Original subtitles

That is a highly advanced entomology light trap.

This is my good friend and world-renowned entomologist,

Jim.

Say hi, Jim.

Hello, guys.

Tonight, we are using their powers combined

to draw in some of the most fascinating insects of Costa

Rica, with the goal of catching and then

showcasing a handful of them tomorrow under the light of day.

But before we get to that, Jim, tell us why

is this technology so advanced?

Yeah, totally.

We have a really incredible light trap

that we use three different types of light bulbs

to interfere with the navigation of the insects.

So we have the UV, the white light, and the mercury vapor

to attract thousands of insects that we have in this rainforest.

Now, why is that light combination so important?

What does it replicate?

Yes.

So insects use the stars and the moon

to navigate inside of the rainforest.

So now that we have really dark conditions,

it's like the perfect time to really attract thousands

of insects in this light trap.

So we are intercepting their path.

And with any luck, we're going to see some really cool insects.

This is going to take a lot of time though.

Arguably, all night.

So we're going to sit back and enjoy the show to see

what sort of creatures show up.

With over 14 years of experience,

Jim's field entomology research is unprecedented,

as he humbly boasts the discovery of more

than 30 new insect species.

A true fanatic of creepy crawly things,

he has dedicated his life to rainforest conservation.

And, as we are about to learn, it all begins with the bugs.

All right, Jim.

We are about two hours in since the lights turned on.

There are easily over 1,000 insects

on the screen at this point.

But when it comes to biodiversity in Costa Rica,

do we know how many insect species

there are in this country?

Yeah, absolutely.

So let me explain a little bit exactly the biodiversity

that we have in this really small

country in Central America.

Costa Rica has almost 6% of the world's

biodiversity, which is insane for a country of this size.

Uh-huh.

And we estimate that it's around a million

species of everything.

You know, plants, insects, mammals, birds,

reptiles, and many things more.

Really?

A million species within Costa Rica?

Yes, exactly.

OK.

And 60% of that, over 60% of that, actually, are insects.

So we don't know an exact number,

and that's probably because you guys are constantly discovering

undescribed species.

Totally.

You know, what we know is at least 20%

of what we have inside of Costa Rica were really unknown,

you know, the biodiversity of our country.

So, the insects that we're going to see tonight, 80% of them

are still undescribed and aren't named for science.

Really?

So you're saying 80% of the bugs we might see tonight could be

undescribed, so we could be seeing new species

that you've never seen before.

Totally, totally.

So, here's an idea.

You're an entomologist.

You know your species.

Some of you may not know, so it may be suitable to put you up

to the challenge to see how many of these

you can actually identify.

What I'd love to do is get you up next to the screen and say,

all right, I'm going to point at one

and you tell me if you can identify it.

And let's see how many you get right

and how many you just don't know.

Absolutely.

I take the challenge. - You're up for the challenge?

OK, let's see if you can-- - All right.

Let's see if we can name some bugs.

We're going to go big.

What's that?

This is one of the fruit-feeding moths

that we have inside of the rainforest.

Ooh.

How about this one?

That is Xylophanes sphinx moths.

Really important pollinator.

Ooh!

What's that?

This is basically a moth that is mimicking a really

toxic group of beetles.

So that is a moth?

It's a moth that pretends to be a beetle.

Jim, what's that?

So, basically, this belongs to a family

that we call Cossidae or leopard moths.

Another moth. Great.

Another moth.

All right.

I'm going to guess that that is not a moth.

Jim, what's this?

Yeah, people think this is a type of dragonfly.

But actually, it is not.

It's one of the ant lions.

And this is a predator of insects.

OK, I would have guessed wrong.

I thought that was a dragonfly.

OK, let me look.

Moth, moth.

Oh, here we go.

What are those?

Well, they're basically a really important

group of pollinator beetles.

Ooh.

What about this thing down here?

Look at what I've got.

Oh, my gosh.

Ah!

Could be a new species.

Hold on a second.

All right, all right.

I know what this is.

Cicada.

Totally.

OK, this one is bizarre-looking.

What in the world is that?

[laughs] I love this group of insects.

We call it fulgurite, and they are really colorful.

Let me show you.

Oh.

I need to be like really fast because they jump--

You didn't squash it, did you?

No, no, no, they're fine, actually.

But let me show you how cool they are.

What?

It's like a dalmatian under there.

Yes, absolutely.

All fulgurites are amazing here.

Is that a moth?

They are related with the cicadas, actually.

Oh.

I mean, related, closely related with the cicadas.

Not a moth.

Imagine that. OK.

Look at this.

Is that a new species?

It's so cool, right?

And actually, we have two species of the same genus.

Oh, my gosh. You're right.

This is like-- Can you see?

Yeah.

Yes, they are so similar, but they are like, you know,

different.

The wing patterns are totally, totally different.

And am I right? Is that a moth?

- It's a moth. - It's a moth.

It's a moth.

I got one. OK.

And what kind of moth?

It belongs to the Erebidae family, too.

So not a new species.

It's not a new species.

It looks like it could have been, bud.

OK.

So, let's look at these right here.

What are those?

Well, you know, Coyote, sometimes we

don't know what we have, and it takes

time to realize what it is.

I don't know what it is.

Are you talking about this one

or are you talking about that one?

I think both.

Both of them?

Yes, I don't know what they are.

This looks like some sort of bat creature.

I know, right?

I'm assuming it's some sort of a moth, right?

It is a moth. Both are moths.

Both are moths.

That looks like a piece of a stick.

Yeah, totally, like a piece of wood, right?

It's perfect camouflage.

So you're saying you don't know what these two are.

These could be undescribed species.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

And sometimes, you know, we need to collect those specimens

and then to do the dissection, to check the genitalia

to compare it with the closer species

to figure out which kind of family it is.

And then, if it's unknown, we can describe the species.

Maybe this could be the Coyote.

We'll just leave that for now.

We'll just say these are pretty cool.

We're not going to invade their privacy like that.

Ooh! What's that one?

OK.

This is a group that we call Arctiinae.

So, I love this group of moths.

They're trying to resemble, you know, really

like dangerous species of wasp.

And that is why, you know, this species looks like this.

Sure, I understand.

So, aposematic coloration, mimicking a wasp.

Correct.

I was really thinking I was pointing at a wasp.

Yet again, it's a moth.

Oh, my gosh!

What?

Let me see.

What?

This is insane, Coyote!

Oh, my gosh.

Oh, my gosh!

Oh, my gosh.

What?!

Dude.

Oh, my gosh.

This is insane!

It's one of the largest beetles of our planet.

That's a huge beetle!

Holy cow!

That is an enormous beetle!

OK, that's the biggest thing we've seen the entire night.

No, don't even show the audience yet what that is.

That is insane.

Holy cow!

Yes! - Dude!

All right.

That is going to be the ultimate bug of the night.

This, you're going to absolutely have to see.

Oh, my gosh.

I cannot believe the size of that thing.

It's insane!

Holy cow.

What kind of beetle is that?

This is basically Megasoma elephas.

Megasoma elephas!

Or the elephant beetle, one of the largest

beetles of our planet!

I don't know what that means, but it's awesome!

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to meet the elephant beetle.

This is the moment we've been waiting for.

Jim, I'm going to let you do the honors.

Let's bring the beetle out of the container.

I'm going to place my arm out in front of the lens.

And my hand's even shaking a little bit.

Here we go.

Coyote Peterson is about to handle the elephant beetle.

Are you ready? - I am ready.

Go ahead.

One of the most strong beetles of the planet in your hand.

I am ready.

All right.

Ooh!

Those claws are sharp.

He's really mad now.

Wow!

That thing, it has serious weight to it.

I have never held a beetle that heavy or that strong.

Ow, ow, ow.

OK.

Let's see if I can just get it to calm down in one spot there.

And it's so spiky, the legs as well.

Very spiky.

Now, I know the first thing that anybody's

going to notice out there watching is that dominant horn.

Jim, what is the point of the horn on this animal?

Yeah, totally.

So, this is a male.

So, basically, just the males, they have that beautiful horn

and they use that for combat between males

in the forest canopy.

So when they see another male around,

and especially if there is a lady around, you know,

they're going to start like fighting and creating

a huge combat between each other until one of them

dropped down on the ground.

Now, when it comes to something of this size,

believe it or not, they're capable of flying, are they not?

Yes, exactly.

So, these guys are not able to really take off and fly

away just from the ground.

So they need to climb up trees to get on the forest canopy.

And from there, they can jump and take off

because they are super heavy.

This is the second heaviest insect in the planet.

What's bigger than this?

The Hercules beetle.

Wow.

Maybe it's possible that the big tree behind our setup

is what this would have dropped down from.

Yeah, absolutely.

So, the light for sure attracted this guy.

But yeah, you can realize that it's one of the most

heavy insects in the planet.

OK.

So I'm obviously taking the impact

of these grappling hook-like claws

and all the spines on the legs, but I

know one question that the audience

definitely wants answered.

Is this creature capable of biting?

Does it sting and is it venomous or poisonous?

Not at all.

It's a harmless animal.

OK.

Really, really friendly animal.

You know, so people normally like,

they feel afraid when they see these enormous creatures,

you know, inside of the rainforest

or around the houses in rural areas in Costa Rica.

But yeah, I mean, it's a really friendly creature, actually.

Yeah, you know, it's very intimidating-looking.

I mean, they say don't judge a book by its cover.

You can't judge an insect on its alien nature.

This looks like something that would, you know,

grapple onto you and just inflict a painful bite

or a venomous sting.

But like you said, completely harmless.

So, what threats does an animal like this,

and all insects for that matter, face within the Costa Rican

rainforest?

Yeah.

Well, Coyote, I feel really worried about the conservation

of this group of animals because they

are crucial for the functioning of our ecosystems.

40% of the biomass of insects are gone in less

than 10 years in Costa Rica.

And there are three really important problems that still we

need to work to fix this.

So, we are facing, you know, the losing of habitats that

is around 60% of the threats of insects

and also, you know, the using of pesticides in our crops

which is creating a huge problem with this,

the biomass of insects, and, of course, climate change.

OK.

So it breaks down into three categories, essentially.

Mechanical, the destruction of environment.

Chemical, which is pesticides and pollution.

And then all inclusive with climate change itself.

Totally.

And what happens if, let's say,

all the insects on our planet were to disappear?

What then happens to humankind?

Yeah.

We disappear with them.

So people do not realize that we depend on insects.

So all the insects are the most important creatures.

We cannot imagine birds without insects.

We can't imagine that we're going to get food in our table

without insects neither.

People are oftentimes afraid of insects because they're

misunderstood, and what we're realizing in talking with you,

Jim, and working with your team and filming this episode is

that insects need conservation.

We're worried about things like polar bears and rhinos

and all of these megafauna species.

While that conservation is certainly important,

these creatures need our support as well.

So, while the major goals that we have right now

is to keep protecting, you know, the tropical rainforest,

still, there are many areas that are for sale that are, you know,

unprotected.

And that is what we're trying to do, to protect the habitats

of really endangered species that keeps

disappearing in our planet.

You know, it's crucial.

And I think, you know, to save the rainforest

would be one of the best solutions

against climate change.

Jim, thank you so much for having us--

Thank you, Coyote.

- as a part of your research on this trip.

Amazing.

We're going to release this beetle

back out into the wild tonight.

So we'll show you guys some of those shots.

But, Jim, this has been fantastic.

All right.

Can I challenge you something?

You challenged me, I challenge you.

Oh, you're going to give me a challenge?

- Of course. - What's the challenge?

To put that animal in your face.

Oh.

On my face. Wow.

OK, well-- - Yeah, it's--

I'm not one to turn down a challenge.

You're my favorite face, so you should try that.

OK.

I have a feeling that everybody out there watching

is like, yeah, Coyote, let's see what happens when

you place that on your face.

Man, I'm kind of actually worried

a little bit about my eyeballs.

But OK, here we go. - All right.

- I'll put it on the-- - You must try that.

- on the side of my head.

I'm closing my eye though for this one.

All right, ready? Here we go.

OK.

One, two, three.

Oh, no, the nails.

You can see how much strong it is.

Oh, it's in my ear.

Oh, no.

Ahh!

Wow, they're really, really sharp.

Ow.

OK, I think we can get the beetle off now.

OK, OK, OK.

Protect my eyes.

Oh, no, no, no, no, no.

All right.

I got it.

Well, there you have it, guys.

The ultimate bug amphitheater.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see you on the next adventure.

Thank you.

Jim, that was awesome.

During my time spent working alongside Jim,

I garnered a new understanding for the importance of insects.

To put it simply, without these alien-looking creatures

many of us consider creepy, there would be no us.

Insects are pollinators.

And without them, the plants from which

we rely so heavily as a food source for survival

would disappear.

And if the plants vanish, it's just a few measly years

before the human species, as we know it, ceases to exist.

Well, we are hiking through the middle of the rainforest.

And wow, if you have arachnophobia,

did we find your living nightmare.

Just in front of us here is the largest tarantula

I have ever seen in Costa Rica.

Christina, what was your initial response to this?

Oh, my goodness.

That thing is creepy.

It is the size of my head.

No joke.

I mean, I've seen some spiders before.

This is the biggest spider I've ever seen.

Never seen one like this in Costa Rica before.

We technically wrapped up filming.

But, of course, on our last night,

we've got to go out and still look for stuff.

Just doing photographs, but you bring a GoPro just in case

a moment like this happens.

Dude, check out those fangs.

Now, the fact that it's right here in the middle

of the trail means that it is not by a burrow,

so it is actively out and hunting.

Ooh, ooh.

We definitely got to show comparison.

Do you want me to put my hand next to it?

Yeah.

Yeah, you could probably sneak in.

OK.

Oh, this is not creepy at all.

Christina, are you nervous?

Yeah, I am.

I love spiders.

I just-- I'm not a big fan of them jumping on me.

You know, all spiders are technically venomous

and they can bite, so be careful.

That's fantastic, Christina.

Put it on the ground. You can do it.

Hold on. It's a venomous spider.

Oh!

Come on, Christina.

The little spider just touched it.

Come on, you can do it.

I need it all the way on the ground

and spread out a little bit. Ugh.

Come on, come on, come on.

Oh, my gosh.

OK, you're good.

Here, now you got a scale.

Yeah, that's pretty awesome.

Who's got the guts to handle it?

I don't really want to get bitten by it,

but I do want to try to hold it.

I want to see you hold it, too.

I just kind of want to test my own nerves to try to hold it.

What is moving around back here?

Something is back here.

We did not check the area for fertile ants.

Now, before I roll the dice

and try to handle this gargantuan nightmare,

I want to point out that arachnophobia

is one of the most common fears humans are willing to admit.

Personally I've pushed the limits

of eight-legged worst-case scenarios

by free-handling the highly venomous brown recluse.

And not once, but twice have I danced

with the notorious black widow.

These are two of the most dangerous spider

species in the United States based

on the toxicity of their venom.

Worldwide, I braved many skin-crawling spider scenarios,

including the highly venomous wandering spider

and the most deadly arachnid on our planet,

the Sydney funnel-web spider.

Just one bite from a male spider would

be considered a guaranteed death sentence, unless anti-venom

is administered.

One time, I even put my head in a box full of spiders.

I suppose you probably already know that I do

not suffer from arachnophobia.

- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey. - Oh, no, no, no.

Careful. Don't move.

You're good.

I'm just being super chill.

No.

Oh.

Don't move, don't move, don't move, don't move.

Here, let me grab the GoPro from you.

Put your hand flat.

Put your hand flat. Yeah, I'm going to.

I'm trying to just--

I can't do it with the camera in my hand.

All right.

So I'm going to try to hold the tarantula.

And based on his demeanor, Christina,

you might try to hold the tarantula, too.

I'm going to try to keep my hands--

don't move.

Oh, no!

Christina.

Don't move, Christina.

Don't leave it to me.

Oh, gosh.

Oh, my god.

Look at that.

That is a very, very large tarantula.

Oh, my gosh.

Without question, the biggest spider I've ever held.

Wow.

Those little toes are very, very grippy.

Look at all of the hairs on the legs of that spider.

Amazing.

It actually does have little hooks on it and--

of its toes. - It does.

Yeah.

And this is definitely a species that likely came down

from the treetops earlier and is out and about either hunting--

Oh, my gosh.

- or looking for a mate.

I love spiders, but that's pretty--

All right.

Christina, come over to the side.

- No. - You can do it.

Come on, come on, come on. Put your hand out.

- Dude, are you serious? - Come over to the side.

Get by the side of me.

You can do it.

Look, if it was going to bite, it

would have already bitten you.

It's going to bite me though.

OK.

I'm the person that it's going to bite.

You're brave. You can do this.

This is the ultimate "Brave Wilderness"

challenge right here.

No, we already did ultimate brave challenges.

Well, we're still challenging.

Put your hands out flat like you see here and just stay still.

Trust me.

If this spider was going to bite,

it would have already happened.

You can do it.

Come on.

Come on.

Put your hands out flat, too.

Come on, come on, come on.

Hold your hands up.

Let's see if it walks down on you.

There you go.

Now you see how I'm doing that, one hand to the next?

There you go.

One hand to the next.

You got it.

Look at you handling enormous forest tarantula.

All right.

You go ahead and take care of that spider.

I'm going to go ahead and get my phone

out here so I can get a picture of you handling the tarantula.

Don't drop it. - Oh, my god.

You got this.

You're doing awesome.

Ooh, I got some text messages.

It's very pretty.

Don't work on your text messages right now.

All right.

Give me a little bit more light, Mario.

Sweet.

Sweet.

That's the one.

OK.

Hand the spider back off to me.

So gentle.

Well, on our last night in Costa Rica,

we expected to just come out and do some photography

but, of course, we end up doing an episode.

And Christina, you faced your ultimate challenge of the trip,

handling a giant spider.

Yes.

I'm going to let it crawl onto your hand,

and you do the honors of releasing it back into the wild.

Hello, my beautiful little woodland friend.

Are you ready?

And you just set it down into the underbrush

and let him walk.

I don't know if I want to say goodbye yet.

We had such a good time together.

When it comes to spiders,

there are two things you really need to know.

First is that all spiders are armed with fangs

and are capable of biting.

And the second is that all spiders

are technically venomous.

So when you combine the ability to bite with the addition

of a toxic injection of venom, it's

wise to assume that spiders are not something

you want to interact with.

Serious or life-threatening bites are rare,

and almost all bites are a defense against humans.

So if a spider scurries across your path,

it's best to let it travel on its way

because, believe it or not, spiders are

more afraid of getting squished by humans

than you probably realize.