Venomous BLUE TARANTULA Caught in Asia!

0:08 That is a really big tarantula and it has blue legs.

0:13 [music] This is the coolest looking tarantula I have ever seen before.

0:16 This is not a spider that uh you can just pick up.

0:19 Tarantulas in Asia can be super venomous.

0:22 [music] Look at that.

0:29 This is not a spider that I would just want to hold.

0:32 A bite [music] from the spiders out here in Thailand is a totally

0:35 different ball game than the ones that we're used to handling in Arizona.

0:41 Yeah, that that time got me.

0:42 That time got me good.

0:43 But I had to take a chance so I could show you guys how cool this arachnid is.

0:47 [music] The venom from the species of tarantula out here in Thailand.

0:51 We're talking difficulty breathing, heart arhythmia, convulsions, vomiting.

0:56 Those are definitely symptoms that would send you to the hospital.

0:58 I'm going to attempt to hold the spider by the carropus

1:01 so I could show you the fangs that I'm trying to avoid.

1:05 Okay, I'm going to put it down again.

1:07 Oh jeez.

1:10 Grab my snake hook.

1:12 It is [music] so fast.

1:13 Look how Look at how it flies up.

1:16 See those fangs?

1:19 Okay, let's try again.

1:28 Oh my gosh.

1:30 All right, that took a lot of nerves.

1:34 Let's boost the lights.

1:36 It's chewing on that stick.

1:38 This spider wouldn't even hesitate for a second to put a bite on me.

1:41 And its venom be a whole lot worse than a beast thing.

1:47 Wow.

1:48 All right, I'm going to carefully put it down and we're

1:51 going to head out there and continue our search for scorpions.

1:59 Oh, that's a bark scorpion right there.

2:01 Leaf lurk.

2:02 I'm going to use these tweezers to pick the scorpion

2:04 out and then I'll get a safe grasp on the stinger.

2:09 Oh.

2:10 Oh no.

2:14 I think I lost it, guys.

2:15 Gosh, I thought that was going to be the easiest pick of all time.

2:18 They're super fast.

2:19 Seeing a scorpion doesn't mean catching a scorpion.

2:22 Let's keep moving and see if we can find another one.

2:26 Here's a big wood pile.

2:28 This is a great spot.

2:30 So, bark scorpions like to live under bark or under logs.

2:34 I want to search this log pile really well.

2:38 Oh, I saw one.

2:40 I think there's one right underneath this piece of wood.

2:44 Yep.

2:45 Right there.

2:48 Whoa.

2:48 Check that out.

2:50 Okay, let's try again for another grab with the tweezers.

2:53 Okay, here we go.

2:58 One, two, three.

3:02 Got it.

3:03 Got it.

3:04 Got it.

3:04 Got it.

3:04 Yes.

3:05 Yes.

3:05 Yes.

3:07 This is why I wanted to use tweezers first.

3:11 Look at how small the tip of that tail is.

3:13 And as you grab that tail just a a little bit off, you're taking a sting.

3:18 Dangerous little game of operation here.

3:20 [music] And look at that.

3:29 Look at how much it lights up.

3:30 It's like highlighter fluorescent.

3:32 [music] And that's the only way I would have ever seen the scorpion.

3:35 Now, don't let the size fool you guys.

3:38 the locals here in Thailand that this is a scorpion they fear.

3:41 And that's [music] why I'm going to get out the sting table and intentionally be

3:45 stung by the Thai ar scorpion to see just how potent it sting truly is.

3:50 All right, we're setting up for the sting.

3:53 It's daylight.

3:54 We have our bark scorpion getting the table out.

3:57 But man, guys, I am I'm pretty nervous.

4:00 Bark scorpions are, at least where we're from, a very serious thing.

4:05 And I did some homework last night,

4:07 some research into the severity of the tiebark scorpion.

4:10 I really couldn't find much of anything.

4:11 So, this is truly going to be an experiment into the unknown of scorpion stings.

4:16 Time to set up the sting table.

4:18 This table's been around the world seen its fair share of carnage.

4:24 How are you feeling?

4:25 Uh, I'm getting nervous.

4:26 Let's uh get out one more piece of equipment.

4:32 Epi pen.

4:33 Don't leave home without it.

4:35 Okay, so there [music] we have it.

4:37 The bark scorpion.

4:39 Let me tell you why I'm getting nervous about being stung by this species.

4:44 The general rule is the smaller the pinchers, the more potent the venom.

4:49 The larger the pinchers, the less potent the venom.

4:52 And that has to do a lot with how these animals are eating their food.

4:55 If you have big pinchers and you can put

4:57 your prey into submission just by brute [music] force,

5:00 you're not going to need a venom that's that potent.

5:02 But if you have thin tiny pinchers like this scorpion,

5:06 you're [music] going to need the venom to do most of the work.

5:08 So this species of bark scorpion has very thin and tiny pinchers,

5:13 which leads me to believe the venom and it's going to hurt a lot.

5:17 Oh man, I'm starting to sweat.

5:18 I don't know if that's the sun coming

5:20 out or it's my nerves starting to fire off,

5:23 but I am getting getting a little dry mouth here.

5:26 Let me get a get a sip of my Summit Adventure fuel.

5:31 I got to stay hydrated.

5:34 It is hot, hot, hot out here in Thailand.

5:37 All right, it is go time with the bark scorpion.

5:41 I'm going to rate the sting on three different factors.

5:43 Intimidation, pain of the sting, and of [music] course, the aftermath.

5:47 If this bark scorpion is anything like the bark scorpions in North America,

5:51 the aftermath could quite [music] possibly be

5:53 its biggest score out of all three factors.

5:56 But it's time it's time to get into it.

5:58 So, here's how it's going to go down.

5:59 I'm going to take the scorpion out of the capsule.

6:02 I'm going to hold its tail with the tweezers.

6:04 I'm going to use my finger to take the sting.

6:07 I'm going to release the tail.

6:08 Bang, bang, bang.

6:09 I'll put it back in the capsule and then I think you can guess [music] the rest.

6:14 But I'll try to endure the pain and then

6:16 tell you exactly what the experience is like.

6:19 It's time to enter the sting zone with the bark scorpion.

6:20 Let's get it out of the capsule.

6:25 Now, I don't want to lose it.

6:27 If it gets off this table, it's going to be bad news.

6:37 Okay.

6:37 Okay.

6:38 We got to go fast.

6:38 We got to go fast.

6:39 Everything in my brain right [music] now is screaming,

6:43 "Don't do this." And that is a really

6:46 good instinct for everyone at home to follow.

6:49 Never intentionally do anything like this.

6:51 Hopefully by me going through this wall,

6:54 learn what we need to know about the sting of this tiny bark scorpion.

7:02 I'm Mark Vens and I'm about to enter the sting

7:05 zone with the dreaded bark scorpion of Tyler on three.

7:13 One, two, three.

7:23 Oh, wow.

7:26 Oh my gosh.

7:28 Where is he?

7:28 Where'd he go?

7:29 Wow.

7:30 Oh my gosh, guys.

7:31 That was like a lightning bolt.

7:35 Trying to find him.

7:36 I'm losing him.

7:36 I'm losing him.

7:37 There he is.

7:38 All right.

7:39 Ah.

7:40 Wow.

7:42 Oh, talk to me, Mark.

7:43 What?

7:43 What do you think?

7:44 Hang on.

7:45 Uh-uh.

7:47 Oh.

7:49 Oh.

7:51 Ow.

7:54 Yeah.

7:55 Oh.

7:58 You okay?

8:06 It's bad.

8:07 [sighs and gasps] Wow.

8:11 Instant instant pain.

8:14 Instant pain.

8:18 Oh gosh.

8:18 I'm like getting like Whoa.

8:19 Whoa.

8:20 You okay?

8:20 It burns so bad, dude.

8:22 It burns.

8:27 See how red it's getting?

8:30 Ah, it's hot.

8:32 Pain.

8:32 It's hot.

8:33 It's hot.

8:34 Stings radiating all through this finger and it's spreading.

8:38 I can feel it coming up my finger.

8:42 Wow.

8:42 [snorts] It's like electrical shocks, man.

8:50 [sighs and gasps] Wow.

8:52 This is going to be a whopper of a score.

8:55 Let's go to the BSI and see where

8:57 the Bark Scorpion of Thailand ranks on the index.

9:00 Here we go.

9:01 On intimidation, the Taibark scorpion's uncanny resemblance to the fearsome

9:05 Arizona bark scorpion set my nerves on fire.

9:08 My experience with that scorpion still ranks at number

9:11 two all time on the Brave Wilderness Bitsting Index.

9:14 Knowing that I might be in for my worst sting yet,

9:16 I give the Thai bark scorpion a 9 out of 10.

9:20 For pain, the sting of this scorpion was shockingly painful.

9:23 My hand immediately lit up with hot electrical pain.

9:27 And just like the Arizona bark scorpion,

9:29 it delivered this brutal sting extremely fast.

9:32 A sign that the venom is extraordinarily potent.

9:35 I have to give the pain rating a 9.5 out of 10.

9:39 The aftermath of this sting was interesting.

9:41 The sting site burned afterwards [music] and was clearly irritated,

9:44 but it didn't cause much swelling.

9:46 And while the hours and days that followed were very painful,

9:49 it was nowhere near the Arizona bark scorpion.

9:52 So, this one only earns an 8 out of 10 for the aftermath.

9:56 All things considered, the Tai Bark Scorpion [music] earns an 8.8 out of 10,

10:00 rightfully ranking high on the list of the Brave Wilderness Bite Sting Index,

10:04 but falling short of the mighty Arizona bark Scorpion.

10:13 Whoa, we got a rattlesnake right there.

10:14 You see it coiled up right there.

10:17 Back up a little bit, guys.

10:18 That is a western Diamondback rattlesnake.

10:19 Now, it is not a big one.

10:20 This is a juvenile, but it is still capable of inflicting a very serious bite.

10:26 Can use a snake hook to move snakes out of our way.

10:29 Just like this.

10:31 [music] Let the snake go.

10:34 And we keep searching for spiders.

10:36 [music] Yes, it's a great sign that we're

10:38 seeing all these venomous creatures out on the hunt.

10:40 This desert is coming alive.

10:42 Put a scorpion right at your foot.

10:44 Look at this desert hairy scorpion right there.

10:47 See if I can grab it.

10:48 [music] Best way to do this is just to grab

10:50 right at the top knuckle so it can't sting me.

10:53 See if we can get him to calm down.

10:54 Stay.

10:54 Stay buddy.

10:55 Stay buddy.

10:55 Come on.

10:56 There we go.

10:57 That's good.

11:04 Oh yeah, he's pinching me.

11:05 All right, here we go.

11:07 See show you what we got here.

11:09 That is a pretty good size giant desert hairy scorpion.

11:13 The largest species of scorpion in the United States.

11:16 Luckily, I've got a good grip on its stinger there.

11:19 But you can see there's even a little bit

11:21 of venom starting to come out of the tip of it.

11:23 If you [music] don't grab these guys correctly,

11:26 they will give you a pretty good pop.

11:28 You can see why they call them the desert hairy.

11:30 Look at all the hairs all over its body.

11:32 Doesn't get much cooler than these [music] large scorpions.

11:35 All right, let's put them back and keep looking for those tarantulas.

11:40 Scorpions and tarantulas are out here hunting the same food.

11:43 I have a feeling we're closing in on our giant spider.

11:53 Oh, I got a spider right there.

11:56 Let's go.

11:57 All right, I got my container.

11:58 Let's see if we can get a catch.

11:59 Okay, it's holes right here.

12:01 Going to need to move in carefully.

12:06 That is a big male.

12:11 Oh no, I lost it.

12:14 Hang on.

12:15 Hang on.

12:15 Maybe I can cos it back out.

12:17 Oh no.

12:19 Ah, lost it.

12:21 Wait.

12:21 Hang on.

12:22 It's still there.

12:24 Got it back.

12:25 I got it back.

12:29 Snake hook is coming in clutch.

12:32 Okay.

12:32 Co this direction.

12:34 See it rearing its abdomen up.

12:37 Okay.

12:38 Oh, just bit the snake hook.

12:39 Here we go, guys.

12:41 Got it.

12:42 Got it.

12:43 Here we go.

12:49 Oh, buddy.

12:50 That is a good one.

12:52 Big male desert blonde tarantula.

12:56 After a little bit of searching and a little bit of luck,

12:59 then we brought the snake hook.

13:01 We got ourselves our tarantula for the bite test.

13:05 All right, I'll tie it back in.

13:06 Let's go, guys.

13:08 Yes.

13:08 As fate would have it,

13:09 as we were heading back to start setting up for the bite test,

13:12 we saw an even bigger spider.

13:15 Oh, another tarantula.

13:16 This one looks bigger.

13:17 Oh, yeah.

13:18 Okay, let's try to catch this one, too.

13:20 All right.

13:20 I don't know how close it is to its hole, but I'm going to go in for the catch.

13:22 Here we go.

13:23 Holy cow, that is a huge freaking spider, guys.

13:27 Wow.

13:31 [laughter] [laughter] That is the specimen we have been after.

13:42 That is a truly huge tarantula.

13:45 [music] I did not expect this.

13:48 Not one but two huge desert blonde tarantulas.

13:53 What we have here are a male and a female.

13:57 And unfortunately for me, I think this video just turned from a tarantula

14:00 bite test to a tarantula bite comparison.

14:03 And I'm sure you are as curious as I am

14:05 which of these two spiders has the more painful bite.

14:08 It's time to find out.

14:09 I am definitely nervous.

14:12 Oh man.

14:17 Oh my goodness.

14:18 Two full-grown desert blonde tarantulas and the table is now set

14:25 for the ultimate spider bite test here in the Sonora Desert.

14:30 I'm not going to sugarcoat it.

14:31 What I'm about to do is a bad idea.

14:34 Please do not attempt to recreate what you're about to see in this video.

14:38 We [music] have two tarantulas here in front of us.

14:41 We have a male and the female, which we found unexpectedly.

14:45 [music] I think it is worth doing a bite test comparison to see which

14:50 bite is more ferocious because these spiders

14:53 live very different lives from each other.

14:55 [music] Females actually live for a lot longer.

14:57 We're talking 25 years for a female tarantula and only 5 to 10 years for a male.

15:03 Females tend to bunker down.

15:05 They stay a lot more localized to their nests

15:08 where the males are much more nomadic and predatory.

15:11 I have a suspicion that we have a very different bite profile

15:14 to these two spiders and we are going to put that to the ultimate test.

15:17 Let's take a closer look at Arizona's largest spider.

15:21 Ladies first.

15:22 In order to get some really good footage of the spider,

15:25 I'm going to move it into this glass dome.

15:27 And of course, we don't want our spider to get away.

15:32 All right.

15:33 Delicate little procedure here.

15:35 Wow.

15:41 There we go.

15:41 Perfect.

15:42 Perfect.

15:44 Perfect transfer.

15:45 Oh my goodness.

15:47 The fangs on these spiders are enormous.

15:51 It's not just going to be the venom that I'm up against today.

15:54 We're talking actual puncture wounds from fangs that large

15:57 in terms of what they're out here hunting and eating.

16:00 Pretty much anything that they can grapple onto.

16:03 They are very strong spiders and of course possessing those large fangs.

16:07 They could subdue a variety of prey.

16:10 Even small lizards would be a good meal for a spider this size.

16:14 The females tend to be a little bit bigger [music] than the males.

16:17 They are called a desert blonde tarantula predominantly because you can see

16:22 those hairs and just how blonde they are in [music] the middle.

16:25 But that is a fullgrown desert blonde tarantula.

16:30 The best way to probably go about doing

16:32 this is for me to grab it by its carropus, the top of the head of the spider,

16:37 and I'm going to try to pin it, grab it,

16:39 [music] and then I'll be able to show you the fangs

16:42 and of course inflict the bite right here on my thumb.

16:46 All right.

16:48 Um, brought a couple things with me today.

16:50 I have large pair of tweezers.

16:52 Of course, we always bring first aid kit.

16:55 Thing I need the most is the EpiPen.

16:57 The worst outcome that can happen besides the pain

16:59 that I'm about to experience is an allergic reaction.

17:02 I think it's time to take the first of [music] two bites from a tarantula.

17:06 Okay, here we go.

17:13 Now, the females are known for being a little more docile than the males beyond.

17:21 Oh, easy girl.

17:22 Easy girl.

17:24 Back, back, back.

17:25 So, [music] you see how it's rearing its abdomen up right there.

17:27 Beyond their capability to inflict bites,

17:30 they also possess another defense mechanism,

17:33 which [music] is to flick the hairs off their abdomen.

17:36 Females are rumored to be less aggressive, but this one looks ready to bite.

17:42 And what I'm trying to do right now is to get a good hold on the carropus.

17:47 This is the safest way for me to hold it for [music] both me and the tarantula.

17:53 There we go.

17:54 Oh jeez.

17:56 Okay, that was that that made my heart go.

18:00 Okay, the spider just wants to come right at me.

18:07 Oh my gosh, did you hear that?

18:12 That is the sound of spider fangs scraping the table.

18:20 Look at the size of those fangs.

18:23 And their fangs are retractable just like a snake.

18:26 And they are thick.

18:27 We're talking some very large fangs.

18:31 Those are going to pop holes in my skin for sure.

18:35 Got to get up a lot of nerves to do this.

18:37 Okay, I've got a good grip on the spider.

18:38 I'm going to go for it.

18:40 On three.

18:41 I'm Mark Vins and I'm about to take a bite from Arizona's largest spider,

18:46 the desert blonde tarantula.

18:47 [music] On three.

18:51 One.

18:55 [music] I'm so nervous.

18:55 Two.

18:58 Three.

19:03 Spider's fangs are on my skin.

19:10 Yep.

19:10 Got me.

19:12 You can see there's a little blood right there.

19:13 Only popped one fang through.

19:16 I think I got to take a better bite, guys.

19:17 That wasn't a good enough bite.

19:19 All right, I'm going to do one more.

19:20 Ready?

19:21 On three.

19:22 One, two, three.

19:34 Yeah, that that time it got me.

19:35 That time it got me good.

19:37 Oh my god, that freaked me out.

19:42 Oh my gosh.

19:44 Okay, hang on.

19:45 Let me get the spider back.

19:47 Get back in there, girl.

19:48 Get back in there.

19:50 Ah.

19:52 Yeah.

19:53 See right there?

19:54 See that?

19:57 Definitely burns.

19:58 Oh my gosh.

19:59 My adrenaline is like firing right now, guys.

20:02 I I feel like my soul just jumped out of my body.

20:06 That is the freak.

20:07 Most freaked out I've been around an animal.

20:10 And it definitely burns.

20:12 Oh man, my neck.

20:15 Yeah, my neck is like seized up.

20:18 It's like I've got a cramp right here.

20:19 I don't know if it's from the bite

20:20 or if it's from just the nerves and the tension.

20:24 Oh my gosh.

20:26 I think it's [music] nerves.

20:28 I I don't think it's from the venom.

20:31 Definitely burns.

20:32 It's uh it's definitely a burning sensation.

20:35 I had to really try hard to get that spider to bite me.

20:38 I want to point that out that this this spider did not want to bite.

20:43 But that was not an [music] aggression bite for sure.

20:46 Okay, I think I'm I'm good enough to do another bite.

20:49 I think it's time to bring in the second tarantula and see

20:54 if the male can inflict a more [music] aggressive bite wound,

20:59 which I have a feeling that's going to happen.

21:01 Males are known to be more aggressive and that's

21:03 why I wanted to do a bite test here.

21:05 Much darker in coloration than the female, too.

21:07 Not looking forward to this.

21:10 And my hand still burns from that first bite.

21:14 Okay.

21:15 Come here.

21:16 Come here.

21:16 You come here you.

21:20 Okay.

21:21 Got a pin.

21:23 Oh my gosh.

21:24 Way stronger.

21:26 Way stronger.

21:28 Way more aggressive.

21:29 Look at it attacking.

21:36 God.

21:37 Oh boy, that was tough.

21:39 Okay, there you have it.

21:42 the male desert blonde tarantula.

21:47 Here are the fangs.

21:49 You can see just as terrifying [music] as the female spider.

21:54 And you can see there's even venom on these.

21:57 Okay, on three.

21:58 I'm about to take my second bite this time

22:01 from a male and much more aggressive desert blonde tarantula.

22:06 On three.

22:08 One, two, three.

22:14 Just waiting for the bite to come.

22:19 You see, he does not want to bite me.

22:24 It's not as angry as the female.

22:26 No.

22:26 Big reaction is that these these animals do not want to bite me.

22:31 So, while we've given this spider plenty of opportunity to inflict a bite,

22:35 [music] you can see it really has no intent to do me any harm.

22:38 And frankly, it should be a lot more afraid of me than I am of it.

22:43 So, I hope after watching this video, we all have learned some important

22:47 lessons about Arizona's [music] largest spider.

22:50 Even though these spiders are large and admittedly pretty creepy,

22:54 you really have no reason to fear them.

22:57 And honestly, their venom isn't that strong because spiders this large

23:01 tend to use their [music] strength to overtake their prey.

23:03 They don't want to bite you.

23:04 And even if they do, it's really not that bad.

23:08 All right, let's let our spiders back off into [music] the desert.

23:11 Right now, I am out tide pooling in eastern

23:13 Australia in search of the deadliest creature on the planet.

23:16 The blue ring octopus has one of the most toxic venoms on Earth.

23:20 And if we're lucky [music] enough to find one,

23:22 I'm going to attempt to touch it with my bare hands.

23:25 But first things first, let's get looking.

23:27 From experience tide pooling, the best results are usually from the edge.

23:32 The further out you can go, the better.

23:36 An octopus can change the texture of its [music]

23:38 skin and it would just look like any of these.

23:41 Now, I've struck out on all three previous

23:44 occasions trying to locate a blue ring octopus.

23:46 I'm [music] hoping fourth times a charm.

23:48 The difference this time is I'm searching with my good friend Miller Wilson,

23:51 who has seen blue rings in these tide pools before.

23:54 It's very hard to pick a octopus that's

23:56 a master [music] of camouflage out from this environment.

23:59 It's about to be low tide, and this is probably one of the most

24:02 dangerous tide pools that I have ever searched.

24:04 So, wearing some nice protective shoes, gloves.

24:09 I don't really want to handle the octopus,

24:10 but the gloves should protect me [music] just in case.

24:13 And of course, we still need to watch our steps

24:15 because if you look at this, all these rocks out here, exactly like a stonefish.

24:20 And this is stonefish territory.

24:22 The stonefish is the world's most venomous fish.

24:24 If you step on one, your boots will not protect you.

24:28 A single sting from a stonefish can be excruciating and can even be deadly.

24:36 But no octopus.

24:38 Flipping's not really doing it.

24:39 So, I'm just going to cruise to cover a lot of ground.

24:41 Looking for movement.

24:42 A lot of times I do see octopus moving from pocket to pocket,

24:45 but they slink along the surface.

24:47 So, I'm just looking for any movement right now.

24:49 Any movement.

24:50 We're getting it, though.

24:51 Feel it.

25:02 Oh my god.

25:02 I got an octopus.

25:03 I got a blue ring, guys.

25:10 It's right here.

25:18 There it is.

25:21 I missed it.

25:24 It's right in here.

25:26 It's right here.

25:28 How could I miss that?

25:31 That was it.

25:34 [music] Got it.

25:38 Oh my gosh, we got one.

25:43 Are you kidding me?

25:44 Yes.

25:46 Boom, baby.

25:47 Boom.

25:47 Yes.

25:49 Holy cow.

25:52 Miller, we're good.

25:54 We got one.

25:55 Can you help me get out of the net?

25:58 So, you'll see I'm wearing gloves, guys, for a reason right now.

26:01 This is This is a really good way to get a nip.

26:04 That is not what I want.

26:07 Put that guy in there.

26:08 The little guy.

26:09 Hey, buddy.

26:12 Let's talk about what we found.

26:14 Right there in my hand is the most dangerous animal on the planet.

26:20 At least when it comes to venom.

26:22 Nothing in the animal kingdom is more toxic than this tiny little octopus.

26:30 And yes, I am nervous about it.

26:31 [music] But before the end of this video,

26:33 I will officially touch with my bare hand

26:36 the most dangerous and toxic creature on Earth.

26:40 There are actually [music] four described varieties of blue ring octopus.

26:45 This one is the blue lined octopus.

26:48 It's the only one in the family that has

26:51 these really cool vivid blue pinstripes [music] surrounding the body.

26:56 It's almost like blue tiger stripes.

26:59 So, if this [music] animal is at all threatened here,

27:00 I want to show you what it does.

27:02 See that?

27:04 Look at those rings go.

27:09 Is that cool or what?

27:11 Oh.

27:11 Oh.

27:11 Oh.

27:12 Okay.

27:12 Stay down.

27:14 Stay down.

27:15 If the octopus [music] is at all agitated,

27:17 not only does it flare up the rings on its arms,

27:21 but those lines on its body glow.

27:24 Back up.

27:25 I'm toxic.

27:26 [music] That's your abosmatic warning.

27:28 And if you don't listen to me, I'm going to give you a nip.

27:31 And they show these vivid display warnings not only for predators,

27:36 but they also do it while they're hunting.

27:38 They will do it to confuse or [music] startle their wouldbe prey.

27:42 This is what our octopus friend here is out hunting.

27:46 This is a type of shore crab,

27:47 but this would be the perfect food for the octopus.

27:51 All right, we're going to let this crab go.

27:52 A single bite from this octopus could kill over 20 human beings.

27:59 Needless to say, if I get nipped by this creature,

28:03 that'll be the last nip I ever take.

28:06 Now, these octopus are nocturnal, [music] and they are masters of camouflage.

28:10 Its normal color pattern perfectly blends in to this silty environment.

28:15 They have three hearts that pump blue blood.

28:18 They also have nine brains.

28:21 one central brain to run the entire nervous system.

28:24 But then at the base of each arm, they have another brain.

28:27 And you can see there that little beak holds two venom sacks.

28:31 And it's actually a toxin that it

28:33 doesn't even produce itself that it actually picks

28:35 up through bacteria that it finds in the environment

28:38 through other organisms in this tide pool.

28:40 And it collects this bacteria in its saliva glands.

28:43 And when it uses its beak to bite into its prey or a predator for escape,

28:48 it will actually inject saliva into the wound.

28:51 Once this saliva enters the bloodstream, you get infected with TTX.

28:56 No animal has as lethal of a dose as the blue ring octopus does.

29:02 If you get even [music] a micro amount of TTX in your bloodstream,

29:06 all you can do is be put on life support and hope

29:09 that eventually your body works through the toxin on its own.

29:13 And here's the worst part about it.

29:14 While you might be in complete paralysis, you are lucid.

29:17 There are survivors that have lived to tell [music] the tale of having

29:21 people try to resuscitate them giving active

29:23 CPR and they weren't able to communicate, but they remember everything.

29:29 And a lot of people get bitten by these octopus because of mistaken identity.

29:33 You'll come out to a local beach in Tyel.

29:35 Guys, turn your cameras right now.

29:37 This is an active beach.

29:38 People take their dogs and kids and play on this beach.

29:41 And these animals live all along the coastline.

29:44 Now, that's not to scare you.

29:45 Obviously, we're out here actively looking for them.

29:46 They're hard to find,

29:48 but people do unfortunately come into contact

29:50 with these octopus and they will pick them up,

29:52 play with them, and in that process take a bite, which is completely painless.

29:56 By the way, initial symptoms are going to be things like [music] tingling,

30:01 difficulty breathing, difficulty thinking,

30:04 loss of your motor skills, wobbly walking.

30:07 If you think you are ever bitten by a blue

30:09 ring octopus and you start to have symptoms,

30:11 you have to be rushed to the hospital fast as you can.

30:15 We're talking like lifelight situation because you

30:17 only have a matter of minutes before your whole nervous system start to shut

30:21 down and you're no longer able to breathe.

30:24 and saying all that while holding the [music] octopus in your hand.

30:29 It's hard to remember the last time I was

30:32 this [music] nervous in the presence of an animal.

30:35 All right, the time has come for something that I've thought a lot about.

30:42 Because I know the only way that this octopus has

30:47 the ability to invenimate you is a bite with its beak.

30:51 I'm going to attempt to touch with my bare

30:54 hand the most lethal toxic animal on the planet.

30:58 In order to do that, I'm going to just dump out this water.

31:02 Look at that.

31:03 The octopus is trying to mimic the color of the cube.

31:07 Rest assured, this is just a camouflage tactic.

31:09 They are masters at this.

31:11 That octopus is still very much able to pounce and bite.

31:14 They can spend extended periods out of water.

31:17 All right.

31:17 So, just so you guys know, uh,

31:20 if this blue ring does snare me, we're going to the hospital on three.

31:26 One, two, three.

31:43 Oh, that made me nervous.

31:48 All right, lid back on.

31:50 I don't think I was just bitten now, but I'm I'm not completely sure.

31:54 I had to take a break, guys,

31:55 cuz like I'm definitely feeling a little lightheaded.

31:58 Like major anxiety.

32:01 That animal right there, if you get bit, it's game over.

32:05 It's lights out, guys.

32:08 I am like shaking right now.

32:09 Like my feet are tingling.

32:11 things that you normally wouldn't pick up on like heart rate, how I'm breathing,

32:16 tingle feeling like I'm just from like

32:18 all the adrenaline pumping through my body.

32:20 Um, and the the emotions are intense.

32:25 Super intense.

32:27 Got to shake that off.

32:28 The anxiety that I'm experiencing on camera is real as I

32:31 had almost identical symptoms to that of a blue ring bite.

32:35 While I was 99% sure I wasn't bitten,

32:38 we had to closely monitor my symptoms until

32:40 we deemed it safe enough to continue filming.

32:43 The symptoms of these bites can be subtle and can be

32:45 hard to differentiate from anxiety and panic from other sources of stress.

32:50 Please never attempt to do what you are seeing in this video.

32:53 I cannot stress enough if you are bitten [music] by a blue ring octopus,

32:57 you must seek medical attention immediately.

33:00 I think I'm all right.

33:00 I think I'm okay to continue.

33:01 Let's keep going.

33:03 Okay.

33:04 I it's been a while since I've had this kind

33:06 of reaction to being an encounter with an animal.

33:09 Like it's like my first time seeing a venomous snake.

33:12 It's like all kinds of emotions right [music] now.

33:15 Just brushing up against one in the tide pool.

33:17 Whether you're walking around, if you accidentally touch one,

33:19 you're going to be just fine.

33:20 It's like every other octopus.

33:22 The difference only occurs [music] when you

33:24 take a bite from the beak right there.

33:27 Let's let the octopus go.

33:28 I'm Mark Vins.

33:29 Be brave.

33:30 Stay wild.

33:32 We'll see you on the next adventure.

33:42 [music] [music] Welcome back to Guadalupe, Mexico,

34:00 the site of our [music] very first great white shark encounters.

34:06 Aboard the Sakura Vortex,

34:07 we traveled over 175 mi to this prehistoric island in hopes

34:12 of getting up close with the world's largest predatory shark.

34:15 Here we go.

34:18 And as millions of you witnessed, that's exactly what we did.

34:24 But what if I were to tell you that we really

34:26 didn't come all of this way for an ordinary shark cage adventure?

34:30 What if I were to tell you [music] the real reason we came

34:33 this far was to embark on the single

34:35 most daring mission we've [music] ever attempted?

34:39 Today, I will take you even closer to the most famous

34:42 set of jaws on Earth in a one-of-a-kind shark cage submarine.

34:48 By now, I'm sure everyone watching this video has

34:51 at least seen images of a great white shark before.

34:55 But have you ever seen a spock?

34:57 Probably not, because this self-propelled ocean

35:00 cage is highly experimental and can

35:03 only be piloted by one of two people in the entire world.

35:06 Now, the sharks will let us get close

35:08 in this or are they going to get close to us?

35:10 Well, both.

35:11 Yeah.

35:12 Meet Eric Haggera, our pilot for today's mission

35:15 and a worldrenowned marine biologist and ocean photographer.

35:19 So, no matter what, we're not going to sink.

35:22 Well, that's that that would be [clears throat] the second step.

35:24 That's not That's not what I wanted to hear.

35:26 Eric, [laughter] I want you to say, "Yeah, we're not going to sink."

35:28 You are in charge of monitoring your own air supply system.

35:33 I won't be able to monitor that.

35:35 If you run out of air, it's going to be your fault.

35:37 You're probably asking yourself or maybe even yelling at your screen,

35:41 why are you putting yourself in this situation?

35:44 Well, what we know of these mysterious creatures

35:46 has been limited to years of topside observation,

35:49 cage diving, and the infrequent free dive experiences

35:53 that only a few have lived to speak of.

35:56 So, this vehicle truly represents an evolution

35:58 in our understanding of the world's most famous shark,

36:02 which is also perhaps the world's most famous animal.

36:05 All right, so we had our debriefing

36:06 with Eric on the self-propelled ocean cage, aka Spock.

36:10 And I have to say, I am so excited to get

36:14 out there and in the water in this research vehicle.

36:17 This is going to be probably one of the most unique experiences you

36:20 could have with great white sharks in a safe way without free diving.

36:24 I mean, certainly someday I'd love to have

36:25 the opportunity to free dive with great white sharks,

36:27 but this is about as close as you're going to get here in Guadalupe.

36:31 And now all we need to do is go get suited up,

36:33 get our cameras ready, and get out there for some action.

36:38 As if this activity in of itself wasn't dangerous enough,

36:41 the technical nature of this dive was also quite daunting.

36:44 [music] I would need to wear a full face

36:46 regulator in order to maybe have communication with the pilot.

36:50 However, underwater comms are notoriously unreliable.

36:54 I would also be wearing a pony bottle BC in the case of an emergency

36:58 bailout in which I would need to rip off my full face rag to use it.

37:02 Not ideal.

37:04 Additionally, I would be wearing nearly 30 lb of weight without bins and I

37:09 would sink like a rock 1 ft outside the confines of the cage.

37:13 Oh, and did I mention this was an experimental craft?

37:16 The connections and critical mechanisms were all exposed

37:18 and at risk of damage from the divers.

37:21 If I were to kick one accidentally, it could prove catastrophic.

37:25 Eric is in the spock.

37:27 I'm about to get in the spock.

37:29 And then we're about to go get up close.

37:33 Okay, here we go, guys.

37:34 See you.

37:35 This was potentially the most dangerous step

37:38 of the day and potentially of my entire life.

37:44 Jump in and miss grabbing the cage, you sink fast.

37:50 This was a one-shot deal, a no miss scenario.

37:54 This wasn't just water.

37:55 It might as well have been looking off a 50story skyscraper.

38:01 This was it.

38:06 As soon as I got hold of the bar, I pulled myself into the cage.

38:11 And what had seemed roomy on the deck had suddenly shrunk,

38:15 and there was barely any room to move.

38:19 All right, I'm all set.

38:21 Ready to go.

38:23 But what was worse, my headset was silent.

38:27 The communications had already failed.

38:30 Eric and I would rely solely on hand signals for the entirety of the dive.

38:34 In a way, I was now completely on my own.

38:38 Once settled and breathing normally,

38:40 I set the cameras and gave Eric the signal to launch.

38:45 In an instant, we were off.

38:47 The rush of water pressing against me as we glided

38:50 below the boat was much more intense than I expected.

38:54 Great, another obstacle.

38:58 After adapting to these new sensations, the environment came into view.

39:04 Clear and brilliant blues to my sides and above with a dark,

39:07 ominous floor below, which wasn't really a floor at all.

39:11 instead literally thousands of feet of water.

39:16 The sharks were all around us, yet none of them were in sight.

39:21 So, we began our descent in hopes of meeting a great white shark face to face.

39:34 Eric zipped the Spock up and down,

39:36 checking different depths for shadows and signs of movement.

39:40 The thermoclines or [music] temperature layers were dramatic.

39:44 Each dive down would zap us with freezing cold

39:46 water and the light would retreat right along with it.

39:52 It was very dark below 60 ft.

39:54 A perfect environment for these sharks as they

39:57 have adapted retinas that are actually split.

40:00 One part suited for surface light and one part adapted for darkness.

40:05 And while we certainly require wet suits

40:07 to regulate our body temperatures to keep from hypothermia,

40:10 the sharks are able to regulate their bodies all on their own.

40:23 We had been looking for nearly 25 minutes without a single sign of a shark.

40:28 But then I saw a shadow to my right.

40:31 It was big.

40:33 I signaled to Eric to turn starboard and as soon as he did,

40:36 a great white swam into view.

40:40 I should have been alarmed the way it seemed to appear from nowhere.

40:44 However, with my camera rolling,

40:46 I was thrilled [music] to feel our speed increase to keep up with the predator.

40:50 I couldn't risk missing the shot.

40:55 The shark easily outflanked us and for a moment seemed to be gone entirely.

41:01 Then it quickly doubled back and was in front of us again.

41:06 However, we never really got that close.

41:09 A first sighting, yes, but the shot we were after, not at all.

41:14 This adventure was far from over.

41:20 After the relief of getting some footage had washed over me,

41:23 I was back on the lookout.

41:29 Great whites can grow up to 1 ton and over 18

41:32 ft in length and swim at speeds in excess of 30 mph.

41:37 Even with the Spock to protect us,

41:39 I couldn't help but feel completely outmatched.

41:42 But who could blame me?

41:44 It's not every day you find yourself in the kill zone,

41:46 a favorite hunting ground of the great white.

41:51 Again, we dashed around the grounds.

41:53 Only sardines and other fish came into view.

41:58 And after 45 minutes, I began to think that was it.

42:02 That was as close as we were going to get.

42:06 When then Eric suddenly turned.

42:09 He must have seen something I hadn't.

42:12 I knew we were near the boat, but I wasn't quite sure how close.

42:16 And then I saw the shark.

42:20 It was swimming straight for us.

42:24 All I could do was breathe and keep my camera as steady as possible.

42:30 This was it.

42:32 The encounter of a lifetime.

42:38 Time slowed in that moment.

42:40 And as the shark moved and swam back around for an even closer look,

42:45 the fact that I was being observed

42:47 and calculated by this creature was unmistakable.

42:50 A real connection between myself and the shark

42:53 that I've been dreaming to meet had finally happened.

43:00 As it turned and swam away, a sense of relief came over me.

43:04 I was ready to be back on the boat,

43:06 but I wanted to tell everyone the tale of how obvious and beneficial vessels

43:10 like the Spock would be for revealing

43:13 the true nature of this misunderstood species.

43:16 I certainly would be walking away today

43:18 with a brand new perspective that I never thought possible.

43:24 Woo!

43:25 We got really close to a shark.

43:27 That was awesome.

43:28 That was a shot we needed.

43:30 So much more intense than I thought it was going to be.

43:34 Just give me a second.

43:35 Need to like absorb the fact that I'm back on the boat.

43:40 Wow, what an experience getting to be in the realm

43:44 of the great white shark in a shark cage submersible.

43:48 Are you kidding me?

43:49 That was the coolest thing I have ever done.

43:51 The water viz got pretty bad at the end,

43:52 but we did get to see some great white sharks up close.

43:55 In fact, that last one I thought was going to hit the camera.

43:58 Huge thank you to Coral Vortex and all the crew that helped us out today.

44:01 A special thanks to Eric for captaining the Spock and keeping me

44:05 safe so I can get those up close shots for everybody at home.

44:08 I hope you guys love this episode as much as I did.

44:10 Make sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell so you

44:13 don't miss a second of the action ahead on Blue Wilderness.

44:16 I'm Mark Bins.

44:17 Be brave.

44:18 Stay wild.

44:20 We'll see you on the next dive.

44:21 All right, I'm going to go warm up and dry off.

44:25 As the boat departed back from the mainland,

44:28 I couldn't help but be grateful for all

44:30 that took place these last few days in Guadalupe.

44:33 I knew I would be back.

44:35 When?

44:36 I don't really know.

44:37 for another round in the Spock?

44:39 Probably not.

44:41 I won't lie, that was pretty crazy.

44:45 Sorry, Mom.

44:46 All right, guys.

44:47 It is the wee hours of the morning here in Western Australia,

44:50 and we woke up early because we are trying

44:52 to find one of the world's smallest marsupials, the honey possum.

44:56 These tiny creatures only live in Western Australia

44:59 and are rarely ever seen because they are super quick,

45:02 hopping and bouncing from tree to tree.

45:04 Now, while they are smaller than a mouse,

45:06 they are actually related to koalas, kangaroos, and wombats.

45:09 And if I'm able to catch one, I'm going to show you why this is one

45:12 of the most impressive and smallest mammals in the entire world.

45:16 Now, these creatures are very agile.

45:18 In order to have any chance of getting one up close to the cameras,

45:22 we're going to need to use some technology to aid [music] us.

45:24 So, what we have here is a thermal scope.

45:26 You can see the scanner here, a live feed on the phone,

45:29 and it will detect any body heat coming off of these small possums.

45:33 And if we are able to spot one on the scope,

45:35 we're then going to race out of the car and try

45:36 to get hands-on with this super cool and super tiny marsupial.

45:41 Joining us on our possum search

45:43 is Max Jackson from Australia Wildlife Encounters.

45:46 If there's anyone who can spot a creature in the outback, it's him.

45:50 All right, so we're going to start our search by looking for plants that flower

45:53 because these honey possums live on a diet completely made up of flower nectar.

45:57 So if we find flowers,

45:58 that's going to be a good indication that there'll be honey psums in the area.

46:02 This heathland habitat is perfect because

46:04 typically at all times during the year,

46:06 there's always going to be something in bloom.

46:09 It didn't take long for Max to guide

46:11 us to a location full of orange banks flowers, a favorite of the honey possum.

46:15 Unfortunately, by the time we got there,

46:18 the day temperatures rose and the thermal

46:20 cameras became less and less effective, making it difficult to spot the tiny

46:24 warm-blooded possums apart from the hot bankia trees.

46:27 So, we decided that although we found our location,

46:30 we would need to return back the next morning for another try there.

46:35 That's something that it's on the flower, too.

46:38 That's a possome.

46:38 That's a possum.

46:39 Look at it.

46:40 That's totally possome itself.

46:41 We got it.

46:42 You can see the thermoscope [music] is picking up

46:44 a small creature at the top of this flower.

46:48 Hopefully, that is the honey possum we are after.

46:51 This is awesome.

46:52 All right, let's go.

46:58 Oh, yeah.

46:58 I see it.

46:59 Yeah, I see it.

47:00 Yeah, I see him.

47:01 I definitely see [music] him, man.

47:02 He's flying around there.

47:06 Yeah.

47:05 All right.

47:06 Do you want me to hold Stand back and you see if you can go for a grab?

47:10 Yeah.

47:09 I'll keep an eye on it with this laser.

47:13 Okay.

47:26 coming down at me.

47:28 Yeah, I don't see anything.

47:30 Thought I saw a flash of it when he first walked up, but it's hard to tell.

47:34 I could have just been a branch in the wind.

47:37 See, I saw him moving down.

47:38 I kind of lost track of him from there.

47:42 Um Oh, hang on.

47:45 There.

47:46 That there.

47:47 That's him.

47:48 He's moving around.

47:48 He's at the bottom.

47:49 He's like, he's this head level.

47:51 He's around there somewhere.

47:52 Okay.

47:54 So, he's going to be at the top of this tree.

48:04 Oh, I got him.

48:05 I see him.

48:07 I think he jumped down.

48:09 Saw him for like a fleeting [music] glimpse.

48:12 All right.

48:14 Well, let's keep trying.

48:18 Yeah, he's like right there.

48:21 Oh, I see him.

48:22 I see him.

48:22 I got eyes on him.

48:23 Here, take the phone.

48:24 Yeah, just drop it.

48:25 It's fine.

48:27 Okay, I am looking at it.

48:29 I am staring right at it.

48:40 Oh, I just jumped.

48:43 Yep.

48:52 Got him.

48:55 He's moving.

48:56 Where is he now?

48:57 Behind you.

48:58 That way.

48:59 Oh, I see him.

49:00 Oh no.

49:01 Oh no.

49:02 Oh no.

49:04 Oh, I was so close.

49:06 Oh my gosh.

49:08 I can't believe I missed that.

49:11 Oh yeah.

49:15 All right.

49:15 These guys move fast.

49:17 They are so incredibly quick.

49:20 Is it the flower again?

49:22 There's just too many escape routes for these honey psums to go.

49:26 I could see them.

49:26 I get within like an arms reach and then they see

49:29 me and go bing and just jump to the other branch.

49:32 And these trees are super dense.

49:35 Like the leaves are very prickly.

49:37 The branches are very stiff.

49:38 So like moving the tree around is really complicated.

49:41 I almost had him.

49:43 I'm not joking.

49:44 We may want to go back and get my tidepool net.

49:46 cuz they are so fast.

49:50 We've got one.

49:52 Paul, I see two.

49:54 There's one up high.

49:56 That one should be That one looks like it's really resting easily.

49:59 Let's go for it.

50:02 All right, I'm going to go in for a catch.

50:04 Yep.

50:04 Okay, here we go.

50:06 It's going to be right here.

50:11 Yeah, it's there somewhere.

50:13 What?

50:13 in front of it.

50:15 Should be looking right at it.

50:19 Hasn't moved yet.

50:20 Oh, I see him.

50:22 He's up.

50:24 Oh, wait.

50:26 There's a little bird's nest there.

50:30 Ah, but I think it was I think it was one of them because I saw a tail.

50:35 He's still there.

50:35 Oh, wait.

50:35 I'm looking right at him.

50:36 Yep, I see him.

50:38 Okay.

50:44 looking right at him.

50:46 Oh, he's moving.

50:46 He's moving.

50:47 He's running overhead.

50:48 I heard it this way.

50:50 He's up high, actually.

50:51 Um, you should be able to see him.

50:53 He's there back.

51:03 Got him.

51:04 Yeah.

51:04 Got one.

51:06 [laughter] We got a honey possum, guys.

51:09 That was awesome.

51:10 That was awesome.

51:12 Hi.

51:14 Oh my goodness.

51:15 You are the cutest thing I have ever seen.

51:19 Okay, the sun [music] is coming up.

51:20 Let's let the light expose the habitat a little bit better and then

51:24 we are going to show you this tiny little creature up close and personal.

51:32 Oh, guys, look at how small this marsupial is.

51:38 And yes, I know at first glance it looks a little bit like a mouse,

51:43 [music] but in fact, this is a marsupial,

51:46 namely because of how it rears its young.

51:48 That when they Hey, buddy.

51:50 It's okay.

51:51 It's okay.

51:51 It's a little nervous.

51:52 I'm going to talk a little quieter.

51:54 So, this little honey possum [music] can give

51:57 birth to two to three joeies at a time.

52:00 And when they are born, they are no bigger than a grain of rice,

52:04 making [music] them the smallest mammal at birth in the world.

52:07 And then they will be reared in their mother's pouch for up

52:10 to [music] 3 months before they venture off to find their own flowers.

52:14 These little honey psums can drink up to 7 [music] milllers of nectar in a day.

52:18 That's the equivalent of a human being drinking 50 lers of soda.

52:22 Could you [music] imagine?

52:23 So their metabolism is super fast.

52:25 They are pretty much always hopped up on a good diet of sugar.

52:30 Hi.

52:31 Look at that iconic snout which is developed

52:35 [music] to help them get at the plant nectar,

52:38 the flowers in these banksia trees.

52:40 They are perfectly adapted for [music] their food source.

52:43 In addition to their slender snout, they also have a very long tongue which is

52:47 up to one quarter length of their entire head.

52:50 This tongue is covered in Hold.

52:52 I got to get a better [music] grip.

52:53 Sorry, guys.

52:53 We're almost done.

52:54 We're almost done.

52:55 We're going to put you back on your flower.

52:56 Don't worry.

52:57 Okay, let's see if we can uh feed our friend here some sugar water.

53:02 Ready?

53:03 Oh yeah, look at that.

53:05 Somebody was thirsty.

53:05 [music] You can see how it uses that little tongue to lap up the nectar.

53:11 Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.

53:12 Oh my gosh, look how [music] long his tongue is.

53:15 Now their tongue is covered in bristles that helps

53:18 it extract the nectar out of the flowers.

53:20 And just like the bees behind us on the flower,

53:24 these honey possums are extraordinary pollinators.

53:27 Without them, this environment would certainly be [music] in peril.

53:31 They are a very important part of the ecosystem here in Western Australia.

53:35 And they are also super cool.

53:39 Like many other marsupials, it is prehensile.

53:41 You see how it grips onto my finger there?

53:43 How it curls up?

53:44 That prehensile tail can wrap around [music] branches and allows

53:48 this tiny little marsupial to grip onto flowers and tree

53:52 limbs with great efficiency and they can actually hang

53:55 and support their entire body weight just with their tail.

53:58 [music] So me gently holding it here is totally fine for this creature.

54:03 Their base of their tail is very strong and can support their entire body.

54:07 Now in addition to its prehensile tail,

54:09 it also has a very interesting hind foot.

54:10 [music] Similar to a koala bear,

54:12 it actually has a thumb that hangs out off the foot,

54:15 four fingers that allows [music] it to really grab onto

54:17 stems and limbs so we can get up on those flowers.

54:21 So, another distinguishing feature about

54:22 the honeypossum are those tiny little ears,

54:25 which are quite large for its head.

54:28 It has an extraordinary sense of hearing,

54:30 and that's going to help it stay away from predators that would

54:34 be out here trying to get them as they're feasting on flowers.

54:36 Anything from a snake to a bird would make a meal out of a honey possum.

54:42 They do have striping running along their back.

54:44 The males have a bit more of a prominent stripe down the back,

54:48 which leads me to believe that this is a male.

54:51 Sir, thank you for joining us today on Brave Wilderness.

54:55 Ow, he's trying to nip me a little bit.

54:58 Luckily, the honey possum really lacks any serious teeth.

55:01 It has a couple of flat pegike teeth,

55:04 but nothing that's going to give me a serious nip.

55:06 [music] this morning.

55:07 You are teeny tiny and super adorable.

55:11 All right, now these creatures are nocturnal.

55:14 The sun's starting to come up.

55:15 I think it's time to put our honey [music] possum back

55:17 on its flower and let it nap for the rest of the afternoon.

55:20 You were so good.

55:22 Thanks for hanging out with us.

55:24 How about a flower?

55:25 Want a flower?

55:27 You hungry?

55:29 So cool.

55:30 Oh, [music] coming back.

55:34 Back to me.

55:35 Back to me.

55:39 Oh.

55:40 Oh.

55:41 Oh.

55:43 You going to go back?

55:44 Where you going?

55:45 Can I offer you a flower?

55:47 All right.

55:47 Let's put the honey [music] psum back in the bush.

55:51 Oh, that's it.

55:55 That's all [music] she wrote.

55:57 Honey possum scene.

55:59 Cut.

56:02 You're out looking [music] for creatures anywhere.

56:04 The best time to do it is at night.

56:11 Do you see blue eyes?

56:14 Yeah.

56:13 All right.

56:14 We've got a uh blueeyed angleheaded lizard.

56:17 It's a type of dragon, but you can see it's got some super eccentric details.

56:23 It's almost like it has a wacky hairo with those spines up and down the back,

56:27 but it's sleeping right there on that limb.

56:29 We're just going to leave it alone.

56:29 It's a little too high up anyway.

56:31 Let's go.

56:32 When you're out night herping, best tool you can have, headlamp.

56:36 Head lamp or flashlight.

56:39 The main purpose of using these lights is to illuminate the forest,

56:43 but also really to get that eye shine popping off the eyes

56:47 of all the nocturnal creatures that live out here in this jungle.

56:54 Oh, we got something right here.

56:56 See if I can get it to climb onto my hand.

56:58 Another strange creature of the night.

57:02 We have a spiny stick insect here.

57:05 This is just a juvenile.

57:06 It's not very big one.

57:07 Look how it just remains still.

57:09 Thinks it's camouflaged on a branch, but you're not.

57:13 I see you.

57:15 Wow.

57:15 Just like pinched me with its feet.

57:17 Ah, spiny.

57:19 Ah, spiking me with those sharp legs.

57:21 It's got spines all up and down the legs, too.

57:24 All right, we've had a good look.

57:25 Let's put this spiky stick back on the plant.

57:33 All right, guys.

57:35 One of our spotters out here hiking with us tonight

57:37 just signal that they saw something on What do we got?

57:47 Oh, perfect.

57:50 Yes.

57:52 This is This is awesome.

57:54 Okay, guys.

57:55 It's staying put.

57:56 This is great.

57:56 I can probably just get right next to it.

58:01 All right.

58:03 Look at the size of this amphibian.

58:06 You guys can get closer.

58:10 As long as I don't touch it, it's going to stay right there.

58:13 Can you guys see without my light?

58:15 Oh, perfectly.

58:16 Okay.

58:16 Look at how big that leaf frog is.

58:19 Now, this is a Wallace's flying frog.

58:22 Its feet and the webs on them are so big and wide

58:26 that it can actually fly through the canopy as a glider.

58:31 Okay, I'm going to attempt to pick it up.

58:35 You guys ready?

58:36 I'm ready.

58:37 Okay, here we go.

58:43 Oh, wow.

58:45 Okay, check that out.

58:50 How cool is that frog?

58:54 Let me see if I can get it to just crawl on me.

58:58 You seen that?

59:00 Oh my gosh.

59:01 Oh.

59:01 Oh.

59:02 Oh.

59:02 Oh.

59:06 Get him back.

59:10 Gotcha.

59:11 Don't worry, buddy.

59:12 We just want to see how cool you are.

59:14 Don't worry.

59:14 I'm going to put you right back on your stick.

59:19 Mhm.

59:20 The pads on the feet, in case you're wondering, are super sticky.

59:25 It feels like sap on the bottom of its feet.

59:29 Super tacky.

59:30 And that is going to be good for climbing all

59:33 of the wet leaves and sticks out here in this rainforest.

59:36 But of course, in addition to climbing, this frog can glide.

59:41 The Wallace's flying frog has such large hands and back

59:45 feet pads that it can soar through the canopy.

59:49 Now, that is one really cool leaf frog,

59:52 and that's coming from someone who's seen a lot of frogs.

59:55 The Wallace's flying frog here in Borneo.

59:58 Let's put it back on its branch

1:00:00 and keep searching for other creatures of the night.

1:00:06 Too cool.

1:00:08 All right, so sometimes you can find mammals.

1:00:10 There's like tarscers that live out here.

1:00:12 There's all kinds of cool unique stuff.

1:00:15 And of course, this being our first major trip to Borneo.

1:00:18 Everything we find is brand new.

1:00:22 [music] Oh, got something on this branch.

1:00:26 Oh my gosh, guys.

1:00:28 Come look at this.

1:00:30 You guys have enough [music] light to see what this is?

1:00:32 Oh, yeah.

1:00:33 Okay.

1:00:33 What we have here, guys, is a dead leaf mantis.

1:00:37 What you're looking at right there is actually [music]

1:00:40 a praying mantis that looks almost identical to a leaf.

1:00:44 But let me see if I can get it to climb up on my fingers.

1:00:52 Oh yeah, now you can see it.

1:00:58 Oh, it's a hopper.

1:01:01 I would not expect a mantis like this to fly.

1:01:04 Although I'm sure it has tiny wings.

1:01:06 It's definitely well adapted to look just like [music] a leaf.

1:01:12 Now, there are actually over 2400 different species of mantis on the planet,

1:01:18 but this one has to be the coolest I've ever seen.

1:01:22 Now, you can really see that it's a mantis.

1:01:24 Before, when it was on the leaf,

1:01:25 it was inverted and you couldn't see the arms perfectly

1:01:29 camouflaging it as a dead leaf [music] hanging off that plant.

1:01:32 But, as much as it looks like a leaf, it is not dead.

1:01:36 It is very alive.

1:01:38 And make no mistake, this is a mantis.

1:01:41 It is an assassin.

1:01:42 It is out here looking for prey.

1:01:44 And they are relentless.

1:01:47 And they're highly intelligent.

1:01:50 You combine that with being excellently camouflaged

1:01:54 and you have a very formidable creature.

1:02:00 That is cool.

1:02:02 Beautiful.

1:02:03 Now, this is a fully grown mantis.

1:02:06 This is as big as they get.

1:02:08 Oh, hello.

1:02:09 It's looking right at me.

1:02:11 You're not going to hop on me, are you?

1:02:15 We're trying to get the shot.

1:02:16 Look that way.

1:02:17 Oh, [laughter] it's going for my pants because it's the same color.

1:02:25 I've been spotted.

1:02:26 We see you.

1:02:27 I mean, you can even see on its back just

1:02:31 like the striations of the leaf and like the dead spots.

1:02:35 I mean, it has so many little particular

1:02:38 [music] details that make it look like a leaf.

1:02:43 A truly remarkable adaptation.

1:02:48 Andrew, have you ever seen anything like that?

1:02:50 No.

1:02:50 That's so well camouflaged.

1:02:52 I don't know how you saw it.

1:02:54 Well, I saw it because it's on this bright green leaf.

1:02:56 So, it wasn't the best spot to hide for this leaf mantis.

1:03:01 But you could see if it was down here

1:03:03 in the leaf litter how it would just disappear.

1:03:05 Actually, let's do that.

1:03:06 Let's let it go and put it in the leaves and see how it just disappears.

1:03:10 Ready?

1:03:12 Just put a few leaves around it.

1:03:17 Just like disappears in the leaf litter.

1:03:19 And you can you imagine if it was dry?

1:03:21 [music] Like here's a dry leaf.

1:03:23 I mean, look at that.

1:03:29 Unbelievable, huh?

1:03:32 So cool.

1:03:32 All right, I've got to get a picture with this.

1:03:34 Um, going to get my phone out.

1:03:39 Not often you see a mantis as bizarre as that one.

1:03:52 You know, I've seen a lot of interesting mantis over the years,

1:03:55 but I cannot recall one as cool looking as this.

1:04:00 This is a wild one, guys.

1:04:01 Welcome to Leech Feast,

1:04:03 a video where I let a bunch of hungry leeches feast on my own

1:04:07 blood so I can rate their bite for the Brave Wilderness Bite Sting Index.

1:04:11 And in order to help me find some of these blood sucking vampires,

1:04:14 I'm joined again by our good friend Miller Wilson.

1:04:17 Miller, what's up?

1:04:18 What's up, Mark?

1:04:19 How are we going to fill this container full of bloodthirsty leeches?

1:04:23 So, sadly for you and me,

1:04:24 the best way to find these leeches is by using ourselves as bait.

1:04:28 I had a feeling he [clears throat] was going to say that.

1:04:30 So, how are we going to do it?

1:04:31 Shoes are coming off.

1:04:32 There's this track right down here which has so many leeches.

1:04:36 Within about 10 m, we should have our first one.

1:04:39 Really?

1:04:39 Wow.

1:04:39 That fast?

1:04:40 Yeah.

1:04:41 When we walk through this area, they will know that we're coming through.

1:04:44 They'll be able to smell us.

1:04:46 They smell us.

1:04:46 They can sense vibrations.

1:04:49 Yeah.

1:04:48 And they are going to be hungry.

1:04:50 All right, guys.

1:04:51 Well, you heard Miller.

1:04:52 Let's see how well human feet work as leech bait.

1:04:54 Here we go.

1:04:58 This just feels wrong.

1:04:59 Miller walking around in this tall grass.

1:05:02 Like, you have all kinds of crazy things, too, besides leeches out here.

1:05:05 Yeah.

1:05:05 Ticks.

1:05:06 Paralysis ticks.

1:05:07 Some of the world's most venomous snakes.

1:05:09 Oh, well, let's see.

1:05:11 This is This is generally where you find the leeches.

1:05:13 Yeah, this area coming up right here.

1:05:16 Some really big tiger leeches.

1:05:20 Okay.

1:05:19 So, watch where you're putting your feet.

1:05:22 Yeah.

1:05:22 Well, I'm watching.

1:05:23 I'm hoping we get one.

1:05:26 Yeah.

1:05:27 Oh, picked one up.

1:05:28 There you go.

1:05:30 You got one.

1:05:31 First leech.

1:05:35 Nice.

1:05:35 I told you we'd get one pretty quick.

1:05:37 [laughter] every day.

1:05:40 Wow.

1:05:40 Nice one.

1:05:41 All right.

1:05:42 Well, we feel like we've been walking too fast,

1:05:44 so we're just going to stand here and like let the leeches come to us.

1:05:48 They would know that we're here already.

1:05:50 Okay, cool.

1:05:50 All right, let the hunger games begin.

1:05:57 While many leeches are primarily aquatic, living only in the water,

1:06:01 Australian tiger leeches are both aquatic and terrestrial,

1:06:05 meaning they can scour the forest floor, leaf litter,

1:06:09 and plants in search of warm mamlian blood.

1:06:12 Let's just say these things really suck.

1:06:17 Oh, got one, guys.

1:06:21 And look at him.

1:06:21 He would have come from just this little leaf litter right here.

1:06:24 Look at this.

1:06:25 It's sniffing me.

1:06:27 Let's see if it'll find my foot.

1:06:31 Oh, here it comes.

1:06:35 It's so creepy.

1:06:37 Oh [laughter] no.

1:06:38 It's like I've never tried an American before.

1:06:41 Probably not.

1:06:43 There we go.

1:06:43 Oh no.

1:06:44 Oh, he got me.

1:06:47 Let's grab our leech off my foot for later.

1:06:51 Don't worry, you'll get fed.

1:06:54 Oh, all right.

1:06:55 And this leech, guys, may not look very big, but I'm going to tell you,

1:07:00 when it gorges with blood, it's going to become huge.

1:07:03 Yeah.

1:07:03 I think after lunch, [music] also known as you, Mark.

1:07:06 He could be about two or three times the size.

1:07:08 Really?

1:07:09 So, yeah.

1:07:10 Should be interesting.

1:07:10 We need to get a couple more, though.

1:07:13 Okay.

1:07:14 So, you want to like fan out?

1:07:14 Like maybe you pick a spot over there.

1:07:15 I'll pick a spot over here.

1:07:16 This tactic is definitely working.

1:07:18 Yeah.

1:07:18 All right.

1:07:19 Cool.

1:07:26 Oh, another leech, guys.

1:07:29 I got one right there.

1:07:33 Oh, Miller.

1:07:34 Another biggie.

1:07:36 Yeah.

1:07:36 Chuck it in a container.

1:07:38 Here we go.

1:07:39 That's another big one.

1:07:40 Is it?

1:07:43 Yeah.

1:07:41 We need at least one more right here.

1:07:50 Markers two.

1:07:51 You got two two big ones.

1:07:53 Big tiger leeches.

1:07:54 Oh man, those are They're all about the same size.

1:07:56 These are big.

1:07:57 Yeah, we found the hot spot.

1:07:58 Oh gosh, they're everywhere.

1:08:00 This is like vampires of the forest floor.

1:08:03 It's like makes your skin crawl just watching them go toward [music] your feet.

1:08:06 Oh, that one's got you.

1:08:07 It's [laughter] got you.

1:08:09 And that one's got you.

1:08:11 Both on my feet.

1:08:13 Double leech.

1:08:15 Oh, look at them climbing up my legs.

1:08:16 Now, how far will they climb before they bite?

1:08:19 They can climb all the way up.

1:08:20 really good buddy.

1:08:21 Yeah, I've had them all the way up here before,

1:08:23 but we're not going to let these get that far.

1:08:27 Wow.

1:08:27 There we go.

1:08:28 Okay, well, you know what time it is now?

1:08:30 It's time to set up the bite table and feed these little blood suckers.

1:08:34 Here we go.

1:08:36 They look hungry, Mom.

1:08:37 They do.

1:08:38 Look at how all of these leeches are just like coming after me.

1:08:41 Even in the container, they are like ravenous.

1:08:44 They want out and they want me.

1:08:46 And I'm going to serve them up this arm right here.

1:08:51 Hopefully multiple leeches will latch on and start drinking my blood.

1:08:54 And then we're going to talk a little bit more about how you

1:08:57 can remove a leech if you ever find yourself in the same situation.

1:09:01 Now, I am going to be rating

1:09:03 this bite for the Brave Wilderness Bite Sting Index,

1:09:05 the BSI, on three factors: intimidation, pain, and aftermath.

1:09:09 And I can tell you the aftermath is serious.

1:09:10 [music] That's why I brought this first aid kit because one

1:09:13 of the properties a leech has is anti-coagulant in [music] their saliva.

1:09:17 When they bite you, it doesn't just numb the bite wound.

1:09:20 It actually makes the blood flow and flow and flow.

1:09:22 And it's actually really [music] hard to stop the bleeding.

1:09:24 So, yeah, this could be a blood bath if all four of these decide to latch on.

1:09:31 Let's get our leeches here.

1:09:34 All right, I'm Mark Vins and I am about to feed four hungry leeches.

1:09:40 All right, here we go.

1:09:42 Get ready for the slowest bite you've ever seen.

1:09:46 They are not fast.

1:09:54 Oh, it's so creepy feeling them crawl on you.

1:09:58 Oh, look at that.

1:10:00 Gross.

1:10:02 Ew.

1:10:04 All right, here you go, Miller.

1:10:08 Oh gosh, it does not feel good.

1:10:11 Ah, the crazy things we do.

1:10:14 Oh my gosh.

1:10:18 Yep.

1:10:18 That one.

1:10:18 This one's biting me.

1:10:20 Yep.

1:10:20 I'm feeling something.

1:10:22 Can feel it sawing.

1:10:24 Oh yeah, something's happening.

1:10:27 Something's definitely happening.

1:10:28 You could feel it.

1:10:29 It's not painless.

1:10:30 It's not super painful either.

1:10:31 It's like It's almost like [music] being pinched

1:10:34 by a tiny tiny tiny set of tweezers.

1:10:36 Like All right, we got one latched.

1:10:39 See if we can get some more diners.

1:10:41 Oh yeah.

1:10:42 Oh.

1:10:42 Ow.

1:10:43 Another one.

1:10:44 Yeah, I think so.

1:10:45 Yeah.

1:10:46 Yep.

1:10:46 This one.

1:10:47 That one's got me.

1:10:49 That's the big one.

1:10:50 Yeah.

1:10:50 Okay, we got two.

1:10:52 About to get even bigger.

1:10:53 We need one more.

1:10:54 We need one more.

1:10:56 Oh, yeah.

1:10:57 I'm feeling it.

1:10:59 They're biting me.

1:11:00 [laughter] So, you can actually feel these leeches soaring a hole in your

1:11:07 I 100% can feel their teeth going like this.

1:11:09 That one looks like it's getting bigger as well.

1:11:11 Definitely this one.

1:11:12 Yeah, they both are.

1:11:14 Oh.

1:11:15 Oh, wait a second.

1:11:17 Might have another.

1:11:18 Might have another one.

1:11:20 This is actually good, too, because I just got stung by a giant hornet.

1:11:23 And uh maybe they'll help me with some of the venom that's left in my arm.

1:11:28 Oh, yeah.

1:11:28 I can feel it sawing.

1:11:31 So uncomfortable.

1:11:32 They've both gotten so much bigger since they first 100% 100%.

1:11:36 This one's like gorging itself for sure.

1:11:39 All right, that's it's on.

1:11:40 It's on.

1:11:41 Three is good.

1:11:41 Three is good.

1:11:43 I can feel it sawing the hole.

1:11:51 Oh, this is not fun.

1:11:54 Oh, it doesn't really hurt.

1:11:57 It's just really weird.

1:11:58 It's like really weird and uncomfortable and it's itchy.

1:12:02 I just want to like I just itch them off and I can't.

1:12:05 Got to like let them go.

1:12:06 [music] Yeah.

1:12:10 So, while I let these leeches feast on my blood, let's talk about leeches.

1:12:16 So, there are really three different kinds of leeches.

1:12:19 [music] There are leeches that have a proboscus where they

1:12:22 stick a needle into your skin and drink your blood.

1:12:24 There are leeches that eat their prey whole that don't have a mouth part at all.

1:12:28 They just ingest their prey [music] whole like invertebrates and other worms.

1:12:32 And then there are the jawed leeches, which is what we are looking at right

1:12:36 here with these three tiger [music] blood suckers.

1:12:41 The reason they're called jaw leeches is because they have a Y-shaped jaw.

1:12:44 This sharp little tooth that'll go and cut a hole into a victim.

1:12:49 And then once they saw that hole open, they will inject an enzyme that has

1:12:53 a numbing agent and an anti-coagulant property to it.

1:12:57 And it allows the leech to just totally fill up and gorge on blood.

1:13:00 You can really see that happening with this front one right now.

1:13:06 Now, there are many different species of tiger leeches around the world.

1:13:09 The reason why people call these tiger leeches,

1:13:11 as you're starting to see here on this front one,

1:13:13 when they gorge up, it looks like they have stripes.

1:13:16 You can actually see it moving at the front there.

1:13:20 Yeah.

1:13:20 Look at his body wriggling.

1:13:21 Look at that.

1:13:23 It's like a little blood balloon.

1:13:26 So gross.

1:13:27 And you can see the one at the back is starting to fill, too.

1:13:30 It's massive.

1:13:31 And I am curious how big these leeches are going to get.

1:13:34 There comes a point where these leeches are full

1:13:37 and they will kind of just let go and roll off.

1:13:40 Totally.

1:13:40 They'll just fall up on their own.

1:13:41 So, we're I think that back one's sort of getting to that point.

1:13:45 Really?

1:13:46 Yeah.

1:13:46 Okay.

1:13:46 So, we're going to let these leeches feast away.

1:13:48 Gorge as much as they can.

1:13:50 And when they start falling off,

1:13:51 that'll be a good point in time to remove the rest.

1:13:54 And I will show you exactly how you should

1:13:56 remove a leech if you're ever in a similar situation.

1:14:00 Let's see how plump they are getting.

1:14:02 They're like little blood sausages.

1:14:03 [music] Look at that.

1:14:05 Just checking in on my guests here.

1:14:07 Everybody doing well?

1:14:08 Happy with the food?

1:14:10 Oh, look at it flexing.

1:14:12 Ah.

1:14:13 Ah, I ticked it off.

1:14:16 Okay.

1:14:21 I can't even look at [music] him anymore.

1:14:23 I hope this is satisfying to watch cuz this is really awful to go through.

1:14:27 Oh gosh.

1:14:29 How much bigger are they going to get?

1:14:31 How much can you drink?

1:14:33 How much can you eat?

1:14:39 Just when you think this nightmare couldn't get any worse,

1:14:42 they're now like oozing.

1:14:44 There's like some kind of clear liquid coming out

1:14:46 of these leeches and it is just dripping down my arm now.

1:14:50 Gross.

1:14:50 See, it's like doesn't smell like anything, but it's super slimy.

1:14:57 Ah, it's probably just a walker for my blood.

1:15:01 How long have these leeches been attached to your arm now?

1:15:05 I'm going to say a good 20 minutes.

1:15:08 And they're four times the size from when [music] we first put them on.

1:15:12 And they just keep beasting.

1:15:14 They just keep sucking.

1:15:19 Oh gosh.

1:15:22 It's getting worse.

1:15:24 [laughter] Oh god, it's getting so much worse.

1:15:26 They're getting so [music] much bigger than I thought they would as well.

1:15:30 Really?

1:15:29 The thing is, I've never let a leech stay on me for this long.

1:15:32 [laughter] You just don't let the leech suck you dry.

1:15:35 Oh god.

1:15:36 This is e Ow.

1:15:37 Ow.

1:15:38 That one's really getting me again.

1:15:39 This is easily the longest bite.

1:15:41 I can tell you that.

1:15:42 In terms of like length of bite, it's the longest that you can imagine.

1:15:46 This is painfully slow.

1:15:48 At this point, I've stopped trying to guess how big they're going to get.

1:15:51 I mean, they could they could double in size of cat.

1:15:54 Yeah.

1:15:54 They're not going to be able to move.

1:15:57 I've had to I had to stand up now.

1:15:59 I've been kneeling here for like 45 minutes, guys.

1:16:02 This just keeps going and going and going.

1:16:06 Miller, let's get out that other leech that didn't bite.

1:16:11 This is where we started.

1:16:14 Where we started.

1:16:16 How it's going.

1:16:17 Look at how big those leeches get.

1:16:22 Look at that.

1:16:24 Look at the size difference, guys.

1:16:26 That is wild.

1:16:27 Sorry, buddy.

1:16:29 No blood for you.

1:16:30 No blood for you.

1:16:31 Oh my gosh.

1:16:32 That one's just like pumping itself with blood.

1:16:36 Whoa.

1:16:37 Look at that.

1:16:38 I'm going to lose it.

1:16:40 [laughter] I'm going to lose it.

1:16:42 Already there.

1:16:43 I can't keep it together.

1:16:44 I already lost it.

1:16:46 [laughter] Come on.

1:16:52 All right, guys.

1:16:54 It's officially 1 hour [music] of feasting.

1:16:59 They have to be getting toward the end of their meal.

1:17:02 This one is done, guys.

1:17:05 Look at that.

1:17:06 It's basically like foot has slid off.

1:17:09 You can see these have their feet still firmly attached.

1:17:12 This one just sliding around.

1:17:15 So, to conclude the leech feast,

1:17:19 I'm going to show you three different methods for removing leeches.

1:17:23 Here we go.

1:17:24 First method, just using any kind of card.

1:17:27 This is my Charlie card, public transit card for Massachusetts.

1:17:30 And I'm simply going to go at the head.

1:17:32 You want to make sure you're at the right end.

1:17:34 The front head part is what's really attached right now.

1:17:36 And I'm going to go in and swiftly remove the leech.

1:17:42 There we go.

1:17:43 Look at [music] how fat that sucker got.

1:17:46 Full of my blood.

1:17:48 Look at that.

1:17:50 Let's get the other one out real quick.

1:17:51 I just want to see a size comparison.

1:17:54 Wow, Miller.

1:17:55 That's more than six times.

1:17:56 That's like maybe 50 times larger.

1:18:00 That is unbelievable.

1:18:02 All right.

1:18:02 Well, there's a leech comparison.

1:18:04 Let's put this one back cuz I don't want to get bit by that.

1:18:05 That one's still hungry.

1:18:06 This one's not.

1:18:07 Oh.

1:18:07 Oh.

1:18:08 Uh Miller, can you hand me the first aid kit?

1:18:10 [music] Yeah.

1:18:10 Before we do the second method for releasing a leech,

1:18:14 I have a little clean up on aisle one.

1:18:17 And as you can see, the anti-coagulant really works, guys.

1:18:20 This is just going to keep going and going.

1:18:21 So, I'm going to put band-aids on these [music] before we get out of here.

1:18:24 But actually, look, you get in tight there.

1:18:26 You can see where that tooth solved that Y right into my skin.

1:18:31 That's just going to [music] keep on bleeding.

1:18:33 Just like that.

1:18:35 Okay, time to remove leech number two with the method that I like to use.

1:18:41 This is the one that you're always going to be able to do at any moment.

1:18:43 If you can't find a library card or a credit card,

1:18:47 you can always use your good old trusty thumbnail.

1:18:50 You just take your thumbnail, scrape it with the back edge.

1:18:54 Boom.

1:18:55 And there you have it.

1:18:57 Leech removed.

1:18:59 Okay, now it's time for the third method.

1:19:03 And this is something that we heard about locally here in Australia, Miller.

1:19:07 And you've actually used this method, too, to remove a leech.

1:19:10 Yeah.

1:19:10 What method is that?

1:19:11 So, what we're actually going to do is use some salt.

1:19:14 I'll be interested to see what the reaction of this leech is when we

1:19:18 put some on top of it because you heard that it doesn't actually work.

1:19:22 Yeah.

1:19:22 I I heard that this is sort of a tall tail.

1:19:26 Yeah.

1:19:26 But you think it will?

1:19:27 I think it will.

1:19:28 Okay.

1:19:28 Are we ready?

1:19:29 Method number three,

1:19:31 removing a leech using nothing but [music] common table saw.

1:19:34 Here we go.

1:19:41 All right, that should be enough.

1:19:45 Oh, it worked.

1:19:47 It worked.

1:19:48 It totally worked.

1:19:50 Get out of here.

1:19:53 Bleach feast.

1:19:55 Oh my goodness.

1:19:57 All right.

1:19:57 Well, that's going to about do it for today's leech feast.

1:20:00 We have three blood gorge tiger leeches here in Australia.

1:20:05 Some happy customers.

1:20:06 And now it is time to find out the official BSI

1:20:09 rating where the tiger [music] leech rates on our bite sting index.

1:20:13 But before we do that, I just want to thank Miller for helping us.

1:20:17 Elbow bump.

1:20:17 I'm bleeding like crazy.

1:20:19 And now it is time to [music] officially find

1:20:21 out where the tiger leech falls on the biteing index.

1:20:24 Roll it.

1:20:25 on intimidation.

1:20:26 Growing up in Ohio taught me to avoid leeches in stagnant water.

1:20:30 But out here in Australia,

1:20:31 these tiger leeches seek human blood on land and are relentless.

1:20:34 [music] So for that, I have to award this vampire

1:20:37 worm of the forest an 8.5 out of 10.

1:20:40 For pain, the natural [music] anesthetic the leeches

1:20:42 give off in their saliva really kept the feeling of the blood leaving my body

1:20:46 through that [music] small incision cut to a minimum.

1:20:48 It's rare to encounter a creature that evolved to gently suck your life away,

1:20:52 which makes these leeches perfect for nightmares,

1:20:54 but more itchy than painful during the actual bite.

1:20:57 And overall, it's a very unnerving experience,

1:21:00 which was painful for my eyes to watch.

1:21:02 So, for that, I'm going to give these leeches a generous 2.2 out of 10.

1:21:07 Then, finally, the aftermath.

1:21:09 Once these leeches were off my arm, and after about 20 minutes,

1:21:12 the anti-coagulant wore off, letting my wounds start to close.

1:21:16 And I kept the band-aids on overnight.

1:21:18 And the next day, those tiny incision cuts turned

1:21:20 into small bumps that itch like crazy for about a week.

1:21:24 So for all that, the aftermath only scores at a 3.2 out of 10,

1:21:28 giving the final tally for the Australian Tiger Leech a 4.6

1:21:32 out of 10 on the Brave Wilderness Bite Sting Index.

1:21:35 I have to say, I did feel a little bit

1:21:37 wrong returning these relentless blood suckers back to the forest floor,

1:21:41 but then again, who am I to get in the way of a future leech feast?

1:21:47 team and I are exploring an abandoned hotel in the middle

1:21:51 of Borneo in the search for some of the most dangerous,

1:21:54 creepiest, and bizarre wildlife which has taken over this forgotten resort.

1:21:58 Pretty dangerous, but that's never stopped us.

1:22:00 Let's start searching.

1:22:01 One of these animals is the ferocious spitting cobra.

1:22:04 This snake is famous worldwide for its

1:22:06 ability to shoot projectile venom from their fangs,

1:22:08 blinding their victims,

1:22:10 which only adds to the stress of being in such a deserted location.

1:22:13 There hasn't been a guest here for years,

1:22:16 and the jungle surrounding it is starting to reclaim

1:22:18 this entire mountaintop resort back into the wild.

1:22:22 Look at this place.

1:22:23 There [music] had to have been millions

1:22:24 and millions of dollars put into this resort.

1:22:26 It's enormous.

1:22:27 And our first encounter is about to begin.

1:22:29 Oh.

1:22:30 Wo.

1:22:36 Ah.

1:22:37 Ah.

1:22:37 It's got It's spiky.

1:22:40 What is that?

1:22:42 This is a Longhorn beetle,

1:22:43 but I have never seen or heard of one that looks like this.

1:22:46 Just thorn me.

1:22:47 Oh jeez, he's trying to bite me.

1:22:49 Ah!

1:22:50 Oh jeez, he's sharp and he's strong.

1:22:52 Oh no.

1:22:53 No.

1:22:55 Get off.

1:22:55 Get off.

1:22:56 Get off.

1:22:57 It's got me.

1:22:58 It's so strong, guys.

1:23:03 He has like bolt cutters.

1:23:04 And I don't think this insect would have

1:23:06 any problem just slicing right through your skin.

1:23:09 See how the head goes down?

1:23:11 has a very flat face, almost like a bull.

1:23:13 A lot of the Longhorn beetles have a head

1:23:15 that sticks straight out like a typical beetle.

1:23:17 This almost looks like it's wearing a mask.

1:23:19 This insect is super bizarre.

1:23:21 It like plays dead.

1:23:22 It is very much alive and it can without warning spring into action.

1:23:27 Very sharp spikes on both sides of its neck.

1:23:29 Ah, yeah.

1:23:30 That that could puncture your skin.

1:23:31 Velvety fuzz lining both of the horns.

1:23:35 You want to see the power of those jaws?

1:23:38 Oh my gosh.

1:23:40 locked in.

1:23:41 Ow ow ow ow.

1:23:45 Okay, I'm done with this one.

1:23:46 Let's put it back.

1:23:47 We only just got here and already discovered a creepy looking Longhorn beetle.

1:23:51 Who knows what other creatures and eerie

1:23:53 things await us as we continue to search.

1:23:55 So, let's see what the rest of this abandoned hotel has to offer.

1:23:59 The only question is, will we find gold or terror?

1:24:02 We could find all kinds of crazy stuff.

1:24:04 I mean, we are in the epicenter of bizarre animals here in Borneo.

1:24:08 kind of a post-apocalyptic scene.

1:24:10 I mean, look at this.

1:24:11 Like, look at this stuff, guys.

1:24:13 Those trucks are drivable.

1:24:15 They clearly have not been driven in a long time.

1:24:17 I mean, look at this.

1:24:19 There's like stuff growing out of them.

1:24:20 Plants are rooted in the back.

1:24:22 And there are so many golf carts back here.

1:24:24 It'd be difficult to search this resort by ourselves.

1:24:27 That's why we brought reptile expert Locky Gilding to join our expedition.

1:24:31 We're going to explore inside this abandoned hotel.

1:24:33 And after the sun goes down, we'll explore the rest of the compound.

1:24:38 Oh boy.

1:24:38 This is like the opening scene to a horror movie.

1:24:41 Whenever the people running this place left, it's like they left in a hurry.

1:24:44 What do you think, Locky?

1:24:45 Can we find some snakes in here?

1:24:46 I reckon.

1:24:47 Sorry.

1:24:47 If we can't find them here, we can't find them anyway.

1:24:49 Question is where you stop.

1:24:51 They've left everything.

1:24:52 There's still drinks.

1:24:53 There's drinks everywhere.

1:24:54 Bats.

1:24:55 Got bats right here.

1:24:56 Bunch of bats.

1:24:58 Lots of bats overhead.

1:25:00 Is there 10?

1:25:01 Two young ones in the middle.

1:25:03 They've been doing their thing.

1:25:04 Look at guys.

1:25:05 They left everything.

1:25:07 They left it all.

1:25:09 Who Who leaves a place with this much stuff behind?

1:25:13 Wasn't a little resort either.

1:25:14 This is a high end.

1:25:15 There's a golf course.

1:25:16 Oh, look at that.

1:25:17 There's even a There's even a helport.

1:25:18 This place is like Jurassic Park after they fled the island.

1:25:24 Oh, wasp nest and a bunch of rocks.

1:25:29 We're trying to figure out why everybody left this place.

1:25:32 This is Malaysian Flower Show, 2001.

1:25:35 Unbelievable that somebody just left it.

1:25:38 That everybody just left it.

1:25:39 There's like homes all around this community that are like vacant.

1:25:43 All right, keep an eye out for bats.

1:25:55 Oh man.

1:25:58 Wasn't that door closed, Locky?

1:26:04 We could hear something in here.

1:26:06 There's running water.

1:26:08 Could just be somebody stowing away in here.

1:26:09 It's definitely vacant.

1:26:12 That's recent trash.

1:26:14 There's definitely people squatting in here.

1:26:19 [music] There must have been a leak.

1:26:28 Old sauna.

1:26:31 This must have been the spa.

1:26:34 That's got to be the closest you could ever be to a zombie apocalypse.

1:26:38 It makes no sense.

1:26:39 It's a really incredible spot.

1:26:41 And these homes [music] are awesome.

1:26:42 How could you leave something like this?

1:26:44 They're not small houses.

1:26:45 They're mansions.

1:26:46 Let's be honest.

1:26:47 These are mansions.

1:26:48 Borneo at night is when the jungle comes alive.

1:26:52 Abandoned resort is creepy during the day, even scarier at night.

1:26:56 Oh my gosh, look at this caterpillar.

1:27:02 Oh wow.

1:27:04 Very fuzzy.

1:27:05 That is one wild caterpillar.

1:27:07 What a hairdo.

1:27:08 And it looks like one that would give you a pretty good sting.

1:27:12 I'm not sure if this is one of those species,

1:27:14 but there's always a good way to find out.

1:27:17 I'm Mark Vins and I'm about to enter

1:27:18 the sting zone with this super fuzzy caterpillar.

1:27:22 Well, maybe the sting zone.

1:27:23 On three.

1:27:24 One.

1:27:26 Two.

1:27:27 Three.

1:27:33 Nope.

1:27:33 It's just a fuzzy little caterpillar.

1:27:36 Well, maybe not so little.

1:27:38 Let's put it back and keep on our search.

1:27:40 Now that it's night time,

1:27:41 [music] we have a better chance of finding our spinning cobra.

1:27:44 Everywhere through Asia has these big drainage channels.

1:27:47 Because it gets so wet in this part of the world,

1:27:49 they need to have these big drainage channels to keep the road clear.

1:27:53 And it worked out big time in our favor.

1:27:55 These ditches are like highways for wildlife.

1:27:58 Whoa.

1:28:00 You know what this is?

1:28:01 Is that a marble?

1:28:02 A gigantic rolly poly.

1:28:05 A pill bug.

1:28:06 It has like tiger stripes, but it is completely tucked in.

1:28:10 That's the biggest one I've ever seen.

1:28:12 That's a whopper.

1:28:13 I don't think it's going to come out to say hi to us today, unfortunately.

1:28:16 I know with larger pill bugs,

1:28:18 but once they're locked in like that, completely tucked, they just don't uncoil.

1:28:23 Bye, [music] buddy.

1:28:24 Okay, cool.

1:28:25 This storm is getting worse.

1:28:26 It's already pouring out.

1:28:27 Invisibility is becoming a major problem.

1:28:29 [music] If any creature were to sneak up on us, we might be at risk.

1:28:34 Oh.

1:28:35 Oh, wow.

1:28:38 This one might be even stranger than the one we saw earlier today.

1:28:43 Look at those horns.

1:28:44 This is another species of Longhorn beetle.

1:28:47 Look at that.

1:28:48 It has like antlers.

1:28:50 I've never seen a beetle with antenna like this.

1:28:52 And it wants to bite me big time.

1:28:54 So, I'm going to hold it right there.

1:28:56 But look at those.

1:28:57 They're like [music] thorns.

1:28:58 Andrew, you got to stick your finger out and touch those antenna.

1:29:00 Try not to get bit.

1:29:01 Kind of spiky.

1:29:02 They're very sharp.

1:29:03 I have no idea why it would have antenna like that.

1:29:09 Almost makes me feel like it it uses them maybe for sparring with other males.

1:29:12 Maybe this is a male.

1:29:13 And this one does not have a broad face like the one from earlier.

1:29:16 This This one's face is more traditional.

1:29:18 It's more like forward.

1:29:20 Let's test the bite.

1:29:25 Chomp.

1:29:27 Chomp.

1:29:30 Just I mean bolt cutters.

1:29:33 These Longhorn beetle here in Borneo have the most incredible jaws.

1:29:38 If I were to take a bite, it would be instantly through my skin.

1:29:42 I'm going to keep my fingers clear of those jaws.

1:29:45 I'm not sure how much more rain [music] we can take.

1:29:48 Oh man, that is some soggy golf course.

1:29:52 All these little creatures are perfect food for snakes.

1:29:54 Like the spitting cobra.

1:29:56 I have a feeling we might be getting close.

1:29:58 We need to be careful.

1:29:59 They can camouflage into the environment perfectly.

1:30:02 This is the perfect habitat [music] for one of these snakes,

1:30:04 especially since humans never come here anymore.

1:30:06 But check this out.

1:30:07 More snake food.

1:30:10 A leaf-nosed horn frog.

1:30:12 [music] Distinguished.

1:30:13 How cool is that?

1:30:14 Was out here just in the grass.

1:30:16 Look at that face.

1:30:17 You are too cool.

1:30:18 Snake.

1:30:19 Got a snake.

1:30:19 You got a snake.

1:30:20 It's a cobra.

1:30:21 It's a cobra.

1:30:22 Cobra.

1:30:25 Wa.

1:30:25 Do you want to try and get it out?

1:30:26 Just careful.

1:30:27 Careful.

1:30:27 It's a spitting cobra.

1:30:28 Oh, I need to put it down for a second.

1:30:30 Get some.

1:30:31 Have you got glasses?

1:30:32 Yeah, I do.

1:30:32 All right.

1:30:33 Glasses on.

1:30:34 Cameras stay back a couple of meters.

1:30:35 These guys have a decent spit on them.

1:30:38 There it is.

1:30:38 The somatan spitting cobra.

1:30:40 Watch your eyes, guys.

1:30:41 It could spit venom at any moment.

1:30:43 Wow.

1:30:44 The uh the idea with these guys is just keep your movements very slow.

1:30:49 Any quick movement will will get them spitting.

1:30:52 If you leave a bit of body on the ground, they're focused on getting away.

1:30:55 As soon [music] as you pull them up off Oh, he's going to spit.

1:30:58 As soon as you pull them up off the ground,

1:31:00 then they're more worried about coming up cuz they can't see the ground anymore.

1:31:03 [music] Locky, how serious is the spit from this cobra?

1:31:06 Is the spit venom?

1:31:08 Yes.

1:31:08 When they spit, they are spitting venom.

1:31:10 All right?

1:31:10 So, what they're doing is they're constricting the muscles

1:31:13 around their venom glands whilst opening their mouth.

1:31:16 That venom shooting out of the fangs and potentially into the eyes.

1:31:20 So, if we talk about danger of spitting, what just happened?

1:31:31 We almost got struck by lightning.

1:31:35 Should we go under that roof?

1:31:36 All right, let's get under the roof.

1:31:37 Do you want me to move him?

1:31:39 I'm used to uh handling pit vipers.

1:31:41 Being from the United States, we don't have a lot of elapids.

1:31:44 The spit from these cobras, it it is venom.

1:31:47 If you get it on your skin, it's fine.

1:31:49 You can wash it off.

1:31:50 Where it becomes really dangerous is one,

1:31:52 if you get it in your eyes, it can cause blindness.

1:31:55 [music] You would need to wash it out very, very thoroughly and very quickly.

1:31:59 He can actually spit venom over 2 m.

1:32:01 And a bite from this snake can be life-threatening.

1:32:04 The chances of you encountering one of these and getting

1:32:07 spit in your eyes is actually really high.

1:32:09 It is.

1:32:09 They actually have incredible aim.

1:32:12 They're aiming for the eyes in the face.

1:32:14 That's right.

1:32:14 It's definitely getting defensive.

1:32:16 Look at that.

1:32:17 It's getting ready to spit.

1:32:19 The second thing that you really need to worry

1:32:21 about is that venom getting into an open wound.

1:32:23 You can get what we call a secondary invenimation.

1:32:26 Okay?

1:32:26 And that can be quite dangerous.

1:32:28 You can start getting the same symptoms as you would if you had a bite itself.

1:32:32 What if you get it in your mouth?

1:32:33 That's actually interesting.

1:32:34 That's the difference between venom and poison.

1:32:36 This is a [music] venomous animal.

1:32:38 Venom has to be injected to be dangerous, and poison has to be ingested.

1:32:42 If you got venom from this animal in your mouth and you essentially drank it,

1:32:47 stomach acid would break it down immediately.

1:32:49 You would not have any long-term effects whatsoever.

1:32:52 It would taste probably pretty bad, but that's about it.

1:32:55 Okay.

1:32:56 Now, if you had an ulcer or a a cut in your mouth,

1:32:59 you bit your lip, you bit your tongue,

1:33:01 and the venom comes into contact with that, well,

1:33:03 that then goes back to what we were just saying about coming into an open wound.

1:33:07 It's incredibly important that if you were bitten by any species of cobra,

1:33:11 including this one, that you get to hospital care immediately.

1:33:14 Not a great deal is known, unfortunately.

1:33:17 You know, places like Southeast Asia, a lot of the species are underststudied.

1:33:21 They're still capable of giving a fatal bite.

1:33:23 That's really what you're looking at.

1:33:24 The thing that people don't realize is

1:33:26 not all cobras will hood up straight away.

1:33:29 This animal here, very calm, very relaxed,

1:33:31 but as soon as there's movement in front of him,

1:33:33 he will start to stand up and he will start to flare out.

1:33:36 Without that [music] movement, he's not too worried.

1:33:38 This individual here is a perfect example of a snake

1:33:40 that that wants absolutely nothing to do with us.

1:33:43 He's not hooding up.

1:33:44 He's not spraying venom.

1:33:45 He's not trying to bite.

1:33:46 This is a younger animal.

1:33:48 This species doesn't get overly large, but they can still get over four four

1:33:51 to 5 ft and much thicker than this individual here.

1:33:55 What an absolutely amazing find and a perfect

1:33:57 climax to our exploration of this abandoned resort.

1:34:00 Getting up close with the spinning cobra here in the middle of Borneo.

1:34:04 I'm Mark Vins.

1:34:05 Be brave.

1:34:06 Stay wild.

1:34:08 We'll see you on the next adventure.

1:34:10 Should we put the cobra back?

1:34:11 Yeah, let's put him straight back.

1:34:12 All right, let's go.