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ATTENBOROUGH: Whatever your feelings
about snakes

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you cant deny that they have
an extraordinary beauty.

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Their lack of limbs compels them
to deal with lifes problems

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in ways that are utterly different
from ours.

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But nonetheless
the techniques they have developed

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are spectacularly successful.

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Snakes have one of
the simplest of body shapes.

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Essentially just a long thin tube.

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But they have some remarkably
effective ways of getting around.

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They can climb a tree
simply by embracing its trunk.

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Some can flatten their bodies

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so that they catch the air beneath them
and glide.

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By hitching up their undersides

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they can inch themselves forward
in a straight line.

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A sinuous wriggle enables them
to skate across loose sand.

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And the same action works
equally well in water.

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There some swim close to the surface.

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Others explore the depths
and can stay underwater

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for hours on end.

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One believe it or not can jump.

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So leglessness hardly seems
such a handicap.

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But how did snakes get that way?

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Well their remote ancestors
1 00 million years ago

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at the time of the dinosaurs
did have legs

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rather like todays lizards.

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Doubtless they were
very effective runners.

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But some also started to burrow
in search of prey.

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Below ground legs are a hindrance

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and over generations
they became smaller.

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Today burrowing lizards such as skinks

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seem to be going
through the same process.

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Many have tiny but recognisable legs.

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In others the limbs have become
nothing more than functionless flaps.

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In this burrowing lizard
the process has gone even further.

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The animal still has the face
of a lizard

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but its legs have disappeared totally.

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It seems that the ancestral snakes
went through just such a process

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way back in geological history
some 92 million years ago.

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So what did these very first snakes
look like?

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Well the answer can be found
in Asian jungles

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in American woodlands and gardens
and even in flowerpots like this.

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It may look like an earthworm

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but actually its a flowerpot snake
and its completely blind.

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It doesnt need to see

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because it spends
all its life underground.

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Ill put it back in its flowerpot
and put a flower on top

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and it will live perfectly happily there
in this flowerpot all by itself

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providing it has enough food.

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And theres a surprising amount
for a small snake to eat underground.

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Ant larvae for example.

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These early legless reptiles flourished
and remained underground

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for a long time.

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Then around 20 million years ago
some of them returned to the surface.

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Why? Well by this time
the dinosaurs had disappeared

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and the early mammals had arrived.

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They were more nutritious
than beetles and worms

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so the snakes began to
catch them instead

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and became so good at doing so
that today

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they are among
the most skilful hunters on Earth.

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Here in North America

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there is a snake that combines
its great speed

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and extraordinary senses
in a remarkable hunting strategy

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we are only just beginning
to understand.

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A timber rattlesnake.

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The morning sun has warmed its body
giving it energy and it starts to move.

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Its searching for a place

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where it can conceal itself
and wait for prey to come

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within striking distance.

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A little chipmunk.
Its in no danger yet.

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The rattlesnake cant move fast enough
to chase and catch it.

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But small mammals tend to use
the same paths

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as they run over the forest floor

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and they leave behind
a faint trail of scent.

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The rattlesnake can detect
that scent with its tongue.

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It can also locate the warm-blooded
chipmunk if its nearby

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with heat detectors in a pair of pits
beneath its eyes.

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As it moves it carefully holds
its rattle above the ground

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so it makes no noise.

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Its chosen the place to wait
at the bottom of this tree stump.

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Its coloration matches the ground
so closely

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it needs no further concealment.

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Now its just a matter of time.

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Seeing a rattlesnake

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actually catching its prey is a very
very difficult thing to observe.

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In fact some scientists have watched
rattlesnakes for years

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without seeing
that particular crucial moment.

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But we have a chance

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partly because rattlesnakes
are ambush hunters

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so we know exactly
where to put up our gear

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and partly because in that gear
weve got the very latest

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in surveillance equipment.

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There are remotely controlled cameras
and infrared lights on stands.

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And there are motion detectors
that will switch on the cameras

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if anything moves
so I neednt wait alongside.

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If anything happens the cameras
will switch on automatically.

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Later I check the replay.

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Theres a mouse just along that log.

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That obviously came to nothing

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but the cameras have started recording
again and the snake is moving.

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Hes checking out the trail
with his tongue.

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(WHISPERING) See thats exactly
where that mouse was running.

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Its pitch dark and the mouse clearly
has no idea that the snake is there.

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But the snake is well aware
of the mouse.

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Thanks no doubt
to those heat-detecting pits.

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A snake strikes by suddenly
straightening the curve in its neck.

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But at the moment
the mouse is not within range.

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Hes worked out that that is the path

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along which the mice run

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and hes getting himself
properly adjusted

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so he can strike it
when he next gets a chance.

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Now once again waiting.

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Thats what snakes are so good at.

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(RUSTLING)

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(ATTENBOROUGH EXCLAIMS)

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Oh my goodness.

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Thats a dead mouse all right.

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Slow down that shot

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and you can see that the snake stabs
the mouse just once.

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After three convulsive kicks
the mouse is dead.

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The snake is moving again.

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Hes going back now
to look for the one that

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he knows is dead back there.

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Where is it?

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Ah. Now it looks as though
hes really got it.

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Thats his dinner
and that can last him for

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three weeks four weeks if necessary.

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Rattlesnakes are among the least
obtrusive inhabitants of the forests

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of North America
and they are probably far more numerous

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than many people realise.

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Like many other animals
snakes use their nostrils

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to detect smells.

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But the most sensitive
and accurate information

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about the world around them comes
from that constantly flickering tongue.

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With this a snake gathers molecules
from the air and carries them back

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for evaluation to a pair
of extremely sensitive organs

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in the roof of its mouth.

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To see of just how important
scent can be to a snake

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Ive come here to Carnac Island
just off the coast of Western Australia.

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Its home to a large population
of highly venomous tiger snakes.

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Snakes have been established here
for many years

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but theres something odd
about this particular population.

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Many of them have damaged heads

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and some of them are actually blind
like this one.

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And yet puzzlingly
in spite of the fact

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that theyre blind
they all appear to be very well fed.

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So how do their heads get damaged?
And how in that condition

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when they cant see anything
can they catch all the prey they need?

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(GULLS CAWING)

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The snakes of course are not
the only inhabitants of the island.

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Its also home for
a large colony of silver gulls.

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The gulls breed throughout the year
so their chicks are a source of food

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for the snakes that never ends.

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In fact the snakes eat pretty well
nothing else.

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But the snakes dont get it
all their own way.

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The gulls are valiant defenders
of their nests and their chicks.

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Their stabbing beaks are powerful
sharp and strong.

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And the gulls always go
for the snakes head.

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One in 1 0 of the snakes
are totally blinded.

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Tiger snakes dont have those
heat-sensitive pits

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that rattlesnakes have
so these blinded hunters

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must be guided entirely
by their forked tongue.

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Its a superb direction-finding device.

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The snake can measure the strength
of a smell separately

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on each of the two forks of its tongue.

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And if it wishes to follow up a smell
then it simply detects

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the one that has the stronger smell
and goes in that direction.

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Gull chicks are an ideal prey
for a blinded snake

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because they are programmed
to stay on their nests.

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Once a snake has located it
a chick is doomed.

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Snakes it must be admitted
have had a bad reputation

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ever since one appeared
in the Garden of Eden.

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But in reality even the most
aggressive venomous snake

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will avoid biting a human being
if it can.

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Why waste venom
and risk violent retribution

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by biting something
youre not going to eat?

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To prevent misunderstanding
most venomous snakes warn other animals

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including human beings
to keep out of their way.

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(HISSING)

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(RATTLING)

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Some snakes do that with sound.

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(RATTLING)

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(HISSING)

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Others such as cobras
give a visual signal

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by expanding the skin around
their heads to form a conspicuous hood.

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The threat of a bite
is far better defence for a snake

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than the bite itself.

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However there are some snakes

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that not only use their venom
to kill their prey

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but have also found a way of using it
to deter their enemies

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without even biting them.

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This Mozambique cobra has
a very special way of doing that.

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To demonstrate this
with some degree of safety

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Im going to wear this visor
which has been coated with a substance

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that turns pink in contact with venom.

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Lets see what happens.

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Its watching me waiting to see
if I get too close for its liking.

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Venom spurts from its fangs.

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As it spits it turns its head
from side to side

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so that the jets have
the best chance of hitting my eyes.

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(SIGHING)

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Well I was well and truly sprayed.

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Every one of those pink dots
is a bead of venom.

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And if any one of them had gone
in my eye I would be now blind

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and in extreme pain.

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So its a fair warning from that snake
to me not to get any closer.

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And I dare say if I did

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I would deserve what I would get
which would be a bite.

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I have no intention of doing that.

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On the other hand some snakes

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which may appear to be venomous are
in reality quite harmless.

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These two snakes look
very very similar

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and they both occur here
in the southern United States

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so you are quite likely to meet
one or the other here.

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One of them however is harmless.
Its called a kingsnake.

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The other one is a coral snake

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and highly venomous.
One bite certain death.

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The question is which is which.

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Well the key lies in the order
of the colour rings.

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People here have a local saying
Red and black venom lack.

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Red and yellow can kill a fellow.

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And this one has red and black

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so I guess thats a kingsnake.

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Well see.

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So far so good.
Yeah this is a kingsnake.

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And what a beautiful snake it is.

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A really lovely reptile.

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The kingsnake pretends to be venomous
when its not.

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And theres another snake
that pretends to be dead when it isnt.

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Snakes being cold-blooded
seem to relish the warmth

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of sun-baked roads
and often bask on them.

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And as a result
of course many get run over.

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But things arent always exactly
what they seem.

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He looks kind of dead

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00:21:13,607 --> 00:21:17,395
but in fact this hog-nosed snake
is perfectly all right.

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He was just feigning death

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so that things that might have been
interested in a living snake are not.

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And whats more

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(SNIFFING)

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he has produced rather
a remarkable smell.

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In fact the smell as it were
of rotting flesh.

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00:21:41,487 --> 00:21:45,799
So maybe he was pretending too
that he was not only dead

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but decomposing.

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Very convincing. Off you go.

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The lack of limbs that might seem
to us to be such a huge handicap

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has not stopped snakes from
getting around in all kinds of ways

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00:22:05,607 --> 00:22:09,566
and neither does it prevent them
from tackling all kinds of meals.

247
00:22:11,287 --> 00:22:15,200
This South African snake has become
a specialist in swallowing

248
00:22:15,287 --> 00:22:17,596
a particularly awkward mouthful.

249
00:22:21,967 --> 00:22:26,358
Its as accomplished a tree climber
as youll find among snakes.

250
00:22:38,327 --> 00:22:41,603
The trees it frequents
also hold colonies

251
00:22:41,687 --> 00:22:45,202
of masked weaverbirds
that suspend their nests

252
00:22:45,287 --> 00:22:47,755
from the very tip of the branches.

253
00:22:47,847 --> 00:22:52,159
But the snake is a skilled enough
climber to reach them.

254
00:22:52,247 --> 00:22:55,922
The weaverbirds know it well
and recognise it as a threat.

255
00:22:56,007 --> 00:22:57,565
(CHIRPING)

256
00:23:06,247 --> 00:23:09,080
Its well accustomed to these attacks.

257
00:23:31,127 --> 00:23:34,722
These defenders however
are just too determined

258
00:23:34,807 --> 00:23:36,445
and it retreats.

259
00:23:41,327 --> 00:23:43,795
But it doesnt give up altogether.

260
00:23:58,407 --> 00:24:01,126
This nest is unguarded.

261
00:24:05,847 --> 00:24:09,601
And this is what
the snake is after the eggs.

262
00:24:09,687 --> 00:24:12,963
Each is several times bigger
than the snakes head

263
00:24:13,127 --> 00:24:17,279
but its jaws are linked by ligaments
that are amazingly elastic.

264
00:24:23,967 --> 00:24:26,925
Once the egg is engulfed
by the snakes jaws

265
00:24:27,127 --> 00:24:29,846
powerful throat muscles push it
down its gullet.

266
00:24:36,807 --> 00:24:40,641
Moving X-rays enable us to see
exactly whats happening.

267
00:24:44,327 --> 00:24:47,637
Soon the egg reaches a part
of the backbone

268
00:24:47,727 --> 00:24:50,480
that has downward pointing spines on it.

269
00:24:53,367 --> 00:24:56,723
The snake arches its backbone
and then squeezes.

270
00:24:56,807 --> 00:24:58,160
(CRACKING)

271
00:25:01,247 --> 00:25:05,445
The shell cracks and the spines
on the backbone slit the membrane.

272
00:25:09,247 --> 00:25:12,523
The shell is crushed
and rich nutritious yolk

273
00:25:12,767 --> 00:25:14,837
flows into the snakes gut.

274
00:25:29,287 --> 00:25:32,484
Then whats left of the shell
is regurgitated.

275
00:25:35,607 --> 00:25:38,075
But that of course was a small meal.

276
00:25:38,167 --> 00:25:42,046
Some snakes can tackle
much bigger meals than that.

277
00:25:45,527 --> 00:25:48,837
An African rock python
one of the biggest of all snakes

278
00:25:48,927 --> 00:25:52,363
that can grow over seven metres
20 feet long.

279
00:25:52,487 --> 00:25:55,479
And it is eating an antelope.

280
00:25:55,967 --> 00:26:00,119
It too has an elastic ligament
connecting its jaws.

281
00:26:03,447 --> 00:26:06,086
It killed the antelope not with venom

282
00:26:06,167 --> 00:26:09,955
but by squeezing it so tightly
that it was unable to breathe.

283
00:26:14,207 --> 00:26:17,279
A pythons teeth cant cut or rip.

284
00:26:17,367 --> 00:26:20,723
It has to swallow its prey whole
or not at all.

285
00:26:20,807 --> 00:26:23,275
And that may take a day or more.

286
00:26:25,047 --> 00:26:28,642
Without limbs the python cant push
the antelope down its throat.

287
00:26:29,487 --> 00:26:33,116
Instead it hitches its jaws
diagonally back and forth

288
00:26:33,567 --> 00:26:38,163
so that they as it were
walk along and over the prey.

289
00:26:39,367 --> 00:26:43,679
Its tube-like body has to stretch
so extremely to accommodate

290
00:26:43,807 --> 00:26:47,038
such a gigantic meal
that its flanks have torn.

291
00:26:47,567 --> 00:26:50,081
But such injuries heal very quickly.

292
00:26:55,247 --> 00:26:59,035
The last of the antelope its hooves
are about to disappear.

293
00:27:07,727 --> 00:27:08,842
Gone.

294
00:27:15,767 --> 00:27:20,966
The python will now hide itself away
and begin the long process of digestion.

295
00:27:21,407 --> 00:27:27,164
Everything will be dissolved skin
hair hooves even horns.

296
00:27:35,007 --> 00:27:39,364
This python will not need to eat again
for a year or more.

297
00:27:45,647 --> 00:27:48,957
Wherever its warm
and there are animals of some kind

298
00:27:49,047 --> 00:27:50,799
there will be snakes to hunt them

299
00:27:50,887 --> 00:27:54,926
no matter how difficult the conditions
and how awkward the mouthful.

300
00:27:56,927 --> 00:28:00,044
Crabs are in plentiful supply
in this mangrove swamp.

301
00:28:00,127 --> 00:28:03,483
There must be 20 on any one
of these trees around me.

302
00:28:03,567 --> 00:28:06,559
Theyre all up there
waiting for the tide to go out

303
00:28:06,647 --> 00:28:09,366
so that they can feed in the mud below.

304
00:28:10,047 --> 00:28:15,838
So there is a meal for a snake here
but crabs are not easy to tackle.

305
00:28:16,327 --> 00:28:20,479
Theyre strong armour-plated
and covered in spines.

306
00:28:20,727 --> 00:28:26,245
For a snake to tackle one of these
would be like me trying to eat a lobster

307
00:28:26,327 --> 00:28:30,161
twice the size of my head
with my hands tied behind my back.

308
00:28:30,647 --> 00:28:33,684
But there is a snake that knows
how to do so.

309
00:28:35,407 --> 00:28:38,604
The crabs cling to the arching struts
of the mangroves

310
00:28:38,687 --> 00:28:41,201
to keep out of the way
of predatory fish

311
00:28:41,287 --> 00:28:45,041
but as the tide retreats
it becomes safe for them to climb down

312
00:28:45,127 --> 00:28:49,882
and start looking for such edible bits
as the tide has left behind on the mud.

313
00:28:58,487 --> 00:29:00,557
For the moment theyre safe

314
00:29:00,647 --> 00:29:03,002
but soon the sun will set.

315
00:29:03,087 --> 00:29:05,965
Then the snakes will come out
of their burrows.

316
00:29:06,687 --> 00:29:08,962
They hunt in the darkness

317
00:29:09,047 --> 00:29:12,676
but well be able to follow them
with our infrared cameras.

318
00:29:21,007 --> 00:29:23,680
Its now very dark indeed

319
00:29:23,767 --> 00:29:28,522
and the snake has to find its way around
entirely by touch and smell.

320
00:29:38,727 --> 00:29:41,002
Finding crabs is not difficult.

321
00:29:41,407 --> 00:29:42,886
They swarm all over the mud

322
00:29:42,967 --> 00:29:47,358
and the snake is almost bound to
encounter one sooner rather than later.

323
00:29:55,607 --> 00:29:59,520
The snake is armed with venom
and has short strong fangs

324
00:29:59,647 --> 00:30:02,525
which can pierce a crabs shell
and stun it.

325
00:30:02,647 --> 00:30:04,683
But that is only half the problem.

326
00:30:04,767 --> 00:30:07,406
Its what it does after
it has caught its crab

327
00:30:07,487 --> 00:30:10,240
that sets it apart
from all other snakes.

328
00:30:36,767 --> 00:30:41,966
It has it. Now what?
The crab is so large that the snake

329
00:30:42,047 --> 00:30:44,356
cant swallow it whole.

330
00:30:44,447 --> 00:30:49,123
Slowly and deliberately
the snake dismembers the crab.

331
00:30:53,567 --> 00:30:56,365
Each leg contains nutritious muscle.

332
00:31:05,767 --> 00:31:11,080
But the crabs armoured body
is simply discarded. Too difficult.

333
00:31:15,407 --> 00:31:19,286
There are hard-shelled creatures
in fresh waters as well as in salt.

334
00:31:19,367 --> 00:31:22,677
Not nearly as many
but sufficient number for some snakes

335
00:31:22,767 --> 00:31:24,962
to specialise in eating them.

336
00:31:27,287 --> 00:31:29,596
And in the eastern United States

337
00:31:29,687 --> 00:31:31,962
many rivers contain crayfish.

338
00:31:36,207 --> 00:31:39,165
Like crabs
they have a hard protective shell

339
00:31:39,887 --> 00:31:43,277
and they have
particularly powerful pincers as well.

340
00:31:50,927 --> 00:31:55,478
The queen snake however
eats crayfish and nothing else.

341
00:32:15,287 --> 00:32:17,482
But not just any crayfish.

342
00:32:22,727 --> 00:32:24,479
Its very selective.

343
00:32:26,247 --> 00:32:29,398
Crayfish as they grow
shed their armour.

344
00:32:33,207 --> 00:32:37,644
Every three to four weeks a split
appears across the back of its shell.

345
00:32:41,247 --> 00:32:45,240
The old shell hinges away
and the crayfish hauls itself out

346
00:32:45,327 --> 00:32:47,887
and expands its body which is soft.

347
00:32:50,327 --> 00:32:53,080
Its now that the snake has its chance.

348
00:33:04,487 --> 00:33:07,718
A newly moulted crayfish
looks much the same

349
00:33:07,807 --> 00:33:09,923
but it gives off different chemicals

350
00:33:10,007 --> 00:33:13,079
that the snake can detect
in the water with its tongue

351
00:33:13,167 --> 00:33:15,362
and from some distance away.

352
00:33:33,487 --> 00:33:37,765
It can swallow this crayfish
because since it is newly moulted

353
00:33:38,447 --> 00:33:40,677
its as soft as a boiled egg.

354
00:34:05,647 --> 00:34:08,286
On occasion snakes have to grapple

355
00:34:08,367 --> 00:34:11,325
not only with their prey
but with one another

356
00:34:11,407 --> 00:34:14,046
in disputes over mates and territory.

357
00:34:16,087 --> 00:34:19,318
This is one of the most formidable
the king cobra.

358
00:34:19,407 --> 00:34:23,320
Highly venomous
and about four metres 1 4 feet long.

359
00:34:26,007 --> 00:34:31,127
Disputes between rival male king cobras
are potentially very dangerous indeed

360
00:34:31,847 --> 00:34:36,238
for this species specialises
in eating other kinds of snakes.

361
00:34:38,967 --> 00:34:41,686
So they observe strict rules
in their fights

362
00:34:41,767 --> 00:34:44,679
which prohibit
the use of their lethal bite.

363
00:34:49,287 --> 00:34:52,359
Slowed down
its a performance full of grace

364
00:34:52,767 --> 00:34:56,476
as each contestant strives
not to kill his opponent

365
00:34:56,567 --> 00:34:59,161
but simply to slam him to the ground.

366
00:35:57,047 --> 00:36:00,926
The defeated male leaves the arena
and no harm has been done.

367
00:36:09,247 --> 00:36:12,876
Snakes must also find a way
of preventing their courtship

368
00:36:12,967 --> 00:36:14,923
from becoming lethal.

369
00:36:15,007 --> 00:36:18,397
This is a Californian kingsnake a male.

370
00:36:22,487 --> 00:36:25,797
He has detected
the scent of a female ready to mate.

371
00:36:30,607 --> 00:36:33,599
Like all snakes
his eyesight is not good

372
00:36:34,327 --> 00:36:38,320
but he can tell from the taste
of the air that she is close by.

373
00:36:43,847 --> 00:36:46,486
In fact she is within inches.

374
00:37:09,687 --> 00:37:14,078
For some time the two follow
one another nose to tail.

375
00:37:21,047 --> 00:37:23,561
The male begins to caress her

376
00:37:23,647 --> 00:37:27,799
sensually jerking and rocking his body
as he holds her close.

377
00:37:32,087 --> 00:37:37,400
He has a pair of sexual organs
one of which can project to the left

378
00:37:37,487 --> 00:37:39,125
and the other to the right.

379
00:37:39,207 --> 00:37:42,517
So no matter which side of him
she happens to lie

380
00:37:43,047 --> 00:37:45,163
he can reach her.

381
00:37:47,367 --> 00:37:49,483
At last union is achieved.

382
00:38:07,767 --> 00:38:10,645
They may remain together
for several hours.

383
00:38:28,447 --> 00:38:32,235
In a few weeks time
the female will lay a clutch of eggs.

384
00:38:32,967 --> 00:38:36,198
It may take six or seven weeks
for them to hatch

385
00:38:36,287 --> 00:38:38,755
but the regions where
most snakes live are warm enough

386
00:38:38,847 --> 00:38:42,123
for them to develop
without any help from the parents.

387
00:38:46,327 --> 00:38:49,637
Cobras lay them on the ground
in the leaf litter.

388
00:38:58,247 --> 00:39:03,241
Their soft parchment-like shell
is easily split when pushed from within.

389
00:39:11,607 --> 00:39:15,919
The front end of a cobra hatchling
is quite capable of giving a bite

390
00:39:16,007 --> 00:39:19,238
even while the back end
is still within the shell.

391
00:39:36,327 --> 00:39:40,798
Their fangs may be small but since it
only takes a tiny drop of cobra venom

392
00:39:40,887 --> 00:39:45,961
to kill an animal these youngsters
can be as lethal as their parents.

393
00:40:09,967 --> 00:40:14,006
They already have that characteristic
warning signal the hood.

394
00:40:18,047 --> 00:40:22,563
Not all snakes lay their eggs.
In some species

395
00:40:22,647 --> 00:40:26,526
the female retains them within her body
until theyre ready to hatch

396
00:40:26,607 --> 00:40:29,326
so she gives birth to live young.

397
00:40:32,367 --> 00:40:34,801
The marshes of northern Argentina

398
00:40:35,327 --> 00:40:39,525
home to one of the largest
of live-bearing snakes the anaconda.

399
00:40:46,727 --> 00:40:50,515
This is a female
and shes heavily pregnant.

400
00:40:58,247 --> 00:41:00,317
Its morning and shes chilly

401
00:41:00,407 --> 00:41:04,036
so she moves out of the water
and onto the swamp

402
00:41:04,127 --> 00:41:05,879
to warm herself in the sun.

403
00:41:20,127 --> 00:41:23,278
Slowly the day begins to warm up.

404
00:41:35,407 --> 00:41:38,763
Now its getting
a little too hot for her

405
00:41:38,847 --> 00:41:42,237
so she moves back to the water
to cool off.

406
00:41:45,127 --> 00:41:50,804
In this way she manages to keep her
body close to 29 degrees centigrade

407
00:41:50,887 --> 00:41:54,163
perfect for the babies
developing within her.

408
00:42:01,127 --> 00:42:03,846
But she wont give birth here and now.

409
00:42:04,447 --> 00:42:06,438
There are caiman around.

410
00:42:12,407 --> 00:42:16,116
At last she finds
the quiet pool that she needs.

411
00:42:18,727 --> 00:42:20,843
And her contractions start.

412
00:42:49,007 --> 00:42:51,919
The first of her babies has arrived.

413
00:42:56,007 --> 00:42:59,966
Up it goes to the surface
to take its first breath of air.

414
00:43:07,367 --> 00:43:09,835
But there are more babies to come.

415
00:43:28,367 --> 00:43:30,927
Eventually she produces 1 2.

416
00:43:31,567 --> 00:43:34,718
In fact thats quite modest
for an anaconda.

417
00:43:34,807 --> 00:43:36,923
They can produce up to 40.

418
00:43:38,407 --> 00:43:42,320
Right from the beginning of their lives
theyre totally independent

419
00:43:42,407 --> 00:43:45,126
and get no care or protection
from their mother.

420
00:43:47,847 --> 00:43:52,557
The anaconda spends so much of its time
in water and is such a powerful swimmer

421
00:43:52,647 --> 00:43:55,480
that it can be
properly considered aquatic.

422
00:44:00,447 --> 00:44:04,122
Snakes have become adapted
to almost every environment

423
00:44:04,207 --> 00:44:08,041
including even
the sea as this one has.

424
00:44:08,847 --> 00:44:13,398
It doesnt often bite but it does have
an extremely powerful venom

425
00:44:13,487 --> 00:44:15,079
so I am not going to handle it.

426
00:44:15,167 --> 00:44:18,318
But I will help it a little
with this stick.

427
00:44:18,727 --> 00:44:24,563
As you can see it has a very flattened
paddle at the end of its tail.

428
00:44:25,567 --> 00:44:28,286
But on land its pretty helpless.

429
00:44:29,167 --> 00:44:34,241
However if I assist it
in getting into the sea...

430
00:44:40,487 --> 00:44:42,876
And now its in its element.

431
00:44:46,367 --> 00:44:49,643
Sea snakes have had to modify
many of the features

432
00:44:49,727 --> 00:44:53,879
that enabled their far distant ancestors
to colonise the land.

433
00:44:53,967 --> 00:44:56,720
They still have a lung
with which to breathe air

434
00:44:56,807 --> 00:45:00,004
like other snakes
but they can also absorb oxygen

435
00:45:00,087 --> 00:45:02,601
from the seawater through their skin.

436
00:45:10,687 --> 00:45:13,838
Salt inevitably gets into
a sea snakes body

437
00:45:13,927 --> 00:45:16,441
but the snake manages to get rid of that

438
00:45:16,527 --> 00:45:19,837
by excreting it from a gland
under its tongue.

439
00:45:19,927 --> 00:45:22,361
It also needs to drink fresh water.

440
00:45:22,447 --> 00:45:26,520
So in calm seas
it waits at the surface for rain.

441
00:45:28,207 --> 00:45:32,723
Sea snakes really are
truly marine creatures.

442
00:45:32,807 --> 00:45:36,038
They can live out here
in the open ocean

443
00:45:36,127 --> 00:45:40,006
and the only clue you have
to their link with the land

444
00:45:40,087 --> 00:45:43,079
is that they have to come up every
quarter of an hour or so

445
00:45:43,167 --> 00:45:44,725
for a gulp of air.

446
00:45:55,887 --> 00:46:00,199
Most sea snakes like this
bar-bellied species hunt fish.

447
00:46:00,927 --> 00:46:03,646
They have one of
the most lethal venoms known

448
00:46:03,727 --> 00:46:06,525
which kills almost instantaneously.

449
00:46:06,607 --> 00:46:10,520
And that is a very important quality
if you hunt fast-swimming

450
00:46:10,607 --> 00:46:12,279
ocean-going prey.

451
00:46:13,407 --> 00:46:16,365
But paradoxically
the most highly specialised

452
00:46:16,447 --> 00:46:19,644
sea snake of all
has abandoned venom altogether.

453
00:46:22,207 --> 00:46:26,598
It has a beak like a turtle
and a wholly different way of feeding.

454
00:46:41,447 --> 00:46:45,281
Reef fish dont like to have it around.
They mob it.

455
00:46:56,527 --> 00:47:00,805
It doesnt even retaliate.
Its not interested in them.

456
00:47:07,647 --> 00:47:09,319
Its after their eggs.

457
00:47:09,847 --> 00:47:13,760
These the fish have stuck
to the stony branches of the coral.

458
00:47:19,527 --> 00:47:24,237
The snakes hardened turtle-like top lip
enables it to scrape them off.

459
00:47:33,767 --> 00:47:38,204
Its such a slow-moving browser
that algae and other small organisms

460
00:47:38,287 --> 00:47:41,677
grow on its skin
as they do on the bottom of a boat.

461
00:47:47,167 --> 00:47:51,206
The loss of limbs could seem
to be a handicap

462
00:47:51,287 --> 00:47:55,326
and certainly makes the snakes
seem alien creatures to us.

463
00:47:56,127 --> 00:48:00,120
But it is that very loss
that has enabled the snakes

464
00:48:00,207 --> 00:48:02,323
to colonise every environment

465
00:48:02,407 --> 00:48:04,602
from below the ground
to above the ground

466
00:48:04,687 --> 00:48:08,726
from bushes to trees
to the air and even to the sea.

467
00:48:09,607 --> 00:48:12,326
And it is that absence of limbs too

468
00:48:12,407 --> 00:48:17,003
which has enabled them to do it
with such elegance and grace.

469
00:48:27,367 --> 00:48:31,076
Filming venomous snakes
presented a lot of special problems

470
00:48:31,167 --> 00:48:33,397
<i>to the Life in Cold Blood team</i>

471
00:48:33,487 --> 00:48:37,799
but the toughest was trying to film
a rattlesnake hunting in the wild.

472
00:48:38,967 --> 00:48:43,961
A rattlesnake making a kill has rarely
even been seen and never before filmed

473
00:48:44,047 --> 00:48:45,719
and for several reasons.

474
00:48:45,807 --> 00:48:48,560
For one thing
rattlesnakes are so well camouflaged

475
00:48:48,647 --> 00:48:51,115
theyre very difficult to find.

476
00:48:51,207 --> 00:48:53,357
We enlisted the help of snake expert

477
00:48:53,447 --> 00:48:55,278
Harry Greene and his team.

478
00:48:55,367 --> 00:48:58,006
Theyve been studying a group
of timber rattlesnakes

479
00:48:58,087 --> 00:49:02,046
using radio telemetry which enables
them to find their rattlesnakes

480
00:49:02,127 --> 00:49:04,641
at any time of day or night.

481
00:49:04,727 --> 00:49:08,402
Most of us will never find them
and theyre superbly camouflaged.

482
00:49:08,487 --> 00:49:13,277
Exactly but thats been one of the
wonderful things about radio telemetry

483
00:49:13,367 --> 00:49:15,801
is we can have an animal
that we can dial up.

484
00:49:15,887 --> 00:49:17,764
ATTENBOROUGH: To have
any chance of success

485
00:49:17,847 --> 00:49:21,157
the crew had to be able to find
the rattlesnakes on their own.

486
00:49:21,247 --> 00:49:23,966
So producer James Brickell
had to take a course

487
00:49:24,047 --> 00:49:26,163
in telemetry techniques himself.

488
00:49:26,247 --> 00:49:29,080
Hmm point it
a little bit more this way.

489
00:49:29,167 --> 00:49:32,239
ATTENBOROUGH: Each snake has been
implanted with a tiny transmitter.

490
00:49:32,327 --> 00:49:35,763
If you dial its frequency
you can pick up a beeping sound.

491
00:49:35,847 --> 00:49:38,805
And that gets louder
the nearer you get to the snake.

492
00:49:39,407 --> 00:49:41,523
(BEEPING)

493
00:49:44,567 --> 00:49:46,159
And so its just like
if you were trying to find

494
00:49:46,247 --> 00:49:48,807
your favourite rock-and-roll station
or something

495
00:49:48,887 --> 00:49:51,162
but now were gonna find
our favourite rattlesnake.

496
00:49:51,247 --> 00:49:54,762
So you just punch in its number
and its on the air.

497
00:49:54,847 --> 00:49:58,283
ATTENBOROUGH: It sounds simple
in theory but theres a snag.

498
00:49:58,367 --> 00:49:59,641
(BEEPING)

499
00:50:01,287 --> 00:50:03,039
Its here somewhere.

500
00:50:03,927 --> 00:50:05,997
just be really careful guys.

501
00:50:06,087 --> 00:50:08,885
ATTENBOROUGH: In a forest
the signal can bounce off trees

502
00:50:08,967 --> 00:50:11,561
and give you a false reading
so that it can seem

503
00:50:11,647 --> 00:50:13,126
that the snake is everywhere.

504
00:50:13,207 --> 00:50:15,402
And you dont want to think
a reading is false

505
00:50:15,487 --> 00:50:18,240
and then tread on your snake by mistake.

506
00:50:18,327 --> 00:50:19,316
Hes that way there?

507
00:50:19,407 --> 00:50:21,045
MAN: Youll find hes
up there somewhere.

508
00:50:21,127 --> 00:50:22,765
Lets find him.

509
00:50:22,847 --> 00:50:24,405
james its starting to get dark.

510
00:50:24,487 --> 00:50:26,364
Yeah I know. Hes in there.
I reckon hes hunting.

511
00:50:26,447 --> 00:50:27,675
MAN: James be careful
where youre going.

512
00:50:27,767 --> 00:50:29,962
ATTENBOROUGH: And it isnt just
the one snake youre tracking.

513
00:50:30,047 --> 00:50:33,676
There are dozens of others in the area
that arent tagged.

514
00:50:33,767 --> 00:50:35,485
(BEEPING CONTINUES)

515
00:50:35,887 --> 00:50:38,560
MAN: Follow my hand.
jAMES: There he is.

516
00:50:38,647 --> 00:50:40,683
Its about 20 feet.

517
00:50:40,767 --> 00:50:42,723
MAN: All right good.
jAMES: Six metres.

518
00:50:42,807 --> 00:50:43,842
ATTENBOROUGH: And so at last

519
00:50:43,927 --> 00:50:47,806
the crew meet
a very special snake called Hank.

520
00:50:53,127 --> 00:50:56,199
Hank is in a perfect position
for his ambush.

521
00:50:56,287 --> 00:50:59,324
To film the action
without disturbing him or his prey

522
00:50:59,407 --> 00:51:01,637
cameraman Mark MacEwen
has fitted his camera

523
00:51:01,727 --> 00:51:04,924
with motion detectors
from a burglar alarm.

524
00:51:05,007 --> 00:51:08,920
They will turn on the camera
without anyone having to be there.

525
00:51:10,287 --> 00:51:15,281
So for the first time they set up
their gear in front of a live snake.

526
00:51:16,567 --> 00:51:20,446
They could now leave Hank
and track another of Harrys snakes.

527
00:51:21,847 --> 00:51:25,442
So that means you know individual
snakes over a long period of time.

528
00:51:25,527 --> 00:51:27,040
Do they differ very much?

529
00:51:27,127 --> 00:51:28,765
Absolutely absolutely.

530
00:51:28,847 --> 00:51:31,759
Now there are species differences
so certain rattlesnake species

531
00:51:31,847 --> 00:51:34,122
are more sort of
nasty-tempered than others.

532
00:51:34,207 --> 00:51:39,281
But even within a population youll
have one that just never gets riled up

533
00:51:39,367 --> 00:51:41,119
and one that you know
you just cant get too close to

534
00:51:41,207 --> 00:51:42,845
without it getting upset.

535
00:51:43,767 --> 00:51:45,758
ATTENBOROUGH: With one camera
set up on Hank

536
00:51:45,847 --> 00:51:48,202
james decides to track another snake

537
00:51:48,287 --> 00:51:51,962
and to do so in the dark
which is when most rattlesnakes hunt.

538
00:51:52,047 --> 00:51:55,357
But in the pitch blackness
there was a distinct possibility

539
00:51:55,447 --> 00:51:58,200
that James would accidentally
get so close to the snake

540
00:51:58,287 --> 00:52:02,246
he was looking for
he would step within striking distance.

541
00:52:02,327 --> 00:52:05,364
Quite unnerving
if you havent done it before.

542
00:52:05,447 --> 00:52:06,800
(BEEPING)

543
00:52:09,927 --> 00:52:13,715
Its actually pretty dangerous walking
around in the middle of the night

544
00:52:13,807 --> 00:52:16,605
trying to find a rattlesnake
in these conditions.

545
00:52:22,687 --> 00:52:23,802
Hes really close.

546
00:52:23,887 --> 00:52:25,923
Its got to be here
over near these logs.

547
00:52:26,007 --> 00:52:29,522
I think the snakes about probably
five 1 0 metres away.

548
00:52:29,607 --> 00:52:32,485
It would be easier to find
a needle in a haystack

549
00:52:34,087 --> 00:52:37,397
than to find a reptile that looks like
a load of dead leaves

550
00:52:37,487 --> 00:52:40,160
in a huge pile of dead leaves.

551
00:52:40,247 --> 00:52:42,636
<i>MARK ON RADIO:
Have you found it, fellows?</i>

552
00:52:42,727 --> 00:52:47,517
Negative Mark. Weve got to a huge pile
of logs and wood.

553
00:52:47,607 --> 00:52:50,724
ATTENBOROUGH: The team decide to
abandon tracking the second snake

554
00:52:50,807 --> 00:52:55,437
and instead check on the camera
they had left on Hank in the afternoon.

555
00:52:55,527 --> 00:52:58,166
I think its too dangerous actually
to go poking around in there

556
00:52:58,247 --> 00:53:00,522
and anyway you wouldnt be able to get
the lights and the camera in.

557
00:53:00,607 --> 00:53:03,121
So were gonna wrap on it and come back.

558
00:53:03,367 --> 00:53:06,404
Weve seen things on your videos
weve never seen before.

559
00:53:06,487 --> 00:53:07,715
-Really?
-Which is kind of surprising.

560
00:53:07,807 --> 00:53:09,718
I mean weve watched snakes a lot.

561
00:53:09,807 --> 00:53:12,162
By we
I mean all rattlesnake biologists

562
00:53:12,247 --> 00:53:16,160
and weve seen things on your videos
we havent seen before.

563
00:53:16,247 --> 00:53:19,159
So I think its actually
kind of exciting to think about

564
00:53:19,247 --> 00:53:22,045
how this kind of collaboration might
really be a feedback

565
00:53:22,127 --> 00:53:24,960
between the media
and the public and science and so forth.

566
00:53:25,807 --> 00:53:28,196
ATTENBOROUGH: And something
very surprising had happened

567
00:53:28,287 --> 00:53:31,120
at our very first attempt
and in broad daylight.

568
00:53:31,207 --> 00:53:34,005
A chipmunk had tripped
the motion detectors

569
00:53:34,087 --> 00:53:37,477
and Hank makes a kill
right in front of the cameras.

570
00:53:44,967 --> 00:53:45,956
-Weve got a strike.
-We got him.

571
00:53:46,047 --> 00:53:48,242
-Already weve got it.
-We got it.

572
00:53:48,327 --> 00:53:49,316
I thought you were winding me up.

573
00:53:49,407 --> 00:53:51,841
MAN: I was like James
somethings happened here.

574
00:53:51,927 --> 00:53:54,236
I thought
Well thats just a classic wind-up.

575
00:53:54,327 --> 00:53:56,283
First night to get that.

576
00:53:57,127 --> 00:53:59,687
ATTENBOROUGH: We hadnt got
the eating shot but its a start.

577
00:53:59,767 --> 00:54:02,884
And then the camera is set off again
by a second chipmunk

578
00:54:02,967 --> 00:54:04,525
behaving very strangely.

579
00:54:04,607 --> 00:54:07,883
We showed the recording
to Harry and he was fascinated.

580
00:54:08,927 --> 00:54:10,485
HARRY: Now what was
that chipmunk doing?

581
00:54:10,567 --> 00:54:13,559
Was it perceiving something
that the other chipmunk left

582
00:54:13,647 --> 00:54:15,683
some kind of alarm odour or something?

583
00:54:15,767 --> 00:54:17,997
Was it perceiving
the odour of the rattlesnake?

584
00:54:18,087 --> 00:54:20,760
Or was it something
I cant even imagine yet?

585
00:54:20,847 --> 00:54:23,805
But something was going on there
that I didnt know to expect anyway.

586
00:54:23,887 --> 00:54:25,002
And its in your film.

587
00:54:26,167 --> 00:54:28,806
ATTENBOROUGH: Hank could
clearly be the star of the show

588
00:54:28,887 --> 00:54:32,118
so the crew decide
to concentrate all their efforts on him

589
00:54:32,207 --> 00:54:35,244
and to track him for two weeks
around the clock.

590
00:54:35,327 --> 00:54:37,716
They quickly learn
that despite his ability

591
00:54:37,807 --> 00:54:41,595
to hurt one of them very seriously
he seems pretty unconcerned.

592
00:54:41,687 --> 00:54:44,645
In fact he never even rattles a warning
at them.

593
00:54:44,727 --> 00:54:46,638
(BEEPING)

594
00:54:46,727 --> 00:54:49,002
The more they get to know him
the more they think

595
00:54:49,087 --> 00:54:51,885
theyve got a good chance
of filming another hunt.

596
00:54:51,967 --> 00:54:53,798
But then there is a serious problem.

597
00:54:54,007 --> 00:54:57,238
<i>NEWSCASTER: Its just been raining here
non-stop for the past three days,</i>

598
00:54:57,327 --> 00:54:59,636
<i>and they say
that Tuesday afternoons hard rainstorm</i>

599
00:54:59,727 --> 00:55:01,877
<i>was the straw
that broke the camels back.</i>

600
00:55:01,967 --> 00:55:04,083
ATTENBOROUGH: Just as things
are looking so promising

601
00:55:04,167 --> 00:55:06,920
New York State has its worst floods
for a decade

602
00:55:07,007 --> 00:55:09,441
and all filming comes to a standstill.

603
00:55:11,607 --> 00:55:13,962
As you can see the weather is awful.

604
00:55:14,047 --> 00:55:16,277
Wont affect the rattlesnake at all.
Hes perfectly happy.

605
00:55:16,367 --> 00:55:18,676
Hell be sat down in here
somewhere just waiting

606
00:55:18,767 --> 00:55:21,076
but it does affect the mammals.

607
00:55:21,167 --> 00:55:24,125
The chipmunks and the mice
theyll just be hunkered down somewhere

608
00:55:24,207 --> 00:55:25,606
not doing anything very much.

609
00:55:25,687 --> 00:55:28,326
And it affects us but hell be fine.

610
00:55:28,407 --> 00:55:29,522
Its just we cant film anything

611
00:55:29,607 --> 00:55:31,438
so its just a matter of waiting now.

612
00:55:33,247 --> 00:55:36,205
ATTENBOROUGH: After tracking him
in the rain for 1 0 days

613
00:55:36,287 --> 00:55:40,280
theres a break in the weather
and Hank starts hunting again.

614
00:55:40,367 --> 00:55:44,201
He chooses a position for an ambush
in a very accessible spot.

615
00:55:44,767 --> 00:55:47,839
The team has another chance
to use their remote cameras

616
00:55:47,927 --> 00:55:51,397
this time operating in night vision.

617
00:55:51,487 --> 00:55:54,320
MAN: James just be careful
where you come in. Dont go that way.

618
00:55:54,407 --> 00:55:56,238
I think thats the direction
hes headed in.

619
00:55:56,327 --> 00:55:58,557
Youve got something have you?

620
00:55:59,407 --> 00:56:02,080
MAN: Mate weve got him hitting a mouse

621
00:56:02,167 --> 00:56:04,806
in the middle of frame
and swallowing it.

622
00:56:05,327 --> 00:56:08,046
ATTENBOROUGH: This time
they get more than the strike.

623
00:56:08,127 --> 00:56:12,200
This time Hank decides
to eat his dinner very obligingly

624
00:56:12,287 --> 00:56:13,959
right in front of the camera.

625
00:56:14,847 --> 00:56:18,840
Mate that is the most incredible
piece of behaviour you have ever seen.

626
00:56:19,367 --> 00:56:22,120
ATTENBOROUGH: So
after two weeks and a lot of effort

627
00:56:22,207 --> 00:56:23,526
they succeed in capturing

628
00:56:23,607 --> 00:56:28,237
a crucial and intimate moment
in the life of this very special snake.

629
00:56:28,887 --> 00:56:32,084
People dont automatically love snakes
most of them dont.

630
00:56:32,167 --> 00:56:35,477
And yet if you can show them things
about the lives of these animals

631
00:56:35,567 --> 00:56:37,683
that impress them with the fact
these are animals

632
00:56:37,767 --> 00:56:40,201
with complex daily activities...

633
00:56:40,287 --> 00:56:41,515
These arent things
that are waiting around

634
00:56:41,607 --> 00:56:43,757
for an opportunity to kill people.

635
00:56:43,847 --> 00:56:47,726
When you tell people things like that
then they get drawn in.

636
00:56:47,807 --> 00:56:50,765
And hopefully when we show them
your films theyll be drawn in.

637
00:56:50,847 --> 00:56:53,361
Well youve drawn me in.
Thank you very much.

638
00:56:53,447 --> 00:56:54,436
HARRY: Pleasure.

639
00:56:55,167 --> 00:56:57,522
ATTENBOROUGH: And when
I get to see the footage

640
00:56:57,607 --> 00:57:01,964
its fair to say that Im just as
knocked sideways as the crew had been.

641
00:57:03,607 --> 00:57:05,165
(GASPING) Theres the mouse.

642
00:57:06,287 --> 00:57:07,276
(ATTENBOROUGH EXCLAIMS)

643
00:57:07,447 --> 00:57:08,926
Oh my goodness.

644
00:57:11,247 --> 00:57:12,316
Yes.

645
00:57:14,127 --> 00:57:16,243
Thats a dead mouse all right.