Animals of Isabela My Pet and Me

Hello, I'm Rory.

I'm Ferne. Today, we have come to a special place.

That's right, we've travelled from the UK,

across the ocean,

to this amazing group of islands

off the coast of Ecuador and South America.

It's called the Galapagos Islands.

We're here to meet local children who can tell us

about the wildlife that can be found here.

Some of the animals here can't be found anywhere else.

-What are you up to today?

-I'm going to meet a new friend,

and we're going on a wildlife-spotting adventure.

You can come with me, if you like. See you later. Come on.

# My Pet, My Pet and Me

# My Pet, My Pet and Me

# Down every street

# Are pets to meet

# Some big, some small

# Some scaly, some furry

# Some keep very still

# Some are always in a hurry

# Some have four paws

# Some have sharp claws

-# Some quack,

-some bark

-# Some purr,

-some moo

-# Some grunt,

-some squawk

# Some cock-a-doodle-do

# My Pet, My Pet And Me

# My Pet, My Pet And Me

# My Pet, My Pet And Me

# Have you met My Pet And Me? #

Today, I'm on the island of Isabela,

the largest of the Galapagos Islands.

I'm going to meet Kian, and his dad, Pablo. Let's go find them.

Hello, Kian.

What great surfing.

Well done, you must be Pablo.

Lovely to meet you.

So, Kian, I hear there is lots of wildlife on the island of Isabela,

like all the Galapagos. Is that right?

-Yes.

-Wow.

Pablo, you are a national park guide?

-Yes, I am.

-What does that involve?

It is to spread the message of love and respect for Nature.

All that we have here.

That is incredible.

The Galapagos Islands, a lot of it is a national park,

which means the wildlife is protected.

There are a few simple, but very important rules we need to follow.

-What are they, Kian?

-Don't take anything away,

don't leave anything behind.

Exactly.

Pablo, why are they important?

Don't take anything away,

because we want to have the same Nature for our future generations.

In my case, I want Kian to enjoy

what I have enjoyed in the past years.

That's wonderful. And what about "don't leave anything behind"?

Because we don't want to interfere with nature.

-That is wonderful, isn't it, Kian?

-Yes.

We know the rules, are we ready to see some animals?

-Yes!

-What are we going to see?

-It's a surprise.

-I love surprises!

-Shall we go?

-Yes.

-That way.

-Let's go.

What are we going to see?

We haven't got much time, so something with much pink.

And that is a yellow.

So, it has a pink body, stands on one leg, and it has yellow eyes.

And a black beak.

Wow, so it is a bird?

It eats upside down.

That is so strange.

-Is that it?

-Flamingo!

Oh, my goodness. They're beautiful, aren't they, Kian?

Look at that one.

-What is that one doing?

-It is cleaning its feathers.

Doing a good job. Needs to keep those pink feathers clean.

How do the flamingos get those pink feathers?

Because of what they eat.

That's right. Their feathers aren't pink by themselves,

the food they eat helps to make them pink.

Do you know what it is they eat?

Yes, the pink shrimps.

Where do they find those shrimps?

In the sand.

FERNE LAUGHS

Is that how the flamingos eat their food?

Yes.

When a flamingo is feeding,

it puts its head upside down in the water,

and its beak is facing upwards, like that.

And then it walks through, moving its head from side to side,

and it filters out all the mud and sand from the food it wants to eat.

I can see that they have wings, Kian.

-Can they fly?

-Yes.

And when they fly, you can see some beautiful black under their wings.

Oh, really? So their wings are pink on the top, black on the bottom.

Look, there goes one.

They're lovely.

There are probably only about 500 flamingos in total on the Galapagos.

So it is really special we get to see some here today.

What noise do they make?

KIAN HONKS

-Is it like a honking noise?

-Yes.

Rory, could you please tell us some facts

-about our fabulous feathered friends here?

-Of course, Ferne.

Flamingos can live to be 50 years old.

They may rest either sitting down,

with their legs tucked underneath them,

or by standing on one leg.

Flamingos are very social birds.

Groups or colonies are common to see.

Flamingos have really good eyesight and can hear very well.

But their sense of smell isn't as good.

My Pet And Me!

Kian has brought me to the bay in Isabela,

so we can go wildlife spotting.

Kian, what is the best way to see the animals?

Going in kayaks, and be careful, and go quietly.

-That is very important, so we don't disturb them, isn't it?

-Yes.

-Shall we go?

-Yes.

Life jacket.

Look at all this lava rock, Kian.

Did that come out of a volcano?

Yes, the volcano made this whole place.

Look! A penguin!

Yeah. What is it doing, Kian?

Cleaning its feathers.

Yes.

What is your favourite thing about penguins?

They're nice and fluffy.

They are so fluffy, I love their big, white tummy.

You're so lucky you get them here.

What is that beside the penguins?

-A heron.

-Yeah, that's a heron.

Shall we see what else we can find?

Look.

I think it's a turtle.

Look, look, look. There it is.

Yes.

I can't believe it.

Look. It is a Pacific green turtle.

-How big is it?

-Very big.

Is that a really big turtle?

Kian, what does it do when it comes up to the surface, like that?

It's breathing.

It's taking a nice deep breath.

That is the biggest turtle I have ever seen, Kian.

There we go!

This is incredible.

It's beautiful.

Wow, Kian, that was an amazing kayaking trip,

-wasn't it?

-Yes, we saw lots today.

Didn't we?

We did, we saw loads.

My Pet And Me!

The island of Isabela has so many animals, Kian.

Look, there's a sea lion having a snooze.

-It's amazing.

-I love this place.

I'm not surprised.

Kian, if all the animals here could do anything, what would they do?

If the animals on the island of Isabela could do anything,

they would have a huge beach party.

They would have a picnic on the beach, and wear party hats.

They would play beach volleyball...

..build giant sand castles...

..and go surfing.

What a fun party. Woohoo!

We've already seen so many wonderful animals

on the island of Isabela,

but Kian's taking me to a really special place

to see even more. Kian, where are we going?

To the mangrove lagoon.

A mangrove lagoon?

That sounds so exciting, shall we go?

Yes.

Mangrove is the name given to a tree that can grow in saltwater.

They are usually found where the land and sea bridge together.

We have arrived in the mangrove lagoon, and it is so peaceful.

-Isn't it beautiful?

-Yes.

Mangroves are very important habitats

for lots of different animals.

Their roots provide shelter for different types of fish.

The branches and leaves are perfect for birds to nest on.

What do you think we're going to see around here?

Blacktip reef sharks.

I would love to see some sharks.

-Shall we go and have a look, and see what we can see?

-Yes.

-Yes!

Get your eyes ready!

Oh, look, Ferne, a frigatebird.

Yeah, you're right, a frigatebird.

Sitting up high in the tree.

Is it a male or a female frigatebird?

Male.

-How do you know that?

-Because he has a red pouch.

A big red pouch, just on his neck?

That is a great spot, well done.

He is beautiful.

Pelican.

Wow, a pelican.

-Is it having some food?

-Mm-hm.

It has a big pouch under that chin.

There he goes!

Wow!

They go into the air, and they dive straight in, to get fish.

Aren't they so fast?

-Yes.

-They circle around in the air,

keeping a careful watch out for fish,

and then they dive down really fast.

And you see, they fold their wings in, just before they dive.

Wow! He's scooping up lots of fish in his pouch.

Oh!

Look, Ferne, eagle rays.

I think that could be a school of eagle rays.

Wow, look they're coming this way!

They are coming this way.

They are amazing!

Eagle rays are related to sharks,

and they can often be found in groups called schools.

Four, five, six, seven, eight.

Eight now!

It's a big school, isn't it?

Does it look like they're saying hello

when they bring their fins above the water? Say hello.

-There's one!

-Is that one joining the school?

Oh, my goodness, there's loads!

Look at all of them, Kian.

That is really big, isn't it?

-Where do you think they're going?

-That way, near the mangroves.

Are they going to go to the mangroves?

-Yes.

-Some of them are really big.

Look, Kian, I think there could be something under there.

I see a shadow.

Do you? Look, look, look.

-Do you see?

-I see it.

Blacktip.

-Do you see the fin?

-Blacktip.

Yeah, that is right, it is a blacktip reef shark.

There's one.

All these sharks are quite small, aren't they, Kian?

Do you know why they are so small?

They're babies, aren't they?

Well, it's been great seeing the sharks from the boat,

but do you have a special treat for me?

How would you like to go into the water, Ferne?

Yes, let's go.

-Did you see that?

-Yes.

-Did you see that?

-What was that?

-A shark.

-Wow, that was a baby blacktip shark.

You can tell that they're blacktip reef sharks,

because they have tiny little black tips

on the ends of their fins.

These ones are babies,

so it's OK to be swimming with them.

That was epic. Shall we try to find them again?

I think there's more over here. Let's go.

Female blacktip reef sharks come to the mangroves

to give birth to their young, called pups.

The pups stay here until they get older,

because the mangrove offers a lot more protection

than out in the open ocean.

Sharks are one of the oldest living groups of animals,

and they've been around since before the dinosaurs.

The reason they've lasted for so long

is because they have really, really keen senses,

and are fantastic at finding their prey.

What is really fantastic is that black tip reef shark numbers

are bouncing back in the Galapagos, because they have limited

the amount of fishing here.

When they're little, like these babies here,

they live around mangroves, but as they get older and bigger,

they live along coastal areas, feeding on reef fish.

What did you think of the sharks, Ferne?

It was amazing.

I've never got to swim with blacktip reef sharks before.

-And they got so close, didn't they?

-Yeah.

-What did you think?

-They were incredible.

-Yes, they were.

Kian, you have shown me so many wonderful animals here

on the island of Isabela. Thank you very much.

You are welcome.

Oh!

My Pet And Me!

Hiya, Rory. Just having a bit of a siesta?

Hi, Ferne, just chilling out with some pals.

-How was your day?

-It was incredible.

We went to the island of Isabela, saw all sorts of wildlife,

and we even got to swim with reef sharks.

Wow, that sounds incredible.

It was. It was amazing.

I was so lucky to see the mangroves,

and meet lots of different salty sea creatures. I had a great time.

We hope you enjoyed it, too.

We love sharing our animal adventures with you.

# Look where we've been

# Look what we've seen

# Thank you so much for showing us

# The animals of the Galapagos

# On land or sea

# So much to see

# Iguanas, crabs

# And turtles, too

# Flamingos, sharks

# A giant tortoise or two

# Amazing wildlife to look at

# In its natural habitat

# Animals we've not seen before

# Come back soon and see some more!

# My Pet, My Pet And Me

# My Pet, My Pet And Me

# My Pet, My Pet and Me

# Come back and see My Pet And Me. #

-ALL:

-Bye!