- I'm Coyote Peterson.
This is Gabe, and this is Garrett.
And today we're headed into the Redwood Forest
to look for creatures.
Are you guys ready?
- [Both Boys] Yeah!
- Let's do it.
(energetic adventure music)
- [Coyote] On this episode of Coyote's Backyard,
I'm taking YouTube sensations Gabe and Garrett
into the towering redwood forests of California.
These brothers are used to big adventures in front
of the camera as some of their most successful videos
have racked up hundreds of millions of views.
However, today isn't going to be their average walk
in the park as my goal is to get them up close
with some of the forest's coolest animals.
OK, well, we have made it to the creek.
Now, we're going to head upstream,
so let's head that direction,
and see what we can find.
You ready?
- Yeah.
- Let's go.
The first goal is to lead them off-trail,
so they could literally get their feet wet.
Look at that, I can't even get them to stop.
They are straight into the water and ready to look.
Alright, we're going to find some cool stuff.
Let's get moving.
One of the biggest parts
of being an adventurer is getting comfortable
in the environment.
It's important to be smart and safe.
But you also need to remember
that being brave can give you some incredible experiences.
Our first encounter came in the form
of one incredibly friendly yet extremely toxic animal,
the California newt.
Oh, wow, there we go, guys.
Alright, everybody grab one.
Everybody grab one.
I'll get this guy up here.
Have you guys ever held a newt before?
- [Garrett] No.
- [Gabe] No.
- [Coyote] Now what do you think?
Is this a reptile or an amphibian?
- [Garrett] Amphibian.
- Amphibian, that's right.
Alright, guys, now when I hold this newt up,
and we look at its belly, what color is it?
- [Garrett] Orange.
- [Gabe] It's orange.
- That's right, it's orange
because this is a warning sign to predators
that they're extremely poisonous,
so what we want to make sure is
that we don't eat these newts
and, after we handle them, that we wash our hands.
From newts to millipedes,
the forest was crawling with creatures.
- Cool.
- [Coyote] And as we headed upstream, it wasn't long
before we came across our second feature creature of the day
it was a signal crayfish.
Alright, guys, I'm going to wade into this pool
to see if I can get this crayfish for us.
These crustaceans can give pretty nasty pinch
so it was going to be on me to wrangle this one.
Holy mackerel, look at that, guys.
- [Gabe] Whoa.
- Oh, ho, ho,
look at those pincers - [Gabe] Looks like a scorpion
- It does look a little bit
like a scorpion, doesn't it?
The signal crayfish gets its name
because, when threatened, they hold their pincers up
in the air to display the bright red underside.
This coloration acts as a signal to predators
that you'd better stay back or you are going to get pinched.
Ooh, (seethes in pain), ah.
(suspenseful music)
Yup, ooh, that's a good pinch right there.
Clearly, I wasn't getting that message.
Yikes!
OK, now go ahead and try and hold him from the back
when he's not actually pinching me.
Squeeze under his back there like that.
There you go.
You got him?
Alright, you're holding the crayfish.
That's a big one, too.
I was incredibly proud of the boys.
To handle a crayfish
of this size was a great feat of bravery.
Watch this, guys.
Watch how he just spears backwards.
He should go pretty quickly even.
Whoa.
- [Gabe] Whoa.
- Pretty awesome, huh?
You guys were so brave holding crayfish.
Let's keep going.
Now I brought something here for us.
What are those?
- [Both Boys] Bananas.
- This next creature looks exactly like a banana.
It's called a banana slug.
I'm gonna give each one of you a banana to carry,
and we're going to try to find a slug
that's as big as a banana.
You think you can do that?
- [Both Boys] Yeah.
- Alright, let's start searching.
If you have ever explored
in the Redwood Forest, you're probably aware
of how many banana slugs slink along the trails.
- Here's a big one.
Pretty close.
- [Gabe] Wow, that one's a monster.
- Wow.
Man, I think your slug is definitely bigger than my slug.
And it was only a matter of minutes
before we all had our hands on one.
Alright, we have three pretty good-looking slugs.
Let's take them over here and get an up-close look.
(dramatic music)
Alright, guys, now look at the front of your slug.
You see those tentacles coming out of the front?
- Yeah.
- [Garrett] Yeah.
- [Coyote] Those are the eye stalks,
and that allows them to see light and movement.
Now when you guys found these slugs and you picked them up,
what did they feel like?
- [Both Boys] Super sticky.
- They are super sticky.
It feels like someone sneezed in your hand, doesn't it?
- [Both Boys] Yeah.
- Totally gross.
Now if you look at the side of the slug,
do you see that hole right there?
- [Both Boys] Yeah.
- That's called a pneumostome, and that is actually
where the slug's lung is.
So, look into that hole.
And, you see in there?
- [Both Boys] Yeah.
- You're looking at the slug's lung,
and that's how the slug is breathing.
That's pretty cool, huh?
- This thing is wild.
- Out of all the animals that we have
here in the Redwood Forest,
I would definitely say
that the banana slug has truly earned its name,
considering the fact that it looks just like a banana.
Handling a single banana slug is impressive,
but I felt it was time
to see just how brave these kids really were.
Alright, guys, now that we've learned a little bit
about the California banana slug,
we're going to do something
that I like to call the slug challenge.
We're gonna roll up our sleeves, head down trail,
and see if we can get our arms absolutely covered
in these slimy little creatures.
Are you ready?
- [Both Boys] Oh, yeah.
- C'mon, let's go.
Nothing beats a little friendly
competition between brothers,
and as they began to collect slugs,
Gabe and Garrett were having a blast.
It was complete slug pandemonium.
When I finally wrangled the boys back in,
it was clear that they took this challenge seriously
as their arms were literally crawling with slugs.
Alright, come on in here.
Let's show them how many we've got.
That is a lot of banana slugs right there.
You guys are absolutely covered.
I think you guys topped me on the slug challenge,
that's for sure.
Getting to spend the day
hiking the Redwood Forest with Gabe and Garrett
was wet, muddy, and sticky.
And I can't wait until the next time I head back
to the West Coast so that we can do it all again.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
- Be brave.
- Stay wild.
- We'll see you on the next adventure.
If you want to guest appear
on an episode of Coyote's Backyard,
tell us about all the amazing animals that live around you.
And don't forget
subscribe to join me and the crew
on our next big adventure.
(dramatic music)
(roaring)
(howling)
(birds chirping)