- What's going on, Coyote Pack?
Right now, we are on the Pacific side of Costa Rica
to see what sort of animals we can come across
here in the darkness.
Doesn't matter if they're covered in scales.
Woo-hoo-hoo.
That was nerve wracking.
Doesn't matter if they have stingers.
Ooh! And they sting!
Doesn't matter what it is,
it's all fair game when we're out there night herping.
Flashlights on.
Let's see what we can find.
(suspenseful rhythmic music)
That's one of the tough things
about the rainforest at night.
You wanna move quick.
You look up in the trees.
You're like, "Okay, nothing there,"
and you wanna move on to the next spot,
but there's so many places for different animals to hide,
and I'm trying to spot lizards in the trees right now,
and so far, nothing.
(suspenseful music)
Wow!
Look at that.
Those are army ants.
- [Cameraman] Wow.
- [Coyote] And they are busy at work right now.
Look at this, an entire trail of them.
Some of them are carrying food.
You have a bunch of workers here.
- [Cameraman] They're so fast.
- [Coyote] Those soldiers are impressive.
Look at this.
Let me pick him up.
Woo!
Look at that guy.
- [Cameraman] That's a soldier?
- [Coyote] That is a soldier right there.
Look at those mandibles.
- [Cameraman] They bite?
- [Coyote] Ooh!
Yes!
Look at that.
Aah, aah!
(groans)
His mandible is digging into my finger there.
Look at that.
Ooh! And they sting!
Ooh!
- [Cameraman] You got stung?
- Yeah.
He's stinging me and biting me.
Aah, aah, aah, aah!
Get off, off, off, off, off, off.
(panting)
I can't get him off.
Aah!
(groans)
Wow.
- [Cameraman] I didn't know they stung.
- No, those mandibles are like, yow.
Look at that.
That is blood drawn.
Those mandibles are like fish hooks.
Wow.
Ho, mackerel.
Yep.
Ooh, that's burning.
Mm-hmm, okay.
Let me tell you what you don't wanna get swarmed by.
Army ants.
Whoa, my finger tip is burning.
- [Cameraman] Coyote, why are some bigger?
- Whoa.
Ooh, what is that?
Ooh, that's some kind of bee creature.
Look out, look out.
Coming for the light.
Dude, it's all right.
Don't let it sting you.
- [Lighting Man] (mumbles) we're under attack.
- [Coyote] Is it on you?
- Yeah, it is. - Ooh it is!
Don't move, don't move, don't move.
Let me see what it is before...
Back up a step, guys.
We're right in the middle of these ants.
Back up, back up, back up.
Let me check you. Hold on.
That was a large sort of wasp creature.
Could be warrior wasp.
There it is.
- Oh, jeez.
- Okay, don't move.
- [Cameraman] That's one of those night wasps.
- Nope, that's some sort of a solitary bee.
Don't move.
(cameraman mumbling)
It is golden.
That is really pretty.
That 100% stings, just so you know.
Don't move.
Let him go.
Okay. Hoo, did you see that?
- [Cameraman] Yeah, it almost hit him in the eye.
- That was brave, buddy.
That was good.
Okay, let's move past the army ants
and look for some reptiles.
Yikes!
(suspenseful music)
Wow.
Look at that.
It's a little tiny eyelash viper.
Look at that.
Just curled up in a little ball there.
Gotta keep my eye on him, 'cause he could strike me.
They are venomous, but not incredibly potent.
They are rather docile.
Certainly not something I want to try
to just catch barehanded.
And you'll notice that this one is green and brown.
Now, there are multiple different color phases
of the eyelash viper, especially here in Costa Rica.
We have seen a yellow one.
Remember that episode from last year?
That was pretty cool.
But I've never seen a green and brown one.
Wow.
Very pretty snake.
Okay, well, let's keep searching.
Okay, we've got a turnip-tailed gecko right there.
I'm gonna try to get it.
Got him.
- [Cameraman] Nice grab.
- [Coyote] Whoa, nice.
- [Cameraman] That's a good one.
- Look at that.
One ferocious little beast right there.
That is a turnip-tailed gecko.
Look, you can tell that this gecko
has detached its tail before, right there.
You see where the new tail is growing in.
So at some point, this little creature escaped a predator.
And tonight it was captured by a coyote,
but the good news for it is that I don't eat geckos,
so you're gonna go back up on those palm leaves.
So soft, too.
It's skin is just like velvet.
Awesome!
I love geckos.
All right, come on.
You see that?
That's a huge roach, isn't it?
- [Cameraman] Yeah, that is a giant roach.
- [Coyote] Do those bite?
- [Cameraman] I don't think so.
- Okay.
Okay, I think I can catch that.
Yes, I can catch that. (laughs)
I say.
I'm like hesitating.
I'm like, "I see some vines.
"I think I can get up to there."
I'm gonna take off my packs.
These are like Tarzan vines.
Got it.
- [Cameraman] Make sure he doesn't fly away
- Oh, man.
Those legs are pinchy.
I got it, I got it.
- [Cameraman] Nice, nice, nice.
Careful coming down.
- Oh man.
It's legs are super pinchy.
Ouch.
I'm gonna put it in my pocket.
Hold on.
Aah.
Oh, this is creepy.
It's like a little alien.
Aah, I can't get my shirt pocket open.
Hold on.
Come on.
Oh, it's making, it smells like,
it smells like syrup.
Get in there, get in there.
Okay.
Yes!
Whoa, buddy!
Look at that.
Ow!
Ow, hold on.
Ow, ow, ow, ow.
- [Cameraman] Is it biting you?
- No, the legs are like thorns.
Now, it doesn't look as if it has
any biting mechanisms on the front of its face,
but my hand is still shaking because,
ooh, it's such a little creepy crawly.
Look at that, how big and juicy that abdomen is.
My goodness.
Is that an enormous roach or what?
- [Cameraman] That is big.
(mumbles) pushing three inches.
- Yeah.
Can you guys smell that?
It's emitting a smell that smells just like maple syrup.
Ooh, ooh, stop moving.
Just sit still, please.
Well, that was quite the catch, wasn't it?
- [Cameraman] Yeah.
You had to climb way up there for that.
- Oh, totally worth it for a bug
that is this creepy looking.
Ooh, I think he's pooping.
He is. Look at that.
That's a little roach turd right there.
Oh, I'm sorry, buddy.
You're probably really scared, I know.
It is spiking me.
I'm gonna try to put it down in the palm of my hand
and see if it'll fly away.
You ready? - Oh, I could smell that.
- Yeah. You smell it?
Like maple syrup, huh?
(groaning)
Every time it moves,
it's like little thorns
going into the tips of my fingers.
Okay, ready?
I'm gonna put it down in the palm of my hand.
Let's see what happens.
Ooh, there he goes.
(cameraman laughing)
He's on my back.
- [Crew Member] Oh my gosh, he's huge.
- Oh, where is he going?
Oh, where is he going?
There he is.
Oh, he's going onto my hand.
Look at that.
Oh, he pooped on me.
Gross.
There he is, there he is.
Hi, buddy.
Oh, come over here.
Wow, look at that.
There we go.
Now I got a better hold on him.
Okay, here we go.
I'm gonna let him go right back on his tree.
Bye, buddy.
Wow, that was a big insect.
All right, let's find some reptiles.
Now, we definitely need to move slow through here.
Look at how dense all of these leaves are,
perfect for camouflaging pit vipers.
I think I see it right here.
- [Cameraman] There you go.
- Oh, my big coral snake.
- [Cameraman] Where is it?
- Right there, right there, right there.
Hold on, I gotta identify it first.
Ah, I got the back of its tail underneath the net.
See it?
- [Cameraman] Ooh, it looks just like a coral snake.
- Oh, no, it's not.
It's a false coral snake.
Ah-hah!
- [Cameraman] Are you sure?
- Yep.
This is called a calico snake. Hold on.
Still slightly venomous,
but only towards lizards and little frogs.
Still don't wanna be bitten, though.
They're--
- [Cameraman] Whoa.
- They are rear fanged.
Okay, let me turn for you like that.
Whoa, that was nerve wracking for a second there.
I just lunged down on it.
I saw the black and the orange striping.
Wow, look at that.
He's being very calm.
I'll lay it in the palm of my hands.
Look at that.
Wow, what a gorgeous snake.
Definitely the most beautiful snake we've seen, oh,
definitely the most beautiful snake we have seen tonight.
Now, this is a colubrid, like I said, rear fanged,
slightly toxic, but only toward their prey.
They specialize in catching small lizards
and other invertebrates, maybe even frogs.
We've seen a lot of little dirt frogs out here tonight,
and that is what this snake is mostly likely hunting for.
Wow.
It's body is so smooth.
Now, they're, oh boy.
Such quick movements, just like a coral snake.
They're known as false coral snakes
because look at the pattern on this snake's body.
If you were to just see this
moving quickly through the leaf litter,
you would probably instantaneously think to yourself,
"Coral snake," and unfortunately for these snakes,
a lot of times they're killed because locals think
that they are deadly.
Now, one term that you oftentimes hear me use
is aposematic coloration, which means
I'm brightly colored to warn potential predators
that I'm either venomous or poisonous.
In this case, this snake is slightly toxic.
Now, it's venom is used to catch its prey,
but the bright coloration will warn a predator
that perhaps I am a coral snake, and if I bite you,
it could be the last animal that you ever mess with.
Now, in the United States, there is a saying,
red on black, friend of Jack.
Red on yellow, kill a fellow.
That's in regard to coral snakes.
Now here in Costa Rica, you cannot apply that rhyme,
because there's so many different variations.
In fact, there are some coral snakes here
that do have red on black,
some that are just red and black completely,
some that are just orange and yellow.
There are so many different varieties.
All of them are potentially dangerous.
Even a snake like this, even though I know it's safe,
if you were to a snake that's any color on black,
it's best to just admire it from a safe distance.
Wow.
So cool.
Look how calm this snake is being.
That's amazing.
Feels like a rubber noodle.
That's awesome.
I think it's about time to get this snake
back off into the rainforest.
But it was a pretty epic adventure,
and we came across some pretty amazing species,
from the turnip-tailed gecko to that enormous roach,
and then of course, the calico snake,
which mimics the potentially deadly coral snake.
I'm Coyote Peterson.
Be brave.
Stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
All right little snake.
See you later.
(dramatic music)
If you thought this expedition
into the darkness of the Costa Rican night was exciting,
make sure to go back and check out the animals
that we found in Texas.
And don't forget, subscribe so you can join me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.
If we disturb that, we are going to be swarmed
by extremely painful stinging wasps.
(bird song)