1 00:00:08,420 --> 00:00:12,840 On the far side of the world is a remote tropical island, 2 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:17,360 carved by waterfalls and covered in thick jungle. 3 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:19,480 New Guinea. 4 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:23,560 At its heart are rugged mountains and deep gorges. 5 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:26,760 It's one of the least explored corners of our planet. 6 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,600 Over nine months, a team of scientists, 7 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:38,360 adventurers and filmmakers have been on an expedition into the unknown. 8 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:45,280 Helped by a local tribe, they've found some of the strangest creatures on Earth. 9 00:00:45,280 --> 00:00:47,440 Look at that. 10 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:55,680 Oh, wow, wow wow, wow! Jeepers! 11 00:00:55,680 --> 00:01:00,880 Now, they're leaving base camp and striking out in two directions. 12 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,360 One team is venturing to an erupting volcano. 13 00:01:06,520 --> 00:01:10,760 Oh! It's being thrown a kilometre into the air. 14 00:01:10,760 --> 00:01:15,160 The other team will journey deep into an unexplored crater, 15 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:19,040 hoping to discover spectacular animals never seen by the outside world. 16 00:01:19,040 --> 00:01:20,560 What is that? 17 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:26,640 Absolutely out of this world. 18 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:29,200 Good God, look at that. 19 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:31,560 And they make a dramatic discovery. 20 00:01:31,560 --> 00:01:35,000 That is the biggest I have ever seen. 21 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,360 Oh, my word, have a look at this. 22 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,560 New Guinea, 23 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,560 the largest and most mountainous tropical island on Earth, 24 00:02:09,560 --> 00:02:13,840 so impenetrable, large areas remain uncharted. 25 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:32,360 At the heart of this vast island is Mount Bosavi, an extinct volcano. 26 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:37,520 Oh! Climber and naturalist Steve Backshall 27 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,680 is leading the first-ever expedition deep into its huge crater. 28 00:02:41,680 --> 00:02:46,040 This is what we do expeditions for, places like this. 29 00:02:46,040 --> 00:02:49,680 Unimaginably beautiful, and totally unexplored. 30 00:02:49,680 --> 00:02:53,560 Very few places in the world left like Mount Bosavi. 31 00:02:56,000 --> 00:03:00,240 Outside the crater, they've already found new types of frogs, 32 00:03:00,240 --> 00:03:01,760 lizards and insects. 33 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:05,280 But inside, there could be unknown large mammals, 34 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:07,640 hidden from the rest of the world. 35 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:12,640 These are the walls of the crater rim. 36 00:03:12,640 --> 00:03:16,800 It's an almost perfect volcanic cone. 37 00:03:16,800 --> 00:03:21,320 And what we're looking at now is the inside wall. 38 00:03:23,480 --> 00:03:27,920 It's no wonder everyone's so excited about getting in this place. 39 00:03:27,920 --> 00:03:30,560 It's absolutely epic. 40 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:36,200 Discovering new mammals in the crater would put Bosavi on the map 41 00:03:36,200 --> 00:03:39,600 and hopefully lead to its protection. 42 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:43,200 Loggers are just south of the mountain and moving closer. 43 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:56,880 High on the crater rim, there's a small gap in the trees. 44 00:04:02,600 --> 00:04:07,040 The local Kasua tribe have agreed to meet Steve here. 45 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:10,800 They've given their blessing for the team to enter this, 46 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:13,880 their most sacred land. 47 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:21,480 The head of the clan that owns Bosavi is bringing up some magic, 48 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:23,480 he's singing us into the crater, 49 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:26,360 he's opening it for us so that the nature will be 50 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:29,920 allowing us in there and not angry with us for going into the crater. 51 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:32,120 And we have to walk under the magic stick. 52 00:04:48,600 --> 00:04:51,520 Even the Kasua rarely come here. 53 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,640 Fiercely territorial, this is the first time 54 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:58,240 they've guided an expedition into their magical crater. 55 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:04,280 It's very steep and very wet. 56 00:05:07,120 --> 00:05:10,120 Have to go very slowly. 57 00:05:11,640 --> 00:05:13,280 Well done. 58 00:05:13,280 --> 00:05:17,320 The clouds are just coming up to meet us. 59 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,000 Down there... 60 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:21,600 is a genuine lost world. 61 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:27,480 Just don't want to take a wrong step here, anywhere. 62 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:35,760 They need to find somewhere to build a rough camp. 63 00:05:35,760 --> 00:05:39,640 Only then can they call in the rest of the team. 64 00:05:44,920 --> 00:05:48,880 Outside the crater, at the foot of Mount Bosavi, 65 00:05:48,880 --> 00:05:51,400 the old base camp is packed up. 66 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,960 For now, intrepid bug expert George McGavin 67 00:05:54,960 --> 00:05:57,480 is venturing off on a side trip. 68 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:01,920 We're going. 69 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,920 Very excited about this indeed. 70 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:12,040 George will be searching for wildlife on the slopes of a very different volcano. 71 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:14,200 One that's erupting. 72 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:23,400 It's 700 miles to the east, on the island of New Britain. 73 00:06:23,400 --> 00:06:27,200 Recently it's been quiet, but it could go off at any time. 74 00:06:41,280 --> 00:06:43,600 Mile after mile is choked with ash, 75 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,840 but George is keen to see what, if anything, can survive here. 76 00:06:55,120 --> 00:06:58,200 At first, it appears barren. 77 00:06:58,200 --> 00:07:01,760 It's more hell on Earth than wildlife hotspot. 78 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:03,560 Basically, it's just... 79 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:07,120 just covered in ash, and there isn't anything growing at all. 80 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,760 It's all dead, and decaying. 81 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:11,520 It smells of sulphur. 82 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:32,760 George's first discovery 83 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:35,640 is perilously close to the crater. 84 00:07:40,080 --> 00:07:44,600 This is a beautiful bird. It's a brahminy kite. 85 00:07:44,600 --> 00:07:47,120 The fact that it's flying around here 86 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,720 means that there has to be enough food for it to eat. 87 00:07:52,240 --> 00:07:56,480 Although I can't see much for it to eat, but it clearly is hunting. 88 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:00,640 If it's not careful it'll be hit by a rock in a minute. 89 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:05,400 It seems to be flying very close to the crater there. 90 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:09,080 A bird of prey is a promising sign, 91 00:08:09,080 --> 00:08:13,080 but George must also keep an eye out for flying rocks. 92 00:08:19,080 --> 00:08:21,840 Mount Bosavi was once an active volcano. 93 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:27,200 It stopped erupting 200,000 years ago, and rainforest took over. 94 00:08:27,200 --> 00:08:32,680 Since then it's remained unchanged, untouched and unexplored. 95 00:08:39,200 --> 00:08:42,960 Steve and the team are following a river to the heart of the crater. 96 00:08:42,960 --> 00:08:44,080 It's slow going, 97 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,680 but it's the best way to cover ground in a dense jungle. 98 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:01,840 Not a bad spot. 99 00:09:01,840 --> 00:09:03,920 Good spot. 100 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,760 Shall we try and get a tarp up before this rain starts? 101 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:07,800 Yeah, yeah. 102 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:10,720 Shelter is essential. 103 00:09:10,720 --> 00:09:13,720 New Guinea is one of the wettest places on Earth. 104 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,880 It can pour for days on end. 105 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:36,920 The Kasua tribe come from the outer slopes of the mountain. 106 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:41,720 These old men remember a time before any contact with the outside world, 107 00:09:41,720 --> 00:09:43,960 when their clan were cannibals. 108 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:57,200 They said their fathers were great warriors and used to battle with nearby clans quite often, 109 00:09:57,200 --> 00:10:00,160 but they also have, it seems, very vivid memories 110 00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,400 of them actually killing and eating their enemies. 111 00:10:03,400 --> 00:10:07,560 The chief here is describing how he remembers them cutting the thighs 112 00:10:07,560 --> 00:10:11,440 into halves and putting them on stone fires to cook them, 113 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,400 and it seems that it was not so much a ceremonial thing 114 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:18,280 but actually just for the meat, for the protein, for the fact that meat was 115 00:10:18,280 --> 00:10:22,280 quite scarce around here and to have human meat was as good as anything. 116 00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:33,400 They no longer eat people, but they are still expert hunters, 117 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:36,160 totally at home in this jungle. 118 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:39,840 Without the tribe, the expedition would be lost. 119 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:50,080 200,000 years ago, Mount Bosavi would have looked like this, 120 00:10:50,080 --> 00:10:51,840 hostile and desolate. 121 00:10:51,840 --> 00:10:56,600 But George knows better than anyone where to find signs of life. 122 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:03,440 This is definitely where I'd expect to find something. 123 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,680 Oh! Aha! 124 00:11:06,680 --> 00:11:10,520 Look at that, baby! Look at that. 125 00:11:10,520 --> 00:11:13,120 A rhinoceros beetle larva. 126 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:14,640 It's a whopper. Look at that. 127 00:11:16,840 --> 00:11:19,320 Head's up here, big jaws, 128 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:24,160 and they just eat this decaying wood and fibre. 129 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:26,800 Going to have to put him down somewhere. 130 00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:30,520 Put him on there while I attack the rest of this. 131 00:11:32,120 --> 00:11:33,880 Ah! 132 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:36,160 Ha ha! 133 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:37,720 There's the adult. 134 00:11:39,680 --> 00:11:41,920 So there... 135 00:11:41,920 --> 00:11:45,800 is what this will become eventually. 136 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:47,880 Rhinoceros beetle. 137 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:50,200 Absolutely brilliant. 138 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:55,440 Some creatures endure the volcano, others actually seek it out. 139 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:02,680 I can see two birds that look like sort of large hens. 140 00:12:02,680 --> 00:12:06,200 They're megapode birds, and, bizarrely, 141 00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:09,000 they depend on this active volcano. 142 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:22,560 In the Bosavi crater, Steve and the trackers fan out to explore for the first time. 143 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:32,880 Steve will climb, crawl and swim the rivers to find out what lives here. 144 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,680 Chief Sigaro and the trackers search the high ground. 145 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:44,720 In the valley, Steve stumbles across something remarkable. 146 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:47,280 Absolutely out of this world. 147 00:12:48,480 --> 00:12:51,520 It's a rare kind of kangaroo that climbs trees. 148 00:12:51,520 --> 00:12:54,160 And it's probably never seen people before. 149 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:57,960 The fact that this animal is totally unafraid of humans, just wandered 150 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:02,440 straight past us, means the wildlife here has never been hunted before - 151 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:04,400 it hasn't seen people before. 152 00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,800 I never expected to have a tree kangaroo on our first morning 153 00:13:07,800 --> 00:13:09,920 that we've been up and running. 154 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:14,720 This is a phenomenal start, a phenomenal start. 155 00:13:18,680 --> 00:13:22,680 It's time to call in wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan. 156 00:13:22,680 --> 00:13:26,240 Gordon's mission is to film any animal the team finds. 157 00:13:30,440 --> 00:13:34,480 Many of the rainforests that I've been to before are quite flat. 158 00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:38,680 This is a very, very difficult terrain, and without a doubt 159 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:43,720 there'll be species down there that are completely unknown to science. 160 00:13:46,680 --> 00:13:50,120 Finding and filming a large mammal that no-one knew existed 161 00:13:50,120 --> 00:13:52,160 would be the greatest prize of all. 162 00:13:52,160 --> 00:13:56,000 But in this rugged terrain, it's a daunting prospect. 163 00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:14,880 Gordon has with him two scientists, 164 00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:18,000 who will help to identify any mammals the team discovers. 165 00:14:25,080 --> 00:14:29,120 Muse Opiang and Kris Helgen set up their makeshift jungle lab. 166 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:34,680 But Gordon has no time to unpack. 167 00:14:34,680 --> 00:14:37,640 One of the trackers has found another tree kangaroo. 168 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:44,320 We've just had a shout from one of the local guys, shouting "toonape" 169 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:49,960 which is the tree kangaroo, so I'm hoping to catch up before it goes. As quick as we can. Ah! 170 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:57,920 Oh, yeah, he's here. 171 00:14:57,920 --> 00:14:59,960 Oh, goodness me. 172 00:14:59,960 --> 00:15:02,440 It's a glorious tree kangaroo, 173 00:15:02,440 --> 00:15:06,440 just literally six, seven metres in front of me. 174 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,040 For me, these animals are the height of weird. 175 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:14,680 They're one of the strangest animals that live in this forest, 176 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:18,080 I think because they're recognisable, they're kangaroos, 177 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:21,280 but these kangaroos live in the trees. 178 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:25,240 It's like a cross between a koala bear and a kangaroo. 179 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:31,120 Oh, he's very cute. 180 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:37,840 Really short, stocky build. 181 00:15:37,840 --> 00:15:42,640 Huge claws. The nails must be about two to three inches long. 182 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:46,200 Oh, yes, he's eating, oh, lovely. 183 00:15:46,200 --> 00:15:48,680 Now that's a really good sign, 184 00:15:48,680 --> 00:15:52,120 because animals that feed are relaxed. 185 00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:00,160 100%, this animal will never have seen a human being before, 186 00:16:00,160 --> 00:16:05,000 so that's why we're able to stay as close as this, as we are. 187 00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:11,520 Tree kangaroos are incredibly rare. 188 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:15,520 Outside the crater, they're heavily hunted and afraid of people. 189 00:16:15,520 --> 00:16:18,680 Inside, they aren't bothered by humans. 190 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:27,960 George's volcano could go off at any time, 191 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:30,880 but he's too engrossed to care. 192 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:35,400 He's hot on the trail of the peculiar megapode bird. 193 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:40,840 One of them's just landed really clumsily on that branch 194 00:16:40,840 --> 00:16:44,560 and thrown up a whole shower of ash. 195 00:16:44,560 --> 00:16:49,400 It's very hard to get close to these birds, they're very skittish. 196 00:16:59,040 --> 00:17:02,280 (I reckon if we inch forward to this ridge...) 197 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:17,720 (They've landed, they're down. There's two just on the ground 198 00:17:17,720 --> 00:17:19,160 (over there.) 199 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:26,400 Unlike any other bird, megapodes bury their eggs deep in the ash, 200 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:29,000 and let the warmth of the volcano incubate them. 201 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,080 (The megapode egg-laying site is just down there.) 202 00:17:47,080 --> 00:17:49,000 If George is to find an egg, 203 00:17:49,000 --> 00:17:53,680 he must wait for them to finish and hope the volcano stays quiet. 204 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:07,600 Mount Bosavi is extinct now, but the eruption left behind 205 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:12,920 this crater four miles wide, enclosed by towering walls. 206 00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:26,520 Steve's still out exploring the river... 207 00:18:28,520 --> 00:18:31,280 ..but it's not just the rocks that are treacherous. 208 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:35,760 This plant is making life here absolute hell. 209 00:18:35,760 --> 00:18:40,040 They're everywhere and they're called a stinging tree. 210 00:18:40,040 --> 00:18:45,320 On the underside of each leaf are thousands of little hairs 211 00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,480 all filled with poison, 212 00:18:47,480 --> 00:18:51,720 and the sting, actually, can carry on going for two or three months. 213 00:18:51,720 --> 00:18:53,880 Ow! 214 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:00,440 Serves me right! 215 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,720 Every little stream is investigated. 216 00:19:06,720 --> 00:19:08,880 Any one might hide a surprise. 217 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:17,040 Sticking up out of this vine are lots of little twigs, 218 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:18,600 except they're not twigs, 219 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:22,200 they're leeches, just waiting for something to walk past. 220 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:25,240 They're switched on by warmth and also by 221 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:29,320 the carbon dioxide you breathe out, and if I just breathe on them... 222 00:19:32,840 --> 00:19:36,400 Look at that. Instantly feeling around 223 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:38,200 for the source of it. 224 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:39,960 Looking for a blood meal. 225 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,920 I hate them! 226 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:44,680 Steve may hate them, 227 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:49,000 but leeches mean there must be lots of warm-blooded animals to feed on. 228 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:57,000 It's an encouraging sign for the mammal experts. 229 00:19:57,000 --> 00:20:02,080 Kris Helgen, from the Smithsonian Museum, is the world authority on 230 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:04,640 identifying new mammal species. 231 00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:09,440 From the river, Steve's brought in a fragment of skull. 232 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:13,760 You can see the pre-molar's fallen out and that corresponds to this too. 233 00:20:13,760 --> 00:20:15,600 When you're studying mammals, 234 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:19,840 the dentition, the arrangement of the teeth, the amount of teeth that are there, 235 00:20:19,840 --> 00:20:23,680 that's one of the most important things in figuring out what something is. 236 00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:27,600 We're really lucky as mammologists, because if we find a single tooth or a 237 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:31,200 single piece of skull, we can often tell exactly which species it is. 238 00:20:31,200 --> 00:20:34,600 This is a mystery still, but I'd like to find the animal 239 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:36,680 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.