My name's Erin Beresford, and this is my search for the Deadly 60; that's not just animals that are deadly to me, but that are deadly in their own world! My crew and I are travelling the planet to find the weirdest and the wildest, and find out what challenges they face; and you're coming with me EVEERY STEP OF THE WAYYYYY!
.HEIC)
Ferreiros is in the middle of
absolutely
Surrounded on all sides by mountains with a small population, Ferreiros is a town which feels completely untouched by the outside world, making it a safe haven in which wildlife can thrive.
Its scorching hot climate and lack of consistent water makes for an environment in which species have to fight and adapt to survive. This is something which we had to keep into account too, taking frequent breaks for water on the rocks, which is where we found our first contender!
The Lagartija Iberica, or Wall Lizard is a cunning omnivore that is native to central Europe. In the wild, these critters are ambush hunters, meaning they pounce out from the shadows at their prey. They have an excellent sense of smell, which they use to track down any friends or foes nearby. Unlike similar reptiles like geckos, who use millions of tiny fibers on their feet to create Van der Waals forces to 'stick' to walls, these little guys just use their claws to climb around!
Although they can be very good friends and listeners, don't be surprised if they don't lend you an ear, because they lack external ear structures! Instead, they sense sounds through vibrations through their chest and lungs.
Get ready to find something to hide behind, because the next creature on our list is quite the creepy crawly! Racing through the mountains, me and my crew found one of the oldest churches in the area to see this ancient Palo Verde Tree growing right outside, and you can hear it from here they're making a massive racket in there!
Palo Verde Beetles are large long antenied beetles in the Cerambycidae family. They live a majority of their lives in a fossorial state, meaning that for the first 3-4 years they're wiggling about as grubs! They are unusually large for invertebrates when they get beetle-y, reaching from between 3/3.5 inches in length and sometimes reaching up to 5! Although their madibles seem formidable these critters are not a serious danger for anyone, as once they molt into their final form Palo Verde beetles don't eat. They instead opt to burn through the reserves they had built up in their previous stage, and because of this they only last for one month in this stage. They use their newfound wings (Literally they can fly!) to find mates and start a new generation and lay new eggs at the base of the tree.
See ya next time, for more deadly 60! deadlyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
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