Robotic Iguana Jumps In At The Deep End!

Marine iguanas huddle together on the volcanic rocks to bask in the morning sun. Spy Iguana joins them as they leap into the ocean to search for food beneath the waves.
Clip taken from ep 3 'Deep Relationships' of our series Spy in the Ocean.
“Spy in the Ocean: Deep Relationships“ premieres Nov 8, 2023, at 8|7c on PBS & KZbin.
Spy in the Ocean is also available on iPlayer in the UK.
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You can also watch it now in the UK on BBCiPlayer:
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In this episode our Spies reveal the extraordinary relationships that exist among the creatures of the ocean. Spider crabs rise up from the abyss in their thousands to shed their protective shells but, as our Spy Crab soon discovers, this makes them an easy target for hunting stingrays. But there’s protection in numbers, and those still with armoured shells form a crustation fortress that protects the vulnerable crabs inside. Spy Crab finds itself alone and unprotected & an easy target for the rays. Sharks have a reputation for being solitary killers, but when Spy Hammerhead joins a huge gathering of hammerhead sharks it discovers they can be surprisingly social. This mechanical marvel, propelled by its undulating tail, discovers why they meet together at a remote island off the coast of Colombia. A place where the laws of the food chain don’t seem to apply. Here they take a break from the rigours of the ocean & are groomed by king angel fish. When Galapagos sharks arrive, they are welcomed by pilot fish who swim close to their jaws, using the shark as their personal bodyguard. Rainbow chub have another relationship, they use the shark’s serrated scales as an exfoliator to remove parasites. The fish may be dicing with death, but in this place of apparent harmony, none are ever eaten. Spy Moray Eel joins the gathering to explore the incredible hunting partnership between leather bass groupers and moray eels. The groupers find where the fish are hiding, while the eels flush them from their coral hideaways. Elsewhere we discover that dolphins are more sociable than ever imagined and provide more proof of their fun-loving nature. Spy Dolphin & Spy Pelican discover they don’t just play among themselves they also encourage whales to join their games. In incredible scenes they leap playfully together, but in the end a whale is no match for a dolphin. In the Caribbean, Spy Manatee films the uneasy relationship manatees have with remora fish. These hangers on hitch a ride on the manatee’s backs, feeding on parasites as well their poo. The manatees also visit a spa staffed by sergeant major fish. The attention they receive sends them into a state of bliss until rays and sharks appear. These predators can’t resist taking an exploratory nibble from our Spy. Of all the relationships found in the world’s oceans, few can beat the spinner dolphins. Off the coast of Costa Rica, a team of Spy Creatures find out how essential communication is when hunting. Their astonishing leaps are a signal to other dolphins and they use their clicks and whistles to communicate at close range. In one of the most incredible sights ever seen, groups of spinner dolphins come together to form a megapod numbering thousands. As they set off to hunt, Spy Dolphin & Spy Frigate discover a surprising partnership between tuna & dolphins-one that takes them to a school of flying fish. In incredible scenes, the dolphins drive the flying fish from below, while the tuna pursue them in the air.
As storms build in the Caribbean, spiny lobsters prepare to migrate to calmer and warmer waters using an ingenious way of traveling-a lobster conga! Spy Lobster joins a procession of over 50 lobsters as they march in single file to deeper safer waters. There’s safety in numbers & before long they go their own way as some find shelter in a shipwreck. Finally, our Spies travel to the Galapagos to discover the rich community of sea creatures that live there. Here our Spy Iguana also encounters the wondrous mola mola who arrive to be cleaned by angelfish & hogfish before they vanish back into the deep. Our Spy has one last inhabitant to find…a colony of damselfish. They are meticulous gardeners who work together to maintain their lawns of algae which they use to catch the eye of a mate. To succeed they must dispatch any trespassers. The worst of all are sea urchins who can graze their lawns to the ground. To remove them requires skill and cooperation. It makes a fitting end to our Spies’ ocean voyage. One that shows how sealife is interconnected in ways we could hardly imagine, an undersea world built on extraordinary relationships.
Narrated by David Tennant
Music by Will Gregory
Directed by John Downer
#iguana #galapagos #nature

[@handbanana4899]

"Jeff, that guy's been swimming for hours without taking a break. AND he hasn't eaten anything"

[@dustingillispie9638]

lol 😂

[@10191927]

☝️😲 he is every lizard as he is no lizard, he is a Reptilian!

[@Eps852]

"I think you're right frankie somethings up with this guy"

[@wcdeich4]

As long as he's not eating my seaweed, I don't care.

[@FarmerFpv]

The attention-seeking generation. All they care about is getting likes and approval. You can smell the desperation. 😂

[@Gruffyruff2195]

Very impressive workmanship on little spy iguana!!!! An absolute joy watching this video!!! Thanks John, and I am so eager to see what is planned next for us!!!!!

[@SorenAlba54]

Indeed. They actually even managed to make it swim like an iguana, as well. It would’ve been cool and cheeky if they added the feature of sneezing since marine iguanas do that to excrete the excess of salt after leaving the water.

[@jayzenstyle]

I wonder when the spy human is going public...

[@mikethescienceguy]

Hello. I am a human named Jon Doe. There will be no fake humans among us

[@scalylayde8751]

@@mikethescienceguyYou missed the perfect setup for a Hugh Mann joke

[@EXMachina.]

I mean there's Chinese spies in the US army.

[@tracybowling1156]

Yeah, do him next!

[@1Clearwords]

This is one of the best / most functional spy robots - love it!

[@laurarandolph5600]

They look like boulders that come to life and then dive and swim gracefully. They look like they came straight out of a monster movie but are as mild as cows grazing peacefully on an underwater pasture. They spread out politely with no jostling since there is plenty for all...

[@mr.pizzamarlon]

0:46 😂😂😂😂 thank you for this leap. I needed to laugh again after being sad for days.

[@JohnDownerProd]

I'm sorry to hear that but happy that our video made you laugh again! Best wishes JDP!

[@mr.pizzamarlon]

@@JohnDownerProd thank you! My 2-year-old jumping spider passed away but I will get another jumpy child. Thank you for your kind words and much success on your channel. [Very] realistic moving animatronics.

[@candynewton4945]

Are you kidding me? Not only does it look absolutely detailed real, but when it jumped off cliff I could believe it! Genius! Thank you for sharing the adventure. 🇺🇲

[@JohnDownerProd]

Thank you and you're most welcome!

[@Garryzilla]

Imagine zilla coming up and seeing the spy marine iguana like the heck is that supposed to be a robot spy version of my original form

[@EagleFangBasketball22]

Hey John, your spy animals are great. I hope you create and design more of them, so they can interact with real animals. That's what your fans and viewers want to see. You are an incredible man!

[@thealligatorpurse]

How incredible! ❤

[@ItsGroundhogDay]

Spy iguana seems disinterested in the feast.

[@AnimatronicsArchive]

This is amazing!! I'd love to see some behind the scenes video if you have any!!

[@zetrix6277]

I always wonder, what is the cameraman spy who is always following the Spy? Our Spy is never alone ...

[@kindafoggy]

Thoroughly enjoying all the spy-cam videos, not the least because of David Tennant's excellent narration. Just finished his superb narration of the audio-book "Silver" on Audible. All the character's are beautifully voiced and he can do a Charles-Laughtonesque pirate like nobody else. Highly recommend "Silver" and all these wonderful nature videos.

[@huongtrinh8609]

Thank you!

[@HillaryBTV]

*This iguana robot is awesome!! Thank you for posting another video!! 👏🙏 Love watching these! Wish they were longer though!* ❤️

[@Babbajune]

❤❤ I love all of the “spy” videos! A smile on my face every time and so interesting. Thank you!

[@JohnDownerProd]

Glad you like them. Plenty more to come.

[@PhilG999]

I STILL want to see some videos of how these things are made! Makes my retired Mechanical Engineer brain itch!

[@LVLEE]

0:31 spy eyes blinked,swallowed saliva, "ouch!" when his partner dived with face on.. i saw t-shirt on sale, by any chance all your remote spies too? especially Amphibians 😄

[@comealongcomealong4480]

What a gift 👏 This is primo - thank you 😊 Had no idea that iguanas were amphibious. So seeing your remarkable footage of them swimming past the surf, diving! grasping rock with those dino claws, then climbing back to the surface, to renew warmth in their bodies, was truly mind expanding. Your spy iguana did an excellent job capturing these guys going about their grazing business.

[@JohnDownerProd]

Thanks for watching!

[@zackravens]

If this company created more "Spy Iguanas", I would definitely buy one.

[@cuteduckdontlie4636]

They are majestic ❤️ 🦎 God keep them all protected 🙏🏻

[@edwardseavey1172]

You all continue to improve and impress!

[@arkprice79]

Your spy iguana is really good in the water

[@lugialover2496]

Zilla never looked so real

[@tracybowling1156]

They are such amazing creatures. I wonder how they figured it out that they had to eat from the ocean. I think they're lucky in that they are cold-blooded and they don't need food for strength. Therefore, they don't need to eat as much.

[@28th_St_Air]

So who was filming robo dork Iguana in third person? Another robo Iguana? Love the head shake action. Very realistic.

[@essdraws]

Love it! ❤️

[@--rashid--1956]

Godzilla is alive, I knew it

[@ryanhiggins8869]

I wonder if the uncanny valley exists in the animal kingdom

[@dwarer3064]

Some animals do see scared of by the robots, like primates

[@The2345jay]

I genuinely had no idea iguanas did this lol

[@addisonwarner]

Can you make a video about the spy robots and how you control them so well?

[@dustingillispie9638]

Cool

[@theadmiral5425]

So cool....any way to make a spy honeybee or ant? Too small?

[@yoko81914]

waterploof

[@vaiosan775]

Any plans for human robot too ? Star Trek Data: And Fully functional please ! 😁

[@stevenfranks3131]

Surreal and beautiful. Somewhere between 360 to 390 million years ago, our common predecessor(s) left the water and became the amphibians, reptiles, and mammals of today....

[@jlark2077]

Um...no

[@teecinemayo]

So you have 2 robotic spys down there??

[@anathardayaldar]

Wont that cameraman swimming alongside the spy iguana spook the other iguanas?

[@hemanthp4601]

Wait who's filming the spy iguana 🤔

[@vanquannguyen7857]

Can Iguana evolve into a dinosaur? I've always wondered this.

[@Xerbat.]

If I were them, I would make a robot shark that can kill your enemies. It's a genius way to commit murder without being suspicious.

[@EXMachina.]

Hold on, Who is filming the Spy?

[@righthandstep5]

Drone?

[@EXMachina.]

@@righthandstep5 how about under water without scaring the iguanas

[@p.g.3419]

It seems that iguanas are turning into amphibians, I'm surprised that in millions of years they haven't become grazers or maybe they've already moved from water to land, who knows 🤔?

[@DenisCalligraphy]

Jackanory puppet story. Nice for children.

[@Aspirant8765]

Hi

[@Parker_-gc2do]

Mini Godzilla

[@enricotoesca3941]

Heilà John 🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@boris_bulletdodger9109]

Positive comment

[@FarmerFpv]

What in the world? These videos need to be a little longer. They are over too soon.

[@Aspirant8765]

Please like this comment

[@ktlivingherway516]

Brrr chilly. 😮🧊🥶❄️🧊