17:34
We have a hot issue here. Ray said he had a small loggerhead turtle. But I'm sure everyone is like, "Hey, Coyote, you're supposed to let that turtle bite you, right?" Well, I mean, I'm a little tempted by it. Oh. So, today we embark on an epic adventure to Caddo Lake. We will be looking for all kinds of animals. We can come across many people. Turtles, where the main target will be the loggerhead turtle, snakes, water shields, maybe even a skunk monkey. Let's see what comes of this.
Me, Ray, and Matt are on a grand quest, and any animal is our prey. What do you have there? Definitely a water snake. Hey, buddy, hey. You're okay, you're okay. Nice delight. Oh, ah. Dude, you're showing me who's boss here. Look at this. This is a beautiful water snake resting here. Oh, oh. You have to be very careful because its pattern is very similar to a poisonous water snake, and I don't want to grab that kind of snake. Oh, I know, buddy. These guys can still bite hard. In a minute, I'll probably start bleeding heavily, and the anticoagulant in their saliva won't stop the bleeding. That's it. What a start to the day. Let's let this guy go and see what else we can find.
Right under the surface, disappeared. We are approaching the island. We'll land on the shore and see if we can find any living things. Wow. Look where we are now. It looks unreal. It looks like something you'd only see on a computer screensaver, but we're here for real. We are looking for animals Yes, wait, say it again. I said, "Keep your eyes peeled, guys. This place looks very snakey." There is one. Oh my God. Perfectly curled up right there. I think I can just grab her by the back of the head.
I wouldn't recommend doing that. Yes, yes, you should never do anything like that. This is one of the calmest shield-muzzles I have ever seen. That's it, friend. And you have to be extremely careful when taking a picture because they can lunge, and I've made mistakes before with poison teeth by getting too close with the camera. I don't want to repeat that with the shield muzzle. Okay, I'll just carefully put this guy back in the leaves. Oh, he takes out a little hook. AT! Carefully, carefully. Wow! Look at this. It's not often you'll see a water shield just crawling around in open areas. Okay, he's getting a little aggressive. Let him
return to wherever he wants. It was wild. On the map this place is called Goat Island. I think it should be renamed Shieldmuzzle Island. Let's see how many more we can find. Yes, quick update. While Coyote and Matt went that way, I decided to try to look cool and jump over that tree, and just before I jumped, oh my god, I noticed that little shield-faced coyote curled up. You almost jumped right at him. Dude, oh, he's moving. Yes, it was a split-second decision, I could barely contain myself.
Let's move on. Well, after an hour of exploring little Goat Island, we came across a bunch of different shield-faced otters. But now we're back on the kayaks because we want to find the next piece of land to explore. Okay, I'm ready. Dude, you literally said it was a very treacherous place. I looked down. I don't even know if it's visible on camera. Another? Small? One by one the babies, and this is the smallest I have ever seen. So what are you going to do, Coyote? I'm going to use bite-proof gloves to pick it up and look at it, because the coloring is just incredible. Oh, he bites you a little. Wow, that's good. Wow, okay, right in the face.
Even a venomous snake of this size can inflict a fairly dangerous bite. If I were bitten by this snake, it would still be a medical emergency. So I want to show a lot of respect to this little guy. He's watching me, oh, right in his sights. Coyote, there are many misconceptions that baby venomous snakes are more dangerous than adults. What do you say to that? My argument is that this is not true, and it's simple: a smaller snake means less venom. So the greater scutellum that we saw a minute ago-a large snake, a large amount of venom. But a small snake like this can still have a potentially very dangerous bite. It's still worth seeing the doctors, but I wouldn't worry about a snake bite of that
size as much as I would about a bite of something much larger. Ovva. Oh, look at those little fangs. Wow, quick throw. Ovva. This is crazy, man. I love watching such a defensive maneuver in such a small snake. This means that in the worst case scenario, she is ready to strike: bite and then run away. So I'm starting to lose my grip a little. Okay, we'll release you back into the wild, and that's probably the best ending to the search for dozens of water shields here. Ovva.
Wow, calm down. Caddo Lake. Okay, I think this is close enough to my face. Oh, what a find. Wherever I am, whether in the swamps, on remote trails, or during long wildlife shoots, I always need one thing-electricity. And thanks to Bluetti, energy is more portable than ever. This is the Bluetti Elite 30 Mini, a compact portable power station that has become one of my favorite travel companions. My favorite feature? I'm glad you asked. This is a built-in 140W USB-C charging cable. No more rummaging through your backpack or looking for forgotten cords. The cable is always at hand when you need it. It's light enough to carry with you whether you're working from home or exploring nature.
Despite its compact size, it is capable of powering the devices I rely on the most: laptops, phones, and everything I need for adventures. If you have an explorer, traveler, or nature enthusiast in your circle, the Elite 30 Mini makes a great birthday or holiday gift. And now everyone who buys an Elite 30 Mini gets a mystery card. Simply scan the QR code, register your unique code on the Bluetti website, and your prize is on its way. To learn more, follow the link in the description and use the code brave five off to get 5% off select items until November 30th. Thanks again to Bluetti for supporting Brave Wilderness, and now back to the adventures.
Black runner. Do you want to play catch-up with me? Yes, you can catch him. Okay. Oh, no. And that shows how fast they are. Damn it. Yes, they are not called black distillers for nothing. Phew, they just race away. And I thought I was fast, but that snake is much faster. Ray asks, "Do you want to catch him?" I say: "No, you catch it." And that thing just disappeared. Rey gave away the real Spider-Man there Aha. Wow, that snake wasted no time. She disappeared instantly.
Okay, back to the kayaks. Wow, how many hours were spent searching. Now we head back to that little bay we saw earlier in the day. I like how it fits the caiman turtles. So we'll head back there, spend the rest of the adventure waiting, searching, and digging in the mud. I hope we catch that loggerhead turtle. To be honest, I've caught very few of them in my entire life. It's possible, and I've done it. No loggerhead turtles today, so far. The water here is probably the cleanest of all the places I've been today. I can see all the way to the bottom. Oh my god, loggerhead turtles, huge common caimans, even large freshwater turtles.
Pulling one of these out for Coyote would be a huge gift today. Yes. Dude, a baby loggerhead turtle. Let's go, dude. My God. Yes. Wow. Incredible. We just talked about how hard it is to find small individuals. Aha. They are so elusive. My main target is a small baby loggerhead turtle. I've caught huge loggerhead turtles, and any of them would be fantastic, but to find a small one in the wild-that would be super cool. Let's put her in your boat and move to this area where it's a little greener. And come on, you'll make a little presentation.
Dude, I'm just thrilled right now. Forward! Dude, Ray, your first loggerhead turtle catch. Man, this is just incredible. I'm just over the moon with happiness. I mean, I wouldn't want to catch my first snapping turtle any other way than in front of you, Coyote. I've been dreaming of catching this species ever since I watched the original episodes of "Dragon Tails" where you caught them back in 2014-2015. And it's good to know that encountering a young loggerhead turtle is extremely rare. This is just a pearl, not a find and a catch. And I mean, I'm at a loss for words right now. Look at those jaws. Dude
, you're showing off. Although they can grow much larger than that, I don't want to get bitten by this guy because look how sharp his beak is. He can definitely tear me apart. Now let's flip it over here. Yes, show us the plastron. So, it looks pretty similar to a common caiman turtle. And one of the many reasons why caiman turtles have developed such remarkable defense mechanisms is that they have a lot of flesh exposed underneath. Lots of areas where potential predators could get close and tear them apart. So in response, they have this fierce bite, huge claws, and a large protective shell. Look at those spikes on top of the carapace.
Tell us how it's different from a regular caiman turtle. Yes, common caiman turtles have a very smooth carapace. And here you see that the vulture turtle has these sharp spines, like a real dragon. Also worth noting, look how long this guy's tail is. Much longer than a common caiman turtle of the same size. I mean, it's almost the same length as his carapace. This is just madness. They hunt completely differently than regular caiman turtles. Common snapping turtles are more nomadic hunters. Oh my God. Oh, trying to bite the camera. Uh, common snapping turtles come out and actively search for their prey. These guys are specialized ambush hunters. They just lie there and wait. They have this little
worm-like appendage in their mouth that they use as bait, like for fishing. The fish swims up, sees it, swims right into the jaws, which snap before the fish can understand anything. It's already in the stomach of the loggerhead turtle. How painful do you think this bite is? Well, look how sharp this beak is. It's not big enough to bite off a finger or anything, but it can still hurt badly. I don't want to put any part of my body under those jaws. Do n't you want this turtle to bite you?
I mean, no, I'd rather not do that. She would tear me to pieces. I know this sounds a little silly, but I'm sure everyone is thinking, "Yo, Coyote, you're going to have to let that turtle bite you, right?" I mean, I'm even a little tempted. Do you want to? Probably so. I mean, I do n't really want to, but it's interesting to see what kind of damage he can do. So, I mean, yeah, let's Oh, oh, you just want to get right to it? Yeah, I think I'll just let it bite my hand and we'll see, uh. Oh my God. We'll see how bad it is or not. I hope he lets go. I think he'll probably put a hole in my arm, as far as I'm concerned.
Yes, definitely. Are you ready? Uh, yes. OK. Oh! Ai! My God Dude! Oh! Come on, friend. Oh, he doesn't let go. Oh, the classic caiman turtle that won't let go. Dude, why did you do that? I do n't know. I just thought it would be interesting for an episode. Okay, if you put it in the water. Yes. Oh, come on, buddy. Let go. I feel him loosening his grip a little Oh, his beak seems to be stuck in my hand. Dude, you're crazy.
Oh, no. I knew it was if you Hold on, let's just sink it a little deeper. Okay, buddy, let go. Oh, man. A difficult day for me. Yes, he definitely put two holes in my arm. I feel it. And this is a great example of not only is the bite force incredible, but they also bite and don't let go. doesn't want to let go right now. I think he'll eventually let go. Oh, man, his beak is literally stuck in your skin. Yes, I see. Ai! Come on, friend. AT! Oh, no! Ai! Oh, I freed my hand.
Dude! You give. This is madness. He made a small hole there. Those jaws can really do some damage, and man, I'm just speechless right now Well, I'll tell you this, if I were a fish, that hand wouldn't come back. Actually, you know, I don't think he punched a hole through the bottom, just through the top of my hand. Yes, only in the upper part of the arm. Okay, Ray. Well, I think that concludes our adventure on Caddo Lake. A bunch of water shields and one amazing young caiman turtle.
Great job, dude. Dude, I'm over the moon, but let's just release this little guy back to where we found him so he can continue his nightly hunt, and until we meet again, I'm Ray Tiller. I'm Coyote Peterson. Be brave. Stay wild. See you in the next adventure. Woo!
