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 - Romania
Wildlife series. Steve Backshall takes a look at dogs and their distant relatives, wolves. He heads to the Arctic Circle where huskies show him a thing or two about stamina.
13-02-2026
CBBC
Series 2: 5. Costa Rica
Steve Backshall and his long-suffering crew return for a series of deadly encounters with animals hoping to earn a place on his hallowed Deadly 60 list.\n\nSteve and the team ar ...
29-01-2026
CBBC
Series 3 - Killer Shots
Wildlife series. Steve Backshall reveals the advanced camera technology and tricks of the trade that allow him and the Deadly 60 crew to film stunning images.
18-03-2025
CBBC
Series 2: 13. Thailand
In Thailand, Steve comes face-to-face with the longest venomous snake in the world, the king cobra, whose bite could kill an elephant. He meets two of Thailand's killer cats for ...
10-02-2026
CBBC