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[growl]
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NARRATOR: A brutal way of life
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where every day is a test to survive...
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and staying on top means
being the fastest...
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- biggest...
- [growling]
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smartest...
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or the most powerful.
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[roaring]
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These are the best equipped.
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These are...
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♪
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- In sub-
- Saharan Africa,
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snakes strike a million people
every year.
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[hiss]
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20,000 fatally.
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♪
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[hiss]
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Their venom attacks
nervous systems,
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liquefies tissue, and causes
massive internal bleeding.
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♪
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[hiss]
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And this striking lady,
mean and muscular,
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needs no venom at all.
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A South African rock python.
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She glides across the savanna
like the angel of death.
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She can go for months without food,
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but today she feels
like having a bite.
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♪
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A chemical trail smells like opportunity.
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Big opportunity.
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Both forks of her tongue
point in one direction:
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impala lambs.
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She's the only snake here
with the chops to tackle one.
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♪
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As long as a car
and at nearly 200 pounds,
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she's one of Africa's heaviest snakes.
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[hissing]
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Her powerful jaws house
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90-odd razor-sharp,
backwardly curving teeth.
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The impalas hang together,
making an ambush difficult.
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The python bides her time
and times her strike.
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♪
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She accelerates at 30 times
the force of gravity,
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three times more than a fighter pilot
can handle before passing out.
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♪
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[impala barks]
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Her prize, an adult female,
nearly half her weight.
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♪
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Her vise-like muscles
squeeze the life out
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before she opens her cavernous
maw and begins to swallow.
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Incredibly flexible tendons,
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muscles and ligaments in her jaw
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help it go down whole.
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It'll take hours.
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As night closes in,
so does competition.
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She may be the largest snake around...
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[hyena whoops]
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but she's no match for spotted hyenas.
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[whoop]
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One of the most tenacious
and powerful predators in Africa.
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Caught with her mouth full,
she can't flee or fight.
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♪
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[yelp]
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♪
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[hissing]
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She may look imposing,
but she's not a fighter.
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[yipping]
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The hyenas find their way in.
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And her meal is gone,
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leaving the python
to reset her coiled trap.
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As day breaks, she reveals
another superpower.
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All snakes swim, but
the rock python can stay under
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for several minutes.
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Undetected as she hunts.
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[hiss]
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Her coils cut off
the duck's blood supply
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with heart-stopping force.
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♪
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Curved, hacksaw teeth
hook into her meal
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as she walks her jaws up and over it.
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In about two weeks,
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enzymes will turn it
into a protein soup,
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except for the feathers,
which she regurgitates.
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♪
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The dry season in Africa.
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Greens fade to brown,
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an ambush hunter's favorite color.
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Big cats aren't the only ones
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pulling off the disappearing act.
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The puff adder.
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He does nothing in a hurry.
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Except strike.
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From zero to deadly
in a quarter of a second,
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arguably the fastest striking
snake in the world.
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♪
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A snake's wispy tongue is
useless for drinking.
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And he can't tip his head back
to swallow.
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New research suggests
tiny folds in his skin
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draw water to his mouth like a sponge.
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His powerful muscles
then squeeze the water
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down to his stomach.
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Like every snake,
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the puff adder's an excellent swimmer.
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♪
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This big guy has outgrown his skin
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and needs a safe place to shed.
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He's at his most vulnerable.
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He uses a log to rip his old skin,
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then peels himself like a banana.
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♪
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In his shiny, new flexible skin,
he's ready to hunt.
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Snakes don't have visible ears.
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His jawbones transfer
the faintest ground vibrations
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to his inner ears.
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His forked tongue smells in stereo,
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detecting where his next meal
is coming from.
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In ambush position,
he just has to wait.
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Perfectly still.
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Perfectly lethal.
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♪
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Prey can't see him or even smell him.
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He has no scent.
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♪
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♪
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Timing is everything.
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When a puff adder strikes,
he seldom strikes out.
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♪
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A dose of cytotoxic venom
liquefies tissue,
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slowly turning his dinner into
a smoothie from the inside.
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♪
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He stows his half-inch-plus fangs
against the roof of his mouth
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as he swallows his meal whole.
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♪
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But he's not the nastiest snake
on the savanna.
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This gal is.
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A snouted cobra.
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One of the largest cobras
in Africa eats other snakes,
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and her favorite meal is puff adder.
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♪
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The snouted cobra plays
a killer game of hide-and-seek...
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prying under logs
and other hiding spots...
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like the adder's cozy crevice.
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♪
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Lying still won't help him this time,
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but his lack of scent will.
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The cobra's flickering tongue
can't detect him.
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It's a close call.
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The adder flees with an
un-adder-like burst of speed.
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♪
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Besides her
search-and-destroy strategy,
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the snouted cobra has another
trick up her scaly sleeve.
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By rearing up 18 inches
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and spreading the ribs along
her neck, she strikes fear.
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It's mostly for show,
and to look for food.
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She'd rather flee than fight.
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But for sheer terror,
none can touch this prince of darkness.
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The black mamba.
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Armed with one of nature's
fastest-acting venoms,
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he can kill a man in 20 minutes.
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His size, speed, and unpredictability
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make him one of the deadliest
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and most feared snakes in the world.
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He even has a coffin-shaped head.
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At over 14 feet long,
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he is easily the largest
venomous snake in Africa.
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And if you think fleeing will save you,
think carefully.
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At 12 miles per hour,
he's Africa's fastest snake.
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Finding out firsthand
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why this steel gray snake
is called a black mamba
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may be the last thing you do.
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The inside of his mouth,
black as a crypt,
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warns any who get too close.
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♪
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[grumbling]
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His neurotoxic venom can kill
40 men with a single bite.
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It paralyzes the nervous system,
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leaving victims gasping for air
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as their lungs and heart shut down.
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[trumpets]
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Even elephants tread lightly.
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[grumbling]
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[roars]
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And this matriarch takes
no chances with her calves.
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By raising his front third
off the ground,
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he can reach chest height,
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and deliver multiple rapid-fire strikes.
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More strikes means more venom.
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[trumpeting]
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[bellows]
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Like all snakes,
he'll usually use venom
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as a last line of defense.
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But that doesn't mean he won't use it.
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♪
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A rat caught in his way
doesn't stay there for long.
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♪
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[squeak]
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One bite, and it's dead in seconds.
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Humans don't fare much better.
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Without immediate treatment,
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100% of black mamba bites
kill their human victims.
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♪
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While the mere sight
of the mamba strikes terror,
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this next snake won't give you
that opportunity...
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♪
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because most of the time,
you'll never see it coming.
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♪
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The Gaboon viper--
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pretty if you notice her,
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pretty deadly if you don't.
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♪
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Her thumb-long fangs
are world record size.
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They inject a venom
that's heart-stoppingly terrifying--
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literally.
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The Gaboon viper.
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It's cytotoxic to destroy tissue,
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neurotoxic to paralyze the nerves,
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and if that's not enough,
it's also hemotoxic,
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causing internal bleeding.
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A deadly trifecta delivered
in double the dose of a mamba.
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♪
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The neurotoxins specifically
attack the heart
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while the other toxins
liquefy the victim's guts.
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It's the most painful bite
of any venomous snake.
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♪
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[hissing, squeaking]
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The snake follows the trail
of her prey until it succumbs.
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Thankfully, they rarely bite humans.
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They prefer small mammals
and a quiet life.
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♪
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The same can't be said
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for one of her notoriously
dangerous neighbors.
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The Mozambique spitting cobra
has an extra arrow
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in his toxic quiver...
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which he deploys with deadly accuracy.
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♪
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[hiss]
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Unlike most snakes,
his venom canals point forward
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and at right angles to his fangs.
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He can suddenly blast
a blinding stream of venom
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into his enemy's eyes,
from more than six feet.
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The cytotoxic venom,
unusual for African cobras,
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dissolves skin and muscle tissue
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with excruciating effectiveness.
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And even though this shy snake
attacks only when crossed,
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he gets crossed pretty frequently,
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because Mozambique spitting cobras
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like to hang out where people dwell.
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In some areas, they bite 94%
of their victims inside houses,
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80% in their sleep.
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♪
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Only one creature dares to face
off against the spitting cobra.
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[squeaking]
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♪
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[squeaking]
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They may be fluffy on the outside,
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but where snakes are concerned,
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banded mongooses are about
as cuddly as a bear trap.
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They're agile, have razor-sharp
teeth, thick coats,
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and a resistance
to snake venom.
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♪
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They surround the cobra
as they close in for the kill.
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But the Mozambique spitting
cobra isn't finished.
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The mongooses circle closer.
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The cobra deploys
his chemical weapon.
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[hiss]
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Fast-footed mongooses
can dodge a strike,
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but an eyeful of toxic
and painful venom
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sends them packing.
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♪
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As cobras go, the Mozambique
spitting cobra is a runt
271
00:24:37,720 --> 00:24:39,280
at three feet long.
272
00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:45,040
In the emerald green forests
of East Africa
273
00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:49,680
slithers its cousin, a giant.
274
00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,480
♪
275
00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,880
A forest cobra--
at nearly 10 feet long,
276
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:20,520
the largest of all African cobras.
277
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:42,520
She's a streamlined assassin,
278
00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:46,440
shimmying through the trees,
the water, or on the ground,
279
00:25:48,360 --> 00:25:52,600
executing most of her missions
at night or on overcast days.
280
00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:57,200
♪
281
00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:05,800
She's smart as snakes go.
282
00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,320
And with her hollow fangs
filled with neurotoxic venom,
283
00:26:09,400 --> 00:26:12,560
the resident rodents
don't stand a chance.
284
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:17,560
♪
285
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:54,160
Mostly, she enjoys seclusion,
away from human activity.
286
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,040
She's one of many snakes
that lurk unnoticed
287
00:26:58,120 --> 00:27:00,040
in these forests.
288
00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:06,080
♪
289
00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:13,520
The shy, mainly arboreal boomslang
290
00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:17,120
hunts mostly in the tall tree canopy.
291
00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:22,520
The boomslang has
the most potent venom
292
00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:25,600
of any snake in Africa.
293
00:27:25,680 --> 00:27:30,240
One drop, almost too small to see,
can kill a person.
294
00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:35,200
♪
295
00:27:35,280 --> 00:27:36,840
With superior vision,
296
00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,640
she searches for her prey's
subtlest movement.
297
00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:47,040
The boomslang dons superb camouflage,
298
00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:52,640
nearly as effective as its relative,
the vine snake.
299
00:27:54,920 --> 00:27:57,560
There's no antivenom for this serpent.
300
00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:03,520
Masquerading as flaking bark
301
00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:06,080
and moving like a swaying branch,
302
00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,880
the vine snake hardly ever
needs to touch the ground.
303
00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:12,720
♪
304
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:22,000
These sharp-eyed,
tree-dwelling snakes
305
00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:25,080
hunt equally elusive prey.
306
00:28:27,320 --> 00:28:31,000
♪
307
00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:34,960
The boomslang tracks
that master of disguise,
308
00:28:35,040 --> 00:28:37,160
the chameleon.
309
00:28:45,760 --> 00:28:49,840
The vine snake trains
his binocular vision on a skink.
310
00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:55,280
♪
311
00:28:55,360 --> 00:28:56,840
Both these snakes wield
312
00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:59,600
blood cell-busting hemotoxic venom.
313
00:29:00,440 --> 00:29:04,280
The victim bleeds to death
from the inside.
314
00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:13,480
Their prey can try to hide,
but these snake eyes don't miss.
315
00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:17,400
♪
316
00:29:29,680 --> 00:29:34,080
Even with super-powered camouflage
and eyes on the back of his head,
317
00:29:34,160 --> 00:29:37,800
the chameleon can't rest easy.
318
00:29:37,880 --> 00:29:41,360
♪
319
00:29:41,440 --> 00:29:44,480
His disappearing act
hasn't fooled the boomslang,
320
00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:46,400
which he can't outrun.
321
00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:49,480
♪
322
00:30:11,120 --> 00:30:15,000
The slo-mo chameleon
takes a leap of faith.
323
00:30:16,360 --> 00:30:19,720
♪
324
00:30:25,960 --> 00:30:28,560
The vine snake takes
a more calculated approach
325
00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:32,000
to nab a fast-moving skink.
326
00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:36,640
He mimics a branch
and slowly moves in.
327
00:30:39,920 --> 00:30:43,720
♪
328
00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:25,280
He must chew down on his prey
329
00:31:25,360 --> 00:31:29,800
so the small fangs at the back his mouth
can deliver the venom.
330
00:31:32,840 --> 00:31:36,360
Fortunately,
they seldom tangle with humans.
331
00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:42,800
These tree-dwelling snakes live
or die by their sharp vision.
332
00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:49,080
While on the savannas
of Central and West Africa
333
00:31:49,160 --> 00:31:53,600
slinks a serpent with a sixth sense,
334
00:31:53,680 --> 00:31:55,840
the royal python.
335
00:31:58,640 --> 00:32:01,280
Legend has it, this elegant snake,
336
00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,400
only around four feet long,
337
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:05,720
once coiled around the wrists and necks
338
00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:09,920
of the bravest African kings
as living jewelry.
339
00:32:12,440 --> 00:32:14,720
Also known as the ball python,
340
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:17,840
she may be the smallest python
in Africa,
341
00:32:17,920 --> 00:32:20,760
but she's not to be messed with.
342
00:32:23,640 --> 00:32:26,880
Almost finished molting,
she's getting hungry.
343
00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:44,960
She smells rodent...
344
00:32:46,840 --> 00:32:49,720
until the trail dies at the water's edge.
345
00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:53,680
♪
346
00:32:58,120 --> 00:33:02,600
But that and her relatively poor vision
won't slow her down.
347
00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:08,560
♪
348
00:33:23,720 --> 00:33:27,200
Adult royal pythons mainly eat
warm-blooded animals.
349
00:33:43,320 --> 00:33:46,960
A series of pits below
her nostrils track her prey
350
00:33:47,040 --> 00:33:49,960
like a stealthy heat-seeking missile.
351
00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,480
♪
352
00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:17,880
♪
353
00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:37,880
There's nothing like a warm meal.
354
00:34:37,960 --> 00:34:40,760
♪
355
00:34:48,040 --> 00:34:50,720
In the sand sea
of Namibia's western quarter,
356
00:34:50,800 --> 00:34:53,800
surviving the 115-degree
ground temperatures
357
00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:56,200
takes a different skillset.
358
00:34:56,280 --> 00:34:59,680
♪
359
00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:07,480
The Peringuey's adder
whiplashes across the dunes.
360
00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:11,120
♪
361
00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:21,720
With no cover for miles around,
362
00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:25,840
his hunting attempt will take
an unexpected twist.
363
00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:51,960
Practically invisible, infinitely patient,
364
00:35:52,040 --> 00:35:54,720
the Peringuey's adder waits.
365
00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:06,840
A shovel-snouted lizard
scurries into range.
366
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:13,040
♪
367
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:20,680
And to get cool, unwittingly burrows
368
00:36:20,760 --> 00:36:25,040
directly under the adder
where the snake can't get him.
369
00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:32,600
The snake will have to wait for
other less-buried treasure.
370
00:36:34,680 --> 00:36:36,120
As night falls,
371
00:36:36,200 --> 00:36:40,000
a Palmato gecko patrols
the dunes for tasty grubs.
372
00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:47,720
Target acquired...
373
00:36:47,800 --> 00:36:50,360
for the adder.
374
00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:56,760
His tail is a built-in lure,
enticing bait on a deadly hook.
375
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:01,080
♪
376
00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:24,280
As the sun begins to climb,
377
00:37:24,360 --> 00:37:28,240
Welwitschia plants become oases
for a bustling community.
378
00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:33,880
Out here, every square inch of shade
379
00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:36,560
could mean the difference
between life and death.
380
00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:42,080
♪
381
00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:44,560
Being small has its advantages.
382
00:37:47,000 --> 00:37:49,640
♪
383
00:37:49,720 --> 00:37:51,800
A horned adder could also mean
384
00:37:51,880 --> 00:37:54,560
the difference between life and death.
385
00:37:55,960 --> 00:38:00,560
Only 10 inches long,
but her cytotoxic venom packs a punch.
386
00:38:00,640 --> 00:38:04,440
♪
387
00:38:04,520 --> 00:38:09,160
The moment the sun loses its
sting, she resumes her mission.
388
00:38:21,120 --> 00:38:24,960
Horned adders vary in color
depending on where they live.
389
00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:29,440
♪
390
00:38:36,080 --> 00:38:40,440
Along with her stealth,
391
00:38:40,520 --> 00:38:42,080
the adder's invisibility cloak
works like magic.
392
00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:45,440
♪
393
00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,960
This coral snake's colors
scream, "Keep away!"
394
00:39:13,760 --> 00:39:16,280
♪
395
00:39:16,360 --> 00:39:21,000
And as she moves, her pattern
confuses predators' vision.
396
00:39:22,840 --> 00:39:27,440
This cobra relative
usually emerges after dark.
397
00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:31,000
But today she's on the trail
398
00:39:31,080 --> 00:39:33,720
of something worth
getting up early for.
399
00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:42,200
She relies mostly on her sense
of smell to track her prey.
400
00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:11,000
Like most snakes, her vision's
tuned to pick out movement.
401
00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:14,200
♪
402
00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:21,600
If prey can freeze,
it stands a fighting chance.
403
00:40:24,240 --> 00:40:27,960
♪
404
00:40:30,760 --> 00:40:34,080
But that takes nerves of steel.
405
00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:37,960
♪
406
00:41:02,320 --> 00:41:04,200
When the gecko tries to flee,
407
00:41:04,280 --> 00:41:06,720
it's back on the coral snake's radar.
408
00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:12,520
Detaching its tail to distract
the snake doesn't work.
409
00:41:13,880 --> 00:41:17,600
♪
410
00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:22,360
One neurotoxic bite, and
it's game over for the gecko.
411
00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:28,480
An equally deadly game
of hide-and-seek plays out
412
00:41:28,560 --> 00:41:31,000
in the arid Kalahari region.
413
00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:34,960
♪
414
00:41:39,640 --> 00:41:42,040
South Africa's Cape cobra,
415
00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:44,640
the continent's most potent cobra,
416
00:41:45,960 --> 00:41:50,000
pays a not-so-social call
on a nest of sociable weavers.
417
00:41:53,240 --> 00:41:55,000
[chirping]
418
00:41:55,080 --> 00:41:58,800
Lean and hungry, she can lay waste
to entire colonies of chicks.
419
00:42:01,720 --> 00:42:04,480
She's equally unpleasant in the grass.
420
00:42:07,240 --> 00:42:09,720
Drawn to villages
to hunt rats and mice,
421
00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:12,200
the Cape cobra kills more people
422
00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:15,000
than any other snake
in southern Africa.
423
00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:19,440
She will stand her ground
rather than flee.
424
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:25,280
And with venom as toxic as
a mamba's, she means business.
425
00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:31,000
She's mainly a daytime hunter,
426
00:42:31,080 --> 00:42:34,440
but at nightfall she beats the heat.
427
00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:39,720
And right now
she tastes a new target.
428
00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:45,840
♪
429
00:42:47,000 --> 00:42:51,200
♪
430
00:42:51,280 --> 00:42:54,160
She has a superb
sense of smell.
431
00:42:54,240 --> 00:42:58,680
♪
432
00:42:59,920 --> 00:43:03,880
Minute scent particles
picked up by her forked tongue
433
00:43:03,960 --> 00:43:06,280
are transferred to
a supersensory organ
434
00:43:06,360 --> 00:43:08,120
on the roof of her mouth.
435
00:43:12,320 --> 00:43:16,720
♪
436
00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:47,880
[heart beating]
437
00:43:47,960 --> 00:43:54,000
[heart beating faster]
438
00:43:56,080 --> 00:43:57,880
♪
439
00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:00,200
She rules the night.
440
00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:04,160
Like snakes across Africa,
441
00:44:04,240 --> 00:44:07,880
she lies in wait
for her moment to kill.
442
00:44:07,930 --> 00:44:12,480
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