Original subtitles

Guys, I got an iguana, a little one.

Yeah, right there, sleeping right in the crux of the tree.

See him?

Yeah, he really sticks out.

Oh, no, wait. It's not.

It's a knight anole.

It's a Cuban knight anole. Holy cow.

I've never caught one of these before.

That's not an iguana? No.

You got a shot on him?

Yes.

Go for it.

See if you can get him.

Oh, nice.

I got his back.

I've got the back of his leg.

He's in these vines.

Ah.

I got him.

I got him.

There we go.

Woo.

Nice.

Look at that.

Wow.

That is a Cuban knight anole I have never-- oh, man.

I'm stuck in these thorns.

Holy mackerel.

Now, this is an invasive species here in South Florida.

I thought it was an iguana.

As you can see their backside-- oh, oh, oh, no biting.

No biting.

Their backside just hanging down like that in a tree

looks just like the green iguana.

But if you take a good look at that head,

it looks like a green anole on steroids.

Look at the dewlap.

Woo.

That is pretty crazy.

Now, you hear the name Cuban knight anole,

and you think to yourself, oh, well, he's probably

really active at night.

Actually, this is a diurnal species.

So I caught him sleeping right now up in that tree.

If this was during the day, he'd be moving much, much quicker.

Now you notice the head kind of looks

like the head of a chameleon.

Now, these lizards are from Cuba and are

invasive here in South Florida.

What these anoles are out here hunting

for is pretty much anything they can

come across, very opportunistic, but they primarily

feed on other lizards.

And their tongue does stick out, but it

can't shoot out like a chameleon,

and it is very sticky.

It's almost like there's glue on the tip of it.

How cool is that?

And he's not too keen on biting.

Oh, no.

Yes, he is.

Ouch.

Wow, those teeth are super sharp.

I've been putting my tip of my finger on his tongue,

and he didn't want to bite me.

But if I put my finger sideways into his mouth,

that is a different story.

And he's definitely latched on.

Ah, ah, ah, wow.

He bites harder than the collared lizard does.

Goodness, gracious. Are you serious?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, that hurts.

All right, I'm going to just kind of-- ah, oh.

Oh, man.

I did not think that he was going to bite.

I was actually going to show you guys

look how non-prone to biting this lizard is.

And now he's-- ah, oh, yeah, latched to my finger.

And I think you got a shot of those little teeth, didn't you?

Yeah. Yeah.

Oh, man, they're sharp.

And I have fire ant bites all over my fingers right now,

and he is chomping down on those.

OK. Let go.

I think he likes the aloe vera.

Oh, ah, jeez, man.

Look at that mark he put on my finger.

He chomped me good.

OK, let's take a look at the skin on this lizard.

And you can see that it's very bright green,

absolutely beautiful.

But it's kind of matte as well, which

is how we were able to spot this lizard

amongst all the shiny leaves.

Our flashlight beams just kind of bounced right off of him,

and he stood out like a sore thumb.

But he feels like suede.

This is actually one of the softest lizards

I think I've ever pet.

These lizards are excellent climbers.

I'm going to turn him around like this for you.

And let's take a look at those feet.

Now, they do have claws, but one really interesting, unique

feature that this lizard also has

is pads on the bottom of its toes like a gecko,

and that's why, when I was trying

to grab him out of the vines, he was able to hold on so well.

And each one of these little claws

is like a fishhook, can you see that,

which makes it the perfect predator

in any treetop environment.

Well, how cool is that?

My first time ever catching the Cuban knight anole.

Very awesome.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see on the next adventure.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

This is Mario Aldecoa.

One of these two reptiles is an alligator,

and the other is a crocodile.

Do you know which is which?

Stay tuned because we're about to show you.

Welcome back, everyone.

OK, so what I have in my hands right here,

this is the American alligator.

And what I have in my hands is the American crocodile.

And right now, we're in South Florida.

What's really awesome about this location

is that this is the only place in the world where these two

reptiles' territories overlap.

However, catching these two animals was far easier

said than done.

Let's take a look at last night's catches.

There's something right here. Where is it?

Hold on. I don't see it.

Stay right there.

Let me see if I can get closer.

I got a shot on him, so if you want to go, go for it.

I got it.

One, two, three.

I got it.

I got it.

Great grab.

All right.

Wow, well, that right there is the first piece of the puzzle,

the American crocodile.

Now we just need to find an American alligator.

Got an alligator right there.

Oh, Yeah.

All right, full weight going into this.

This is one of those things.

You don't think about it.

You just do it. Ready?

Yep.

One, two.

Got him.

Got him.

Got him.

Just barely got right behind his back.

Watch your fingers. Here we go.

Bringing him up.

Wow.

There it is.

All right, now we've got to get the American crocodile up close

with this American alligator.

Oh, man, this is awesome.

Look at those teeth.

Man, those were some pretty epic catches last night,

weren't they?

Yeah, I mean, how cool was it to catch an alligator

and a crocodile in the same night?

Certainly a first for me.

Now, this is great because it's giving us the opportunity

to answer a question that a lot of people write in and ask me.

Sure, they also ask you.

What's the difference between an alligator and a crocodile?

Most people look at a reptile like this and think,

oh, it's one and the same.

But not really.

Once you get them up next to each other,

you can really see that they're pretty different looking.

Now, obviously, these are both reptiles, both crocodilians,

and both have been on the planet for, what?

Over 200 million years? Oh, yeah.

Absolutely.

Their lineage is prehistoric.

So we're pretty much looking at dinosaurs here.

Oh, Yeah.

All right, so first, let's look at the differences

in snout structure because this is probably

a really easy way to identify these animals in the wild,

correct?

Yeah, that's how I identify them.

It's very easy.

Crocodiles have a pointed, narrow snout.

Alligators have a broad, round snout.

Yeah, look how broad that snout is,

and that has to do with the type of food that they're eating.

Absolutely.

Yeah.

Crocodiles are more coastal habitats,

so they're going to be eating fish,

and they want skinnier jaws to potentially thrash

around and grab the fish.

Right, and I can see

that with the tooth structure.

Those look like little shears.

I look at the alligator, and, of course,

we know that alligators are opportunistic, raccoons, deer,

pretty much anything that comes across these jaws,

and they have big broad jaws for crushing their food,

pretty much.

They crush and swallow things whole.

Now one other similarity that all crocodilians have

is a nictitating membrane.

And that's really cool.

This is kind of like a built-in set of goggles for when

you're underwater hunting.

Now let's talk about the color of these reptiles

because that is also very distinct.

You notice that the alligator is very dark in coloration,

almost black, and I would imagine that this helps it stay

camouflaged in dark, murky water as well as probably being

able to help it absorb sun.

As we know, reptiles are ectotherms,

meaning that they need the sun to heat

up their bodies so that they can go out and be active.

The crocodile, however, is much lighter in coloration.

Why is that?

Because of its environment.

So these guys live in coastal habitats,

and they're going to blend in right with the sand.

Yeah, you'll notice that just this coloration

in the scutes and the scale pattern

does almost look like sand.

I mean, an alligator like this, if it was in a dark, murky

swamp, you can look straight down at it

and not even see that it's there.

Obviously, helps it catch its prey

once it comes up to the shore, and boom, they launch out

of the water to grab something.

Another difference,

take a look at all the scales on the croc and the alligator,

especially around the tail.

So these are what we call scutes.

And if you see, the crocodile has really pronounced scutes.

They're longer.

The alligator has shorter ones.

And those scutes help them propel

better through the water. Yeah

You can see that the alligator's

tail is much more knobby in design,

whereas the crocodile's tail--

Yeah, how about that for an explosion of power.

Yeah, you really need to keep your hands locked

on the neck of the alligator and its jaw

so that he doesn't get my fingers in his mouth.

But you could maybe see right there just how their tail

can quickly whip around.

And that is all muscle.

This kind of leads to a really common question I get as well,

and that is in their temperament.

Crocodiles tend to have a very bad reputation.

They are considered more dangerous than alligators.

But that's not true here in Florida at all.

American crocs are actually really shy animals.

Alligators are a little bit more bold here in Florida

because they're more common, and sometimes they're found

in more residential areas.

Right, so they're kind of accustomed to being

around humans.

But even still, in both of these instances,

these animals are not out there looking to actually eat humans.

Oftentimes, I know when it's an alligator attack,

it's mistaken identity.

Somebody that's swimming in the water, dark water specifically,

you're thrashing around, you're going

to seem like a wounded animal or a fish,

and as an opportunistic feeder, an alligator's

going to go after you.

Correct.

Now, aside from the physical differences

between these two crocodilians, there

is something that you need to know

that you can't physically see.

The American crocodile's actually considered endangered

here in South Florida, while the American alligator is just

protected.

Far more likely to come across one of these beasts

than you are a crocodile.

If you're out there in the wild, and you see a slender snout,

consider yourself lucky because it's probably

a once-in-a-lifetime.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

You ready to let these two crocodilians go?

Let's do it.

See later, alligator.

In a while, crocodile.

I'm going to go right for his head.

You ready? Whoa.

Watch yourself.

Watch yourself.

Ah, jeez, he got me.

You guys see a snake?

Burmese Python.

Wow.

Pretty good size, too.

Oh, he's hissing.

Let me get it back out here on the road.

Whoa.

Holy cow.

Jeez.

He was just starting to cross the road.

Let me try to get him to stop right here.

Whoa, buddy.

Whoa, buddy.

Bring it back.

Bring it back.

Here we go.

Look at that.

That is the invasive Burmese python there,

good sized one, too, probably about 5 and 1/2 feet.

I'm going to go right for his head.

You ready? Whoa.

Watch yourself.

Watch yourself.

Ah, jeez.

He got me.

Ah, missed the head.

Then, it took a bite. You all right?

Yeah, I'm OK.

Man, those teeth are sharp.

He moved forward just as I was going for--

jeez.

He just bit that camera.

All right.

Ah.

Look at that.

That is a python bite right there.

All right, hold on.

Let me try that again.

You ready?

There we go.

Wow, look at that mouth.

All right, good thing I've got him the second time.

Look at those razor-sharp teeth.

Man, that's what just went right into my hand.

Look at that snake.

Yeah, he nailed you.

He did nail me, and that hurt pretty bad.

I'm going to get him under better control here.

Let's move out of the wind.

Let's kind of tuck into this little impasse here.

Here we go. - OK.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Woo.

Oh, how cool was that?

I didn't think we were going to see anything today.

Man.

It's most likely this is a snake that was born in the wild.

Definitely not used to being around humans.

As you can see, gave me a pretty nasty bite on my hand there.

Good news for me is that this snake is non-venomous,

so I'm going to be just fine.

That's no wonder that these snakes say so incredibly well

camouflaged in the environment.

If I put him down in the grasses here, look at this.

I'm just going to let his head go a little bit.

Watch yourself.

I don't think he's going to bite you.

Don't worry.

Look at that.

He just completely disappears amongst the grasses

and the leaves.

Look out.

Let me pull him back a little bit there.

Now, I can never recommend that you run out into the wild

and just try to pick up a python like I did.

As you saw, when I went for the grab behind the head,

I was just a little bit short of the safe zone,

and I ended up taking a bite.

Now I have one other time in my life,

caught a Burmese python out here in the wilds of South Florida.

But nothing tops coming across a reptile on a day

when you didn't think you would see anything.

And for just a moment, the sun came out.

And, of course, as soon as it does,

the reptiles begin to get active.

Such a beautiful creature.

OK.

OK.

You're all right.

I'll just let him go up over my shoulder there.

Maybe he'll go down the side of my back.

You see that.

As long as he doesn't constrict around my neck,

I'm going to be just fine.

So this snake just bit you,

and you feel comfortable doing this?

I do.

I feel totally comfortable at this point.

Now, could he bite me again?

Absolutely.

Is he going to bite me again?

I hope not.

But I'm putting virtually no pressure on the snake's body.

I'm just putting one hand after another

and letting him slither over me, and he's

staying completely calm.

He's figured out at this point that I'm

not causing him any injury.

Obviously not a predator.

If I was I would be biting him.

In no way is the snake feeling threatened at the moment.

But every time he cocks his head back like that, I have to just

give them a little bit of respect

and say, OK, we do not want you to take a lunge at my face

because that is a set of teeth that you do not want

to get tagged by in the face.

Wow.

Unbelievably beautiful.

I love coming across any sort of snake out here in the wild,

even if it is an invasive species.

You just have to appreciate those moments

that you interact with nature and truly get up close.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

Because this snake is invasive, we could not

release it back into the wild.

It was given to a research group and will be used

as an educational ambassador.

That sun is rising quick, isn't it?

Yeah, it's getting warm out here already.

Oh, right there. Look at that.

What do you see?

You see it right up underneath this cactus.

I don't see anything.

Look at it.

It looks just like a rock.

Look at the sand, zoom in tight, you a dark shape.

Do you know what that is?

Is that a lizard?

That is a lizard.

It looks spiky.

It is spiky.

Are you going to catch it?

You want me to, right?

I mean, yeah, but it's not

going to hurt your hand, is it?

I guess we're about to find out.

And it is underneath prickly pear cactus.

And the only way I was able to see it is I

saw a little bit of movement out of the corner of my eye,

and this is exactly what I was hoping we'd come across today.

All right, you ready?

One.

Oh, boy.

Two.

Three.

Ah.

Every time I stepped foot into the desert, my eyes

immediately began searching for animals.

And while the environment is most certainly laced

with biological landmines, like plants covered in spikes,

these hazards for humans oftentimes

provide shelter and protection for a wide variety

of creatures.

Arizona's Sonoran Desert is one of my favorite places

to explore, whether I'm encountering snakes--

look at that.

Look how long and beautiful that snake is--

spiders or scorpions, in the back of my mind,

I'm always hoping to stumble upon my favorite lizard.

And all it takes is being in the right place at the right time.

This is exactly what I was hoping we'd come across today.

All right, you ready?

One.

Oh, boy.

Two.

Three.

Ah, ah, ah.

Just kidding.

Do you know what this is?

This is the regal horned lizard, one of the most iconic species

that you'll find here in the Sonoran Desert.

And actually, this is my absolute favorite lizard

in the world.

And the way that these lizards actually avoid predators is--

I'm going to put them down on the sand.

Tilt the camera down here.

Look at this.

Look at that camouflage.

You see camouflaged that lizard is?

Look at that.

Now, it puffs up its body.

It flattens itself down.

The way that they'll actually hide

is to partially bury themselves underneath the sand.

And you see that cryptic coloration

in all of these scales, and the skin

looks just like this rocky and sandy terrain.

That's why when we walked up, you said,

are you really looking at something?

And it does. It really looks like a rock.

And the only way I was able to spot this lizard

is because its head moved, and I saw a little bit of movement

out of the corner of my eye.

And I said, oh, there it is.

There's a horned lizard.

Now, when I grabbed this lizard, I kind of played it up and made

you guys think it was going to be spiky and hurt my hand,

but all the spines that run along the side of the body

and on the back are nothing more than modified scales.

The only true horns or spikes on these lizards

is right on the back of the head there.

These are very sharp, and those are bone,

and they're actually connected to the skull.

Now that's a defense for these lizards against predators.

Let's say a snake, like a coachwhip,

comes into this environment and manages

to catch one of these lizards.

These spines would get stuck in its throat

and then hopefully, the lizard wouldn't become a meal.

So that's not spiky at all?

No, this lizard is not spiky at all.

Actually, Mark, do you want to reach

your hand out here and feel?

Go ahead.

Touch the lizard. Feel that.

Oh, Wow.

It just feels like sandpaper, doesn't it?

It's really, really soft.

Actually, want to know what's really soft?

Pet its belly.

Oh, wow.

Isn't that crazy?

That's awesome.

Now you'll notice that this lizard

is kind of puffing up its body.

That is another defense mechanism.

What they'll do is they'll stand up all four legs,

puff up their body, and go, whoa, whoa

like that towards a predator.

Now, if you were a coyote or a bobcat,

and you came into the environment,

and you saw this lizard all puffed up, covered in spikes,

you'd probably think to yourself,

yeah, that doesn't look like something that I want to eat.

However, if puffing up the body doesn't deter a predator,

this lizard is actually capable of shooting

two little streams of blood right

from the corner of its eyes.

So, Coyote, these lizards are

actually significant to you.

You have a story behind these.

They are.

Not only is this truly my favorite lizard,

but this lizard is responsible for giving me

the nickname Coyote.

Now the way that happened is when I was a little kid, about

eight years old, my mom used to bring me out

here to the Sonoran Desert, and I would look for these lizards.

However, because of their camouflage,

they're difficult to find.

Now one of their main predators is the roadrunner,

so what I would do is search for roadrunners.

I would follow those roadrunners hoping that they would

lead me to the horned lizards.

My mom would watch me doing this and would say to herself,

you know, you're kind of like?

You're kind of like Wiley Coyote from the Warner

Brothers cartoon.

And then she started calling me Coyote.

So this little lizard, the regal horned lizard,

is responsible for giving me the nickname Coyote.

How cool is that?

Now there are many species of lizards out here in the desert.

Most of them you probably would never be able to catch.

This is one that's actually slow enough that you can handle it.

And because it's non-venomous, and they do not bite,

I would actually say this is something that's

safe to pick up and admire.

However, you want to be extremely gentle.

You see, I'm barely holding on to the lizard.

They will stay totally calm in your hand.

Look at that.

I'm not even applying any pressure

to the legs or the body.

It's just sitting up on my fingers.

However, if you catch one of these lizards

out here in the desert, definitely make

sure you release it right away.

This does not make a good pet.

They stress very easily in captivity

and have a very selective diet.

They actually only eat ants.

Will not eat crickets.

Will not eat mealworms.

If you catch a horned lizard, admire it and then place it

right back in the desert.

All right, well, it's getting pretty warm out here.

I'm already breaking a sweat.

We better get this little lizard back up

underneath its prickly pear cactus.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

See you later, little guy.