Original subtitles

For over 200 million years,

a reptile known as the turtle has been inhabiting

the wetlands of our planet.

Whether you know it or not, hidden beneath the lily pads

of a remote lake, or right in the waters of the pond

behind your house, they can be found, silently

living an elusive existence.

My favorite species is the common snapping turtle,

prehistoric in design and armed with a powerful bite

and razor-sharp claws.

This is not an example of a turtle you should

ever try to interact with.

However, there are a number of species that are completely

harmless, safe to encounter, and even handle,

if you are quick enough to catch one.

What's that?

Check that out.

That is a midland painted turtle.

Near perfect specimen.

Look at the top of its carapace.

It's green in coloration.

Wow!

That is about one of the best looking midland painted turtles

I have ever seen.

Now, the way I know that it's a midland painted turtles, look

at the bottom of the shell.

You see that real distinct pattern on the plastron?

That is a 100% giveaway that this

is a midland painted turtle, as compared

to an eastern painted turtle.

You'll also notice the very distinct

red line running down the spinal length of the turtles carapace.

What I love about these turtles is

look at the very distinct pattern

on the side of the face.

Yellow stripes that then bleed into reddish-colored stripes

that go down the length of the neck and then

span out onto the front fore limbs.

And that patterning sort of follows the entire length

of the turtle's body.

Let's see.

How aggressive are you?

You wanna bite?

You wanna bite?

No, most of the time, they won't bite.

Now, this is a safe turtle species that, if you guys

are watching, is safe to catch.

As you could see, they do have sharp claws.

They are capable of giving you a little bite,

but it is certainly nothing that you need to be afraid of.

So if you're going out into a wetland ecosystem,

you're trying to catch turtles, the midland painted turtle

is probably your number one target.

Although, they are extremely fast

and can be very difficult to catch, especially

if they're out basking on logs.

They just plop off the edge into the water

and disappear into the murkiness.

That's pretty cool.

Good start, I would say, to the day.

Almost any backyard pond in the Northeastern United States

is likely to have a midland painted turtle.

These reptiles are incredibly common.

And if you know where to look, there's a good chance

you will spot one.

With that said, catching it's nearly identical cousin,

the eastern painted turtle, is a bit more challenging,

as, in my opinion, they tend to be

found in bodies of water that have less human encroachment.

Ooh!

Mario, I got a painted turtle.

What?

Oh, it's an eastern painted!

Eastern painted turtle!

Wow!

Yes!

Nice!

Check this out.

OK, so we managed to show you guys the midland painted

turtle, which, in my opinion, is probably the most common

painted turtle species that we have here in Ohio,

but this is an eastern painted turtle.

Now, the way that I can tell the difference

is the easterns are a little bit smaller.

And look at the carapace.

You'll notice there is no distinct line running

down the spinal column, which, of course, is

inside the campus.

And then the plastron is completely dark in coloration.

Now remember, the midland painted

turtle had a very distinct oval design

on the bottom of its plastron, but the midland painted turtle

does not.

And this is also a male.

And the way I can tell is he has very long front claws.

Check out those claws.

Perfect for digging through the environment.

And just like the midland painted turtle,

they have these very distinct yellow and red markings all

over their faces, down the sides of their neck,

and then onto their forearms.

And that's where they got the name "painted turtle."

I know, you just want to go back off into the wild.

Now, you know that tucking into your shell

is the way to stay safe from predators.

And you may be asking yourself, what

would eat a turtle like this, this adorable little reptile?

Well, actually, the painted turtle

can oftentimes fall victim to predators such as raccoons,

fox, and sometimes mink, which, as we know,

are an aquatic member of the weasel family.

Now, like the midland painted turtle,

the eastern painted turtle also is an opportunistic predator.

They will feast on small little tadpoles, little invertebrates

that you'll find in the water, and occasionally

even baby snakes.

Look at you!

I just saw something moving through the lily pads.

For a second, I was like, wait a second.

It's a turtle!

Just naturally had to grab it.

And lo and behold, it is the eastern.

Wow.

Actually have not caught an eastern painted

turtle in a number of years.

Midland painted turtles are much more common

than eastern painted turtles, so finding one of these guys

truly is a gem.

Hi, buddy!

How are you?

Now, we've caught a lot of snapping turtles.

And I always have to tell you guys, do not

try to catch snapping turtles.

But if you go into a wetland environment

and you are fast enough to catch a painted turtle,

this is certainly a species that is completely safe to handle.

Just make sure you always place it

right back where you found it.

Well, this was pretty cool, getting

to show you guys a comparison between the midland

and the eastern painted turtle I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

All right, little guy, time for you to head

back off into the lily pads.

Here we go.

The "Brave Wilderness" channel is

a collection of exciting and educational animal adventure

videos.

Barely even moved!

It was like perfectly camouflaged!

And it just said, OK, you can't see me.

I'll tell you what, I did see you!

Yes, even the ones where I'm being bitten or stung-- ah--

find themselves chock-full of factual tidbits, tips,

and tricks for avoiding these often misunderstood

creatures in the wild.

I believe that a big part of my role

is to help people recognize the good in all animals, especially

ones that a large percentage of people fear,

like snakes and spiders.

And while it's fair to say that these animals are feared

worldwide, the species that live in Australia

are often considered more terrifying because

of their toxic nature.

In fact, the world's most venomous

snake and spider species call this island continent home.

And some of them have venom so powerful,

it's guaranteed to kill a human without the administration

of antivenom.

Today, I'm returning to Australian Reptile Park.

This wildlife sanctuary is the only facility in the country

that milks both snake and spider venom for the production

of antivenom.

It's a dangerous process.

And several years ago, I had the chance

to learn alongside the park's arachnid

expert Kane Christensen.

You can actually see the drops of venom

on the tips of the fangs.

And that's what we want.

We want to get that venom from those fangs into the pipette.

If you thought milking a spider was dangerous,

today's education will be even more extreme,

as I will assist in milking the three most

deadly snakes in the world.

OK, we're going to enter the most

dangerous room on the planet, a room

filled with venomous snakes.

Zac, how are you? - I'm good.

Yourself? - Good to see you.

You too.

I was just explaining to these guys

that this has got to be the most dangerous

room on the face of the planet.

Every snake in here can potentially kill you, right?

Oh, 100%.

Second and third most toxic snakes in the world.

- OK. - They're pretty nasty.

Now, the antivenom that you guys create

is saving lives every single day.

How many people are bitten by these snake

species on a yearly basis?

So statistics are about 3,000 to 5,000 bites per year,

with anywhere up to 300 to 400 lives

being saved with the anti-venom program, so it's pretty cool.

Wow. Well, sweet.

Let's get into milking.

What is the first species we're going to look at?

Ah, so we're going to look at the king brown

of the mulga, so the big boy.

OK, I'm going to let you do your thing.

You let me know when you want me to come in to get hands-on

with the danger noodle. - Right-o.

So I'm going to grab the snake out of the enclosure.

I'll get you guys to jump back at that point,

because he's quite big and he'll swing around a fair bit

if he wants to.

We'll then come over here.

I'll swing him on to the pinning pad using the pinner.

So nice and soft to protect the snake and to protect myself.

It's slightly tacky as well, so it gives me that split second

of time where he slightly sticks to it

but it doesn't hurt him at all. - Yeah.

And then we're going to grab him

and hopefully it all goes well.

We'll be quiet. We'll let you focus.

Oh, my goodness.

Come on, big boy.

That is a huge snake!

So you can he's a bit cranky.

He's, uh, not the happiest about this arrangement.

OK.

Where would you like me to go? Just--

Right, so you just hang just there.

OK.

I'm going to swing him.

And then I'll get you to come in,

just grab this back end for me.

Because once I get him by the head,

he's not going to be happy.

Yeah, go ahead and just focus.

Do what you're doing.

Grabbed the body?

Yup, yup, yup!

Got him?

Gosh, it is so powerful!

Come over here.

Yeah, that is a big, big mulga right there.

Right-o.

So now the trick is because he's not a stupid animal,

he wants to bite me, not the jar.

Present your finger as the target.

There we go.

Oh, my goodness.

Oh, wow!

That is a huge venom yield.

My goodness.

Give his venom glands a bit of a massage,

trying to get a little bit more.

But, yeah, you can see him just chewing on that thing.

Wow!

Look at those fangs!

Massive fangs for an elapid!

Wow!

That is like a grappling hook of teeth.

Can I move around just to the side

so I can just look at his face? - Yeah, yeah.

Whoa!

You can see him still chewing, still injecting venom.

Venom is still dripping.

And he's not letting go.

And the power in the snake's body is unbelievable!

It's so big around, I can barely get my hands completely on it.

That is a massive snake.

I never imagined seeing a mulga of this size.

So how do you get this snake off of the venom vial now?

A little bit of manipulation Or, there we go.

Oh, my goodness!

And what we're going to do is I'm going get you to put it in.

OK.

I promise I won't let go till--

- Body-first? - Yeah, body-first.

OK, in we go, in we go.

Yeah, jump on back because this is a bit--

this guy's a bit sketchy.

Ready?

3, 2, 1.

Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!

Nice job, man.

That is a risky little game right there.

Woo!

My heart is racing.

That was cool.

And that is not the most dangerous

snake we're going to milk.

So next on the list is the coastal taipan, right?

Yeah, yeah.

We're stepping it up quite a bit.

So this is another large-bodied snake, except these ones

are pretty nasty.

OK, well, let's go for the coastal taipan

and see what happens.

Wow, this snake is big too.

Oh!

Sorry.

Normally, we cool him down a little bit.

So he's a little bit unsure of what's happening,

but that might work to our advantage.

OK, ready?

Yeah.

Watch your hand.

Wait, wait, wait.

Yep, grab him.

OK, got him!

All right.

What a cool looking snake.

Ready?

Yeah.

I got a pretty good hold on his body here.

Oh!

Wow.

Give those venom glands a little bit of a squeeze.

Holy mackerel, that looks like more venom than the king brown.

- Yeah, it is. - You were right.

You said he's the record holder for largest venom yield.

Yes, this guy's a pretty special animal.

That is a bad time.

Wow.

So if you were to be bitten by this snake

and have that much venom go into you,

do you think there's a chance you're going to survive?

It wouldn't be a very good chance.

OK.

Just the sheer amount would almost drown your system.

That's a phenomenal amount and hugely toxic.

It's rather hard to find a coastal taipan, is it not?

Yeah, they're pretty secretive.

But it's when you're out bush-walking,

you jump over a log, and they just get a bit spooked.

There you go.

OK, you ready to take him off the vial?

Yeah, yeah.

I'm getting a bit nervous now.

He's a bit cranky. - OK, OK.

- So-- - Same process?

Same again. yeah, yeah.

Body going in first.

You put the back end in.

So much power in the body of that snake.

So streamlined.

I love those scales.

Right after you get that tail in.

Tail bone in.

3, 2, 1.

Two down, and one more to go.

And now we're stepping it up again.

Last one is the most dangerous snake in the world.

That was intense.

Oh, bringing in the stairs for this one.

Yeah, I'm not quite that tall.

And he's here waiting.

Oh, nicely done.

Wow, this thing's beautiful.

And you got to be quick with the hands, huh?

Wait.

Yup.

- Got a grip? - Yeah, yeah.

- Man, look at that. - Ready?

- Yeah. - Set.

Very little venom compared to those two big ones, anyway.

That's all you need.

That's it, the most deadly snake in the world right there.

And just a single drop of that venom can kill you, correct?

Yeah.

So that drop there would kill about 250,000 mice.

It's amazing to be hands-on with

a snake that is this dangerous.

I mean, even if I saw one of these in the wild,

I don't think I would ever try to interact with it.

I mean, we would film it from a safe distance.

Would never even think about catching

it, or heading it, or certainly taking a look at those fangs.

And, you know, the things are not nearly as big

as the other species, but, man, to just know that that venom

is so incredibly toxic.

And how many people are bitten by this snake every year?

Very, very little.

So these are found out in the middle of basically Australia.

No one goes out there unless they're looking for these guys.

And normally, if they're looking for them,

they know what they're doing.

We had someone get bitten by one last year.

And he was in a coma for a nearly a week.

Wow.

But he made it through.

Amazing.

All right, want to take it off the vial?

Uh, yes, please.

My hand's starting to cramp up.

Here we go.

OK.

I'll take this one just because we're up on top.

Yeah, I am not going to climb up there with you.

Woo!

I'm sweating.

You're not the only one.

All right, ready, steady.

Nice.

Oh, I thought he was coming back out then.

Not a ton in there, but just that much would kill you.

So it's a dangerous job.

And it takes incredible focus, precision, and a lot of guts

to do this on a weekly basis.

But how rewarding is it to know that this venom is going

towards saving the lives of anyone that's

bitten by one of these snakes?

Oh, it's awesome knowing that I have

an active part in saving lives.

Like, me and Kane, we always say we're not smart enough

to be brain surgeons, but we can save lives with the antivenom

programs we have.

I've had people come in-- and it generally

happens on your worst week, when everything's going wrong.

And they'll come in and go, oh, you're the reason I'm here,

or, you're the reason I'm able to bring my kids here.

It's an incredible feeling.

It just gives you chills.

I've got goosebumps just talking about it.

It's awesome.

Well, Zac, thank you so much for having us behind the scenes

here today at the Australian Reptile Park,

where we got to milk three of the most

deadly snakes on the planet.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next location.

Animal oddities have always captured our attention.

And it seems that the more bizarre a species appears,

the more we, as humans, take time

to stop and admire those creatures

that rarely find the spotlight.

The "Brave Wilderness" channel has always taken pride

in its ability to get the Coyote Pack excited about animals,

like giant ink-spewing slugs, alien-looking

slimy salamanders, and nightmarish tooth-wielding

worms.

If it looks like a creature from the upside down,

you guys absolutely love it.

Today, we are exploring an ancient forest

of towering trees, located in the Tottori

prefecture of Japan.

Considered the least human-populated area

in the country, this environment is

rich with animal biodiversity, from

amphibians such as tree frogs--

look at the black mask running down both sides of the face.

It's so cute-- to slithering predators, like rat snakes.

Little four-lined rat snake, a very bitey one.

The reason this location has such an abundance of animal

activity, aside from its lack of human encroachment,

is largely due to its life-giving levels

of saturation.

Not only does crystal clear mountain water

flow completely unobstructed by man,

but the forests are also dense with vegetation,

like ferns and mosses.

Ultimately, this yields the perfect combination

of environmental factors to support and keep

hidden creatures who wouldn't normally find

anywhere else in the world.

And sometimes, the best way to discover the unseen

is to simply look in the places that keep such creatures hidden

from sight. Ooh!

Snake, snake, snake right here!

Oh, look at that!

Mario, what is that, what is that?

Let me see.

What kind of snake is that?

Oh, that's a ground snake.

- A ground snake? - Yeah.

- A Japanese ground snake? - It's pretty rare.

- Really? - Yeah.

Wow, OK.

Uh, well, let's film something with this, for sure.

Mark, we've got a little ground snake.

Woo! - Check that out.

Just underneath this log.

Flipped up the log.

Wow, non-venomous, right?

No, non-venomous. - Sweet.

Wow.

It almost looks like a rubber boa.

Look at that. Nice!

OK, cool.

Let's bring it up here off the side of this hill

and get it up close for the cameras.

Wow!

What a fantastic find.

Now, this is the Japanese ground snake,

a species that is very seldom seen because they're

primarily fossorial.

As you guys, "fossorial" means that they live underground.

Now, when I flipped over that log and saw this snake,

at first, I was like--

it almost looks like a rubber boa.

It has a face that looks just like the head of a rubber boa.

And this is a very fragile species, so I don't want

to move it around a whole lot.

I want to try to keep it in one position.

This is a snake that needs to completely

stay out of sunlight.

In fact, if the snake were to find itself

out in the sunlight, it could die

within just a matter of hours.

Now, deep within the forest, this is the perfect location

to find a species like this.

You've got a lot of moisture.

You have a lot of leaf cover.

The perfect spot for a reptile like this to hide.

I know as I was walking around, I was saying, man,

I wish the sunlight was out so that it

would bring out the snakes.

This is a snake that actually tries to avoid the sunlight.

Now, what's really cool is they have keeled scales,

and those scales are separated.

They don't overlap, which gives it a beaded appearance.

And if you look at it from just the right angle,

it almost appears to be iridescent.

Watch this.

If I hold it up into the light--

Mario, see if you can zoom in-- the snake

is also semi-translucent.

Look at that.

You can see there's actually something in its belly

right there.

Looks like it's about the size of a small cricket,

or maybe one of those little tree frogs

that we've seen jumping around.

Oh, that's cool!

We can see right inside of the snake.

Now, one way to easily identify this species--

let me turn it up in the air there.

Take a look at the black stripe running down

the dorsal side of the animal.

Wow, what are unique species.

Very tiny little eyes.

They probably have pretty poor eyesight.

Only able to sense light and movement

because they rely mainly on their tongue

to pick up chemicals within the environment.

Of course, they use that tongue to not only detect predators,

but also to search for their prey.

Now, you may be asking yourself, what does a tiny snake

like this feast upon?

Small amphibians and likely small insects.

Nothing very big would be able to fit

into the mouth of this snake.

Well, this is pretty special.

Coming here to the Snake Temple, and we managed

to find one of the rarest snake species we could

have possibly come across, the one and only Japanese ground

snake.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see on the next adventure.

The Japanese ground snake is arguably one

of the rarest snake species you can encounter in Japan.

And we were unbelievably lucky to have

found this forest treasure.

We gently placed the reptile back in the exact place

where we found it and continued our exploration

of this ancient land.

It appeared that flipping decomposing logs

was yielding fantastic results.

And it was only moments later that we

unveiled one of the strangest things

we have ever come across.