Original subtitles

You know, these buildings

always provide a lot of areas for animals to hide in.

You never know what you're going to find around a building.

So we're always searching, especially for insects.

Here's an orb-weaver, a little one.

Yeah.

Let me know if you see that on camera.

It's kind of jittering in the wind.

Oh, a snake! What?

Right there.

Oh, man.

Oh, that's a boa.

Is that a boa?

I think that's a tree boa.

Let's get it out there.

What do you need?

Well, he's in a tight spot.

So snake hook would be great and a snake bag.

Sure.

You go, and get Mark.

Ha, literally, within like 30 seconds

of being here at the jungle hut and we found a tree boa.

Mark!

Yes?

Mario found a tree boa curled up in these pipes,

up in the rafters out here. - Just hang a second.

Yeah.

There it is. Yeah.

He wants snake hook and a bag.

Yeah, just get your camera going.

All right.

Come out here by the shot.

Ha!

This is awesome.

I got the snake hook and the bag.

It's definitely not fer-de-lance, right?

They don't climb. - No.

Yeah, I could tell by the coils.

And of course it's not.

It's up high.

Look over here.

See that?

Oh, yeah.

Sure it's a boa?

Yeah.

I think so.

I mean it's not fer-de-lance. - Yeah.

You sure it's not venomous, though, right?

Yeah.

It's up here in the rafters.

That's kind of typical of tree boas and arboreal animals.

You're going to climb up.

And he was probably hunting here at night--

you know, the bats and like all the insects and stuff that

are attracted to this area.

All right.

Let's maybe try to take out some of these pipes.

All right.

So these are the ones that he's kind of on.

Oh, all right. Take it out.

Take it out.

You may be able to--

Let me poke his mouth.

Is it trying to-- oh, I see its face.

Its face is right here.

You don't want it to get any further.

There you go. It's coming back.

It's coming back. - OK.

I got him.

Watch his head.

Oh, whoa! There he is.

Watch out.

Watch out.

Oh, whoa.

Yeah.

Easy.

He might bite you. You need a hook?

Oh, man!

We got him.

Watch your head on the top of the thing there.

Dude, this is a tree boa.

Wow!

That's a lot bigger than I thought it was going to be.

Oh, man, he's gorgeous.

That's amazing.

Hi, buddy.

Look at that.

This is an annulated tree boa, actually.

Right by the shed.

Oh, man.

That is so cool.

All right, well, this gives us an opportunity for you

to get a great photograph with a boa.

Yeah, Mario, we should show people

how you get your photographs.

Oh, yeah. Cool, yeah.

This will be a great specimen.

We could take him to the jungle and actually get some shots

in a natural setting.

And then we could release them there, actually.

David, you did great.

Oh!

That's so cool.

Nice.

There you go.

There you go.

And I think what I'm looking for is

I want to show the arboreal nature of this snake.

So I want to have some type of vine or branch

that we could actually put the snake on.

And it could dangle down, showing

its classic ambush position.

So ideally, branch, a vine, and then some nice background,

maybe like a stream or something, which this

looks pretty good right here.

OK.

And down there, that's potential.

But I think it'd be pretty hard to put down there.

Very hard to get good spots to take photos from down there.

Yeah.

Ooh, look at this.

Oh, right there.

There's a vine right there.

Yeah.

Yeah, so this could be the vine right there.

So you put snake like kind of the crux to that dusty vine?

Yes.

Maybe put it right here.

Oh, OK.

And then kind of shoot that way.

OK.

- What do you think? - Yeah.

Looks good to me.

I'm a camera assist today.

So I've got the snake, I've got the light.

You want me to get the snake out of the bag?

Yeah.

Let me get my camera gear ready.

OK.

Like exposure, some of that stuff.

I'll do that out here.

Yeah.

Let's get your gear out here.

Tell me what you use.

So primary camera that I'm going to use today

is Canon 60D.

This is an older model.

It's one of the first Canons that has

this little articulated screen.

And this is really helpful for the type of shots

that I like to get.

I like to get different perspectives, wide angle.

And using this, I can kind of get right up

to the animal and kind of focus my spot of interest

and take the picture.

Look at this guy getting in the middle of my shot.

Hey, buddy.

Let's get B-roll right there.

That's not how this works.

Now, I often use a speed light for fill-in flash.

Interesting.

So yeah, I would have to say, I've

known you as Mario as a photographer for quite a while.

And to me, this is the most unique element of your style.

So explain that flash.

Yeah.

So I often use a flash during the day.

And it seems counterintuitive.

But during the day, you have to get shadows because

of the sun or harsh light.

And when there is harsh light, I'll

use this as a fill-in flash.

And that'll actually pop the animal,

reduce some of the shadows without making

it too overwhelming.

Now what's going to be a little different today

is I've got you guys with me.

Yeah.

Normally, I go out and kind of do the photography on my own.

But today, I'll have Coyote helping me out,

and he's going to be holding a light fixture,

which will actually maybe prevent me from using a flash.

So that might be my light, my fill-in light.

We'll see. All right.

Let's-- - Fill me in, coach.

I'm ready.

Let's check it out.

So Mario, what's the first thing

you think about when you find your setting

for your photographs?

Like what's the first step?

Well, it all depends on the situation, right.

It all depends on the environment.

Many times, we encounter a snake or reptile or subject that I

photograph, it's already in the perfect in situ environment.

Oh, what's that mean?

In situ means as is.

It's just kind of in the environment.

I don't have to actually manipulate the animal.

Other times, like this situation,

where we actually captured a snake,

we're going to relocate it into a safer area.

I could actually pick the location

and have more liberties in terms of what I want.

So for this, I want to really showcase the arboreal nature

of this snake.

All right.

So this snake is highly arboreal.

We found it in the rafters.

And then I want to look at the background

and see if it's an interesting background.

I don't want it to be too cluttered.

So lots of factors that I consider

when I'm picking a spot.

Right.

All right.

So let's take a--

Do you test before you bring an animal in?

It depends.

If I am bringing an animal into the set,

as I'm going to call it, then I'm

going to take as many pictures as I

can to get the proper exposure.

Then I'll bring the animal.

But if it's a situation where the animal is already there,

then I have to try to get it really

spot on so that I don't stress out the animal any further.

All right.

So I'm going to go 500.

We're going to add a little bit more light.

Ready?

Yeah.

- OK. - Got it?

I think so.

We're ready for the star.

- Yeah. - Coyote.

I'm here.

No, it's not you today, buddy.

Oh, that's right.

It's the snake.

I get the day off.

Oh, there you go.

OK.

All right.

Let's see how he behaves.

That's definitely a really cool snake.

We might need the snake hook.

All right. Cool.

That was going to be good.

OK, now, I'm going to need you to come on this side.

Me?

Yep.

OK.

Now, we're going to do slow movement,

so we don't disturb the snake.

Now, there's a lot of patience when you work with wildlife,

and you do photography, as you know,

Mark, since we do videography as well.

And he's kind of behaving pretty well so far.

And that's what I want right there.

I want this classic look right here.

Uh-hmm.

See, it's all about trying to get the natural pose, too.

You want a pose that's kind of natural to the snake.

Yeah.

That's the pose I want, right there.

We're getting it.

That was good.

That's perfect, Mario.

That's a perfect pose right there.

Wow.

I'm not sure you're going to get better than that.

That's pretty cool.

That was epic.

Now, how many photographs do you take,

Mario, like in something like this to get the one

you're after?

There's hundreds of shots that are not ideal, that are not

what I anticipate.

If you are with me taking photos,

you have to be patient, right.

See, that's right there.

That's beautiful.

Get it.

And something that you might be noticing

and I'm kind of fiddling my hands a lot

is I'm changing the focus points.

So basically--

And I hear a lot of clicks.

Yeah.

You aren't taking just one photo at a time, are you?

No, not at all.

I'm doing continuous shutter.

Great job with the light.

So, yeah, I'm pretty happy so far.

Let's take a look at one of the photos.

Yeah. Let's take a look.

We'll throw it up on screen for everybody else to see,

but I want to take a look over your shoulder here.

Check that out.

OK.

So we're isolating the subject.

- Beautiful. - Right.

Nice natural looking light on the snake, too,

that the LED really kicked it out.

Oh!

See it bite at the camera. - Did it, really?

Yeah. Ah!

He's bit the lens.

No way.

Actually, let me get a shot of that.

All right, guys.

This is the shot, absolutely.

This is what I'm looking for.

This face is just right at me.

Now, this is risky, Mark, because this

is his strike zone, right here.

Ooh, careful, buddy.

Right position.

Dim light.

Dim light.

Oh, look at that shot.

Oh, man, that's epic.

I think it's getting a little angsty.

We may need to kind of wrap this up here.

Yeah. I got some amazing--

I kind of losing control of the snake.

Oh, OK. Coming.

I can't reach off the edge of this.

You're going to have to grab hold of it.

- Oh, careful. - Oh!

Ah!

- Mario, you got bit. - It bit me.

It definitely bit you.

That was kind of I deserve that.

I mean, let's face it.

I've been kind of handling the snake

and focusing on the pictures.

So that was a little bite.

It wasn't a bad bite. - Not a bad bite?

Not a bad bite.

It's a little warning, a little warning tap.

All right, guys.

I think I got some epic shots.

And Thank you Coyote for helping me to wrangle the snake

and to provide some light.

Mark, thank you for taking the time to get this little video.

Of course.

But I hope everyone at home learned something.

I hope so, too.

So what we're going to do is we're going

to take some of the best shots.

And we're going to put them in the video.

And let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Ooh, I got an idea.

What's up?

Best comment gets a signed print.

- Oh. - on the best photograph.

What do you think about that?

Ooh, I like that idea.

An official Mario Aldecoa autograph and photo.

Man, the pressure's on.

I hope you, guys, like the images.

And this is awesome.

I've been wanting to find any snake on this trip.

And it's an annulated tree boa.

How cool is that?

Got a really nice environmental shot of them.

He gave me a little bite.

That's OK.

It was a love bite.

And I think we're done with the photo session.

All stories have a beginning.

This one begins with water.

And as we drove across the parched terrain

toward the mountains, the one thing on our minds

was whether or not you would find any.

If you were to guess, I bet you'd say the landscape

looks like Africa.

But believe it or not, this is the dry season

in Northwestern Costa Rica.

And on this adventure, the team and I

are heading out into the Palo Verde National Park

to search for American crocodiles.

Leading the expedition is Doctor Chris Murray.

A biologist by degree, he has spent the past four years

capturing and recording the giant reptiles of this region

to better understand and mediate this human-crocodile conflict.

Researching crocodiles is a dangerous job.

So Chris always has with him lifelong friend and reptile

wrangler, Mike Easter.

Mike is the snare man.

And I'd wager a bet that he is snared

more crocodiles in the past five years

than almost anyone else in this field.

Trust me, he's that good.

Together, these two make up one of the finest crocodile catch

teams in the world.

And today, they are bringing me into the fray.

All right, Chris.

So we've been walking for quite some time

now searching for water.

No water in sight but just a lot of extremely dry earth.

That's right.

So much so that I'm able to just break it apart in chunks.

At one point in time, this was a wetland, right?

That's right.

So where have all the crocodiles gone?

A lot of them actually walk about a mile all the way

to the river.

It's over there.

But a lot of them we've actually found are right underneath us

right here.

Buried down in the mud.

Yep, in the mud.

So as the waters will recede, they just sit and let the mud

harden over top of them.

And they're estivating underneath this mud.

OK.

Now, explain to us what estivation is.

So estivation is when the animals actually

sit underground, slow down everything that's happening

internally, and wait out the arid environment

until the rains return.

So right now, we could be

sitting on top of crocodiles.

We're standing on top of a whole bunch of crocs,

all through this landscape.

And they're waiting for the rains

to come back so that they can emerge up out of the mud.

In about a month or two.

COYOTE PETERSON In order

to properly conduct your research,

you have to find the crocodiles.

And I don't imagine you're going to dig down into the dirt

after. No.

So how do we find them?

We're going to have to find what water still remains.

OK.

So the search for water continues.

The best way to cover ground at Palo Verde is by SUV.

And while the goal was to find crocodiles,

the odds were definitely stacked against us,

as after three hours of searching,

we found nothing but a small stagnant puddle

and the sun-baked remains of a fallen giant.

Sweet!

It's windy, there's no water, it's really hot.

Finding crocodiles is going to be a big challenge.

I see.

What do you think of our chances?

To be honest, I think

we came at the wrong time.

Yeah?

Yeah.

There's like an extended drought,

so we may have missed our opportunity for a croc

here in Costa Rica.

So with the sun high in the sky

and the heat literally cooking us alive,

we decided it was best that we returned to base camp.

Taking an alternate route back, we

came upon a pair of drainage pipes

in a low spot that still held some water.

Oh, here's the water.

Ooh, look at that.

That's a tiny puddle but without work, Chris.

May be something in that. - Let's go see.

All right.

Not exactly wetland sanctuary,

but it was worth a stop.

There's tiny bit of water.

- Yeah, it was crocs in there. - No way.

There's crocs? What?

Yeah, look down in there, Mike.

Hold on, let me look.

Way down there I can see scoots.

Oh, you're right. I see a tail.

- Wow. - Cool.

OK.

So we have been searching and searching and searching.

Finally, I mean, look at this pocket of water.

This is nothing more than a couple of inches deep.

Can you tell how big the crocodiles are?

The scoots look big.

I think we need a better look.

Wow.

OK, so there are definitely crocodiles

inside of this drainage pipe.

Now, it's just a matter of getting them out of there.

It's going to be a challenge.

- That's the challenge. - All right.

Let's do this.

What do they look like over there, guys?

If you look in the pipe, I think they're probably seven feet in.

How long is this pipe, you think?

40 feet?

You'd have to crawl in there.

Yeah, I am.

COYOTE PETERSON Both pipes

had crocodiles in them.

So Chris and Mike carefully analyzed the situation

and began to prep their gear.

Test the snare. How's that?

- That's good. - Good?

It'll go around at its top jaw.

Perfect.

All right, Mike.

Duct tape-- we're going to use these needles.

Those are helper knives, and we'll stick them right in here.

All the water go into these little vac containers.

All right.

So we got those out with us.

Measuring tapes here.

Bags for scoots are here, and all the writing

implements are up in the top.

We have the book?

Yeah, the book's right here in orange.

All the writing stuff's right here.

You guys ready?

Yeah, man.

Let's do this.

COYOTE PETERSON Ultimately, it

was determined that the croc on the right

would be the easiest to catch first.

All right.

So right now, we're just trying to scare

these animals towards the other end of the pipe

where Mike can snare them.

We're having trouble because they

know it's obviously really nice in there,

and we're not in there.

Using a simple scare tactic,

Chris was able to clump together softballs of mud, which he

tossed into the pipe, creating splashes that

scared the crocodile out the far end and right

into Mike's snare.

Pull!

Yeah.

Adam!

Adam, look at that.

Mike, stand by.

Look at that.

That is the American crocodile right there!

What an effort to get him out of that pipe.

Good job.

COYOTE PETERSON We work quickly

to record the animal's length.

121 centimeters.

And Chris pulled a blood sample.

Just like getting a little booster shot at the doctor,

right? - Exactly right.

COYOTE PETERSON It was

important to put as little stress

on the crocodile as possible.

And in a matter of minutes, it was

released back into the wild.

Now onto the other one.

However, this croc was significantly larger

and tucked in the drainpipe that wasn't nearly as accessible.

Is there any way you can see in the pipe

what's moving right now? - I'll try.

OK.

Any movement at all?

I would probably normally go right into this drainage pipe.

But Chris says that is way too dangerous because if I do--

Mike?

- those crocodiles may ambush me.

We have a lot of crocodile down near you already.

OK.

So that means he's only going to go your way.

Yeah.

He's biting the stick.

OK.

As long as it's the stick and not your hand.

OK.

So what we're going to do is completely

reverse our scenario.

Chris is going to come on this side.

We're going to try to flush the crocodiles out the other end.

The biggest one obviously can't turn around in the pipe,

so we're going to try to coax him the other direction

and snare a snout from the other end.

We're not giving it up.

If you thought snaring a crocodile

out in the open was dangerous, imagine doing

it from inside a drainpipe.

All right.

Mike, tell me what you're doing.

All right.

So I'm going to head in there.

And my hope is that--

Wait, you're going in there?

- Yeah. - OK.

I'm going in there.

My hope is that crocodile continues to face forward,

and I can slip this right over the snout.

We're just trying to get these crocs

by any means necessary at this point, keeping ourselves

and the croc safe.

So I can't stop trying.

COYOTE PETERSON With that said,

Mike Easter looked danger in the face and climbed,

head first, into the pipe.

This is like that game of operation, only

big teeth and a lot of power.

COYOTE PETERSON My role

was to shine the crocodile with a flashlight,

so Mike could see it.

While Chris splashed water on the far end

to coax it toward the snare.

All right.

So if Mike does snare the largest crocodile,

it's going to take both of us to be able to pull

it out of the pipe.

So I have to run back to there, grab the rope,

and help him pull it out.

All right.

Mike is now moving even further.

Mike is all the way in the pipe now.

We're all the way at the pipeline.

COYOTE PETERSON We all

held in silence as the master snares man worked his magic.

OK.

So Mike is getting further into the pipe.

The largest crocodile is actually

coming towards us right now, which is exactly what we want.

And then it happened.

Got him!

Got him.

Pull back.

Pull back.

Go, go, go!

We need everybody on this one.

Just keep going.

Oh, my gosh!

This is like a super tug of war.

It is a big animal.

Here we go.

1, 2, 3, back up, back up.

Whoa!

1, 2, 3.

Here we go, big fella.

Whoa!

Wow!

That!

Try and catch an America crocodile

out of a drainage pipe.

Wow!

We need more rolls.

I know.

Holy cow!

I'm not hungry anymore.

I just ate some dirt. - Yeah.

You got a little mud on your face, Mike.

This crocodile sells a lot of energy left in it.

Mike's covered in mud.

All right.

So what Chris is doing right now is

we've got to get a towel over the eyes of the crocodile,

so we can keep it calm down.

They're both going to jump right on its back.

1, 2, 3.

Perfect.

This big fella, what might happen

if I get the back legs up?

Get those legs up, Coyote.

Yup.

Get him up over your calves.

All right.

All right.

Both back legs are secure.

This is a croc that we have been after all day

in that drainage pipe.

It is the biggest one that was in there.

Look at the scutes on the back of this tail.

This is a big animal.

All right.

So right now, Chris is using all of his body weight

to keep the animal locked in place.

Mike has now secured the jaws with electrical tape.

I've got the back legs and part of the tail under control.

But this animal could erupt in power at any second.

Still a lot of fight left in this beast.

All right.

I'm going to sit up.

- OK. - Good.

- Wow. - Great work, guys.

Wow.

That's a big crocodile.

Following protocol, we

worked as a team to record the crocodiles length

from snout to tail tip.

All right.

We are 3 meters on the dot.

Nice.

I verified the animal's gender.

And it's a female.

And then Chris carefully extracted

the always important blood sample, which when taken back

to the lab will provide him with vital hormone

data for his ongoing research.

Definitely intimidating to sit on an animal of this size.

And right now, she's been completely calm.

But I can't lose focus at any point

because she's actually building her energy back up.

So it doesn't look like it, but I am holding on as tight

as I can right now to make sure she doesn't thrash her body

around and throw me off.

We have searched all day for any water that may

possibly have crocodiles in it.

And lo and behold, right here in these drainage pipes

is where we found the American crocodile.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave, stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.