they Slither piss and [Music] strike careful especially when you catch them by the tail a look at sometimes wrangling snakes is more art than science don't look the snake SP the stakes are high you can make you dead make no mistake about that there's enough Venom there to kill more than 100 popcorn new guineans get ready to go hand to scale and face to face with some of the world's deadliest cold bloody [Music] Killers first on the list the Australian Copperhead this is an Aussie Super Snake a muscular serpent with a lethal [Music] bite the copperhead goes where other snakes fear to Slither it can scale Snowy Mountains swim through swamps and hunt in freezing temperatures but survival in this harsh environment comes with a price there isn't much on the menu except other copperheads this snake is a cannibal and it's being stalked by a master that for Brian Bush lives for reptiles he has a shed full of poison let me introduce you to some of my friends in here his own custom tools this is a quick release frame makes it really easy and plenty of attitude he even looks like a reptile talk about a freak n all we got to remember is SN an important part of the environment Brian uses his poisonous prizes for education but there's one kind of snake Behavior even this Venom virtuoso has never witnessed cannibalism snakes do eat other snakes as a bonus when going after the same meal or different species as prey but there's one Australian species that consistently swallows its own kind and that's the copperhead Ryan has come to the Misty Mountains of Tasmania to observe this antisocial snake Behavior but the Copperheads aren't exactly cooperating we got a snake and C ahead hey oh should ready sometimes even a master gets I he expecting the snake to go over the bank and did a u-turn and cruise straight into this Muddy Creek here to lay under the water for an hour I'm going to keep looking with no snakes in sight Ryan resorts to some unconventional methods we going to get some Copperhead snipe them Dan and brings out no worry maybe the dance has worked oh look at this what a fat snake you beauty I'm interested in the cannibalism in this snake so I'm going to Chuck it in a bag and take it with me for a little experiment I've got planned now it's time for a little dietary test local herpetologist Bill flowers has a frozen surprise planted for this cold blooded cannibal here Bill's helping us out with this experiment he picked up a couple of roadkill Copperhead roadkill no worries a pretty poisonous popsicle we going have to wait for these to thror out a bit Bill and Brian build an enclosure for the snakes that simulates their natural habitat yeah she all thought out let's go no worry all they have to do is add the copperhead Ro kill and they'll be ready to go they've even figured out a way to bring a dead snake back to life we proposed to manipulate the dead Copperhead with a bit of wire move it along have it set up it should look real let's see how that works straight into my eyes hello Brian what are you doing in tazzy I'm chasing bgs like you I'm have copperheads it's now or never this is the most likely one to eat it but it's carrying a fair bit of condition look at look at that how fat it is that's it now lift him up just a little bit of what that's it the roadkill puppet definitely catches the live snake's [Music] attention oh got it and Brian learns that this lethal serent is more interested in biting its Brothers Than People he's going to swallow it plus there's nothing like a bit of cannibalism to work up an appetite you're Beauty it worked it did it it worked yes ah you're a good man bill I AE you something now I better buy your steak I reckon well that did make me hungry mate let's [Music] go this slender snake hunts in a more unusual element the air meet the paradise tree snake a reptile that's more jump than bite when danger threatens or food beckons it flat sens its frame and takes the plunge turning its entire body into a serpentine [Music] glider Jake SOA has come to Singapore to catch a few of these Airborne acrobats he studies animal biomechanics and he aims to find out how these reptiles defy gravity here you have an animal that's shaped like a cylinder that's able to move through the air I'm just fascinated with how it works I want you guys to be ringed around here so I want a couple people outside too if you think it's hard to catch a snake on the ground try grabbing one that can fly oh there's there's so many gaps up here you not going to come out to your left and straight up straight up from your head you got him Norman you got him he's right above you get him get him get him get him get him come on that good a move needs some instant replay [Music] he's not looking at you if you get up now and do it you'll be right quick fortunately practice eventually makes perfect all right and luckily a bite from this snake isn't dangerous to humans beautiful snake isn't he that was literally a catch you guys now comes the real reason for the wrangling three two one film The Snake flying all you you need are two towering scaffolds some rope a Fearless cameraman and a love of Heights or not I don't like heights thankfully they've they've stopped at a it's not it shouldn't be too wobbly up there at least that's the idea a non-toxic paint job will help a computer program track the snake's movements during flight it's showtime whoa little wobbly there yeah this is what keeps me from uh plummeting to the earth I hope okay I'm reaching down for the snake I don't normally name my snakes but one of my volunteers here named this one air Tony see what Tony can do here no one will force the snake to fly it's looking down it's going now it takes the leap all on its own [Music] going again and again and again that is fantastic and they don't seem to mind a few crash [Applause] landed if they can make a break for [Music] it finally Jake has his footage a close up real time view of a serpent in flight this footage is going to help me at least get some hints at what's going on in in a detailed sense so watch out Travelers the next great airplane design just might have a little reptile in [Music] it this monster would never even get off the ground the Gaboon viper 6 and 1/2 ft long and weighing up to 18 lb this beefy serpent is the largest Viper on the planet with the world's longest fangs these massive 2-in long needles can inject more Venom than any other snake enough to Kill 30 humans with a single bite in any Fang off this lethal Behemoth is the oddson favorite but one snake wrangler is eager to take him [Music] on Dr zultan tacis has searched for snakes through jungles deserts and oceans in 134 countries Gathering Venom and DNA samples for his research into snake digestion the deadlier the better actually very fascinated by venomous and poisonous Animas I don't think I'm crazy because so far I managed to be alive the guy is her paty's Indiana Jones minus the snake phobia so this snake Maniac does have one problem he's allergic to antivenin so I have to really be careful allergic reaction can kill me so a Fang off with the world's largest Viper could end very badly but first zultan has to find one he heads deep into cameroon's remote lobi National Park Guided by local Baka [Music] pygmies in here there are plenty of places for a snake to [Music] hide this is what we're looking for shades of brown the gobom wiper hiding in the leaf lader extremely hard to notice in the forest floor on day six the Baka guides spot the prize one of them just told me he found a big Viper near the river I'm so excited I really I I really want to see anybody sees the snake right now yes those guy would IM seeing the snakes just point to the snake it's a Well camouflaged monster the baboom Viper the king of all vipers great everybody just stand don't move yeah okay an adult Gaboon viper has virtually no natural enemies and can bring down prey as big as an antelope one wrong move can be fatal at 11 lb zolon has just bagged a big big hunk of snake Okay I have it I have it release that bag release the bag back at his field lab Sultan gets a good look at what those massive fangs can do and plenty of venom for his research days later the team catches an even bigger one it's the hugest goom Viper I ever seen a 6 and 1/2 ft 18lb Leviathan hiding in plain sight watch the head of the snake it's really The Catch of the whole Expedition great zon has what he came for this is why I came to Africa tissue samples from 44 snakes including the gabum Viper and the rhinoceros Viper and these samples are just the first of many this snake loving Superstar already has his next capture and [Music] sight no one wants a venomous snake for a neighbor especially if it's as lethal as the cape Cobra one of the most dangerous cobra species in Africa a bite from this hooded serpent can kill a man in 30 [Music] minutes unfortunately In the Heat of the Dead hey this snake gets a taste for Real Estate you got a problem there with a repti got a cobra in the house well if you live in Cape Town South Africa you know who to call the snake Buster hi it's Thom speaking you left the B for me for Shawn Thomas facing some of the world's deadliest fangs is just part of a day's work very pretty that's it's unnecessary Behavior you see this Cobra is dangerous you can kill all of us here he can kill 10 people this guy it's going to be a busy day let's go Shawn doesn't always face The Invader solo like any successful business owner he has [Music] employees this one will work for food in some cases there'll be snakes that we can't find inside a house and to M the mirat plays a a very helpful role in actually locating that snake his centers are very very sharp I believe you going a snake in the house [Music] right come Mir cats are natural snake hunters in the wild and in the living room where's the snake boy where's the snake timman has another valuable skill he's a thous times more immune to snake venom than sha a match made in snake Buster heaven and it doesn't take long before he delivers the goods okay seems to be paying a lot of attention to under this catch so I'm going to take him away and see what's underneath this catch it's dust bunnies of the most dangerous kind oh great a beautiful cape coob and uh not the ideal specimen to have in your home so if you see any more of those ones you're going to call me sea will release the snakes into the wild be careful or into his basement my snake room is um a sealed lockable room underneath my house I keep Forest cobras Cape cobras puff headers Burg adders an extreme case of not leaving your work at the [Music] office want Venom well there's only one way to get it gotcha stalk grab and milk an angry snake you mean right that means going up against some of the snake world's most lethal Superstars t p Ben bring the bag quick and this is one of the worst the Papu Taipan one of the most venomous snakes in the world when threatened this 10t long Terror comes out fighting inflicting multiple bites filled with toxic venom without treatment more than 80% of bite victims die this fellow out and Australian herbologist David williamss is holding one in his hands like a pet okay this town is Ground Zero for Venom victims Morag in Papua New guini in this place snake is another word for death Moraga has one of the highest mortality rates of snake bite in the world away from The Veranda because they're very fast snakes and if they get in among people right they'll bite everyone inside for those patients fortunate enough to get to Port Norby the only antivenin for this deadly reptile costs a fortune and it has to be refrigerated but refrigerators and cash are in short supply here you can't help but really feel you know heartbroken having to Stand By and Watch a family see a loved one die under those circumstances so we actually got a fair bit of venom out of this specimen David wants to develop a freeze-dried antivenin to save lives in remote areas but the crucial cure has a main ingredient live Taipan Venom that means a snake hunt his only defensive weapons a stick a bag and his wits see you guys saw a snake here this morning huh all right where about bzy can you show me P got it got it got it hang on okay clear clear now get back out of the road oh look at this snake will soon donate its venom to David's Causey affordable portable [Music] antivenom snakes don't just strike by land they also stalk the Seas and all snakes can swim but the Bandit sea crate is an underwater Champion its specially adapted tail turns its entire body into a paddle large lungs enable it to stay under water for up to 8 hours and nature didn't skimp on the poison the crates Venom is 10 times more potent than a rattlesnakes and zultan tacis is back in search of that poison [Music] hey excellent here is the price his new goal to solve a reptilian mystery how snakes can be immune to their own toxic venom first stop the Pacific island countries of Vanuatu and Fiji where land and ocean team with SE snakes to get enough samples zultan needs to catch at least 20 swimming serpents and when night falls the snakes seem eager to volunteer very very nice the secret this snake just came out from the water just came out from there nowhere oh there is another one this small one great the island is crawling with crates excellent this is getting really busy tonight it's rashar rashar here in wanaku so nice two back two back full of seas s great back on land it's time to harvest some Venom good morning neighbors but the crates have other ideas hopefully hopefully okay too much traffic here everybody's going back good there's catching snakes and then there's keeping them okay we're not going to lose one single [Music] snake the jailbreak thwarted zon gets what he came for blood and [Music] poison but sea snakes aren't his only target Bandit SE crate Venom is similar to COBRA Venom otherwise known as snake Spin and this monster can spew poisonous saliva with the best of them the spinning cobra has its cousin's Telltale Hood in Fierce looking fangs but it also lives up to its name when confronted this aggressive Cobra can spit toxic venom straight into a predator's eyes from over 8 ft away causing blindness or worse and if the spit Doesn't Kill You its bite will like the sea crate the Cobra is immune to its own toxins unfortunately zultan isn't he's left the Tranquil Waters of the Pacific for the rainforests of Tanzania to face off with this formidable foe sck except he's not about to expose his face don't look the snake the spitting cobra corralling a spitter requires some special armor the mask is absolutely important goggles covering only the eyes are not enough because you don't want to get venom sped on your face this Venom spewing serpent has no interest in being part of the scientific process there is no room for error here if you do a small error you can die even in Zan's grip he's still dangerous blood samples secure it's time to change from snake superhero to science Professor if he unlocks the key to Venom immunity his discoveries could lead to better antivenin or disease busting drugs [Music] this lethal Bruiser may also be able to help with some discoveries Australia's Death Adder 3 ft long with a small rat-like tail used to lure prey the Death Adder has a lightning fast strike just one bite from the snake can kill and it likes to stand its ground in a fight but this couple is willing to face its FS watch watch Love marriage and Venom for Craig and Jackie Adams Mar till death to us part could be sooner than later we lead a venomous life and when you want to keep leading it you got to know what you feel it gotta good Stu they both work at the Australian reptile Park north of Sydney you been playing your ear a wildlife sanctuary and vital source of Venom used to produce Australia's antivenom it's a reptile Dairy that produces poison and it's Craig and Jackie's Job to catch new milkers Happy let's go a so they're off on a cattle call for death adders holy hell but even in snake country finding live ones isn't going to be easy I don't think we're going to be able to use them all right catch us later look after those adders so the happy couple decides to go all out C come here yeah look at these Beauties Jackie is ready to bag her hidden treasure got me and Jack just be careful mate she might be moving slow but when she wants to move 25 of a second she'll be on you before you can [Music] blink nice stuff mate nice stuff hey but one Adder isn't enough for a Venom farm and the next one they find isn't too interested in joining the Harvest you're going to have to dig it out there's no way you're putting your hand in there this his tail Aussie snake wranglers like to grab their prize by the tail that won't work with the death at this serpent uses its tail as a lure and it's good at striking from behind don't do anything stupid cray try and get it BR him come on got it now you want to get the bag open big go in front go in front Bo sorry we go all right all right another good one baby that was that was lucky mate that was really lucky promise me you will never ever put your hand in one of those crevices all right it's just the Heat of the Moment that's all I just thought you know tiger snake something like that I can just go bamoo and you got it out no about it okay no you can't Jackie needs Craig to stick around I can't like to show especially when they get their milkers back to the barn usually these guys are pretty comfortable about biting the V see the fangs there they're just long fangs on their fethers they're big fangs that will save lives [Music] not all snakes are aggressive even if they pack a poisonous punch North America's pit viers have a fearsome reputation they get their name from these small heat pits below the eyes which can detect body heat even in total darkness and these three are the worst a cotton mouth also known as the water moccasin a semi-aquatic snake armed with deadly venom that can melt muscle the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake it may use its famous tale as a warning but this bad boy can strike it onethird of its body length and the copperhead one of America's most common venomous snakes this Viper is responsible for a quarter of venomous snake bites in the US but is this poison posy really that ferocious herpetologist Jesus rias isn't so sure snakes have the bad reputation in The Lord of many cultures normally they're seen as vicious as malignant as mean as evil and one of the things that I want to know is what is the real nature of the behavior of pit hey how are you's first stop a snake infested South Carolina swamp with colleague Wick Gibbons this is like a great play for snake isn't it it's the perfect habitat for cotton mouths and it doesn't take long to find one big one now is it good looking all good looking but the snake doesn't seem eager to attack see his first response did you see that escape even when it's stepped on see he's got his mouth open but he's not biting snake opens the mouth and reaches to his food but doesn't bite just touches with his mouth open doesn't even trying to act bite she doesn't want to reach breaking h of fang they need those fangs to eat not to bite people it's a threat display I could hurt you leave me alone it looks like this cotton mouth is all show and no strike that may not be the case with a rattlesnake the Eastern Diamond B can inject five times more Venom than the cotton mouth so in Florida Dr Bruce means tracks his subjects by radio transmitter to avoid stepping on them hey oh cool what a beauty big guy look at that and you don't want to ever be bitten by this snake the Eastern Diamondback in my opinion is the most dangerous snake in the United States and Canada when you get bitten by this snake it's deadly serious yet even this Bruiser hesitates to strike he could reach you yet he's not it's like a boxer jabbing keeping the distance showing if he's Rich showing where he can do harm but not really aiming to H clearly these pit vipers are more passive than aggressive [Music] and this amateur snake wrangler is willing to take that on faith might be something for here in the tiny Appalachian town of edua Tennessee Church Pastor Jimmy marrow likes to search for deadly Copperhead converts right in here is the is one of the sneakiest places I've been to he has a reason for catching copper on Sundays he takes them to church where they star in a pretty unusual sermon in The Book of Mark in the Bible's New Testament Jesus told his followers that those who believe in him could handle Serpent and no harm would come to [Applause] them these Believers take that literally he's moving them around in a manner that will strongly Des anybody to do unbelievable and it seems like their prayers are answered there are no bites is it a reptilian Miracle pure dumb luck or a box of defanged pets now this is a copperhead he's a venison snake and and he was caught okay out of the wall right okay now watch is okay say see B it say yall like por just like its cousins The Fearsome Copperhead is more of a lover than a fighter or maybe they just behave in [Music] church every year around 100,000 people lose their lives to snake bite worldwide and the spectacled Cobra is one of the world's leading Killers snake Charmers have made this snake famous but the Cobra's real talents are speed agility and a potent bite but there's another reason why this snake is so dangerous it likes to live near people and when human and snake meet the snake often wins unless you're a professional snake wrangler the arula people of Southern India have been hunting deadly serpents for Generations it's a risky profession India has the highest rate of snake bite deaths in the world I consider the eras the best snake catchers because they're the people who read the sign that the snakes have left behind and find out exactly where they've G herpetologist Rah Whitaker has worked with the arula for years Cobra this is a cobra scat and I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to identif by frankly I'm just sort of learning the roofs even though it's been 25 years since I started working with them years ago these Fearless Hunters survived by selling snake skins if they lived long enough to kill their Quarry today India's venomous snakes are protected so the aula have gone from Hunters to Farmers with a rather unusual Harvest toxic venom the aroua snake Farms provide over 80% of Venom used for anti venon in India and if they're bitten there won't be any Hazard [Music] pay kie learned snake tracking from his father and on a cobra hunt generations of know how quickly pay [Music] off yeah look at that two cobras inside I that's a rare event even faced with two spectacled cobras the arula hunter shows no fear but maybe he should K's got a very quick bite on his leg we're hoping it's okay but okay we just walk slow and easy and get kie has to move slowly to stop the spread of Venom but he's in a Race Against Time the symptoms can start to show within minutes and the nearest hospital is hours away it wasn't a very big Cobra but on the other hand a cobra that size has enough Venom to kill three or four people the worst case scenarios if he did get a very high dose of Venom he could actually go into respiratory paralysis within a couple of hours unun we have a snake B where is the right snake catcher as collie's breathing grows worse doctors decide to administer anti-in made from the Cobra Venom his people risk their lives to harvest colie's job almost killed him but the ARA's long tradition of snake wrangling will continue to save lives not all of these cold-blooded killers are deadly to humans but even a boa constrictor can put up a fight long smooth and full of muscle the boa isn't poisonous but it's definitely a brute boas don't strike they bite Embrace and squeeze suffocating their prey boas may not pack poison but they have plenty of teeth so when it comes to a Fang off herpetology grad student Scott bobek still has to take Extra Care got a female 12 CM for the tail he's in B to research the size and evolution of boa constrictors next next 6.3 4 106 Scott is trying to find out why Island boas are so much smaller than Mainland boas you have snakes on the islands that are completely different in size Mainland snakes are at least twice as long and four or five times as heavy let's get some [Music] boas on the island the trees are dripping with snakes so we got one right up in the tree right here looks like it's choosing an ambush position right at the end of this dead Branch unfortunately Scott is the one who gets ambushed whoever said that Island snakes are docel they'll take a bite out you I got he's got you lose some feeling in my hand now Scott needs Mainland females but These Girls Aren't into pristine jungles bise City's Boas have a more urban hunted ground this is not for the weak stom the town dump isn't classic constrictor habitat but the swampy garbage is home to a snake smorgus board it's a Haven for other animals like rats and and other prey items that the boers are going to eat want to be a snake wrangler roll up your sleeves and dive in this is fun stuff you know you were just like in the right spot to find a dead body just lying right around here right in this car window just like his head's sticking out meanwhile when it comes to the bowas Scott already has his problems are just [Applause] beginning after all the driving his biggest charge is a little car sick that was a big lizard which means some big prey is coming up the other way the road was a little bit too much for and then an island boa disappears Into Thin Air um I can't find the snake this is not what I wanted to do oh God and I think that the snake sneak down the back of the sink yeah he's in there he's in there oh God one hotel sink $179 PR huh the boa Priceless some snakes like to set their sights High especially the eyelash viper the elongated scales over its eyes give it one of the prettiest faces in the serpent world but don't be fooled by its flirty gaze this petite Hunter is armed with long needle-like fangs that can deliver a Venom packing puncture in less than a quarter of a second eyelash vipers like to climb trees so this snake wrangler is taking the Fang off to new and dizzying Heights it usually works thatly but not always when it comes to researching reptiles Viper specialist Jeff Soro likes it more Wild and Woolly from the mud all right to the Seas to the shrubs there you go good job to the trees it's even earned him a nickname jungle Jeff to me I found some sort of means of justifying doing what many would call childish behavior he's come to the jungles of Panama in search of vipers with eyelashes and he wants to prove a new Theory yeah wow this is what we're really looking for according to Conventional research these pretty Killers pounce on prey at night but jungle Jeff isn't known for being conventional watch out watch out he believes that the eyelash viper also hunts during the day and he's going to make them cough up the prey to prove it he had a big meal so the procedure of cing snakes is is pretty standard and at a certain point once the uh prey item gets near the head they sort of reg regate on their own frog nice no it's a lizard whoa It's a frog it's a frog a lot of the prey items that we found in these snakes are animals that are active during the day to prove these snakes are dial Jeff needs to see a daytime viper strike for himself and that means pulling out all the stops to catch one [Music] that's always a nice sound when you're about to climb up in a tree how's your clown going going good this snake wrangler defines the phrase survival of the fittest nobody else is catching viers 27 m in trees so I figure that's that's a good enough reason for me to climb just to see EX exactly how high these little guys will go Jeff can spot an eyelash viper more than 100 ft up I mean it's hard to believe that the snake is holding itself on the bowl of this tree with that little flake of bar and bring it back down we just try to drop the snake right in that's the [Music] plan okay in the bag worked as planned [Music] with their scaly study subject at a lower altitude it's time for a little afternoon snack oh that proves that they eat during the day huh yeah I guess so wow Jeff survives his fang off but this little lizard isn't so lucky the first try the very first time I mean I know we got it but yeah but it was blast it doesn't take long to prove Jeff's Theory oh it seems that day or night no snake will turn down a free lunch they'll even swallow it [Music] whole from savanas to swamps this is not for the weak St Under the Sea the tops of the trees these snake experts know how to face off with fangs and survive they take great risks for great rewards happying a very happying and that's a Fang off even a snake can get behind [Music] [Music]