Basilosaurus and Barnacles Andy's Prehistoric Adventures

# I'm Andy and I work here at the National Museum

# We've got dinosaurs and ice-age beasts, you should see them

# Jenny's my assistant

# Mrs Pickles runs the show

# Come on my adventures

# Ready, steady, go!

# 1, 2, 3, 4!

# Andy's Prehistoric Adventures

# Hey, join the crew!

# Travel back in time

# And discover something new

# Yeah, you can come too

# You'll see woolly mammoths, dinosaurs, cavemen and more

# When I jump into the old museum prop to explore

# Take me off to prehistoric times, I say

# Hold on tight, shut your eyes and then we fly away-y-y-y

# 1, 2, 3, 4!

# Andy's Prehistoric Adventures

# Hey, join the crew

# Travel back in time

# And discover something new

# Yeah, you can come too

# Andy's Prehistoric Adventures

# Andy's Prehistoric Adventures! #

OWL HOOTS

HE WHISTLES

Hi, I'm Andy. I'm in charge of the prehistoric gallery

at the National Museum.

I'm working on a display about an enormous sea creature.

I've got a few more things to put in place then I'm finished.

-Hi, Andy.

-Hi, Jen.

-I think I've worked out what this new display is.

-Go on.

It's the tail fluke of a whale.

Yes, how did you know?

Easy, I calculated the dimensions

then cross referenced the results with the museum's online index.

-Right. And that means...?

-I looked it up on the internet.

-Oh. Ha-ha!

But, Andy, why a whale display in the prehistoric gallery?

Aren't whales are still around today?

Yes, but this is the tail of a prehistoric whale

called a Basilosaurus.

Oh, I see. So, why have you got these bumps on it?

Well, these bumps are called barnacle shells -

tiny marine creatures that live on the skin of whales.

-Mrs Pickles gave me these.

-Oh, fascinating.

Oh, Andy, I know something else about whales.

-Go on.

-Some of them like to sing.

-You're right.

# La-la-la-la-la. #

Maybe not like that though.

Ha-ha! These are humpback whales.

They communicate by singing.

Their songs are one of the loudest in the animal kingdom.

-Would you like to hear one?

-Yes, please.

I'll just access the museum's PA system.

WHALE SONG PLAYS

-Whoa.

-Oh.

-Oh, whoa.

-Oh, turn it off, Jen.

-Pretty loud, eh?

-Ah.

Too loud. Ah, look, it's shaken off the barnacle shells.

Be careful. We don't want to break them.

These are the only ones we have. We can just stick them back on.

-I need stronger glue though.

-Don't worry.

There's some glue in the store cupboard.

OK, come on, let's take a look.

-There are lots of types of whale.

-Really?

-Big blue whale,

sperm whale, even the great Jen whale.

-Really?

-Only kidding.

CRACK

CRACK

Huh?

The barnacles, they've gone.

-What's happened?

-Oh, no, Mrs Pickles is not going to be happy.

They were the only ones we had.

We can go to the seaside for more.

Mrs Pickles is coming early tomorrow morning.

There's not enough time.

CLOCK CHIMES

I'll make time.

Jen, you stay here. I'll go get some more barnacles.

Time to go on a prehistoric adventure.

Andy? Where's he always going off by himself? Oh.

Waistcoat, hat, backpack, gizmo.

To the time of Basilosaurus.

HE CHEERS

Oh!

I've landed in a mangrove swamp.

Oh!

But how far have I travelled back in time?

36 million years,

to the time of Basilosaurus.

Hmm, my feet are soaking wet.

I should have worn my wellies. Ha!

SCREECHING What's that?

Oh.

That noisy bunch are called apidium,

prehistoric primates.

Well, they know how to keep their feet dry.

Maybe I should join them.

Arg! I just need to get that little bit higher. Ooh, ah!

Whoa! Oh. Ah.

That's better. Now I can look for some barnacles

without getting wet.

Oh, it's a fantastic view up here. Ooh.

Huh?

Well, I can't see any barnacles but I can see something.

It looks like a Basilosaurus.

Oh, but it's too little.

According to my gizmo,

it's a Dorudon, a small prehistoric whale

that used to be hunted by Basilosaurus.

Well, if I follow him, hopefully, I'll be able to find

a Basilosaurus and replace the barnacles that Mrs Pickles gave me.

Right...

so, it looks like I'm going to get wet after all.

I'm going to need my scuba helmet.

Excuse me.

Look out below. Whoa.

Now, where's those Dorudon?

They were here somewhere.

There!

Wait for me!

Fantastic, there are loads of them.

And where there are Dorudon, there has to be...

Basilosaurus!

Oh, what a stonking, great, big whale. Oh.

I'm going to grab onto their tail.

I don't want to get gobbled up by mistake.

I've got to time this just right.

Ready...

..almost there,

nearly...

Now!

Whoa! Hoo-hoo-hoo!

It's a bit of a wavy, bumpy ride...

..but it's a brilliant.

Woohoo! Oh, hang on, barnacles.

These would be perfect for the display.

Urg!

I just can't get them off.

Huh? What's she doing? Urg!

She's having a scratch on the seabed.

Brilliant.

She's scratched off all the barnacles.

Brilliant. Perfect for my display.

CLOCK CHIMES

The clock. It's just in time to head back to the museum.

Basilosaurus.

Huh? Oh, no, I've been carried miles away from land.

How am I going to get back to the clock?

He-hello? Basilosaurus?

You couldn't give me a lift back to dry land?

It's no good. She can't understand me.

Hang on. Whales communicate in song.

If I play the song of a humpback whale from my gizmo,

it should get her attention.

Right.

WHALE SONG PLAYS

It's no good. It's too quiet.

What am I going to do? My backpack is always full of useful things.

A spade? No.

A flask? What?

A funnel?

How is this going to help me?

Unless...I could use this as a megaphone.

That should work. I hope, anyway.

WHALE SONG PLAYS

It's working. She's coming.

She's coming straight for me. Whoa!

Woohoo!

Ah. Going up.

Whoaaaaa!

Oh!

That was, like, the best fairground ride ever. Oh.

Time to head back.

BIRDS TWEET

CLOCK BELL RINGS

Mrs Pickles - quick!

SHE SNORES

Jen, wake up.

What? Where? Who? Andy?

-Have you been swimming?

-No time to explain. Mrs Pickles is on her way.

-Where's that glue?

-Oh, the glue, yeah.

-Brilliant.

-I've got the barnacles. We just need to stick them on.

-OK.

Hello, you two.

I thought I'd pop in to check on the new display.

Oh, that's magnificent.

A full-size Basilosaurus tail.

Ooh, and I see you've added the barnacles I gave you, Andy.

Did you know that whales like Basilosaurus probably scraped off

the barnacles by rubbing their bodies along the sandy seabed?

Er, yes, I've heard that before, Mrs Pickles.

See you next time.

# 1, 2, 3, 4

# Andy's Prehistoric Adventures

# Andy's Prehistoric Adventures! #