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The mulga snake, otherwise known as the king brown. Measuring nearly 10 ft long, this large male is on the hunt. Out here, prey is scarce. So, he does what he must to survive. Lording over his close relatives, Australia's largest venomous snake has developed a taste for reptilian flesh. He uses inside knowledge of his victims to gain an edge, such as knowing that reptiles need to bask in the sun to warm up. The mulga's flickering tongue has picked up a scent trail. He's locked onto a target and is relentless in his pursuit. Maintaining his focus, he's not distracted by the presence of nearby lizards. He's tracking a much more substantial meal.
This is a western brown snake, one of the world's top 10 venomous snakes and usually treated with healthy respect by most predators. But, in addition to his own chemical weapons, the mulga also possesses chemical defenses. Within his biological arsenal, he carries a genetic resistance to snake venom. A bite from even the deadliest of snakes has little effect. So, the western brown poses no threat. Sensing the peril, it attempts to flee. In desperation, it tries to conceal itself within a nearby hole, but the mulga uses his size and strength to block the only exit to what now becomes a tomb. To ensure a quick and efficient kill,
the venom output of the mulga is higher than any other snake on Earth. As he devours his 5-ft long meal, each chewing action delivers yet another dose of deadly toxins. A killer of killers, the mulga snake is a snake's worst nightmare. Elsewhere, below the surface of a slow-moving stream, lies another battlefield. This hardened bully feeds on the dead and the dying. Few species would challenge the freshwater crab. and even its eyes can be retracted when threatened.
However, the crab shares the river with an unlikely rival. A leech. A tiger leech. No armor, no obvious weapons, yet this leech is deadly. At just 2 in long, it lives up to its name. Seeking out the chemical trails of potential prey. The crab sees movement amongst the detritus. A would-be victim. The leech seems wary. And keeps its distance from the well-armed aggressor. It watches and waits as other leeches gather nearby. But a second leech arrives seeking the crab's juicy insides. The crab decides that attack is the best form of defense.
Its claws could do serious damage to a leech's soft body. But the leeches are slippery customers. Covered in mucus. It maneuvers behind the deadly claws and tries to latch on. The crab attempts to shake off its attacker. A master at breaking and entering, the leech has found a [__] in the crab's armor. Once it strikes soft tissue, it tears into the flesh injecting an anticoagulant. The leech begins to suck out the crab's vital fluids.
The crab's struggle is futile. The leech will gorge itself consuming up to five times its original body weight. All that remains of the crab is its armor and the weapons that proved useless against the aquatic vampire. The leech won't need to feed again for months, even a year. The rivers and streams that nurture Australia's lush forests also harbor some rather nefarious characters. Slithering along a rocky creek bed is one of Australia's most notorious venomous snakes. This male red-bellied black snake is on the prowl.
Equally at home in the water as he is on land, he rarely strays far from the watercourse to which he is so well adapted. With a predilection for aquatic species, he can track prey along the riverbank. And will even swim below the water surface in pursuit of tadpoles and fish. And today, this silent assassin will need to apply all the tricks of his deadly trade. His keen eyesight and hearing have detected a moving target. A spotted marsh frog. This nimble amphibian is no easy meal.
The fast-moving frog darts from one hiding hole to the next. But it leaves behind a chemical trail, which is quickly detected by the red-belly's probing tongue. The snake stealthily pursues his mark in a deadly game of cat and mouse. A deadly concoction of toxins and anticoagulants delivered by long, sharp fangs swiftly overwhelms the prey which he devours whole. Paralyzed, but still alive. Savoring his meal, this covert killer slinks back off into the shadows. In the dense forests on the remote island of Tasmania, an attractive marsupial comes out just after dark.
He's about 3 ft long and weighs over 7 lb, but don't be fooled by his innocuous looks. His dainty face hides powerful jaws armed with long, sharp teeth. He hunts alone, prowling the forest floor for small or medium-sized mammals like pademelon, the smaller relative of the kangaroo. The tiger quoll gorges on the soft tissue only. His jaws aren't strong enough to crunch through bone or tendon. He has to eat quickly.
There are thieves in the shadows, ruffians ready to steal his prize. A Tasmanian devil, the larger cousin of the quoll and a formidable rival. This one can smell the kill. To avoid a fight that he cannot hope to win, the quoll beats a hasty retreat. Luckily, he can do something that his ferocious cousin can't. Climb trees. Quite at home amongst the canopy, it doesn't take long for this adept hunter to find another meal. Raiding the sleepy family, he snatches one of the babies in the ultimate nightmare.
His sharp teeth shear through flesh and small bones, a grizzly end for the young bird. While the quoll's appetite is satisfied, on the ground below, the night's carnage has only just begun. Tasmanian devils are the largest and fiercest of the marsupial carnivores alive today. This species used to roam all over the continent, but is now only found in Tasmania. They hunt at night, feeding on small mammals, birds, and reptiles, but they'll occasionally take on prey much bigger than themselves.
A solitary ambush predator, this male works alone. He spotted a mob of wallabies. With one of the most powerful mammalian bites on Earth, he can gnaw through every part of the carcass, fur, flesh, tendons, even bone. A devil can devour 40% of its body weight in half an hour, leaving nothing to waste. But, the scent of blood is thick in the air. A scent that other devils can smell from several miles away. The fresh kill attracts a motley crew. Tasmanian devils are one of the few solitary hunters known to feed communally.
[screaming] But, this social gathering is not for the faint hearted. It's everyone for themselves. Although this chaotic feeding frenzy appears to be lacking in table manners, there are rules. [screaming] [groaning] Long facial whiskers determine personal space. And when invisible lines are crossed, violent skirmishes break out. [screaming] [groaning] All the devils proudly wear the battle scars of conflicts won and lost. Devil dinner time is a decidedly brutish affair.
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