(dramatic music)
- Lizard, lizard, lizard.
Right there, right there, right there, right there.
He sees us.
OK, if it darts, I'm just going after it,
so follow after me, and watch out for these logs here.
- [Mark] Get it? - [Coyote] Got it.
- [Mark] Nice!
(upbeat music)
- The Australian outback can truly be hailed
as one of the most iconic landscapes on the planet.
And visiting this location had long been a dream
for the Brave Wilderness team.
This vast expanse of open grasslands and arid terrain
is home to a plethora of reptilian species,
many of which we hope to get up close for the cameras.
So to have the best chance of finding them,
we traveled far beyond the city limits
of bustling civilization, and headed westward
toward the tiny rural town of Meandarra.
Exploring the outback requires a bit of experience,
so we teamed up with animal specialists
Lockie Gilding and Max Jackson,
who own and operate Australian Wildlife Encounters.
Working under their special permits,
we will be spending peak daylight hours
driving the countryside in search of ideal
habitats to explore.
There's something on the road right there.
Once a viable location was established,
the goal was to break trail into the great unknown,
and begin our search for any species
that could be safely presented in front of the cameras.
Guys, so right now we are out exploring
in some backcountry.
This is officially the Australian bush.
And it's very disorienting.
I spin in a circle like this,
and I bet it looks the same in every direction.
Alright, I'm disorienting myself.
I know that I came though from that direction,
so I'm gonna head back and meet up with the crew.
The bush, as it is so iconically known in Australia,
refers to any sparsely inhabited region,
regardless of vegetation type.
And given the fact that we were well over 300 miles
away from any major city,
this wilderness could definitely be considered
true Australian bush.
Look at that.
That's a wild pig skull right there.
Now these hogs are feral here in Australia,
and I'll tell you what,
you do not wanna run into one of these
out there in the bush.
Those tusks will do a number on you.
Wow, pretty cool find.
Wish we could keep it,
but it's gonna stay here in the environment.
Alright, let's keep going that direction.
Deep within the brambles,
it would be nearly impossible to find,
let alone pursue any fast moving reptile,
so we made our way toward a clearing,
when all of a sudden we came upon
one of Australia's most common, yet iconic, lizard species.
Lizard, lizard, lizard.
Right there, right there, right there, right there.
- [Mark] I don't see it, oh.
- [Coyote] It's right there on that log.
- [Mark] I got it, I got it.
- I think it's a bearded dragon,
but it's really dark in color.
Can you come up slower?
Mario, see if you can zoom in and get a shot on it.
- [Mario] Got him.
It is a bearded.
- Wow, it's a lot darker than I thought they'd be.
OK, come on, slow, slow, slow.
Oh, oh, oh.
He see us.
OK, if it darts, I'm just going after it,
so follow after me, and watch out for these logs here.
- [Mark] Get it? - [Coyote] Got it.
- [Mark] Nice!
- Woo hoo!
Barely even moved.
It was like perfectly camouflaged,
and it just said, OK, you can't see me.
I tell you what, I did see you.
That is a bearded dragon right there.
Whoa, whoa, calm down there buddy, wow.
- [Mark] It's spiky.
- It is super spiky.
OK, very stark lighting right here.
Let's kinda duck down into the shade.
I think that'll be better for your cameras.
And let's get this lizard up close for the cameras.
Oh man!
First lizard of the trip.
This is awesome.
Whew!
Watch your footing through here, guys.
Alright, here's a good shady spot up here.
Let's hunker down and film this scene.
There it is, guys,
the eastern bearded dragon.
Now, let's talk about where this lizard gets its name,
the bearded dragon.
And let me see.
Alright, buddy, can you kind of flare up your beard for us?
He's actually staying really calm.
As you'll notice, the temperature,
well you guys can't notice,
but what we're noticing is that the sun is very hot,
but the temperatures are still very cool in the air.
And like all reptiles, this one is ectothermic,
which means that they're using the sun
to heat up their bodies so they can head out
and hunt for the day.
And the bearded dragon is a diurnal species.
And there is the central variety and the eastern variety.
And the big difference there is that the eastern variety
is much darker in coloration,
and the interior of their mouth is yellow,
as compared to pink.
Alright buddy, can we see that beard?
You guys wanna see that beard, right?
- [Mark] Oh yeah.
- Alright, let's see if I can kind of tickle his chin.
Whoa, starting to puff up his body a little bit there.
Pop out that beard for us.
Wow, he's staying actually really calm.
Look at that, I'm not even applying any pressure
holding onto the body.
It's just chilling out on my hand right now.
OK, you can kinda see the beard there.
Look right underneath the chin.
Now when they're really aggravated,
they will puff up their bodies,
and puff up that beard,
open up their mouth and display that yellow interior color.
Now, in a sense that's aposematic coloration.
They are not venomous, but that bright color,
and that (hisses) sort of display
often times will ward off any potential predators.
Now, when I do touch the beard,
it's a bit softer than the very rough spiny scales
on the back of this lizard.
Wow, I cannot believe how calm he's being.
Oh, now it's trying to take off.
There we go, there you go.
Now you got the beard puffed out.
Wow!
That is one impressive beard, sir.
I think you could probably win a beard growing contest.
And you'll notice the very triangular shape
of this lizard's head.
That's one feature that distinguishes it from many
of the lizard species here in Australia.
Now often times you'll see them like that,
just perched on the side of a tree,
facing downward with that head protruding out,
absorbing the sunlight.
- [Mark] Man, I can't believe you got one.
- I know, and on my first attempt, as well.
I'll tell you what's impressive about this reptile
is its claws.
Let me kinda just see if I can get
one of its feet out here.
Oh, he's actually missing a claw on one side.
They're excellent climbers,
and often times early in the morning like this,
what they will do is climb up on the side of a tree
or perch out on a log where they're absorbing sunlight.
And like I said, it's an ectotherm,
so they rely on the sunlight to heat up
before they head out and hunt for the day.
Actually, I think at this point,
he is just using my hand as a perch.
I've got him sort of propped up in the sun there.
I think he's saying to himself, huh, this is perfect.
- [Mark] Is this normal behavior?
I mean that lizard is so calm.
- I honestly expected it to jump off that log
and take off, and I'd be chasing it across the bush,
but I think it was relying more on its camouflage
than anything to keep it hidden.
Now this is an opportunistic predator,
and they're primarily feasting
on small insects and arachnids,
however, they're omnivorous,
which means that if they find a chance to eat some plants,
some berries, something like that,
they will scarf up that as a meal as well.
Look at the length of this lizard's tail.
Beautiful, right?
Now, unlike some lizard species,
they're not able to detach that tail
to help them escape from predators.
And actually if I can,
I can actually balance the lizard by the end of its tail,
and keep it on my hand like that.
And that tail is incredibly spiky.
Go ahead, Mark, reach out there and feel
how rough those scales are.
And if you run your hand in the opposite direction,
that's where you really get ripped up.
I'm getting little lacerations all over my hands
just from handling it.
- [Mark] I don't even think there's sandpaper
that's that gritty.
- [Coyote] Right?
- [Mark] Wow.
- Let's look at the underside of the lizard.
The belly is much softer than its back.
Almost like the belly of a horned lizard.
Go ahead and zoom in there.
You see those large ear sockets?
They have excellent hearing
and wonderful eyesight during the day.
This is without question one of the most iconic species
here in Australia.
And I know for you guys out there watching, Coyote Pack,
that you have been requesting a bearded dragon episode
for quite some time.
And I think it's really fitting that our first lizard
of this Australian trip just so happens to be that reptile.
Well, this was pretty cool
getting the bearded dragon up close for the cameras.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave, stay wild,
we'll see you on the next adventure.
Alright guys, what lizard are we gonna catch next?
Getting to see, let alone safely catch,
and present a bearded dragon
has been a goal of mine for many years.
These rugged lizards define everything
that I've always loved about reptiles,
and their even keel demeanor makes them
an instant favorite amongst herpetology enthusiasts.
As a team, we do our best to follow
the suggestions of our audience,
and if the Coyote Pack makes a request,
especially for something as safe and fascinating
as the iconic bearded dragon,
you better believe we were going to make it happen.
What do you think guys?
Who has the better beard?
Coyote Peterson or the bearded dragon?
(sleigh bells)
What's going on, Coyote Pack?
Winter is coming,
which means it's starting to get cold here in Ohio,
and most of us are bundling up.
Now, some of us are wearing fleeces
and some of us are from Florida.
Yeah, that's a snow suit.
But when it comes to me,
I simply layer up by wearing as many t-shirts
as I possibly can.
- [Mark] That's a Brave Wilderness t-shirt.
- That's right, Mark, an official Brave Wilderness t-shirt,
which is available now at the BW store.
- [Mark] Whoa, do people know that we have
a Brave Wilderness store?
- Well if they didn't, they know now.
Do you guys wanna see some of these epic designs
that we have ready for the holidays?
- [Mark] Uh, cue the fashion show montage?
- Here we go!
(bear growling)
OK guys, so you see this shirt here?
This is the gray official Brave Wilderness logo.
I love this one because it's resistant
in all climates.
Now, underneath this shirt, wait for it.
(Coyote yelling in pain)
We have the BW logo shirt.
You see that?
The classic BW symbol that you'll often times see
on YouTube and up in the corner on the videos
as the watermark.
You wanna see the next one?
I bet you do.
Here we go.
- [Marl] The watermark's on the other side, by the way.
Nope.
- Hmm, yeah. (Mark laughs)
(frog meowing)
See that right there.
That's the Brave Wilderness logo on a brown shirt.
Totally camouflaged in the environment.
Ready for the next one?
- [Mark] Whoa, a blue shirt.
- Be brave, stay wild, the blue version.
This is absolutely one of my favorite shirts.
See how the orange really kicks out?
This is the opposite of camouflaged.
Blue and orange together at the same time.
Be brave, stay wild, ready for the next shirt?
- [Mark] Let's do it.
- Let's do it.
It's just like the blue and orange one,
only different colors.
Get it?
- [Mark] How many shirts do you have?
- It's an endless supply of shirts.
In fact, we have around a million designs
on the website right now.
- [Mark] No, no.
- No, not a million designs?
How many?
- [Mark] Like 12. - Like 12.
12 is close to a million though.
And I've got all of them on right now.
(screaming)
This is actually a youth sized extra large.
It's pretty tight,
but there are plenty more where this came from.
We've got adult sizes and kid sizes.
- [Mark] Wait, that's a kid's shirt?
- That's a kid's shirt right there.
- [Mark] Alright. - OK.
Now, aside from shirts,
you can also buy the official leather walker
Coyote Peterson hat.
That's right, and if you don't wanna wear
a leather cowboy hat,
guess what else we have?
Ball caps.
Ready?
We've got the gray one.
Check that out.
Pretty cool, right?
We've also got the black one.
Check that out.
And we've also got the blue one,
which matches pretty much everything.
Now, aside from hats, we also have posters!
You guys like posters, right?
- [Mark] Tour poster.
- Now if you don't want a poster,
we also have the Brave Adventures book.
Looking pretty epic.
This is an autographed copy.
And aside from that,
we've also got stickers,
lots and lots of stickers.
- [Mark] Now, you're gonna pick all that up, right?
- I'm gonna pick all that up
because we don't wanna litter in the environment.
Guys, right now, all of the Brave Wilderness elves,
who magically look just like Chance,
are hard at work in the Brave Wilderness factory
packing up gifts for all the good little Coyote Pack
boys and girls,
so make your way over to the Brave Wilderness store,
and pick something up for your favorite pack member.
Order as soon as you can so that your gifts
show up just in the time for the holidays.
Whew, it's really getting cold out here.
I better put my shirts back on.
(bright holiday music)
(wind blowing)
If you thought the bearded dragon was a friendly lizard,
make sure to go back and watch the episode
where we get another spiky looking reptile
up close for the cameras, the horned lizard.
And don't forget, subscribe so you can join me
and the crew on this season of Breaking Trail.
Real cryptic colors that blend in with all the sand
and the rocks.