All language subtitles for BBC.Natural.World.2012.Attenboroughs.Ark.1080p.HDTV.x265.AAC.MVGroup.org Eng

London's Natural History Museum has
over 70 million animal specimens.

The weird and wonderful from every
corner of the planet.

There are also some of the
many spectacular animals

that are no longer with us.

This is a dodo. At least, it's not.
It's the model of a dodo.

No museum in the world has
a complete specimen of this species

because human beings exterminated it
in the middle of the 17th century.

And there are a lot of animals today
that face the same fate as the dodo.

I've been asked to pick ten that
I might take with me

on my own personal ark.

What an impossible task that sounds.

What to choose to represent
the marvellous ingenuity of nature?

I could choose those that
grab the headlines,

the majestic tiger.

The spectacular polar bear.

The beautiful snow leopard.

Or the magnificent mountain gorilla.

They're all animals that
I wouldn't want to lose.

But there are many other
extraordinary creatures out there,

not in the limelight, which you may
not have heard of.

'I'm going to pick ten of them,

'which I find particularly
fascinating.

'And I'm going to show you
some of the surprising

'and wonderful work being done
to protect them.'

You'll be surprised what you'll
find on Attenborough's Ark.

My first choice will be a monkey.

One of my favourite
kinds of animal.

And I'm particularly fond of these
marvellous miniature monkeys.

These tamarins are normally
at home in Latin America,

but many are now bred here
at Durrell Wildlife Park in Jersey.

There's the rather regal-looking
emperor tamarin,

with its long moustaches.

The cheeky-looking pied tamarin.

And the spectacular
golden lion tamarin.

But if I had to choose one,
it would be this one.

And this is the black lion tamarin.

I think the tamarins are just about
as unlike monkeys as you can get.

You can see that they are monkeys
from their faces

and their two eyes, which give them
the forward vision of all primates,

all monkeys, but look
at their hands.

They are different from mine
or any other primate's, because

tamarins have not nails on the end
of the long fingers, but long claws.

And he will come and take from my
hand, and you can see now - ow! -

how long that claw is.

They live on insects,
they love these grubs,

and they also eat fruit
and tree sap,

and it's said that they particularly
like fruit with quite large stones,

because as the large stones go
through their tiny little guts,

they scrape off internal parasites.
Now there's a thought.

The black lion tamarin
is in serious trouble,

with only around 1,000 animals
left in the world.

And there's is a remarkable story,
truly back from the brink.

And with a clever plan
to secure their survival

in the forests of Brazil.

Black lion tamarins were once
thought to be extinct, but were then

rediscovered in 1970 in just one
tiny area of forest near Sao Paulo.

Here,
the tamarins live in tree holes,

often the former
homes of woodpeckers.

But only 3% of their
original habitat remains.

Once,
they could roam large distances,

but now they're marooned in small
fragments of forest.

What was once continuous forest
has been torn up

to make way for sugar cane
plantations.

And for years, the people have
cut down trees for farmland

with devastating consequences
for the tamarins.

But now, there's a project with
a smart approach to reversing

this wave of destruction.

Nurseries have been set up where
local people are paid to plant

and grow trees rather than
cut them down.

Replanting the whole
forest would be an impossible task,

so, cleverly, these trees will be
used to create corridors,

linking up the precious
fragments of remaining forest.

The project will give this rare
and beautiful tamarins

the space they need to survive
in the long term.

If, on my ark,

I'm going to have space
for the creatures that really need

a berth to survive,

the black lion tamarin
is a very strong candidate.

You've got a ticket.

My next animal is a rather larger
beast, and with an ancient history.

Rhinos have walked the earth
for over 50 million years, and today

they can be found from the savannas
of Africa to the forests of Asia.

There are five species
of rhinoceros in the world today,

and they're all endangered.

Of those five,
this is probably the most troubled.

This is the Sumatran rhino,

and there are only about 200
individuals left.

So building up their numbers
is of extreme importance,

if necessary, by captive breeding.

But rhinoceroses are independent
kinds of animals,

and getting male and female together
is not easy.

Andalas is a very special
male rhino.

His tale is one of
long-distance love.

Like all Sumatran rhinos, he has a
hairy back, but he also has

a twinkle in his eye, because, just
maybe, he might soon become a dad.

Today, Andalas lives semi-wild
in the beautiful forests of Sumatra,

but he was born far away,
in America.

His birth, at Cincinnati Zoo,

was a real breakthrough for breeding
captive Sumatran rhinos.

But to really save his species,

Andalas will have to return
to his ancestral homeland.

Once old enough, he made the
extraordinary journey for a rhino,

back to Sumatra, 10,000 miles away
on the other side of the world.

Andalas came here,

to the rhino sanctuary
in Way Kambas National Park.

His job was to mount a new offensive
in the local breeding programme,

which for many years had
drawn a blank.

They did have another male
in residence, but he had failed

to seduce any females, so Andalas
was brought in as the new stud.

Dedi Kandra is a vet here,
and it didn't take long for him

and his team to grow quite attached
to the young American import.

Andalas is very healthy,
he has sperm,

and that is the important
thing for the breeding success.

But finding true love for Andalas
wasn't an easy task.

This is Ratu.

She is a local girl, born wild
and found wandering in the village.

She was rescued and then
the matchmaking could begin.

Female rhinos only have a small
window of opportunity within

their cycle when they can get
pregnant, and of course,

they also need to
be in the right mood.

Introduce the lovers
at the wrong time,

and there's no guarantee that
they'll get on.

It's a delicate matter.

There's a fine line for these
sensitive beasts

between attraction and antagonism.

But eventually, Ratu succumbed to
Andalas's American charm.

Today, the fruits of Andalas's
efforts are evident.

Ratu is pregnant.

Rhinos can't sweat, so wallowing in
cool mud is her way of keeping cool.

Essential
when you're carrying your baby.

And this is no ordinary pregnancy.

If the birth is successful,
Ratu's baby will be

the first ever Sumatran rhino
born in captivity in Sumatra.

It will be a remarkable
triumph for Dedi and his team,

as well as for Andalas and Ratu.

We are very happy.

We have been waiting a long,
long time for this moment.

This is a very exciting
time for all of us at the sanctuary,

?not only for us, maybe for all the
people in the national park, all the

people in Indonesia, and probably
all the people in the world also.

Rhino pregnancies
take 16 long months.

Now Ratu only has a few weeks to go.

But pregnancies have gone
wrong for her in the past,

and for the team,
it's been a long and tense wait.

I think waiting for Sumatran rhino
babies is similar

to be waiting for our wives'
babies also.

We worry with danger,
we're excited, we're happy.

It's very emotional
waiting for this moment.

Finally, it's in the middle
of the night that Ratu gives birth

to her baby.

And it's a boy.

Successfully breeding these rhinos
here in Sumatra will be vital

to saving the species.

They give him
a name similar to his father's.

Andatu, which means a gift from God.

For Dedi, he certainly is a gift,

and he's quite overwhelmed.

Wow, this is wonderful.
This healthy baby, healthy mother.

This is an important moment for us.

This is the first time to see
directly the Sumatran rhino baby.

A small but wonderful step in the
survival of this remarkable animal.

TYRANNOSAURUS REX ROARS

My next creature has been
around even longer than the rhino.

Surely one of the ultimate
survivors.

This is one of the most popular
exhibits in any museum

that happens to have one.

It's Tyrannosaurus rex.

The giant, flesh-eating dinosaur
that ruled the world

over 65 million years ago.

But in the undergrowth around its
gigantic legs there was another,

very different creature,

quite different from any
dinosaur or any reptile.

It had fur, warm blood.

It didn't lay eggs,
it produced live young,

and it nourished them on milk.

It was the first of the mammals.

Their descendants now have taken
the place of the reptiles

and rule the earth.

But amazingly,

some have descended from that little
creature virtually unchanged.

They're called solenodons.

These little characters
are incredibly elusive.

They can be found in a remote
corner of the Dominican Republic

in the Caribbean.

Thousands of tourists
have their holidays here each year.

Yet, whilst they're enjoying the sun
and the sand,

most are oblivious to the
prehistoric creature lurking inland.

Away from the hubbub, solenodons
have their underground homes.

When the sunseekers head
to the bars and their beds,

these reclusive chaps
come out for a nose about.

Very little is
known about the solenodon,

so a team of researchers has come
to find out more about them.

They've chosen to spend their
evening scrambling around in the

undergrowth in the hope of catching
one of these elusive creatures.

Infrared lights are needed
in the pitch dark,

and it's a tricky job,
but here's one.

Picking them up by their thick
tails doesn't hurt them,

and this one is swiftly bagged.

Now we can put the lights on.

Joe Nunez-Mino leads this
group of researchers.

So this remarkable animal
is the solenodon.

They're really chilled out
mammals to be around.

As long as you're quiet around them,

they can quite happily
sit in your hand for a little while.

Solenodons are only one of a handful
of mammals in the world

that have a venomous bite,
which, it is thought, could be

a leftover characteristic from their
ancient reptilian relatives.

And they also have a rather
interesting nose.

Solenodons have a unique ball
and socket joint

that attaches their really long nose
to their skull,

and that enables them to move
it around really flexibly.

When you see that nose,
you can't help but smile about it.

SOLENODON SQUEALS

This little chap is less chilled out
while the radio collar's fitted,

so the team work
fast to minimise any distress.

These tracking devices will
allow them to follow

and better understand
the solenodon's way of life.

Its temporary captivity over,

it's free to amble
away its evening in peace.

Its kind have survived largely
unchanged for 65 million years,

but today its numbers are rapidly
declining.

Camera traps have revealed that
one of the big problems

for the solenodon are cats and dogs,
introduced to the island by humans.

Joe hopes that with new
controls on domestic animals,

and with their continued research,
they'll be able to help this

amazing little creature that's
been around since the dinosaurs.

I think what makes me love them
more than anything else

is the fact that they're
great survivors.

They've been around for a long time,
and with a little bit of help,

I think we can help them
to be around for a lot longer.

Solenodons are unique.

If we lost these little creatures,

we wouldn't see anything
quite like them on earth.

Reason enough to have them
on board my ark.

Many animals have,
like the solenodon,

evolved highly specialised bodies

and behaviours to
suit their environment,

and this specialists include some
of the most extraordinary animals.

The giraffe, with its hugely
long neck

to pick succulent leaves
from the tallest trees.

Or the giant panda, which can eat
tough, indigestible bamboo,

but little else.

And the next animal for my ark is
one of the ultimate specialists.

Here in the basement of the Natural
History Museum in London, there

are tens of thousands of animals
reserved in tanks and bottles.

And this is one of the most
interesting.

It's a kind of amphibian
called an olm.

It has very, very tiny legs
and an extremely elongated body,

and its ancestry stretches
back 190 million years.

But perhaps the most interesting
thing about it

is that it lives for
up to 100 years.

It seems this curious creature

has discovered the secret
of a long life.

It can be found within limestone
caves across

central and south-eastern Europe
in countries like Croatia.

For millions of years it lived
quietly, far below these mountains,

in huge networks of hidden caves,
underground rivers and lakes.

If there is a heavy downpour,

it can be flushed
out into rivers at the surface.

In Croatia, it was once believed
that these olms were baby dragons.

This intrepid team of olm
researchers are heading

deep into the dragon's lair.

They're trying to discover
more about this bizarre creature

living in this extreme environment.

Its population is shrinking,
and as with any endangered animal,

the team need to understand
it in order to save it.

So, fingers crossed for the olm.

But this isn't a job
for the faint-hearted.

The divers have two swim from one
lake to another through

narrow tunnels, with no
possibility of coming up for air.

It's highly dangerous,
but for Dusan Jelic,

the leader of the team,
that is part of the thrill.

I think we are working on the edge
of the world where actually no-one

has ever been, and see some of the
things that nobody else can see.

Despite the things that make it hard,
it's actually just a great job.

It takes Dusan several dives before
he finally locates the elusive olm.

It's certainly an odd-looking
creature.

It has adapted to the complete
darkness of the caves

and lost its sense of sight.

But it has a powerful
sense of smell.

It also has a bizarre sixth sense.

It detects electric
fields in a similar way to sharks.

This is one of its many
mysterious abilities.

How olms catch their prey,
we actually don't know.

They have, probably, very sensitive
skin, which has cells that can

register small movements in water,
but it can also be possible

they just run into something
and they just eat it.

But if it doesn't run into food,
then the olm has a remarkable trick.

It can go into starvation mode,

surviving up to ten years
without eating.

The olm lives life in the slow lane,

which seems to be its secret
for living a long life.

Perhaps a lesson for us all.

As a specialist, the olm is
reliant on clean, pure water,

and water pollution is
one of its main threats.

Dusan feels a close
connection to the olm,

and he hopes his work will build
a clear picture of what this

remarkable but mysterious creature
needs to survive.

Even though you cannot see something,
you still, underneath this,

have a really amazing world,
which is just hidden

and we still need to conserve it.

Yes, the olm has a berth in my ark.

Maybe it can reveal
its secrets of long life.

Of course, I'll have to have a bird
on this ark, but which to choose?

I first became aware of how
breathtakingly beautiful

exotic birds could be
when, as a boy,

I was allowed to leaf through one
of these 19th-century bird books.

The man who published this glorious
ornithological volumes was called

John Gould, and he was particularly
fascinated by hummingbirds,

many of which he identified
and named for the first time.

One of the most spectacular is this,

and he called it
the Marvellous Spatuletail.

When I first saw it, I thought,
"He must have made that up."

How could a bird, any bird,
fly with its head pointing downwards

and then these two pennant quills
crossed over its tail?

Well, in spite of the fact that
Gould never saw the living bird,

this is correct, and it
was only proved to be so

when this display flight was filmed
a few years ago.

The home of this hummingbird
is in the foothills of the Andes

in a remote corner of Peru.

The male spatuletail hummingbird's
two super-long quills

end in these rather cumbersome
discs.

These might seem rather inconvenient
and unnecessary,

but their purpose becomes apparent
when a female appears.

She is rather plainer in appearance,
but that's OK.

She doesn't need to make an effort.
It's his job to win over her.

The male begins his courtship
ritual by waving his tail feathers

back and forth.

This takes a lot of effort,
even from the comfort of his perch.

But to be accepted as her mate,
he needs to take to the air.

Watch this.

She seems quite impressed.

As she looks on, he begins
an airborne dance, dipping his head

and crossing his tail feathers, just
as Gould captured in his painting.

But this is exhausting work.

It's so demanding he can only stay
airborne for a matter of seconds

before he needs a rest.

He doesn't seem to be winning, but
he decides to make one final effort.

It's no good. She's seen enough.
In a flash, she's gone.

He'll just have to try even
harder next time.

But with this incredible mating
ritual over for the time being,

this little chap has indeed
lived up to his name.

I'd certainly give the Marvellous
Spatuletail a berth in my ark.

There are more than 5,000 species
of frogs and toads in the world,

including many rare
and quite unusual ones.

But the one I'm going to choose
is Darwin's Frog.

Darwin's Frogs vary in colour,

and can expertly
blend into their surroundings.

But there's another reason
I find them fascinating.

Charles Darwin discovered the frog
that now carries his name when

he landed in Chile in 1834 on his
way around the world in HMS Beagle.

This is the field notebook
he had at the time,

and he has actually sketched in it
this particular frog.

Just there.

It's a very small drawing, but then
the frog itself is pretty small.

This is about as big as it gets,

and this is the actual specimen
that was collected by Darwin.

But it's a very remarkable frog,

because the male gives birth to the
young, and does so out of his mouth.

Like most frogs,

this male Darwin Frog inflates
his vocal sac to attract a female.

But in this frog,
it also doubles as a nursery.

After the female has laid the eggs,
he takes them into his mouth,

where they lie in his vocal sac,
and there develop into baby frogs.

The actual birth is
exceedingly quick,

and has hardly ever been filmed.

Blink and you'll miss it.

Here it is again.

Darwin's Frog
lives in southern Chile,

and whilst many of the animals
in my ark face a threat from humans,

it faces a challenge
from Mother Nature herself.

It lives in what is usually a lush,
moist forest,

but recently, one of the few
remaining populations

has come under threat from
a natural disaster.

Since June 2011, a huge volcanic
eruption at Mount Puyehue has been

showering hundreds of square miles
of the surrounding area with ash.

The layer of fallen ash is
drying out and killing

much of the vegetation that is vital
to the frog's survival.

It's pushing Darwin's Frog to
the edge of extinction.

Luckily, there's a scientist who is
devoted to these tiny creatures.

Claudio Soto-Azat has spent
several years studying

these unusual and rare frogs.

He's been carefully monitoring
the effect of the ash.

You can see no ash now,

because there was a lot of rain
in a few days, but if you

move the leaves, you can see that
there is a thick layer of ash.

Logs like this one are normally
covered by moss and fern,

but this fern, as you see here,
just died because of all the ash.

The volcano is still active,
and a small change in the direction

of the wind could bring the ash
cloud back over this area.

The risk to these rare
animals is too great.

Claudio has come to find and rescue
as many frogs as possible.

On a previous visit,
he was only able

to find four frogs in this forest.

FROG CALLS

Do you hear that? So that's a male
Darwin's Frog that just called now.

They're masters of disguise,
and their colour varies,

but always blends perfectly
with their surroundings.

You normally don't see the actual
frog, but you see a jump.

Oh, OK!

Wonderful.

So, let's have a look.

Wow!

Wonderful.

So this is a male Darwin's Frog,

pregnant with maybe five or six
tadpoles, and that means they

have been the surviving the volcano,
but they also have been breeding.

I've got one. Yeah, good.

There are more frogs here than
Claudio was expecting,

but with the forest so dry
and the volcano still venting ash,

he will stick to his plan to
remove them and breed them

in captivity until the threat
from the volcano has diminished.

At the University of Concepcion,
the frogs are given a safe haven.

They will hopefully breed a robust
population, which can one day

be returned to the forest.

For Claudio, it's another small step
towards saving this unique species.

So here we have four
Darwin's Frogs that were first

captured from the volcano, and now
we were able to get ten more,

which is a good number to have a
captive breeding population,

so this has been a very
successful trip.

I'd certainly be very sad to lose
such a unique animal.

There is still room on my ark,
so hop on board.

The next creature for my ark is
one of the most endearing animals

I've met - the pangolin.

The only truly scaly
mammal in the world.

I've come across it
and number of times in my career.

Here, for example,
in a film I made in 1973.

But many years before that film,
I almost had to adopt one.

It was back in 1956,
and we were making a film in Bali,

and also collecting
animals for the London Zoo,

and one day, a man came to us
with a pangolin in a sack.

I didn't really want a pangolin,

because they have a very specialised
diet, so they don't live well.

So I asked the man what he would do
if we didn't buy it,

and he said,
"Oh, well, we'd eat it."

And the scales, he said,
were very good for medicine.

So I said how much did
he want for it,

and he said,
I think it was about five shillings.

So I said, "OK, I'll buy it."

And we headed for a couple of days
or so, travelling about,

eating termites, and a very engaging
little creature it was, too.

And then, after a couple of days,
one night we let it go.

I hope he survived.

This is Lucky.

He was called Lucky because,
just like the one I came across

all those years ago, he, too,
was rescued from certain death.

He lives here at a rescue
centre in Vietnam.

Lucky, like all sunda pangolins,
is rather shy.

He prefers to come out at night,

and can only easily be filmed
with special infrared cameras.

Pangolins are similar to anteaters,
but uniquely, they have

hard scales made of keratin,

the same substance as our nails are
made of.

They rely on their claws
being as sharp as possible,

so they walk on their knuckles
to protect them.

They use those claws to tear open
the nests of ants and termites,

scooping up their prey
with their long, sticky tongue.

They have a special talent for
climbing, and are immensely strong,

a core strength that any
Pilates teacher would die for.

Sadly,
these gymnasts face many threats.

Sunda pangolins are found
across Southeast Asia.

In Vietnam,
it's illegal to hunt or sell them.

But that doesn't stop a thriving
black market

in cities such as Hanoi.

Here, their meat is considered
a delicacy,

and their scales are used
in traditional Asian medicine.

In the streets of Hanoi, there is
a legitimate trade for medicine,

which includes the sale of various
animal parts, insects and plants.

But pangolin scales can
also be found.

Dan Challender,
from the University of Kent,

is investigating the illegal
trade of pangolins,

and it doesn't take him
long to find some for sale.

These are scales of pangolins.

These are now a valuable commodity.

In the last few years, they've
increased dramatically in price

and can fetch about $500 a kilo.

I've just seen three, four,
five animals-worth of scales

down there in a bag, and what's
going to happen to them now

is that they're going to be ground
down and used in medicines

to treat a range of ailments from
asthma, psoriasis or even cancer.

And that's tragic, because there
is no evidence to suggest that

pangolin scales are effective
in traditional Asian medicine.

And when darkness
comes in the evening,

the illegal trade continues.

Pangolin meat is highly-prized
as a status symbol

amongst Vietnam's business elite.

They will pay top prices
for a variety of wild meats,

including pangolin.

Pangolin is offered in various
forms.

Either grilled, fried, steamed
or cooked with bamboo shoots.

Here's a picture of a foetus
of a pangolin

that's served in a dish of soup.

And pangolins are not only
popular in Vietnam.

Huge numbers of them are illegally
exported, mainly to China.

It's thought that
in the last 15 years

over half the population of Sunda
pangolins has disappeared.

But for any that are rescued,
there is a ray of hope.

In the highly-secure pangolin
conservation project at Cuc Phuong,

the animals are coaxed
back to health.

Dan has come to the centre to
see his old friend Lucky.

Lucky has been undergoing
rehabilitation

since his rescue, and today there is
some good news Dan wasn't expecting.

I've just found out that Lucky may
be released into a national park.

It's actually quite a surprise
for me, because I actually

thought he'd probably
be at the centre for quite a while.

I like this animal,
so I've actually got mixed feelings,

but if he is released,
then I wish him well.

It would seem Lucky is not
particularly keen to leave here

for a life in the wild.

Well, I'd certainly be happy
to spend a few days again

with a friendly pangolin.

I think the only truly scaly mammal
in the world

certainly deserves a berth.

Around 80% of the Earth's
animal species are insects.

They play a vital
role in the food chain,

essential to many birds,
fish and many other animals.

They fertilise and aerate the soil,
and, of course, they pollinate.

Without them, life as we know it
would cease to exist.

So with only three places
left on my ark,

it would seem wrong not to
include at least one.

'Butterflies lift the heart.'

There are thousands to choose from,

but this butterfly house has
one of my favourites.

'I selected it for
its exquisite beauty.'

This is a Priam's Birdwing
butterfly.

It lives in Western New Guinea
and to the islands both east

and west, and also down into the
northern part of Australia.

Birdwings have
some of the largest of insect wings,

and are very sought
after by collectors.

The name comes from their rather
bird-like forewings.

The male Priam Birdwing has
a striking pattern of vibrant

green and black.

The females are larger and less
colourful, but just as delightful.

These butterflies are able to fly
long distances

high above the forest canopy.

But these beautiful insects only
live for about ten days

as fully-formed adult butterflies.

If I take him on board my ark,
I'm not going to have him for long.

But in the ten
days of his short life,

he'll bring such joy that I'm
delighted to have him on board.

Oh, doesn't want to leave.
Off you go.

Off you go.

OK, stay on board.

Australia is a fascinating
place for any naturalist.

It's a land full of astonishing
creatures.

From kangaroos,

to echidnas,

to the duck-billed platypus.

It really is a place like no
other on earth.

However, many of these remarkable
animals are also amongst

the most threatened on the planet.

So people here have had to come up
with some extraordinary ways

to protect them.

And there is one story that
particularly interests me -

that of the quoll.

They're just a fantastic animal.
Look at that. Very cute.

Want a few more?

There you go.

As you'd expect, the northern
quoll can be found

in the Northern Territories
of Australia.

It looks rather mouse-like,
but during breeding, it develops

a small pouch for its young,
and it is, in fact, a marsupial.

And this marsupial is a meat-eater.

But that fact could be its downfall.

In recent years, it's been bumping
into a new kid on the block -

the cane toad.

The cane toad is
originally from South America,

but since being introduced
to Australia,

it's been devastating the wildlife
across that continent.

It's a classic
case of an invasive species.

The problem for the hungry quoll
is that this toad is also poisonous.

The glands on its back release
a lethal venom.

The cane toad population has spread
so quickly across Australia

that the unsuspecting quolls have
been poisoned in their thousands.

Here, at Territory Wildlife Park
near Darwin, quolls are brought

to live in captivity as a safeguard
against extinction.

An animal behaviour expert,
Jonathan Webb,

has a radical idea to teach these
quolls that cane toads

are off the menu, and stop them
eating themselves to extinction.

When I came up with this idea,
people said,

"You're crazy,
it's never going to work.

"You can't train quolls
to avoid eating cane toads."

So to prove their point, they set up
an anti-cane toad boot camp.

At the centre of this unconventional
aversion therapy is a new recipe.

Cane toad sausages.

First, they cut up dead cane toads
and skin the legs.

The poisonous
parts of the toad are discarded.

Then, a sickness-inducing drug is
mixed with a juicy piece

of cane toad meat and stuffed
into the toad's leg skin,

before being tied to create
a sausage.

Jonathan's theory is that when the
quolls eat these cane toad sausages,

they will feel mildly sick from the
odourless, flavourless drug.

He hopes that they will now
associate that sick feeling

with the taste of cane toads, and
will avoid live toads in the future.

The bowls are placed in the quoll
enclosures,

and as night falls, the quolls
are out, looking for food.

Next morning,
the bowls are all empty,

and the quolls are feeling the
effect of that

chemical in the sausages, and are
looking rather sorry for themselves.

But the sick feeling only
last a few hours,

and soon the quolls are back
on form, catching crickets.

It's time for a second helping
of the specially-prepared

toad sausages.

Jonathan will be preparing
for a rather different result

when he checks the quoll's
bowls in the morning.

We've got six animals to
check today.

They've all eaten the bait once
and become ill,

and we've offered them
the bait the second time,

and we're hoping that they'll all
have rejected the toad bait.

Oh, excellent.
It hasn't been touched. Fantastic.

I'd say that one's toad-trained.

She hasn't touched this one.

Excellent. Hasn't been touched.

But it's not all good news,

as some of the quolls would appear
to have flunked the test.

Ah!

Well, this one's taken the bait,
which is disappointing.

So this little fellow will
have to resit.

More cane toad sausages for him.

But for the graduates
of Jonathan's programme,

it's back to life in the wild
at nearby Kakadu National Park.

This area has been
invaded by cane toads,

but with their new training,

these quolls should stand
a fighting chance.

Then it's time to check the traps
they left the day before.

Hey, we've got a quoll!

In this cane toad-infested area,

it's always encouraging
to find a live quoll.

It's often an animal
they've already trained.

But this time, when they scan to see
if the quoll has been

previously micro-chipped,
the news is particularly welcome.

Wow, that's fantastic.

So this is the daughter of one
of the females that we

reintroduced to
the site in February 2010.

This important development
means that this quoll

has most likely been brought up
by its mother to avoid cane toads.

Fantastic.

For Jonathan,

it means that he only needs to train
one generation of quolls

and the quolls will pass down
the knowledge to their offspring.

It's just one of those Eureka
moments, where you think,

"Wow, this technique could actually
help save this species."

It's a remarkable example
of ingenuity and innovation saving

a species, and that's why I'll
welcome the quoll aboard my ark.

I very much doubt you'll be able
to guess my final selection.

It can be found
at the bottom of the sea.

The ocean depths are full of rare,
beautiful and often bizarre animals.

Many we know very little about,

and there must be thousands
awaiting discovery.

The creature I'm interested in
clings to the ocean floor.

They may look like plants,

but sponges are one of the simplest
of all living animals.

Yet in their own way,
they're amazing.

They can be put through a mincer,
reduced to a mush of cells,

yet still reorganise themselves
and reform into a sponge.

There is one small but very
special family of sponges

known as the glass sponges.

Like these.

This particular species is called
Venus' Flower Basket.

And they're called glass sponges
because they strengthen their body

with microscopic needles of silica,
the same substance that makes glass.

Their needles join
together in three,

so they have six-pointed stars,

and these tiny little elements
are then deposited by the sponge

to form this extraordinarily
complex, beautiful structure.

This complex glass structure
is a marvel of design.

The same kind of construction
is used to build skyscrapers.

But what is amazing is that the
sponge grows its lattice, and

doesn't require the kind of red-hot
furnace that human glassmakers need.

The Venus' Flower Basket
can be found

at great depths of up
to 1,000 metres.

Down there,
you need a special submarine,

because the water pressure
is so great.

Only creatures that have adapted
to this extreme environment

can survive down here.

The Venus' Flower Basket feeds
on the tiny particles

of organic matter that fall from
the more habitable water above.

It creates a current to draw
water in the bottom,

and after absorbing what it needs,
it expels the waste at the top.

How such a simple creature
as this could have

constructed as complex
a skeleton as that, no-one can say.

But for me,
these are some of the most beautiful

and some of the most remarkable
living organisms,

and I'll be delighted to
have one on my ark.

So, there we have it.
My ark is full.

There is such a huge variety of life
on Earth that I could have chosen

any one of thousands
of different species.

But these few give a glimpse of the
astounding diversity of nature.

Wow! So this is a pregnant male.

Their stories also show us
some of the dedicated people,

trying to protect these animals.

This is a living fossil.

The innovative techniques that
researchers have devised.

I'd say that one's toad-trained.

The extreme lengths that
conservationists will go to

in the struggle to save a species.

And ultimately, the reward such
painstaking work can bring.

Wow! This is fantastic and wonderful.

Those are some of the animals that
intrigue and fascinate me.

And I won't forget Venus' Flower
Basket either, as a reminder

of how much we still have to
learn about the natural world.