Original subtitles

There are over 375 species of mammals

that call Australia home.

And almost all of them are completely

unique to this continent.

From hopping kangaroos, and cuddly koalas,

to sleepy wombats, and the adorable brushtail possum,

we have the chance to get up close

with some of the country's most iconic species.

However, these animals are primarily herbivores, which

means that they eat plants.

So what about the carnivorous mammals?

You know, the ones who eat meat?

Well, as it turns out, there are many carnivores.

And my goal is to get up close with one of the country's

top mammalian predators.

And the best way to do that is to work with a pack of them

at the Billabong Sanctuary.

Get ready.

It's time to find out whether or not a Coyote will be

accepted into the dingo pack.

Now, a lot of people have requested that we

do an episode with the dingo.

And sure enough, we're being given

the opportunity today at the Billabong Wildlife Sanctuary.

And I'm going to get to go inside the enclosure

with the dingoes themselves.

This is going to be awesome.

Are you nervous at all?

No.

No, they told me that dingoes are incredibly friendly, very

intelligent canines.

And we're ready for me to go in?

We are, indeed.

OK.

Anything that I need to know before I

get into the enclosure?

Not with these guys, no.

No?

They're pretty tame.

OK, pretty friendly.

Just like palling around with some puppy dogs.

Now, you said to go in through this gate.

Go in through the gate.

OK, and don't touch the fence, right?

That's right.

Hi, guys.

The moment of truth, opening up the gate to see if I

can become one of the pack.

Here we go.

Oh, boy!

Hi.

Hi.

I'm coming in.

Oh, this is amazing.

Look at you guys.

All right, so far so good.

OK.

All right, hi.

How are you?

How are you?

Hello there.

Oh.

Welcoming kisses.

How about that?

I'd say you're in.

I am in.

All right, I'm going to take off my pack here and just sort

of set it down on this log.

And I think what's probably best is

if I just sit here on the rock and see

if the dingoes will come to me.

Come here, guys.

Come here.

Hey.

Come here.

Look at you.

So what's this one's name? - King.

King? Hi, King.

How are you?

OK.

You know, I've got some kangaroo meat right here.

Would you like some kangaroo meat?

Oh, King, look at this.

Look, bud.

This is my offering, kangaroo meat.

Oh, that's good, isn't it?

Now, I would try this kangaroo meat, but it's raw

and I don't think that's going to make my stomach feel good.

OK, let's see.

Here we go. Yeah!

You are so gentle.

And look at how he just carefully

takes that out of my hand.

There you go.

OK, that's good, huh?

Now, this is a very classic dingo.

Oh, yeah.

Look at that kind of goldfish coloration

to the coat and the slender design of the body.

Look at those big paws too.

And what's this one's name?

Allira.

Allira. Hi, Allira.

How are you?

So we've got Allira and King.

You look like you're king of the rock over there, huh?

And I got to let them get used to us being in the enclosure

and get used to the cameras.

I'm going to sit down right here, King.

Is that cool?

Hi.

Allira, how are you doing?

And what's the third one's name?

Kalari.

Kalari.

And she's just laying down in the sun over there, huh?

You know, they kind of look like Shiba Inus, don't they?

Oh, yeah.

How you doing?

So noble up there on top of that rock.

Yeah, this is cool.

You guys sniffing my pack?

Sniffing the pack?

Hi.

How are you doing?

What's their coat feel like?

Incredibly soft.

You can feel on top there are these coarser guard hairs,

but they're a lot softer than a wolf or a coyote.

All of this fur right here is really bushy.

Go ahead, Mark.

Put your hand out there and feel how soft her coat is.

Oh, wow.

It's so gentle, right?

Your teeth look really clean.

This is a good thing.

It's amazing how calm and peaceful they are.

Yeah, just having a good hangout, huh?

So you didn't expect this, did you?

Did not expect to be in an enclosure with a dingo today.

No, I certainly did not.

It's a good thing I'm not allergic to dogs

because I'm getting fur and dander all over me.

And they seem to be completely unfazed by us

having the cameras in here.

And I think they're pretty well acclimated to us at this point.

I honestly thought it would take a couple of minutes for them

to kind of-- oh, and now as I say that, they kind of run off.

I think we've lost their attention.

King, come here!

Come here, buddy.

Look, he has like white socks on.

OK, let's see.

Got some kangaroo meat here for you.

Good lean meat, huh?

There you go, there you go.

King, I've got a little bit more.

Oh.

Oh, kangaroo meat smells funky, but they absolutely love it.

And, of course, kangaroo and wallaby would certainly be

on the menu for these animals.

And to take down an animal the size of a kangaroo,

the dingo would actually need to be hunting in a pack.

This is the apex land mammalian predator here in Australia.

Kind of just spreading out.

It's interesting, the way they walk looks just like wolves.

All right, let's see if we can really get into this situation

with the dingoes.

Hi!

You guys want to play?

Do you want to play?

Let's play.

Come here!

Hi!

OK.

OK.

I'm going to go right here down on the ground,

see if we can get your guys--

there we go!

Oh, like a big lapdog, huh?

All right.

Shade here.

Hi.

Oh, look at those paws.

Look at those paws.

Oh, belly rub time, huh?

Oh, there we go.

I'm going to lay down right there with you, OK?

Let's see.

Look at those big ears.

You see those ears?

Incredible sense of hearing.

And they do a lot of their hunting

at night when it's cooler out.

And, of course, they have amazing eyesight

for hunting in the dark.

I was close, close to getting an interview right here with me.

Actually, she's behind you on that side, Mark.

- Hello. - Hi.

Come here.

Working on it.

You guys want to see if we can get a dingo to climb a tree?

That would be cool.

Now, in the United States, I know that coyotes have been

seen occasionally climbing trees,

but certainly something like a gray fox

is capable of getting up into a tree.

But something like a dingo, with as large as this animal

is, you would think, wow, how are they actually

going to get up into that tree?

Wow, look at that!

Look at that balance.

Good job, King.

He's going to try and chase.

Right there, bud.

Can you get up there?

He usually takes [inaudible].

Oh!

Whoa!

All right, let's see if I can put a piece of meat

up in the tree.

Watch this.

Here, look.

There it is.

Wow, look at the way that he's able to just spread his claws

out, almost like a cat.

Look at that agile jump.

Just kind of can completely turn his body

to land right in that spot.

That was awesome.

All right, well, dingoes can climb trees.

OK, guys, so we're going to try to switch

up the tactic a little bit.

I was kind of coming into the enclosure,

being quiet, letting the dingoes get acclimated to me.

And they seem pretty comfortable at this point,

so we're going to try to up the excitement a little bit.

And I'm actually going to start running in the other direction

and see if I can get them to chase me.

Ready for that? Sure.

All right, let's see what happens.

Come on, buddy! Come on!

There we go!

Now they're moving!

Whoa!

Just got to get them fired up a little bit.

All right, playing tag with the dingoes.

Now, I've got them excited and they're

playing with each other, but I need them to actually chase me.

As soon as I started running that way,

King took off after me, and then the other two

sprinted right after. Watch your back, Mark.

Here they come.

Whoa!

Whoa!

Mario!

It's like a flash!

There he goes! Coyote!

Whoa!

canine.

come here!

I can't keep up with them.

They're so fast.

I can make it like halfway down, and then they bolt

past me the other direction.

King is definitely leading the charge right now.

It's getting dusty in here.

Might be getting on your lens a little bit.

But they are definitely getting excited.

So coming into the enclosure, getting acclimated,

and then getting them to play definitely

was the right tactic.

Come here, you!

Come here!

Ooh!

Probably don't want to get in the middle of that, though.

I don't have real thick flesh on the side of my neck

that they can grab on to.

a little bit.

OK, good boy [inaudible].

Come here.

All right, let's take them over to the water trough here.

Check this out.

You guys getting a drink?

Getting a drink.

Oh, that was good run, huh?

You can see what King is doing right now is just

kind of laying in the shade.

And the ground is rather cool.

Now, when it's really hot out, dingoes will just sort of

nestle down in the shade.

And they'll dig these little kind of circular burrows

that they can then curl up in.

And as they get a little deeper into the soil,

the ground is a little cooler, and that helps them regulate

their body temperature.

Let's get this chance now while King is sort of

laying down like this to look at the body

structure of the dingo.

Look at how lean this animal is.

And it's definitely a hunter, that's for sure.

Long legs, big paws, sharp claws.

And look at this narrow sort of waistline.

You can see all this muscle in the back haunches

there, obviously give them the ability to leap

pretty high into the air.

Straight up vertical.

King can probably jump about five to six feet straight up.

Let's take a look at King's paws.

Look at those pads there.

Paws aren't quite as big as the paws of like a wolf.

Now, obviously because they aren't out there in the snow,

you know, their paws don't need to spread quite as far.

But when we saw King climbing up the trees, he was able to grip

on with his claws almost like a cat.

And see this space right here?

This is where their paws are capable of curling under

and holding onto things, whether it's a tree limb

or if they're hunting and they leap onto their prey,

they can grapple onto it and then inflict a death bite.

They don't rest for that long, do they?

No.

King said, OK, you're going to play with my paws,

I'm heading this way.

Let's follow him over there.

There you go.

There we go.

Is that the spot right there?

Just like a dog, you've got to find that right spot

for a good scratch.

Yeah, there we go.

All right.

Well, this was pretty awesome.

Hanging out in the dingo enclosure,

getting acclimated, eating some kangaroo meat,

having a run, and now it's time to just relax in the shade.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

The tide pools of South Africa were

filled with living organisms.

And they provided us with some of our most memorable

"Beyond the Tide" episodes.

From slippery octopus to spotted gully sharks,

we seem to find and catch them all.

Yet, there's still one incredibly bizarre

looking animal that didn't make the final cut

of the original episodes.

So if you're ready, get set to meet the toadfish.

Oh, ho, ho ho!

Yes! That's a toadfish!

Got it. I got it.

Hold on.

Let me come up.

Little wet.

Hold on.

That is-- I believe that's a toadfish.

Hold on a second.

I'm going to have to look in the field guide.

Let me make sure it's not a scorpionfish, though.

Let's see him.

If it's a scorpionfish, you can get spiked.

It looks like a toadfish.

It looks like a toadfish.

Let me get out the field guide real quick

and keep him dunked down in the water.

Wow! How about that?

This tide pool is rich with life.

It appears to be a snakehead toadfish.

We're right in its range.

But the color variations can be very different.

What I do know is that it's not a scorpionfish.

If it was a scorpionfish, I would

be in danger of being spined.

There are no spines on the toadfish.

Actually, you know what?

I'm 100% sure it is, because look at the underside.

It has that very distinct sucker.

And look at those teeth up front.

You can see why they're called snakehead toadfish.

Zoom in there.

Do you see its teeth?

Looks just like the fangs of a snake.

And if you put this animal straight down like that,

look at that!

It looks just like a snake's head!

Binocular vision.

Excellent eyesight underwater.

Look at how big those eyes are.

Almost looks like the eyes of a frog or a toad,

hence the name toadfish.

And look at that mouth.

Look at the suction cup on the bottom of this fish's body.

That's what's very unique about this specific species

of toadfish.

They're actually capable of clinging onto rock

sides or little cliff ledges.

And what they'll do is wait for the prey to swim up out

of the murky depths, and then they lunge out

and grab a hold of it.

Again, this is an ambush predator.

Wow, it is certainly cool looking.

Well, this was awesome!

Coming across a perfectly designed predator here in

the tide pools of South Africa.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

All right, toady, back into the tide pool with you.

Exploring tide pools is a great way to see marine wildlife

in its natural environment.

And while many of these animals are completely harmless,

depending on your location, some are potentially dangerous.

So it's always best to admire them from a safe distance.

The grasslands of South Africa seemed to stretch on forever.

An infinite playground, where under the warmth of the sun,

animals enjoy this wild place.

Yet, as the afternoon wears on, and the sun slowly

falls below the horizon, darkness

sets in and casts a much different feel,

as under the cover of nightfall, the beasts emerge from hiding.

What's going on, Coyote Pack?

Right now, we are on location in South Africa.

And tonight is a full moon, which

is the perfect opportunity for us to see animals.

However, we're going to employ some new technology.

Check this out.

Mario, dim that light down just a bit.

All right, Mark, you ready?

Infrared is on.

Ooh, cool!

This camera technology will help us see animals at night.

And because a rainstorm just moved through,

it's the perfect time for one of the largest land mammals,

the hippopotamus, to move up from the river

systems and start feeding.

So if you guys are ready, let's see

if we can get one of these giants

up close for the cameras.

The Kariega Game Reserves spans 10 hectares

of Eastern Cape wilderness.

And this protected area provides refuge for several

of South Africa's biggest animals,

including rhinoceros, elephants, and

the unmistakable hippopotamus.

Seeing elephants and rhinos under the light of day

is rather common, as these giant grazers,

with their tough leathery skin, are

quite resilient to the sun-scorching rays.

When it comes to hippos, their skin is much more sensitive.

And they spend the majority of their days grazing

in the cool confines of rivers and billabongs,

that is until the sun disappears,

and the moon illuminates the savanna.

Yeah, it's still warm.

Definitely fresh hippo droppings, but the ground here

is really dense, really rocky.

I'm not actually seeing any tracks.

Actually, just off the side of the vehicle,

this is where they would have come up at.

Oh yeah, look at this.

There's a track.

That's actually a track going back down into the water.

These are fresh.

Look at that.

You can see the distinct toe markings.

Wow.

I can smell them.

It smells like a hippo down here.

Yeah, I was just thinking that same thing.

You probably don't want to get right down next to the water

when you have a hippo that's just moved through.

Actually, the tracks came from--

here's some here too.

All right, well, the hippos are up and on

the move, which means there's a good chance

that we're going to find them.

All right, let's keep trucking.

On a full moon, once the human eye adjusts to the darkness,

it's surprising how well one can actually see.

When it comes to cameras, by using the combination

of infrared technology and night-vision settings,

they're able to see even more than the human eye, which will

provide a much needed advantage when it comes to spotting

hungry hippos in the distance.

So, Coyote, these hippos are going to come

right up out of the water?

Yeah, at night, hippos come up out of the water

because they're very sensitive to sunlight.

Their bodies can get burnt really easily,

so they come out at night to feed

amongst all the moist grasses.

They can travel as far as six miles away

from their main water source, so if we're lucky,

we'll see them out grazing.

For an animal that can weigh nearly 4,000 pounds,

hippos can cover quite a bit of distance

in a rather short time.

And as they venture away from the water

and muddy embankments, they become increasingly

difficult to track.

So as we slowly ventured across the park,

we knew that having an encounter meant

being in exactly the right place at exactly the right time.

All right, guys, well, we have spotted

four hippos, the most dangerous animal in all of South Africa.

And we are safe inside of this vehicle,

but I'm going to get out of it.

Let's see if I can get up close with a hippo.

Coyote, you're back so soon.

Yep, the hippos are coming!

Go, go, go, go, go!

Just kidding.

When it comes to dangerous animals,

hippos are without question one of South Africa's most deadly.

And whether in the water or on land,

they are fast, reaching speeds of nearly 20 miles per hour.

So tempting fate by getting unsafely close on foot simply

was not an option, so the search continued.

All right, ready? You rolling?

Yeah.

There he is, right out there.

You see it?

He doesn't quite realize that it's been spotted yet.

And what's really cool about hippos

is that their eyes glow red in the light,

almost like a crocodile.

Oh, I want so badly to get out of the vehicle

and try to get closer, but that is way too dangerous.

You look at an animal of that size,

and, actually, as compared to the elephant

and the white rhino, this is the third heaviest

land animal in the world.

And that mouth is massive.

And they can open up their jaws like this.

And they have those huge ivory tusks,

and that's what's going to do the damage.

And males oftentimes can be very territorial and not only

battling with other males, but they

will kill younger males, specifically babies,

if they are not their own.

Oh, he knows he's been spotted now.

Look at the nostrils.

So cool the way they're positioned up

on top of the snout like that.

So cool to be this close to this animal.

It's pretty close.

You can't tell on the camera, but it's--

what would you say?

Yeah, it's close.

It's about 30 yards from us right now.

And I do wish that I could get out of the vehicle

and get you guys up closer, but hippos,

despite the fact that they're large and plump,

can be quite speedy.

And if it gets startled and it runs in this direction,

we would be in some serious trouble.

Are we in any danger right now?

No, not right now at all because we're

inside this vehicle.

But if I were to get out and try to get us closer, the cameras

closer, you guys closer, this may

be the last episode of "Breaking Trail" we ever made.

Let me try to call to it.

Hold on.

I've caught its attention.

It's turn its head this way.

Here we go.

This is clearly working.

We've got to have hippo's full attention right now.

One more time.

Here we go.

It's a little bit closer to a baboon noise

than it is a hippo noise, but it definitely

has the animal's attention.

I don't think it's working.

No, it's not coming any closer.

He's like, I'm going to go back to munching

on these moist grasses.

Oh.

Look at this.

Hippo in motion.

Look at those short little stocky legs.

Like plump little sausages slowly skirting the hippo

through the underbrush.

Well, how cool is this?

Coming out with night-vision technology

and getting a hippo relatively close for the cameras.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

I consider the hippopotamus, despite its popular place

in human culture, to be one of nature's more bizarre mammals.

From intimidating size to grumpy attitude,

they're certainly an animal that is

best admired from a distance.

To safely observe them out of the water

and behaving naturally under the cover of night

was a fascinating encounter.

And our distance leaves much opportunity for us

to one day return to Kariega Game Reserve where we hope

to get the cameras even closer.