- Hey guys, Coyote Peterson here.
Right now we're out filming my new series, Dragon Tails.
And before I get you guys up close with some giant turtles,
I'm gonna take a look back at the top 10 predators
from the first season of Breaking Trail.
(upbeat wild music)
If there is one thing that is for certain
when looking back on season one of Breaking Trail
it's that we encountered or worked with
some of North America's most iconic predators.
Let's just sneak up slow on this,
and try not to startle anything that might be out.
Uh yeah, there could be alligators,
so just be aware.
From right at home in central Ohio
with giant snapping turtles.
Wow, that's about as close as you wanna get
your face to the face of a snapping turtle.
Down into southern Florida with
endangered American crocodiles.
You see those teeth right on his jaw line there,
those are about as sharp as razor blades.
And (laughs) you don't want those sinking
into your hand.
Out to the nighttime deserts of Arizona
with some creepy crawlies.
Thankfully they don't eat coyotes.
And all the way into the back country of Montana
to work with a grizzly bear.
(bear growling)
I have come face to face with some serious sets of jaws,
claws, teeth, and animal attitude.
Let's take a look back at this season's
top predator encounters.
The first location we filmed in season one
needs no introduction, the epic Florida Everglades.
While working on a private wildlife preserve,
we were given the opportunity
to get close with a prehistoric looking reptile that,
for me, was one of the most memorable captures
of my life.
Something's, OK something's moving right here.
Hold on!
Keep up, keep up!
Move it, move it, move it!
It's a turtle!
It's huge.
It is huge.
It's an alligator snapping turtle.
Hold on, let me bring it back around this way.
Wow.
Can you believe the size of that turtle?
Holy cow.
Look at that swamp beast.
My goodness.
What an absolute dinosaur.
The alligator snapping turtle no longer ranges
as far south as the Everglades,
but the most iconic reptile of this area
was around each and every turn.
I can see him from this height.
It looks like pretty good sized alligator.
My heart is racing right now.
And trust me, you have to respect
the American alligator.
(upbeat music)
Whew!
Wow!
OK.
Now that is the American alligator.
I think this episode was probably
the most dangerous to film.
These reptiles are built like tanks.
Yeah, he said, all right, I've had enough of
the under water business.
And as many of you witnessed,
down to the last parting shot,
everything was a close call.
See you later, buddy.
Wow!
From the saw grass swamps
to the cactus covered deserts of Arizona,
predators are everywhere.
Some slither, but we found that the top hunters
in the desert were actually covered
in more legs than most of us care to deal with.
Scorpions, as we saw, are about as quick and creepy
as it gets,
armed with pincers and a venom injecting stinger,
which of course I got my own dose of.
I'm Coyote Peterson,
and I'm entering the strike zone.
One, two, three.
(screams)
Jeez, yep, he got me.
That wasn't that bad.
Then there were the close encounters
of the spider kind.
And there you have it,
one big spider.
Wow.
There we go.
Now this is in no way
causing any injury to the spider.
It just will allow me to kinda get him up
so you guys can see those fangs.
I'll tell you what,
if you're a moth or any of the other little bugs
that run out here in this wash,
you meet up with that set of fangs,
it's gonna be the last meeting you ever have.
Giant fangs in the dark of night
are guaranteed to get your heart racing.
But there's no question as to which species
was the top assassin of the sands.
All you guys out there who are afraid of spiders,
meet your new nightmare.
This is the giant desert centipede.
I don't think I've ever been more nervous
working with an animal.
One really interesting feature
about this centipede
is see how he's got that dark spot on his tail
and those two little, oh!
That was close to my hand.
Lightning quick, very painful venom,
and a creepy factor that is quite simply
off the charts.
Now, you may be afraid of spiders and snakes,
but I'll tell you what,
if you really wanna be afraid of something
that's out here in the desert crawling around at night,
my money's going on the giant desert centipede.
Now tell me that's not something
that's gonna give you nightmares.
Arizona was epic, but nothing takes your breath away
like the beauty of Montana.
We had the chance to work with some of
the top predatory mammals,
which was a very unique experience
in that we could never get this close
to these animals in the wild.
Each and every one was provided for us,
but at no time did that make the encounters
any less dangerous.
On the cute side of things,
climbing up a tree after a pine marten was pretty awesome.
I'm gonna make a reach for her,
and I'm gonna be as gentle as possible,
so I'm at risk taking a bite.
Caught her.
Whew.
I've worked with venomous snakes,
snapping turtles, and a number of different other creatures,
but my heart is racing right now
climbing up a tree
holding onto a pine marten.
And while she may be adorable,
this member of the weasel family
is one of the most lethal assassins
in the United States.
They spend most of their time
up there hunting for squirrels,
which is their primary source of food.
And what they will do is chase squirrels through the trees,
lunge, actually can grab them out of midair,
and then they wanna bite to the back of the neck.
And you see those long little canine teeth there
are perfect for inflicting that death wound.
And then of course they have their meal.
If you were to ask me personally
what the greatest encounter was of season one,
I'd likely tell you it was my time spent
with the American badger.
That is the American badger.
Since childhood, I have wanted to be this close
to a badger.
And now here I am, just inches from that face.
I've loved badgers my entire life.
And it's just so cool being this close
with a badger.
Getting to film literally in the strike zone.
All right, don't bite my finger though.
And to share a moment this close
with a creature made famous for its ornery disposition
was something I will never forget.
(badger hissing)
When it comes to the biggest predator encounter,
I think we can all agree that working with a 750 pound
grizzly bear is about as big as it gets.
It's a bear that's been raised in captivity
for educational purposes.
He is an ambassador for his species.
It is still a grizzly bear and deserves
an incredible amount of respect.
And I can see it right over my shoulder here,
and it is big.
- You're gonna come hiking through
this game trail here, across this pass,
have a camera down there
getting that perspective.
Adam will be coming back from
that game trail leading to the bushes.
There's good cover there,
so we can have somebody back there with him.
He's gonna come out as you're passing by.
And he's gonna startle you.
And you're gonna turn around.
And you're gonna do what you're supposed to do.
- I'm about to get swiped at by a grizzly bear.
Typical Saturday morning on making Breaking Trail.
Was I afraid?
Not really.
And I don't know if you can tell,
but I am extremely nervous.
Was I intimidated?
A little bit.
And that was intense,
getting swatted at by a grizzly bear.
(bear growling)
Was I in complete awe that I was getting to do
something so unbelievably cool as to show you what to do
and not do if you ever encounter a grizzly bear
in the wild?
Absolutely.
(bear growling)
Wow!
Look at that set of teeth.
Bringing you guys the first season of Breaking Trail
has been life changing.
And working with these predators
has always been my dream.
So to sum up the top predators of season one,
here we go.
Number one, the common snapping turtle.
Respect, number one thing you have to have
whenever working with the common snapping turtle.
Number two, giant desert hairy scorpion.
(screams)
Jeez, yeah, he got me.
Number three, the American crocodile.
Now just cause this guy
is only about two feet long
doesn't mean that he can't give me a pretty good bite.
Number four, desert blond tarantula.
I know for those of you out there
who have arachnophobia,
this is probably your worst nightmare.
Wow, that is a big spider right there.
Number five, American alligator.
Saw him open up his mouth.
He's saying I'm the top predator around here, Coyote.
You better have some respect for me.
And trust me, you have to respect the American alligator.
Number six, the giant desert centipede.
Now there are several animals out here
that will try to eat this centipede,
but I'll tell you what,
you don't get him the first time,
you're gonna get a bite that's gonna put you in pain
for a week.
Number seven, American pine marten.
Up a tree after a pine marten.
Caught her.
Whew!
Now the real challenge, getting back down.
Number eight, the alligator snapping turtle.
Wow, look at that mouth.
Yeah, you would not wanna get your hand
caught in the mouth of this turtle.
Number nine, the American badger.
(badger hissing)
If those sharp teeth get a hold of my fingers,
it's gonna be a bad situation.
And last, but certainly not least,
number 10, the grizzly bear.
(bear growling)
I miss that big bear.
(epic music)
If you thought that was one wild adventure,
make sure to subscribe to the Brave Wilderness channel,
and check out these other episodes,
so you can stick with us on this season of Breaking Trail.
(epic music)