Deadly Top 10s (2009) s01e03 Episode Script

Welcome to my Deadly Top 10 Ohh.
a chance to choose the top 10 fiercest, fastest, most tactical, toxic and well-armed animals on the planet.
All deadly in their own world, and sometimes deadly to me.
Ahh! Who do you think will be number 1 of my Deadly Top 10? In this countdown, I'm choosing my Top 10 Killer Tactics.
Whoa.
These are the cleverest tricks that animals use to catch their dinner.
It's all about surprise, stealth, and even a bit of magic.
Time to kick off my Top 10 Killer Tactic countdown.
I'll begin with a pack-hunting bird of prey.
Number 10, the Harris hawk.
Its killer tactic is teamwork.
Look at that! Isn't that magnificent? Now, obviously, this isn't a wild Harris hawk.
You'd never get one of those to fly onto your fist like this.
This is a falconry bird, and this is the absolute classic hawk shape.
In fact, as she came in to land on my fist, what you would've seen is pretty much exactly the last thing a small mammal would see before meeting its end.
The way she stopped, throwing her wings back, spreading her tail, stops her almost instantly from flight at probably 30, maybe even 40 miles an hour.
But the most remarkable thing about this bird of prey is that while most birds of prey tend to be solitary, tend to stick to themselves, Harris hawks are very social animals.
In fact, they hunt with their friends.
They hunt together in the deserts of America for prey like this rabbit.
A four-bird team can attack from all angles.
They watch from on high, and swoop low to scare prey into the open, taking turns to dash in for the strike.
And he's missed it! The prey's got away.
Or has it? This wily mob has another tactic - ground attack.
One bird flushes out the quarry for another member of the team.
And got it! There's no escape from this teamworking gang.
Hawks may hunt in groups of four or five, but check out this animal who hunts in packs of 20 or more.
The African hunting dog.
They have to hunt as a co-ordinated pack, as they face a major challenge - catching smart and super-fast prey like impala.
Impala are intelligent and hyper-alert.
The only way to catch one is to hunt together in a big team.
Creeping up close, camouflage coats keep the pack disguised.
Impala only see in black and white, but they do hear very well, so the dog team have to be stealthy, too.
Some dogs run to the side of the herd, while others start the chase from behind.
The impala herd's first line of defence is to stick closely together.
But these dogs have the killer tactic of teamwork and they separate one from the herd.
The lead dog picks up the final chase on its own.
Now it's all to play for.
The impala has speed, but the dog has another killer capability.
Stamina.
A team like this kills once a day, and tonight, no-one will go hungry.
Their killer tactic of working together has paid off.
Coming up next is the ultimate master of disguise.
Number 8, the Madagascan leaf-tailed gecko.
Its killer tactic is invisibility.
Uber-cool killer camouflage keeps it safe from predators and means it can lie in wait for insect prey, too.
It's even got camouflaged eyeballs.
Not surprisingly, it's very hard for me to find.
OK, right, Johnny, what I need you to do, I need you to frame up - on that portion of tree there.
- OK.
- Can you see it? - No.
OK.
Let's try zooming in right where my finger is.
Can you see those eyes? - All I can see is leaves.
- Just there.
Just in front of my finger.
Can you see that? OK, and zoom back out.
- Have you got it? - Yeah.
This is a leaf-tailed gecko.
Let's see if I can make him move a little bit and then you will see him.
That's the tail there.
This time of day, they're kind of Ooh! The leaping leaf-tailed gecko.
It takes a lot to surprise me, particularly with reptiles.
I actually think that's the most beautiful lizard I've ever seen.
The most incredibly camouflaged.
Look down the bottom lip, where it's touching my watch strap.
It's got kind of tassels hanging off it that look just like moss or lichen, and all down the body and the legs and those incredible digits are just covered with little tassels that make it blend in perfectly with the tree bark.
You are wondrous! And he has a killer spring in his step.
I think I might be spoiling his camouflage a little bit.
So, we've seen lethal teamwork we've had uber-cool camouflage but there are plenty more killer tactics.
Some snakes use lethal lures to tempt their prey.
Fighting for slot number 7, it's the death adder and the garter snake.
Let's see these masters of mimicry in action.
The death adder hides and uses its tail-tip to mimic an insect or worm.
A perfect snack for this Australian skink who can't resist what seems to be an easy meal.
Closer and closer, he comes in to inspect.
The death adder even wriggles the lure right by its head bringing in the skink to point-blank range.
This time, the skink got lucky.
But the snake is patient.
Sooner or later, it's bound to succeed.
Young garter snakes use the other end of their body.
They've developed an amazing trick of the tongue.
They've learnt how to fish with it.
Like a human angler, the snake tests out different fishing spots until it finds the right conditions.
It dances its tongue on the surface to mimic an insect on the water.
Irresistible to baby trout! Sooner or later, the fancy fishing trick pays off.
Catch of the day to the reptile with its tactical, twitchy tongue.
So, is it the death-adder tail or the garter-snake tongue that you think should win? Well, I think the fishy-fooling tongue is just genius, so garter snake gets slot number 7.
So what other smart hunting strategies are there? Better beware, or you might get caught in the trap set by cunning number 6, the chimpanzee.
It might seem surprising, but chimpanzees have a taste for meat, and it's teams of males who do the hunting.
They set a big trap in the treetops.
A satellite's-eye view reveals what's going on.
This is what they're after.
Colobus monkeys, feeding in the canopy 30 metres up.
Stealthily, the chimps take up position under their quarry.
Colobus are small and agile.
They can move in the lightest of branches.
A heavy chimp hasn't a hope alone.
But by chasing and surrounding them, the chimps will have a chance.
A chimp at the back makes the first move.
His job is to climb up under the monkeys and flush them out.
The rest watch from below, poised for action.
The hunt is on.
The chimps on the ground immediately run ahead of the colobus.
Some of them guess where the colobus are heading and climb trees on either side.
Their job is to scare the monkeys into running between them.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the smartest chimp, the chief monkey-catcher, has a plan.
He runs even further ahead.
He's seen the side-scarers and has worked out where the colobus are being driven.
He picks a tree ahead of them, and hides and waits.
The trap is now set.
The chaser chimp at the back drives them from behind and the side-scarers move in.
The colobus leap straight into the monkey-catcher's tree! And it's over! The chimps outsmarted the monkeys, and caught their family supper.
Their trap-setting skills and expert timing is the key to their success.
So we've had a gang of hawks pack-hunting dogs, a master of disguise, a tongue-fishing snake and trap-making chimps.
Can you guess what's coming up next as we count down to number 1? This is truly bizarre.
Number 5 - the stoat.
Its lethal tactics are killer dance moves - yes, really, they are killer - which it uses to hunt rabbits.
Sometimes stoats put on a crazy-looking show in fields where rabbits live.
But don't be fooled.
There is method in their madness.
Believe it or not, these moves are deadly.
The stoats' jumps and jives seem to put the rabbits under a spell.
It seems mesmerised and doesn't run away.
The nimble stoat then chooses its moment.
This dance of death allows it to tackle prey, like adult rabbits, eight times its own weight.
Battling it out for slot number 4 are two itsy-tricksy spiders - the corolla spider and the gladiator spider.
Their killer tactics have to be seen to be believed.
The corolla spider lives in the harsh environment of the Namibian desert, where there are strange patterns on the sand.
These circles are an amazing solution to an engineering problem.
Unable to spin webs, since the silk would be destroyed by the desert winds, this special-agent spider harnesses technology to catch its prey.
A foraging ant is walking through a minefield.
It hasn't got a clue about the danger.
If it touches the wrong stone, it means certain death, because inside each perfect circle is a deadly corolla spider, waiting to ensnare the next victim.
A trap as sophisticated as this takes a lot of hard work to get right, and every special agent needs a few gadgets.
Seven or eight round pebbles are ideal.
But some just aren't up to the job.
Each carefully selected pebble is made of quartz.
This is essential, as quartz has a special property.
It can transmit vibrations.
Within the burrow, silk lines are attached to the edge of each pebble and then to the spider.
The trap is set.
If the ant touches any of the quartz pebbles, they transmit the tiny vibrations along the silk and straight to the spider.
This vital intelligence tells the spider exactly where and when to strike.
Mission accomplished.
Well, that was just unbelievable.
But if you think that was impressive, just wait until you meet our next crafty contender, the gladiator spider.
This little warrior spins a very special type of silk.
She backcombs it to make it particularly fuzzy.
It's also extremely elastic, which is very important.
She checks to see how far she is from the ground, carefully measuring the distance with her legs.
Then she snips free the ends of the fuzzy rectangle.
It might look like a small handkerchief, but it's actually a really lethal bit of kit.
She's ready, and just in time.
A cricket is foraging below.
Her aim must be on target as she only has one shot.
Oh, that is mind-blowing! The net works perfectly.
Now the prey must be parcelled up for later.
The fuzzy silk makes an excellent napkin.
So, who gets the hot seat at 4? Glorious gladiator or the stone-spinning corolla? For her fuzzy-fibre-net-throwing skills, it's the gladiator who wins.
Only three places left.
Time to bring in the big guns.
It's the alligator snapping turtle, armed with a monstrous weapon of devious trickery.
Dwelling in the dark, murky swamps of southeastern USA, they have some of the most powerful jaws on the planet.
And they use their super-strong mouths to chomp through anything and everything.
Flesh, gristle and even bone.
But that's not all.
This weapon is double trouble.
For inside these gigantic jaws is the really clever bit.
By wriggling this fleshy growth on its tongue, the snapping turtle imitates a worm.
Now, watch closely.
This fish thinks it's just about to have its lunch, when in fact, it's about to be lunch.
This is one crafty predator who I just have to meet.
Oh, wow! Yes! Oh, my goodness! Look at the size of it! There's two! There's two in there! Er, we actually have three.
I don't believe it! I cannot tell you how heavy this is.
Wow! Absolutely unreal.
Three giant alligator snapping turtles.
I'm just going to be real careful, real gentle.
Try to ease them out.
Just make sure your right hand - doesn't stray from that spot.
- OK.
- Right.
- Good job, man.
Good job.
You got him.
Whoo! That is a big turtle.
Probably the largest freshwater turtle in the world.
But that isn't really what's so impressive about him.
Look at the size of that head.
It's totally out of proportion to the rest of the body.
And most of that is just pure muscle power driving that jaw.
At the edge of it is Well, it's incredibly sharp.
It doesn't have teeth cos it doesn't need to have, really.
It's almost like a great big curved kitchen knife.
You can see the hooked snout at the end.
Actually, I'm not going to be able to hold him like this for long, cos he's just too heavy.
Looking at the shape of the head and the body, it's very irregular.
The colour's quite dark, and he blends in really, really well with all the vegetation at the bottom of the water here.
And then, as soon as a fish gets too close, the head snaps out like that, the jaws clamp shut incredibly quickly, and the fish is history.
And now it's the animal who's the sultan of stealth.
Number 2, the leopard.
Its killer tactic is surprise attack.
Don't be deceived by this lazy-looking leopard dozing in the daytime.
Behind those sleepy eyes lurks the mind of the most skilful stalker in the animal kingdom.
Darkness helps her execute her cunning plan.
Infrared cameras now give us the chance to see into the secretive nocturnal world of this stealthy cat.
Antelope have a well-developed sense of smell and very good hearing.
But at night, when the moon sinks behind a cloud, they're almost blind.
It's just about pitch black.
And for the antelope, there's deadly danger creeping up on them in the dark.
Remember, you can see what's going on thanks to the infrared camera, but the antelope can't see a thing.
This is when the leopard sneaks right up to them, like a thief in the night.
Each footfall is considered and silent.
A tiny noise could give the game away.
She even controls her breathing.
She must be as quiet as she can.
With the right posture, in the right place, at the right time, she's ready for the perfect pounce.
After she's made a kill, this cool cat has the strength and agility to haul the carcass high up into the treetops, where no other predator can reach it a crafty manoeuvre which allows her to enjoy her meal in peace and at leisure.
The leopard is at the top of its game with its winning combination of killer tactics.
They're usually very hard to see, but I was lucky and found one on a dark and stormy African evening.
That is proper lightning.
Mark, she's right down here and looking straight at me and coming out into the open.
I do not believe this.
This is Africa's most elusive, most secretive cat, just wandering around, trying to figure out what her next move is going to be.
I've never seen anything like this in my life.
If she gets any closer, guys, don't move a muscle.
A leopard is so unpredictable, it's arguably the most dangerous big cat in Africa.
Literally metres away from us.
Well, we've just seen one of the most elusive, cunning, shy, secretive cats in the world, stalking around us, out in the open, in a full-on electrical storm.
It's something that none of us are going to forget in a hurry.
So, if the super-skilled leopard isn't number 1, who is? Time for the Top 10 Killer Tactics countdown.
Nifty 9, the African hunting dog.
Exquisite 8, the leaf-tailed geckos.
Great! Super-tongued 7, the garter snake.
Stealthy 6, the chimpanzee.
Fancy-footed 5, the stoat's jive.
Fantastic 4, the gladiator spider.
Throttling 3, alligator snapping turtle.
Tip-toed 2, the super-skilled leopard.
So, who's at the top? Any ideas? Well, my totally tactical number 1 is the humpback whale.
For me, this is the ultimate strategic predator.
For the sheer scale of its fishing technique, and its killer combination of teamwork and intelligence, no other animal comes close.
Just wait till you see this! Each summer, humpbacks come to hunt vast shoals of herring off the Pacific northwest coast of America.
Millions and millions of fish, an incredible bonanza of food if you know how to catch them.
And a very few smart whales know how to catch an entire shoal.
Like giant jet fighters on a mission, the squadron swim in tight formation behind a lead whale.
She has the knowledge of how to drive the hunt.
It's herjob to find the herring.
She dives down deep and creates a shimmering trap.
The sea suddenly fills with bubbles.
The lead whale is circling below a shoal of herring, and blowing bubbles as she turns.
This makes a net of bubbles which surround the terrified fish.
Then an eerie call fills the water.
It's a battle cry.
The other whales assume their attack positions.
Together they charge to the surface, inside the ring of bubbles.
The herring rocket into the air trying to escape, but the whales' huge mouths gape, and between them, the entire shoal is engulfed.
Each whale weighs as much as six T.
Rexs.
They're powering up through the water faster than you can run.
What chance do these herring have? Uniquely smart, utterly vast, and with possibly the most intelligent hunting technique in the world, the bubble-blowing, shoal-swallowing, squadron-swimming humpback has the ultimate killer tactic combination.
Don't forget to join me next time for more Deadly Top 10s.
Who's going to be the Deadly number 1?