Legend has it that piranhas gather in predatory shoals and can strip human beings to the bone and eat them alive. The yellow-bellied piranha has a horrific appearance, with a mouth packed full of 4mm long canines, which, like sharks, are constantly replaced when lost or worn down. They can also detect a drop of [...]

At 5 metres long, with mouthful of more than 70 razor sharp teeth and massive crushing jaws, the prehistoric looking black caiman spends much of its time submerged in the murky Amazonian rivers. It’s a serious predator and not exactly an easy subject for a portrait.

“Trying to get a boat full of people and kit to the dive site” – James Brickell (Director).

This was one bizarre creature that Steve was absolutely desperate to see. There are three species of thresher shark that swim the oceans; the common thresher, bigeye thresher and pelagic thresher. When Steve went to the Philippines he was desperate to see the bizarre pelagic thresher.

Wild wolves are extremely hard to get close to, and it’s not sensible to try! They are top predators, the largest of the wild dog family living in complex social groups, in remote inhospitable places. They are incredibly hard to see and track in the wild, travelling over huge distances and running at speeds of over 30mph in pursuit of prey. They are ferocious hunters tackling prey many times their own size like elk, bison and musk ox. Wild wolves are not to be messed with.
 

Mountain gorillas are endangered, with only 786 individuals left in the world. Visiting them can be an incredible experience, as Steve found out when he travelled to the forests of Uganda.

When the Deadly team traveled to Madagascar they discovered that it was definitely home to the weird and wonderful.

Sidewinders, also called horn vipers, are found in the deserts of North America, Africa, and the Middle East. When the Deadly 60 team went to the Namib desert they were on a mission to find this venomous adder. But it wasn’t going to be easy.

Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, probably the most intelligent non-human animal. In East Africa the chimpanzee is found in the wild in Tanzania and Uganda, which is where Steve and the team went in search of them. Chimps are found in rainforests and wet savannas living in communities which can number anywhere from 10 to over 100 individuals sharing a home range which can cover thousands of acres. Chimps spend much of the time moving through the forest in search of fruiting trees, making them difficult to find and follow.

The Namibian desert was a fantastic location for the deadly crew, coming face to face with hoards of vultures and the venomous sidewinder snake. But camera kit, electronics and sand don’t mix, so spending the day on the dunes meant that the team had to face sand being kicked up and blown around them all day.