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On the far side of the world
is a remote tropical island,

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carved by waterfalls
and covered in thick jungle.

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New Guinea.

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At its heart are
rugged mountains and deep gorges.

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It's one of the least
explored corners of our planet.

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Over nine months,
a team of scientists,

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adventurers and filmmakers have been
on an expedition into the unknown.

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Helped by a local tribe,
they've found some of the strangest
creatures on Earth.

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Look at that.

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Oh, wow, wow wow, wow! Jeepers!

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Now, they're leaving base camp
and striking out in two directions.

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One team is venturing
to an erupting volcano.

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Oh! It's being thrown
a kilometre into the air.

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The other team will journey deep
into an unexplored crater,

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hoping to discover
spectacular animals never seen
by the outside world.

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What is that?

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Absolutely out of this world.

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Good God, look at that.

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And they make a dramatic discovery.

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That is the biggest
I have ever seen.

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Oh, my word, have a look at this.

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New Guinea,

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the largest and most mountainous
tropical island on Earth,

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so impenetrable,
large areas remain uncharted.

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At the heart of this vast island
is Mount Bosavi, an extinct volcano.

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Oh! Climber and
naturalist Steve Backshall

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is leading the first-ever expedition
deep into its huge crater.

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This is what we do
expeditions for, places like this.

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Unimaginably beautiful,
and totally unexplored.

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Very few places in the
world left like Mount Bosavi.

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Outside the crater, they've
already found new types of frogs,

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lizards and insects.

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But inside, there could be
unknown large mammals,

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hidden from the rest of the world.

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These are the walls
of the crater rim.

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It's an almost
perfect volcanic cone.

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And what we're looking at now
is the inside wall.

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It's no wonder everyone's so
excited about getting in this place.

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It's absolutely epic.

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Discovering new mammals in the
crater would put Bosavi on the map

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and hopefully lead
to its protection.

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Loggers are just south of the
mountain and moving closer.

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High on the crater rim,
there's a small gap in the trees.

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The local Kasua tribe
have agreed to meet Steve here.

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They've given their blessing
for the team to enter this,

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their most sacred land.

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The head of the clan that owns
Bosavi is bringing up some magic,

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he's singing us into the crater,

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he's opening it for us so
that the nature will be

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allowing us in there and not angry
with us for going into the crater.

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And we have to walk
under the magic stick.

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Even the Kasua rarely come here.

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Fiercely territorial,
this is the first time

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they've guided an expedition
into their magical crater.

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It's very steep and very wet.

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Have to go very slowly.

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Well done.

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The clouds are just
coming up to meet us.

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Down there...

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is a genuine lost world.

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Just don't want to take
a wrong step here, anywhere.

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They need to find somewhere
to build a rough camp.

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Only then can they call in
the rest of the team.

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Outside the crater,
at the foot of Mount Bosavi,

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the old base camp is packed up.

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For now, intrepid
bug expert George McGavin

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is venturing off on a side trip.

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We're going.

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Very excited about this indeed.

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George will be searching
for wildlife on the slopes of
a very different volcano.

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One that's erupting.

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It's 700 miles to the east,
on the island of New Britain.

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Recently it's been quiet,
but it could go off at any time.

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Mile after mile is choked with ash,

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but George is keen to see what,
if anything, can survive here.

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At first, it appears barren.

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It's more hell on Earth
than wildlife hotspot.

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Basically, it's just...

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just covered in ash, and there
isn't anything growing at all.

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It's all dead, and decaying.

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It smells of sulphur.

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George's first discovery

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is perilously close to the crater.

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This is a beautiful bird.
It's a brahminy kite.

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The fact that it's flying around here

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means that there has to be
enough food for it to eat.

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Although I can't see much for it
to eat, but it clearly is hunting.

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If it's not careful it'll be
hit by a rock in a minute.

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It seems to be flying very
close to the crater there.

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A bird of prey is a promising sign,

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but George must also keep an
eye out for flying rocks.

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Mount Bosavi was once
an active volcano.

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It stopped erupting 200,000 years
ago, and rainforest took over.

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Since then it's remained unchanged,
untouched and unexplored.

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Steve and the team are following a
river to the heart of the crater.

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It's slow going,

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but it's the best way to
cover ground in a dense jungle.

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Not a bad spot.

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Good spot.

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Shall we try and get a tarp
up before this rain starts?

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Yeah, yeah.

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Shelter is essential.

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New Guinea is one of the
wettest places on Earth.

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It can pour for days on end.

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The Kasua tribe come from the
outer slopes of the mountain.

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These old men remember a time before
any contact with the outside world,

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when their clan were cannibals.

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They said their fathers were
great warriors and used to battle
with nearby clans quite often,

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but they also have,
it seems, very vivid memories

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of them actually killing and
eating their enemies.

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The chief here is describing how
he remembers them cutting the thighs

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into halves and putting them on
stone fires to cook them,

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and it seems that it was not
so much a ceremonial thing

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but actually just
for the meat, for the protein,
for the fact that meat was

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quite scarce around here and to have
human meat was as good as anything.

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They no longer eat people, but
they are still expert hunters,

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totally at home in this jungle.

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Without the tribe,
the expedition would be lost.

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200,000 years ago, Mount Bosavi
would have looked like this,

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hostile and desolate.

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But George knows better than
anyone where to find signs of life.

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This is definitely where
I'd expect to find something.

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Oh! Aha!

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Look at that, baby! Look at that.

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A rhinoceros beetle larva.

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It's a whopper. Look at that.

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Head's up here, big jaws,

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and they just eat this decaying
wood and fibre.

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Going to have to put him
down somewhere.

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Put him on there while I attack
the rest of this.

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Ah!

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Ha ha!

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There's the adult.

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So there...

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is what this will become eventually.

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Rhinoceros beetle.

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Absolutely brilliant.

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Some creatures endure the volcano,
others actually seek it out.

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I can see two birds that look
like sort of large hens.

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They're megapode birds,
and, bizarrely,

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they depend on this active volcano.

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In the Bosavi crater,
Steve and the trackers fan out to
explore for the first time.

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Steve will climb, crawl and swim the
rivers to find out what lives here.

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Chief Sigaro and the trackers
search the high ground.

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In the valley, Steve stumbles
across something remarkable.

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Absolutely out of this world.

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It's a rare kind of
kangaroo that climbs trees.

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And it's probably
never seen people before.

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The fact that this animal is totally
unafraid of humans, just wandered

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straight past us, means the wildlife
here has never been hunted before -

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it hasn't seen people before.

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I never expected to have a tree
kangaroo on our first morning

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that we've been up and running.

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This is a phenomenal start,
a phenomenal start.

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It's time to call in wildlife
cameraman Gordon Buchanan.

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Gordon's mission is to film
any animal the team finds.

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Many of the rainforests that I've
been to before are quite flat.

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This is a very, very difficult
terrain, and without a doubt

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there'll be species down there that
are completely unknown to science.

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Finding and filming a large
mammal that no-one knew existed

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would be the greatest prize of all.

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But in this rugged terrain,
it's a daunting prospect.

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Gordon has with him two scientists,

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who will help to identify any
mammals the team discovers.

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Muse Opiang and Kris Helgen
set up their makeshift jungle lab.

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But Gordon has no time to unpack.

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One of the trackers has
found another tree kangaroo.

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We've just had a shout from one of
the local guys, shouting "toonape"

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which is the tree kangaroo, so I'm
hoping to catch up before it goes.
As quick as we can. Ah!

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Oh, yeah, he's here.

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Oh, goodness me.

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It's a glorious tree kangaroo,

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just literally six, seven
metres in front of me.

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For me, these animals
are the height of weird.

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They're one of the strangest
animals that live in this forest,

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I think because they're
recognisable, they're kangaroos,

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but these kangaroos live
in the trees.

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It's like a cross between
a koala bear and a kangaroo.

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Oh, he's very cute.

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Really short, stocky build.

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Huge claws. The nails must be
about two to three inches long.

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Oh, yes, he's eating, oh, lovely.

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Now that's a really good sign,

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because animals that feed
are relaxed.

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100%, this animal will never
have seen a human being before,

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so that's why we're able to stay
as close as this, as we are.

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Tree kangaroos are incredibly rare.

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Outside the crater, they're heavily
hunted and afraid of people.

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Inside,
they aren't bothered by humans.

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George's volcano could
go off at any time,

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but he's too engrossed to care.

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He's hot on the trail of
the peculiar megapode bird.

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One of them's just landed
really clumsily on that branch

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and thrown up a whole shower of ash.

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It's very hard to get close to
these birds, they're very skittish.

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(I reckon if we inch
forward to this ridge...)

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(They've landed, they're down.
There's two just on the ground

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(over there.)

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Unlike any other bird, megapodes
bury their eggs deep in the ash,

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and let the warmth
of the volcano incubate them.

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(The megapode egg-laying site
is just down there.)

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If George is to find an egg,

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he must wait for them to finish
and hope the volcano stays quiet.

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Mount Bosavi is extinct now,
but the eruption left behind

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this crater four miles wide,
enclosed by towering walls.

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Steve's still out
exploring the river...

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..but it's not just the
rocks that are treacherous.

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This plant is making
life here absolute hell.

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They're everywhere and
they're called a stinging tree.

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On the underside of each leaf
are thousands of little hairs

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all filled with poison,

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and the sting, actually, can carry
on going for two or three months.

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Ow!

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Serves me right!

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Every little stream is investigated.

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Any one might hide a surprise.

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Sticking up out of this vine
are lots of little twigs,

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except they're not twigs,

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they're leeches, just waiting
for something to walk past.

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They're switched on by
warmth and also by

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the carbon dioxide you breathe out,
and if I just breathe on them...

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Look at that.
Instantly feeling around

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for the source of it.

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Looking for a blood meal.

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I hate them!

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Steve may hate them,

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but leeches mean there must be lots
of warm-blooded animals to feed on.

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It's an encouraging sign
for the mammal experts.

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Kris Helgen, from the Smithsonian
Museum, is the world authority on

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identifying new mammal species.

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From the river, Steve's
brought in a fragment of skull.

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You can see the pre-molar's fallen
out and that corresponds to this too.

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When you're studying mammals,

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the dentition, the arrangement
of the teeth, the amount
of teeth that are there,

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that's one of the most
important things in figuring out
what something is.

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We're really lucky as
mammologists, because if we
find a single tooth or a

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single piece of skull, we can often
tell exactly which species it is.

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This is a mystery still,
but I'd like to find the animal

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that goes along with this skull.

240
00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,120
Let's see what we can find
in the forest.

241
00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:43,040
Wow. So I could be holding
in my hand the skull of

242
00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:45,400
a new species of mammal.

243
00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,600
Let's see where it takes us.

244
00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:55,120
Gordon and the scientists head out
to look for Bosavi's mystery mammal.

245
00:20:55,120 --> 00:21:00,760
Kris thinks it could be a new type
of cuscus, a small bear-like animal.

246
00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:03,440
There's spines on
all these branches.

247
00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:08,080
To be certain,
they'll need to catch one alive.

248
00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:12,440
It's quite a good flat area here.

249
00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:16,680
As it's such a big trap,
I need to find a big, flat space -

250
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,640
you don't want any parts
of the wire suspended.

251
00:21:19,640 --> 00:21:21,280
Chuck this up the end.

252
00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:28,000
Finding any animal, small
or large, would be a bonus.

253
00:21:28,000 --> 00:21:30,960
Everyone has their own
technique for baiting the traps.

254
00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:37,240
Tell you what, a little bit of
peanut butter never hurts as well.

255
00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:40,960
Throw that in the back there.

256
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:42,880
Smell it for miles.

257
00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:52,080
At the volcano,
George's wait is nearly over.

258
00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:55,960
Now there should be eggs
buried somewhere in the ash.

259
00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:02,280
(I think the birds have finished
laying now, so with any luck,

260
00:22:02,280 --> 00:22:06,000
(I should find some
freshly-scraped ground,

261
00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:08,800
(which might indicate
where the eggs are laid.)

262
00:22:09,920 --> 00:22:12,040
Once the megapodes leave,

263
00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:16,400
the volcano will keep the
eggs warm until they hatch.

264
00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:23,240
This looks like exactly
where they've been.

265
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:27,040
They could be as much
as two metres underground.

266
00:22:27,040 --> 00:22:30,760
I reckon down there is an egg.

267
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:40,040
When the chicks hatch out,
alone and in the pitch black,

268
00:22:40,040 --> 00:22:42,640
they claw their way to the surface.

269
00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:52,600
Well, I'm almost at...
as far as I can reach down.

270
00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:03,840
Yes! I think I've got one! Ha ha!

271
00:23:06,120 --> 00:23:12,160
There is a megapode egg.
The size of it!

272
00:23:12,160 --> 00:23:17,080
The chicks emerge well developed,
fending for themselves from day one.

273
00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:19,120
They never know their parents.

274
00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:23,680
What a tough start to life
in this tough environment.

275
00:23:30,120 --> 00:23:32,560
That was almost
a scrambled egg then!

276
00:23:34,040 --> 00:23:36,600
He returns the egg to safety,

277
00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:40,680
but nearby, animal tracks lead
him further into the danger zone.

278
00:23:53,440 --> 00:23:55,960
That's getting a little
too close for comfort.

279
00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:02,160
That's coming halfway
down the slope now, easily.

280
00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:17,440
In the crater, Gordon and
Kris are still out searching.

281
00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:19,880
No, no. It doesn't really go in.

282
00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:22,680
That broken bit's hollow.

283
00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:25,480
They're looking for
the mystery cuscus,

284
00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:28,520
the mammal whose
skull Steve found earlier.

285
00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:30,320
Have a look in there.

286
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:39,440
Oh, crikey!

287
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:42,480
You got somebody? Yeah.
Somebody's home?

288
00:24:42,480 --> 00:24:45,280
Something is holed up
in an old tree trunk,

289
00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:47,800
but it's too deep to see
what it is.

290
00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:51,400
Just sitting there.
Let me have a look in there!

291
00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:53,080
Have a look.

292
00:24:53,080 --> 00:24:55,080
God, that's the weirdest thing.

293
00:24:56,840 --> 00:24:57,880
Oh, wow.

294
00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:03,600
Gordon will have
to wait for it to emerge.

295
00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:06,160
What I want to do is just
set up, maybe over there,

296
00:25:06,160 --> 00:25:09,560
wait for it to get dark
and see what happens.

297
00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:11,520
Quite exciting.

298
00:25:14,120 --> 00:25:15,680
If it is the new type of cuscus,

299
00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:18,360
Gordon doesn't want to miss
his chance to film it.

300
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,240
It's looking pretty good.

301
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:25,760
Just see what happens
once I climb down.

302
00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:27,880
A small camera pointing
into the tree stump

303
00:25:27,880 --> 00:25:31,160
will warn him if
the animal starts to climb up.

304
00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:36,560
He can then film from a
distance without disturbing it.

305
00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:41,160
The problem with this
situation is just the waiting
for the animal to come out.

306
00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:44,000
It will definitely come out,
it's just a case of when.

307
00:25:54,960 --> 00:25:57,120
The long wait begins.

308
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:03,920
The volcano is stirring,

309
00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:07,160
but George can't resist exploring
just a little further.

310
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,480
This is what's making those tracks.

311
00:26:09,480 --> 00:26:11,600
It's really quite
a large crab, and...

312
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:13,640
Woo hoo! Ow.

313
00:26:13,640 --> 00:26:17,840
The eyes are on these little
stalks, which flick up and down,

314
00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:21,840
so that's how it keeps
its eyes out of harm's way.

315
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:26,200
But that is clearly very
at home here on this ash pile.

316
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:29,400
I mean, it's a long way from the sea.

317
00:26:29,400 --> 00:26:32,200
Crabs are scavengers.

318
00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:35,680
They've come to pick over
anything killed by the volcano.

319
00:26:40,200 --> 00:26:42,400
George must beat a hasty retreat.

320
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,680
His wildlife survey could be over.

321
00:26:44,680 --> 00:26:46,520
The volcano is kicking off.

322
00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,120
It's throwing out massive
amounts of red hot rock,

323
00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:06,800
and you can hear the bangs as they
hit the ground, the great thumps.

324
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:10,000
Look at that.

325
00:27:14,560 --> 00:27:16,360
Oh, this is incredible.

326
00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:21,200
I mean, it's fantastic to be this
close to an active volcano.

327
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:24,400
It's throwing out massive
amounts of hot rock, red-hot rock.

328
00:27:24,400 --> 00:27:26,760
It's throwing them
a kilometre in the air.

329
00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:32,760
That is one of the most spectacular
sights I think I've ever seen.

330
00:27:34,760 --> 00:27:40,240
This is an infra-red camera, so
it's able to see all the hot stuff,

331
00:27:40,240 --> 00:27:43,040
which the big cameras can't see.

332
00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:50,480
When this thing erupts, you can
feel the shockwaves hitting you.

333
00:27:50,480 --> 00:27:55,960
That thing is on top of a
chamber of molten rock three

334
00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:59,040
kilometres wide and
three kilometres deep.

335
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,920
I mean, it's just...terrifying.

336
00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,760
But to be absolutely honest with you,

337
00:28:05,760 --> 00:28:09,760
I'm actually feeling quite
apprehensive, because

338
00:28:09,760 --> 00:28:12,840
this is a force that...

339
00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:15,840
just is too immense to
even think about.

340
00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:20,160
You couldn't speed away from this
in a hurry. You'd be toast.

341
00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:24,520
Good grief!

342
00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:33,280
Four hours on, and still no
sign of the unknown mammal.

343
00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:38,040
I don't often feel as if I've got
the upper hand on an animal.

344
00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:39,960
I think in this case I do,

345
00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:43,000
because I can see the monitor of the
camera that's looking straight down.

346
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:44,760
So it gives me a bit of warning.

347
00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:48,000
If he's a bit agitated from me
looking down into that tree stump

348
00:28:48,000 --> 00:28:51,720
earlier on, he might just shoot out
and I won't get any shots of him,

349
00:28:51,720 --> 00:28:53,680
but at least that camera up there,

350
00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:57,720
I can see the moment
he starts to climb up.

351
00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:01,880
This is really exciting, because
other than just two little eyes,

352
00:29:01,880 --> 00:29:04,120
I just don't know what's in there.

353
00:29:04,120 --> 00:29:08,080
It's a mammal of some sort,
but who knows what it is?

354
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:14,480
OK, he's starting to come,
he's starting to come.

355
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:18,640
Great! Come on, out you come.

356
00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:24,160
Come on, come on.

357
00:29:30,320 --> 00:29:33,000
We're evacuating camp,
and in a hurry.

358
00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:37,440
And with very good reason.

359
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:41,600
Show me, show me, show me.

360
00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:43,120
That one?

361
00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,680
That's one of the bombs
that came out.

362
00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:53,560
We thought we were safe here, we were
a long way away, and it landed here.

363
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:56,080
That would have
killed you instantly.

364
00:29:59,240 --> 00:30:01,280
So I think we should all go now.

365
00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:08,640
George's mission has
come to an abrupt end.

366
00:30:13,920 --> 00:30:18,120
In the calm of the jungle night,
Gordon's patience could be rewarded.

367
00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:20,040
He's going to come out, he will.

368
00:30:22,120 --> 00:30:24,080
Come on, come on.

369
00:30:25,680 --> 00:30:28,480
Here he comes,

370
00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:30,360
looks like a mole.

371
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:34,440
I know it's not a mole, but it's
very hard to tell what he is.

372
00:30:34,440 --> 00:30:38,200
Oh, God, my heart is beating
out of my chest, come on!

373
00:30:38,200 --> 00:30:42,000
Please, please, please... oh, there
he is, there he is, there he is!

374
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:44,200
You little beauty!

375
00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:46,840
What is that?

376
00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:50,520
Gosh.

377
00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:53,440
I haven't got a clue what he is.

378
00:30:56,640 --> 00:30:58,520
That's weird.

379
00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:00,040
That is so weird.

380
00:31:01,760 --> 00:31:05,920
OK, if he just comes out a bit more,
I can get an idea of his body shape,

381
00:31:05,920 --> 00:31:07,400
but...

382
00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:09,040
you can see his teeth...

383
00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:13,600
his eyes are shining like that
because of this infrared light

384
00:31:13,600 --> 00:31:15,880
bouncing straight back at me.

385
00:31:15,880 --> 00:31:18,520
What a pretty animal.

386
00:31:19,600 --> 00:31:24,520
OK, out you come, come on,
come on, please, just come out.

387
00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:27,680
Gosh, look at that.

388
00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:33,680
Oh, gosh, no, I think
he's trying to go off -

389
00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:35,760
he's going to try and grab a limb

390
00:31:35,760 --> 00:31:37,720
and go off, oh, there.

391
00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:42,880
There could well be new species
living here in the crater,

392
00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:47,960
and my job is to get shots of them,
and let Kris try and identify them.

393
00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:55,160
Whatever it is, it appears
to have no fear of people.

394
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:57,440
If unique to the crater,

395
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:01,680
it would help prove just how
special the jungles of Bosavi are.

396
00:32:31,200 --> 00:32:33,760
Whilst Gordon is deep in the jungle,

397
00:32:33,760 --> 00:32:36,080
Steve is on the river.

398
00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:40,400
No-one knows what may
lurk here at night.

399
00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:45,640
Eughh! Look!

400
00:32:45,640 --> 00:32:49,600
Whoa! They've been roosting just in
the branches above us so as we've

401
00:32:49,600 --> 00:32:54,240
come across with our torches and
lights, it's given them a shock.

402
00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:58,320
Steve is being mobbed
by torrent flycatchers,

403
00:32:58,320 --> 00:33:01,080
birds found only in New Guinea.

404
00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:11,040
Eughh!
It just flew right into my face.

405
00:33:14,360 --> 00:33:19,240
It may be wet, but no-one imagined
there would be ducks in the jungle.

406
00:33:21,320 --> 00:33:25,320
Now that is something
I really didn't expect to see!

407
00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:29,920
Salvadori's teal - unique to
the mountain rivers of New Guinea.

408
00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:32,920
They almost look like they're
just enjoying the rapids!

409
00:33:38,440 --> 00:33:42,240
That is a glorious
looking little tree frog.

410
00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:48,520
Off he goes.

411
00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:56,960
Wow! These are actually
torrent breeding frogs,

412
00:33:56,960 --> 00:34:00,240
so they love breeding in
fast-flowing water like this.

413
00:34:00,240 --> 00:34:04,080
Let's see if we can get a glance

414
00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:07,040
at what makes this
frog really special.

415
00:34:07,040 --> 00:34:11,800
That eyelid is laced
through with a network

416
00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:14,040
of veins...

417
00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,920
and it's absolutely beautiful.

418
00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,800
He's got a face that
you just can't help but love,

419
00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:22,840
and you know that any second,
although he's sitting

420
00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:26,920
comfortably on my finger here,
he could, without a single warning,

421
00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:28,720
just spring away and be gone.

422
00:34:28,720 --> 00:34:31,240
Come on, go and find
yourself a...girlfriend.

423
00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,000
Not the ear!

424
00:34:51,520 --> 00:34:55,880
Mount Bosavi is so large
it generates its own weather.

425
00:34:55,880 --> 00:34:59,040
For much of the night
it's been raining,

426
00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:01,840
and the sleeping area is flooding.

427
00:35:01,840 --> 00:35:04,040
There's no respite from the mud.

428
00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:14,240
And it's tinned spaghetti
for breakfast, again.

429
00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:23,920
Kris and Steve are reviewing
Gordon's footage from last night,

430
00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:27,160
in the hope it's the mystery
cuscus they've been looking for.

431
00:35:29,440 --> 00:35:31,480
Those big beautiful eyes.

432
00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:33,560
Yeah.

433
00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:37,320
It's small little ears,
they're in the fur.

434
00:35:37,320 --> 00:35:41,840
And light belly here. Light belly.

435
00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:47,480
I reckon that is our cuscus.

436
00:35:47,480 --> 00:35:49,880
You think? I reckon it is.

437
00:35:49,880 --> 00:35:51,600
I reckon it is, it's dark.

438
00:35:51,600 --> 00:35:54,640
So this could be the animal
that that skull belongs to.

439
00:35:54,640 --> 00:35:59,960
This could be the mysterious Bosavi
cuscus. This could definitely be.

440
00:35:59,960 --> 00:36:04,920
Wow. So what we really
need now is to actually catch
one of these in our traps.

441
00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:08,480
Then we'll get a feel for the colour,
we'll see what it really looks like,

442
00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:12,240
and if that really is a good
match for the animal's teeth

443
00:36:12,240 --> 00:36:15,000
that we've been looking at
that are so distinctive. Yeah.

444
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:20,320
This could be really exciting now,
I think this is our animal.

445
00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:24,960
It looks like a major new discovery,

446
00:36:24,960 --> 00:36:27,920
but pictures alone
are not scientific proof.

447
00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:31,720
To get that, they'll need to catch
one in the few days that are left.

448
00:36:38,480 --> 00:36:42,640
Bosavi's forests extend
right up to the summit.

449
00:36:42,640 --> 00:36:47,560
A vertical kilometre above Steve and
Gordon, the jungle is much wetter.

450
00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:54,440
George is joining the
team on the mountain.

451
00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:58,480
His mission... to explore the
cloud forest clinging to the summit.

452
00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:02,040
Being one of the world's
leading experts on insects,

453
00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:05,040
if there's anything
unusual, he'll find it.

454
00:37:05,040 --> 00:37:09,640
This volcano is just like...
like an island in the sky.

455
00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:16,480
I mean, it's 9,000 feet above
sea level. Look at that wall!

456
00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:19,080
God, that is unbelievable.

457
00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:25,160
But as you can see,
the weather's really very cloudy.

458
00:37:25,160 --> 00:37:27,400
It's amazing how it changes...

459
00:37:27,400 --> 00:37:30,880
incredibly heavy rain, very dark,
and then just a little...

460
00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:33,880
a little gap in the cloud
cover there.

461
00:37:33,880 --> 00:37:38,480
So it's touch and go whether
we'll be able to land there.

462
00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:46,720
We're gonna make it.

463
00:37:46,720 --> 00:37:50,000
We're clear to land,
we're clear to land.

464
00:37:54,120 --> 00:37:56,120
Oh... yeah, we're here!

465
00:37:57,800 --> 00:37:59,320
Fantastic.

466
00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:03,080
This precarious cliff edge

467
00:38:03,080 --> 00:38:06,720
will be George's camp
for the next couple of days.

468
00:38:14,440 --> 00:38:19,360
A thousand metres below him, they're
on the look out for new animals.

469
00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:22,360
Top of their list -
the unknown cuscus.

470
00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:30,560
They search every hole...

471
00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:32,720
Every nook and every cranny...

472
00:38:32,720 --> 00:38:35,040
Mate, this place is leech central.

473
00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:37,560
..By day...

474
00:38:38,520 --> 00:38:40,240
..And by night.

475
00:38:40,240 --> 00:38:42,120
Camera traps are set.

476
00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:46,120
Leech. Any mammals that come in
here they'll try and get on to them,

477
00:38:46,120 --> 00:38:48,280
including humans.

478
00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:51,200
A face only a mother could love.

479
00:38:52,280 --> 00:38:55,680
The team use every
piece of kit available.

480
00:38:55,680 --> 00:38:59,800
Lots of insect noise, some frogs.

481
00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:03,360
Some weird stuff,
I don't know what it is.

482
00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:07,560
It's incredible that a frog this
tiny size, I mean it's no bigger

483
00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:10,360
than the end of my thumb,
can make a noise that loud,

484
00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:14,160
just puffing itself up like a
great big balloon and then

485
00:39:14,160 --> 00:39:16,040
squeezing all the air out.

486
00:39:19,480 --> 00:39:22,440
But this jungle is
so dense and so steep,

487
00:39:22,440 --> 00:39:24,480
it's hard to find anything.

488
00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:34,240
On the summit, George is out
exploring the peculiar mountain
moss forest for the first time.

489
00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:37,040
He's stepped into another world.

490
00:39:37,040 --> 00:39:40,560
It's like Lord Of The Rings habitat.

491
00:39:40,560 --> 00:39:43,880
You'd expect orcs and
elves appearing any minute.

492
00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:49,480
The whole forest is just humid,
100% humidity all the time,

493
00:39:49,480 --> 00:39:54,200
and this may look like
solid ground, but it's not.

494
00:39:54,200 --> 00:39:57,520
Look, I can go
through there and beyond.

495
00:39:57,520 --> 00:40:02,440
I can put my hand... I can go,
probably, I can put my whole arm

496
00:40:02,440 --> 00:40:07,920
right through up to the hilt and
that's just roots and soil and space,

497
00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:09,960
and that's what we're standing on.

498
00:40:09,960 --> 00:40:13,640
The whole thing is just a sort of...

499
00:40:13,640 --> 00:40:16,680
a mirage, almost, of plants and soil,

500
00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:20,240
but the soil's really interesting
because the soil isn't just here,

501
00:40:20,240 --> 00:40:22,720
it actually occurs up on
the plants as well.

502
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,120
So it's actually aerial soil -

503
00:40:25,120 --> 00:40:29,280
all of this is just growing
on a single thin branch.

504
00:40:29,280 --> 00:40:31,400
It's a huge carpet...

505
00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:35,040
of moss and soil.

506
00:40:36,560 --> 00:40:38,800
It's almost like...

507
00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:40,800
a different world.

508
00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:45,160
I haven't seen that one before.

509
00:40:45,160 --> 00:40:46,920
Absolutely amazing.

510
00:40:46,920 --> 00:40:51,200
I mean, decay just brings fungi,
bacteria, mosses -

511
00:40:51,200 --> 00:40:54,880
just everything
is feeding off what's here.

512
00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:58,000
And look at that,
that is the most exquisite

513
00:40:58,000 --> 00:41:04,040
tiny fungus growing on a dwarf
bamboo, and it is just incredible.

514
00:41:07,040 --> 00:41:09,120
Ooh, look, look!

515
00:41:09,120 --> 00:41:11,600
Good God, look at that!

516
00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:13,840
I just saw that there in the ground.

517
00:41:13,840 --> 00:41:15,600
It's huge!

518
00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:17,800
This is a flatworm.

519
00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:21,560
Well, that's exactly the sort of
animal you'd expect to find

520
00:41:21,560 --> 00:41:25,440
in this constantly
wet environment.

521
00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:32,360
Flatworms come in all shapes and
sizes... that's the underside...

522
00:41:32,360 --> 00:41:36,560
but I have never seen
a flatworm this big before.

523
00:41:36,560 --> 00:41:39,200
It's absolutely amazing.

524
00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:43,560
Tiny little head end,
that's the head end there.

525
00:41:43,560 --> 00:41:47,920
This habitat is incredibly special,
because there are animals and plants

526
00:41:47,920 --> 00:41:52,880
here, orchids and insects and higher
animals you won't find anywhere else

527
00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:57,960
in the world. But also because
it occupies a very, very small
area and with increased

528
00:41:57,960 --> 00:42:01,480
global warming, that area will get
smaller and smaller and smaller

529
00:42:01,480 --> 00:42:03,280
and eventually it'll all be gone.

530
00:42:06,560 --> 00:42:10,720
In the crater, one of
the trackers has returned to camp

531
00:42:10,720 --> 00:42:13,600
with a wild animal,
and it's totally trusting.

532
00:42:15,120 --> 00:42:16,960
Oh, wow!

533
00:42:18,480 --> 00:42:21,960
Oh, my goodness, he's absolutely
beautiful. Come on little fella.

534
00:42:21,960 --> 00:42:24,600
I think it's our guy.

535
00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:29,240
I'm going to look in his mouth
in a bit and we'll know from his
teeth but this looks right on.

536
00:42:29,240 --> 00:42:32,280
This is a dark-furred
cuscus, it's a montane cuscus.

537
00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:34,600
It's very much like
the skull I suspected.

538
00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:38,480
The skull was similar to a different
species called the silky cuscus,

539
00:42:38,480 --> 00:42:42,960
and the body is too,
you can feel that silky fur.
It's really, really thick.

540
00:42:42,960 --> 00:42:46,160
I guess this has adapted to
living in a mountain environment.

541
00:42:46,160 --> 00:42:47,960
That's right. He seems to like you.

542
00:42:47,960 --> 00:42:52,240
He's got a very, very strong,
but not actually unpleasant, smell.

543
00:42:52,240 --> 00:42:53,600
But it does hit you.

544
00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:57,760
This is the mammal that Gordon
filmed emerging from the tree stump.

545
00:42:59,680 --> 00:43:01,920
I'm calling this the Bosavi cuscus,

546
00:43:01,920 --> 00:43:05,720
because I really think it has a
lot of distinctive features.

547
00:43:05,720 --> 00:43:08,680
We're gonna find out more
as we look closer, but...

548
00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:12,120
I just... I can't even begin
to describe how it feels

549
00:43:12,120 --> 00:43:15,160
to have an animal in my hands
that is this beautiful

550
00:43:15,160 --> 00:43:19,440
and, in all probability, has never
been seen before by science.

551
00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:23,600
I think what we have is a
cuscus that long ago has been

552
00:43:23,600 --> 00:43:26,120
isolated on this volcano

553
00:43:26,120 --> 00:43:31,360
and has just not been
able to have any contact with
any of its relatives and

554
00:43:31,360 --> 00:43:36,080
has become something here in
isolation that is unique to Bosavi.

555
00:43:36,080 --> 00:43:40,600
He's totally chilled out. He's got
no idea quite how important he is.

556
00:43:40,600 --> 00:43:42,760
So gorgeous. Yeah!

557
00:43:42,760 --> 00:43:44,480
Little guy!

558
00:43:44,480 --> 00:43:46,960
You're a major scientific discovery.

559
00:43:48,720 --> 00:43:51,200
How about that?

560
00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:55,600
I travel the world looking for new
species in many different places

561
00:43:55,600 --> 00:43:58,960
and we find new mammals, it still
does happen, but so many of them,

562
00:43:58,960 --> 00:44:03,000
most of them are things like bats
and rodents, and to find something,

563
00:44:03,000 --> 00:44:07,440
a marsupial, an animal that's
this size is really exciting,

564
00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:10,880
it's a cause
for a major celebration.

565
00:44:10,880 --> 00:44:13,000
Crack open the champagne,

566
00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:16,080
or crack open the bully beef!

567
00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:23,600
It's a brand new sub-species of
cuscus, and Bosavi is its only home.

568
00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:28,040
If these jungles are logged, we'll
lose animals like this forever.

569
00:44:32,680 --> 00:44:39,480
Both on the summit and
in the crater, the rainforest
is undisturbed by humans.

570
00:44:39,480 --> 00:44:41,160
Animals are remarkably naive.

571
00:44:44,240 --> 00:44:50,440
Almost incredibly, I'm about six
feet away from an ornate fruit-dove.

572
00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:54,800
You couldn't normally get this close
to birds, especially on the nest.

573
00:44:54,800 --> 00:44:56,920
She's camouflaged to perfection

574
00:44:56,920 --> 00:45:00,360
against the foliage -
green with a little bit of

575
00:45:00,360 --> 00:45:04,320
blue at the back, this ochre-y
head and a white bit underneath.

576
00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:07,520
She's being very vigilant,
she's watching me very carefully

577
00:45:07,520 --> 00:45:11,760
and turning her head from side
to side, very slowly. Amazing.

578
00:45:11,760 --> 00:45:16,280
Thing about animals here is that they
really aren't experienced, they don't

579
00:45:16,280 --> 00:45:21,280
know what humans are all about yet,
which may be a problem for them.

580
00:45:21,280 --> 00:45:26,920
The history of humans has been that
if animals are edible or hazardous,

581
00:45:26,920 --> 00:45:28,720
they usually end up dead.

582
00:45:35,520 --> 00:45:38,800
In the depths of the crater,
it's raining again.

583
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:44,240
It's been a long, hard expedition.

584
00:45:44,240 --> 00:45:46,840
Exhaustion and
illness are setting in.

585
00:45:49,280 --> 00:45:53,400
There's been an outbreak of
intestinal worms in the camp,

586
00:45:53,400 --> 00:45:55,800
so we're all taking
these worming tablets

587
00:45:55,800 --> 00:46:01,120
which will pretty much kill
everything we've got in our guts.

588
00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:04,120
Makes you feel really run down,

589
00:46:04,120 --> 00:46:06,800
but this tablet
just kills everything.

590
00:46:08,600 --> 00:46:11,640
Leeches are infesting camp.

591
00:46:15,160 --> 00:46:18,720
Gordon and Kris take time to
see if anything strange

592
00:46:18,720 --> 00:46:21,240
has been caught
on the camera traps.

593
00:46:24,080 --> 00:46:25,720
Let's have a look.

594
00:46:25,720 --> 00:46:28,360
OK, that's me... still me.

595
00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:35,640
Kris is one of the few people in
the world who can distinguish

596
00:46:35,640 --> 00:46:38,680
what's just rare
from what's totally new.

597
00:46:41,880 --> 00:46:44,760
Oh!

598
00:46:44,760 --> 00:46:49,000
Is that a tree kangaroo? It's not a
tree kangaroo, but it is a kangaroo.

599
00:46:49,000 --> 00:46:54,200
So it's a wallaby. Moves along the
forest floor here in the crater.

600
00:46:54,200 --> 00:46:56,240
See what else we've got.

601
00:46:59,120 --> 00:47:01,080
I've got a good
feeling about this one.

602
00:47:02,600 --> 00:47:06,400
They scan hundreds of images,

603
00:47:06,400 --> 00:47:09,480
and eventually, they strike gold.

604
00:47:12,040 --> 00:47:13,560
Wow! Have a look at that.

605
00:47:13,560 --> 00:47:16,880
What is that? That long, naked
tail, what do you think that is?

606
00:47:16,880 --> 00:47:18,760
It just looks like an enormous rat.

607
00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:23,080
Yes, it's a giant rat,
it's a woolly giant rat.

608
00:47:23,080 --> 00:47:25,880
Jeez, it must be
that size without its...

609
00:47:25,880 --> 00:47:27,520
so that size with its tail?

610
00:47:27,520 --> 00:47:30,280
Exactly, almost a metre long.
Seriously?

611
00:47:30,280 --> 00:47:33,840
And this camera trap proves
that an animal like that is here.

612
00:47:33,840 --> 00:47:35,960
To get conclusive evidence

613
00:47:35,960 --> 00:47:39,600
whether this is a new species,
you need more than a photograph.

614
00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:42,240
This black and white photograph
isn't going to do it.

615
00:47:42,240 --> 00:47:45,560
We're going to have to see if we
can find this animal in the flesh,

616
00:47:45,560 --> 00:47:47,280
hold it, see what this animal is.

617
00:47:47,280 --> 00:47:52,600
But just using your experience,
this could be a new species?

618
00:47:52,600 --> 00:47:56,800
There's no question in my mind
this is a giant woolly rat,

619
00:47:56,800 --> 00:47:59,640
and I suspect Bosavi
has its own kind.

620
00:47:59,640 --> 00:48:02,160
Wow, that would be
some amazing find.

621
00:48:06,920 --> 00:48:11,240
No-one imagined just how rich
this mountain would turn out to be.

622
00:48:14,680 --> 00:48:19,920
In the weird moss forest that
clings to the rim of the crater,

623
00:48:19,920 --> 00:48:21,680
George is setting a trap.

624
00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:28,000
It's carefully positioned,
right on the cliff edge.

625
00:48:43,480 --> 00:48:48,400
Once night falls, a high-powered
light bulb will be switched on

626
00:48:48,400 --> 00:48:51,240
to attract insects to the sheet.

627
00:48:51,240 --> 00:48:56,840
And that's going to be...hopefully,
it's going to be heaving with bugs.

628
00:49:01,720 --> 00:49:06,560
Down below, the hunt is on
for the giant woolly rat.

629
00:49:06,560 --> 00:49:09,320
Gordon and Steve head off
in opposite directions.

630
00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:12,480
They will search all
night if they have to.

631
00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:18,840
Somewhere out there in the darkness
is one of the world's biggest rats.

632
00:49:32,880 --> 00:49:37,960
At night, the jungle has
its own special magic.

633
00:49:37,960 --> 00:49:43,920
This tree is covered in bracket
fungus, and you can see all the

634
00:49:43,920 --> 00:49:48,080
tiny little spores being
discharged,

635
00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:51,120
it makes it look as if
they're actually steaming.

636
00:49:56,800 --> 00:50:01,880
In the early hours,
Kris finds another animal
with no fear of humans.

637
00:50:01,880 --> 00:50:05,000
It looks like a giant hamster,

638
00:50:05,000 --> 00:50:06,920
but it's a painted ringtail.

639
00:50:06,920 --> 00:50:09,400
Oh, he's absolutely gorgeous!

640
00:50:09,400 --> 00:50:12,960
Not a new species, but definitely
one of the most beautiful animals

641
00:50:12,960 --> 00:50:14,400
that lives in this forest.

642
00:50:14,400 --> 00:50:15,960
Gosh, he really is.

643
00:50:15,960 --> 00:50:19,120
The fur is just exquisite.

644
00:50:19,120 --> 00:50:22,880
It is just so dense and so soft.

645
00:50:22,880 --> 00:50:25,800
You can see at night time
this place just comes alive.

646
00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:29,240
We've done so much walking about
this forest finding nothing, and

647
00:50:29,240 --> 00:50:33,440
you only have to find something like
this and it makes it all worthwhile.

648
00:50:33,440 --> 00:50:36,080
You forget all that misery
and all that hardship.

649
00:50:38,720 --> 00:50:43,840
On the cliff edge, George
can hardly believe his eyes.

650
00:50:45,440 --> 00:50:51,440
I'm just overwhelmed.
I never imagined I'd see

651
00:50:51,440 --> 00:50:53,280
such a diversity of moth.

652
00:50:53,280 --> 00:50:58,840
I mean, some of these things
I've never seen before in my life.

653
00:50:58,840 --> 00:51:02,800
The variety of moths here
is absolutely staggering!

654
00:51:02,800 --> 00:51:08,440
There's geometrids, hawkmoths,
there's fruit piercing moths,

655
00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:11,200
and it's raining,
it's tipping it down!

656
00:51:11,200 --> 00:51:13,880
This shouldn't be happening,

657
00:51:13,880 --> 00:51:19,000
and these bulbs only work
in a radius of about 200 yards.

658
00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:25,160
All this has come from a
200 yard radius to this bulb.

659
00:51:25,160 --> 00:51:30,000
Can you imagine how rich
this forest actually is?

660
00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:33,000
Almost beyond my understanding.

661
00:51:33,000 --> 00:51:35,160
Look at that.

662
00:51:35,160 --> 00:51:37,240
I'm absolutely...incredulous.

663
00:51:39,400 --> 00:51:41,480
My God, look at it!

664
00:51:41,480 --> 00:51:45,240
Look at that one, that
brassy gold colour.

665
00:51:48,440 --> 00:51:52,960
In the crater, Steve's
searching for the giant rat,

666
00:51:52,960 --> 00:51:55,960
but he's discovered a tarantula.

667
00:51:59,200 --> 00:52:01,760
Look at that!

668
00:52:01,760 --> 00:52:06,600
The way he's tilted back there,
you can see he's rocked back

669
00:52:06,600 --> 00:52:09,360
in order to bring those fangs
into position so he can

670
00:52:09,360 --> 00:52:11,720
bring down the entire bodyweight,

671
00:52:11,720 --> 00:52:16,120
plunging those fangs into whatever
it is that's annoying him.

672
00:52:16,120 --> 00:52:18,040
Come on then.

673
00:52:18,040 --> 00:52:20,960
Now don't go, don't go.

674
00:52:20,960 --> 00:52:25,160
I do have to be careful here,
I'd be a lot more ambitious

675
00:52:25,160 --> 00:52:27,000
if I knew what it was

676
00:52:27,000 --> 00:52:29,080
and if we were in a...

677
00:52:29,080 --> 00:52:31,000
less remote environment.

678
00:52:33,040 --> 00:52:36,240
But to get bitten
or stung by something

679
00:52:36,240 --> 00:52:38,080
like this out here...

680
00:52:40,280 --> 00:52:42,200
..could be really sketchy.

681
00:52:45,800 --> 00:52:51,720
I have never been anywhere
where I've seen the diversity of
moths that I'm seeing here.

682
00:52:51,720 --> 00:52:56,040
If you'd told me, I wouldn't
have believed you, but it's here.

683
00:52:56,040 --> 00:52:57,840
This one!

684
00:52:57,840 --> 00:53:01,280
That's a different hawkmoth. That's a
different one come in now, just now.

685
00:53:01,280 --> 00:53:06,240
V-shaped wings, very fast flyers,
really strong moths.

686
00:53:06,240 --> 00:53:08,200
Fantastic colouration there.

687
00:53:08,200 --> 00:53:12,640
Oh, look now, there's a hawkmoth too.
Now, I've never seen that one before.

688
00:53:12,640 --> 00:53:15,640
What percentage of these will be new?

689
00:53:15,640 --> 00:53:18,400
It could easily be...

690
00:53:18,400 --> 00:53:21,440
a quarter, it could easily
be a quarter of them.

691
00:53:21,440 --> 00:53:23,200
This is a very interesting moth.

692
00:53:23,200 --> 00:53:27,320
It's called an arctiid moth
and when it's annoyed,

693
00:53:27,320 --> 00:53:33,800
it produces very horrible-smelling
fluid from the thorax.

694
00:53:33,800 --> 00:53:36,240
There, see that? Look at that!

695
00:53:36,240 --> 00:53:38,160
That is amazing!

696
00:53:38,160 --> 00:53:40,040
What a defence.

697
00:53:40,040 --> 00:53:42,360
And that tastes really foul.

698
00:53:48,200 --> 00:53:52,800
Even if I'd had to walk up here
on my hands and knees, it would
have been worth it for this.

699
00:53:52,800 --> 00:53:57,040
This one hour of moth mayhem.

700
00:53:58,240 --> 00:54:03,680
A haul of unique
creatures like this proves
Bosavi's forests are priceless.

701
00:54:05,440 --> 00:54:07,320
Honestly!

702
00:54:13,080 --> 00:54:15,760
Gordon gets a shout from a tracker.

703
00:54:26,440 --> 00:54:29,960
Oh, my word, have a look at this!

704
00:54:34,440 --> 00:54:38,120
Oh, gosh, that is the biggest rat
I have ever seen.

705
00:54:38,120 --> 00:54:40,280
That is a murid rat, a true rat,

706
00:54:40,280 --> 00:54:43,280
the same family as the rats
you find in cities and sewers.

707
00:54:43,280 --> 00:54:45,280
You've got a big smile on your face.

708
00:54:45,280 --> 00:54:48,800
The reason I'm smiling is because
this is absolutely a new species.

709
00:54:48,800 --> 00:54:51,800
This is something that doesn't
have a scientific name.

710
00:54:51,800 --> 00:54:55,160
This is one of the largest rats
in the world, and here we are,

711
00:54:55,160 --> 00:54:56,840
holding it.

712
00:54:56,840 --> 00:55:02,080
I just think it's an amazing
creature, found nowhere else

713
00:55:02,080 --> 00:55:04,160
on the entire planet.

714
00:55:04,160 --> 00:55:05,840
That is such a huge deal.

715
00:55:05,840 --> 00:55:10,400
And this animal is so chilled out,
look at him, he's just grooming.

716
00:55:10,400 --> 00:55:14,040
You can tell it's a rat but yet
it looks just so different from

717
00:55:14,040 --> 00:55:16,040
any rat you've ever seen, right?

718
00:55:16,040 --> 00:55:20,960
Yeah. I had a cat, and the cat was
about the same size as this rat.

719
00:55:20,960 --> 00:55:23,840
Any cat that you buy to catch
rats is going to run a mile

720
00:55:23,840 --> 00:55:25,320
from something like this.

721
00:55:25,320 --> 00:55:29,160
Mount Bosavi's such a big mountain,
it's largely unexplored, it's so

722
00:55:29,160 --> 00:55:32,320
isolated that truly, some
of the things we are finding

723
00:55:32,320 --> 00:55:35,200
are new species and
are spectacular new species.

724
00:55:35,200 --> 00:55:38,320
Big rats, cuscus, fantastic animals.

725
00:55:38,320 --> 00:55:41,840
It gave me the heebie-jeebies,
the thought of a giant rat and

726
00:55:41,840 --> 00:55:45,440
I've been going down the holes in
hollow trees looking for big things,

727
00:55:45,440 --> 00:55:49,200
and it's actually kept me awake at
night and here he is, he's just...

728
00:55:49,200 --> 00:55:51,000
oh, he's like a little puppy.

729
00:55:58,800 --> 00:56:02,000
New species of giant woolly rat!

730
00:56:02,000 --> 00:56:04,440
Yeah. No!

731
00:56:04,440 --> 00:56:07,880
That's unbelievable.
Or are you just making it up?

732
00:56:07,880 --> 00:56:10,240
No, no, we got it, we got it, yeah.

733
00:56:10,240 --> 00:56:12,680
God, it was great, so great.

734
00:56:12,680 --> 00:56:16,200
The biggest rat in the world.

735
00:56:16,200 --> 00:56:17,840
Was it in a trap or was it...?

736
00:56:17,840 --> 00:56:21,440
No, just running about the forest,
tame as anything.

737
00:56:21,440 --> 00:56:22,960
That's incredible.

738
00:56:27,680 --> 00:56:31,160
It's time to pack up and
collect George from the summit.

739
00:56:38,120 --> 00:56:43,080
As I stand here, just about to be
whisked away by this helicopter,

740
00:56:43,080 --> 00:56:45,640
I realise that my grandchildren

741
00:56:45,640 --> 00:56:50,840
may not ever be able to see this sort
of habitat or the animals and plants

742
00:56:50,840 --> 00:56:53,560
that live here. It could all be gone.

743
00:56:53,560 --> 00:56:56,520
Now all their findings
will be brought together

744
00:56:56,520 --> 00:56:59,200
and presented to the outside world.

745
00:57:00,320 --> 00:57:03,480
With the help of a remarkable tribe,

746
00:57:03,480 --> 00:57:06,880
they've found hundreds
of spectacular creatures.

747
00:57:09,560 --> 00:57:12,240
He is just a parrot in miniature.

748
00:57:13,440 --> 00:57:16,920
That is absolutely gorgeous!

749
00:57:16,920 --> 00:57:23,440
They've discovered over 40 new
species, from exquisite geckos

750
00:57:23,440 --> 00:57:26,240
to magical moths

751
00:57:26,240 --> 00:57:28,360
and bizarre frogs.

752
00:57:28,360 --> 00:57:32,000
And they've made major
scientific discoveries...

753
00:57:32,000 --> 00:57:34,440
creatures with no fear of people.

754
00:57:34,440 --> 00:57:37,440
Oh, he's like a little puppy!

755
00:57:37,440 --> 00:57:40,720
Mammals that no-one knew existed.

756
00:57:40,720 --> 00:57:45,960
Wow! It's so incredibly rare
that new species of mammal

757
00:57:45,960 --> 00:57:47,880
are found around
the world these days.

758
00:57:47,880 --> 00:57:51,280
This has got to be one of the
most incredible moments of my life.

759
00:57:51,280 --> 00:57:54,920
All of this on one amazing mountain.

760
00:57:55,960 --> 00:58:01,200
The hope is that Mount Bosavi,
once a forgotten corner, will now

761
00:58:01,200 --> 00:58:03,400
become known around the world

762
00:58:03,400 --> 00:58:07,960
and protected as a unique
rainforest of global importance.