0:00:05 > 0:00:10If you think the whole world has been explored...think again.
0:00:27 > 0:00:34Travel north from the Amazon, and you'll find another jungle - a true wilderness.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Its interior uncharted, its animals uncatalogued.
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Guyana.
0:00:44 > 0:00:48Now an international team of expert naturalists
0:00:48 > 0:00:52are coming to search for the species hidden in this forgotten forest.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56We've come somewhere no-one's ever been before,
0:00:56 > 0:01:00and it's one of the most spectacular places on the planet.
0:01:02 > 0:01:08There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of species here that haven't been seen by anybody,
0:01:08 > 0:01:09and we will find them first.
0:01:12 > 0:01:19Guyana's forest - unspoilt, unprotected and under threat.
0:01:19 > 0:01:24Our job is to prove that these forests have more value alive than razed to the ground.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53Guyana. It's the size of Great Britain, with the population of Liverpool.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Nearly everyone lives on the narrow strip by the coast.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59But travel south
0:01:59 > 0:02:03and there's rainforest for hundreds and hundreds of miles.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15The only way to base camp is by boat.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18A ten-hour journey from the nearest dirt road.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22I was amazed, you know, when we were flying in,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26- there was a few little houses. - Yeah, nothing.- And that was it.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29The good stuff's in there, not here.
0:02:29 > 0:02:35George, you've got about six weeks to get in there and find stuff, don't be impatient! Calm down!
0:02:35 > 0:02:36Faster, let's get there!
0:02:37 > 0:02:40It's a land full of giants.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Giant otters, the biggest spiders in the world,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47enormous caiman,
0:02:47 > 0:02:49eight-metre anaconda,
0:02:49 > 0:02:55and the biggest cat in South America - the mysterious jaguar.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58This forest is untouched.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01But in two years they could be logging these trees.
0:03:01 > 0:03:08The team's destination - a base camp built by the advance party.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Each team member has a different speciality.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Gordon Buchanan will be searching for the large mammals.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23My job on this expedition is to try and find and film as many different animals as I can.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27If I could pick only two animals, the first would be giant otters,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31and the second, the most difficult one, would be the jaguar.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Justine Evans is a canopy specialist.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38She documents life at the top of giant trees.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42The forests have barely been explored on the ground, let alone in the canopy.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45I want to get up there and just see what's going on.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Absolutely stunning.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56Steve Backshall will be exploring places other naturalists cannot reach.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00In his search for animals, he'll attempt a first ascent up a remote mountain
0:04:00 > 0:04:04and a daring descent down a giant waterfall.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10It feels like I'm completely underneath it, completely surrounded by it.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18And the last expedition member, Dr George McGavin from Oxford University.
0:04:18 > 0:04:23He's leading the science team from a jungle laboratory right in the heart of camp.
0:04:23 > 0:04:28If we're concerned about species loss, which we all should be,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32we should be concerned about keeping the forests intact.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38The expedition's aim - to find what lives here,
0:04:38 > 0:04:41and to draw the world's attention to this -
0:04:41 > 0:04:46the largest unspoilt rainforest left on the planet.
0:04:46 > 0:04:48SHOUTING
0:04:48 > 0:04:52The team are still unpacking when there's a shout from the riverbank.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55A very rare monkey's been spotted.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57There, there. See it? There, there.
0:04:59 > 0:05:03We've got a bearded saki, a monkey on the tree over there.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Can just see a bit of movement in the foliage, but I can't actually see the monkey yet.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12- It's not easy to see him.- Not at all. Here we go, I've got one.
0:05:12 > 0:05:18They just wag their tail back and forward, it's quite typical behaviour in them.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21But it's... Oops! Got a bit of movement up there.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25The bearded saki is on the international list of endangered species.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28It's the best start they could hope for.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33And animals are even coming into the camp itself.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Steve Backshall takes a look.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38That's beautiful.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42- One of the common names for it is the Amazon forest dragon.- Yes.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45What I love about these is, to begin with they're skittish,
0:05:45 > 0:05:49but once they sense that you mean them no harm,
0:05:49 > 0:05:53they'll quite happily sit in your hand and barely move at all.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58He is absolutely beautiful. That's definitely one to add to our tick list.
0:06:02 > 0:06:06The expedition's working closely with Guyanese trackers.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09They know these jungles hide dangerous creatures.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12For the new arrivals, there's a safety briefing.
0:06:12 > 0:06:18The jungle is an alien environment for most of us and there's a few things we need to bear in mind.
0:06:18 > 0:06:23We have had 9ft caiman down on the landing just outside of camp only a couple of days ago,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27so be conscious that there are caiman and they are very dangerous.
0:06:27 > 0:06:34There are very big piranhas in the water. Swimming far away from the shore is probably not advised.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Snakes that we need to be concerned about are the viper family -
0:06:37 > 0:06:42rattlesnakes, pit vipers, the infamous bushmaster, and also the coral snakes.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Scorpions are here.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47As a general rule, the ones with the fat tails are the worst.
0:06:47 > 0:06:52There's some very large tarantulas but the small things are the worst things.
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Don't put your hands into holes cos that's where you'll get stung.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06First light next morning, the team split up to start their specialist surveys.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09Gordon's on a recce of the river.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15This whole part of the world is just riddled with waterways,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17and this is one of the major ones,
0:07:17 > 0:07:21but joining on to it, these rivers are smaller rivers, tiny little creeks,
0:07:21 > 0:07:27so it's on the little country lanes, the little cul-de-sacs, that you find interesting stuff.
0:07:28 > 0:07:33First on Gordon's list is to see if he can find the rare giant otters.
0:07:33 > 0:07:37They're top predators. Perfect indicators of a river's health.
0:07:37 > 0:07:44As you can imagine, something the size of a giant otter is going to leave one or two signs.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47Hey, look at this here, look.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52When you've got a bare bank, like this, it's a very good place to find otters.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57They're the biggest otters in the world - three times larger than any otter in Europe.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Their favourite meal - piranhas.
0:08:00 > 0:08:06Wow, look at this. This is a very clear sign that there's otters in this area, and very recent.
0:08:06 > 0:08:09I wouldn't be surprised if this wasn't this morning.
0:08:09 > 0:08:14Their toes are not that much smaller than my fingers.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17If you think of an otter that has hands almost the same size as mine,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20actually the otter itself is almost the same size as me.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22They're big, big beasts.
0:08:22 > 0:08:27Just put a little bit of tension on it, makes it quicker and easier.
0:08:27 > 0:08:33While Gordon's on the river, Justine's high in the treetops building an observation post,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36with the help of Steve and the climbing team.
0:08:40 > 0:08:46Tree-climbing in the rainforest is hot, sweaty, there's endless bugs,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50ants, wasps, bees, all of which hate you invading their world,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53and...yeah, it's tough old work.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00It's good that you can see a little bit through the under storey.
0:09:00 > 0:09:01If you look that way a bit,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04that's not bad, actually, that direction.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08Steve hauls up her platform.
0:09:08 > 0:09:14Justine will spend ten hours every day on a square of aluminium the size of a card table.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18That's as far as it will go. We're on the end of the pulley now.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Sound as a pound, that's not going anywhere.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29Yeah, it's a pretty good spot. It's not got a brilliant view,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32but it's a good start.
0:09:32 > 0:09:37At 17, Gordon swapped his job washing dishes on the Isle of Mull
0:09:37 > 0:09:40for an apprenticeship filming wildlife in Brazil.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Oh, look here, look.
0:09:42 > 0:09:47His years in the Amazon taught him the skills of jungle tracking.
0:09:47 > 0:09:49Very easy to follow this.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53It's just a detective story, when you're looking for wild animals,
0:09:53 > 0:09:57but with giant animals, they leave giant traces.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Watch out for snakes.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04The fact that there's been a giant otter here,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07the chances are, they've never been hunted,
0:10:07 > 0:10:11and I'll be interested to see how they react when they see me.
0:10:11 > 0:10:17Justine's survey relies on a vital piece of kit - a high-definition camera.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23This lens can magnify up to 80 times,
0:10:23 > 0:10:26perfect for capturing canopy creatures.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29I can zoom in really, really close with this,
0:10:29 > 0:10:33so I can see a monkey 200 metres away and still be able to get in close enough
0:10:33 > 0:10:38to actually see whether it's a male or female, anything that will identify it.
0:10:38 > 0:10:43And we're here to assess this place, or me, particularly, to see what's up in the canopy,
0:10:43 > 0:10:45so I've got to be up here all daylight hours.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54The expedition's based in a patch of forest
0:10:54 > 0:10:58that's been leased to the organisation Conservation International.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01The surrounding jungle stretches for hundreds of miles.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06But now large swathes are soon to be explored by logging companies.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08Guyana's at a dangerous crossroads.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11It can either exploit what it's got and make a quick buck,
0:11:11 > 0:11:17or, if we can show what is here, and the rarity and the diversity of this area,
0:11:17 > 0:11:23and that's why I'm here, is just to prevent the worst-case scenario.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28The team believe this could be pristine rainforest -
0:11:28 > 0:11:32the animals never hunted, the ancient trees still standing.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36In the 21st century, that's rare indeed.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43In base camp, the scientists are hard at work, recording all their discoveries.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48Their report will be presented to the President of Guyana.
0:11:48 > 0:11:54Finding any new or endangered species will strengthen the case for conservation.
0:11:57 > 0:12:02- Hind legs are way back almost... - It's like a cricket. - ..twice the size of the body.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05That is the weirdest thing I've ever seen in my life.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08It's a fly, hasn't got any wings...
0:12:08 > 0:12:12George McGavin's great passion is for insects.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17At first I thought it was a cricket, a tiny cricket, but it's a bat fly.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Insects make ecosystems work.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Without bees, for instance, you'd have no flowering plants, no vegetables, no fruit.
0:12:23 > 0:12:28So without the insects, you simply wouldn't have the big animals.
0:12:28 > 0:12:35From the tiniest bugs to the largest birds, there's over a million known species living in rainforests.
0:12:36 > 0:12:42George believes there could be another 5 million still waiting to be discovered.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47Oh, I say! Look at that.
0:12:47 > 0:12:54Fallen trees like this are an amazing resource for insects and bugs, and stuff.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59They're not always hollow enough to crawl inside. Oh, that's... Yeah, it looks rather nice.
0:12:59 > 0:13:06The worry is that there are snakes up here, or scorpions, so I'll take my ultraviolet scorpion torch.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09Oh, look at that.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Oh! It is big, it is a biggie!
0:13:12 > 0:13:14This is going to be epic.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Now, there's a bat. Look, look, look over there. See it?
0:13:17 > 0:13:19There's about three of them.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Is there anything else in there? That's the worry.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Let's go, let's see what's in here.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29It's like crawling into a large peaty tube.
0:13:29 > 0:13:33It's an extreme habitat, very rarely explored.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36And straight away, he's coming up against new creatures.
0:13:36 > 0:13:43There are crickets everywhere, and the interesting thing about them is, I haven't seen these ones before,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47and I'm going to have to try and collect some of these.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49Oh, there's a monster there! Look at that!
0:13:49 > 0:13:52They've got these enormous antennae.
0:13:52 > 0:13:59These crickets are adapted to very dark, wet places.
0:13:59 > 0:14:05There's a brown cricket as well, and I'm not quite sure if this is the same species.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10I'm just going to try and grab this, and you really have to be incredibly quick. Here goes...
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Ooh!
0:14:12 > 0:14:13Ah...
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Fallen giants litter these jungles.
0:14:19 > 0:14:24Every day, strong winds and weak roots bring another colossus crashing down.
0:14:27 > 0:14:33These jungle trees look solid on the outside, but can be eaten hollow by termites on the inside.
0:14:36 > 0:14:4130 metres up, fragile trees are not something Justine wants to worry about.
0:14:45 > 0:14:49Now, after two days of waiting, she sights something moving.
0:14:49 > 0:14:53I finally got a glimpse of a squirrel monkey.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It's so difficult.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59They're so quick.
0:15:04 > 0:15:07Ah, there's one.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09It's gone.
0:15:09 > 0:15:16They seem to be mostly adults and some larger young, but there's no babies being carried by mothers.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18Big group, though.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Squirrel monkeys.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22They're common in South America's forests.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25They move through the canopy in large groups.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28This one's searching for caterpillars on new leaves.
0:15:28 > 0:15:32It's obviously feeding on insects.
0:15:32 > 0:15:38That's why they seem to be moving so quickly. I think they're just snatching at whatever they can find.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42Ah, there's a good view.
0:15:45 > 0:15:47Are they going up this branch?
0:15:47 > 0:15:52Must be a main travel route, probably the only travel route through this section.
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Jumping off into the other tree.
0:16:01 > 0:16:06The fruiting season's gone, and so there are probably very few fruiting trees in the forest at this moment.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08RUSTLING
0:16:08 > 0:16:09What was that?
0:16:12 > 0:16:15Probably just a tree falling down...
0:16:20 > 0:16:25George is now 25 metres inside this fallen giant.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27This is amazing.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31Look what we've got here. This is a whip spider.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35These long bits are actually its front legs
0:16:35 > 0:16:40and because it lives in darkness... You can see how it's feeling my finger there.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42It uses these very long legs to feel its prey,
0:16:42 > 0:16:46and its prey are these cave crickets here.
0:16:46 > 0:16:51And, very sneakily, sometimes the whip spiders reach behind the cricket
0:16:51 > 0:16:53and just go tickle, tickle on the back end,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57and the cricket jumps forward into the jaws of the whip spider.
0:16:57 > 0:17:00It's a really clever trick.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02The further I go into this,
0:17:02 > 0:17:06there's bigger and bigger whip spiders.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Oh, there's an absolute monster over here!
0:17:08 > 0:17:11There are now, on this part of the roof,
0:17:11 > 0:17:1513 crickets and five whip spiders,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17who are just queuing up to eat them.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Little is known about the biology of these weird predators.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26Somehow, George has to catch one to take it back to the lab.
0:17:26 > 0:17:29One's just crawled across my face!
0:17:35 > 0:17:39Because it's now getting really, really tight,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42I have a bit of a problem.
0:17:42 > 0:17:45HE WHEEZES
0:17:45 > 0:17:48It's as hot as a sauna, and crawling with bugs.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51George is in his element.
0:17:51 > 0:17:52Ah!
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Just one sec.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59I can't... I can't get out of this...
0:17:59 > 0:18:01This hole's too tight. Argh!
0:18:05 > 0:18:10I feel like a beetle grub emerging from...
0:18:10 > 0:18:14from its long period of metamorphosis!
0:18:14 > 0:18:16HE LAUGHS
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Actually, I think I am stuck!
0:18:18 > 0:18:20All I can say is,
0:18:20 > 0:18:25I don't think I've had as much fun in a log for a long time!
0:18:26 > 0:18:31Usually, George only sees these bizarre beasts dead in a museum drawer.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34It's a rare chance to examine them alive.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36Isn't that wonderful?
0:18:36 > 0:18:40That is the ultimate animal for hunting for prey in the dark.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46It's flattened, it's fast, it's got big, spiky palps at the front end,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48incredibly long legs for just feeling its prey.
0:18:48 > 0:18:54If you designed an organism for catching crickets in the dark, this is it.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58And once the poor animal is trapped in those spines at the front,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02that's it, there is no escape from that.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Dinner tonight - piranha.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12- How is it?- Looks good. - I'm absolutely famished.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17- I'm hungry, yeah.- Piranha teeth. - Is it piranha teeth? Look at that!
0:19:17 > 0:19:20- They do have the most extraordinary teeth.- I'm a bit, er...
0:19:20 > 0:19:26- Put some falsies in!- Careful, George, put that through your upper lip and you'll know about it!
0:19:26 > 0:19:29- They're swimming in the river? - Uh-huh.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33Can someone pass the evil fire sauce down, please?
0:19:33 > 0:19:36That is far too much of that. You're gonna die.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38He's beginning to regret that now!
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Yes! Yes!
0:19:48 > 0:19:51Although the expedition starts in base camp,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55each team member will also explore even more remote parts of Guyana.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Today, Steve and the climbing team are heading out.
0:20:04 > 0:20:09There are some areas that have very different forest to the stuff that we're in right now.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11Over in the west of the country,
0:20:11 > 0:20:16there are these exposed beds of ancient, ancient rock,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20and one of the world's most spectacular waterfalls.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23And that's where the next leg of my journey's taking me.
0:20:29 > 0:20:35His destination - Guyana's only National Park, hidden deep in the heart of the forest.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43At its centre - Kaieteur Falls.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48Five times higher than Niagara.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53Each day, 60 million tonnes of water flow over these falls.
0:20:55 > 0:21:0040 kilometres from the nearest road, just a handful of tourists fly in
0:21:00 > 0:21:03to view this wonder of the world from the top.
0:21:03 > 0:21:09But no-one has fully explored the unique habitat around the plunge pool.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14That's the task for Steve and climbing supervisor, Tim Fogg.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17That is a very long way down.
0:21:17 > 0:21:22We're going to try a recce, have a look for the best place to descend,
0:21:22 > 0:21:26and I really want to get a feel of the world behind the waterfall.
0:21:34 > 0:21:40At base camp, an eerie sound echoes deep in the forest.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42DISTANT CRIES
0:21:42 > 0:21:46The ghostly call of the howler monkey.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Justine's on her way to her treetop perch.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56It's the sound she's been hoping to hear.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02I can hear distant howler calls,
0:22:02 > 0:22:04but it's quite a way.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09The thing is that there was a group calling out in this direction
0:22:09 > 0:22:12but they could just be sitting quietly in the treetops,
0:22:12 > 0:22:15and we wouldn't know they were there.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23CACOPHONY OF CRIES
0:22:23 > 0:22:26It's the most unearthly sound, the sound of howler monkeys.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28It sounds like a huge dragon in the distance.
0:22:30 > 0:22:36A healthy population of howler monkeys would be a great sign of an untouched forest.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39They're easy to hear, but much harder to find and count.
0:22:39 > 0:22:45There's a chance that, in a while, they might start moving around, and hopefully come this way.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50Just a waiting a game, we have to see.
0:22:54 > 0:22:59Down on the ground, they're surveying species on the forest floor.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07Guyanese scientist, Doctor Raquel Thomas, is an expert on rainforest trees.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11Some of these were growing before Columbus came to the Americas.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16This tree here, I reckon would be about 500 to 600 years.
0:23:16 > 0:23:23In the five days since they've arrived, they've catalogued over a hundred different types of animal.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Every little hair has got hairs on it,
0:23:26 > 0:23:28and on the end of the small hairs, you've got tiny hairs.
0:23:28 > 0:23:33Gordon's had no luck in his search for large mammals.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38They're particularly hard to track down, especially the elusive big cats.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42I spent two years in total in another part of the Amazon,
0:23:42 > 0:23:46and I saw a wild jaguar for 30 seconds,
0:23:46 > 0:23:49and that's two years straight, so that's how difficult it is.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Gordon's returned to the creek with the otter tracks.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58He's setting a trap, a camera trap.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01It looks very complicated, but the concept's very simple.
0:24:01 > 0:24:07It's an infrared beam. When that gets broken, the camera starts running.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14It's a huge amount of effort to put this in. That's why I think we have to leave it for at least a week.
0:24:14 > 0:24:20We don't even have to come every day. We just leave it and come every three days or so, keep an eye on it.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25Then it's back to the canoe and on with the search for otters.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37At Kaieteur Falls, Steve and the team have set the ropes.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I wouldn't go straight over, I'd step down now onto the ladder.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45Tomorrow, he will lead a team to the bottom to search for animals,
0:24:45 > 0:24:51but today he must first test the gear and take a look at the route down.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53..So that rope goes into that.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58There's always that horrible fear of stepping off a perfectly good, solid surface,
0:24:58 > 0:25:00and just back into space, isn't there?
0:25:00 > 0:25:04You can't go much further because I've got to get this bag to you now.
0:25:04 > 0:25:08His helmet-camera will record all he sees.
0:25:10 > 0:25:14This would have to be one of the most dramatic places in the world.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Totally unspoilt.
0:25:16 > 0:25:17There's nobody here but us.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23But it's very hard to enjoy it when your heart is thumping.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26It's just this boiling steam below us.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29Just push out.
0:25:32 > 0:25:33Oh, wow.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42Oh, my ropes are rubbing over this rock,
0:25:42 > 0:25:43and it's sharp.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48The cliff has a severe overhang.
0:25:48 > 0:25:54It's only when Steve's on the ropes that he can get a close look at the rock face.
0:25:54 > 0:26:00Tim, I've dropped under the overhang and it's absolutely extraordinary down here.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05Directly beneath me, it's dropping straight into the plunge pool at its most turbulent.
0:26:05 > 0:26:09It'd be like dropping into the world's worst whirlpool - total suicide. Over.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12- OVER RADIO:- That's confirmed everything that we suspected,
0:26:12 > 0:26:16but it was worth going down and getting a better view of it. Over.
0:26:16 > 0:26:20Yeah. From this angle, I can see a good line where we could come down.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22If we were to actually head around to the base,
0:26:22 > 0:26:26there's a line that looks like it drops down onto reasonable territory.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29Steve has dropped as far as he safely can.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Tomorrow, he'll descend to the very bottom to start his survey.
0:26:34 > 0:26:38I'm actually swinging right underneath the curtain of water.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03George is on his daily quest for new insects.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06Oh, wow!
0:27:06 > 0:27:09This is one of the wonders of the animal world.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14This is a trail of army ants, and there are literally tens of thousands of them.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Army ants are swarm raiders.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25Their marauding column pushes through the jungle, killing anything too slow to escape.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28You'll see spiders and cockroaches jumping out the way.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33He's trying to get away but it's no good. They'll have him.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37Their prey are pulled to pieces and carried back to feed their young,
0:27:37 > 0:27:41living deep in the heart of this tree.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46What would be really great is to come back really early, about 4.30am, 5.00am,
0:27:46 > 0:27:50and have a look inside and actually see what's happening in there.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54If we hit it at the right time, when they're on the move, wow, that'd be fantastic.
0:27:54 > 0:28:0130 metres above, Justine is still patiently scanning the canopy for howler monkeys.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04This afternoon, the wind is picking up.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08I've come up a really great tree, it's got a fantastic view,
0:28:08 > 0:28:13but it's more like a stalk sticking about 45 metres straight out from the under storey.
0:28:13 > 0:28:18It's also really windy today. There's a big gust coming in now,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21and the whole tree is just swaying around.
0:28:21 > 0:28:27I'm actually getting motion sickness, coupled with the vertigo I was experiencing earlier!
0:28:27 > 0:28:30It's quite an experience being up here today.
0:28:33 > 0:28:37Gordon's been searching for otters since first light,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40but it seems everything is against him.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Hang on. This is getting a bit unpleasant.
0:28:46 > 0:28:51It's getting really hot and kind of uncomfortable, I've got ants crawling all over me
0:28:51 > 0:28:55and I just snared up the prop in some weeds again.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00It's like wire, this stuff.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Oh, and I've just broke my knife!
0:29:03 > 0:29:06Man, that's annoying!
0:29:09 > 0:29:11To make it all worse,
0:29:11 > 0:29:16I've got this very painful blistering
0:29:16 > 0:29:18all over my chest.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20This is very uncomfortable.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26George is suffering too.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30He's covered in bites from his crawl through the log.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33- There's a definite reaction.- Mm.
0:29:33 > 0:29:38I just want to keep an eye on that one, George, whether that one's getting infected.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42It's been a long day for the whole team.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45Yeah.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59But one member of the team is having rather more luck.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04While Steve hangs on the rope,
0:30:04 > 0:30:08a flock of swifts starts heading straight towards him.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10Look at that!
0:30:13 > 0:30:15They nest behind the waterfall.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23They're coming in very close to the overhang here to keep away from the spray.
0:30:23 > 0:30:28As they come in, they're banking and rolling just like fighter jets.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29Right past my ears.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43Whoa! Look at all those swifts!
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Wow!
0:30:45 > 0:30:47Oh, that is unbelievable!
0:31:00 > 0:31:05Next morning, well before dawn, Justine is woken by a distant roar.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12It's the howler monkeys again, and they're getting nearer.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15I don't know what time it is, but it's very early.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18HOWLING IN DISTANCE
0:31:20 > 0:31:24Seems a bit weird putting ski socks on in the tropics,
0:31:24 > 0:31:30but it's best to do this to keep all the chiggers
0:31:30 > 0:31:33and nasty biting things off.
0:31:35 > 0:31:41The precious cameras are the only objects in the camp kept warm and dry.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44With all the gear on her back,
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Justine starts the long trek through the last of the night.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58George is also up early.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01He's heading to the army ant bivouac.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04He needs to arrive before the column is on the march.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07Here it is.
0:32:07 > 0:32:08Here's the tree.
0:32:08 > 0:32:13We've got up at five o'clock and they're not even up yet.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Ah...
0:32:15 > 0:32:21What you've got is a camera on the end of this little tip here,
0:32:21 > 0:32:25and a little light and I can push that right up into the colony.
0:32:25 > 0:32:26Perfect. Perfect.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29His aim is to probe deep inside the colony
0:32:29 > 0:32:31and perhaps even spy the queen.
0:32:31 > 0:32:37Ooh, there they are. There is the outside of the main ball of ants.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39Ooh, yes. They're not happy about that.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42There's a soldier, look at the head of that thing.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44He's not happy about that.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50That squawking noise was a macaw flying over.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52There he goes, in fact two of them.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57Oh, my God.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Macaws, macaws, macaws.
0:33:00 > 0:33:03I've been hearing lots of macaws calling.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05This is the first time I've got a good shot.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08I'm just managing to film them through this foreground tree,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10which is causing all sorts of blur.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15That's it, one of them's just moved into a clearer position.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Ridiculous red colour,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22almost unbelievable, really.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25But macaws are the first thing to disappear
0:33:25 > 0:33:29when humans come into an area.
0:33:29 > 0:33:33They're taken by hunters for the pet trade, also for meat.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39A single macaw can sell for more than a year's wages in Guyana.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45The colony's out on the move and they're now swarming all down here.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47That was very quick, actually.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50One of the great tricks about army ants
0:33:50 > 0:33:54is that they've got hooks on their feet,
0:33:54 > 0:33:58and they can join up their feet and they can make a bridge.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01George still hasn't seen the queen,
0:34:01 > 0:34:04but first he has to get past the soldiers.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08They're vicious and it's not only their giant pincers -
0:34:08 > 0:34:10they also inject a dose of formic acid.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14I'm just going to push this right into the middle of the colony.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Oh, it's big. Oh, my goodness, look at that.
0:34:17 > 0:34:19It's a huge colony.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23It's massive! It's not often you get to see
0:34:23 > 0:34:27right into the heart of a colony of army ants.
0:34:27 > 0:34:32That is a very privileged view. Ooh!
0:34:32 > 0:34:33Ow, ah!
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Not going to see their queen, not today. Agh!
0:34:39 > 0:34:42HE GROANS AND LAUGHS
0:34:42 > 0:34:45- This is all very bizarre... - Ow! Ow!
0:34:45 > 0:34:49..sitting quietly up here, waiting for my monkeys and...
0:34:49 > 0:34:52George has found an army ant colony.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54I guess that's what it is
0:34:54 > 0:34:57cos you can hear him howling with pain in the background,
0:34:57 > 0:34:59down in the under storey.
0:34:59 > 0:35:03Entomologists 0, army ants 1.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07I think I'd rather be up here actually, even if it is
0:35:07 > 0:35:11with mosquitoes and midges than being mullered by army ants.
0:35:11 > 0:35:16They're a crazy lot, entomologists - especially George.
0:35:19 > 0:35:22The rest of the scientists are back in the jungle lab,
0:35:22 > 0:35:26where the checklist of animals is increasing every day,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28including this horned frog,
0:35:28 > 0:35:33perfectly camouflaged to ambush prey in the leaf litter.
0:35:33 > 0:35:37But this jungle isn't just home for amazing animals.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45Keeping rainforests intact is vital in the fight against climate change.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48This region's forests alone locks away
0:35:48 > 0:35:51forty thousand million tonnes of carbon.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55Forests are important for the global welfare.
0:35:55 > 0:35:57Climate change depends on it.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59Biodiversity depends on it.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01People depend on it.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03Guyana's a very poor country.
0:36:03 > 0:36:08Logging these forests would be a simple way to raise much needed revenue.
0:36:08 > 0:36:09But Guyana's president
0:36:09 > 0:36:13recently approached Britain with a green alternative,
0:36:13 > 0:36:18keeping the forests standing in exchange for carbon credits.
0:36:18 > 0:36:25Guyana's forest is not only important for Guyana but is also important for the whole globe.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28The Stern Report has concluded that keeping forests intact
0:36:28 > 0:36:33is a highly cost-effective way to combat climate change.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36In Guyana, they're still waiting for a decision.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51At Kaieteur Falls, there's an air of quiet concentration.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54This time Steve aims to go all the way to the bottom
0:36:54 > 0:36:57and spend 48 hours surveying this habitat.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01We've got no real information about what kind of terrain is down there.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04We know for sure that it's gonna be very slippery and very dangerous.
0:37:08 > 0:37:12You're gonna have to lean forward, Steve. It's very, very tight.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Go on, go on, go on. Yes, good job - and move sideways now, Steve.
0:37:15 > 0:37:21- That's great. Well done, mate.- Woah.
0:37:26 > 0:37:29As Steve starts his descent, the mist rolls in.
0:37:33 > 0:37:35Almost as soon as I stepped over the edge,
0:37:35 > 0:37:41this thick fog just started to rise up from the base of the waterfall,
0:37:41 > 0:37:43and I can't see where I'm going,
0:37:43 > 0:37:48where I'm heading to, and no-one above can see me either.
0:37:56 > 0:38:01Justine's spotted something moving in the trees.
0:38:01 > 0:38:03Saw a flash of red then,
0:38:03 > 0:38:06looks really like a howler monkey.
0:38:06 > 0:38:07Where is it?
0:38:10 > 0:38:14There, there, there. Yes, yes, that's it. There's a male.
0:38:16 > 0:38:17God, they look grumpy, don't they?
0:38:20 > 0:38:22Don't think they are grumpy,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25it's just they have that permanent expression
0:38:25 > 0:38:27of being very miserable with life.
0:38:29 > 0:38:32Fantastic. There he goes.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48You can really see the use of the prehensile tail,
0:38:48 > 0:38:50just like a fifth limb.
0:38:50 > 0:38:52It's like a safety rope.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55It's the last thing that's released.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08They spend nine hours every day chewing their way through
0:39:08 > 0:39:10the tough rainforest leaves.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12The other 15 hours,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14they sleep.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19There's two others in the tree, there's a big male at the top there.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22He's coming down.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27Ooh, taking a good look at me.
0:39:29 > 0:39:35Amazing, he's probably nearly 200 metres away but he's really, really staring at me.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45Well, things are looking up.
0:39:51 > 0:39:53It's the trickiest part of Steve's descent.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Overhanging rocks covered in slime.
0:39:58 > 0:40:00Oh, uh-ha-ha...!
0:40:02 > 0:40:06He's constantly drenched in spray from the falls.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17This rock is the slippiest ground I've ever been on in my life!
0:40:17 > 0:40:18I've never seen anything like it.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31If this is what it's like hundreds of metres from the waterfall,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34I dread to think what it would've been like at the bottom of it.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45I am down on solid ground and off the main rope, over.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48'That's very good news.'
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Tim, this place is every bit as steep and slippery
0:40:51 > 0:40:55and dangerous as we thought it would be, but it's much,
0:40:55 > 0:40:59much wetter and it's very windy down here and it's pretty miserable.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02I want to get out of this as soon as I can, over.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05Let's get you somewhere a bit more protected and warmer.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Understood. Out.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13With Steve safely down, he's joined by the cameraman
0:41:13 > 0:41:15and a dripping wet Tim Fogg.
0:41:17 > 0:41:18You all right, mate?
0:41:18 > 0:41:23- Bad weather down here, it's a bit damp. - THEY LAUGH
0:41:24 > 0:41:25They must find shelter,
0:41:25 > 0:41:29but also keep their eyes skinned for any animals they can see.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35There's loads of little...
0:41:35 > 0:41:38freshwater crabs just running around here.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42Because it's wet the whole time, they're completely comfortable.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44They're just feeding on the algae
0:41:44 > 0:41:46which they're picking off these rocks,
0:41:46 > 0:41:50and because this place is drenched in water the whole time,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52they're absolutely everywhere.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55This is just the perfect place for crabs.
0:41:55 > 0:41:58It really is like being on the bottom of the sea.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05There's been a sighting -
0:42:05 > 0:42:08a family of giant otters glimpsed heading down-river.
0:42:10 > 0:42:16We really have to keep our eyes open because they're big,
0:42:16 > 0:42:18but still tricky to see.
0:42:18 > 0:42:21Right bank, right bank.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28A head's popped up. I don't know whether they've gone into the shrub.
0:42:28 > 0:42:29After a week of searching,
0:42:29 > 0:42:33at last this is Gordon's chance to start observing these shy animals.
0:42:33 > 0:42:36- Dan, do you think they're still in front of us?- I can't see them.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41They're in the undergrowth.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43Everyone just keep their eyes wide open.
0:42:53 > 0:42:58The otters let out warning snorts.
0:42:58 > 0:43:02Oh, beautiful, just coming straight towards us.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06They're interested, not in fishing, they're interested in us.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12Oh, man, that's so nice.
0:43:12 > 0:43:14OTTER SNORTS
0:43:14 > 0:43:18Sun just glistening off their heads.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Oh, there's four of them! Man alive!
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Sorry, guys. Oh, jeepers.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26What?
0:43:28 > 0:43:30Oh, man.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32That was unreal.
0:43:32 > 0:43:34That was something else.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39What I love is when an animal, and a wild animal interacts with you,
0:43:39 > 0:43:40they're not scared,
0:43:40 > 0:43:42they just want to check us out,
0:43:42 > 0:43:46find out what we are and they've given us an opportunity to see them.
0:43:46 > 0:43:48Woah! Close, man.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Look at this!
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Ha!
0:43:56 > 0:43:59That's exactly what I was hoping to find.
0:43:59 > 0:44:00It's a tree frog, for sure.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03You just look at the big suction cups on each toe.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06Look at the way that he's moving across my hands there.
0:44:06 > 0:44:10He is a frog that is absolutely designed for climbing.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13He looks a little bit actually like
0:44:13 > 0:44:19the gladiator tree frog and he also has on the thumb of each hand,
0:44:19 > 0:44:24this little protuberance here, which is used for boxing with other frogs.
0:44:24 > 0:44:27Let's put him back.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30You're a very lucky frog.
0:44:30 > 0:44:31You live in frog paradise.
0:44:38 > 0:44:43Gordon has now followed the otters for two miles up the jungle creek.
0:44:43 > 0:44:49Softly, softly, he's getting closer and closer.
0:44:52 > 0:44:56Just creeping down the creek, with Gerry paddling.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59I just don't want the otters to go overland.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01As soon as they go overland, we've lost them.
0:45:04 > 0:45:09Otters right here, can't see them yet. Just hear them.
0:45:13 > 0:45:15Beauty, they are so beautiful.
0:45:18 > 0:45:20They've seen us.
0:45:26 > 0:45:29OTTERS SNORT
0:45:31 > 0:45:34Their beautiful fur was almost their undoing.
0:45:34 > 0:45:39A century of persecution drove them to the verge of extinction.
0:45:39 > 0:45:44This group is so at ease, it's clear there's no hunting here.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47OK, there's one coming right towards us now.
0:45:50 > 0:45:52OK, and he's got a fish.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55Feeding. OK, nice and gently.
0:45:55 > 0:45:58Stay very still.
0:45:58 > 0:46:01Giant appetites need giant portions.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05Plate-sized piranha - bones and all.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09What's he caught? Piranha.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13And they always eat them tail first
0:46:13 > 0:46:16for obvious reasons. The youngster.
0:46:19 > 0:46:25Oh, lovely. This is just exactly what I've been wanting to see.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28Giant otters
0:46:28 > 0:46:29completely naturally.
0:46:35 > 0:46:38Oh, that's what happens when somebody's got a fish
0:46:38 > 0:46:40and somebody else wants it.
0:46:45 > 0:46:49That's not going to last long, they have a voracious appetite.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51Oops.
0:46:51 > 0:46:57And off he goes, off to catch another one - awesome.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05At the waterfall, Steve and Tim have a desperate struggle
0:47:05 > 0:47:07to bring the kit down in the freezing spray.
0:47:07 > 0:47:13I've never been this cold right slap bang on the equator before.
0:47:13 > 0:47:17They need to get dry as quick as they can.
0:47:19 > 0:47:21HE COUGHS
0:47:21 > 0:47:24We don't want to go that way, we want to go lower.
0:47:24 > 0:47:26Let's head down this way.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30They must find a spot to pitch camp before night sets in...
0:47:32 > 0:47:36but in this boulder field, there's little chance.
0:47:46 > 0:47:48At base camp, the mood is up.
0:47:48 > 0:47:53The team have fallen under the spell of this enchanting forest.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55This is pristine, this is intact,
0:47:55 > 0:47:59this is as pure as it's ever going to be. Let's just keep it that way.
0:47:59 > 0:48:03It's clearly not been hunted, it's just really untouched
0:48:03 > 0:48:07and to preserve that in its pristine state would be fantastic.
0:48:07 > 0:48:11WATER RUSHES Tim, you in there, mate?
0:48:11 > 0:48:15It's almost dark when Tim discovers a tiny cave.
0:48:17 > 0:48:21Yeah, this is good. A sleeping place here.
0:48:21 > 0:48:23We'll get at least one of us in here.
0:48:23 > 0:48:24Oh, let's get a brew on.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34- Oh, the luxury.- Mm, brilliant.
0:48:36 > 0:48:40The cave floor is just a jumble of rough rocks.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42It's going to be a long night.
0:48:52 > 0:48:58At first light, Justine, as ever, is up her tree.
0:48:58 > 0:49:02Now, the family of howler monkeys have totally accepted her.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04She's even found a new addition to the family.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06It's a female, wow.
0:49:06 > 0:49:10She's got a baby on her back. Fantastic.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15The haunting calls of these cautious animals
0:49:15 > 0:49:18embody the spirit of the South American rainforest.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21To know there's a healthy breeding population here
0:49:21 > 0:49:24is a great lift for the team.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26Ah, there's the big male there.
0:49:26 > 0:49:28This is the big alpha boss.
0:49:31 > 0:49:33So, there are two males.
0:49:33 > 0:49:37This big one, the smaller one and there are two females,
0:49:37 > 0:49:39the one with the baby and the other one.
0:49:41 > 0:49:43Another piece in the puzzle.
0:49:55 > 0:49:57Beautiful animals.
0:49:57 > 0:50:00They're absolutely stunning.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06After a big breakfast of green leaves,
0:50:06 > 0:50:11the whole family settles down for a long morning snooze.
0:50:16 > 0:50:17For Steve and the team,
0:50:17 > 0:50:21it has been a really miserable night without a wink of sleep -
0:50:21 > 0:50:23and they weren't alone.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25We had visitors last night.
0:50:25 > 0:50:28I got up, turned on my head torch and hundreds
0:50:28 > 0:50:32of cockroaches and cave crickets just scampered for the shadows,
0:50:32 > 0:50:35and they'd been having a go at our food.
0:50:35 > 0:50:40There's just holes in absolutely everything.
0:50:40 > 0:50:44Mind you, I left my mug full of sticky hot chocolate last night
0:50:44 > 0:50:48and they've cleaned it out completely so I don't have to do the washing up.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50Fantastic!
0:50:52 > 0:50:56It's not just cockroaches and the crickets
0:50:56 > 0:50:58that we're sharing our cave with,
0:50:58 > 0:51:01it's absolutely alive with these rocket frogs
0:51:01 > 0:51:05and this one here actually has really
0:51:05 > 0:51:09well-developed eggs on its back.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13It's carrying around its tadpoles inside the eggs.
0:51:13 > 0:51:18You can even see little bubbles of air coming out of each egg.
0:51:18 > 0:51:19This species doesn't actually
0:51:19 > 0:51:22go through the free-swimming tadpole stage at all.
0:51:22 > 0:51:25The eggs will develop on their mother's back right through
0:51:25 > 0:51:30until they're froglets, and they'll hatch out ready to hop about.
0:51:34 > 0:51:37It's just enormous.
0:51:40 > 0:51:42Yeah.
0:51:42 > 0:51:45Finally, Steve can begin his real challenge -
0:51:45 > 0:51:48- to survey the plants and animals down here.- Woah!
0:51:48 > 0:51:51The slippery vegetation conceals deep pitfalls.
0:51:51 > 0:51:52No ground there.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55It would be a terrible place to break a leg.
0:52:02 > 0:52:07The pools of water that gather in the leaves made by these bromeliads
0:52:07 > 0:52:10are a really challenging place to make a home.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13But there's plenty of creatures down here that manage it.
0:52:13 > 0:52:19Possibly the most appealing of all of them though is this little guy.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21There, look at that.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25Isn't he gorgeous? Oh, look, on the leaf.
0:52:25 > 0:52:29It's a golden rocket frog and the only place in
0:52:29 > 0:52:32the world you find these is in the Kaieteur National Park.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36From egg to tadpole to frog,
0:52:36 > 0:52:40this single plant can be their home for life.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43These really are the most exquisite little jewels
0:52:43 > 0:52:49and every other bromeliad around here has one or a pair living in it.
0:52:51 > 0:52:54It's not just the animals that are exotic down here.
0:52:56 > 0:53:01There are wonderful plants absolutely everywhere around here,
0:53:01 > 0:53:04but nothing as exquisite as this.
0:53:04 > 0:53:07This is a slipper orchid
0:53:07 > 0:53:10and it's very aptly named.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13You can almost imagine some dainty Cinderella
0:53:13 > 0:53:16slipping her toes into that.
0:53:16 > 0:53:19This'd be worth an absolute fortune to orchid collectors back home.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23But here, they are just about everywhere.
0:53:23 > 0:53:26It's a bit like strolling around the Chelsea Flower Show,
0:53:26 > 0:53:29except that you've got that in the background.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36I think this really brings home just quite how unspoilt Guyana is.
0:53:36 > 0:53:40The Kaieteur is the country's only real tourist attraction,
0:53:40 > 0:53:43but we were up on top for three days and didn't see a single person
0:53:43 > 0:53:50and down here, well, you could count on one hand the amount of people who have seen what we're looking at now,
0:53:50 > 0:53:53and, you know, it's five times the height of Niagara.
0:53:53 > 0:53:57You're just standing here with this water in your face -
0:53:57 > 0:53:59it's completely overpowering.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10Gordon is checking whether his camera trap has worked.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13It's been lying in wait for a week now.
0:54:13 > 0:54:18Hard to say whether anything's been up here because of the rain.
0:54:18 > 0:54:23With any luck, it will have filmed the otter family out of the water.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Ah, the tape has reached the end.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30So we have one hour of stuff.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34OK, we've reached the beginning of the tape.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36Play.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Oh, curassow!
0:54:39 > 0:54:41I actually saw...
0:54:41 > 0:54:46curassow the other day quite close to here, three of them,
0:54:46 > 0:54:49so I wonder if it's the same ones. Two.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52He's camera-shy, this one.
0:54:52 > 0:54:53That's very nice.
0:54:57 > 0:54:59Oh, hang on,
0:54:59 > 0:55:01hang on.
0:55:01 > 0:55:05On the top of the log there's something, sort of, spotty, like a cat.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07I mean, it might have been an ocelot.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12It's a jaguar!
0:55:12 > 0:55:14I cannot believe that.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24One of the most difficult animals in South America to see
0:55:24 > 0:55:27was right here, literally.
0:55:27 > 0:55:29It walked along this path.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34The mysterious jaguar.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37Beautifully camouflaged, extremely rare,
0:55:37 > 0:55:42these solitary beasts roam huge areas of this vast jungle.
0:55:42 > 0:55:46It's a fantastic stroke of fortune to find one here.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48That is unreal.
0:55:53 > 0:55:54I do not believe that.
0:55:56 > 0:56:00I think I said, if we get jaguar, it's going to be by luck,
0:56:00 > 0:56:03not by judgement, and this is just by sheer luck.
0:56:03 > 0:56:07We put this out for otters and we've got a jaguar.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09Unbelievable.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13That is incredible.
0:56:16 > 0:56:21At the waterfall, Steve is desperate for some decent rest.
0:56:21 > 0:56:25After the discomfort of last night, I've decided to
0:56:25 > 0:56:29set up a basher and sleep outside in the elements tonight.
0:56:29 > 0:56:36I think we've done really well to have spent two days down here so far and for no-one to have got hurt.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40This place is an absolute death trap,
0:56:40 > 0:56:45so fingers crossed everyone gets through alive and well.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52Back at base camp, the rest of the team have cause to celebrate.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55That's the biggest cat that you'll find in South America.
0:56:55 > 0:57:01After just ten days, they've found howler monkeys, giant otters
0:57:01 > 0:57:05and the scientists have catalogued over 200 animal species.
0:57:05 > 0:57:09All evidence of the value of this virgin rainforest.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12And the best news of all, concrete proof
0:57:12 > 0:57:17that South America's legendary big cat is living and hunting here.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19Wow, wow!
0:57:28 > 0:57:31But not every member of the team is celebrating.
0:57:31 > 0:57:38All of a sudden a really, really heavy electrical storm's come in
0:57:38 > 0:57:41and the rain is unbelievably heavy.
0:57:41 > 0:57:46I have to keep throwing up this tarp to get all the water off it.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52But the most worrying thing really is that this storm is getting closer and closer.
0:57:52 > 0:57:57It's right overhead and we're pretty much the only feature in a landscape at the moment.
0:58:01 > 0:58:04This is turning into the most miserable night of my life.
0:58:10 > 0:58:14In the second phase of the expedition, the team push deeper into the jungle.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18The number of animals they're discovering goes up and up.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23- Oh! - This would go right through my hand.
0:58:23 > 0:58:28And they climb a remote mountain to explore a strange new world.
0:58:34 > 0:58:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:58:37 > 0:58:41E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk