Costa Rica is a biodiversity paradise. Nature remained untamed, and men respect wild sanctuaries. This is where I will hunt reptiles and amphibians, each more surprising than the last.
I challenged myself to immobilize a crocodile and capture the fearsome iron of lance, one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. You will need to be patient and extremely vigilant. The Costa Rican jungle can quickly turn into a living hell.
Reptiles are strange and mysterious, sometimes dangerous, but always fascinating. My name is Nathanaël Maury, I am a photographer and herpetologist. I decided to travel the globe, alone, with fifteen kilos of equipment on my back, to track down reptiles and amphibians known or unknown to date.
My project? Create a detailed encyclopedia of all these species before they disappear. This is the challenge that awaits me.
A snake And there you have it, This is what I came for, it's excellent The adventure begins here, in Dulcey Bay. Located in the southwest of Costa Rica, on the Osa Peninsula, It is home to a sea snake that is unique in the world. It is a snake that is extremely toxic, but it does not have a large amount of venom, and except when caught, it is not aggressive.
He's always trying to escape Before, but here it is, he is out of the water, it is something new for him, so he can be a little aggressive. It's the amys platyrus, these are snakes that spend their entire lives at sea, they look cute like that, but it is one of the twenty most venomous snakes on the planet. They are not the most dangerous, but it remains very very toxic.
I'm going to bag it up and take a picture of it. We're going to try to find a corner of mangrove, a beach to sit down and take photos. Here we are, we are fine, it's easy to dock, This is a good starting point.
a nice place for the photoshoot. There I have a brand new set, I redesigned everything to be lighter, It allows me to be more independent in the field, to go further, to be less tired, and above all the photo quality is better. Here is my new photographic table, much more compact and lighter.
A flash and softbox system that I put together myself. It is faster to assemble. They are truly pelagic.
It is a snake that floats with the currents, and the yellow ones are only found here, in this bay, Dulcé Bay. They are so unique that for the moment there is only one species in the genus. They are a priori endemic to here, This is the Amys Platyrus.
They are snakes that are born in the sea, that spend their entire lives in the sea, and who die at sea. Sea snakes, this one in particular, since it never goes on land, it doesn't have any ventral scales for crawling. So to move on land, that's why it's very clumsy.
He's not made for that. On the other hand, he is an excellent swimmer. It can dive to a depth of one hundred meters, one hundred and forty meters maximum, and apneas for up to four hours.
What we can see here is the swimming paddle, the flat tail that allows them to swim, even though the whole body is one big fin, because it is flattened vertically. They are completely adapted to the aquatic environment. They have nostrils on top of the rostral scales.
So it allows them to breathe when they are in a horizontal swimming position. It is truly a gem of evolution. He was kind, I have some very nice photos.
I'll be able to release him, and then let him go back out to sea. Come on, I'll release you, you deserve it, It's a beautiful meeting. !
There I saw some coconut, I'll have to prepare the pole to catch them and I find the perfect place for the photo shoot. With that, I will be able to hang my lasso and reach the crocodile from afar. For crocodile captures, we always scan our knees.
So the ideal is to have at least one pair of pants. Knee pads can be good too. But hey, it's heavy in the bag.
The pants look good on me. Hop there. Come on, let's go.
he arrives. We have to wait for the crocodile to come up onto the bank, otherwise in the water I have no chance of catching it. I prepared a piece of meat to attract the crocodile.
We'll see if it works. There he is caught, Now I have to pass it to him a second lasso around the jaw, I move it so that it spins. Spin is turning on itself, and he traps himself.
This is the tricky part. We must approach. to cover the crocodile's eyes.
He is already tired, That's good. The hardest part is done This is the most dangerous thing to do. We'll have to put him on his back and clean him.
There is still a lot of work to do. But at least, he is well taken. His legs are tied behind his back.
Like this, he can't escape. It's not easy to work in the swamps, the mangrove is like that, it's not very clean. NOW, I'll have to return it, clean it.
118 00:11:31,819 --> 00:11:31,723 I'll to clean and take the photos of the belly. Yes, little one I won't be long. Stay there, you, he needs to calm down, so I can clean it I'm going to remove the tape that is no longer of any use.
He is ready to turn around. So. This is the most delicate moment.
of the whole catch, because he is free. I have a stomach ache. Gorgeous Now there are more photos to take.
I'll make him turn around, and I'll try to take the pictures before he runs away. Standing in there, standing in there. Come on grandpa, you can turn around.
! I have a nice picture. This is an intimidation tactic.
I didn't back down, I was at a safe distance. He knows he can't attack me. I'm not afraid of him.
I'll see if I can't clean his mouth. There you go, that's much better. I have a beautiful board of Crocodilus acutus, it's beautiful.
I still sweated a lot. I'll show him the way out. Come on, let's go.
Thanks for the photo, but it's time to go swimming again. Come on, forward! I'm the boss, not you.
Come on I'm going to collect all my bits of plastic. We don't leave trash in the jungle. My first challenge has been completed.
Crocodylus acutus. I'm super happy. I'm going to go deeper into the forest to try to catch the spearhead.
We'll see what we can find. It might be interesting. It should be pretty good.
to make my camp. A little pruning. I'll meet you at the water's edge.
Since there are crocodiles, we will avoid it. I always go back up to the hammock. If you are too close to the ground, there are small animals like rats, porcupines.
And if it rains hard, The ricochet of rain on the ground can wet us from below. I installed the roof. I never know if it's raining or not.
The camp is set up. I will be able to have a good night's sleep of rest. My first night in Costa Rica is looking good.
I will sleep well. Tomorrow I need energy because I'm going to attack going deep into the jungle. I'm going to look at my pictures.
It's always interesting to see what happens in peace and quiet. ! Well, he wasn't bad.
I'm going to cut it out on the computer. My light box isn't big enough for a crocodile. I'm going to have a bit of work to do but it's going to give some nice boards.
A well-made board is a board net where I can look at all the criteria for determining the species. In this case, for this species, the number of labial scales, These are the scales that are along the upper lip. Upper labial, lower labial, head over heels.
This photo allows us to look at the cephalic scales. They can help us determine the species. This one is perfect.
In the evening, I like to look at my photos. It gives me motivation for the next day. And there you have it.
Me, I need to rest. Today I will follow the river. My progress will be easier than in the jungle.
This will also allow me to discover new species, because the biotope there is more humid. And there you have it, It's an amoeba. a beautiful orange belly.
I'll put it in a bag Phyllobates vitatus. It's quite dangerous, I have to put on gloves. Right here.
It's a small, colorful frog, but they manage to get under the leaves pretty quickly. Go there, I'm going to clean it. It's as dangerous as it is beautiful.
She doesn't have the lethal dose for a human, but you can still have convulsions and severe pain if we come into contact with its poison. Its poison is a stimulant, like caffeine or nicotine. It can cause convulsions.
If it is in too large a quantity, it can cause respiratory arrests. and you can die from it. This, a priori, is not fatal, but it remains very dangerous.
There is one. This is Oophaga granulifera. The orange back, whitish flanks and the slightly blue belly is the strawberry frog.
This frog is very special. The female will feed her tadpole babies with unfertilized eggs. Oophaga in Latin, it means egg eater.
It's really a specific behavior. There are very few amphibians that use this technique. When it's like that, little frogs, it's a very special habitat.
Systematically, I take the GPS point which allows me to release it in exactly the same place. Because if we release them a little further, We don't know if they will survive. If it's not exactly the same biotope, This can be really problematic.
There's a Jesus lizard on the rock over there. Basiliscus basiliscus. This is the nominal subspecies.
A handsome male, he is not happy. I have some specimens. I'm going to do a photo shoot.
I'm going to release the animals before continuing my journey. They need to be calmed down. You shouldn't take pictures when they are too stressed.
I'm just showing him that I'm not dangerous to him. And that he can trust me. That it's going to be okay.
I'll start with the portrait photos. I'll put it back in its bag. Because we're not going to release him into the river.
That's not his natural habitat. I'll be able to take him home. We move on to the dangerous frog.
It's a frog that has poison of the batracotoxin type. And it's transcutaneous. You can be affected by the toxin.
That's what we use gloves for. The exercise consists of taking the photos without ever touching the device with the glove. She has a blue and black belly.
It's absolutely beautiful. Philobates vitatus. Like all frogs of the genus Philobates, It stores batracotoxin in the glands of its skin.
One of the most toxic substances in the world. It is a fascinating animal. and dangerous at the same time.
Oophaga granulifera. Endemic to Costa Rica, it is very small. From one point five to two point five centimeters.
It is found up to one hundred meters above sea level in humid forests. We re-moisten it before putting it in the bag. A handsome male like that.
Gorgeous. He has beautiful eyes golden yellow, a crest above the head and a dorsal crest. A lizard of this size, you have to be careful of bites but also of claws.
which are really very sharp. Just the act of holding on to our hand or arm, we can have beautiful notches. He looks handsome with his mouth open like that.
He wants to impress me. The basilisk is a very nervous lizard. who can run very fast.
The boards are delicate. He must not escape before the end of the board. We'll put it in position for the last photo.
There, it went well. He deserved my release. He will be able to leave again.
This is a female Jesus lizard. They play dead because there are some animals thinking that it is dead, they release their grip and that gives them an opportunity to escape. Basil is an incredible lizard.
They call him Jesus Christ because he is a lizard. who runs so fast that he can run on water. A good session is over.
Now I'm going to go release all these little people. It's starting to rain. It's going to be perfect for the frogs.
This one comes from here. The other one is a little further away. When you find a natural shower, you have to take advantage of it, there aren't any everywhere in the jungle.
Now I'll be able to recharge my batteries a little. It's impassable here, we can't continue. I'm going to go back down a little and go deeper into the forest.
There, the river is over. I will go into the forest more There, I'll be fine. There is a wonderful channel.
I'm going to wake up next to this, it'll be heaven. This is not the time to forget the roof. Although I find the spearhead.
Normally it is quite common. But you never know. If it's not the right time, if it's not the right environment, it's hard to find it.
Although according to statistics, there are still quite a few bites. So it must be common, there must be quite a few. It's not too late.
I'm going to go searching at night. Then, off to bed. At night in the jungle, that's where you see the most critters.
There are frogs that come out and the snakes that want to eat them. When they are in the beam of my lamp, they stop moving. It's much easier to make good captures.
This is what we call in English "glass frog I put it in the bag with leaves so she doesn't stress. Here there is a very rare frog. It is endemic to Costa Rica.
There's a male guarding his eggs. I'm not going to disturb him. I'll try to catch one if she doesn't have one.
eggs. It's impressive. Amazing !
Look at this ! It's beautiful ! It is a Botryechis schlegeli.
It's the viperciliary. She is amazing ! To be careful though, it is a snake that is potentially dangerous and that causes victims.
I'm going to put her on the ground. You have to block her head and grab her behind the neck. If you get bitten, you're going straight to the hospital.
There are some venom hooks there that are no laughing matter. It's impressive. It is a solenoglyph system.
She can fold them up or open them at will. She can open her mouth one hundred and eighty degrees and bite us in the middle of the thigh. These are very large venom hooks.
They pierce your skin, they pierce your muscle and they inject directly intramuscularly. The venom is directly into the bloodstream. These are real hypodermic syringes.
We can clearly see the muscles he uses to open the hook. It's impressive, they're a good centimeter long. We put it in a bag.
She is delicate. You saw all the venom ? It's not water.
These are the hooks that pierce the bag. You always have to be very careful. Anything that is liquid is venom.
Although the venom is the same, the fer de lance has much more of it. and most importantly, it's much faster. You really have to be careful not to get bitten.
I'll take a picture of it tomorrow. It's raining and dark. This is not ideal for shooting.
With a snake like that, I prefer to be in good shape. and see what I'm doing. We're going to camp.
For three hours of research, that's good. I made frog, lizard and above all, botryechis, the viperciliary, it's just magnificent. Besides, it's not very common.
I'm really happy about that. This will make me an extraordinary board. It is often found in yellow, but there, in green, like that, it's magnificent.
I deserved it rest. I will sleep well. It's tiring.
We carry the bag, we are looking, it requires attention. When you catch poisonous ones, you can't mess up. If we don't want to end up in the hospital, It's the worst, dead.
Good night. The picus is beautiful. It's huge.
At night, I saw that the bottom, but in fact, it starts very high. A real cathedral. I'll go take a closer look.
I'll check to see if there's a scorpion in the shoes. HAS a priori, there aren't any. It's impressive.
It must be several hundred years old. They look tiny next to it. It starts very high.
It's going in all directions. I saw something move. Maybe a snake, but I'm not sure.
I will That's what I thought. There's a snake. I'll grab it and I'll go back down.
It's an imantandes, it's not dangerous. He has big eyes. He is very thin.
This is pure arboriculture. At that height, it couldn't be terrestrial. He is very nice and calm.
He doesn't try to bite. I'll bag it up and head back down. It's really a cream.
It fits in the bag all by itself. I'll put that there, just in case not damaged I'll do it right away before I raid the camp, when it's done. We're going to release him into his tree.
I'm going to take the head shots. It is an imantandes without choice. It is a very fine little species.
They have huge eyes. This allows them to see everything around them in the jungle. Side.
They have binocular vision too. This allows them to better appreciate distances. They specialize in eating frogs and their eggs, but they don't mind eating small lizards too.
They have enormous strength in their bodies. They are able to hold themselves on great distances, which allows them to move from branch to branch. It is truly a magnificent species.
we're done, i'm taking you home, you deserved it. Thank you for your contribution. I think the encyclopedia will be a little better with you in it.
! I'll take care of last night's captures. It will be done, I will be able to release them.
We'll start with Miss Viper Cellier. You have to be careful. He comes to protect my fingers with the gloved hand.
This avoids losing a finger or two in the fight. Amputations are common following bites from this snake. Potentially, you can die too.
But here in Costa Rica, the antivenom is quite effective. We are sulking, So. Gorgeous.
It is a venom that is necrotizing, cytotoxic. It attacks cells and we literally rot. I'm going to do the belly.
I'm going to put it back in the bag. I'm going to be very careful because we're making a really dangerous snake. It's not as fast as a spearhead, but it still has some pretty nice venom fangs.
There you have to be careful, you can get bitten through the bag. The hand that touches the bag is always the gloved hand. The rain is coming.
I'm going to quickly tidy up my studio under the tarp of my hammock. I will be able to continue my frogs in broad daylight in the jungle. When it rains, it looks like it's night.
The light is absorbed by the foliage. I find myself at the headlamp to do my photo shoots. This is a beautiful Agalichnys sporelli.
So. We can clearly see that it is a tree frog. It climbs very well.
I found this one right next to the camp. I'll be able to release her right away. I have a flaw.
It's frog day. It's raining. Here we go.
I have an extremely special frog. That's what we call in English "glass frog ". It means "glass frog".
" I like it a lot. If she'll let me, I'll start with the ventral. The entire ventral part is transparent.
We can see leg bones, the beating heart, the entire digestive system. Organs are much better seen in macro photography than with the naked eye. It's still not very big.
Look at how big it is. A photo from the front. I'm going to put her back in her bag because we're not releasing her here.
We will release her where it was found. I'll quickly put my gear away before it gets damp. We'll wait until the rain has passed.
Encyclopedia is progressing well. I already have quite a few animals. It is encouraging.
It's true that I'm still looking for Lance's father. I still haven't found it. Hopefully.
will finish the encyclopedia too. It was there. These are truly extraordinary frogs.
This is a pregnant female. I put it back exactly where I found it. On the same sheet.
She doesn't choose it at random. She chooses it above the water. Like that, when she lays, tadpoles can jump into water when they hatch.
She is perfect on his sheet. Welcome home. When she is ready to lay, she will go on the sheet on the other side.
She will lay her eggs which stick to the leaf. Then, the male will protect them until the young hatch and fall into the water. This way the tadpoles can go into the water.
Come on, bye. We returned to the location of the capture. A snake that is purely arboreal.
It should never be put back on the ground. If we put him back on the ground, he will climb a tree. It's better to put him there.
He'll spend his day there. Tonight he will be able to move if he doesn't like it. Thanks for the photo.
Costa Rica is the only country that has reversed the deforestation process. In thirty-five years, forest cover has doubled. Today, it represents more than half of the country's surface area.
This is a real opportunity for ecosystems and biodiversity. A spearhead. putting a bag.
It's excellent ! Here is the spearhead ! Oh the hooks!
It fits two centimeters. Maybe even three. He released a dose of venom.
Impressive. I put it in a bag. It's not good for the photoshoot here.
I'll have to find more space. An easier place. Wow, wow, wow, wow.
We have to make sure it's closed properly. We don't want this one to escape. I am super happy.
It was the mission in Costa Rica to catch the spearworm. There it is in the bag. It still remains to be photographed.
It is the most feared snake in Costa Rica. He is rightly so. He alone is responsible for more than three hundred bites per year.
He has very large venom fangs. Lots of venom in reserve. He doesn't hesitate to bite.
That makes for a really dangerous combination. So. A small clearing I will be safer to do my photoshoot.
This is a high-risk photoshoot. I have to be very focused. We must not lose the thread.
The slightest mistake can be potentially fatal. Stay there. Just some nice pictures, and then I'll leave you alone.
We can clearly see that he is wagging his tail. Here we go, we're going to try to run head first, then calm down Okay, I'll do it on the ground. He doesn't want to stay on the box.
It's okay. It'll save me a little more work on Photoshop. That's all.
We will try to regroup it. There you go, you're as handsome as anything ! Don't move !
No, I said don't move There he is in attack position. He can catch me from afar. This one is beautiful.
They are called spear worms because they have a very triangular head, very advanced, like the tip of a spear. I will try to make the head plans. I'll try to do one from the front.
There you go. It has a venom that is cytotoxic, which means it attacks cells. Literally, it rots.
It leads to amputations if it is not treated properly. It can also lead to death. Safety distances are much greater than with other snakes.
He has a good spring and he moves very quickly. Now I'm going to have to do the belly button. My window is not very big.
It's going to be a little complicated. delicately. We remain calm, Don't worry.
I have to roll it up nice and flat. There you go, that's good. Viperids are not.
. . I will carefully remove the glass.
So. In general, viperids and the crotalins, it's going well. There he calmed down.
We'll wake him up. I hope he won't be grumpy. There.
It has very, very nice hooks. There, we can clearly see the length of the hook. In fact, it is in the gum, which is flexible.
And there I can wind it up like this, which is impressive. Here. I'll put it back in the bag.
and then go release him. He deserved it. We always feel the tension drop when we have bagged the animal because during the photo shoot and during the capture, we are stressed, focused on the animal.
Once we bag it, you can fully appreciate having a beautiful board like that. hands. He's a nice fullback.
Here, then the general. I have several. This is going to make a very nice board.
There is work to be done, but it is going to make a very nice board. Come on, you deserve to be left alone. Me, I'll leave you in your habitat.
Protected Forests of Costa Rica still shelter an incredible diversity of species. This journey was beyond my expectations. I managed to capture seventy-two species of amphibians and reptiles.
Something to enrich my encyclopedia.
