Original subtitles

Welcome to Creature Features.

Right now, I'm exploring an abandoned road

in the back country of West Virginia,

and I'm searching for one of this state's most

common amphibians, the Fowler's toad.

And I have a feeling with a little bit of searching

and just a little bit of luck, there's a really good

chance we're going to find one.

Here we go.

Oh, this is perfect.

All of that wetland area is perfect for toad breeding.

In the spring, you'll find males and females

in these pockets of water.

They're usually breeding at night and during the day,

they're hiding up in the grasses and the underbrush.

So I have a feeling this is probably

a great place to start looking.

Here's another pocket of water.

Ooh, look at this.

Yes.

Tadpoles, check it out.

Those are definitely toad tadpoles.

Wow.

Like I said, where are you find the tadpoles,

you're definitely going to find the toads.

We must be close.

This is definitely a good area to start exploring.

There is a toad.

I knew we'd eventually find one.

Gotcha.

OK, let's talk toads.

OK, here we go.

Five things that you probably didn't know

about the Fowler's toad.

Now when you look at the small amphibian,

you may be saying to yourselves, well, it

looks a lot like an American toad,

and both species are incredibly common in the Eastern United

States.

But the way to tell the difference

between a Fowler's and an American toad

is the distinct design.

The Fowler's Toad has a very unique

v-shaped pattern that runs down the dorsal length of its body.

You'll also notice that it doesn't have

large warts on its hind legs.

The American Toad has a more speckled patterning

and it also has those large warts on its back legs.

So that's how basically you can tell the difference.

Number two, while they are without question adorable

and for the most part safe to interact with,

all toads are technically poisonous.

That poison is stored in a gland known

as the parotid gland right behind the eye

and above the ear.

Now poison can be secreted from that gland

or from pores that run down the length of the toad's body.

That poison is used as a deterrent to predators.

While it can be toxic to some species,

it's not necessarily lethal to humans, which

means they are safe to catch.

But if you do admire a toad, I always

recommend that you wash your hands afterwards

because those toxins can be slightly

irritating to the skin.

Number three, toads are aggressive predators,

and they will eat pretty much anything they come across that

can fit in their mouths.

Insects, arachnids, worms, but they specialize

in seeking out beetles.

I'm talking about the bugs, not the relatively

famous musicians.

Number four, the females generally

tend to be bigger than the males,

and given the size of this toad, I'm guessing it's a male.

During breeding season, the females

will specifically choose the males

that they mate with based on their distinct call, which

means that if you're a gentleman toad,

and you're looking for a romantic date,

the better you are at singing, the better the chances

you'll find your soul mate.

Number five, during breeding season,

males and females will gather together in pools of water

where the females are capable of laying up to 10,000 eggs.

After the males fertilize those eggs,

they eventually hatch into tadpoles,

and after several weeks, metamorphosis

into teeny, tiny toads.

And there you have it, five things that you likely didn't

know about the Fowler's Toad.

I'm Coyote Petersen.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next Creature Feature.

Deep within the mist covered mountains, a complex network

of rivers and streams cut through the ancient landscape

of Japan.

Crystal clear and often fast flowing,

these waters provide a refuge for various aquatic species,

including one of the planet's largest amphibians,

the Japanese giant salamander.

And while we will certainly be putting a focused effort

on getting that species up close for the cameras,

today we are in search of its smaller

and strangely more dangerous cousin, the fire belly newt.

The Tottori Prefecture is one of the most

remote and biologically diverse ecosystems in all of Japan.

The dense forests and lush landscapes

are teeming with wildlife, and if you make your way

into the valleys, you find the source of this location's

life, its waterways.

Wow, there's some huge rocks.

Look at that.

Absolutely massive.

You don't want one of these toppling down on your head.

It'll crush your whole body.

We are exploring a river habitat that

is strewn full of these boulders,

but you see there are also these calm pockets that

don't have any flow to them.

Now what we're searching for are Japanese fire belly newts.

They are very prominent in this location.

With just a little bit of effort,

we should be able to get some up close for the camera.

All right, I'm just ahead of the team.

I'm going to scout down around this bend.

Keep your fingers crossed, guys.

This might be a newt episode.

With my eyes focused, I search the pockets of water hoping

to catch sight of any fleeing animals,

and it wasn't long before I successfully

came upon our target species.

Coming up to these pockets here, I got a whole cluster of newts.

This is exactly what we've been looking for.

Got to use all fours.

OK.

All right, guys, so we forged across the main stretch

of the river, and I found this pocket that is filled

with Japanese fire belly newts.

Now what I have with me is the Brave Wilderness Adventure Kit,

blood collection container, which today is going

to double for handling newts.

So if you guys are ready, I'm going to pick up

a couple of them out of this pocket,

and we're going to get them up close for the cameras.

All right.

Now where did they go?

Here's one here.

Oh.

Here you go.

Here you go.

I'm just going to grab a handful of them.

We'll really just look at one.

Look at that little guy right there.

Hi, buddy.

I saw a really big one.

Where did it go?

And they blend perfectly into all of these leaves.

I'm just trying to gently move the environment

around a little bit until one swims,

and then we'll be able to catch it.

Oh, there this is.

It's back in the corner right here.

You see it?

Yes.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, there's two actually.

One right next to each other. Nice.

I'm going to get them both.

Two newts at once. There we go.

Got them.

Double catch.

Double newt catch.

All right, well, I think four is a good collection.

That's awesome.

All right, let's get them up here into the better light

and get them up close to the cameras.

Now I said it when we walked up and caught these newts

that these are Japanese fire belly newts,

and while they may appear to be adorable,

and there's no argument as to whether or not they are,

this is one of the most toxic amphibian species in the world.

Now I wanted to collect a few of them out

of that little pocket of water.

Look at them all just piled up in there crawling around.

Gives you the good opportunity for some B-roll

shots on their bellies, but I know

what you guys really want me to do is

free handle one of these newts.

And don't worry, it's going to be completely fine.

I just want to be as gentle as possible

and not put any stress on the animal.

Because if I do, they're going to secrete that toxin.

OK, I'm going to get the biggest one out of there.

You guys ready? Yep.

I'm just going to sort of set the container down here.

Oh.

How many newts total did we get?

I picked up four, but I think there were six

in that little pocket of water.

I'm just going to handle a single one.

There we go.

It'll be a little easier to see it like this.

Look at that newt.

Wow, look how cute it is.

That's amazing.

As you look at the back of this newt, from the dorsal side,

it looks just like the California

newt or the rough skinned newts that we saw in California.

But if you turn it to the underside,

you can see where it gets that name fire belly,

and that bright red coloration is a very apparent sign,

an aposematic sign, that this is one incredibly toxic amphibian.

Now just behind the head here, you see those two little lumps

just above the ear?

Just like a toad, these newts have a parotid gland.

That parotid gland is filled with poison.

Now if something comes in and threatens to eat this newt,

it will secrete poison from that parot gland.

It has a very noxious smell and a very pungent taste.

So that first defense mechanism basically says to any predator,

don't eat me.

I don't taste good.

But if that doesn't deter the predator from turning

this creature into a meal, the toxins inside of its body,

within its skin and within its muscles,

are actually much more potent.

In fact, it is one of the six most

potent toxins in the world.

It's a neurotoxic poison.

That poison can kill you in as few as six hours.

So it doesn't matter if you are a human or an animal,

if you eat this newt, you are going to die.

And is there any antidote?

There is no antidote for the poison

that this newt contains within its body.

So the reason for this aposematic coloration,

that bright color is a warning that if you eat me,

I am guaranteed to be the last thing you ever eat.

Now I'm sure a lot of you are looking at the species saying

to yourself, well, wait a minute,

I've seen these in a pet store.

Some of you may even have one of these newts as a pet.

Mark, I think you said--

I had one.

You had one as a kid, right?

Yeah.

Well, here's how the toxins work.

The toxins come from the little insects that they eat.

All of that potency has to do with the food

that the amphibian consumes within the environment.

Once they're in captivity and they're

eating captive newt food, those toxins diminish

and they are not as potent.

Still, even if you have a newt at home,

any time you handle it, you definitely

want to wash your hands.

And you always want to handle it as gently as possible

because they usually secrete the toxin when they feel stressed.

Now is that as big as they get?

They do get a little bit bigger than this,

and the males are larger than the females.

So this one is a male.

You can see how prominent and lengthy that tail is.

Look at that.

It works like a rudder to help him quickly

move through the environment.

And when they swim, they will actually tuck their legs

against the side of their body just like that, almost

like an alligator, and then they will thrust themselves forward

with the power of that tail.

Now aside from it being toxic, like I said,

they are very cute, but they're also voracious predators.

These newts will feast upon anything

they come across in the environment that will

fit inside of their mouths.

So little arthropods, small little shrimp,

will even occasionally take really small frogs

and other small salamanders.

Now are these common in Japan?

Incredibly common.

If you come to any aquatic environment, any Freshwater

environment, whether it's a flowing stream, a pond,

or even an agricultural area, you will

oftentimes find these newts.

Well, we came to Japan with the goal of getting one

of the largest amphibians in the world,

the Japanese giant salamander up close for the cameras.

But we certainly couldn't pass up the opportunity

to also feature one of its smallest, cutest and certainly

most toxic amphibian species.

I'm Coyote Petersen.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

The fire belly newt is one of the most toxic amphibians

in the world, yet their calm demeanor

and adorable nature disguise them as if they

are completely harmless.

It's certainly best to admire newts from a safe distance.

However, if you do encounter and handle one,

just make sure to wash your hands afterwards.

In the Costa Rican rainforest,

wildlife is present in nearly every direction you look.

However, many of our adventures through this environment

can be quite challenging.

And rarely is the target species simply

spotted by just surveying our immediate surroundings.

Nearly all of the creatures we search for

are well adapted to staying hidden, and not only from us,

but also from their predatory foes

that may be lurking just in the shadows.

Tonight we are on location at one

of our favorite destinations in all

of Latin America, the Costa Rican

Amphibian Research Center.

This Reserve's extraordinary efforts

to rehabilitate and restore specific amphibian populations

might just make our expedition tonight, well,

a little easier than normal.

And the creature we're after is actually one

that I've been particularly keen to find

since we first started exploring this part of the world.

What's going on, guys?

I'm Mark Vins, and we have hiked all the way

out here in the rainforest to find a very

specific species of frog.

In fact, one of the frogs that I have been looking for for three

years, and we have finally found a place where I think we're

going to get some luck.

Come check this out.

You see that there?

This is an artificial breeding habitat

and those there are actually tadpoles

of the splendid leaf frog.

Come over here, Mario.

Get a tight shot of that.

See all those tadpoles?

Oh, yeah.

Turns out this breeding site is working quite well.

In fact, when the reserve was founded over 16 years ago,

there was only a single tree that

was able to be located that housed the splendid leaf frog.

And since that time, and the implementation

of these breeding sites, they've actually been able to boost

the population five-fold.

Now what the frogs will do at a site like this is they

will actually come in--

let me see if I can find some eggs.

I don't see--

Oh, here we go.

Do you see that right there?

It looks like the remnants of an egg mass.

A lot of these have already hatched

and have dropped in the water.

What will happen is the frogs will lay eggs on the leaves,

and then when the tadpoles hatch,

they'll actually fall down into this water pocket.

And then they'll go through their larval stage,

and they'll actually emerge as little frogs.

So we know there's tadpoles, we know there's eggs,

with any luck, mom and dad should be close by.

Let's start looking.

All right, I see one.

You guys rolling?

You have a shot?

I need to find a stick.

All right, this one should do, and what's

really cool about these frogs is that they're

actually pretty docile.

This little guy, if we're lucky, should crawl right up.

Hey.

Crawl right up on the stick just like that.

Wow.

The splendid leaf frog.

Nice to meet you.

Finally found one after all these years.

Check that out.

Hello.

All right, guys, let's head back on trail so we can get this guy

up close to the cameras.

All right.

Yes, look at this.

Whoo.

The splendid leaf frog.

After three years of extensively searching this property,

we have finally got to meet one of the most

beautiful species here in Latin America, in my opinion.

I mean, look at those brilliant orange pads.

Totally vibrant.

And look at those eyes.

Just like a pale gray with a slight halo of yellow

surrounding them.

Can you get that shot, Mario?

Oh, yeah.

Get in tight on those eyes.

Beautiful.

What do unique looking leaf frog.

I mean, we've featured all kinds of species

so far on "Brave Wilderness," everything from red eye leaf

frogs, to poison frogs, to bull frogs, to smoky jungle frogs,

but I have to say of all the frogs

that we've had in front of the cameras so far,

this one, the splendid leaf frog, is the most impressive.

Here, let me flip it around so you can

see the backside of the frog.

You can see how well they can camouflage when they tuck in.

These flaps of skin cover all this coloring during the day.

So they can be up in the treetops

and you would never see them.

They blend in very, very well with their surroundings,

and as far as what these frogs are eating here

in the rainforest, basically anything

that can fit in their mouths.

They're eating a lot of insects, a lot of invertebrates.

Potentially anything that crawls in front of their face

is fair game.

And you may be asking yourself, what

might actually eat this frog?

And the answer to that would be snakes.

There are many species of snakes that

live here in the rainforest that would

call this little guy lunch.

But one snake in particular would be the parrot snake,

because that species of snake is arboreal and likes to climb

trees during the day looking for sleeping

leaf frogs like this one.

So while this little guy might be out here at night foraging

for food, during the day, he's hunkered down hiding

from those pesky parrot snakes.

Look at how well it is staying put on that stick.

Mario, are you getting great shots or what?

Yeah, it's probably one of the easiest

frogs I've ever filmed.

Right?

This is amazing.

I mean, it's almost like striking a pose.

Look at that.

Now you guys know I absolutely love frogs.

Frogs are by far my favorite land animal,

and this frog has got to be at the top of the list.

Not quite the green and black poison frog, which as you all

know, is my favorite.

I would say this frog is a close second.

So cool.

So unique.

And the striping on the sides there.

In fact, let me get a little water on my hand.

You never want to hold any amphibian with dry hands

because it wicks moisture away from their bodies.

So I'm going to wet my hands there a little bit.

And you definitely don't want to wear bug spray either.

That's the one thing if you're ever

going to handle any amphibian, whether it be a bull frog

in the pond next to your house or a salamander

that you find crawling along the forest,

you always want to make sure you have no bug spray

and you have a little bit of moisture on your fingers.

And then, of course, you want to be as gentle as possible.

Let me see if I can get this little frog

to step up on my finger here.

There you go.

Perfect.

How about that?

Can you see those stripes?

Oh, yeah.

Gorgeous.

Look at how vivid the stripes on that frog are.

You can definitely see why they call these little guys

the tigers of the leaf frogs.

Just amazing.

Well, how about that?

After three years of coming to the Costa Rican Amphibian

Research Center, we finally got to meet the splendid leaf frog.

I'm Mark Vins.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

All right, let's go put this guy back on his leaf.

I must say having the opportunity to meet

this charismatic creature and witness the resurgence

of the splendid leaf frog on this reserve

will go down as one of my favorite experiences

at the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center.

When exploring in the wild,

one of my favorite things about the desert

is that you never know what you are going to come across.

And if you dare to go out and explore under the darkness

of night, Arizona Sonoran Desert is a world

of biological diversity.

Oh, look at this right here.

Little lizard.

It is a Western banded gecko.

Oh, look at him.

He's seen us Now he flicked his tail up in the air.

He's basically saying stay back.

I am a little beast.

And that he is, but this is one of the friendliest lizard

species we could have come across here in the desert,

and they're extremely fragile so I'm going

to be extra gentle with him.

Come here.

Got him.

This is the famous little gecko species that lives out here

in the Sonoran Desert, and unfortunately

for this little guy, if he's not careful,

he's going to stumble upon what we're really looking for,

rattlesnakes and scorpions.

You are just too cute to be eaten by either of those two.

We're going to let him back off into the desert.

You stay safe, little guy.

Always cool to come across a Western banded gecko.

See you later.

Capturing a gecko is what I would call a pleasant surprise,

but I think we all know that lurking in the shadows you can

also find a whole bunch of creatures that are

better suited for nightmares.

Some of them have close to 1,000 legs, some have only 100,

which isn't as bad by comparison,

but these giants are also armed with a very painful venomous

bite.

Then you have the spiders, big and

hairy or small and stealthy.

That right there is a black widow.

Pick your venom wisely because sometimes

it's the little guy that packs the most powerful punch.

Oh, yeah, then there are the three scorpion species.

You know, stripe-tailed, desert hairy, and bark.

That's a giant desert hairy.

Oh, he's big one too.

Wow, look at that.