Steve travels to the deadliest desert on the planet, the Baja peninsula in Mexico, where he goes searching for a gruesome savage killer in the form of a tarantula hawk wasp. This predator lays an egg in its tarantula prey, which hatches into a maggot, which then eats the spider from the inside - while it's still alive! It is the biggest wasp in the world and has a paralysing sting which makes even Steve nervous - that doesn't stop him handling it though.\n\nThe desert of Baja, Mexico, is serpent central and Steve has the time of his life catching snakes. These include a cape water snake, and a coachwhip snake that catches Steve unaware and lands a cheeky bite on his hand. He then embarks on a regular rattlesnake round-up, clocking up encounters with the venomous red diamond and Baja rattlesnakes before an encounter with a speckled rattlesnake tops off the best snake-hunting day Steve has ever had in his life. \n\nSteve also takes to water in the Sea of Cortez in search of a monster of the deep seas. Known locally as the Red Devil, legend talks of its ability to snatch fishermen from their boats before tearing them to shreds - it is the Humboldt squid. Snatching fishermen is probably a little far-fetched, but Steve takes no chances and wears chain mail to protect him from the squid's razor-sharp beak and its 16 thousand sucker cup teeth. \n\nIncidental finds which don't make it onto Steve's list are a mole lizard which looks like one of the oddest creatures on the planet and a torchlit walk in the local vicinity which reveals he and his crew are literally surround by scorpions.
Source: CBBC
Series 2: 9. Namibia
Steve turns up the heat in Namibia, searching for deadly animals in one of the hottest places on the planet! A clever camera brings him right up close to a tiny but mighty spide ...
05-10-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 10. Snake Island
Steve Backshall heads to a place very few people ever go: Snake Island in Brazil, where the concentration of snakes is higher than anywhere else on earth.
03-10-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 9. Otter Hide And Seek
Steve Backshall dives into the world of the caiman, learns about the plight of the world’s biggest parrot and tries to find his nemesis - the giant river otter.
02-10-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 8. Meerkat Madness
Steve Backshall is in the Kalahari to search for its weirdest residents. From aardwolves to aardvarks and mischievous meerkats, Steve is hoping for some Deadly firsts.
01-10-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 7. Camouflage Killers
Steve Backshall is in Australia to search for the world’s most freaky and venomous fish: the stone fish. He also finds trapdoor spiders and a snake that hunts bats.
30-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 6. Jaguar Special
Steve Backshall is in Brazil searching for the world’s most elusive cat: the jaguar. He sees them swimming, meets mothers and cubs, and even witnesses one jaguar hunting a ...
29-09-2025
CBBC
Series 2: 8. South Africa
With his crew in tow, Steve is on a mission to find all the animals that most Africans spend as much time as possible avoiding. Steve braves the big waves of the Durban coast to ...
28-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 5. Dragons And Death Adders
Steve Backshall is in Sydney, Australia, searching for the world’s most venomous spider, the fastest striking snake and an ocean dragon that is a camouflaged assassin.
26-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 4. Bat Spectacular
Steve Backshall is in Zambia to witness ten million fruit bats undertake the world’s largest aerial migration. However, these bats are a buffet for Africa’s top thre ...
25-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 3. Ocean Oddballs
Steve is underwater in Indonesia with funny-looking frogfish, a stargazer, flamboyant cuttlefish, a mimic octopus and a Bobbit worm.
24-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 4. Bat Spectacular
Steve Backshall is in Zambia to witness ten million fruit bats undertake the world’s largest aerial migration. However, these bats are a buffet for Africa’s top thre ...
25-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 5. Dragons And Death Adders
Steve Backshall is in Sydney, Australia, searching for the world’s most venomous spider, the fastest striking snake and an ocean dragon that is a camouflaged assassin.
26-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 6. Jaguar Special
Steve Backshall is in Brazil searching for the world’s most elusive cat: the jaguar. He sees them swimming, meets mothers and cubs, and even witnesses one jaguar hunting a ...
29-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 7. Camouflage Killers
Steve Backshall is in Australia to search for the world’s most freaky and venomous fish: the stone fish. He also finds trapdoor spiders and a snake that hunts bats.
30-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 1. Cheetah Special
Steve Backshall tracks cheetahs across Zambia by motorbike, witnessing epic hunting and the challenges faced by this endangered predator.
22-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 2. Saving Sharks
Steve dives with 100 grey nurse sharks - aka ragged-tooth sharks - a wobbegong and a gigantic whale shark, and he joins a mission in Indonesia to save sharks from over-fishing w ...
23-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 3. Ocean Oddballs
Steve is underwater in Indonesia with funny-looking frogfish, a stargazer, flamboyant cuttlefish, a mimic octopus and a Bobbit worm.
24-09-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 10. Snake Island
Steve Backshall heads to a place very few people ever go: Snake Island in Brazil, where the concentration of snakes is higher than anywhere else on earth.
03-10-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 8. Meerkat Madness
Steve Backshall is in the Kalahari to search for its weirdest residents. From aardwolves to aardvarks and mischievous meerkats, Steve is hoping for some Deadly firsts.
01-10-2025
CBBC
Series 6: 9. Otter Hide And Seek
Steve Backshall dives into the world of the caiman, learns about the plight of the world’s biggest parrot and tries to find his nemesis - the giant river otter.
02-10-2025
CBBC