Original subtitles

I see some fish jumping up there.

See? Look at all those fish jumping.

This is definitely deep enough for there to be a shark.

[ suspenseful music plays ]

shark! Shark! Shark shark!

Shark, right here!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

♪

my name is coyote peterson

and I've traveled the world, seeking out

the most fascinating animals on our planet.

Look at that!

No matter the location,

the mission has always been the same --

to get up close

and uncover the secrets of the creatures

that we often misunderstand

and, even worse, fear.

Every animal has a story

and I brave the wild to tell it.

-- Captions by vitac -- www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by discovery communications

on this adventure,

we'll be navigating the turbulent waters

of australia's tide pools, under the cover of darkness.

Waves coming in.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

The conditions are incredibly dangerous

and the stakes, have never been higher

as our primary target

is a shark that is nearly invisible to the naked eye.

This well-camouflaged predator

is armed with rows of razor-sharp teeth

and they are rumored to attack divers, fishermen,

or anyone who enters into their territory.

If I'm able to catch one of these sharks,

I can determine if they should be feared

or simply respected as perfect predators.

Shark! Shark! Shark!

Watch your ankles!

[ birds squawking ]

♪

under the light of day,

australia's sunshine coast is a splendor to behold

and, from a bird's-eye view,

the cresting waves seem to land upon the shore

with a gentle precision.

Yet, when exploring on foot, you will quickly learn

that the shoreline is anything but gentle

and, instead, is riddled with dangers

like slippery, jagged rocks.

When the sun sets,

this location becomes even more dangerous,

as violent waves crash upon the shoreline

and create a completely inhospitable environment

for humans.

Searching these turbulent waters for a camouflaged shark

won't exactly make this mission easy

and our window of opportunity is limited.

We will only have a few hours to explore,

as the return of high tide will be a constantly looming threat,

so, as the crew and I head

toward the crashing call of the ocean,

our senses are on high alert.

♪

yeah. We've still got some big waves coming in.

Ah, let's go up through this.

See? It almost looks like a river flowing through here.

When the waves come in, it's a big swell

and, when they come back out and all of that water seeps --

you see this, all of it coming down?

That's when something can get washed up and stranded, so,

I'm gonna be constantly looking at the flows of water

to see if anything's flopping around.

That gives us the chance to catch it.

When night falls, the tide pools reveal

a plethora of new creatures that were hidden during the day.

This trait, of being more active at night,

is known as nocturnality.

Oh, here, look at this guy.

That's a decent-size stone crab.

I'm gonna turn off my flashlight.

We good on lights?

Yeah, you definitely don't wanna get pinched

by a crab like this and --

-oh! -Oh.

-And that's -- -and that's --

that's how a gust of water comes through,

takes your flashlight.

Alright. And may have also taken my net.

[ whimsical tune plays ] there it is.

See? That's why I was saying

at night, you really have to watch the waves

because they sneak up on you.

Alright. The crab's still there.

Somebody keep an eye on our backs.

Let me see if I can get this guy out.

C'mere, buddy.

♪

-aha! -There we go.

There we go.

Those are some serious pinchers.

It's taking all my strength to hold this guy in place

and I can just imagine that,

if you were to get one of your fingers stuck in there,

you definitely would regret it.

This guy's like a little popeye.

Unbelievably powerful.

Primarily, they're feeding on plant matter,

so these claws are mostly used for defense.

What they'll do is tuck these in in front of the face,

wedge themselves into a corner,

and then nothing can get at 'em.

That is one seriously intimidating crustacean.

Ready?

See ya later, buddy.

[ suspenseful music plays ]

♪

so, here's one thing that's tricky

about the tide pools at night.

See all the foam on top of the water?

And all the ripples just reflect the flashlight beam,

so your eyes really begin

to start disorienting themselves.

You get a little bit dizzy when you're out here walking,

which is not good, considering the waves coming in

and how slippery all these rocks are.

The most important thing is to just really move slow

and take your time.

♪

here, check this out.

Whaddya got?

See these rocks?

-It's a fish! -Oh, oh, oh! Look at that!

[ whimsical tune plays ] I was just gonna show you the texture of the rocks

and how you don't wanna fall on these.

That is a little clipfish, or some of a blenny.

Let me see if I can get him picked up real quick.

Got him. Got him. Got him.

Here, let's back up just a touch.

-Whoa, whoa! -Oh! Good timing.

-Jeez. -Got him.

♪

check that out.

They'll come up from beneath the crevices at night

and just sit out on the rocks.

This is a fish species that can actually stay out of the water

for a considerable amount of time.

Look at that. The little eyeballs are

up on top of the head.

They've got excellent eyesight, especially at night,

and look at that cool pattern.

It looks just like all

of the rock structure here on these rock flats.

This guy's just about as cool as it gets!

He's not even trying to get away.

That was a pretty simple catch.

I didn't even need to use my net.

Alright. Let's place this little guy

back down into the water and find something bigger.

♪

I got something for you, coyote.

Whaddya got?

Oh!

A sea hare!

Sweet! -Got you a booger.

It is like a booger.

This is one of my --

aw, man. Come on, now!

-[laughing] -sliming me!

Yes! Check that guy out.

The reason they got the name sea hare is that, if I do this,

set it down in the water for a second,

get those little eyestalks to come up.

Those are not proper eyes, not high-functioning eyes.

All they can do is sense light and movement,

but the shape of them almost look like rabbit's ears,

hence the name sea hare.

Now, these two appendages up front

sense chemicals within the environment.

What these slugs will do is

slowly move along over the rock flats

or through the tide pools, searching out plant matter.

Just in front of the mouth,

they have this little scrapey pad called a radula.

It's almost like a cheese grater

and, as they move along, it scrapes up the plant matter

and that, then, filters into their mouths.

When the slug is out of the water, like this,

it is completely fine.

In fact, when the tide goes all the way out,

sometimes these slugs will get marooned

in pockets that completely dry up.

What they will do in that instance is

curl their body up tightly, close up the parapodia,

and then, when the tide returns, the slug -- whoop! --

Kinda puffs back up and can float away.

When they get disturbed, what they'll do

is excrete a purple ink and it's only when they feel

as if they're gonna be eaten by something.

This won't hurt it in any way, whatsoever.

We'll see if we can get it to feel like,

"oh, I'm being eaten."

chomp, chomp, chomp.

Aw, inking me good, there.

I think he just pooped on me, actually.

Ugh!

And they use that as a defense against any potential predator.

Covered in slime and ink.

But I absolutely love sea hares.

Alright. Let's get this guy back into the tide pools

and keep making our way down the coastline.

Ugh! That's a lotta slime right there.

Yugh!

I'll just put him right here, up against this rock.

See ya later, little buddy.

[ suspenseful music plays ]

I see some fish jumping up there.

-What? -See? Look at all those fish jumping.

You pay attention, though, because, if fish are jumping

out of the water, there could be a shark.

This is definitely deep enough for there to be a shark.

♪

shark! Shark shark shark!

[ suspenseful music plays ]

♪

shark! Shark shark shark!

Shark, right here! -You got a shark?!

Shark!

I'm not gonna be able to get him with the water this deep.

You see it? Right there, up against that edge.

Nobody move!

It's moving. Hold on.

♪

♪

-here, give me your light. -I do not want to get bit.

Hold this light. Hold this light.

♪

-got it? -Oh, oh, oh. Watch it. Watch it.

Watch it! Watch it.

I lost it! Hold on!

I got the light. I got the light.

♪

man, I cannot believe that got away.

Did you see the way that it turned its body?

-Yeah. -It almost got my hand, man.

Like it bit the edge of the net.

Wobbegongs definitely have teeth that will open you up.

I had to let go of it.

I think it went this way.

It's angry now.

It knows we're on to it.

We're gonna go. Watch your ankles!

♪

I think it went back out through those rocks.

I would say, though, conditions seem like

really right

for the fish to be out there,

which means there's probably more

than one wobbegong hunting, I would assume.

We gotta keep going.

Coyote, don't go out too far

in those waves. It's not worth it.

I don't care if that tide comes all the way and swallows us!

We're finding this shark!

♪

when it comes to interactions with sharks,

I'm no stranger

to our planet's most misunderstood ocean predator.

I've had the life-changing experience

of diving alongside sharks and, in the process,

even came face-to-face with a 14-foot tiger shark.

This encounter definitely ranks

as one of my all-time closest calls,

as an accidental bite from a shark of this size

can easily kill you.

Yet this was not an aggressive animal.

It was a curious animal.

Sharks use their snouts and mouths

to test their environment.

As a human, if you enter the world of sharks,

you're probably going to get tested.

In my previous encounters,

I wasn't attempting to catch these larger sharks,

just observe them,

yet, with the well-camouflaged wobbegong,

observing one passively at night in these harsh conditions

is virtually impossible.

♪

whoa!

Something ran right into my leg.

Nobody move! Nobody move!

There is a shark in the water with us right now.

Watch your feet.

It is definitely aware that we are on to it.

♪

nothing is scarier than being in the dark,

in the water, with a shark.

-Oh, right here. -Right there! Right there!

Don't move! Don't move!

Lost it. Lost it. Where is it? Where is it?

Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Nobody move!

Lost it. Lost it. Lost it. Where is it? Where is it?

Shoot, I lost it.

Might be up here?

♪

mark: Wave's coming in!

Whoa whoa whoa, whoa!

♪

I might fall. I can't film here.

Are you kidding me?!

Ahhhh!

♪

we lost it. -Yeah.

He must've felt the wave and crushed.

♪

alright. We still have,

what, like an hour, maybe?

♪

I mean, it's not impossible.

We should just keep looking.

With the onslaught of crashing waves,

the tide was returning,

which meant that our time in the tide pools

was quickly running out.

Yet, despite the danger,

I was determined to find the shark.

That is two sharks, now, that have managed to get away.

Alright. Maybe third time's the charm.

Let's move back down through here.

That shark is definitely not in this pocket anymore.

I don't know, man. It's getting pretty rough.

I don't know how much time we have left.

We've gotta keep going.

No way, man. We're too close.

There's sharks still out here.

Keep moving.

♪

it probably went right back under these rocks.

It's gotta still be here.

It's marooned in here, somewhere.

♪

we've gotta keep going. We're gonna get a shark.

♪

guys, wobbegong!

-Are you sure? -Holy cow!

Yep! C'mere! Hurry up! Hurry up!

♪

keep your feet still.

-Do you see it? -Yeah, yeah.

It was here a second ago. Hold on.

Let the water recede back out.

♪

right there! Right there! Don't move! Don't move!

♪

we've gotta keep going. We're gonna get a shark.

[ suspenseful music plays ]

guys, wobbegong!

-Are you sure? -Holy cow!

Yep! C'mere! Hurry up! Hurry up!

♪

keep your feet still.

-Do you see it? -Yeah, yeah.

It was here a second ago. Hold on.

Let the water recede back out.

♪

right there! Right there! Don't move! Don't move!

♪

-got it? -[muffled] got it! Got it!

Yes! Yes!

We got the wobbegong!

Redemption has been had!

♪

here, let me get it in this pocket of water.

Look at that. It's biting right through the net.

This shark is aggressive.

Alright, buddy, I'm gonna let you go.

Yes! Alright, let's let it calm down for just a second

in this small pocket of water.

The good news is is that the tide is far enough back.

This one is not getting away from us.

Now, I do believe this is the spotted wobbegong.

There are 12 species of wobbegong, total.

Most of them live

around australia or near indonesia.

There's just one species that lives in japan.

I'm pretty sure this is the spotted variety,

but all their color patterns are so similar,

but, at the same time, different.

It all depends on the environment

that the animal lives in.

Alright. Let me see if I can bring the shark up.

♪

now, they are extremely, extremely --

okay. You know what I'm gonna do?

I actually have --

the same gloves that I used for the stonefish,

I'm gonna use to handle this shark.

I tell you what, if those teeth get ahold of my fingers,

I'm gonna lose 'em, so,

to handle the shark, just to be safe,

I'm gonna wear these gloves.

They're incredibly flexible.

The shark can completely bend its body around,

so even holding it back by its tail, I'm not safe.

I'm gonna just gently grab it by the tail and from underneath

and, hopefully, I'll be able to get you guys a good look.

Check that out.

Whoa, careful there, buddy.

It is so strong.

Super muscular.

If it locks onto you, these sharks are known

for biting and holding on.

Now, there are several reported cases

of people being bitten by wobbegongs,

usually just a case of mistaken identity,

as this would be hunting after fish

and other creatures moving through the tide pool.

Wobbegong sharks have

an incredibly swift and powerful bite.

Like most sharks, their jaws are armed with razor-sharp teeth

that are constantly being replaced

throughout the course of their lives.

Their teeth also have a unique design,

in that they are long and needle-like,

and their mouths can open wide enough

to swallow prey that can be nearly as big as they are.

Alright, buddy, I'm gonna dip you back

down in the water for a second.

Now, they can stay out of water

for a pretty substantial amount of time.

♪

whoo! He had a bite at me there.

This is the second time we have caught a shark in a tide pool.

Back in south africa,

we actually caught a spotted gully shark.

That is a species that does not have sharp teeth.

The inside of that shark's mouth

just grinds up small crustaceans and fish.

But this species, the wobbegong, is a voracious predator.

They'll even eat other small sharks.

The name wobbegong means "shaggy beard."

these are also known as carpet sharks

and you can see those little barbels

off the front of its face there.

Those are used to sense the environment.

These sharks do not have good eyesight,

so they rely on those barbels to help search out their food.

Alright, buddy, I'm gonna dip you back

down into the water for a sec.

This is not a shark that needs to constantly move,

so, imagine a great white or a tiger shark.

They have to keep swimming to flow that water

through their gills, but the wobbegong, look at that,

laying right in the base of the pool like that,

can actually stay completely steady and force water

through its mouth and out of its gills.

Incredibly beautiful.

Now, if you'll notice,

it has almost like a double dorsal fin

that's way down on the backside of its tail.

Most shark species that you're used to seeing --

the great white, the tiger shark,

the bull shark -- all have a dorsal fin

that's right in the center of their body,

but this shark needs to stay close to the ground.

It's a bottom-feeder.

You see how it's just nestled down?

During the day, that's what they'll do,

stay hunkered down, stay camouflaged,

and then wait for it to become dark.

These are primarily nocturnal feeders.

But on a day that's cloudy or overcast,

they will move from spot to spot,

but it's low tide like this where you have the best chance

of finding one of these sharks.

Alright. Let's see if I do this.

I do wanna get it up and out of the water

so you guys can see it without taking a bite.

Ooh. Going for my foot there.

It is very aggressive.

I do not want it to get ahold of my hand,

even with these gloves on.

Oh!

Without taking a bite.

Ooh! I do not want it to get ahold of my hand,

even with these gloves on.

It is very aggressive.

Oh! See that bite?

He is trying to bite ya.

[ suspenseful music plays ]

whoo! He had a bite at me, there.

Fantastic. Wow!

These sharks are the perfect ambush predator.

It's not only with their camouflage,

but also their incredible speed.

What they do is wait for a fish or a crustacean,

even other sharks to swim close,

then they will lunge out, grab ahold of it,

and, if they can't swallow that prey down immediately,

what they'll do is bite and hold on.

There are several reported cases

of people being bitten by wobbegongs,

close to 30 cases where people have been walking

through tide pools, especially at night,

and one of these lunges out and bites onto a foot.

Alright. Let's bring it up one last time

for you guys to get a look at it...

C'mere, buddy.

...And then, we're gonna let it go back off into the surf.

♪

oh! Whoa, careful, there, buddy.

It is so strong.

The muscle in the body, you can see the muscle

spinning its body around like that.

It can turn far enough to be able to grab its own tail.

Let's do this.

Oh! [exhales]

I'm gonna gently lift it up for just a second

so you guys can see it.

Unbelievable!

What a night!

Cannot believe we did manage to catch a wobbegong.

Spent hours searching out here in the tide pools,

lost the first one,

but successfully managed to get the one and only wobbegong.

I'm coyote peterson.

Be brave.

Stay wild.

We'll see ya on the next adventure.

♪

since the dawn of mankind, we have feared sharks

and, from an uneducated perspective,

this makes complete sense --

they are fast, powerful, and armed with jaws

of never-ending, razor-sharp teeth.

That being said,

if you have a knowledge and understanding of sharks,

then you know that they rarely attack humans.

When it comes to the wobbegong,

we learned that these sharks only show signs

of deliberate aggression when interacted with,

which leads me to believe that bites from this species

come as a case of mistaken identity.

As a well-camouflaged ambush predator,

this shark stays completely hidden on the ocean floor.

Combined with poor eyesight

and a face lined with sensory barbels to detect prey,

it's easy to understand how stepping too close to this shark

could lead to an accidental bite,

where a foot is mistaken for food.

The wobbegong has no desire to bite humans.

We simply are not on their menu

and I believe that, as long as you don't try

to catch or interact with one,

there's absolutely nothing to fear.

The real danger lies

in the unharnessed power of the ocean.