1 00:00:14,500 --> 00:00:19,780 London's Natural History Museum has over 70 million animal specimens. 2 00:00:20,540 --> 00:00:25,180 The weird and wonderful from every corner of the planet. 3 00:00:26,300 --> 00:00:29,340 There are also some of the many spectacular animals 4 00:00:29,340 --> 00:00:31,260 that are no longer with us. 5 00:00:33,260 --> 00:00:38,260 This is a dodo. At least, it's not. It's the model of a dodo. 6 00:00:40,300 --> 00:00:45,220 No museum in the world has a complete specimen of this species 7 00:00:45,220 --> 00:00:50,180 because human beings exterminated it in the middle of the 17th century. 8 00:00:50,260 --> 00:00:54,820 And there are a lot of animals today that face the same fate as the dodo. 9 00:00:55,900 --> 00:01:00,140 I've been asked to pick ten that I might take with me 10 00:01:00,140 --> 00:01:02,140 on my own personal ark. 11 00:01:03,340 --> 00:01:06,260 What an impossible task that sounds. 12 00:01:06,260 --> 00:01:11,300 What to choose to represent the marvellous ingenuity of nature? 13 00:01:11,300 --> 00:01:14,180 I could choose those that grab the headlines, 14 00:01:14,180 --> 00:01:17,300 the majestic tiger. 15 00:01:17,300 --> 00:01:19,300 The spectacular polar bear. 16 00:01:20,620 --> 00:01:22,500 The beautiful snow leopard. 17 00:01:23,500 --> 00:01:25,740 Or the magnificent mountain gorilla. 18 00:01:26,980 --> 00:01:29,700 They're all animals that I wouldn't want to lose. 19 00:01:32,780 --> 00:01:36,460 But there are many other extraordinary creatures out there, 20 00:01:36,460 --> 00:01:39,580 not in the limelight, which you may not have heard of. 21 00:01:42,260 --> 00:01:44,060 'I'm going to pick ten of them, 22 00:01:44,060 --> 00:01:47,340 'which I find particularly fascinating. 23 00:01:47,340 --> 00:01:50,180 'And I'm going to show you some of the surprising 24 00:01:50,180 --> 00:01:52,700 'and wonderful work being done to protect them.' 25 00:01:52,700 --> 00:01:56,940 You'll be surprised what you'll find on Attenborough's Ark. 26 00:02:18,740 --> 00:02:21,860 My first choice will be a monkey. 27 00:02:21,860 --> 00:02:24,260 One of my favourite kinds of animal. 28 00:02:27,900 --> 00:02:32,620 And I'm particularly fond of these marvellous miniature monkeys. 29 00:02:32,620 --> 00:02:35,900 These tamarins are normally at home in Latin America, 30 00:02:35,900 --> 00:02:39,780 but many are now bred here at Durrell Wildlife Park in Jersey. 31 00:02:41,260 --> 00:02:44,820 There's the rather regal-looking emperor tamarin, 32 00:02:44,820 --> 00:02:47,420 with its long moustaches. 33 00:02:51,340 --> 00:02:53,340 The cheeky-looking pied tamarin. 34 00:02:55,660 --> 00:02:58,100 And the spectacular golden lion tamarin. 35 00:03:05,620 --> 00:03:08,980 But if I had to choose one, it would be this one. 36 00:03:14,340 --> 00:03:18,660 And this is the black lion tamarin. 37 00:03:20,380 --> 00:03:24,660 I think the tamarins are just about as unlike monkeys as you can get. 38 00:03:25,980 --> 00:03:29,020 You can see that they are monkeys from their faces 39 00:03:29,020 --> 00:03:33,700 and their two eyes, which give them the forward vision of all primates, 40 00:03:33,700 --> 00:03:37,620 all monkeys, but look at their hands. 41 00:03:37,620 --> 00:03:40,940 They are different from mine or any other primate's, because 42 00:03:40,940 --> 00:03:45,980 tamarins have not nails on the end of the long fingers, but long claws. 43 00:03:46,540 --> 00:03:51,540 And he will come and take from my hand, and you can see now - ow! - 44 00:03:52,180 --> 00:03:54,220 how long that claw is. 45 00:03:54,220 --> 00:03:59,300 They live on insects, they love these grubs, 46 00:04:00,620 --> 00:04:04,380 and they also eat fruit and tree sap, 47 00:04:04,380 --> 00:04:09,420 and it's said that they particularly like fruit with quite large stones, 48 00:04:10,060 --> 00:04:14,460 because as the large stones go through their tiny little guts, 49 00:04:14,460 --> 00:04:19,020 they scrape off internal parasites. Now there's a thought. 50 00:04:27,620 --> 00:04:32,660 The black lion tamarin is in serious trouble, 51 00:04:32,660 --> 00:04:35,140 with only around 1,000 animals left in the world. 52 00:04:37,140 --> 00:04:42,060 And there's is a remarkable story, truly back from the brink. 53 00:04:42,060 --> 00:04:45,140 And with a clever plan to secure their survival 54 00:04:45,140 --> 00:04:46,860 in the forests of Brazil. 55 00:04:51,620 --> 00:04:55,980 Black lion tamarins were once thought to be extinct, but were then 56 00:04:55,980 --> 00:05:01,060 rediscovered in 1970 in just one tiny area of forest near Sao Paulo. 57 00:05:06,820 --> 00:05:10,380 Here, the tamarins live in tree holes, 58 00:05:10,380 --> 00:05:13,540 often the former homes of woodpeckers. 59 00:05:16,740 --> 00:05:19,740 But only 3% of their original habitat remains. 60 00:05:21,300 --> 00:05:23,900 Once, they could roam large distances, 61 00:05:23,900 --> 00:05:27,180 but now they're marooned in small fragments of forest. 62 00:05:29,500 --> 00:05:32,980 What was once continuous forest has been torn up 63 00:05:32,980 --> 00:05:36,420 to make way for sugar cane plantations. 64 00:05:36,420 --> 00:05:39,780 And for years, the people have cut down trees for farmland 65 00:05:39,780 --> 00:05:44,540 with devastating consequences for the tamarins. 66 00:05:48,660 --> 00:05:52,660 But now, there's a project with a smart approach to reversing 67 00:05:52,660 --> 00:05:53,900 this wave of destruction. 68 00:05:55,500 --> 00:05:59,700 Nurseries have been set up where local people are paid to plant 69 00:05:59,700 --> 00:06:02,180 and grow trees rather than cut them down. 70 00:06:07,100 --> 00:06:10,580 Replanting the whole forest would be an impossible task, 71 00:06:10,580 --> 00:06:15,340 so, cleverly, these trees will be used to create corridors, 72 00:06:15,340 --> 00:06:19,500 linking up the precious fragments of remaining forest. 73 00:06:19,500 --> 00:06:22,300 The project will give this rare and beautiful tamarins 74 00:06:22,300 --> 00:06:26,340 the space they need to survive in the long term. 75 00:06:33,900 --> 00:06:36,020 If, on my ark, 76 00:06:36,020 --> 00:06:40,900 I'm going to have space for the creatures that really need 77 00:06:40,900 --> 00:06:45,060 a berth to survive, 78 00:06:45,060 --> 00:06:49,740 the black lion tamarin is a very strong candidate. 79 00:06:52,380 --> 00:06:53,700 You've got a ticket. 80 00:07:10,300 --> 00:07:15,300 My next animal is a rather larger beast, and with an ancient history. 81 00:07:16,780 --> 00:07:21,700 Rhinos have walked the earth for over 50 million years, and today 82 00:07:21,700 --> 00:07:25,980 they can be found from the savannas of Africa to the forests of Asia. 83 00:07:28,380 --> 00:07:31,180 There are five species of rhinoceros in the world today, 84 00:07:31,180 --> 00:07:33,900 and they're all endangered. 85 00:07:33,900 --> 00:07:36,740 Of those five, this is probably the most troubled. 86 00:07:36,740 --> 00:07:39,660 This is the Sumatran rhino, 87 00:07:39,660 --> 00:07:43,780 and there are only about 200 individuals left. 88 00:07:43,780 --> 00:07:47,620 So building up their numbers is of extreme importance, 89 00:07:47,620 --> 00:07:50,740 if necessary, by captive breeding. 90 00:07:50,740 --> 00:07:54,540 But rhinoceroses are independent kinds of animals, 91 00:07:54,540 --> 00:07:58,580 and getting male and female together is not easy. 92 00:08:05,420 --> 00:08:08,900 Andalas is a very special male rhino. 93 00:08:08,900 --> 00:08:13,220 His tale is one of long-distance love. 94 00:08:15,300 --> 00:08:19,740 Like all Sumatran rhinos, he has a hairy back, but he also has 95 00:08:19,740 --> 00:08:24,780 a twinkle in his eye, because, just maybe, he might soon become a dad. 96 00:08:28,300 --> 00:08:32,900 Today, Andalas lives semi-wild in the beautiful forests of Sumatra, 97 00:08:32,900 --> 00:08:35,620 but he was born far away, in America. 98 00:08:37,940 --> 00:08:39,980 His birth, at Cincinnati Zoo, 99 00:08:39,980 --> 00:08:44,500 was a real breakthrough for breeding captive Sumatran rhinos. 100 00:08:44,500 --> 00:08:47,500 But to really save his species, 101 00:08:47,500 --> 00:08:50,860 Andalas will have to return to his ancestral homeland. 102 00:08:56,500 --> 00:09:00,100 Once old enough, he made the extraordinary journey for a rhino, 103 00:09:00,100 --> 00:09:03,740 back to Sumatra, 10,000 miles away on the other side of the world. 104 00:09:14,780 --> 00:09:16,180 Andalas came here, 105 00:09:16,180 --> 00:09:19,900 to the rhino sanctuary in Way Kambas National Park. 106 00:09:21,900 --> 00:09:26,220 His job was to mount a new offensive in the local breeding programme, 107 00:09:26,220 --> 00:09:29,180 which for many years had drawn a blank. 108 00:09:32,700 --> 00:09:36,380 They did have another male in residence, but he had failed 109 00:09:36,380 --> 00:09:41,380 to seduce any females, so Andalas was brought in as the new stud. 110 00:09:47,060 --> 00:09:51,700 Dedi Kandra is a vet here, and it didn't take long for him 111 00:09:51,700 --> 00:09:55,580 and his team to grow quite attached to the young American import. 112 00:10:03,500 --> 00:10:07,780 Andalas is very healthy, he has sperm, 113 00:10:07,780 --> 00:10:11,500 and that is the important thing for the breeding success. 114 00:10:16,220 --> 00:10:20,500 But finding true love for Andalas wasn't an easy task. 115 00:10:21,940 --> 00:10:24,100 This is Ratu. 116 00:10:24,100 --> 00:10:28,700 She is a local girl, born wild and found wandering in the village. 117 00:10:28,700 --> 00:10:32,140 She was rescued and then the matchmaking could begin. 118 00:10:37,660 --> 00:10:41,660 Female rhinos only have a small window of opportunity within 119 00:10:41,660 --> 00:10:44,700 their cycle when they can get pregnant, and of course, 120 00:10:44,700 --> 00:10:47,180 they also need to be in the right mood. 121 00:10:50,100 --> 00:10:52,260 Introduce the lovers at the wrong time, 122 00:10:52,260 --> 00:10:54,700 and there's no guarantee that they'll get on. 123 00:10:58,780 --> 00:11:00,100 It's a delicate matter. 124 00:11:00,100 --> 00:11:03,540 There's a fine line for these sensitive beasts 125 00:11:03,540 --> 00:11:06,220 between attraction and antagonism. 126 00:11:08,020 --> 00:11:12,980 But eventually, Ratu succumbed to Andalas's American charm. 127 00:11:21,940 --> 00:11:25,860 Today, the fruits of Andalas's efforts are evident. 128 00:11:25,860 --> 00:11:27,860 Ratu is pregnant. 129 00:11:29,940 --> 00:11:34,980 Rhinos can't sweat, so wallowing in cool mud is her way of keeping cool. 130 00:11:36,660 --> 00:11:39,100 Essential when you're carrying your baby. 131 00:11:45,220 --> 00:11:48,380 And this is no ordinary pregnancy. 132 00:11:48,380 --> 00:11:51,380 If the birth is successful, Ratu's baby will be 133 00:11:51,380 --> 00:11:56,380 the first ever Sumatran rhino born in captivity in Sumatra. 134 00:11:56,660 --> 00:12:00,180 It will be a remarkable triumph for Dedi and his team, 135 00:12:00,180 --> 00:12:03,380 as well as for Andalas and Ratu. 136 00:12:03,380 --> 00:12:04,820 We are very happy. 137 00:12:04,820 --> 00:12:08,020 We have been waiting a long, long time for this moment. 138 00:12:08,020 --> 00:12:11,740 This is a very exciting time for all of us at the sanctuary, 139 00:12:11,740 --> 00:12:14,940 ?not only for us, maybe for all the people in the national park, all the 140 00:12:14,940 --> 00:12:18,580 people in Indonesia, and probably all the people in the world also. 141 00:12:24,100 --> 00:12:28,780 Rhino pregnancies take 16 long months. 142 00:12:28,780 --> 00:12:31,980 Now Ratu only has a few weeks to go. 143 00:12:33,420 --> 00:12:36,260 But pregnancies have gone wrong for her in the past, 144 00:12:36,260 --> 00:12:39,100 and for the team, it's been a long and tense wait. 145 00:12:42,500 --> 00:12:46,260 I think waiting for Sumatran rhino babies is similar 146 00:12:46,260 --> 00:12:49,660 to be waiting for our wives' babies also. 147 00:12:49,660 --> 00:12:53,140 We worry with danger, we're excited, we're happy. 148 00:12:53,140 --> 00:12:55,860 It's very emotional waiting for this moment. 149 00:13:02,500 --> 00:13:06,140 Finally, it's in the middle of the night that Ratu gives birth 150 00:13:06,140 --> 00:13:07,420 to her baby. 151 00:13:07,420 --> 00:13:11,100 And it's a boy. 152 00:13:11,100 --> 00:13:14,660 Successfully breeding these rhinos here in Sumatra will be vital 153 00:13:14,660 --> 00:13:16,900 to saving the species. 154 00:13:18,340 --> 00:13:21,660 They give him a name similar to his father's. 155 00:13:21,660 --> 00:13:24,420 Andatu, which means a gift from God. 156 00:13:26,060 --> 00:13:29,620 For Dedi, he certainly is a gift, 157 00:13:29,620 --> 00:13:31,220 and he's quite overwhelmed. 158 00:13:33,260 --> 00:13:37,620 Wow, this is wonderful. This healthy baby, healthy mother. 159 00:13:37,620 --> 00:13:40,020 This is an important moment for us. 160 00:13:40,020 --> 00:13:43,740 This is the first time to see directly the Sumatran rhino baby. 161 00:13:47,140 --> 00:13:51,380 A small but wonderful step in the survival of this remarkable animal. 162 00:14:01,700 --> 00:14:05,380 TYRANNOSAURUS REX ROARS 163 00:14:05,380 --> 00:14:09,740 My next creature has been around even longer than the rhino. 164 00:14:09,740 --> 00:14:12,940 Surely one of the ultimate survivors. 165 00:14:14,180 --> 00:14:17,620 This is one of the most popular exhibits in any museum 166 00:14:17,620 --> 00:14:19,340 that happens to have one. 167 00:14:19,340 --> 00:14:22,060 It's Tyrannosaurus rex. 168 00:14:22,060 --> 00:14:25,420 The giant, flesh-eating dinosaur that ruled the world 169 00:14:25,420 --> 00:14:27,620 over 65 million years ago. 170 00:14:29,420 --> 00:14:33,540 But in the undergrowth around its gigantic legs there was another, 171 00:14:33,540 --> 00:14:35,420 very different creature, 172 00:14:35,420 --> 00:14:39,660 quite different from any dinosaur or any reptile. 173 00:14:39,660 --> 00:14:42,820 It had fur, warm blood. 174 00:14:42,820 --> 00:14:45,460 It didn't lay eggs, it produced live young, 175 00:14:45,460 --> 00:14:48,220 and it nourished them on milk. 176 00:14:48,220 --> 00:14:50,780 It was the first of the mammals. 177 00:14:51,980 --> 00:14:56,220 Their descendants now have taken the place of the reptiles 178 00:14:56,220 --> 00:14:57,900 and rule the earth. 179 00:14:57,900 --> 00:14:59,900 But amazingly, 180 00:14:59,900 --> 00:15:04,980 some have descended from that little creature virtually unchanged. 181 00:15:05,660 --> 00:15:08,340 They're called solenodons. 182 00:15:10,780 --> 00:15:13,900 These little characters are incredibly elusive. 183 00:15:15,980 --> 00:15:20,100 They can be found in a remote corner of the Dominican Republic 184 00:15:20,100 --> 00:15:21,540 in the Caribbean. 185 00:15:24,220 --> 00:15:27,900 Thousands of tourists have their holidays here each year. 186 00:15:27,900 --> 00:15:30,940 Yet, whilst they're enjoying the sun and the sand, 187 00:15:30,940 --> 00:15:35,660 most are oblivious to the prehistoric creature lurking inland. 188 00:15:37,260 --> 00:15:42,100 Away from the hubbub, solenodons have their underground homes. 189 00:15:43,940 --> 00:15:47,180 When the sunseekers head to the bars and their beds, 190 00:15:47,180 --> 00:15:51,460 these reclusive chaps come out for a nose about. 191 00:15:55,540 --> 00:15:58,260 Very little is known about the solenodon, 192 00:15:58,260 --> 00:16:02,100 so a team of researchers has come to find out more about them. 193 00:16:05,180 --> 00:16:09,460 They've chosen to spend their evening scrambling around in the 194 00:16:09,460 --> 00:16:13,820 undergrowth in the hope of catching one of these elusive creatures. 195 00:16:17,220 --> 00:16:20,940 Infrared lights are needed in the pitch dark, 196 00:16:20,940 --> 00:16:23,540 and it's a tricky job, but here's one. 197 00:16:37,580 --> 00:16:40,300 Picking them up by their thick tails doesn't hurt them, 198 00:16:40,300 --> 00:16:42,420 and this one is swiftly bagged. 199 00:16:45,260 --> 00:16:46,900 Now we can put the lights on. 200 00:16:50,340 --> 00:16:54,220 Joe Nunez-Mino leads this group of researchers. 201 00:16:55,820 --> 00:16:58,620 So this remarkable animal is the solenodon. 202 00:17:04,660 --> 00:17:08,060 They're really chilled out mammals to be around. 203 00:17:08,060 --> 00:17:10,060 As long as you're quiet around them, 204 00:17:10,060 --> 00:17:13,260 they can quite happily sit in your hand for a little while. 205 00:17:21,340 --> 00:17:25,940 Solenodons are only one of a handful of mammals in the world 206 00:17:25,940 --> 00:17:29,060 that have a venomous bite, which, it is thought, could be 207 00:17:29,060 --> 00:17:33,380 a leftover characteristic from their ancient reptilian relatives. 208 00:17:33,380 --> 00:17:36,300 And they also have a rather interesting nose. 209 00:17:37,860 --> 00:17:40,940 Solenodons have a unique ball and socket joint 210 00:17:40,940 --> 00:17:44,220 that attaches their really long nose to their skull, 211 00:17:44,220 --> 00:17:47,660 and that enables them to move it around really flexibly. 212 00:17:47,660 --> 00:17:51,340 When you see that nose, you can't help but smile about it. 213 00:17:55,140 --> 00:17:57,620 SOLENODON SQUEALS 214 00:17:57,620 --> 00:18:00,820 This little chap is less chilled out while the radio collar's fitted, 215 00:18:00,820 --> 00:18:05,820 so the team work fast to minimise any distress. 216 00:18:06,700 --> 00:18:10,260 These tracking devices will allow them to follow 217 00:18:10,260 --> 00:18:13,180 and better understand the solenodon's way of life. 218 00:18:15,060 --> 00:18:17,780 Its temporary captivity over, 219 00:18:17,780 --> 00:18:20,780 it's free to amble away its evening in peace. 220 00:18:22,540 --> 00:18:27,540 Its kind have survived largely unchanged for 65 million years, 221 00:18:28,140 --> 00:18:31,060 but today its numbers are rapidly declining. 222 00:18:32,340 --> 00:18:35,420 Camera traps have revealed that one of the big problems 223 00:18:35,420 --> 00:18:40,460 for the solenodon are cats and dogs, introduced to the island by humans. 224 00:18:43,740 --> 00:18:46,980 Joe hopes that with new controls on domestic animals, 225 00:18:46,980 --> 00:18:50,100 and with their continued research, they'll be able to help this 226 00:18:50,100 --> 00:18:53,260 amazing little creature that's been around since the dinosaurs. 227 00:18:56,780 --> 00:18:59,860 I think what makes me love them more than anything else 228 00:18:59,860 --> 00:19:02,540 is the fact that they're great survivors. 229 00:19:02,540 --> 00:19:06,460 They've been around for a long time, and with a little bit of help, 230 00:19:06,460 --> 00:19:08,780 I think we can help them to be around for a lot longer. 231 00:19:10,420 --> 00:19:12,180 Solenodons are unique. 232 00:19:12,180 --> 00:19:14,020 If we lost these little creatures, 233 00:19:14,020 --> 00:19:16,940 we wouldn't see anything quite like them on earth. 234 00:19:16,940 --> 00:19:19,580 Reason enough to have them on board my ark. 235 00:19:33,700 --> 00:19:36,060 Many animals have, like the solenodon, 236 00:19:36,060 --> 00:19:38,060 evolved highly specialised bodies 237 00:19:38,060 --> 00:19:41,020 and behaviours to suit their environment, 238 00:19:41,020 --> 00:19:46,020 and this specialists include some of the most extraordinary animals. 239 00:19:46,700 --> 00:19:49,740 The giraffe, with its hugely long neck 240 00:19:49,740 --> 00:19:52,540 to pick succulent leaves from the tallest trees. 241 00:19:58,580 --> 00:20:02,140 Or the giant panda, which can eat tough, indigestible bamboo, 242 00:20:02,140 --> 00:20:04,220 but little else. 243 00:20:07,180 --> 00:20:11,820 And the next animal for my ark is one of the ultimate specialists. 244 00:20:15,540 --> 00:20:19,340 Here in the basement of the Natural History Museum in London, there 245 00:20:19,340 --> 00:20:24,140 are tens of thousands of animals reserved in tanks and bottles. 246 00:20:25,420 --> 00:20:28,140 And this is one of the most interesting. 247 00:20:28,140 --> 00:20:31,460 It's a kind of amphibian called an olm. 248 00:20:31,460 --> 00:20:35,900 It has very, very tiny legs and an extremely elongated body, 249 00:20:35,900 --> 00:20:40,940 and its ancestry stretches back 190 million years. 250 00:20:41,220 --> 00:20:45,060 But perhaps the most interesting thing about it 251 00:20:45,060 --> 00:20:47,820 is that it lives for up to 100 years. 252 00:20:49,260 --> 00:20:51,300 It seems this curious creature 253 00:20:51,300 --> 00:20:53,660 has discovered the secret of a long life. 254 00:20:55,500 --> 00:20:59,380 It can be found within limestone caves across 255 00:20:59,380 --> 00:21:02,860 central and south-eastern Europe in countries like Croatia. 256 00:21:07,820 --> 00:21:12,180 For millions of years it lived quietly, far below these mountains, 257 00:21:12,180 --> 00:21:16,220 in huge networks of hidden caves, underground rivers and lakes. 258 00:21:21,580 --> 00:21:23,380 If there is a heavy downpour, 259 00:21:23,380 --> 00:21:26,060 it can be flushed out into rivers at the surface. 260 00:21:27,420 --> 00:21:32,420 In Croatia, it was once believed that these olms were baby dragons. 261 00:21:40,420 --> 00:21:43,940 This intrepid team of olm researchers are heading 262 00:21:43,940 --> 00:21:46,060 deep into the dragon's lair. 263 00:21:47,660 --> 00:21:50,420 They're trying to discover more about this bizarre creature 264 00:21:50,420 --> 00:21:52,340 living in this extreme environment. 265 00:21:55,180 --> 00:21:58,860 Its population is shrinking, and as with any endangered animal, 266 00:21:58,860 --> 00:22:01,980 the team need to understand it in order to save it. 267 00:22:06,380 --> 00:22:08,260 So, fingers crossed for the olm. 268 00:22:12,460 --> 00:22:15,020 But this isn't a job for the faint-hearted. 269 00:22:16,940 --> 00:22:20,300 The divers have two swim from one lake to another through 270 00:22:20,300 --> 00:22:23,500 narrow tunnels, with no possibility of coming up for air. 271 00:22:25,380 --> 00:22:28,500 It's highly dangerous, but for Dusan Jelic, 272 00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:31,220 the leader of the team, that is part of the thrill. 273 00:22:33,980 --> 00:22:38,860 I think we are working on the edge of the world where actually no-one 274 00:22:38,860 --> 00:22:43,140 has ever been, and see some of the things that nobody else can see. 275 00:22:47,620 --> 00:22:52,580 Despite the things that make it hard, it's actually just a great job. 276 00:22:56,460 --> 00:23:01,420 It takes Dusan several dives before he finally locates the elusive olm. 277 00:23:07,420 --> 00:23:09,700 It's certainly an odd-looking creature. 278 00:23:15,060 --> 00:23:17,780 It has adapted to the complete darkness of the caves 279 00:23:17,780 --> 00:23:19,580 and lost its sense of sight. 280 00:23:26,420 --> 00:23:28,860 But it has a powerful sense of smell. 281 00:23:28,860 --> 00:23:31,900 It also has a bizarre sixth sense. 282 00:23:31,900 --> 00:23:35,060 It detects electric fields in a similar way to sharks. 283 00:23:35,060 --> 00:23:38,900 This is one of its many mysterious abilities. 284 00:23:43,420 --> 00:23:47,220 How olms catch their prey, we actually don't know. 285 00:23:48,860 --> 00:23:51,860 They have, probably, very sensitive skin, which has cells that can 286 00:23:51,860 --> 00:23:56,420 register small movements in water, but it can also be possible 287 00:23:56,420 --> 00:23:58,780 they just run into something and they just eat it. 288 00:24:02,860 --> 00:24:07,900 But if it doesn't run into food, then the olm has a remarkable trick. 289 00:24:09,380 --> 00:24:11,980 It can go into starvation mode, 290 00:24:11,980 --> 00:24:15,460 surviving up to ten years without eating. 291 00:24:16,660 --> 00:24:19,420 The olm lives life in the slow lane, 292 00:24:19,420 --> 00:24:22,420 which seems to be its secret for living a long life. 293 00:24:22,420 --> 00:24:24,980 Perhaps a lesson for us all. 294 00:24:27,060 --> 00:24:30,860 As a specialist, the olm is reliant on clean, pure water, 295 00:24:30,860 --> 00:24:34,540 and water pollution is one of its main threats. 296 00:24:35,740 --> 00:24:38,860 Dusan feels a close connection to the olm, 297 00:24:38,860 --> 00:24:42,460 and he hopes his work will build a clear picture of what this 298 00:24:42,460 --> 00:24:45,580 remarkable but mysterious creature needs to survive. 299 00:24:48,940 --> 00:24:53,220 Even though you cannot see something, you still, underneath this, 300 00:24:53,220 --> 00:24:56,900 have a really amazing world, which is just hidden 301 00:24:56,900 --> 00:24:59,300 and we still need to conserve it. 302 00:25:05,340 --> 00:25:10,020 Yes, the olm has a berth in my ark. 303 00:25:10,020 --> 00:25:12,500 Maybe it can reveal its secrets of long life. 304 00:25:24,620 --> 00:25:29,620 Of course, I'll have to have a bird on this ark, but which to choose? 305 00:25:30,300 --> 00:25:33,860 I first became aware of how breathtakingly beautiful 306 00:25:33,860 --> 00:25:37,900 exotic birds could be when, as a boy, 307 00:25:37,900 --> 00:25:42,860 I was allowed to leaf through one of these 19th-century bird books. 308 00:25:42,860 --> 00:25:47,140 The man who published this glorious ornithological volumes was called 309 00:25:47,140 --> 00:25:52,180 John Gould, and he was particularly fascinated by hummingbirds, 310 00:25:52,900 --> 00:25:57,380 many of which he identified and named for the first time. 311 00:25:58,940 --> 00:26:01,700 One of the most spectacular is this, 312 00:26:01,700 --> 00:26:05,580 and he called it the Marvellous Spatuletail. 313 00:26:05,580 --> 00:26:09,420 When I first saw it, I thought, "He must have made that up." 314 00:26:09,420 --> 00:26:13,460 How could a bird, any bird, fly with its head pointing downwards 315 00:26:13,460 --> 00:26:17,740 and then these two pennant quills crossed over its tail? 316 00:26:18,860 --> 00:26:22,860 Well, in spite of the fact that Gould never saw the living bird, 317 00:26:22,860 --> 00:26:25,300 this is correct, and it was only proved to be so 318 00:26:25,300 --> 00:26:30,060 when this display flight was filmed a few years ago. 319 00:26:33,340 --> 00:26:37,060 The home of this hummingbird is in the foothills of the Andes 320 00:26:37,060 --> 00:26:39,980 in a remote corner of Peru. 321 00:26:45,500 --> 00:26:49,780 The male spatuletail hummingbird's two super-long quills 322 00:26:49,780 --> 00:26:52,540 end in these rather cumbersome discs. 323 00:26:54,500 --> 00:26:57,700 These might seem rather inconvenient and unnecessary, 324 00:26:57,700 --> 00:27:01,900 but their purpose becomes apparent when a female appears. 325 00:27:04,020 --> 00:27:08,220 She is rather plainer in appearance, but that's OK. 326 00:27:08,220 --> 00:27:12,420 She doesn't need to make an effort. It's his job to win over her. 327 00:27:15,620 --> 00:27:19,980 The male begins his courtship ritual by waving his tail feathers 328 00:27:19,980 --> 00:27:21,940 back and forth. 329 00:27:21,940 --> 00:27:25,020 This takes a lot of effort, even from the comfort of his perch. 330 00:27:30,140 --> 00:27:34,460 But to be accepted as her mate, he needs to take to the air. 331 00:27:34,460 --> 00:27:35,940 Watch this. 332 00:27:54,220 --> 00:27:56,100 She seems quite impressed. 333 00:28:03,060 --> 00:28:08,020 As she looks on, he begins an airborne dance, dipping his head 334 00:28:08,020 --> 00:28:12,300 and crossing his tail feathers, just as Gould captured in his painting. 335 00:28:18,500 --> 00:28:21,300 But this is exhausting work. 336 00:28:21,300 --> 00:28:25,100 It's so demanding he can only stay airborne for a matter of seconds 337 00:28:25,100 --> 00:28:26,700 before he needs a rest. 338 00:28:30,580 --> 00:28:35,580 He doesn't seem to be winning, but he decides to make one final effort. 339 00:28:43,580 --> 00:28:48,660 It's no good. She's seen enough. In a flash, she's gone. 340 00:28:52,460 --> 00:28:55,140 He'll just have to try even harder next time. 341 00:28:56,380 --> 00:28:59,980 But with this incredible mating ritual over for the time being, 342 00:28:59,980 --> 00:29:03,860 this little chap has indeed lived up to his name. 343 00:29:06,980 --> 00:29:11,860 I'd certainly give the Marvellous Spatuletail a berth in my ark. 344 00:29:30,900 --> 00:29:35,900 There are more than 5,000 species of frogs and toads in the world, 345 00:29:35,900 --> 00:29:39,060 including many rare and quite unusual ones. 346 00:29:40,460 --> 00:29:45,420 But the one I'm going to choose is Darwin's Frog. 347 00:29:46,300 --> 00:29:49,460 Darwin's Frogs vary in colour, 348 00:29:49,460 --> 00:29:52,740 and can expertly blend into their surroundings. 349 00:29:54,820 --> 00:29:57,780 But there's another reason I find them fascinating. 350 00:30:01,700 --> 00:30:06,380 Charles Darwin discovered the frog that now carries his name when 351 00:30:06,380 --> 00:30:11,340 he landed in Chile in 1834 on his way around the world in HMS Beagle. 352 00:30:13,780 --> 00:30:18,140 This is the field notebook he had at the time, 353 00:30:18,140 --> 00:30:23,140 and he has actually sketched in it this particular frog. 354 00:30:23,300 --> 00:30:24,820 Just there. 355 00:30:24,820 --> 00:30:29,820 It's a very small drawing, but then the frog itself is pretty small. 356 00:30:32,460 --> 00:30:35,700 This is about as big as it gets, 357 00:30:35,700 --> 00:30:39,700 and this is the actual specimen that was collected by Darwin. 358 00:30:39,700 --> 00:30:43,220 But it's a very remarkable frog, 359 00:30:43,220 --> 00:30:48,220 because the male gives birth to the young, and does so out of his mouth. 360 00:30:55,180 --> 00:30:56,860 Like most frogs, 361 00:30:56,860 --> 00:31:01,460 this male Darwin Frog inflates his vocal sac to attract a female. 362 00:31:04,020 --> 00:31:06,780 But in this frog, it also doubles as a nursery. 363 00:31:11,300 --> 00:31:14,700 After the female has laid the eggs, he takes them into his mouth, 364 00:31:14,700 --> 00:31:18,980 where they lie in his vocal sac, and there develop into baby frogs. 365 00:31:23,860 --> 00:31:26,220 The actual birth is exceedingly quick, 366 00:31:26,220 --> 00:31:27,900 and has hardly ever been filmed. 367 00:31:27,900 --> 00:31:29,460 Blink and you'll miss it. 368 00:31:32,340 --> 00:31:34,380 Here it is again. 369 00:31:40,300 --> 00:31:43,140 Darwin's Frog lives in southern Chile, 370 00:31:43,140 --> 00:31:47,580 and whilst many of the animals in my ark face a threat from humans, 371 00:31:47,580 --> 00:31:51,220 it faces a challenge from Mother Nature herself. 372 00:31:54,460 --> 00:31:56,860 It lives in what is usually a lush, moist forest, 373 00:31:56,860 --> 00:32:01,620 but recently, one of the few remaining populations 374 00:32:01,620 --> 00:32:04,460 has come under threat from a natural disaster. 375 00:32:13,820 --> 00:32:18,900 Since June 2011, a huge volcanic eruption at Mount Puyehue has been 376 00:32:20,420 --> 00:32:25,180 showering hundreds of square miles of the surrounding area with ash. 377 00:32:28,020 --> 00:32:30,220 The layer of fallen ash is drying out and killing 378 00:32:30,220 --> 00:32:34,260 much of the vegetation that is vital to the frog's survival. 379 00:32:35,580 --> 00:32:38,780 It's pushing Darwin's Frog to the edge of extinction. 380 00:32:42,980 --> 00:32:46,900 Luckily, there's a scientist who is devoted to these tiny creatures. 381 00:32:48,100 --> 00:32:51,580 Claudio Soto-Azat has spent several years studying 382 00:32:51,580 --> 00:32:53,580 these unusual and rare frogs. 383 00:32:53,580 --> 00:32:56,220 He's been carefully monitoring the effect of the ash. 384 00:32:57,980 --> 00:32:59,740 You can see no ash now, 385 00:32:59,740 --> 00:33:02,500 because there was a lot of rain in a few days, but if you 386 00:33:02,500 --> 00:33:06,460 move the leaves, you can see that there is a thick layer of ash. 387 00:33:06,460 --> 00:33:11,340 Logs like this one are normally covered by moss and fern, 388 00:33:11,340 --> 00:33:14,860 but this fern, as you see here, just died because of all the ash. 389 00:33:16,940 --> 00:33:21,100 The volcano is still active, and a small change in the direction 390 00:33:21,100 --> 00:33:24,660 of the wind could bring the ash cloud back over this area. 391 00:33:26,580 --> 00:33:29,620 The risk to these rare animals is too great. 392 00:33:29,620 --> 00:33:33,020 Claudio has come to find and rescue as many frogs as possible. 393 00:33:33,020 --> 00:33:35,460 On a previous visit, he was only able 394 00:33:35,460 --> 00:33:37,780 to find four frogs in this forest. 395 00:33:37,780 --> 00:33:40,660 FROG CALLS 396 00:33:40,660 --> 00:33:44,420 Do you hear that? So that's a male Darwin's Frog that just called now. 397 00:33:45,620 --> 00:33:48,700 They're masters of disguise, and their colour varies, 398 00:33:48,700 --> 00:33:51,260 but always blends perfectly with their surroundings. 399 00:33:53,780 --> 00:33:57,780 You normally don't see the actual frog, but you see a jump. 400 00:34:00,500 --> 00:34:01,860 Oh, OK! 401 00:34:04,300 --> 00:34:05,700 Wonderful. 402 00:34:06,740 --> 00:34:08,540 So, let's have a look. 403 00:34:11,220 --> 00:34:13,700 Wow! 404 00:34:13,700 --> 00:34:15,380 Wonderful. 405 00:34:15,380 --> 00:34:17,260 So this is a male Darwin's Frog, 406 00:34:17,260 --> 00:34:21,300 pregnant with maybe five or six tadpoles, and that means they 407 00:34:21,300 --> 00:34:25,660 have been the surviving the volcano, but they also have been breeding. 408 00:34:25,660 --> 00:34:27,620 I've got one. Yeah, good. 409 00:34:29,500 --> 00:34:32,060 There are more frogs here than Claudio was expecting, 410 00:34:32,060 --> 00:34:36,820 but with the forest so dry and the volcano still venting ash, 411 00:34:36,820 --> 00:34:40,060 he will stick to his plan to remove them and breed them 412 00:34:40,060 --> 00:34:44,020 in captivity until the threat from the volcano has diminished. 413 00:34:48,100 --> 00:34:53,100 At the University of Concepcion, the frogs are given a safe haven. 414 00:34:53,180 --> 00:34:56,900 They will hopefully breed a robust population, which can one day 415 00:34:56,900 --> 00:34:59,060 be returned to the forest. 416 00:35:00,220 --> 00:35:05,260 For Claudio, it's another small step towards saving this unique species. 417 00:35:05,740 --> 00:35:08,780 So here we have four Darwin's Frogs that were first 418 00:35:08,780 --> 00:35:12,740 captured from the volcano, and now we were able to get ten more, 419 00:35:12,740 --> 00:35:16,340 which is a good number to have a captive breeding population, 420 00:35:16,340 --> 00:35:19,660 so this has been a very successful trip. 421 00:35:19,660 --> 00:35:24,420 I'd certainly be very sad to lose such a unique animal. 422 00:35:24,420 --> 00:35:27,940 There is still room on my ark, so hop on board. 423 00:35:39,980 --> 00:35:43,620 The next creature for my ark is one of the most endearing animals 424 00:35:43,620 --> 00:35:45,900 I've met - the pangolin. 425 00:35:45,900 --> 00:35:48,700 The only truly scaly mammal in the world. 426 00:35:50,380 --> 00:35:52,980 I've come across it and number of times in my career. 427 00:35:52,980 --> 00:35:56,660 Here, for example, in a film I made in 1973. 428 00:35:58,740 --> 00:36:02,380 But many years before that film, I almost had to adopt one. 429 00:36:06,020 --> 00:36:10,700 It was back in 1956, and we were making a film in Bali, 430 00:36:10,700 --> 00:36:13,300 and also collecting animals for the London Zoo, 431 00:36:13,300 --> 00:36:17,940 and one day, a man came to us with a pangolin in a sack. 432 00:36:17,940 --> 00:36:19,580 I didn't really want a pangolin, 433 00:36:19,580 --> 00:36:24,060 because they have a very specialised diet, so they don't live well. 434 00:36:24,060 --> 00:36:26,740 So I asked the man what he would do if we didn't buy it, 435 00:36:26,740 --> 00:36:29,180 and he said, "Oh, well, we'd eat it." 436 00:36:29,180 --> 00:36:34,220 And the scales, he said, were very good for medicine. 437 00:36:34,540 --> 00:36:36,500 So I said how much did he want for it, 438 00:36:36,500 --> 00:36:40,060 and he said, I think it was about five shillings. 439 00:36:40,060 --> 00:36:42,260 So I said, "OK, I'll buy it." 440 00:36:42,260 --> 00:36:45,780 And we headed for a couple of days or so, travelling about, 441 00:36:45,780 --> 00:36:50,260 eating termites, and a very engaging little creature it was, too. 442 00:36:50,260 --> 00:36:54,100 And then, after a couple of days, one night we let it go. 443 00:36:55,140 --> 00:36:57,140 I hope he survived. 444 00:37:03,220 --> 00:37:05,940 This is Lucky. 445 00:37:05,940 --> 00:37:09,220 He was called Lucky because, just like the one I came across 446 00:37:09,220 --> 00:37:13,100 all those years ago, he, too, was rescued from certain death. 447 00:37:14,260 --> 00:37:18,700 He lives here at a rescue centre in Vietnam. 448 00:37:22,740 --> 00:37:26,820 Lucky, like all sunda pangolins, is rather shy. 449 00:37:26,820 --> 00:37:28,700 He prefers to come out at night, 450 00:37:28,700 --> 00:37:32,060 and can only easily be filmed with special infrared cameras. 451 00:37:34,420 --> 00:37:38,540 Pangolins are similar to anteaters, but uniquely, they have 452 00:37:38,540 --> 00:37:41,100 hard scales made of keratin, 453 00:37:41,100 --> 00:37:43,500 the same substance as our nails are made of. 454 00:37:45,140 --> 00:37:47,740 They rely on their claws being as sharp as possible, 455 00:37:47,740 --> 00:37:50,380 so they walk on their knuckles to protect them. 456 00:37:53,220 --> 00:37:58,100 They use those claws to tear open the nests of ants and termites, 457 00:37:58,100 --> 00:38:01,180 scooping up their prey with their long, sticky tongue. 458 00:38:02,580 --> 00:38:07,060 They have a special talent for climbing, and are immensely strong, 459 00:38:07,060 --> 00:38:11,660 a core strength that any Pilates teacher would die for. 460 00:38:14,060 --> 00:38:17,540 Sadly, these gymnasts face many threats. 461 00:38:22,460 --> 00:38:25,860 Sunda pangolins are found across Southeast Asia. 462 00:38:27,140 --> 00:38:29,740 In Vietnam, it's illegal to hunt or sell them. 463 00:38:30,820 --> 00:38:33,620 But that doesn't stop a thriving black market 464 00:38:33,620 --> 00:38:35,220 in cities such as Hanoi. 465 00:38:39,540 --> 00:38:42,020 Here, their meat is considered a delicacy, 466 00:38:42,020 --> 00:38:45,660 and their scales are used in traditional Asian medicine. 467 00:38:49,420 --> 00:38:52,820 In the streets of Hanoi, there is a legitimate trade for medicine, 468 00:38:52,820 --> 00:38:57,100 which includes the sale of various animal parts, insects and plants. 469 00:38:59,300 --> 00:39:03,300 But pangolin scales can also be found. 470 00:39:05,540 --> 00:39:08,660 Dan Challender, from the University of Kent, 471 00:39:08,660 --> 00:39:11,740 is investigating the illegal trade of pangolins, 472 00:39:11,740 --> 00:39:14,780 and it doesn't take him long to find some for sale. 473 00:39:14,780 --> 00:39:17,060 These are scales of pangolins. 474 00:39:18,220 --> 00:39:20,460 These are now a valuable commodity. 475 00:39:20,460 --> 00:39:23,380 In the last few years, they've increased dramatically in price 476 00:39:23,380 --> 00:39:26,780 and can fetch about $500 a kilo. 477 00:39:29,980 --> 00:39:32,380 I've just seen three, four, five animals-worth of scales 478 00:39:32,380 --> 00:39:34,900 down there in a bag, and what's going to happen to them now 479 00:39:34,900 --> 00:39:37,500 is that they're going to be ground down and used in medicines 480 00:39:37,500 --> 00:39:41,580 to treat a range of ailments from asthma, psoriasis or even cancer. 481 00:39:41,580 --> 00:39:45,540 And that's tragic, because there is no evidence to suggest that 482 00:39:45,540 --> 00:39:48,420 pangolin scales are effective in traditional Asian medicine. 483 00:39:50,620 --> 00:39:54,700 And when darkness comes in the evening, 484 00:39:54,700 --> 00:39:57,460 the illegal trade continues. 485 00:39:57,460 --> 00:39:59,540 Pangolin meat is highly-prized as a status symbol 486 00:39:59,540 --> 00:40:02,420 amongst Vietnam's business elite. 487 00:40:02,420 --> 00:40:06,820 They will pay top prices for a variety of wild meats, 488 00:40:06,820 --> 00:40:08,340 including pangolin. 489 00:40:10,500 --> 00:40:13,180 Pangolin is offered in various forms. 490 00:40:13,180 --> 00:40:16,660 Either grilled, fried, steamed or cooked with bamboo shoots. 491 00:40:16,660 --> 00:40:20,100 Here's a picture of a foetus of a pangolin 492 00:40:20,100 --> 00:40:21,980 that's served in a dish of soup. 493 00:40:26,500 --> 00:40:28,860 And pangolins are not only popular in Vietnam. 494 00:40:28,860 --> 00:40:33,700 Huge numbers of them are illegally exported, mainly to China. 495 00:40:33,700 --> 00:40:36,820 It's thought that in the last 15 years 496 00:40:36,820 --> 00:40:40,340 over half the population of Sunda pangolins has disappeared. 497 00:40:43,700 --> 00:40:46,980 But for any that are rescued, there is a ray of hope. 498 00:40:51,380 --> 00:40:54,820 In the highly-secure pangolin conservation project at Cuc Phuong, 499 00:40:54,820 --> 00:40:58,140 the animals are coaxed back to health. 500 00:41:01,140 --> 00:41:04,020 Dan has come to the centre to see his old friend Lucky. 501 00:41:05,860 --> 00:41:08,660 Lucky has been undergoing rehabilitation 502 00:41:08,660 --> 00:41:13,660 since his rescue, and today there is some good news Dan wasn't expecting. 503 00:41:16,780 --> 00:41:20,380 I've just found out that Lucky may be released into a national park. 504 00:41:20,380 --> 00:41:23,100 It's actually quite a surprise for me, because I actually 505 00:41:23,100 --> 00:41:25,860 thought he'd probably be at the centre for quite a while. 506 00:41:25,860 --> 00:41:29,340 I like this animal, so I've actually got mixed feelings, 507 00:41:29,340 --> 00:41:33,060 but if he is released, then I wish him well. 508 00:41:40,340 --> 00:41:43,580 It would seem Lucky is not particularly keen to leave here 509 00:41:43,580 --> 00:41:45,820 for a life in the wild. 510 00:41:45,820 --> 00:41:49,340 Well, I'd certainly be happy to spend a few days again 511 00:41:49,340 --> 00:41:50,940 with a friendly pangolin. 512 00:41:52,140 --> 00:41:54,980 I think the only truly scaly mammal in the world 513 00:41:54,980 --> 00:41:57,060 certainly deserves a berth. 514 00:42:12,820 --> 00:42:17,820 Around 80% of the Earth's animal species are insects. 515 00:42:18,940 --> 00:42:21,300 They play a vital role in the food chain, 516 00:42:21,300 --> 00:42:24,340 essential to many birds, fish and many other animals. 517 00:42:25,460 --> 00:42:30,500 They fertilise and aerate the soil, and, of course, they pollinate. 518 00:42:32,660 --> 00:42:36,380 Without them, life as we know it would cease to exist. 519 00:42:36,380 --> 00:42:39,180 So with only three places left on my ark, 520 00:42:39,180 --> 00:42:41,860 it would seem wrong not to include at least one. 521 00:42:49,460 --> 00:42:51,780 'Butterflies lift the heart.' 522 00:42:55,900 --> 00:42:59,220 There are thousands to choose from, 523 00:42:59,220 --> 00:43:02,060 but this butterfly house has one of my favourites. 524 00:43:06,060 --> 00:43:08,700 'I selected it for its exquisite beauty.' 525 00:43:14,780 --> 00:43:18,620 This is a Priam's Birdwing butterfly. 526 00:43:19,700 --> 00:43:24,140 It lives in Western New Guinea and to the islands both east 527 00:43:24,140 --> 00:43:27,380 and west, and also down into the northern part of Australia. 528 00:43:29,820 --> 00:43:33,380 Birdwings have some of the largest of insect wings, 529 00:43:33,380 --> 00:43:36,220 and are very sought after by collectors. 530 00:43:37,620 --> 00:43:41,660 The name comes from their rather bird-like forewings. 531 00:43:46,100 --> 00:43:49,460 The male Priam Birdwing has a striking pattern of vibrant 532 00:43:49,460 --> 00:43:51,100 green and black. 533 00:43:57,340 --> 00:44:01,220 The females are larger and less colourful, but just as delightful. 534 00:44:03,060 --> 00:44:06,660 These butterflies are able to fly long distances 535 00:44:06,660 --> 00:44:08,420 high above the forest canopy. 536 00:44:24,460 --> 00:44:29,060 But these beautiful insects only live for about ten days 537 00:44:29,060 --> 00:44:31,140 as fully-formed adult butterflies. 538 00:44:36,460 --> 00:44:40,700 If I take him on board my ark, I'm not going to have him for long. 539 00:44:41,940 --> 00:44:44,660 But in the ten days of his short life, 540 00:44:44,660 --> 00:44:49,380 he'll bring such joy that I'm delighted to have him on board. 541 00:44:52,580 --> 00:44:55,940 Oh, doesn't want to leave. Off you go. 542 00:44:57,180 --> 00:44:58,380 Off you go. 543 00:45:02,380 --> 00:45:04,660 OK, stay on board. 544 00:45:23,980 --> 00:45:27,260 Australia is a fascinating place for any naturalist. 545 00:45:29,060 --> 00:45:32,180 It's a land full of astonishing creatures. 546 00:45:34,140 --> 00:45:36,780 From kangaroos, 547 00:45:37,980 --> 00:45:40,420 to echidnas, 548 00:45:42,300 --> 00:45:45,340 to the duck-billed platypus. 549 00:45:48,260 --> 00:45:50,620 It really is a place like no other on earth. 550 00:45:53,060 --> 00:45:56,500 However, many of these remarkable animals are also amongst 551 00:45:56,500 --> 00:45:58,940 the most threatened on the planet. 552 00:45:58,940 --> 00:46:02,940 So people here have had to come up with some extraordinary ways 553 00:46:02,940 --> 00:46:04,100 to protect them. 554 00:46:04,100 --> 00:46:07,740 And there is one story that particularly interests me - 555 00:46:07,740 --> 00:46:10,100 that of the quoll. 556 00:46:10,100 --> 00:46:14,180 They're just a fantastic animal. Look at that. Very cute. 557 00:46:16,860 --> 00:46:19,020 Want a few more? 558 00:46:20,260 --> 00:46:22,140 There you go. 559 00:46:24,020 --> 00:46:27,140 As you'd expect, the northern quoll can be found 560 00:46:27,140 --> 00:46:29,980 in the Northern Territories of Australia. 561 00:46:35,700 --> 00:46:39,380 It looks rather mouse-like, but during breeding, it develops 562 00:46:39,380 --> 00:46:43,820 a small pouch for its young, and it is, in fact, a marsupial. 563 00:46:45,220 --> 00:46:47,260 And this marsupial is a meat-eater. 564 00:46:50,820 --> 00:46:53,300 But that fact could be its downfall. 565 00:46:57,820 --> 00:47:02,300 In recent years, it's been bumping into a new kid on the block - 566 00:47:02,300 --> 00:47:03,940 the cane toad. 567 00:47:05,780 --> 00:47:09,060 The cane toad is originally from South America, 568 00:47:09,060 --> 00:47:11,740 but since being introduced to Australia, 569 00:47:11,740 --> 00:47:15,980 it's been devastating the wildlife across that continent. 570 00:47:15,980 --> 00:47:19,100 It's a classic case of an invasive species. 571 00:47:22,020 --> 00:47:26,460 The problem for the hungry quoll is that this toad is also poisonous. 572 00:47:29,940 --> 00:47:33,820 The glands on its back release a lethal venom. 573 00:47:42,580 --> 00:47:46,820 The cane toad population has spread so quickly across Australia 574 00:47:46,820 --> 00:47:50,420 that the unsuspecting quolls have been poisoned in their thousands. 575 00:48:01,020 --> 00:48:06,020 Here, at Territory Wildlife Park near Darwin, quolls are brought 576 00:48:06,020 --> 00:48:08,740 to live in captivity as a safeguard against extinction. 577 00:48:12,740 --> 00:48:15,220 An animal behaviour expert, Jonathan Webb, 578 00:48:15,220 --> 00:48:19,780 has a radical idea to teach these quolls that cane toads 579 00:48:19,780 --> 00:48:23,420 are off the menu, and stop them eating themselves to extinction. 580 00:48:24,860 --> 00:48:26,900 When I came up with this idea, people said, 581 00:48:26,900 --> 00:48:30,180 "You're crazy, it's never going to work. 582 00:48:30,180 --> 00:48:33,900 "You can't train quolls to avoid eating cane toads." 583 00:48:35,180 --> 00:48:40,220 So to prove their point, they set up an anti-cane toad boot camp. 584 00:48:41,260 --> 00:48:46,100 At the centre of this unconventional aversion therapy is a new recipe. 585 00:48:46,100 --> 00:48:47,660 Cane toad sausages. 586 00:48:50,820 --> 00:48:54,220 First, they cut up dead cane toads and skin the legs. 587 00:48:57,260 --> 00:49:00,660 The poisonous parts of the toad are discarded. 588 00:49:02,540 --> 00:49:07,100 Then, a sickness-inducing drug is mixed with a juicy piece 589 00:49:07,100 --> 00:49:11,060 of cane toad meat and stuffed into the toad's leg skin, 590 00:49:11,060 --> 00:49:14,620 before being tied to create a sausage. 591 00:49:16,500 --> 00:49:21,020 Jonathan's theory is that when the quolls eat these cane toad sausages, 592 00:49:21,020 --> 00:49:25,420 they will feel mildly sick from the odourless, flavourless drug. 593 00:49:26,500 --> 00:49:29,900 He hopes that they will now associate that sick feeling 594 00:49:29,900 --> 00:49:34,220 with the taste of cane toads, and will avoid live toads in the future. 595 00:49:36,660 --> 00:49:39,340 The bowls are placed in the quoll enclosures, 596 00:49:39,340 --> 00:49:42,580 and as night falls, the quolls are out, looking for food. 597 00:49:52,460 --> 00:49:55,100 Next morning, the bowls are all empty, 598 00:49:55,100 --> 00:49:57,100 and the quolls are feeling the effect of that 599 00:49:57,100 --> 00:50:01,220 chemical in the sausages, and are looking rather sorry for themselves. 600 00:50:04,700 --> 00:50:07,620 But the sick feeling only last a few hours, 601 00:50:07,620 --> 00:50:10,980 and soon the quolls are back on form, catching crickets. 602 00:50:15,140 --> 00:50:19,340 It's time for a second helping of the specially-prepared 603 00:50:19,340 --> 00:50:20,940 toad sausages. 604 00:50:20,940 --> 00:50:24,060 Jonathan will be preparing for a rather different result 605 00:50:24,060 --> 00:50:26,740 when he checks the quoll's bowls in the morning. 606 00:50:35,020 --> 00:50:38,060 We've got six animals to check today. 607 00:50:38,060 --> 00:50:40,740 They've all eaten the bait once and become ill, 608 00:50:40,740 --> 00:50:42,900 and we've offered them the bait the second time, 609 00:50:42,900 --> 00:50:46,500 and we're hoping that they'll all have rejected the toad bait. 610 00:50:47,620 --> 00:50:51,860 Oh, excellent. It hasn't been touched. Fantastic. 611 00:50:53,020 --> 00:50:55,300 I'd say that one's toad-trained. 612 00:50:57,260 --> 00:51:00,100 She hasn't touched this one. 613 00:51:00,100 --> 00:51:01,580 Excellent. Hasn't been touched. 614 00:51:01,580 --> 00:51:03,020 But it's not all good news, 615 00:51:03,020 --> 00:51:06,060 as some of the quolls would appear to have flunked the test. 616 00:51:06,060 --> 00:51:07,860 Ah! 617 00:51:07,860 --> 00:51:12,060 Well, this one's taken the bait, which is disappointing. 618 00:51:16,780 --> 00:51:20,820 So this little fellow will have to resit. 619 00:51:20,820 --> 00:51:23,540 More cane toad sausages for him. 620 00:51:23,540 --> 00:51:26,580 But for the graduates of Jonathan's programme, 621 00:51:26,580 --> 00:51:31,020 it's back to life in the wild at nearby Kakadu National Park. 622 00:51:44,980 --> 00:51:48,500 This area has been invaded by cane toads, 623 00:51:48,500 --> 00:51:50,980 but with their new training, 624 00:51:50,980 --> 00:51:53,500 these quolls should stand a fighting chance. 625 00:52:00,580 --> 00:52:05,580 Then it's time to check the traps they left the day before. 626 00:52:06,700 --> 00:52:08,340 Hey, we've got a quoll! 627 00:52:10,940 --> 00:52:13,260 In this cane toad-infested area, 628 00:52:13,260 --> 00:52:16,740 it's always encouraging to find a live quoll. 629 00:52:16,740 --> 00:52:19,620 It's often an animal they've already trained. 630 00:52:19,620 --> 00:52:23,460 But this time, when they scan to see if the quoll has been 631 00:52:23,460 --> 00:52:27,380 previously micro-chipped, the news is particularly welcome. 632 00:52:32,460 --> 00:52:34,140 Wow, that's fantastic. 633 00:52:34,140 --> 00:52:37,780 So this is the daughter of one of the females that we 634 00:52:37,780 --> 00:52:41,180 reintroduced to the site in February 2010. 635 00:52:41,180 --> 00:52:45,380 This important development means that this quoll 636 00:52:45,380 --> 00:52:49,460 has most likely been brought up by its mother to avoid cane toads. 637 00:52:49,460 --> 00:52:51,900 Fantastic. 638 00:52:51,900 --> 00:52:53,860 For Jonathan, 639 00:52:53,860 --> 00:52:58,460 it means that he only needs to train one generation of quolls 640 00:52:58,460 --> 00:53:02,020 and the quolls will pass down the knowledge to their offspring. 641 00:53:09,580 --> 00:53:12,580 It's just one of those Eureka moments, where you think, 642 00:53:12,580 --> 00:53:17,580 "Wow, this technique could actually help save this species." 643 00:53:17,740 --> 00:53:22,500 It's a remarkable example of ingenuity and innovation saving 644 00:53:22,500 --> 00:53:26,180 a species, and that's why I'll welcome the quoll aboard my ark. 645 00:53:38,060 --> 00:53:41,780 I very much doubt you'll be able to guess my final selection. 646 00:53:46,020 --> 00:53:48,620 It can be found at the bottom of the sea. 647 00:53:50,020 --> 00:53:54,860 The ocean depths are full of rare, beautiful and often bizarre animals. 648 00:53:56,540 --> 00:53:58,700 Many we know very little about, 649 00:53:58,700 --> 00:54:01,420 and there must be thousands awaiting discovery. 650 00:54:03,300 --> 00:54:07,180 The creature I'm interested in clings to the ocean floor. 651 00:54:14,300 --> 00:54:16,420 They may look like plants, 652 00:54:16,420 --> 00:54:20,020 but sponges are one of the simplest of all living animals. 653 00:54:21,060 --> 00:54:23,420 Yet in their own way, they're amazing. 654 00:54:24,860 --> 00:54:29,540 They can be put through a mincer, reduced to a mush of cells, 655 00:54:29,540 --> 00:54:34,300 yet still reorganise themselves and reform into a sponge. 656 00:54:39,580 --> 00:54:44,620 There is one small but very special family of sponges 657 00:54:45,020 --> 00:54:47,500 known as the glass sponges. 658 00:54:48,660 --> 00:54:50,700 Like these. 659 00:54:50,700 --> 00:54:55,060 This particular species is called Venus' Flower Basket. 660 00:54:55,060 --> 00:54:59,460 And they're called glass sponges because they strengthen their body 661 00:54:59,460 --> 00:55:04,500 with microscopic needles of silica, the same substance that makes glass. 662 00:55:05,700 --> 00:55:08,300 Their needles join together in three, 663 00:55:08,300 --> 00:55:10,260 so they have six-pointed stars, 664 00:55:10,260 --> 00:55:15,260 and these tiny little elements are then deposited by the sponge 665 00:55:16,420 --> 00:55:20,660 to form this extraordinarily complex, beautiful structure. 666 00:55:23,420 --> 00:55:27,460 This complex glass structure is a marvel of design. 667 00:55:28,700 --> 00:55:32,220 The same kind of construction is used to build skyscrapers. 668 00:55:33,940 --> 00:55:38,220 But what is amazing is that the sponge grows its lattice, and 669 00:55:38,220 --> 00:55:42,460 doesn't require the kind of red-hot furnace that human glassmakers need. 670 00:55:44,780 --> 00:55:46,820 The Venus' Flower Basket can be found 671 00:55:46,820 --> 00:55:49,220 at great depths of up to 1,000 metres. 672 00:55:52,660 --> 00:55:55,380 Down there, you need a special submarine, 673 00:55:55,380 --> 00:55:57,460 because the water pressure is so great. 674 00:56:00,180 --> 00:56:03,660 Only creatures that have adapted to this extreme environment 675 00:56:03,660 --> 00:56:05,380 can survive down here. 676 00:56:09,500 --> 00:56:13,420 The Venus' Flower Basket feeds on the tiny particles 677 00:56:13,420 --> 00:56:16,420 of organic matter that fall from the more habitable water above. 678 00:56:21,060 --> 00:56:25,220 It creates a current to draw water in the bottom, 679 00:56:25,220 --> 00:56:29,420 and after absorbing what it needs, it expels the waste at the top. 680 00:56:44,500 --> 00:56:47,900 How such a simple creature as this could have 681 00:56:47,900 --> 00:56:52,940 constructed as complex a skeleton as that, no-one can say. 682 00:56:55,660 --> 00:56:59,380 But for me, these are some of the most beautiful 683 00:56:59,380 --> 00:57:03,140 and some of the most remarkable living organisms, 684 00:57:03,140 --> 00:57:06,540 and I'll be delighted to have one on my ark. 685 00:57:16,340 --> 00:57:19,180 So, there we have it. My ark is full. 686 00:57:21,060 --> 00:57:25,980 There is such a huge variety of life on Earth that I could have chosen 687 00:57:25,980 --> 00:57:28,140 any one of thousands of different species. 688 00:57:29,500 --> 00:57:33,820 But these few give a glimpse of the astounding diversity of nature. 689 00:57:33,820 --> 00:57:37,660 Wow! So this is a pregnant male. 690 00:57:37,660 --> 00:57:41,420 Their stories also show us some of the dedicated people, 691 00:57:41,420 --> 00:57:43,740 trying to protect these animals. 692 00:57:43,740 --> 00:57:45,900 This is a living fossil. 693 00:57:47,740 --> 00:57:50,660 The innovative techniques that researchers have devised. 694 00:57:50,660 --> 00:57:53,140 I'd say that one's toad-trained. 695 00:57:56,220 --> 00:57:59,460 The extreme lengths that conservationists will go to 696 00:57:59,460 --> 00:58:01,180 in the struggle to save a species. 697 00:58:03,940 --> 00:58:08,660 And ultimately, the reward such painstaking work can bring. 698 00:58:08,660 --> 00:58:10,340 Wow! This is fantastic and wonderful. 699 00:58:14,780 --> 00:58:18,700 Those are some of the animals that intrigue and fascinate me. 700 00:58:18,700 --> 00:58:23,020 And I won't forget Venus' Flower Basket either, as a reminder 701 00:58:23,020 --> 00:58:26,900 of how much we still have to learn about the natural world.