All language subtitles for B.W.S10E04.Bitten.by.3.Toxic.Worms.Giant.Black.Slug.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

On
this bizarre adventure,

I will be working alongside
the legendary Pat Spain.

This man is a
wildlife biologist,

cryptozoologist,
biotech expert and about

10 other impressive things.

So here's what's

really interesting about
the sandworm specifically

is compared to bloodworms.

This right here
is called the cast

and the worm is going
to be in this section

here between the
pool and the cast.

So I know that the worm is
somewhere between this pocket

of water and this pile of sand.

And based on the
size of the pool,

to where the actual
cast is coming out,

this one could be a monster.

So what I want to do
is get this trench down

towards the side of
where the worm would be,

and then I'm going to try to
lump over the whole big chunk

off the top.

There he is.

Oh my gosh, absolute beaster.

Look at that.

Ladies and gentlemen,
that is a sandworm.

And it's completely
constricted in at full length.

This thing may be close to
the entire length of my arm.

All right, going in the bucket.

The bigger the castings,
the bigger the worm.

I see his tunnel, there he is.

Oh, wait, oh, this is
something different.

Oh, man.

Do
you know what it is?

That's amazing,
that's a clam worm.

That's a clam worm.

Yeah, there we go.

Holy cow, these
things are living nightmares.

Now just to find out how bad
that bite might actually be.

All right,
Pat, we are back from the field

and we have dug up
some nightmares.

Before us three
containers with three

alien looking worm species.

Now, for everybody
out there watching,

let's go through a couple
of real basic things

that they need to
know before we get

into the real entertainment when
we experiment with some bites.

All right, these are
some of my favorite animals

from the mud flats around here.

We have three different
types of annelids.

We've got the blood
worms, which I know

you're really familiar with.

So, four pretty nasty teeth
that are made from copper.

And they have 32 different
toxins in their saliva.

Moving on to the one

in the middle, which
is without question

the creepiest, the clam worm.

So the clam
worm has two fangs,

that are made out of zinc.

Kind of like what you
think of with a centipede.

And I don't do
well with centipedes.

Yeah, this is like an
underwater centipede

and already it's
making my skin crawl.

Yeah, it
definitely freaks people out.

So, if you're
digging in the sand

and building a
sand castle up here

or something like that and
all of a sudden one of these

pops out, kids go
running and screaming.

And in cup number three not
to be outdone is our big boy,

the sand worm.

So certainly,
the weirdest one

we've got on here and the
one that's least seen.

So, very hard to come
across one of these.

We managed to find quite
a few really good ones.

But I've never seen
one as big as this guy.

We've named
this one ''Big Bubba''.

And for context, we're
not sure if this worm

bites or doesn't bite, so this
is a wonderful experiment today.

But when it comes
down to this worm,

there's actually something
super interesting about it.

Yeah, so one of the
coolest things about these

is that they are a universal
blood donor for people.

So, we're not
transfusing their blood

into humans, but their
blood retains oxygen so

much better than human blood.

It's like eight times
better than human blood.

And you can actually store
organs in their blood

in a compound made from
their blood for transport

to go to transplant victims.

It's pretty crazy.

So some people's
lives are actually

being saved when
organs are being stored

in the blood of this worm.
Absolutely.

OK.

So, Pat, with that said,
would you like to--

I mean, you want
to give it a go?

I think you're the
expert there, I'm going

to leave this one up to you.

I was really hoping
that maybe you'd be like,

hey, I'm down for
making a bite episode,

but no, I know what the audience
is ready to see and the answer

that they want.

Which bite is going
to be the worst?

Now, in
classic Coyote Peterson fashion,

I went ahead and
shaved my forearm.

Why?

Because it's silly.

And we've got a target for
the bloodworm, the clam

worm, and the sand worm.

And just so that I can
line up the bite properly,

we put a little circle and we're
going to put the proboscis right

in the middle.

All right
fellas, come on out of there.

Gosh, it's like toxic spaghetti.

Look at that.

Three massive blood worms
out and on the plate.

Now, it's important to note
that all of these worm species

are capable of breathing
out and in the open--

There's a proboscis
right there, Mario,

I don't know if you're
getting that shot,

but I see that this one is
definitely ready for a bite.

I'm coyote Peterson

and I'm about to enter the
bite zone with the bloodworm.

There's the proboscis.

One, two, here we go, 3.

That's it, that's the one.

Full grapple, that's
what we're looking for.

OK.

Worm off, worm off.

Yeah, OK.

A little burn going.

I'm going to put this
worm back in the cup.

You can see one, two
little tiny blood

spots on the edge of my arm.

Now, I probably compare it to
something like a fire ant sting.

You know it's happening but
it's not something that's

going to send you into
like, oh, my gosh,

it's yellow jackets or a bullet
ant or an executioner wasp.

But sure enough,
that right there

is a successful bloodworm bite.

And now the worm

that I'm most afraid
of the, clam worm.

That is a walking
living nightmare.

Look at that thing.

I mean, if that is
not intimidating,

I don't know what is.

It's like a mixture
of a centipede

meets an earthworm meets your
absolute worst nightmare.

And up front, there
will be two fangs that

are going to bite into my skin.

All right, Pat,
you ready for this?

Oh, yeah.

All right.

So what I think the
tactic here is going to be

is to actually get up the worm.

I'm going to let it walk
on my arm a little bit

just to see if it
will bite naturally,

and if it doesn't, I'm
going to go for the grab

and put it in the
target zone approach.

I just saw the
proboscis come out.

Did you see that?

Yep.

Almost.

It got me a pinch.

Come on.

I'm probably the only
person in the world that

would be like come on, bite me.

It might need to
bite your finger,

because I don't know if
it's going to get purchase

on that part of your arm.

Get it, get it.

This is really nerve wracking.

OK.

Yeah, it got me, but it is
not strong enough to break skin.

Try the webbing
of your of your fingers.

Yeah, that that could
be it, right there.

That's the spot.

I think it's going
to get purchased.

I could feel it.

But I'm not sure it's
going to be able to break.

There's the
fangs, there's the fangs.

Well, Pat, at this
point, I would

say that the clam worm very
intimidating, huge mandibles,

but like the soul puget not
capable of actually breaking

skin, and considering the
fact that this creature is non

venomous, really
something you probably

don't need to be afraid of.

I think we're moving on
to the giant sand worm.

Wow.

The biggest
one that we found today.

And it is a absolute jumbo.

So this is the back end.

This is the front end, and
we don't know whether or not

this worm is capable of biting.

Whoa, that feels weird.

It's super slimy and when
it comes to the bristles,

not feeling anything at all.

So, Pat, correct
me if I'm wrong,

but I have a feeling that those
are just used with locomotion

when they are
underground in the sand.

Absolutely right.

I can
feel the worm tensing up,

which is really interesting.

It's like a big swollen
overcooked hotdog at this point.

I'm Coyote Peterson and
I'm about to enter the bite

zone with the giant sand worm.

Oh. man, the anticipation.

This is that moment
where you're like,

OK, either something really
painful is about to happen

or absolutely nothing
is going to happen.

It's like in the horror
film, when you're like don't

go in there, don't go in there.

It's kind of like, why are you
putting this thing on your arm?

It's thinking about it.

Maybe?

Maybe.

It certainly is intimidating.

It is a big, big worm.

And it's sliming me.

Here comes, here comes.

The proboscis?

Just teasing us?

I would say at this juncture
not super aggressive, right?

Well, here's one thing that
we do know about the sandworm.

Based on
the design of their burrow,

we know they are filter feeders.

When you're talking
about the bloodworm

and you're talking
about the clam worm,

they are technically
predatory worms that

are actively hunting for prey.

So this guy's more of
a sit, wait for things

to sink down into its hole and
filter them through its system.

And to be honest,

guys, in all the
research that we did,

nobody has recorded this worm as
actually having bitten people.

And while you don't come
across them too often,

I'd say what we've
got here is nothing

more than a gentle giant.

And I got to tell

you, when it comes
to creepy, this guy

definitely takes the cake.

What a big boy.

Hey, there's my Big Bubba.

There's my big boy.

Look at my big boy, he's
just like plump, plump.

Well, Pat, we've got
some results here.

We do.

So,
with the bloodworm,

we did actually have a bite.

Oh, yeah,
you got a good one.

When it
comes to the clam worm,

very intimidating pinchers.

Absolutely.

You know?

What you find with most
animals that look really freaky

is that you know looks
a lot worse than it is.

Yeah.

And when it comes
to the sandworm,

big, giant alien looking
and all it did was slime me

and spill iodine
all over my skin.

Yeah, and it's a
good defense mechanism.

I mean, iodine does
not taste good.

So, it's shooting out
that huge proboscis,

but just like you were
saying, I mean, it's really--

it's not an active predator,
whereas the other two worms are,

so it doesn't have those fangs,
it doesn't have something

to get purchased, but it does
have a really good defense

mechanism.

And when
it comes to worms in popular

culture, we've seen tremors,
we've seen the sand worms

in ''Beetlejuice.''
There's the giant worms

in ''Dune.'' And then
there's one mythological worm

that you actually chased after.

Tell us a little bit about that.

So, all these worms
remind me of something

called the Mongolian
Death Worm, which is

described as very annelid like.

So it's this segmented worm.

It's supposed to be about two
feet long in the Gobi desert.

And allegedly it can electrocute
you, it can spit acid

and it can blow itself
up if it needs to

and shoot hot blood,
that will melt your skin.

You went searching for this
thing and didn't find it.

Yeah, unfortunately
we didn't find any,

but I'm not alone
in looking for it.

Actually, the first
documented evidence of someone

searching for this, the
first Western person going

to look for this was Roy
Chapman Andrews, that's

who Indiana Jones is based on.

That
is pretty darn cool.

Well, we know that
in many instances

an animal's bark can be far
more impactful than its bite.

Absolutely.

You know, nobody should be
freaked out by these things.

It shouldn't stop people
from going and having

a great day on the
beach and digging around

and seeing what you can find.

And you
know, if you come across one

of these creatures, look at it
for a few minutes, admire it,

put it right back
where you found

it and they're
doing a lot of good

by filtering things
through the environment.

And, you know, they serve
some sort of purpose, right?

Absolutely.

As they burrow under the ground,
they're-- they're aerating,

they're bringing nutrients,
they're moving nutrients around

in the soil for a whole bunch of
plants and other animal species.

So for sure, they have
a really great purpose

in in the marine ecosystem.

Alien
looking, but very necessary.

Pat, thank you so much for
being a part of today's episode.

I would have shook
your hand, but

it's completely
covered in slime,

but this was an absolute blast.

This was awesome.

I really, really enjoyed it.

Thank you.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave, stay wild.

We'll see you on
the next adventure.

If
there is one ecosystem

on the planet that is
constantly changing,

it has to be the tide pools.

With every single rising
and falling of the tide,

new waves crash upon the
rocks and alter the placement

of plants and animals.

Along
the coast of California,

there are a slew of creatures
that you can find, If you

know exactly where to look.

A little striped
crab right here.

Got it.

There's definitely
no shortage of crabs

out here in these tide pools.

However,
navigating this terrain

can be difficult,
because most of the rocks

are wet and slippery.

One of the toughest
things so far for me

in filming beyond the
tide has been the terrain.

I'm used to swamps and deserts.

Everything here is
rocky and slippery.

It's all covered in a layer of--

I guess it's some sort of algae.

And using a lot of
eye-foot coordination,

because I'm looking for
creatures and every step

I take your foot might
slip off of something

and these rocks are
extremely jagged, really

easy to get hurt out here.

And I'm sure for you, Mark,
it's even more difficult.

Right now you're
balancing on these rocks

just trying to get the shots.

Show everybody at home.

It isn't easy, is it?
Nope.

All right, well let's
keep going this way

and see what we can find.

Watch your footing.

Yep, see there you go.

I'm usually
pretty good at finding animals

in the field, but
sometimes a wildlife expert

joins us to help
locate the species that

can be very difficult to find.

Today, I am back out
with tidepool expert,

Aaron Sanchez, who
has been exploring

the Southern California
pools his entire life.

And our goal is to
locate a giant sea slug.

All right, Aaron, so
we're here at the tide pools

and we're looking for slugs.

What should I be
keeping my eye out for?

Well, Coyote,
these slugs are going

to be pretty hard to miss.

They're actually the largest
sea slug on the planet.

They come to these rocky shores
here to mate and lay their eggs.

OK, now, when you
say the largest,

do you mean like five to six in
length or are we talking bigger?

We're talking probably
almost a little bit less

than three feet.

A three foot slug?

So that's going to be
pretty hard to miss.

Yeah.

All right,
let's start searching.

The search was on and I was
confident that I could come

across one of these giants.

I mean, if they're as big as
Aaron says they are spotting

one should be simple, right?

Hi, we've been searching
for about 45 minutes

now through all
these layered rocks.

I don't know, Aaron said was
going to be easy, nothing yet.

We continued
to search, over jagged outcrops,

in crevices, through knee deep
pools and even under rocks.

I would say the odds of
finding one of these slugs

are slim to none.

Tides really coming in.

Yeah it's coming in big
time and all I've seen

is crabs, crabs, crabs.

Hermit crabs, striped
crabs, purple shore crabs,

no giant slugs.

With the
tide starting to come back in.

It was looking like our
search for the giant sea slug

was coming to an
end, but if anyone

knows how to find a sea
creature, it's definitely Aaron.

Searching, searching,
no big slugs.

Yeah?

Oh, you got one?

Come on, come on, come on.

Over
here, guys, it's huge.

Oh my gosh, look at
the size of that thing.

Wow.

Dude.

Yes.

Well, that was one heck of
a search and there it is,

can I pick it up?
You can.

It's totally safe.
- And it's not going to ink me?

It might be a little
slimy, but that's it.

Whoa, look at that.

Whoa.

Here we go.

My gosh, it is slimy.

Look at that slug.

Oh my gosh, it is heavy.

Jeez, this thing must be about
almost 10 pounds, I would guess.

Is that a big one, Aaron?

It's a pretty good size, yeah,
it's one of the bigger ones

I've seen.

Wow, I'm going to let

it stretch out on my
arm to see if we can get

it to fully elongate itself.

Oh my gosh, it is so slimy.

All right, now tell us
about this slug, Aaron.

Well, Coyote, what it's
wrapping around your arm

right now is actually
his muscular foot,

he uses that to get around.

I can feel
him gripping onto my arm.

I mean, I can feel him actually
like wrapping around me

and I can feel his little
tongue under there.

He can't bite, right?

No, these
guys are vegetarians.

They mostly eat algae and kelp.

OK.

And it does have an
internal shell, correct?

Where it has all of its organs?

It does
have an internal shell.

It's kind of soft
and made of protein.

OK.

And that is actually what
these extensions of its foot

called parapodia are protecting.

I can see why
there's no way you would miss

stumbling upon one of these.

I have to admit, I was just
over there talking to Mark,

I literally said I'm
really doubting our chances

of finding one of these slugs.

All we've seen all day is crabs
and smaller little brown sea

hares.

Which by the way,
we should grab one of those,

isn't there one over here?

Let's see them
next to each other.

Yeah.

All right, you got one
of those brown sea hares?

OK, so this is this is
cool, showing the comparison

of the giant black sea
slug next to the much

smaller brown sea slug.

And they're both
called sea hares,

because as you can see
those tentacles sticking

up in the air on the front of
the head look like rabbits ears.

I thought the
brown sea hare was big.

Yeah.

Seriously, there is no
mistaking the difference

between these two species.

Wow, that thing is
absolutely massive.

It weighs about 10 pounds
and fully stretched out

it's about two feet in length.

That is crazy.

And it is so
unbelievably slippery.

It's actually really
hard to hold on to it.

And my hands and arms right now
are covered in a slippery mucus.

Now, are they toxic in any way?

No, they're not.

OK.

So I'm in no danger right now?

So they don't bite,
they're not toxic,

they're just slimy
and alien looking.

So how do these defend
themselves against predators?

Well,
you know, these guys

don't have as many predators
as the California sea hare,

probably due to their size.

So they would
generally just kind of

stick to where they are and
they're going to be pretty

well hidden in these rocks.

I can't even imagine what
would want to try to eat this.

And it's just so amazing
how big this slug is.

When you said to me, yeah,
we're going to go out

and we're going to
catch a giant slug,

I honestly didn't believe you
when you said they could grow

to be about two feet in
length and until I actually

had this animal in my
hand, really on my arm,

I didn't believe it.

This is absolutely amazing.

Well, Aaron, thank
you so much for having

us out today to explore the
tide pools here in San Pedro.

I think there's no
question about it.

This is one big, black slug.

I'm Coyote Peterson.

Be brave, stay wild.

We'll see you on
the next adventure.

We gently
place these two slimy slugs back

into their respective pools.

And watched as they
slowly return to the wild.

I think it's fair to
say that these creatures

are as primordial as it gets.

And while they may be
incredibly bizarre looking,

they are an important part
of the tidepool ecosystem.