jeff: today on ocean mysteries, we'll trek deep into a wild african delta... 360 degrees, and nothing but pure, wild nature, and some of it can eat you. ...in search of one of my favorite creatures... man: incoming. jeff: incoming. ...snakes. so this is the infamous mozambique spitting cobra. it is the ferrari of venomous snakes. and although they slither, bite, and even spit... see, that's what he does. it really, really stings. ...these misunderstood reptiles still need to be protected. that is a cool looking snake. the snakes of the okavango delta are coming up next. ♪ music

jeff: hi there. i'm jeff corwin, and welcome to ocean mysteries. right now, we're hanging out in front of ocean voyager. this is the largest aquarium habitat you'll ever find anywhere, and it's a little teaser of the adventure to come; because right now, we're heading off to one of the largest wetlands on our planet, which is the okavango delta in africa. this, my friends, is going to be the adventure of a lifetime. every winter, highland rainfall floods into botswana, okavango delta, and the massive wetland swells to over three times its normal size. this dramatic infusion of water attracts animals from miles around, creating one of africa's

greatest concentration of wildlife. our adventure begins in one of the many small villages that dot the outskirts of the delta. so we're in botswana in the dry season. what are you going to do? it's like back home in new england. you don't like the weather, just wait a minute, and it will change. so i'm traveling with brent reed. he's a naturalist. he's an explorer. so we got a call from this local village that there's something here in one of the houses, and the family isn't happy about it at all. it is, of course, a snake. this village is called mokolwani, and these folks have raised livestock in the okavango delta for centuries; and here, so close to untamed

wilderness, it's not unusual for a snake from the delta to slither into a village like this one in search of rats, mice, and other vermon to eat. brent: so obviously, for the snake, it's beneficial that we get in here before they kill it and relocate it to somewhere where it can live away from human habitation. jeff: it's also beneficial for the people living in this community, because they're probably not experts at handling, working with snakes, and it's not uncommon for someone who's trying to dispatch a snake to get injured in the process. [speaking foreign language] jeff: so what's he saying? brent: he says there's a puff adder, and it's -- the last time they saw it was under this bed here. jeff: okay. brent: so we're going to go in and take a quick look to see if we can -- it's a bit dark in here.

there we go. yeah, i can see him back there, yeah. jeff: is it big? brent: no, it's not a big one. i'm going to pull it out. jeff: brent needs to be cautious. brent: there's quite a lot of stuff underneath this bed. jeff: puff adders have extremely potent venom, and more people die from puff adder bites than from any other snake species in all of africa. brent, do you want to take the tongs, and i'll take this? brent: incoming. jeff: incoming. brent: pin its head, then i'll get a hold of the bag. jeff: okay, i got the snake. brent: i got the bag. jeff: it's a medium-sized puff adder. brent: yeah, it's not a big one. it's a... jeff: they can get incredibly huge, almost as fat as my forearm. its defense and its tool for death, its tool to capture its prey is the venom that it produces. brent: so let's see if we can open it up. jeff: so if we carefully open the mouth, you will see those very long fangs.

think of those fangs, which are nearly a quarter of an inch in length, as living syringes and basically produces a very powerful venom. it's a cytotoxic venom, right? brent: yeah, very strong cytotoxin. jeff: if it feels threatened, it's going to make sounds before it strikes. brent: yeah, which is where it gets its name from, the puff adder. jeff: and hopefully that will push the potential predator away, because the venom really is used to immobilize the prey that it's going to eat. you want to touch it? be gentle, yeah. what do you think? what do you think, huh? it is dangerous, yeah. in a lot of places in the world, people just don't know about snakes; and if you don't know something about it, you're afraid of it, but the truth is these animals have such an important place, not only in the ecosystem, but actually in areas like this, because they eat things like rodents, creatures like rats and mice, which can spread disease. so in the right

elements, with lots of respect, incredibly important, but they can be dangerous, as well. so it's very good that we'll be taking this to a wild place, some wilderness. brent: yeah. jeff: you ready? brent: i'm ready. on three, one, two, three. jeff: all right. it was amazing to meet the good people in mokolwani, and to do our own little part in this tight spot and also helping out this snake as well. brent has the perfect place in mind to set this puff adder free. on our way, we'll get our first look at the massive okavango delta and the incredible array creatures calling it home. more african adventure and exploration is coming up next.

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jeff: we're heading into the vast wild okavango delta in northern botswana with naturalist and explorer brent reed, and we're traveling with some reptilian cargo in our truck. this morning, we rescued a puff adder from underneath a local villagers bed and of course rescued the villagers from the puff adder, as well. now we're driving miles into the delta in order

to release the puff adder into a wild place where it will be safe from human disturbance. the remarkable drive gives us a chance to see what makes the okavango delta such a special place. this incredible herd of brown antelope are known as impala. a much larger antelope called kudo watches us from beneath its great rack of twisting horns. and check that out, an african fish eagle, he's spotting his next meal. with their long stretched necks, a herd of giraffe trims the treetops. and we even drive past a couple of hippos trucking through the swamp. who knew they could run so fast? this is a perfect place.h, s brent: yeah, there's brent: yeah, there's a nice termite mound here which will give him some good cover if he wants to sneak away. jeff: i just love this country.

it's just amazing. there are so few places left on the planet where you scan the landscape around you. just 360 degrees, and nothing but pure, wild nature, and some of it can eat you. brent: all right, so we're just going to start off by just taking the weights of this thing. jeff: now, brent doesn't just rescue snakes in okavango. he studies them, as well. very little is known about the secret of snakes that live here. so whenever brent connects with the snake, he gets its basic measurements, what we call biometrics. brent: okay, zeroing in about 1.30 pounds. jeff: these will be added to a database that will help scientists and conservationists protect the snakes and ultimately protect the delta. hey, buddy. brent: you know, the easier it's going to be if we just run this along the top of his head. jeff: i've got 68.5. brent: okay, 68.5 centimeters, and it's a female. 's it.

okay, that's it. jeff: all right. brent: okay, girl. jeff: there you go, buddy. jeff: just so incredible to observe this place, and we're witnessing how important water is to this ecosystem. when the rains come, life begins, and birds from everywhere have flocked in. see those large, black birds over there? those are spur-winged geese. see those white birds? if you look at their bills, they come out and open up like that, which tells us they are african spoonbills. you're seeing how water? brent: come have a look here. jeff: all right.

brent: yeah, this is a job for you. jeff: what's up? brent: we've got a spitting cobra here. jeff: coming up next, i learn the hard way why this snake is called a spitting cobra. see, that's what he does. that's his defense. uh-oh. brent: do you have some in your eye? jeff: yeah, i got venom... brent: bring that water bottle. jeff: stay tuned. ocean mysteries will be right back. when you find clothes you love, so, why risk ruining the way they fit? try woolite. woolite's not just for delicates... it's for your everyday clothes. oohh...like this! because it has the right balance of cleaning and care. unlike other detergents, woolite with fiber-flex technology won't cause stretching, keeping that perfect fit,

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everything you want and the value you love. angel soft. jeff: what's up? brent: we've got a spitting cobra here. jeff: oh, wow. brent: i've got quite a serious allergy to these guys, so i'm going to have to... jeff: you're actually allergic to them. brent: yeah, from years of exposure to the venom, it's pretty ugly. jeff: see, i don't even know if i'm allergic to these snakes. brent: well, don't --

you need some -- let me find my goggles. stick those on. it doesn't really matter if it gets in your mouth or your nose. it's just your eyes you need to worry about, yeah. jeff: it's your eyes, right, right, right, right. brent: he's watching you. jeff: yeah, he's watching me. well, i'm watching you, too. you can see the way this cobra has stretched out its neck; and if you sneak in... jeff: see, that's what he does. that's his defense. as he constricts the muscles around the venom glands, it tightens his jaw. he can spray out that venom, and you can see that there are droplets of venom. is this something you'd want to census, brent? brent: yeah, we'll take some measurements. like i said, i'm going to have to let you do that.

i can't get near... jeff: all right, let me see if i can try... even though i have these goggles on, i still get a little nervous because you don't want to get the venom in your eyes. the venom on your skin is fine. there we go. so this is the infamous mozambique spitting cobra, a snake that uses venom not only to kill its prey, but to keep predators at bay. it is the ferrari of venomous snakes, and i'll show you what's really cool about this snake. i'm going to just be very gentle. now, what you can see is you see those fangs, how really small they are to the front, and those fangs are fixed. they don't really rotate like a viper's fangs. brent: just make sure that face stays away from your glasses.

at this distance, the spatter might go into your eye. jeff: okay, and keep him away from you, as well. h, keep him facing that way. jeff: so the venom of these spitting cobras is pretty fierce. brent: injected into the body, it's a mixture of a neurotoxin and a cytotoxin. left untreated, it can cause blindness. so that cytotoxin attacks the tissues in your eyes, yeah. jeff: so you want to get some measurements? brent: yeah, under -- get this bag sorted out here. i think let's do the -- let's do the length first. jeff: okie-doke. brent: let's keep the hot end away from me. jeff: like this. brent: yeah. okay, i'll actually put my... jeff: okay. it's 113, so 113. brent: 113. jeff: 113. brent: okay, jeff, what we're going to do now, just to take the weight... jeff: right. brent: ...i'm going to hand you this bag. i want you to stick your hand inside the bag like that. jeff: okie-doke. brent: all right. jeff: this is going to be interesting. like this? brent: yeah, that's good.

jeff: uh-oh. brent: get water. do you got something in your eye? jeff: yeah, i got venom... brent: bring that water bottle. just come here to the water, jeff. jeff: unfortunately, i was not planning on sweat. the sweat has got some venom and dribbled it in my eye, and it -- i can tell you it really stings. brent: you need to open your eye a bit and let that water flush it out. jeff: it really, really stings. save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.d

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(corrrrrnnnnnn) kids' hoodies are now just $10 for back to school. plus, shop your way members earn points on qualifying purchases. kmart. where members always get more. feet...tiptoeing. better things than the pain, stiffness, and joint damage of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist decide on a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz (tofacitinib) is a small pill, not an injection or infusion, for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can relieve ra symptoms, and help stop further joint damage. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers have happened in patients taking xeljanz. don't start xeljanz if you have any infection, unless ok with your doctor. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts

and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz and routinely check certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you have been to a region where fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take. one pill, twice daily, xeljanz can reduce ra pain and help stop further joint damage, even without methotrexate. ask about xeljanz. jeff: the spitting cobra lived up to its name. although i was wearing protective glasses... uh-oh. ...some of the cobra's venom found its way into my eye. brent: do you have something in your eye? jeff: yeah, i got venom... brent: bring that water bottle. jeff: in a situation like this, it is important to stay calm and immediately flush out your eyes. who's this?

brent: that's pat. jeff: pat. is this pat? pat: yeah, it's pat. jeff: pat, it is pat. brent: flush it out. jeff: so that -- so that is how the venom of spitting cobra works. ay, it's just a little bit, you know? brent: yeah, it only takes -- it only takes the smallest amount. jeff: i can't imagine if you just got an eyeful of it. brent: yeah, if you get it straight in the eye, literally, i mean, you'll be lying on the ground screaming in agony. it's pretty painful. jeff: again, great example of don't try this at home, huh? as quickly as possible, we weigh the snake. brent: okay, this guy is 1.75 pounds. jeff: and then it's time to set him free; and frankly, i'm happy to see him go. fortunately for me, this cobra didn't cause any permanent damage, but my friends, he sure is one snake i will never forget.

now that we've experienced two iconic african snakes, we decide to explore and see if we can find even more snakes to add to brent's population study. so this looks like excellent snake habitat. [radio crackling] brent: sorry. yeah, grant, go. brent: okay, copy that. we're at the top of the lagoon. you'll see us at the top of the lagoon. just come along the water road. jeff: how's it going? grant: very good, you? jeff: good, this is grant... brent: how's it going? jeff: ...brent's brother, and he found something that i'm very excited to see. if it is what i think it is, it's a snake that i've never seen before, and it tends to be pretty feisty. grant: yeah, it's a feisty one. this one in particular is quite feisty.

jeff: so where was this snake found? grant: this was in a household in maun. some people found me late last night. they let me know that the snake was there. we went and removed it, came in today to let it go. jeff: there it is. he is feisty. grant: yeah, a lot of huffing and puffing. jeff: that is a cool looking snake. it's called the shield-nose snake, or the shield-nose cobra, right? grant: yeah, exactly, shield cobra, or shield-nose snake. jeff: is it true that the venom on this species of snake, while it can be quite aggressive... brent: you got him there, jeff? jeff: i don't know. he's almost too small to work with. brent: he's lookig for a hiding hole. jeff: yeah, that the venom is although toxic, not necessarily deadly. grant: well, the book said that there's no fatalities, but the people in botswana and the rural villages claim a lot of fatalities from this snake. so this snake mostly bites people when they're sleeping on their floors in their huts. so it hunts at night, and it comes in -- it likes to burrow. you see that facial shield. so when it finds somebody sleeping, it

tries to go underneath them and looking for prey. they feel the movement, and they rollover and get bitten. jeff: and it's neat, if you look at the front of this snake, you can see the shield there. is it flexible? grant: no, not at all, but it's used more as a battering ram. it's used for pushing through soil. jeff: do you want to get the measurements and stuff on this guy? brent: no, grant's already got all the measurements on this guy, so we cataloged that, and i think we'll just take him back to that termite mound over there and let him go. jeff: his new home. brent: excellent. jeff: all right, let's do it. stay tuned. ocean mysteries will be right back. announcer: closed captioning and other promotional consideration provided by& this is bill.

now 30% more odor fighterseaters. and all day wetness control. odor-eaters. no shoes. no problem. beby supporting yourstarts immune system, now there's new airborne everyday. immune support plus a multivitamin. jeff: if you haven't figured it out by now, i love snakes. i have ever since i was a kid, and getting the chance to connect with a few of these amazing african snakes has been an experience i will never forget. back to our home base at georgia aquarium, our snake adventure continues with an african ball python. this python gets the best veterinary care possible; and today, we have a chance to take part in one of its routine exams that includes an x-ray. so the challenge is how do you keep a snake like this nice and still? so we're going to put him in this tube; and by keeping him in the tube, what does that do for us? dr. mcdermott: then that will let her be straight

and so that we can visualize all of the structures in her body, and they won't be superimposed on each other. all right, so if you want to put the snake over our plate here. jeff: should she not be moving? dr. mcdermott: it's best if she's not. jeff: stop. dr. mcdermott: looks good. she was pretty still for that. okay, so we got it. we can see she's a little bit wiggly in the tube, but we can see... jeff: that's not bad. dr. mcdermott: right. so you can actually see the tube, which is kind of cool, right? jeff: right. dr. mcdermott: and then the snake within the tube. so she looks great, and all her bones look nice and white, which is how they should look on a radiograph. so she looks great. jeff: so just a few minutes of radiograph technology, and we learn that from the outside to the inside, this little african rock python is doing splendidly. thanks for watching, and i'll see you next time only on ocean mysteries.

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