mountains are a hotbed of wild rarities and there is
0:12:14 > 0:12:20'one animal here that I didn't even dare to hope we would find.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22'But deadly luck is on our side.'
0:12:25 > 0:12:27That's it. That's it. That's it. That's it.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33OK, come on, guys. Get out very, very quietly.
0:12:36 > 0:12:37This is unbelievable.
0:12:39 > 0:12:43The hillside here is covered in gelada baboons and heading off,
0:12:43 > 0:12:47right through the middle of them, up through that valley,
0:12:47 > 0:12:48is an Ethiopian wolf.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54I don't know what to say about this, really.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58I mean, wolves are my favourite animal in the whole world
0:12:58 > 0:13:01and this is the rarest member of the dog family
0:13:01 > 0:13:03found on the whole planet.
0:13:03 > 0:13:08There's anywhere from 200 to 500 individuals left in the wild.
0:13:08 > 0:13:13This really is one of the most privileged sights you can
0:13:13 > 0:13:15have in wildlife in the whole world.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18'To see two such rarities only one hillside
0:13:18 > 0:13:21'is something I will never forget.'
0:13:21 > 0:13:23When he sees something, he stops dead
0:13:23 > 0:13:29and then just goes into stealth mode, moving really, really slowly.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32There is definitely something in front of him.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35'We watch in wonder as the wolf stiffens,
0:13:35 > 0:13:37'priming his muscles to pounce
0:13:37 > 0:13:39'and then leaps forward.'
0:13:43 > 0:13:45'He has obviously caught something but what is it?'
0:13:47 > 0:13:50- He has caught a mole rat, I think. - No. No.
0:13:50 > 0:13:54'Not only are we watching one of just 500 Ethiopian wolves
0:13:54 > 0:13:58'left in the world but it is hunting right in front of our eyes.'
0:14:01 > 0:14:05'Unlike pack hunting grey wolves, the Ethiopian wolf hunts alone.'
0:14:07 > 0:14:11'Ultra-sensitive hearing helps them hone in on the tiniest sounds.'
0:14:14 > 0:14:16'And lightning-quick reactions
0:14:16 > 0:14:19'enable then to snatch up unwary rodents.'
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Such a distinctive, striking-looking animal.
0:14:28 > 0:14:33Really bright red colour with a white rump and a dark tail.
0:14:35 > 0:14:36The Abyssinian wolf.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Probably the rarest animal we will ever encounter on Deadly 60
0:14:39 > 0:14:41and I think one of the most special
0:14:41 > 0:14:44and definitely, definitely going on my list.
0:14:46 > 0:14:49'The hearing and eyesight are highly developed.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51'Creeping up on prey then
0:14:51 > 0:14:53'killing with a decisive pounce.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55'Their narrow muzzle is superb
0:14:55 > 0:14:57'for despatching rodents.'
0:15:00 > 0:15:03'Two of the most endangered beasts we have ever featured,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07'strolling openly on one hillside. Remarkable.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09'But time for a change of tack.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12'We are tracking down an animal that is somewhat macabrely known
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'as the black death, here in South Africa.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19'It is undoubtedly one of Africa's most dangerous animals.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24'Grumpy, surly and unpredictable, it is the Cape buffalo.'
0:15:25 > 0:15:27'Their defensive strategy
0:15:27 > 0:15:30'is developed to repel their great enemy - the lion.
0:15:30 > 0:15:33'Often, prides of lion will trail buffalo herds for weeks
0:15:33 > 0:15:36'so they always need to be on their guard.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40'Being alert to danger and reacting quickly keeps them alive.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43'Usually their reaction to a perceived threat is to charge.'
0:15:45 > 0:15:46THUD!
0:15:48 > 0:15:49THUD!
0:15:50 > 0:15:52'Almost a tonne of beef on the hoof
0:15:52 > 0:15:54'and much, much faster than they look.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59'This animal needs to be treated with genuine respect.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01'Buffalo are here in pretty large numbers but it's a big reserve
0:16:01 > 0:16:05'so the best way to find them is to get an eagle's eye view.'
0:16:05 > 0:16:08If we are going to stand a chance of getting close to them in the air,
0:16:08 > 0:16:13we need an aircraft that is small, manoeuvrable, perhaps even discreet.
0:16:13 > 0:16:14Something like this.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20Here we go!
0:16:23 > 0:16:24Whoo!
0:16:27 > 0:16:29OK, so now we are airborne.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36This wonderful little plane offers us so many opportunities.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39We can obviously cover a much broader range and also,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41because we are so much higher,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44if there is a large herd of buffalo down there, we will see it.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48'And there is plenty of other wildlife here too.'
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Elephants. Elephants.
0:16:50 > 0:16:51Oh, wow.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54'And a herd of rhino.'
0:16:59 > 0:17:02This is a great way to see Africa's giants.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06'And then our target was just below us.'
0:17:08 > 0:17:09What do you see?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11I see them.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14I see the buffalo.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Wow. It is a massive herd.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Oh, I cannot believe how many there are.
0:17:22 > 0:17:27I reckon this herd of buffalo must be 200 animals strong.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Oh, look at that.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Well done. Good job. Good job.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Well, this plane is the perfect spotting platform
0:17:40 > 0:17:43but it is not much of a filming platform.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46So we know where the animals are.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50Now we need to take the car and get in as close as we can on the ground.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Whoa! Without the turbulence!
0:17:56 > 0:17:57'Now that we have located the herd,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01'we want to approach them on foot but that has its own challenges.'
0:18:03 > 0:18:05Now, buffalo are animals that are always alert
0:18:05 > 0:18:07to the possible presence of a predator.
0:18:07 > 0:18:10They have got several hundred pairs of eyes, all looking out for danger
0:18:10 > 0:18:13and they also have a very, very keen sense of smell
0:18:13 > 0:18:15and of hearing as well
0:18:15 > 0:18:18so it is very important that we approach them from downwind of the
0:18:18 > 0:18:22animals so our scents and our sounds are being carried away from them.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24From here on in, it's stealth mode.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31We do need to be very careful here and always be on the lookout.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35After all, it's not just Cape buffalo that are in this area.
0:18:35 > 0:18:38There are elephant, rhino and lion.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41'The rifles are an absolute last resort.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44'Our aim is to approach without giving the animals
0:18:44 > 0:18:45'a reason to charge.'
0:18:48 > 0:18:50These are buffalo tracks.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57There's a distinctive, quite rounded profile to the print
0:18:57 > 0:18:58and a cloven hoof.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00They are heading in that direction.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03And they are very fresh.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13The closer we get to the herd, the more and more important it is
0:19:13 > 0:19:15to move slowly and quietly
0:19:15 > 0:19:18but that is really hard when the ground is so dry.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20It's a bit like walking on dry cornflakes.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28'We are in their world now and have to monitor our scent, our breathing
0:19:28 > 0:19:30'and every footfall.'
0:19:35 > 0:19:38'This is what deadly cameraman Johnny filmed the last time
0:19:38 > 0:19:41'he worked with Buffalo.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43'He considers it has closest call.'
0:19:45 > 0:19:47'Spooking them could be genuinely dangerous.'
0:19:59 > 0:20:04There's five or six bulls who've all come to stand up very proud,
0:20:04 > 0:20:05looking towards us.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Slight shakes of the head and advancing in our direction.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12These are all quite menacing movements.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15And there's actually some that are starting to get closer
0:20:15 > 0:20:16in those bushes over there.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25You can see this large bull standing with his head up high,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27sniffing the air.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Sniffing to try and get a scent of us and what we are.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Got a very, very close eye on us.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41This is really close as I want to get to a Cape buffalo.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47But for their role as a deadly defender,
0:20:47 > 0:20:49you have got to say they have to be on the Deadly 60.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56'Their head adorned with giant, heavy horns,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59'A grumpy, unpredictable nature
0:20:59 > 0:21:02'and the instinct to group together into huge defensive herds.'
0:21:06 > 0:21:09'After that, my nerves are shot to bits.'
0:21:11 > 0:21:14'But next up, we are going to meet two avian assassins
0:21:14 > 0:21:16'with very different hunting strategies.'
0:21:20 > 0:21:24'One is a bird of prey that plucks monkeys from the treetops.'
0:21:26 > 0:21:31'The other is a strutting slayer of Africa's most lethal serpents.'
0:21:33 > 0:21:36This is the first of our subjects.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38It's the ground hornbill.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It is an incredibly impressive-looking bird
0:21:41 > 0:21:44with a rather wonderful call
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and its favourite food in the whole world...
0:21:47 > 0:21:48is a snake.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51'They are an odd-looking bird with gaudy wattles and face colours
0:21:51 > 0:21:55'and some of the most extravagant eyelashes you will never see
0:21:55 > 0:21:57'but they will happily wade in on scorpions
0:21:57 > 0:22:00'and Africa's most venomous snakes.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04'Loss of habitat has led to a decline in their numbers
0:22:04 > 0:22:06'here in South Africa.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09'This conservation project allows us to get up close to them
0:22:09 > 0:22:13'and witness their hunting style with the help of this rubber snake.'
0:22:15 > 0:22:18Straight for the head. Real precision there.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Now, that has very real purpose.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Let's imagine if this was something like a puff adder.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26If it was to snap towards the tail,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29that would give the puff adder the perfect chance to snap around
0:22:29 > 0:22:31and land a venomous bite
0:22:31 > 0:22:33but if you take out the head instantly
0:22:33 > 0:22:37then you have got rid of every single bit of threat.
0:22:37 > 0:22:38That beak is strong enough
0:22:38 > 0:22:42and sharp enough that this snake would already be dead.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47This is the male bird. He is slightly larger.
0:22:48 > 0:22:53And the beak, well, that is a superb precision tool.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57But the other thing you can't miss with this bird is the eyelashes.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Those eyelashes are perfect for keeping dust
0:23:01 > 0:23:03and seeds out of the eyes.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10I think it has realised though that my plastic snake is not edible.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13'So now it is trying to figure out what else round here
0:23:13 > 0:23:15'might be worth a munch.'
0:23:15 > 0:23:18HORNBILL CHIRPS AND BRAYS
0:23:20 > 0:23:24So, ground hornbills don't just hunt snakes.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27They will also take furry things like mammals.
0:23:27 > 0:23:31And, right now, Nick's boom pole is taking just that part.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36But I think this really shows the intelligence of the ground hornbill.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39It is kind of sussing out everything that is in its world
0:23:39 > 0:23:41and figuring out if it's going to be good to eat.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Ow! That was my toe!
0:23:48 > 0:23:50'Bright in every sense of the word.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53'I hereby declare ground hornbills deadly.'
0:23:54 > 0:23:58'It chooses to feast on Africa's most lethal snakes.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01'With a stabbing, plucking bill
0:24:01 > 0:24:04'and the precision to deliver a killer blow to its prey.'
0:24:08 > 0:24:11'There's around 10,000 species of bird in the world
0:24:11 > 0:24:13'and they have evolved a multitude of feeding styles
0:24:13 > 0:24:17'but this next one could be the most awe-inspiring.
0:24:17 > 0:24:22'For this bird of prey can snatch monkeys from the treetops.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24'It is the regal crowned eagle.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29'The wings are relatively stubby to make them
0:24:29 > 0:24:32'more manoeuvrable in the tangles of the treetops.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35'They're reputed to be the most powerful raptor in Africa.'
0:24:38 > 0:24:42So, now we have seen what this massively powerful eagle is
0:24:42 > 0:24:44capable of eating, we have a wonderful opportunity to
0:24:44 > 0:24:46actually see this bird in the wild
0:24:46 > 0:24:50because just down below me here is a nest and, if we hang out at
0:24:50 > 0:24:54the cliff edge, we might, just might see these birds coming in.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00We creep down the hillside then, after hours sitting
0:25:00 > 0:25:03silently in the brain-melting African sun,
0:25:03 > 0:25:04result.
0:25:05 > 0:25:10Both birds have just come in and landed near the nest. Quite often...
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Oh, they're mating. They're mating.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16'A crowned eagle pair often use the same nest for many years
0:25:16 > 0:25:19'so this might not be the first time they have bred here.'
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Up close to crowned eagles in the wild
0:25:21 > 0:25:25and the first thing you see is mating. That is just extraordinary.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30Such a dramatic bird, silhouetted there on that
0:25:30 > 0:25:32branch against the mountains in the background.
0:25:32 > 0:25:34One has just flown.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Well, we have had a glimpse of the crowned eagle in this
0:25:38 > 0:25:41environment where they truly are king but the next stage is to
0:25:41 > 0:25:44get really close to one and I know just the place.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49'This crowned eagle was rescued
0:25:49 > 0:25:53'and rehabilitated after a near-fatal injury.'
0:25:54 > 0:25:58So, this is a crowned eagle up close.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02This is Karma and the first thing I can tell you about her
0:26:02 > 0:26:04is that she has one of the most extraordinary grip strengths
0:26:04 > 0:26:08I have ever felt on a bird or actually on any animal at all.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11If I didn't have this thick leather gauntlet on, I think
0:26:11 > 0:26:14she would probably be crushing every bone in my hand.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18And those talons really are totally remarkable.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20It is all about the fact that this animal really specialises
0:26:20 > 0:26:22in feeding on mammals.
0:26:22 > 0:26:24So you have got an incredibly powerful grip strength.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29Very, very broad, thick talons. It also has this.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33Oh! Ow.
0:26:33 > 0:26:39You can really sense the incredible strength and power of this animal.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43That talon there can be used in an attack.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Thrown forward like this
0:26:45 > 0:26:48and then used to stab into the body of the animals it is feeding on.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53So being as we have this unique opportunity of having a bird
0:26:53 > 0:26:57like this up close, what I would really like to see is it in action.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01'Using a lure, we will hopefully get her to swoop in for the kill.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05'And I will be ready with a camera to try and get a prey's eye view.'
0:27:07 > 0:27:09There she goes.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Oh!
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Superb.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17'As she comes in, she drops down,
0:27:17 > 0:27:20'allowing gravity to bring her towards the ground.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22'Then lift is generated under her wings
0:27:22 > 0:27:26'so she doesn't need to flap when coming in on the lure.'
0:27:26 > 0:27:30And look at that. This is called mantling.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34What it's doing is just making sure that nothing else can see its food.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38And there it is going to go in and get stuck in.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41You can see the crown of feathers is fully extended,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45making her look bigger and more threatening.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49This is the most powerful eagle in Africa
0:27:49 > 0:27:52and it is a crested wonder.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54You have got to say,
0:27:54 > 0:27:58the crowned eagle has definitely got to go on the Deadly 60.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03'With enormous, dagger-like talons
0:28:03 > 0:28:05'that stab through their prey,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08'agile aerial expertise allowing them to dodge
0:28:08 > 0:28:09'in and out of trees and
0:28:09 > 0:28:11'extraordinary strength and power.'
0:28:15 > 0:28:19'It has been a subtle twist on Africa's most deadly.
0:28:19 > 0:28:22'A scavenger that can be an efficient pack hunter...
0:28:23 > 0:28:26'..a herbivore with a lion's teeth..
0:28:29 > 0:28:32'..and one of the rarest deadlies we will ever see.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35'Join me next time for another deadly mission.'
0:28:35 > 0:28:37This is unbelievable.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd