0:00:02 > 0:00:05We live in a very weird world.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13And the more we discover about our planet, the stranger it gets.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20Every day, new stories reach us - stories that surprise us...
0:00:20 > 0:00:26- What is THAT? '..shock us...' - Whoa!- That is so cool.- Oh, my God!
0:00:26 > 0:00:29..sometimes even scare us.
0:00:29 > 0:00:30SCREAMING
0:00:30 > 0:00:31Oh, my God!
0:00:33 > 0:00:38We've scoured the globe to bring you the most curious creatures,
0:00:38 > 0:00:41the most extraordinary people...
0:00:41 > 0:00:44I can stick almost anything to my skin without no glue.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46..and the most bizarre behaviour...
0:00:49 > 0:00:52..using eyewitness accounts and expert opinion
0:00:52 > 0:00:59to explore a weird world of unexplained underwater blobs,
0:00:59 > 0:01:03flying goats and glow-in-the-dark fish.
0:01:06 > 0:01:12We examine the evidence, test the theories,
0:01:12 > 0:01:15to work out what on earth is going on.
0:01:34 > 0:01:35In this episode,
0:01:35 > 0:01:39we'll be shedding light on some of nature's weirdest mysteries.
0:01:41 > 0:01:45Why is this shark dressed for a night on the town?
0:01:45 > 0:01:48What has so enraged this placid marine mammal?
0:01:48 > 0:01:50ANIMAL ROARS
0:01:50 > 0:01:54And why has this guy got peanuts stuck on his head?
0:01:55 > 0:01:56Pull.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01Our trek into the world of weirdness kicks off with
0:02:01 > 0:02:04a tour of the transformative powers of light.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13This is Hessdalen - a sleepy Norwegian town.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17There are hills and mountains and, well...
0:02:17 > 0:02:19To be honest, that's pretty much it.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26But when the sun goes down, its reputation for the weird
0:02:26 > 0:02:29has given this remote village global notoriety.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33SHOUTING
0:02:33 > 0:02:35THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:02:56 > 0:03:00SHOUTING AND SCREAMING
0:03:00 > 0:03:04Nope, that's not a trailer for the latest Scandi crime thriller.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10This is simply what Hessdalen's night sky looks like -
0:03:10 > 0:03:15sometimes as often as 15-20 times every week
0:03:15 > 0:03:18since as far back as anyone can remember.
0:03:39 > 0:03:45And a good mystery draws crowds, including intrigued academic
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Erling and the contents of his research shed.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51He was determined to find some answers.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01Now, of course, the locals would love them to be UFOs,
0:04:01 > 0:04:03but let's just put that notion aside for
0:04:03 > 0:04:07a moment and explore some more earthly possibilities.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13Elsewhere in the world, earthquakes have sparked strange lights
0:04:13 > 0:04:18caused by the build-up of electrical charge where the ground rips apart.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22So how about seismic activity?
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Scratch that off the list, then. But Erling's not alone in his research.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43Atmospheric physicist Bjorn Gitle Hauge
0:04:43 > 0:04:46has also been conducting some experiments of his own.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51He took some readings of the light emanating from the phenomenon
0:04:51 > 0:04:54and discovered something extraordinary.
0:04:57 > 0:05:02It was made of the same sort of light as the sun - a huge
0:05:02 > 0:05:04burning ball of plasma.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Now, we probably all know that there are three states of matter,
0:05:13 > 0:05:15if we consider water.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19You've got solid, like this, in the form of ice, and then,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21when it comes to the liquid, well,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23that's the water as we know it,
0:05:23 > 0:05:26as you can see here at the bottom of this beaker,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30and then emerging from that, because it's hot, we've got steam - the gas.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35But in fact, there's a fourth state of matter. It's called plasma.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40It's like a supercharged gas - a gas on steroids - a gas where the
0:05:40 > 0:05:45atoms have got so hot, they've split apart and they're emitting light.
0:05:50 > 0:05:56It may sound sci-fi but, in fact, you can make plasma very simply.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59All you need is one grape, sliced in two but still connected,
0:05:59 > 0:06:02one microwave and 15 seconds.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09All the energy in the microwave gets concentrated on those two
0:06:09 > 0:06:12tiny grape halves, bouncing from one to the other.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17The skin between them becomes a bottleneck of energy,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21getting so hot that the charged atoms split apart.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29And hey, presto! Collecting at the top of the beaker - plasma.
0:06:30 > 0:06:31BEEP
0:06:33 > 0:06:35The same type of light, it seems,
0:06:35 > 0:06:38as the sun's and Norway's strange phenomenon.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42So, plasma - well,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45it's quite a good theory to explain the Hessdalen lights.
0:06:45 > 0:06:50Quite good but not brilliant. In fact, it's got one massive flaw.
0:06:50 > 0:06:51You see, plasma is hot.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56In fact, plasma is very, very hot and there's one thing you
0:06:56 > 0:07:00must have noticed about Hessdalen - it's snowy.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02Very snowy.
0:07:27 > 0:07:32Not even a trace of melting snow, so not plasma after all.
0:07:35 > 0:07:36But all is not lost.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40The scientists have one final theory up their sleeves,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43and it might just hold the key.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46To understand it, we need to look at the valley itself.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13The Hessdalen Valley might be acting like a giant natural battery.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21Hessdalen Valley is divided in two, unsurprisingly, by a river.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25To the west are the remains of old zinc mines.
0:08:25 > 0:08:29To the east, the remains of old copper mines.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32Think of these as the metal ends of a classic AA.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38And, when it rains, water pours into the shaft of an old sulphur
0:08:38 > 0:08:42mine nearby, dissolving the sulphur as it goes.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47It drains into the river and pollutes it with
0:08:47 > 0:08:54a potent acidic mix - the final ingredient of a battery.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57Could this be what's powering Hessdalen's light show?
0:08:59 > 0:09:02Well, it works all too well in our lab.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06A few simple beakers of acidic mud, each containing a stick of
0:09:06 > 0:09:11zinc and a bit of copper pipe, are all you need to power a light bulb.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18So just imagine the energy a natural battery the size of
0:09:18 > 0:09:20an entire valley could create.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Well, potentially enough for a severe electric shock,
0:09:26 > 0:09:30as Bjorn found out one time when he took a meter reading of Hessdalen.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Ouch! That's the equivalent of over 600 car batteries.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00It's an amazing thought that there's enough power in the
0:10:00 > 0:10:03earth beneath Hessdalen to charge the air above it,
0:10:03 > 0:10:08firing lights into the sky. But it is just a theory.
0:10:08 > 0:10:09It hasn't been proven yet.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14And they still need to work out just how the battery could cause
0:10:14 > 0:10:18the lights to hang in the air. But...
0:10:18 > 0:10:20It's pretty compelling - got to say that.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22And I've also got to say that, for the time being,
0:10:22 > 0:10:24it's the best theory they've got.
0:10:29 > 0:10:35Next, we're off across the globe to Yosemite National Park, US of A,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39where a glow of a different kind has been hogging the headlines.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47Just look at Yosemite's Horsetail Falls,
0:10:47 > 0:10:53better known as the Firefalls - a waterfall of flames.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58What is this fiery phenomenon?
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Well, Michael Mariant should know.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10After all, he's spent 20 years trying to capture it on camera.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12The very first time you see the Firefall actually happen,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14it's breathtaking. It really is amazing,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17like liquid lava flowing down the side of the falls.
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Liquid lava - sounds like a crazy idea, doesn't it?
0:11:23 > 0:11:26But it might just be possible.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30You see, an age-old event in Yosemite really did light up
0:11:30 > 0:11:31the hillsides with real fire.
0:11:33 > 0:11:37A hotel-keeper used to pour his dwindling campfire coals over
0:11:37 > 0:11:42the edge of a Yosemite cliff. This accidental spectacle caught on.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Soon, the park's tourists were paying good money to see it.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53Silently, the glowing cascade spans out, drifting down in slow,
0:11:53 > 0:11:56majestic motions, for a fleeting moment
0:11:56 > 0:12:00holding its beauty and holding you spellbound.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Then you gather it up as your most treasured memory of
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Yosemite - valley of enchantment.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Visitors down below would look up and just see
0:12:12 > 0:12:16a rain of coals falling down, and they called it the Firefall.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22But this is not our Firefall because the coal drop was banned by
0:12:22 > 0:12:24the Park Service in the late 1960s.
0:12:25 > 0:12:30And these incredible images were taken in recent years.
0:12:30 > 0:12:37So, if it's not fire, what is it? What's truly weird is the timing.
0:12:37 > 0:12:42For 11 more months, the falls are...well, nothing special, really.
0:12:45 > 0:12:52But in late February, the paparazzi pile in. Some years, they get lucky.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Others, not a hint of inferno.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03So what's going on here?
0:13:03 > 0:13:05I mean, sometimes it's there,
0:13:05 > 0:13:10sometimes it's not, only in February, but not every February.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Well, the answer lies way above the falls.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20In the depths of winter, Yosemite freezes over.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25But as spring appears, so does the sun,
0:13:25 > 0:13:31melting the snow in the mountains above to create a waterfall below.
0:13:33 > 0:13:38Now, on lucky years, the sun starts to work its magic as early as
0:13:38 > 0:13:43February, giving us February falls.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50Well, there's plenty of water, it's a fabulous cascade,
0:13:50 > 0:13:52but it's simply not glowing.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57You see, to get the full Firefalls effect, you need light.
0:13:57 > 0:14:01In fact, you need lots of light.
0:14:01 > 0:14:07The fiery glow is, in fact, the light of the setting sun.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09So let's see how it works.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15As the sun lowers, the rocks around the waterfall gradually fall
0:14:15 > 0:14:20into shadow until, for just a moment,
0:14:20 > 0:14:25the sun hits the falls at such an angle that the land around it
0:14:25 > 0:14:33is already in shadow, and the falls glow a brilliant orange,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36a brilliant optical illusion.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42And suddenly, the sun hits and it's just this glow.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46And it's only about a minute and a half, two minutes, that it's absolutely perfect.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Only in February does the sun strike the water at this angle.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55This really is a unique freak of nature.
0:15:04 > 0:15:09Just incredible, the tricks that light can play on our land,
0:15:09 > 0:15:14but it's nothing compared to what it can do below the tide line,
0:15:14 > 0:15:18which is where we're headed next - to meet
0:15:18 > 0:15:21a creature that single-handedly changed the face
0:15:21 > 0:15:22of marine science...
0:15:26 > 0:15:28..a simple green eel...
0:15:31 > 0:15:34..snapped in 2011 on a Caribbean coral reef.
0:15:36 > 0:15:41Now, it may not look much, but thanks to this one eel,
0:15:41 > 0:15:45we've discovered that our oceans don't look like this.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48They look like this.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Now, to understand this weirdness,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02we first need a crash course in how light works.
0:16:03 > 0:16:08Now, we all know that white light is made up of the full spectrum
0:16:08 > 0:16:12of colour - all the colours of the rainbow, if you like.
0:16:12 > 0:16:17But the reds and the oranges are made up of light with longer
0:16:17 > 0:16:20wavelengths, whereas the blues,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23the greens and the indigoes are made up of shorter wavelengths.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Now, all of this light can penetrate through air,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30but when it comes to water, it's only these short wavelength
0:16:30 > 0:16:34blue lights that can penetrate any distance.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38And that is why the sea is blue.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42But as we travel deeper and deeper,
0:16:42 > 0:16:47that blue makes the ocean look...well, a bit boring.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Imagine we're dropping underwater.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53As soon as we start going down, after only about ten metres,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55all the red is gone.
0:16:55 > 0:16:59So if you were to bleed underwater and you look at your blood,
0:16:59 > 0:17:02it would look black because there's no red light there.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06But, in fact, our vision is letting us down.
0:17:06 > 0:17:11This blue light is responsible for a whole world of colour down there
0:17:11 > 0:17:14that our eyes simply cannot see.
0:17:16 > 0:17:23Marine biologist David has long been studying corals that fluoresce.
0:17:23 > 0:17:29Fluorescent molecules in their skin absorb the high-energy blue light,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31use up a bit of the energy,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35and then release what's left as lower energy wavelengths.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38In other words, a different set of colours.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43Shine a powerful beam on them and suddenly,
0:17:43 > 0:17:45it becomes clear to us too.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49OK. That is already pretty weird.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52I know what you're thinking - what about the eel?
0:17:54 > 0:17:58Well, one day David dived down in search of his beloved corals
0:17:58 > 0:18:04and what he found changed the way that he looked at the ocean forever.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08So we're making an exhibit for the American Museum of Natural History.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10It's a virtual coral reef.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14While we're shooting the night coral reef...
0:18:14 > 0:18:18something happened that totally changed the trajectory
0:18:18 > 0:18:20of my research.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24We come back to the lab and in the photos
0:18:24 > 0:18:28is this one green fluorescent eel.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Like, unbelievable.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33This is the first green fluorescent fish that we've seen.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36And there it was. Photo-bombing us.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44This was the first time that a fish had ever been seen fluorescing.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46So was it a one-off?
0:18:46 > 0:18:47A freak of nature?
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Or are there more glowing fish in the sea?
0:18:52 > 0:18:55David had to find out.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58So we designed a new set of big blue lights.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00And we began scouring the reef.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03It's kind of like ET phone home.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06We're giving blue light off and we're waiting for an animal
0:19:06 > 0:19:09that's going to respond back, shine it back to us.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12And shining back at him was
0:19:12 > 0:19:15a deep-sea fluorescent wonderland
0:19:15 > 0:19:20of nearly 200 species of biofluorescent fish.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26Lizard fish, bream, scorpion fish, a whole gamut.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28But the weirdness didn't stop there.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35Yes, the world's first glow-in-the-dark shark.
0:19:35 > 0:19:36Astounding.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45There's little twinkly stars, there's patterns on the females,
0:19:45 > 0:19:48they have these rings around their eyes.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52In the deep blue, these sharks are emanating patterns of green.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56And the light show didn't stop there.
0:19:59 > 0:20:05One more ocean inhabitant had a colourful secret to give away.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09This time it was a marine turtle.
0:20:09 > 0:20:15The first sign ever that reptiles can biofluoresce too.
0:20:17 > 0:20:19And that, for the moment,
0:20:19 > 0:20:23is where David's weird biofluorescing marine list stops.
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Incredible.
0:20:27 > 0:20:32The fish had been fluorescing right underneath the scientists' noses.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36So, it's an astonishing discovery, there's no doubt of that.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40But it does beg the question - why were these fish producing such
0:20:40 > 0:20:42a vibrant range of colours?
0:20:43 > 0:20:47It could be used for mating, for courtship.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50It could be used for predator avoidance.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52It's a perfect camouflage for them.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56In the swellsharks, it's secret patterns among males and females,
0:20:56 > 0:21:00perhaps to allow them to separate the sexes,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03for identification of other members of the same species.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06So it's like a secret channel of communication.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09I like that. I like that very much.
0:21:09 > 0:21:14I like the fact that marine life has been communicating using a
0:21:14 > 0:21:20secret spectrum of colour, something that we're entirely blind to.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23Now, if only we could figure out
0:21:23 > 0:21:25what they were saying to one another.
0:21:27 > 0:21:33Well, as it happens, our oceans are full of colourful communicators.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35So here we're staying
0:21:35 > 0:21:39to meet our next magical marvel.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42These little gems.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47The jewel in the crown when it comes to using light for deception.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Now you see me...
0:21:52 > 0:21:54now you don't.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00This sparkling blue beauty has been nicknamed a sea sapphire.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02For obvious reasons.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06They measure just a few millimetres.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10They're like the bugs of our oceans - floating around
0:22:10 > 0:22:14until they get gobbled up by passing fish.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21How remarkable that this tiny, insignificant and yet
0:22:21 > 0:22:24very, very beautiful little invertebrate
0:22:24 > 0:22:27has pulled off the Holy Grail of science.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30The ultimate in trickery.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32The art of invisibility.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36But a real life invisibility cloak?
0:22:36 > 0:22:38Surely that's impossible.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43Isn't it?
0:22:43 > 0:22:49It's a question that many a marine biologist has asked themselves.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51You can have one right in front of you in a bowl
0:22:51 > 0:22:52and you just can't even find it.
0:22:52 > 0:22:56A biologist losing his own subject?
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Come on then, Steve, let us in on its secret.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Sea sapphires have a unique morphology in that they're
0:23:03 > 0:23:04very flattened.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07They have very little tissue when you're looking through them.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10The effect, as you might expect, is that it makes them transparent.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Being thin and translucent clearly helps.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17But there's a little more to it than that.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20They are, in fact, cleverly constructed
0:23:20 > 0:23:23to get a little helping hand from the sun.
0:23:25 > 0:23:30The surface of the sea sapphire is made of layers of perfectly
0:23:30 > 0:23:32hexagonal crystals.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Not just one layer, but several.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36One on top of the other.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38With liquid in between.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Think of it as like a wafer biscuit.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45As the sea sapphire moves in the water,
0:23:45 > 0:23:48the blue ocean light gets bounced off of these crystals,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51creating an iridescent sheen of blues and violets.
0:23:53 > 0:23:57What's more, it can actually move the crystal layers
0:23:57 > 0:24:00to change its colour. A bit like a chameleon.
0:24:02 > 0:24:05The key to its invisibility though
0:24:05 > 0:24:07is its angle to the sun.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14When the sea sapphire hits a crucial point of 45 degrees to the light
0:24:14 > 0:24:20the clever crystal layers bounce back only ultraviolet light.
0:24:20 > 0:24:24UV. Which our eyes simply can't see.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Combined with its ultra-thin transparency,
0:24:33 > 0:24:37the sea sapphire seemingly disappears.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42Now that is one clever trick of the light.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Having this ability to effectively switch their colour on and off,
0:24:46 > 0:24:49like a flashing ocean beacon,
0:24:49 > 0:24:53is what gives these tiny jewels their real advantage.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56The sea sapphires might be using it to find each other.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59You'll see a little column of these guys stacked up,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02swimming just above each other, all swimming in a little line.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04So they seem to be homing in
0:25:04 > 0:25:08using this blue iridescence to signal each other
0:25:08 > 0:25:10in some kind of a social structure.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18That has to be one of the most remarkable organisms that
0:25:18 > 0:25:21I've ever... Well, never seen.
0:25:21 > 0:25:26Using its crystal shimmer to communicate across the vast oceans.
0:25:26 > 0:25:30It's brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33But I'm still struck by that invisibility.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37That's one superpower I would very much like to have.
0:25:40 > 0:25:44The mind-bending powers of light will never cease to amaze.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52But that is just the tip of nature's iceberg of weirdness.
0:25:52 > 0:25:57Because next, we're headed on a journey of exploration of, well,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01there's no other way to put it, strange sticky things.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08And it all starts with this guy here.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Jamie.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12He looks pretty ordinary.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19But in fact, he has an extraordinary superpower.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24My ability is actually sticking anything solid to my body.
0:26:24 > 0:26:29I can stick cans, bottles, cellphones, almost anything
0:26:29 > 0:26:31to my skin, without no glue.
0:26:34 > 0:26:35(Go on.)
0:26:35 > 0:26:36You know you want to.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40At this point, you want to rush into the kitchen, empty a can,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and try and stick it to some part of your body.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Here. I know what you're thinking.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50This simply cannot be true. Can it?
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Well, yes, it can.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58Because Jamie holds the catchily titled World Record for
0:26:58 > 0:27:03most drinks cans placed on the head using air suction.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07And now he has a job as a walking ad campaign.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11So, not only does it all stick to my head...
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Let me put these over here so it's out of the way.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16..it also can stick to my hands,
0:27:16 > 0:27:21my back, my butt, my legs, my knees, everywhere sticks.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30I discovered my unique talents around seven years old.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Things started sticking to me.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37I climbed trees, you know, normal boy things, just climbing around.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40That's why I thought it maybe had something to do with
0:27:40 > 0:27:41the sap from the trees.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45But once he grew out of tree-climbing
0:27:45 > 0:27:50his incredible ability to, er, stick stuff to himself continued.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52And he knew something was up.
0:27:55 > 0:27:58Wow.
0:27:58 > 0:27:59That's insane.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01I bet that comes in handy when you're getting snacks out of
0:28:01 > 0:28:04- the kitchen fridge. - Oh, yeah. Watch this.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07Drive hands-free when you drive.
0:28:07 > 0:28:09Dang. These nuts are on your head.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12I'm going to hurt you.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15- See?- Oh, my God.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18So what makes Jamie sticky?
0:28:18 > 0:28:21Everyone's got an opinion, it seems.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26I thought maybe he had a magnetic plate in his head or something.
0:28:26 > 0:28:28- You don't have a plate in your head, do you?- No.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32It's plastic and aluminium. None of it can be magnetised.
0:28:32 > 0:28:33Wow.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36So he's not magnetic.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40What he is...
0:28:40 > 0:28:42is baffling his doctors.
0:28:42 > 0:28:45Lot of doctors have different opinions.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47They actually think I'm a real-life mutant.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50One thinks I'm like a human gecko.
0:28:50 > 0:28:52Another says octopus.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57OK, let's just hold it right there.
0:28:57 > 0:28:58A human gecko?
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Could that really be?
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Geckos stick to things because their bulbous toes are covered in
0:29:05 > 0:29:08hundreds of microscopic hairs.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12Particles in these bristles interact with particles on the surface
0:29:12 > 0:29:16of the wall, or tree, creating an electromagnetic attraction.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24Interesting theory for Jamie, but I have to say,
0:29:24 > 0:29:28he doesn't look particularly hairy to me.
0:29:28 > 0:29:30So what about the octopus theory?
0:29:31 > 0:29:33Octopuses stick using suction.
0:29:33 > 0:29:38Morphing their suckers to the shape of different surfaces.
0:29:38 > 0:29:43Muscles inside the sucker contract to create a watertight,
0:29:43 > 0:29:45or airtight, seal.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50It almost looks as if I could see the muscles doing something.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53And there's no hiding the suction marks either.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Perhaps he really is more octopus than human.
0:30:02 > 0:30:07Humans with animal traits. I like that. I really do.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11But there is a human trait here that we didn't want to overlook.
0:30:11 > 0:30:17Have you noticed that Jamie seems to be extraordinarily sweaty?
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Because my body temperature is so hot, usually when it's really warm
0:30:23 > 0:30:27I have to constantly dry my head off cos the sweat clogs my pores.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30I think he has some sort of perspiration on his head that
0:30:30 > 0:30:33- sticks that stuff. It's amazing.- Yeah.
0:30:33 > 0:30:38So could human sweat be stick enough to make things stick?
0:30:41 > 0:30:45We asked a dermatologist to take a look at the evidence.
0:30:45 > 0:30:49It's remarkable. They seem to be pretty solidly stuck.
0:30:54 > 0:30:57I've never seen anything like Jamie before.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00His skin looks normal but he's sweating a bit.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03The majority of sweat is just straightforward water.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07As the water evaporates it leaves behind the sebum,
0:31:07 > 0:31:09and that's the oily substance,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12our skin will end up feeling a little bit sticky.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15Some people complain about excess sweating and that's
0:31:15 > 0:31:17a recognised condition.
0:31:17 > 0:31:22I've never come across any condition of the skin which specifically
0:31:22 > 0:31:23makes it more sticky.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27But the sweat may be important nonetheless.
0:31:27 > 0:31:32Just from the video footage, I would say that this is a suction thing
0:31:32 > 0:31:34rather than purely a sticky thing.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36But if the skin was completely dry
0:31:36 > 0:31:41it would be much more difficult to create a good contact suction
0:31:41 > 0:31:43between the can and the skin.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47So a little bit of moisture there is probably helpful for this.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50It's an amazing talent, the way he does it.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Suction alone, however,
0:31:52 > 0:31:56doesn't explain how he can stick a mobile to his face.
0:31:56 > 0:32:01So, Jamie's condition still leaves rather more questions than answers.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06But whatever the reason turns out to be,
0:32:06 > 0:32:10for Jamie, it seems it's a skill that has its perks.
0:32:10 > 0:32:12I actually do love having this ability.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14It puts a smile on people's faces.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16They just look at me and they start laughing.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Even if they think I'm a goof or whatever.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Why would anyone think that(?)
0:32:22 > 0:32:24Jamie - also known as Canhead -
0:32:24 > 0:32:27his name, not mine, I'm not being rude -
0:32:27 > 0:32:29is still mostly a mystery.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32But it has also made him somewhat of a celebrity.
0:32:32 > 0:32:36He now makes thousands of dollars wandering around America
0:32:36 > 0:32:37sticking cans to his head.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Something to aspire to, I suppose.
0:32:49 > 0:32:53Jamie's sticky superpower is just a bit of fun.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55But for one Australian resident,
0:32:55 > 0:32:59sticking things on its head is a matter of life or death.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05That resident is a caterpillar.
0:33:05 > 0:33:07But no ordinary caterpillar.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09A very strange one indeed.
0:33:13 > 0:33:17But to fully understand it, you have at first got to get to grips
0:33:17 > 0:33:22with just how difficult it is to be a caterpillar.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Basically, their lives are pretty awful.
0:33:24 > 0:33:26They spend most of their life
0:33:26 > 0:33:28trying to avoid being eaten by various things.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35If you're a caterpillar,
0:33:35 > 0:33:41birds, mammals, reptiles, even other insects think you're delicious.
0:33:41 > 0:33:46In the UK, a young blue tit can eat over 100 caterpillars a day.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50Oh, and parasitic wasps like to lay their young inside you
0:33:50 > 0:33:53so that one day they'll explode out of your insides,
0:33:53 > 0:33:55killing you in the process.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59So what is a poor little caterpillar to do?
0:34:02 > 0:34:04Well, one option could be
0:34:04 > 0:34:08to pile some spare heads on top of each other.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10As protection.
0:34:10 > 0:34:12It's obvious, really.
0:34:12 > 0:34:15Yes, I did just say "spare heads."
0:34:15 > 0:34:18And yes, that is in fact possible.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23Meet the world's maddest caterpillar.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28A caterpillar with a hat made of heads.
0:34:28 > 0:34:32A Mad Hatterpillar, if you will.
0:34:32 > 0:34:36Otherwise known as a gum leaf skeletoniser.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39It's a common Australian pest.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41With a remarkable appendage.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45So, how did this come to be?
0:34:45 > 0:34:47One of the challenges of being an insect is that to grow
0:34:47 > 0:34:50you need to shed your hard outer exoskeleton and get yourself
0:34:50 > 0:34:53a newer, bigger one that you can fill up from the inside.
0:34:53 > 0:34:56When you do that, you get a chance to reinvent yourself
0:34:56 > 0:34:57with a brand-new look.
0:34:57 > 0:35:02That's one way to put it. Normally caterpillars eat the skin they shed
0:35:02 > 0:35:05to recycle the nutrients within.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Not our Mad Hatterpillar though.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11It keeps its old heads. It stacks them on top of its head
0:35:11 > 0:35:14like some sort of bizarre insect unicorn.
0:35:14 > 0:35:16So it's got the bigger heads at the bottom,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18the smaller, older, used heads up the top,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21and it forms this great tower of old head capsules on top of its head.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24Interlocking hairs and tiny hooks
0:35:24 > 0:35:27keep the heads firmly stuck in place.
0:35:27 > 0:35:28Most of the time.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32When I first saw them, you just look at them and think,
0:35:32 > 0:35:33"What are you doing?
0:35:33 > 0:35:35"What is the possible benefit for having all those old heads
0:35:35 > 0:35:37"stuck on top of your new head?"
0:35:37 > 0:35:41Well, that, Dieter, is a good question.
0:35:41 > 0:35:42Why indeed?
0:35:42 > 0:35:47Dieter knew it was for protection, but just how?
0:35:47 > 0:35:49He had to find out.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53He put a Mad Hatterpillar with an impressive headdress
0:35:53 > 0:35:56in a Petri dish with its nemesis, the stink bug.
0:35:58 > 0:36:02A stink bug is an insect with a needle-like mouth part
0:36:02 > 0:36:05that stabs its prey, injects it with toxins,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07and then sucks it dry.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10Definitely something to avoid.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13And here is what happened.
0:36:13 > 0:36:15What we found is the caterpillars are actually physically
0:36:15 > 0:36:18deflecting attacks by some of the predators.
0:36:18 > 0:36:19The wobbling of the head
0:36:19 > 0:36:22or the really dramatic shaking of the head like you're using a sword
0:36:22 > 0:36:25to try and keep the animal away from you.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27The predators were also sometimes attacking
0:36:27 > 0:36:28his stack of head capsules
0:36:28 > 0:36:31instead of the actual body of the caterpillar.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34And sometimes all it takes is that one chance to get away...
0:36:34 > 0:36:36to make you win or lose that bout.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Don't get too excited.
0:36:38 > 0:36:42Most of the caterpillars lost the bouts, regardless.
0:36:44 > 0:36:48But when Dieter tested the theory in the big, wide world
0:36:48 > 0:36:52outside the Petri dish, he got some interesting results.
0:36:52 > 0:36:53When the animals were in groups
0:36:53 > 0:36:56where some had head capsules and others didn't,
0:36:56 > 0:36:59the ones without them were far more likely to get eaten
0:36:59 > 0:37:00than the ones that hadn't.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04In other words, caterpillars that did have head stacks,
0:37:04 > 0:37:06living amongst those that didn't,
0:37:06 > 0:37:10survived better than their headless counterparts.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13So the moral of that story is, I suppose,
0:37:13 > 0:37:16if you're a Mad Hatterpillar with a towering head stack,
0:37:16 > 0:37:19stick near your mates with only one head.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21That way, when an enemy approaches,
0:37:21 > 0:37:25your mate will make far easier pickings than you.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30It certainly gives meaning to the phrase
0:37:30 > 0:37:33"many heads are better than one."
0:37:33 > 0:37:37So, all hail the power of the sticky.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41An enviable superpower if ever there was one.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Finally, we're going to introduce you to a series of animals
0:37:51 > 0:37:55whose weird behaviour leaves a lot to be desired.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02Kicking us off, a refreshing dip in the west Irish Sea.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07A hot summer's day off the coast of Doolin.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Perfect for a swim.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13But when the locals hit the surf, they found they had company.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20A sociable, affable dolphin, and not just any old dolphin,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23it was Dusty the dolphin.
0:38:23 > 0:38:25A female bottlenose who'd become quite
0:38:25 > 0:38:27a celebrity on the Irish coast.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36Dusty is one of Ireland's friendly, solitary, community dolphins.
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Like famous Fungie of Dingle.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Dusty's story starts some 16 years ago
0:38:46 > 0:38:50when she first appeared here as an adolescent.
0:38:52 > 0:38:53And never left.
0:38:54 > 0:39:00Hanging out with the locals year after year after year.
0:39:01 > 0:39:03Building up quite the CV.
0:39:03 > 0:39:05There she is. Dusty.
0:39:05 > 0:39:06Hello. Hello.
0:39:08 > 0:39:11Dusty the peacekeeper.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14She's brought so much joy to so many people.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17She induces a lot of peace and...
0:39:17 > 0:39:19I guess, love. You know?
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Dusty the environmentalist.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27She came and she had the huge white bag on her nose.
0:39:27 > 0:39:29And she brought it to us.
0:39:29 > 0:39:32She was playing games but cleaning the ocean.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36It was so beautiful to do it with her.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38And Dusty the life-saver.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43Yes, Dusty helped saved surfer Luke's life.
0:39:43 > 0:39:47Guiding him back to the shore after his surfboard split in two.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52Everybody said that it was an amazing thing to watch -
0:39:52 > 0:39:55a dolphin sort of shepherd somebody in.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Especially someone who's struggling.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59It was a very beautiful experience.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02St Dusty.
0:40:04 > 0:40:07She's swum with local residents Kate and George for
0:40:07 > 0:40:10so long she's become part of the family.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16It's no wonder when people see scenes like this
0:40:16 > 0:40:17that they want to join in.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24Which is what local resident Valerie did in July 2013.
0:40:24 > 0:40:28But she was in for a surprise.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30SHE SCREAMS
0:40:31 > 0:40:34Dusty, it seemed, had gone mad.
0:40:36 > 0:40:39I knew I needed to get out of the water quick.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45I went to swim out but it slammed into me.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48SCREAMING
0:40:50 > 0:40:52It was very powerful and she hit me with her nose.
0:40:55 > 0:41:01I had six spinal fractures, some broken ribs and a damaged lung.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05INDISTINCT SHOUTS
0:41:05 > 0:41:09In fact, this is not the only time this five-metre mammal
0:41:09 > 0:41:11has launched itself at swimmers.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16SCREAMING
0:41:18 > 0:41:21So how do you reconcile these two images?
0:41:25 > 0:41:29Well, to understand, we need to get to grips with what sets Dusty
0:41:29 > 0:41:31apart from other dolphins.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Now we all know that dolphins are highly social animals,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40living together in pods.
0:41:40 > 0:41:44So what on earth was she doing swimming around on her own?
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Solitary dolphins are common amongst males.
0:41:50 > 0:41:55Adolescent males hang out alone, getting big and strong
0:41:55 > 0:41:59so they can compete for access to females.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01But Dusty is a female.
0:42:05 > 0:42:06It's a bit weird, to be honest.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08And it's not typical or normal of bottlenose dolphins.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10When there's other dolphins around
0:42:10 > 0:42:11she almost seems to be hiding from them.
0:42:16 > 0:42:18It seems to be that, in Ireland especially,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21people are almost looking for dolphins to swim with.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23You know, to go and befriend.
0:42:23 > 0:42:25So I'm not convinced the dolphin is seeking out humans.
0:42:25 > 0:42:29I'm not convinced they're choosing a solitary existence.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Whether she chose us or we chose her,
0:42:32 > 0:42:36there's plenty of dolphin left in Dusty.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39She's just rolled.
0:42:39 > 0:42:43And dolphins need other dolphins.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47It's possible that Dusty now sees her human "friends"
0:42:47 > 0:42:50as her surrogate dolphin pod.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55And that could begin to explain the aggression.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59If Dusty treats humans like dolphins treat dolphins,
0:42:59 > 0:43:01well, put it this way,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04bottlenose dolphins can be quite brutal.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09We perceive dolphins as these friendly animals.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11They have that lovely smiley face.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13You know, don't trust everything that smiles.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16It could be the smile of a sadistic killer dolphin.
0:43:16 > 0:43:20This is a highly-evolved marine mammal
0:43:20 > 0:43:23that is strong, can wipe you out with a flick of the tail.
0:43:24 > 0:43:26Ram you, which is what bottlenose dolphins do.
0:43:26 > 0:43:28They're covered in scratches and scars,
0:43:28 > 0:43:31they're covered in notches, they're covered in tooth rakes.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35The trouble is, humans are not built like dolphins.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38We don't just come away with scars.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40We come away literally broken.
0:43:45 > 0:43:50But Dusty only gets mad with certain people.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54So, what about her Jekyll and Hyde character?
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Why do some people get darling Dusty
0:43:57 > 0:44:01and others, a very angry dolphin?
0:44:01 > 0:44:06It all depends, it seems, on whether or not you're in her pod.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09If you're a regular to Dusty, like Kate and George,
0:44:09 > 0:44:11you're fine.
0:44:11 > 0:44:14But if you're a new face, like Valerie, you're a threat.
0:44:17 > 0:44:22I've learned, since my accident, that when Dusty's having a moment
0:44:22 > 0:44:27with people who do swim with her, she doesn't like to be interrupted.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29She gets very territorial.
0:44:29 > 0:44:32And I think that's the reason why she attacked me.
0:44:32 > 0:44:37Sadly for Valerie, she just wasn't in the in-crowd.
0:44:37 > 0:44:41She accepts some people and she doesn't accept some people.
0:44:41 > 0:44:45It's hard, but it's like that. Definitely. It's like that.
0:44:45 > 0:44:49Valerie was lucky. She recovered from her attack.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52And what's more, she's made peace with Dusty.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56After a while she came back to me.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58She was kind of bobbing vertically.
0:44:58 > 0:44:59And we just locked eyes.
0:44:59 > 0:45:02I personally felt there was a lot of remorse
0:45:02 > 0:45:04and she was trying to apologise.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07So I don't have any problem with Dusty at all.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09But I wouldn't get in the water, no.
0:45:09 > 0:45:12Dolphins are not like humans.
0:45:12 > 0:45:14They are wild.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16And unpredictable.
0:45:16 > 0:45:19So don't get confused by the smile.
0:45:23 > 0:45:27But with man and beast living alongside each other,
0:45:27 > 0:45:32it's perhaps inevitable that we expect them to behave like us.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35Like our next colourful character.
0:45:35 > 0:45:37A delinquent down under.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44This is a lorikeet.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48It's a common Australian bird, likely to cross your path.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55But if you were to spot one in the small town of Palmerston,
0:45:55 > 0:45:58near Darwin, it's highly likely it would look like this.
0:46:05 > 0:46:08Polly parrot is having a bad day.
0:46:08 > 0:46:13Frankly, she looks like she's had one too many down the local pub.
0:46:17 > 0:46:22Every year, the rescue centre here in Palmerston fills up with,
0:46:22 > 0:46:25apparently, pickled parrots.
0:46:25 > 0:46:30And every year, the birds' antics hit the headlines.
0:46:30 > 0:46:34'About 200 lorikeets are brought to the hospital suffering the
0:46:34 > 0:46:37'ill effects of what appears to be a big night out.'
0:46:37 > 0:46:41It's not my fault you've been drinking.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43For decades, these lorikeets have been mocked
0:46:43 > 0:46:46for their drunken antics.
0:46:46 > 0:46:51The story of these boozing birds is ingrained in local folklore.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54They wobble about. Their balance is affected.
0:46:54 > 0:46:56They're weak and they stagger.
0:47:00 > 0:47:02It's pretty much the same as what happens to people when
0:47:02 > 0:47:04they're very drunk and fall over and hurt themselves.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12Now, obviously, these birds haven't been drinking beer.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15They don't have hands, they couldn't raise a glass, could they?
0:47:15 > 0:47:20But that doesn't mean we should dismiss this as a silly story.
0:47:20 > 0:47:25You see, their inebriated state is certainly cause for concern.
0:47:28 > 0:47:34This strange behaviour only occurs in the wet season.
0:47:34 > 0:47:40So why is this one species, once a year, behaving so oddly?
0:47:40 > 0:47:46Well, the blame always lands firmly at the roots of what is known as
0:47:46 > 0:47:49the drunken parrot tree.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53It's laden with sweet, tasty nectar.
0:47:53 > 0:47:56It's believed though that as the year hots up,
0:47:56 > 0:47:59the nectar ferments.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02All sweet things need to ferment is a bit of heat,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04a bit of moisture,
0:48:04 > 0:48:06and some natural yeast...
0:48:06 > 0:48:09that eats the sugars and converts them to ethanol,
0:48:09 > 0:48:10or alcohol.
0:48:12 > 0:48:15And, so says the local legend,
0:48:15 > 0:48:19as the birds feed on the fermented nectar they get drunk.
0:48:20 > 0:48:22It's not a crazy theory.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Fermenting fruit can cause drunk-like behaviour
0:48:25 > 0:48:27in many other animals.
0:48:27 > 0:48:30A squirrel after one too many fermented pumpkins.
0:48:33 > 0:48:38And the Swedish moose that overdid the fermented apples.
0:48:38 > 0:48:42But the lorikeets aren't just a bit tipsy.
0:48:42 > 0:48:46No, they take weeks to recover...
0:48:46 > 0:48:48in hospital.
0:48:48 > 0:48:52So were these birds getting drunk on fermenting fruit and nectar
0:48:52 > 0:48:55in the same way that that Swedish moose was?
0:48:55 > 0:48:56Well, no.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59In the small Australian town of Palmerston,
0:48:59 > 0:49:01things were altogether more worrying.
0:49:04 > 0:49:07I've been told they recently did some blood tests on some of
0:49:07 > 0:49:10these lorikeets and they found no evidence of ethanol.
0:49:10 > 0:49:14No ethanol means no alcohol.
0:49:14 > 0:49:18So, definitively, they're not drunk.
0:49:18 > 0:49:23Could the locals' firmly-held belief be about to be turned on its head?
0:49:23 > 0:49:24Well, yes.
0:49:24 > 0:49:29It's recently been found that what's attacking their body is most likely
0:49:29 > 0:49:31a virus.
0:49:31 > 0:49:35Like alcohol, viruses can interfere with how the brain works.
0:49:35 > 0:49:39Affecting vision, balance and coordination.
0:49:39 > 0:49:43In other words, causing similar symptoms to drunkenness.
0:49:43 > 0:49:45You can see people who are suffering from influenza
0:49:45 > 0:49:48are very weak, they're hot, they fall around, they get headaches.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50Pretty much like when they're drunk.
0:49:50 > 0:49:55Just imagine how bad it would feel to have flu in mid-air.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01I think they're probably trying to fly and they just run out of breath.
0:50:01 > 0:50:04They faint in mid-air and fall to the ground.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06Dramatic stuff.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09And why does it only happen in the wet season?
0:50:09 > 0:50:13Well, that's most likely down to these pests.
0:50:15 > 0:50:17Mosquitoes and midges.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20Famously partial to hot, steamy weather
0:50:20 > 0:50:22and famously disease-ridden too.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28It's huge news for Palmerston's misunderstood parrots.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32No more character assassination.
0:50:32 > 0:50:34The truth is finally out.
0:50:34 > 0:50:38Far from being drunk, these unlucky lorikeets are, in fact,
0:50:38 > 0:50:39seriously ill.
0:50:41 > 0:50:44Thankfully, with the right care,
0:50:44 > 0:50:47most can be back in the wild within a few weeks.
0:50:47 > 0:50:51But it seems that happy hour is not so happy after all.
0:50:51 > 0:50:52At least for the birds.
0:50:59 > 0:51:04Our final weird wonder is famous worldwide.
0:51:04 > 0:51:07Well, amongst birders like me, anyway.
0:51:07 > 0:51:10It's a bird whose behaviour is so mysterious
0:51:10 > 0:51:16that it outwitted scientists in a game of hide-and-seek that lasted
0:51:16 > 0:51:18for over 100 years.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22So much so that they began to wonder if it had gone
0:51:22 > 0:51:24the same way as the dodo.
0:51:25 > 0:51:28It's the Holy Grail of birds for birders.
0:51:28 > 0:51:31Not only in Australia, perhaps in the world.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35It's nominated by the Smithsonian Institute
0:51:35 > 0:51:37as the world's most mysterious bird.
0:51:37 > 0:51:42And it is the night parrot.
0:51:42 > 0:51:46Common in Australia hundreds of years ago, but around 1912
0:51:46 > 0:51:49this reclusive species simply disappeared.
0:51:54 > 0:51:58Rumour and a few museum specimens revealed them to look
0:51:58 > 0:52:01a bit like big budgerigars.
0:52:01 > 0:52:06A nocturnal, ground-dwelling, ground-nesting parrot.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08Not the best ingredients for survival.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14They hid amongst Australia's arid spinifex grassland.
0:52:14 > 0:52:16Well, supposedly.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20Problem was, no-one could find one.
0:52:20 > 0:52:25So, in 1989, a 25,000 reward was offered for their discovery.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27Dead or alive.
0:52:32 > 0:52:34Everyone took to the road.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37From truck drivers
0:52:37 > 0:52:39to scientists.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42And what happened next was incredible.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47The curator of ornithology at the Australian Museum
0:52:47 > 0:52:49was travelling in outback Queensland
0:52:49 > 0:52:53and stopped by the side of the road, legend has it, to relieve himself.
0:52:53 > 0:52:57As he looked down at his feet, there was the remains of a night parrot.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59A dead night parrot carcass.
0:52:59 > 0:53:05A curator of ornithology had accidentally found a night parrot
0:53:05 > 0:53:09in the middle of the vast outback.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13The first confirmed sighting in over seven decades.
0:53:13 > 0:53:18Can you just imagine how excited he must have been when he finally
0:53:18 > 0:53:23rediscovered that bird after all of that time spent looking for it?
0:53:23 > 0:53:26OK, I know it wasn't ideal.
0:53:26 > 0:53:27It was dead.
0:53:27 > 0:53:32But nevertheless, it did prove that this mythical bird wasn't
0:53:32 > 0:53:34a myth after all.
0:53:35 > 0:53:41And so began the hunt for a living specimen.
0:53:41 > 0:53:4416 more years went by.
0:53:44 > 0:53:49And finally, another was found lying beside a fence.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51But guess what?
0:53:51 > 0:53:54Yes, it was dead too.
0:53:54 > 0:53:59Presumably it had hit the fence and decapitated itself on the fence.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01Unlucky.
0:54:01 > 0:54:07But trust me, patience in ornithology does eventually pay off.
0:54:07 > 0:54:10People were so dedicated and so determined.
0:54:10 > 0:54:13There was a lot of obsession amongst certain people.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17One of those determined obsessives was John Young.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20A naturalist who'd spent 15 years traipsing the outback
0:54:20 > 0:54:22for clues.
0:54:23 > 0:54:28Finally, in 2013, success.
0:54:28 > 0:54:33A bunch of feathers led him to a live individual.
0:54:34 > 0:54:39After 100 years, the game of hide-and-seek was over.
0:54:39 > 0:54:41And the scientists had won.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49I just can't tell you how exciting this discovery was.
0:54:49 > 0:54:52This was a bird brought back from the dead.
0:54:52 > 0:54:54This was ornithological dynamite.
0:54:54 > 0:54:57The bird-watching equivalent of a supernova.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03But don't go grabbing your binoculars just yet.
0:55:03 > 0:55:07To protect the bird, John kept the exact location a secret.
0:55:07 > 0:55:12And to this day, only three people on the planet are confirmed
0:55:12 > 0:55:14to have seen live night parrots.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18And this guy here, ecologist Steve Murphy,
0:55:18 > 0:55:20has gone one better.
0:55:20 > 0:55:22He's actually held one.
0:55:22 > 0:55:26When he and his wife fitted one with a tracker.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30We really had to focus.
0:55:30 > 0:55:35We were both, you know, shaking pretty madly at the start.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38The sense of responsibility was just awesome.
0:55:40 > 0:55:46There is still just one known population of night parrots
0:55:46 > 0:55:50in the world. The rest were wiped out
0:55:50 > 0:55:53by fire, and their number one predator,
0:55:53 > 0:55:55yes, kitty.
0:55:57 > 0:56:01There's quite a famous story of the telegraph stationmaster at
0:56:01 > 0:56:03Alice Springs in the early 1800s.
0:56:03 > 0:56:08Lining the inside of his cabin with the wings of night parrots
0:56:08 > 0:56:11that had been brought in each night by his pet cat.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13Unfortunately for the cats,
0:56:13 > 0:56:16the best way to keep this chubby little parrot alive
0:56:16 > 0:56:19is to take kitty out of the equation.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23Where's the cat? Good girl. Good girl, Mag.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26And for a while it seemed to be working.
0:56:26 > 0:56:31When, in 2016, Steve Murphy made an incredible discovery.
0:56:32 > 0:56:38A nest! A nest of two perfect night parrot eggs.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45This was dynamite.
0:56:45 > 0:56:49This was like finding the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
0:56:49 > 0:56:53Not only were night parrots alive,
0:56:53 > 0:56:55they were breeding.
0:56:55 > 0:56:59But then, just like every other aspect of this legendary tale,
0:56:59 > 0:57:02there was another twist in the plot.
0:57:02 > 0:57:06You see, a couple of days later, Steve returned to the nest.
0:57:06 > 0:57:08And what did he find when he peered in?
0:57:10 > 0:57:12Broken eggshells.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14Can you believe it?
0:57:14 > 0:57:17Can you imagine how he felt?
0:57:17 > 0:57:21Well, so great is the desire to preserve this species,
0:57:21 > 0:57:25so enormous was the gravity of this crime
0:57:25 > 0:57:28that the shells were collected and sent for analysis
0:57:28 > 0:57:30to try and identify the culprit.
0:57:32 > 0:57:36And this time it was no cat.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38It was a native king brown snake.
0:57:38 > 0:57:43A new player in this now deadly game of hide-and-seek.
0:57:49 > 0:57:54The story of this ground-living bird continues.
0:57:54 > 0:57:58And in fact, due to the incredible secrecy about its location,
0:57:58 > 0:58:02its mythical status, its legend lives on.
0:58:06 > 0:58:08From devilish dolphins
0:58:08 > 0:58:10via not so boozy birds
0:58:10 > 0:58:13to a very private parrot.
0:58:15 > 0:58:18So, whether it's ancient legends or brand-new discoveries,
0:58:18 > 0:58:20there's no doubt at all that
0:58:20 > 0:58:22there are plenty of weird stories out there.
0:58:22 > 0:58:26And I can promise you one thing, there are a lot more to come.
0:58:27 > 0:58:29Next time...
0:58:29 > 0:58:33We'll be poking a giant pile of worms...
0:58:33 > 0:58:35I've never ever seen that before.
0:58:35 > 0:58:39..meeting nature's artistic masterminds...
0:58:39 > 0:58:41I was just like, "Oh, my God!"
0:58:41 > 0:58:44..and solving a sperm whale mystery.