- Wooo, look at that.
- [Mark] Whoah man, that is a long snake.
- [Coyote] Now this is a nocturnal and an arboreal species,
which means that they're out in the trees
at night hunting for their prey.
Now they
(vinyl record scratching)
Oh man. - Oh jeez.
(tropical adventurous music)
- What's going on Coyote pack?
Right now, we are on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica,
and for the past two weeks, we've been staying
at the Costa Rican Amphibian Research Center Reserve.
Just across this bridge right here is the rainforest.
And every single night we've been out there
looking for animals.
Now the one thing I love to do when I'm on location,
is to take an entire evening to see how many animals
we can get in front of the camera.
So we've got Mark there right behind the lens.
- [Mark] What's up guys?
- We've got Mario over here.
- Hi guys.
- [Mark] There he is.
- And of course, the rest of the crew
right there behind the scenes.
Now it did rain today, so I must add.
(sloshing)
That it's gonna be pretty muddy.
- [Mike] Yikes.
- But if you guys are ready, let's head out there
and find some creatures.
- [Mark] What do you say Mario?
Let's do it, right?
- Let's do it.
- [Mark] Alright, let's go.
- [Coyote] Here we go, off into the rainforest.
Good news is, I already hear frogs,
so we're gonna find something.
You really have to take your time,
when you're searching in the rainforest,
because everything is so incredibly camouflaged.
Nothing there.
You move slow, because you also have to watch out
for venomous snakes everywhere that you step.
Oh, here we go.
There's our first animal.
Alright, Mark.
- [Mark] What do you got?
- I'm gonna lower my flashlight,
just kind of frame your shot in this general area,
and tell me if you can see what I just saw.
See if the audience can recognize it.
- [Mark] I can't see any eyes shining.
Oh I see it.
There it is.
- [Coyote] Do you know what that is?
- [Mark] That is a walking stick, right?
- [Coyote] You're absolutely right.
Let me just grab onto it here.
Whoah, come here, buddy.
Awesome.
These are usually pretty difficult to see,
because look at it.
It looks just like a sick or a piece of straw.
- [Mark] That is awesome.
Do those things bite?
- They do not, which is good news for me.
Watch this, I'm just gonna let it walk on my face.
It's one of the few creatures that I'm completely
comfortable letting do this.
- [Mark] Ah, it might poke you in the eye.
- Now the reason that I did that is to show you guys
just how good they can climb.
And look at that, they're actually capable
of hanging upside down.
They have these little hooks on the bottoms
of their feet, which allow them to be completely mobile
no matter where they are climbing.
Okay, I'm gonna try to bring it back down here
and put him on the tree.
Oh, come here buddy.
Let's try to find something a little more dangerous
than the walking stick.
Very cool first animal, though.
(suspenseful music)
Definitely watch where you're walking Mark.
- [Mark] Yeah, I'm trying to keep an eye out.
- It's crazy.
In the two weeks we've been here,
we have seen so many snakes.
It's like you just step and you're like, whoah,
there's a snake curled up right there.
- [Mark] Now, would a fer-de-lance be below the water
or do they stay on the surface?
- Yep, they would be staying right up on top.
But they would be curled up in a ball
and almost impossible to see.
Come on, come on, come on.
- [Mark] Got it.
Where is he?
- [Coyote] Right there, coming to the surface,
do you see it?
Got it!
Yes!
- [Mark] Nice snag.
- The one handed grab.
My favorite way to catch mud turtles.
Alright, let's track it back this way,
and get up onto the embankment.
- [Mark] Alright, cool.
- Yes!
Wooo, look at you.
Snapping at me.
That is a white-lipped mud turtle
and they can be pretty aggressive.
Let's see what that bite is like.
I don't know, should I do it?
- [Mark] I don't know, what do you think,
is it gonna hurt?
- I think it's probably gonna hurt.
Let's see.
Ach, yeah that hurts.
Look at that though.
Just like the neck of a snapping turtle.
Look at that, oh, it didn't break skin.
Thank you, I appreciate that.
The eyes almost look like the eyes of a snapping turtle.
And then they have that masked structure
right on the sides of the cheeks
and that very distinct white nose and beak.
Well cool, second animal of the night.
And you guys know I can never resist catching turtles.
Ready to put him back?
- [Mark] Let's do it.
- [Coyote] Okay.
(atmospheric music)
There's a monstrous tarantula that lives
right in the crux of that tree.
I think I can kind of put this in front
of the tarantula and get it to pop up out of the hole
and then maybe grab ahold of it.
- [Mark] Alright man, good luck.
- Wow, it's so quick.
There's just no good way.
- [Mark] Alright, let's go guys.
- [Mario] Oh right here, look at this guy, he's huge.
- [Mark] Whoah, what is that?
- [Mario] Big tarantula.
- [Coyote] That is a huge tarantula.
Okay, well, we go after one tarantula,
and he's actually smaller than this.
This looks like it's a male.
Boy, I'm tempted to try to pick it up,
but I'm not %100 percent sure what species this is.
Now, I know my spiders that are in Arizona,
but the ones here in the rainforest of Costa Rica,
it's like, I just don't know if it's worth the risk
trying to handle it.
It is very very flighty.
I'm gonna try to just pin it, ready?
- [Mark] This is risky.
- [Coyote] Oh look out Mark, it's on your leg.
- [Mario] Mark, it's on you.
- [Coyote] Don't move, don't move.
- [Mario] It's on you man.
- [Coyote] Don't move, don't move.
Okay, let me try that again.
It's very strong.
- [Mark] Okay you got him.
- [Coyote] There we go.
(suspenseful music intensifies)
Okay.
Okay, now we got it under control.
That's a big spider.
Now I am going to go ahead and set it down
on my hand.
Oop, just jumped right off me, okay.
Has no interest in just hanging out,
but there it is, back on the floor of the forest.
Well if there's anything that can possibly
give you a nightmare out here in this rainforest,
it's definitely a giant fuzzy tarantula.
Alright, let's keep moving and see what else we can find.
A lot of vine tangles.
Oh, here we go look at this.
- [Mark] Oh, you got a snake.
- Yeah.
That is a blunt-headed snake.
Look at that, just all curled up in the vines.
- [Mark] Look at his eyes.
Is that venomous?
- Mildly venomous.
But rear fanged, and they are not prone to biting, so,
keeping my fingers crossed on this one.
Wait 'til you see how long and slender this snake is.
They often times do musk,
as a secondary defense.
Wooo, look at that.
- [Mark] Whoah man, that is a long snake.
- Wow, look at that snake.
Oh no, it is, it's musking all over me.
Oh no, I knew it was gonna happen.
I was trying to be as gentle as possible.
The most interesting aspect, look at those eyes.
Enormous eyes.
Its head is mostly eyeballs.
Now this is a nocturnal and an arboreal species,
which means that they're out in the trees at night
hunting for their prey.
Now they
(vinyl record scratches)
Oh man. - Oh jeez.
- [Coyote] You rolling?
- [Mark] Yeah, I'm rolling.
- Well, there is nothing more dangerous
than that moment right there.
Now there is no question about it.
I just had my butt inches away
from that fer-de-lance
Why don't you hold on to that for us, Mario,
wildlife biologist can wrangle that.
I am going to gently move this fer-de-lance out of the way.
Okay?
- [Mark] Sure.
- Look at that.
This snake doesn't want to strike unless it is threatened,
so it felt as long as I stayed there
and I was perfectly camouflaged,
maybe nobody would notice me,
and we'd just keep our focus on that blunt-headed snake.
Thank you little fer-de-lance for not tagging me,
because even a fer-de-lance of this size
would send me to the hospital.
Okay, I'm gonna place him over here in the leaves,
set him down, and let him take off.
Ready?
(suspenseful music)
There you go.
(sighs)
Every once in a while, you just say thank you
to the universe for letting you escape completely unscathed
when you get that close to a very dangerous snake.
Wow, okay, back to the blunt-headed snake.
Woo, that was a close one.
Alright, Mario, let's bring that snake back in
and continue this intense snake segment.
Now I was saying, look at those eyes.
They are so enormous.
This snake's head is all eyeballs.
That's because they're out here hunting at night.
This gives them good vision.
Now what they focus on is small lizards.
So let's say it's an anole or a gecko,
this snake will sneak up on it.
You can see how it can stay completely still.
Look at that, looks just like a vine.
So if a little gecko's wandering around on a leaf
right there, and then the snake strikes out
and is able to consume it.
Very very cool.
Well, we've got a snake that is relatively safe,
and then a relatively snake that was incredibly dangerous
right next to me.
Pretty good opportunity to give you guys
a good look at some of the reptiles that are here
in the rainforest.
Alright, let's put this one back into the tree
and watch our step where we're going.
We'll see you later.
Let's definitely look in here, it's a good spot
for insects and arachnids.
- [Mark] Let me get across here.
- Oh, there's a scorpion right there.
- [Mark] Where?
- Look at that.
- [Mark] Oh jeez.
Oh wow, that's a good sized one for the rainforest.
- [Coyote] A decent size, yeah.
Here's what I'm gonna do.
I'm gonna pin it with my flashlight.
You got a shot on it?
I'll be as gentle as possible.
This isn't going to hurt the scorpion in any way.
It's probably going to get pretty angry though.
- [Mark] Okay I'm ready.
- [Coyote] Here we go.
I got it.
Wooo!
(laughs)
I do believe this is the blue mountain scorpion,
a rather rare species that is pretty newly discovered.
I wonder what would happen if I let go of its tail.
Think it would sting me?
- [Mark] No, I doubt it.
- There you go.
You can see the stinger's completely curled up
underneath the tail.
Wow.
- [Mark] Get your heart racing a little bit
when you let the stinger go like that?
- A little bit.
It's been an on edge sort of night after
that fer-de-lance encounter.
And now to free handle a scorpion.
But, always cool to come across any sort
of creepy crawly out here.
Alright, let's let him back up onto these boards
and see what else we can come across.
You ready?
- [Mark] Yep.
- [Coyote] Oh boy, oh boy,
no no no no no no,
let's do this,
oh no, I do not want to agitate the scorpion.
Wooo!
Scorpion safe down into that crevice.
I tell you what, free handling one of those arachnids
definitely gets your heart rate going.
Okay, lets keep 'em going guys.
Guys let's move up this way.
- Okay.
Whoah, whoah.
- [Mark] Whatcha got?
- [Mario] We got a venomous snake, Coyote.
- [Coyote] What?
- [Mario] Yep.
- [Coyote] Where?
- [Mario] Right here.
Watch your step.
- [Coyote] I just walked right past there.
- [Mario] It's really camouflaged.
- [Coyote] Ooh, is it another fer-de-lance?
- [Mario] No no, it's actually a jumping pit viper.
- [Coyote] Oh my gosh.
- [Mario] Look at that pattern.
- [Coyote] How did I miss that?
I literally just walked right over the top
of this log and I looked down where I was stepping,
but I did not look to the side.
Alright, let's get it off the log.
This is definitely one worth getting up close
for the cameras.
They call them jumping pit vipers because
they will lung out.
Gently pick it up with the snake hook here.
They tend to stay pretty docile.
There we go.
Woo, look at that robust body.
Okay, back it up slowly here.
Alright, I go the snake under control here.
I'm gonna move down real slowly.
Now like a water moccassin, they will oftentimes
just curl up into a ball and display
their white mouths.
Let's see, look at that, totally calm.
Very unlike the fer-de-lance, which is a very
skittish, snappy snake.
I'm gonna get a little lower there,
still out of the strike zone, but I want
to be very careful.
I'm looking this snake right in the eye.
And I can tell it's a pit viper,
not only from the shape of its head,
but look at the distinct pits right behind the nostrils.
Let's see if I can point that out.
Look right there.
That's how they sense heat and not only their prey,
but also potential predators.
So right now, this snake is thinking, ooh,
got these big bright lights,
got all these human bodies, way too big to consume,
so I better just keep myself calm and collected.
Alright, Mark, I'm gonna hold it up
just a little bit, so you can get a better look at it.
Now the bite from this snake is very powerful.
They're actually referred to as the pit bull
of the pit viper family.
And when they bite they hold on, scrunch up their face
to protect their eyes and they do not let go.
So getting tagged by this snake,
would be really really bad for me.
Pretty cool though, getting up close
with the jumping pit viper.
Alright, back in the forest with this one.
Come on little buddy, back up on your log.
This is so cool, I just wanted to stop for a moment
and show this to you guys.
Look at this.
There is water just flowing through the forest right now.
We have had so much rain over the past couple of days,
the forest is alive with frog sounds,
and snakes moving about hunting,
but here, I'm gonna kinda turn like this.
Look up that pathway, this is just water flowing
through the forest.
- [Mark] And this is not a stream.
- No, this is not a stream.
This is just a path through the middle of the forest
that has water flowing through it,
which is great for us to be able to find animals.
So the environment is rich
and hopefully we're gonna come across more great things.
Let's keep going.
(mellow adventurous music)
There's a glass frog right there,
right there on that leaf.
- [Mark] Is that what's making that peep?
- I don't know if that one's making that exactly,
but that's a glass frog.
Got him.
- [Mark] Okay, cool.
- Yes, okay.
Double check for snakes, think we're good.
There he is.
Look at that little guy.
- [Mark] Whoah, look at his eyes.
- [Coyote] You know who it looks like?
Kermit the frog.
And actually Kermit was designed
off of this exact frog species.
Now they call them glass frogs because
their bodies are semi-translucent, especially on the body.
Actually some species, I can't tell with this one,
let me hold him up here for you.
- [Mark] No that one has a white bottom.
- It has a white bottom, okay.
Some of them have bellies that are completely clear
and you can actually see the organs moving inside.
That is one adorable frog.
Now up against the light like that,
its body is semi-translucent.
I can actually see some of the organs and veins
in there pumping, working away,
keeping this frog alive.
- [Mark] Alright, let's let him go.
- Alright, let's do this.
I'm gonna try to just let him hop
right back up onto this leaf.
(suspenseful tribal music)
Light, light light.
Got it.
- [Mario] Oh, that's a coral snake.
- [Coyote] That is a coral snake.
- [Mark] That's a very dangerous snake.
- [Coyote] Yes, that is a very dangerous snake.
Is it a coral?
Yeah.
That is %100 percent a coral snake.
You do not want to be bitten by this snake.
Now this does not have hinged fangs
like a pit viper.
They have small fixed fangs,
but they are extremely venomous.
Why don't I pin its head and get it under control.
- [Mark] You sure you want to head that?
Oh my goodness.
- Wow.
The best way for us to present this snake,
because it was moving so much, was for me
to actually just head it and get it under control.
That is an enormous coral snake, is it not?
- [Mario] Yeah.
- The biggest one you've ever seen?
- [Mario] Yep.
- They are incredibly fast, incredibly strong
and the venom is incredibly potent.
Being bitten by this snake would be just as bad
as being bitten by a fer-de-lance.
I can't believe how many snakes are out here
and on the move tonight.
Unbelievable, now, it is musking a little bit.
It was very scared when we came up on it,
and moved very quickly and I was able to
gently grab ahold of it with the snake tongs.
And I have a good fixed hold on the head.
Gentle, yet controlled, as you can see there.
And it is just, wow, look at the irridescence
to the scales.
Can your camera pick that up?
- [Mark] Yeah, it is a beautiful snake.
That is really impressive.
- Now the bright coloration of this snake
goes in line with the aposematic term
that I often use with the poison frogs.
Anything that has bright coloration is a warning
that I am toxic.
And in this case, it's a venomous snake,
not a poisonous frog.
And again, a bite from this snake would send me
to the hospital.
Now most of the snakes that we have come across
so far here in Costa Rica are pit vipers,
but this one is an elapid.
They are actually related to cobras
with a very very potent venom.
(sighs)
Well it certainly has been the night of serpents,
between my close call with the fer-de-lance
and then of course, that jumping pit viper
and now, the coral snake.
I'll just be happy when we get this one
back off into the rainforest.
I'm Coyote Petersen.
Be brave, stay wild.
We'll see you on the next adventure.
If you thought the creatures on the eastern side
of Costa Rica were creepy looking,
make sure to go back and watch the episode
that follows our adventure into the western rainforest,
where I get up close with a giant cockroach.
And don't forget, subscribe,
so you can join me and the crew
on this season of Breaking Trail.
(adventurous music)
(coyote howling)