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00:01When hunting, most undersea predators rely on razor-sharp teeth, lightning speed, or brute force.
00:12But there are also creatures that feed and defend themselves with more subtle but no less effective weapons.
00:19For many animals, survival depends on a powerful discharge of venom.
00:30The poisons of certain marine species are among the most lethal found in nature.
00:35The sting of a box jellyfish or stonefish can inflict excruciating pain and even kill a human.
00:44In an ironic twist, these potent toxins are now sources of new wonder drugs.
00:51Deadly cone snails have helped researchers discover innovative ways to treat severe pain and a host of other human ailments.
01:00For these seemingly defenseless animals, life hinges on their lethal arsenals of venom.
01:30I was justinfeld and полов an AFU-3-1-0.
01:32I wassinfeld and those animals are not used to win.
01:36For these humans, the precious species of a musk AIP has begun to be found in an Indian animal.
01:41We're a man-of-cademy.
01:42We're a man-of-cademy.
01:47We're a man-of-cademy.
01:48We're a man-of-cademy.
01:50We're a man-of-cademy.
01:52We're a man-of-cademy.
01:53In a coral garden, animals of every shape and description weave a living tapestry.
02:04This is the enchanting realm of the tropical reef.
02:13In this undersea city, the struggle to survive is the driving force behind the lives of all creatures.
02:20Many animals are both predators and prey, and one of the most effective tools for survival is venom.
02:32Some species use conspicuous, even flamboyant displays to advertise their toxins,
02:38while others rely on more subtle means to eat or not to be eaten.
02:44Of the many creatures which utilize venom, only a handful are deadly to humans.
02:50A CIDADE NO BRASIL
04:29They're a wonderful animal to work with under the water because they're not threatened by us, and so we can handle them. As long as you're gentle and they don't feel stressed, then they're really a very easy animal to work with.
04:55We're right back.
04:57We're right back.
05:43We're right back.
05:44We're right back.
05:45We're right back.
05:48All right, let's take her out of the bag, measure him, and we'll check him for a tag.
06:07Yeah, no worries.
06:10Come on, out you come.
06:12This one's actually a mile.
06:18The males actually don't grow as big as the females, but this is a big male.
06:23So all we might do is we'll pop him up here on the bench, and if I hold the body in, I'll get you to handle the rest of the body, and we'll just measure him.
06:30Yeah, no worries.
06:31And we'll get a length on him.
06:34Because sea snakes have little fear of man and are relatively easy to capture, they are often killed for their meat and skins.
06:42Motorboats and fishing trawlers also take a heavy toll.
06:45Trapped in nets, the air-breathing snakes easily drown.
06:51In a number of areas of the Indo-Pacific, sea snake numbers are declining dramatically.
06:56You can read it off at the vent there.
06:58Oh, she's cranky.
07:02Yeah.
07:03I want to get a snout vent measurement, so if I hold the tape here, can you just read it off on the vent?
07:12Yeah, it's 1.25 snout vent.
07:14Oh, she's wriggling.
07:17Okay, so that's 1.25 snout vent.
07:21Beautiful.
07:21All right.
07:25All right.
07:25Now, see, when she starts to twist like this, it's better to put her down because I don't want to damage her.
07:32Okay, lay her body down.
07:34Yep.
07:34And let her go.
07:35Because they're actually, the vertebrae in here are really delicate.
07:40Right.
07:40So if I actually hold her and she starts to twist, if I hold her too hard, it'll actually dislocate the vertebrae in her neck.
07:47So it's better to lay her down, back away, let her calm down, and then start again.
07:52Okay, let's go.
08:22Okay, so she gave most of her venom then, just in one bite.
08:41You can see it there in the bottom of the glass.
08:46And that's a lethal dose.
08:49That's enough to kill us both.
08:53If she bit me now, she's still potentially capable of delivering a lethal dose of venom, even though we've just milked her.
09:01When she bites you, you don't really know how much venom that she's pumped into you.
09:07It may be a dry bite.
09:09I was bitten once before, and it was a dry bite.
09:12I was bitten, but not envenomated.
09:15And you don't know.
09:16You don't know whether you have any venom in you until you start to show symptoms.
09:20Okay, so if you, if you can take her head, I'll just, you all right there?
09:25I'm down.
09:26Beautiful.
09:27You got it?
09:27Yeah, I got it.
09:29You all right?
09:29Yep.
09:30To distinguish individual snakes, Burns utilizes an electronic microchip called a pit tag.
09:37With a minor surgical procedure, he inserts the tiny device directly into the animal's body.
09:43There it goes there, okay.
09:57With a database of hundreds of snakes, burns can track their migrations along the Australian
10:02coast and help identify animals killed in fishing nets or by boats.
10:11Very nice.
10:34With much of sea snake behavior and biology a mystery, there still remains a lot to learn
10:40about the enigmatic reptiles.
10:42One of the reasons that we know so little about sea snakes is the fact that they are
10:47so venomous.
10:48People tend to shy away from a potentially dangerous animal like that and it doesn't really lend
10:54itself to close observation.
11:01I've been working with sea snakes for 20 years now and I'll continue to work with sea snakes.
11:08I still find them fascinating.
11:11There's so much we don't know about them.
11:17So far we've been able to track some individuals but we've only been able to do it with one
11:22species and there are so many more species to work with.
11:25You know, I'll continue to work with sea snakes, absolutely.
11:32That's a very cranky snake.
11:47All right.
11:48The venom of this marine snail is one of the strongest toxins on earth.
11:58But its deadly poison is also giving new hope to patients suffering from acute pain.
12:06Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
12:20Stretching for over 1200 miles along the country's eastern coast, the reef is the largest community
12:26of living organisms on earth.
12:40To study one of the ocean's most poisonous animals, researchers from the University of
12:44Queensland travelled from the port city of Gladstone to remote Heron Island.
12:55To study one of the ocean's most poisonous animals.
13:02Located at the extreme southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Heron Island is a renowned
13:11bird sanctuary.
13:14It is also a staging point and research centre for scientists from around the globe.
13:24This particular mission, to collect deadly cone snails and extract their lethal toxins.
13:31On a milligram per milligram basis, the venom of this tiny marine mollusc is one of the strongest
13:43poisons found in nature.
13:50Coveted for their beautiful shells, many collectors, divers and beach walkers have discovered that the attractive snails pack a powerful punch.
14:06They've been the cause of hundreds of serious injuries and several documented deaths.
14:13and several documented deaths.
14:15Their venom is strong enough to paralyze or kill a human.
14:20In the envenomation process, most individuals feel that pain.
14:27They have a feeling of loss of control of body function.
14:32Their blood pressure can either go up or down.
14:35They have trouble moving, trouble breathing.
14:42The neurotoxins of certain cone snails are so powerful that they can cause the human respiratory system to shut down.
14:54While fully conscious and aware, many victims lose the ability to breathe or the heart simply stops beating.
15:09Dr. Paul Aylwood is a professor at the University of Queensland and a founding member of the Zenome Project.
15:16Zenome is a pioneering leader in the research and development of new medicines derived from the venom of toxic animals.
15:24And the venom of the cone snail is likely the world's richest treasure trove of new drugs.
15:33With over 50,000 different toxic proteins, or peptides, the cone snail family promises the most important pharmacology of any animal species.
15:47With the right dosage and combination of peptide molecules, these poisons appear to be highly effective in the treatment of a number of human ailments.
15:58Each kind of toxin impacts upon a different nerve system in humans.
16:03Some of these relate to pain, others to blood pressure, others to mood, and others to muscle control.
16:10So they're a huge source of potential drugs.
16:15Australia is home to 100 of the world's nearly 600 species of cone snails.
16:22Heron Island, with its immense surrounding reef, is an ideal collection site.
16:28We'll go out, straight out there.
16:35I think it's going to be another half an hour.
16:37Yeah, I think so. It'll be half an hour to get out to there.
16:40In any case, so...
16:42OK, well, the tide's still a fair way to go.
16:45Going to head out there?
16:47So let's stop and have a look where we're going.
16:50Where's that pointer?
16:51The marker.
16:52Straight up.
16:53During extremely low tides, Aylwood and his colleagues fan out across the shallow reef to search for cone snails.
17:00Let's do it.
17:04Oh, beautiful.
17:06Nice one, guys, over here.
17:08Capitanus lives on top of the rocks, and you can see by the growths on the shell.
17:16Whereas underneath, it's all nice and shiny.
17:27Nothing there.
17:29Nothing there to rest.
17:31Good find.
17:33Aha!
17:36Pretty!
17:37Got something?
17:38Oh, yeah.
17:39Oh, very nice.
17:41Yes.
17:42Beautiful, beautiful.
17:43Lovely and shiny.
17:45Living under the rock?
17:46Mm-hmm.
17:47Straight under that sand.
17:49Kind of striatus?
17:50Mm-hmm.
17:52The researchers need only gather one or two snails of any given species.
17:57Their toxins can then be analysed, sequenced and replicated in a lab.
18:03The collection of a small number of animals has a negligible impact on mollusk populations.
18:08Is it Vernius or a Braeus?
18:11Good.
18:13Yeah, absolutely.
18:14Just a young snapper.
18:20No, there's nothing there.
18:22Certainly the unglamorous bit of can hunting.
18:33After dark, the animals are more active as they leave their coral hideaways to feed.
18:39At 2am, the crew returns to the reef to search for the nocturnal hunters.
18:45Well, with a bit of luck, they're cruising around in the evening.
18:51In principle, they should all be awake and out.
18:54In practice, it's pretty hard to see them in any case.
19:04There's a fish under there.
19:05Cone snails prey on worms, other mollusks and fish.
19:13And it's the species that hunt fish that are most deadly to humans.
19:18As we are also vertebrates, like fish, these toxins unfortunately target our physiology.
19:31The mollusks can smell their quarry from a considerable distance.
19:34Their mantle is drawn out and forms a siphon through which water enters,
19:39providing respiration, but also alerting them to the presence of their prey.
19:48And at night, most fish are asleep.
19:57Closing in on a gobi, the slow-moving snail readies its deadly harpoon.
20:04In seconds, the fish is immobilized, and the mollusk wastes no time in ingesting the huge mule.
20:25The gobi will satisfy the snail's hunger for several days.
20:34At the research station, scientists extract tiny venom glands of various cone snails.
20:51It's a laborious process, and difficult work.
20:53Powerful microscopes reveal a close-up look at the snail's barbed weapons.
21:03There, wow. Look at this. A real fishing hook.
21:10The mollusk's arsenal includes dozens of tiny harpoons.
21:12The barbs are tethered to their body and packed with enough venom to paralyze or kill their prey.
21:22Cone snails are indeed one of nature's most brilliant and deadly designs.
21:26Cone snailsruk.
21:29Do E.
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21:45In Queensland's largest city, Xenome utilizes cutting-edge technology to extract and synthesize
21:56the venoms of cone snails and other highly poisonous animals.
22:05One of Australia's deadly killers, the funnel-web spider, is also a potential source of new drugs.
22:13Its poison can be milked by gently stimulating the animal.
22:18Rearing up and exposing its large fangs, the spider discharges a lethal venom.
22:31Principal scientists at Xenome combine skills in genomics, chemistry and pharmacology in
22:37the pursuit of medicines based on animal toxins.
22:42The researchers have a particular interest in cone snails.
22:47The poisons of these beautiful molluscs are becoming the holy grail of new drugs.
22:55The toxic molecules, or peptides of cone snails, work by disrupting communications between different
23:01cell groups.
23:03By blocking these transmissions, cone toxins can effectively treat a wide variety of ailments.
23:08They've got many hundreds of different peptides.
23:11And what we do is take out one or two and isolate them, look at their activity, synthesize them
23:17chemically, and then we can test them in people.
23:21Venom's research has a very bright future, we believe, because it's got the potential to treat diseases that
23:26are presently untreatable.
23:28We can really now start to get very excited about the potential of these to treat a much
23:33wider range of disease.
23:37Depression, epilepsy, autoimmune diseases and acute pain are only a few of the areas in which
23:43cone snail venoms appear to hold great promise.
23:50Scientists at Xenome have isolated peptides from the venom of nearly 100 species of cone snails.
23:56Remarkably, their toxins are far more potent and effective than morphine and other opiates.
24:03And best of all, they're non-addictive.
24:06The future of this research is pretty exciting.
24:15The main reason I do this work is to discover new things.
24:18As a traditional chemist, we used to design new drugs from scratch.
24:23Every time we work with a venom, we discover a potent new molecule with potential drug use.
24:29It's fantastic.
24:31To find many of the ocean's deadliest animals, you have to travel to some remote places.
24:36And one of the most remote is Papua New Guinea.
25:06There is no better place in the world to find the sea's most venomous creatures than Papua New Guinea.
25:19Poised near the Earth's epicenter of coral reef biodiversity, the region is home to a staggering variety of poisonous animals.
25:28As the end of the ihnome missileaja, all singResoonbeausa with aPaul Loreana.
25:31It's so manyruly, most of the speciesyllic species are removed.
25:33If you're
25:46the ones in the sea's most anti-lingiست is reprimed for some mainland jersealian species.
25:47This nearly invisible invertebrate is the most toxic species of them all, the box jellyfish.
26:14They are responsible for more fatalities and serious injuries to humans than all other
26:18creatures in the sea combined, including sharks.
26:25Box jellyfish are a deadly presence in the tropical Pacific.
26:30The box jellyfish is, of all the different venomous marine creatures, it is the most
26:39venomous marine creature.
26:42The poisonous part of the animal is going to be a set of tentacles, and these tentacles
26:48contain specialized cells called nematocytes.
26:51It's these nematocytes that actually cause the sting and cause the envenomation.
26:57The toxin produced by the box jellyfish is a neurotoxin.
27:03It acts on the transmission of nerve impulses from the nerve to the muscle.
27:10Victims that are stung by the jellyfish will have difficulty breathing and can go into respiratory
27:16arrest.
27:17It can also affect the heart and go into cardiac arrest.
27:21Dr. Gary Ronay is an expert on highly toxic marine animals.
27:27His search for species like the cone snail and box jellyfish frequently bring him to places
27:31like Papua New Guinea.
27:33Oh, this is a nice one.
27:36This venom is what's called a neurotoxin.
27:39It actually blocks the transmission of the nerve impulse from the nerve to the muscle.
27:43So effectively, it paralyzes the muscle.
27:46As a matter of fact, in some cases, the poison is so powerful that the person is transferred
27:51to a hospital, they have to put it on a breathing machine, a ventilator.
27:55Oh, wow.
27:56So it's an extremely powerful poison, very interesting poison, too.
28:00The waters of Papua New Guinea, the Indo-Pacific area, has the greatest biodiversity of marine
28:07life in the whole world, and the greatest number of species are concentrated in very small areas.
28:16This biodiversity offers the diver a tremendous opportunity to see the most beautiful creatures
28:21in the world.
28:23Many of these are venomous and potentially dangerous, but they all play a role in the ecosystem.
28:35Many fish in the sea utilize venom, but most do so for defensive purposes only.
28:46These harmless-looking creatures are marine catfish.
28:50They school together in a tightly packed group, appearing almost as a single animal, but they
28:56also have a hidden defense mechanism.
28:59They are highly venomous.
29:04Dorsal and pectoral spines are packed with a lethal cocktail.
29:08Believe it or not, these tiny fish have caused human fatalities.
29:18This strange animal is a demon stinger.
29:24Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but there are likely few who would find this
29:29creature attractive.
29:30It is still sometimes referred to appropriately as a ghoul or devil fish.
29:45Everything about it is odd.
29:47It can swim, but its preferred method of travel is walking.
29:51With foot-like appendages, it shuffles along the bottom.
30:10The demon stinger is part of a very large, extended family named scorpionidae, more commonly known
30:23as scorpionfish.
30:29Distributed worldwide in virtually all seas, scorpionfish come in a dazzling variety of shapes,
30:36sizes, and potency.
30:51Their venom-laden spines are very effective defensive tools, but to eat, scorpionfish rely
30:57mostly on camouflage and lightning quick speed.
31:04Some species are highly territorial.
31:27There is no room on this reef for two male scorpionfish.
31:32After a prolonged match of nose-to-nose posturing, the two adversaries prime themselves for a fight.
31:39After locking on his foe, both animals rest.
31:46But after a few minutes, the jousting continues.
31:53This contest can last for hours.
32:00This contest can last for hours.
32:07Not all scorpionfish are drab or ugly.
32:14Several members of this family are very striking animals.
32:21Their finery has inspired many names such as turkey, lion, or zebrafish.
32:27Like most scorpionfish, their dorsal and pectoral fins are loaded with poison.
32:34Venom sacs at the base of their spines discharge a potent toxin at the slightest touch.
32:41Favorites in the global aquarium trade, many hobbyists have learned firsthand.
32:48that this is one beautiful fish that you do not want to handle.
32:55This gruesome fellow is a stonefish.
33:02The most venomous fish in the sea.
33:03The most venomous fish in the sea.
33:04The most venomous fish in the sea.
33:09And envenomation from a stonefish, or any of its related fish, any of the scorpion fishes at all, is extremely painful.
33:24A colleague of mine was an expert in the sea.
33:29And envenomation from a stonefish or any of its related fish, any of the scorpion fishes at all, is extremely painful.
33:36A colleague of mine was envenomated by a stonefish.
33:40And we had to race him off for first aid and get medical attention.
33:44So I know firsthand just how much pain a person can experience from stonefish.
33:48Almost to the point where you lose any rational thinking.
33:52The way a stonefish envenomates you is the physical pressure of stepping on the spines, ruptures the skin.
34:00And then the pressure of your foot pushing down upon the spine compresses the venom sacs and the venom gets into you.
34:08This colleague of mine who was envenomated by a stonefish and the intense pain, I can imagine someone who didn't have the same strength of character as he did, may well have wanted to end their life rather than continue experiencing the pain.
34:22Many jellyfish are poisonous.
34:27But on a tiny island in the South Pacific, this species evolved to survive in fresh water and lost its venom.
34:35In the Western Pacific lies a vast region known as Maine.
35:04It is not a singular country or island, but rather an immense oceanic territory that contains over 2200 islands.
35:15Collectively, they span an area greater than the land mass of the continental United States.
35:23The tiny country of Palau is located on the far western fringe of Micronesia.
35:35Like emerald jewels in the turquoise sea, its massive lagoon is sprinkled with picturesque islands.
35:40One of the most compelling underwater ecosystems here is not part of the ocean.
35:55In the thick jungle of one of Palau's rock islands exists a strange aquatic phenomenon.
36:06Seismic upheaval caused a small portion of the lagoon to become trapped in the center of the island.
36:12This eventually isolated the lake from the surrounding ocean.
36:20Jellyfish Lake is a brackish lagoon that is home to over 100,000 non-stinging jellyfish.
36:26A few species of fish and two types of jellyfish adapted to the decreasing salinity, evolving certain unique characteristics.
36:41Most importantly, the invertebrates lost their venom.
36:44Over the millennia, the jellyfish developed a symbiotic relationship with algae.
36:59Algae is sustained by the energy of the sun.
37:05The plants live in the body of the jellyfish and provide sustenance to their mobile hosts.
37:13The jellyfish carry the algae around the lake, following the sun's rays to maximize production of new plants.
37:24It's an unusual, yet productive alliance of two very different species.
37:34Unlike their marine counterparts, these animals have no use for venom.
37:38They initially had no predators and didn't need to sting their food.
37:43So evolution eventually relieved them of their weapons.
37:47They're perfectly safe to touch.
37:49But another marine predator followed them into the lake.
37:59It's unclear how or when they arrived, but unlike the jellyfish, these anemones did not lose their ability to sting.
38:06Ironically, the jellyfish are now prey to the venomous anemones.
38:18To feed, and especially to avoid being eaten, most animals rely on some form of weapon or specialized behavior.
38:43Most mollusks hide behind thick shells of armor.
38:52Other animals, like this pygmy seahorse, utilize camouflage to conceal themselves.
38:58Pipefish, a close relative of seahorses, mimic sea fans or corals.
39:18Some creatures take shelter in deep burrows, while a few even bury themselves completely in the sand.
39:31A number of species also work together to fend off attackers.
39:47In this dangerous realm, many animals form surprising alliances.
39:52Certain crustaceans are protected by sea cucumbers, jellyfish or slugs.
39:59They catch rides with their larger mobile hosts, who also stir up the bottom to reveal tasty morsels of food.
40:07In addition to meals and transportation, these shrimp have another deterrent to avoid predation.
40:28Nudabranchs are poisonous.
40:36If it weren't for their small size and inconspicuous habits, these sea slugs would be star attractions of the reef.
40:42Unlike their cousins, snails and bivalves, nudibranchs lack a protective shell.
40:57They don't need one.
40:59Any creature foolish enough to ingest a nudibranch would probably do so only once.
41:08Sea slugs are highly distasteful or even poisonous.
41:13Bright colors and markings serve notice that their flesh is extremely noxious.
41:19But they are not naturally toxic.
41:21They actually steal their weapons.
41:26Many nudibranchs are immune to the venom of stinging hydroids and anemones, their favorite foods.
41:33The venomous cells of their prey are transferred to fleshy appendages on their backs called serrata.
41:40When attacked by a predator, the stolen toxins are used to repel the attack.
41:50This is a rare example of the use of an offensive weapon of one animal by another.
41:58Thievery and venom seem to work for these sea slugs.
42:02They have very few predators.
42:07Sea urchins utilize needle-sharp spines to dissuade predators.
42:12But their defenses pack an extra punch.
42:15Tissue surrounding their spines is highly toxic.
42:21Fire urchins are appropriately named.
42:24Contact with their spines can inflict pain worse than a third-degree burn.
42:29Damselfish, crabs, and shrimp find refuge in the stinging tentacles of anemones.
42:40Although deadly to many fish, anemones provide shelter to a select group of tenants.
42:50These vividly colored clown anemone fish make their homes in the stinging tentacles of their fish-eating host.
42:56They acquire an immunity by continually covering themselves with mucus secreted by the anemone.
43:04This in turn stimulates the anemone not to fire its stinging barbs.
43:09Curiously, anemone fish are all born as males.
43:22When the need arises, a male will change sex.
43:26If a dominant female dies, the largest male changes sex and takes her place.
43:32And the largest of the remaining males becomes its partner.
43:43There are countless ways to earn a living and protect oneself in this undersea community.
43:49And the use of venom remains one of the most effective tools for survival.
43:53Tropical reefs and mangroves, where cone snails and other venomous marine animals live, are being destroyed at an alarming rate.
44:11Coastal development, overfishing, global warming and disease are all taking their toll.
44:24The collection of cone snails for the shell trade is also increasing.
44:28Millions are sold annually for as little as a few cents each.
44:31To date, there are no countries which monitor the collection and trade in ornamental shells.
44:39Other venomous animals like jellyfish and many species of scorpionfish are also declining in numbers.
44:47We can only speculate on the lost opportunities for new medicines should more species become endangered or extinct.
44:57And as most of these animals are predators, it is difficult to gauge the impact on a marine ecosystem should they continue to disappear.
45:08They may be key pillars in the undersea food chain.
45:16Sea creatures produce some of the deadliest venoms in nature.
45:19And although they do injure and occasionally kill humans, they hold enormous potential in the development of powerful new medicines.
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