All language subtitles for B.W.S02E03.Catching.a.Poisonous.Frog.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

[inaudible].

I see him!

Got it!

I got it!

Wow!

COYOTE PETERSON
West Virginia

has an endless
expanse of nature,

and is famously known for being
a wild and wonderful place

to explore.

Its vast rolling mountain
span across the entire length

of the state, and
hiding deep within them

is a plethora of wildlife.

Today, we are exploring an
incredibly healthy ecosystem

near Elkins, in a secret
location that we are not

allowed to reveal, as
it is heavily protected

for conservation purposes.

We have special permissions
to explore this location,

and are working alongside
field herpetologist Tim Brust.

Tim specializes in surveying
protected wilderness areas,

where he safely catches,
records, and releases

reptiles and amphibians.

What you got there, Tim?

What we have here is
a northern water snake.

COYOTE PETERSON
Our mission

is going to be
anything but easy,

as the goal is to locate
one of the rarest amphibians

in the great state
of West Virginia,

a giant salamander that is
known as the hellbender.

Wow.

There's the river.

And in there is where we'll
be searching for hellbenders.

It's absolutely beautiful.

And right now, we're
scouting around for a place

to build a base camp.

And, basically,
all of this river

that you see in
the background here

is fair game for hellbenders.

So in these ripples
are great spots.

There are a lot of
huge flat rocks.

So I'll be in the water,
with a dive mask on, feeling

around for giant salamanders.

This is going to be awesome.

There is no good word

to describe what it
takes to find and catch

a hellbender other
than difficult.

The fast-flowing water is
incredibly cold, so much so

that we're forced
to wear dive suits.

Dive masks will allow
us to see underwater,

as we literally have
to scan the river basin

and look into the dark
crevices of rocks,

with a slim hope of
seeing a pair of big buggy

eyes looking right back at us.

I am about to stick
my face into the water.

Hold on.

I got to get a little--

Oh!

Yeah, that's real cold.

That is real cold.

OK.

Here we go.

All right, guys.

Wish me luck.

Searching for a hellbender is

an incredibly delicate process.

And our intention was to disturb
the environment as little

as possible.

This means gently feeling up
and under rocks as opposed

to flipping them.

The last thing we
wanted to do was

alter a potential
hellbender home,

as they are very
territorial and will

often stay in one area for a
considerable amount of time.

This is unbelievably

freezing to have
your complete body

submerged in this frigid water.

I can't even feel my
fingers right now.

Wow.

OK, I don't know how
Tim is doing this.

Felt it yet?

It is freezing.

Our epic hellbender

hunt went on for hours.

At this point, I was completely
frozen and ready to call it

a day.

Yet, Tim absolutely
refused to give up.

And his persistence
finally paid off.

Got one!

We got one?

Hellbender looking
right at me in the face.

We got a hellbender!

OK, so we have a
hellbender, 100%, right

here underneath this rock.

Tim's going to use a
maneuver to coax it out,

and I'm going to try to
scoop it up in the net.

Is it big?
Yeah.

It appears to be.
Is it big?

Oh, Tim says it's big.
Mhm.

It's a big one.

All right.

The, uh, hellbender is right
near the entrance of this hole.

We have a really good chance
in actually catching it.

It's right here!

I see him.
Got him!

We got him!

Oh, man, Tim!

That was amazing!

The coax and the net!

In all fairness, Tim
did net the hellbender.

It went right
underneath his legs.

There it is.

It is an absolute giant.

Wow!

That was the hardest
hellbender catch I've ever had.

Wow!

That was an amazing maneuver.

He just grabbed
it up,

it shot out in between his
legs, and he netted it!

Wow!

That was incredible.

Look at the size of
that giant salamander.

That's a big one.

That's a big one?

That's
a good one, yeah.

Wow!

Man, what a weird--

Gorgeous!

What a weird creature.

Most bizarre salamander
I have ever seen.

OK, we need to find
ourselves a good control

spot in decent light
and get this salamander

up close for the cameras.
All right.

- You ready?
- Yeah, man.

Dude.
Yes!

We got one!

All right, guys, well, it was
a long, cold day in the river,

but we finally did it.

All right, Tim, bring
in the hellbender.

Oh, ho, ho, ho!

There it is.

One of the most
elusive creatures

you can possibly come
across in the United States,

and the largest
salamander species that we

have here in North America.

Look at that.

That is a hellbender.

Whoa.

Very, very slippery.

Very difficult to hold onto.

You notice how flattened the
shape of this amphibians body

is.

That's what allows
them to easily slide

underneath the crevices
in between rocks

and then work their
bodies against the current

as they're walking on the basin
of a river, looking for food.

Look at the head,
completely flat.

Have you ever seen
anything like that before?

Some people call it the
Allegheny alligator.

Some people call it the
mud dog, the mud devil.

My personal favorite,
though, is snot otter.

And it feels as if it
is covered in snot.

And you can see this
brownish-colored body,

very long and slender,
makes it look like an otter.

Wow.

But, in fact,
we do know this is

an amphibian and not a mammal.

It does feel snotty.

Right?

That's why you can see it's so
hard for me to hold onto it.

One thing that I can feel
that you guys can't quite see

is that on the
tips of their toes,

they have these
little grippy pads.

Tim, see if you can kind
of fold up a foot there.

Let's show that to the camera.

See the little kind of
orange fingertips there?

Now, are those
slimy or are those grippy?

Those are very grippy.

That helps these amphibians
grab on to the slimy rocks

on the basin of the river.

Look at that coloration,
though, right?

Maybe kind of tilt it down.

Can you see that?

Brown with slightly
orange patterning

allows it to stay
perfectly camouflaged

on the basin of the river.

Can you see the
eyes up front there?

Kind of zoom in on those eyes.

See how tiny they are?

They have very poor eyesight.

They can't sense light,
but they actually

have all these little
light receptors

all over their bodies.

And they can also sense
vibrations in the water.

They use that ability to
sense vibrations to help

them hunt for their food.

And then look at the tail.

The tail is like a rudder.

Can you see that?

And that's how they're
capable of making

quick bursts of movement
underwater, if they need to.

Like when it first came out
from underneath the rock,

it shot out, and Tim
magically somehow managed

to scoop it up in the net.

Now, they're
primarily nocturnal.

That's when they come
out and do their hunting.

And 90% of this amphibians
diet is made up of crayfish.

They will eat small fish.

They will take other
little invertebrates.

And, believe it or not,
a large one like this

will even eat other hellbenders.

They're very, very territorial.

And, oftentimes, a
smaller hellbender

may lose its life to
a larger one like this

if it wanders in to
the wrong neighborhood.

Oh!

I am just in such awe of
this creature right now.

It is unbelievably incredible.

Like, I never thought I would
ever see a salamander this big.

That is the largest species of
salamander in North America,

and the third largest species
of salamander in the world,

third only to the giant Chinese
and Japanese salamander.

And look at that little face.

How adorable is this creature?

It's kind of staying
pretty calm at the moment.

I'm going to dip it back
down into the water.

I need to make sure
that this amphibian

stays hydrated at all times.

Here, Mark, come over
top, and let me show

you these lateral skin flaps.

This is one of the
most interesting

things about these amphibians.

Can you see this?

Sure can.

See those flaps?

These flaps actually
help them oxygenate.

And they absorb all their
oxygen through the water.

Well, hello.

Hi there.

What's your name?

Should we name you?

Herbie?

Herbie the Hellbender?

I think that's a yes.

Oh, yeah!

He gave me a little squeak
and blew some bubbles.

Well, it's interesting
because they

breathe through their skin.

And scientists
actually aren't sure

if they use their lungs
to breathe or just

for buoyancy underwater.

And right there,
I would definitely

say that it kind of looked like
it came up for air, at least it

exerted some air from
its lungs, probably

so that it could get down to
the bottom of this tub of water.

Now, one thing that I do
want to do very quickly here

is actually get the
length of this hellbender.

We're going to do a little
biometric research here.

I'm trying to get it
completely stretched out here.

Tip of the snout
to tip of the tail.

I think with
the bend it's 20.

That looks
like a 20-inch hellbender

right there.

Wow.

20 inches in length.

So, Coyote, how
old is this amphibian?

Well, nobody
really knows for sure how long

they can live, but some
scientists think they

can live as long as 70 years.

Wow.

I would
guess that this one, based

on its size, is
probably somewhere

between 25 and 30 years of age.

It's about
as old as we are.

Yeah, pretty much.

This is an old creature.

And they're very
susceptible to pollution.

This is what we call
an indicator species.

And the fact that we found
one here in this river

is a really good
sign that the water

system is in fact healthy.

Now, their larva are
the ones that are

most susceptible to pollution.

But because they absorb
so much of the environment

through their skin, like
all amphibians, if it's

a polluted area, there's
not a good chance

that they're going to survive.

Well, it was one very
long and very frigid

day searching the
rivers of West Virginia,

but we finally came across
the elusive hellbender.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see on the next adventure.

All right, let's get this
salamander back into the water.

Over the past century,
hellbender populations

have greatly declined.

And while the species
is not officially

listed as being endangered
or even threatened,

it is protected
across its range.

And strong conservation
efforts are helping

to preserve the species.

Organizations like West
Liberty University,

which has the largest hellbender
conservation facility in West

Virginia, are currently
head-starting hellbenders

for release into
the wild, helping

to ensure a hopeful future
for these giant amphibians.

All right.

There he goes, back up
underneath his rock.

Yes!

All right!

Well, Herbie is
back in the wild.

High-fives, Tim.

Amazing job.

That was one wild adventure.

All right, guys, let's get
out this river and warm up.

I know that I will never
forget my time spent

in that freezing cold river,
working alongside Tim,

and the moment he
successfully netted

that incredible creature.

We got him!

And as it disappeared back
into its dark, watery layer,

I felt a sense of
overwhelming gratitude

for being given the chance
to get up close with the one

and only hellbender.

I see it!

I got it!

Careful, careful, careful!

Woo!

Oh, my gosh.
Are you ready?

Yeah.

Oh!

Don't move, don't
move, don't move!

I got it, I got it, I got it!

There he is.

The rain forests

of Costa Rica boast being
an incredibly diverse

ecosystem, with
literally thousands

of plant and animal species.

And while many of
these creatures

are nocturnal and rely
on the darkness of night

to help keep them
hidden, there are also

plenty of diurnal,
or daytime animals,

that one can encounter.

Today, we are exploring
the Costa Rican

Amphibian Research
Reserve, located

in the central Caribbean zone.

It's 121 acre expanse is
home to over 50 species

of amphibians, including
the iconic green

and black poison frog.

My goal was to
find, safely catch,

and get one of these rainforest
gems up close for the cameras.

Ah!

No!

Oh!

They're so fast.

However, catching a poison frog
is far easier said than done.

Just saw one.

Did it hop away?
- Yep.

It's right in these leaves.

Hold on.

Did you get it?

I sure did.

No, I did not.

Are you serious?

Anything?

Ah!

Did it go in the burrow?

I don't know where it went.

Oh, jeez!

Ah!

What is it?

Stinging ants!

Little fire ants!

Ah!

One of the dangers of catching
poison frogs, because you just

throw your hands in everything,
and I just threw my hands

into a mound of fire ants.

Oh, gosh.

This is, uh-- this is
more difficult than I

thought it was going to be.

All right, come on.

COYOTE PETERSON
Not only

are these amphibians
small and speedy,

they are also incredibly
aware of their surroundings.

Oh!
There's one on that leaf!

So at any sign of danger--

- they immediately flee

into their burrows.

This is a bromeliad plant.

And you see how thick
the middle of it is.

I'm just going to bend this
leaf down a little bit.

Take a little glance in there.

See all that water?

That pocket of water is exactly
what the female frogs are

looking for to lay her eggs.

Oh!

There's a poison
frog right there!

Where, where, where?

There's two.

There's a red, and then-- oh.

The red one just went--
tucked behind the leaf.

But there's a little green.
Oh, oh, oh!

That's a baby one!

Oh, it's a froglet!

We're definitely
looking for something

that is way bigger than that.

Now, the adults are
hanging out by the plants too,

right?
- Yeah, they can be.

You can obviously also find
them around on the forest floor,

hiding in leaf litter or up
underneath root structures.

Like all of this
area like this, it's

just a matter of kind
of trekking through it

and getting lucky,
actually spotting one.

All right, I'm
heading into here.

As we travel deeper

into the rainforest, the wet
and rocky terrain only became

more difficult to navigate.

And the ever looming
cloud layer overhead

threatened a torrential
downpour at any moment,

but I was determined to
catch one of these frogs.

OK.

Well, so far, I
have missed catching

a lot of these poison frogs.

We've seen them.

And as soon as you see one,
they disappear to their burrows.

We've been out here for--

I don't know-- what would you
say, close to three and a half,

four hours now?

Yeah, and now
I think the rain is

going to start rolling in soon.

I did not anticipate
it taking this long

to get a little green and black
frog in front of the cameras,

but, uh, we are not giving up.

We're definitely seeing them.

It's just a matter of Coyote
actually catching one.

All right, let's keep moving.

There's a frog.

You got one?

Yup.

Where, where, where?

Oh!

Ah!

It went right up
underneath those roots.

You see that?
Where'd it go?

Right there.

You see-- OK, so
there's this rock here.

Mhm.
- Look behind it.

Yep.

See those roots
and those rocks?

Yeah.
- Yeah, back up in there.

Frog pretty much
just disappears.

Now, you may be
thinking, well, Coyote,

just stick your hand in there.

Get the frog.

There could be snakes in there.

There could be spiders in there.

I certainly don't want to
disturb the animals' homes, so,

in all fairness, that
frog evaded capture.

And then finally,

a combination of patience and
a little persistence paid off.

Did you hear that?

Yeah, that's
definitely a frog.

I want to see if it calls again.

No.

Your camera didn't get
that sound, did it?

You weren't rolling yet?
No.

Yeah, I definitely heard one.

All right, I'm moving up this.

It's definitely worth looking.

This is a bit steep, but--

jeez.

I see it.

It's definitely--

Is it catchable?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, none of the
rest have been.

Hold on a second.

I'm going to have
to dive for it.

Yes!

Did you get it?

I got it, and a
handful of grass too!

Woo!
All right, I'm coming down.

You ready?

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Oh, yes!

Careful, careful, careful.

Woo!

You all right?

OK, yeah.

Covered in mud,
handful of leaf litter,

but I definitely have the frog.

Oh, my gosh.
Are you ready?

Yeah.

This has been one difficult
amphibian to come across.

Ready?

Oh!

Oh!

Don't move, don't
move, don't move!

I got it, I got it, I got it!

There he is.

OK.

Hold on.

Just like it come down
there on a nice flat spot.

It's going to get away.

Got it!

See how jumpy they are?
Yeah.

And, literally, I'm going to
have to hold onto this frog's

leg the entire time.

Let me wash off my
hands in the stream

here so I can get a
good handle on it.

Oh!

Covered in mud again!

My pockets are
wedged full of mud.

Totally worth it,
though, because now

we have the green
and black poison

frog up close for the cameras.

You are not going anywhere.

Wow.

Well, there it is, the
black and green poison frog.

They are so incredibly fast.

And the reason I've
had so much trouble

is because they often hang out
right in front of their burrows

or in front of a root
structure, so as soon

as they feel vibrations in the
ground, any sort of sounds,

make visual contact, they
say, blup, and disappear

down into the ground.

Now, aposematic is
the term you always

hear me saying when it comes to
these brightly-colored animals.

And what aposematic
means is that it's

a warning sign to any potential
predator that, I am toxic.

If you eat me, if
the stomachache

doesn't make you
keel over, it may,

in fact, actually kill you.

Now, this variety is slightly
more toxic than the granular

or the strawberry
poison frog, so I

am definitely going
to be washing my hands

after handling this frog.

Now, when I climbed up
the side of the hill,

its back was actually
toward me, which

is the only reason that I
think I was able to leap

and grab a hold of the frog.

But as you could see,
as soon as I gave it

any runway for getting
an escape route,

it immediately hopped off my
hand and made a break for it.

And the thing is,
a lot of times,

you try to catch some
frogs, whether it's

this variety, or the
strawberry poison frog,

or the granular poison frog, you
think that you've got the frog,

but they move so quickly.

Soon as you grab down at it,
because you have to be gentle,

the frog is already gone.

Now, this is a terrestrial
species of frog.

And you'll notice
that it doesn't have

webbing in between its toes.

They're moving throughout
the rainforest,

searching the leaf
litter for any small bugs

they can come across.

They're opportunistic feeders.

But this species specifically
loves to feast on ants.

And it's actually the
alkaloids in the ants that

give this frog its toxicity.

So, coyote, why
is this considered

the most iconic poison frog?

Oh, just look
at the coloration.

I mean, it's
absolutely gorgeous.

That green and black marbling
is so incredibly distinct.

And look how evenly it's spread
throughout the frog's body.

Now, I do have an
admiration for these frogs.

But if there's somebody that
really loves these frogs,

it's Mark.

Aw, jeez.
Yeah.

Yeah, calling you out.

It's true.

Since I was eight years old,
that's my favorite amphibian

right there.

Actually, I have a mouse
pad of that exact frog.

He does.

I bet you're pretty excited.

Once we get this episode
through post-production,

you get to edit the thumbnail.

You're going to actually
be scrolling your mouse

pad over an image of
this frog while editing

an image of this frog.
- I know.

It's kind of crazy.

But, yeah, I'm excited about it.

Very cool.

All right, well, I am muddy, I
am sweaty, and I'm exhausted,

but we finally managed to get
the green and black poison

frog up close for the cameras.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see on the next adventure!

Over the years filming
"Brave Wilderness" episodes,

I have managed to encounter
many species of frogs.

And whether they were giant
bullfrogs of the South,

culturally iconic red-eyed leaf
frogs, or tiny toxic jungle

jelly beans, the green and black
poison frog is certainly one

that I will always remember
as being well worth the epic

adventure and
incredible challenge

to get up close for the cameras.