Cute But Vicious Hedgehog Attacks A Deadly Viper | Wildest Middle East

the steps from deserts of the Caspian a home to a surprisingly ravenous predator [Music] usually nocturnal a hungry long-eared hedgehog will occasionally forage in late afternoon at first glance this little bundle of needles looks perfectly innocent but appearances can be deceptive one of the most voracious hunters in the desert it's cute and vicious in equal measure long-eared hedgehog are able to survive as long as ten weeks without food and water but when hungry it will eat almost anything in his path few would be brave enough to pray on this prickly beast armed with a killer instinct and impregnable shield it seems unstoppable but the tables can quickly turn another of the Caspian top predators the Iranian eagle owl has excellent long-distance vision [Music] whilst many owls will only hunt at night this species have eyes which allow them to hunt during the day long eared hedgehogs make up to 14% of its diet and this Hedgehog is completely oblivious to the Owls presence [Music] [Music] with fewer defenses a great gerbil makes a softer target the lucky Hedgehog must wait until dark before continuing its ravenous rampage midsummer in the Karakum desert but it's fiercely hot among these rolling dunes temperatures can exceed 125 degrees Fahrenheit covering over 70% of Turkmenistan little survives in this hostile landscape but this burning fire it isn't just the result of cereal beneath the sand lies the fourth largest natural gas reserve on the planet nicknamed the gates of hell this 200-foot crater is the result of a failed drilling operation in the 1970s fearing sulfur and poisonous gases would pollute the area the drilling team decided to ignite the gas in an attempt to burn it off forty years later and it's still alight burning due to a lack of rain and scorching temperatures here in the heart of the Karakum desert it's during the cooler nights but most of the deserts few residents come out to hunt the coast looks clear for this spiky Night Ranger now safe from aerial attack the long-eared hedgehog has adapted well for the moonlit landscape [Music] ears like radar dishes allow it to detect approaching predators as well as radiating heat to help keep it cold it's a ferocious and tireless nocturnal hunter [Music] but it may at last be about to meet its match highly toxic venom sharp alertness I'm an aggressive temperament make the sauce kale Viper a highly skilled predator and one of the most dangerous snakes on earth although relatively small compared to the Hedgehog one bite from this Viper can still be fatal it coils its body and rubs it scales together to make a sawing sound as it becomes more agitated the noise becomes faster and louder but this is the sound of the snakes fear one false move is all it takes the Viper has come too close for now this long-eared underdog remains undefeated champion of the desert

Channel: Discovery UK

Views: 1,989,138

Rating: 4.5401568 out of 5

Keywords: discovery discovery channel uk, discovery uk, wildest middle east episodes, wildest middle east, wildest middle east full episode, wildest middle east full episodes, wildest middle east discovery, discovery wildest middle east, wildest middle east new season, wild animal show, wildest islands of indonesia, extreme wildlife, snake attacks hedgehog, hedgehog attacks snake, long eared hedgehog, long-eared hedgehog, discovery uk snakes, wild animal shows

Id: BDV5de82Pao

Length: 7min 35sec (455 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 16 2018