Home Sweet Home Barney's Latin America

Hola! Mis amigos. Bienvenido a Barney's America Latina.

Arriba, arriba, it's show time!

Let me introduce you to a crazy carnival of creatures, from fabulous

freaky frogs to hollowing howler monkeys to manic meat-eating plants.

Es magnifico! What's more, they're all connected to each other

in this wonderful world of wildlife by funny and fantastic facts.

-Get on with it!

-Oh, sorry.

Tres, dos, uno. Es la hora de Barney's Latin America.

Barney, what are you doing?

Just a bit of housework, Gem.

You know, a bit of dusting here.

Polishing there.

Housework, you, yeah,

-pull the other one!

-I'm very house proud. A bit like today's line-up.

All right, well, what's so special about this place, then?

It's a tree house. I always wanted to live in a tree house.

I'm going to make sure this is the bestest one in Latin America.

Well, you're up against some tough competition.

From tent-building bats...

to ants who live in plants.

Yeah, to frogs who build homes out of foam.

Time for a break.

I knew this wouldn't last.

You can't rush a good job, Gem.

Home sweet home.

Typical!

Can you see the guns?

First, a clever creature which hides its home where no-one would find it.

Those are swallows, aren't they?

Actually they are Great Dusky Swifts

and they spend most of their time feeding on airborne insects.

So their home is in the air?

Mainly, yeah.

When birds have to lay eggs, they can't do it in mid-air.

Bombs away!

-Ah, thanks.

-So where do the swifts lay their eggs?

Watch very carefully.

Woah, that swift just flew straight through the waterfall.

Yeah, and there goes another one.

Surely the water would wash them away.

No, because behind that curtain of water is a secret sheltered cliff.

Shush, it's a secret.

Where the swifts build their nests and lay their eggs.

Ah, crafty, no-one will ever find them there.

But before our swifts can reach their nesting ledge

they face a slippery climb up muddy cliffs.

Cor, that looks like hard work.

These swifts are expert climbers

and they know this cliff like the back of their beak.

And there's an egg, looks like it's found a home.

A home made out of the only material around here...mud.

But at least a mud nest keeps those eggs from getting washed away.

Eggs-actly! It's not the prettiest home, but it is a safe one.

Living behind a waterfall

is the perfect hiding place if you like your home to be private.

They don't need a keeper outside because nobody's getting through.

It's the perfect security fence made from a wall of water.

Next up is a very special lizard

which is perfectly at home where most lizards wouldn't be.

I know what those are, they are iguanas.

Very good, but actually these are Marine Iguanas.

So, you'd know where we'd expect to find them?

Er, on a boat in the Navy?

Very funny! Actually, these guys are called

Marine Iguanas because they are quite at home living in the sea

around the coast of the Galapagos Islands.

-Isn't it a bit cold for them?

-F-f-f-freezing!

They're cold-blooded reptiles, they haven't got blood like you or me.

They are indeed which is why

these guys need to do some serious sunbathing before they take a dip.

I think I'm done on this side, perhaps I should turn over.

You're seriously blocking my sun.

Yeah, well, don't forget the factor 30, mate.

-Barney, they're lizards.

-Oh, yeah...

Anyway, looks like it's bath time.

Here we go!

Hee-hee!

Geronimo!

The iguanas are surprising good swimmers

and they are just as at home in the water as they are on the land.

Yeah, looks like it!

But why make your home on the rocks by the sea?

Because these iguanas favourite food is yummy sea algae.

Yes, that tastes good.

I love a bit of algae. Yummy. Do you want some, Barney?

I'll pass, thanks. So let's get this right, we've got lizards

that should be living on dry land living in the sea as vegetarians?!

Beats having to chase after bugs all day.

Once they've had their fill, before they get too cold,

they haul themselves back onto the rocks

-to warm up again before the next course.

-Sticky toffee pudding?

-Sticky algae pudding, more like!

-Ah, ah, ah...

Oh, gross! Did that iguana do what I think it just did.

Excuse me...

Excuse me... Oh, excuse me...

Sorry, I can't help it.

Bless you! Yes, iguanas need to sneeze salty snot to get rid

of all the excess salt which they get from eating all that algae.

Have you ever heard of using a hankie?

So the Marine Iguana is linked to our Dusky Swifts

by the fact that they've both made happy homes in weirdly wet places.

OK...

Time for another guest to move in.

Hop to it then, Barney.

Ah, very good, Gem.

I see you've met our next guest, the Red-eyed Tree Frog.

Has he not been getting enough sleep or something?

Didn't you know red eyes are all the fashion in Latin America?

Oh, sorry, Mr Frog.

See that looks much better, you look like a princess.

If you say so.

Anyway, our red-eyed frog is part of our homely line-up

because he's made his home in the treetops.

-I guess that makes sense when you live in a rain forest.

-Exactly!

And our tree dwelling frogs have the perfectly designed flat bodies

and big, flattened, pad-like toes to allow them to stick to leaves.

Barney, imagine if you have suction-cup toes like that frog.

Yeah, very cool, look at me go.

Barney, we've got a show to do.

Sorry, got a bit carried away.

So our frog has its home in the trees, but here's the bizarre bit.

Red-eye tree frogs also lay their eggs right up in the trees.

But I thought frogs need water to lay their eggs in.

Mrs Tree Frog lays her eggs onto a leaf

and they are surrounded by jelly which keeps them wet.

She leaves them and a few weeks later they hatch into tadpoles.

But come on, Barney, tadpoles really do need to live in the water.

Yeah, not a problem, Gem, because water is just a drip away.

Wee-ee!

Geronimo!

So the tadpoles do grow up in water after all?

Yeah, but once they're big enough and have turned into frogs,

they'll take up residence with Mum and Dad in their treetop home.

-I'm not a pony, you know, Son.

-Yeah, I know, Dad.

Giddy-up!

But what links the tree frogs to those iguanas?

Well, just like the Marine Iguanas,

tree frogs have made themselves at home on dry land and in the water.

Time for another ideal home.

OK, so at least we're on dry land this time.

Yep, that's because our next guests live in a tree.

Ah, cool, another bird?

Smaller, Barney, much smaller.

Oh, I see, ants.

These ants have set up home in this tree

which is called a Bull's Horn Acacia.

I can see why. Those thorns are shaped like a pair of horns.

I can't see it myself.

Moo! Blimey!

And there's much more to the thorns than meets the eye.

Well, I'm sure he got the point!

Do you get it? It's the point.

Ow!

Each of these thorns is home to a family of ants

which help to protect the tree from bugs and other predators.

So, the ants are camping out inside the thorns of the tree. That's cool.

Yeah, and if anything tries to eat the tree, the ants swarm out of

their thorny home and sting them until they leave the tree alone.

So the ants get lodgings and the tree gets ant body guards?

Yeah, but, Barn, it's even better than that.

The ants don't just get accommodation, they also get food.

Well, I have to tell you, this sounds too good to be true.

The tree produces special ant-size morsels

which the ants can harvest and feed to their babies.

Ah, look at the cute baby ant being fed tasty planty stuff.

Oh, Barney, come off it, cute!

Gem, shush, you'll hurt his feel...

Too late, now you've done it. Quick, Gem, do something.

Oh, erm, OK.

# Rock-a-bye ant, in the tree top

# When the tree blows the cradle will rock

# When the rocks... # Can I stop this now, it's ridiculous.

OK, but just be nice to the baby ant. He's very sensitive.

Yes, I've noticed.

So the lovely, cuddly ant not only gets a cosy thorn home...

But they also get some nice nosh too.

And all they have to do is keep watch over their leafy partner.

I love ants, me!

Mmm, right.

The connection between our lovely ants and those frogs

is that they both have made their homes in the treetops.

Living in a rain forest, one thing is certain about the weather.

It's going to be wet.

Lots of animals shelter from the rain in holes, burrows and caves,

but how's about this for ingenuity?

Barney, it's just a leaf.

No, it isn't. It's a tent.

And there's something living in it -

-bats.

-Oh, come off it, Barney.

For one thing, bats live in big caves in huge colonies.

I know my bats, you know.

Knows her bats, she says? Well, I've never seen her before.

Neither have I.

Well then, Gem, you've never seen a tent-making bat, have you?

These guys don't live in caves at all.

They find a nice, big leaf

and using their sharp teeth, cut through the ribs of the leaf

so that it flops down to form the perfect tent.

OK, Barney. That's a new one for me.

Hey, they look pretty cosy in there, don't they?

Huddling together conserves warmth and they can stay here until

the worst of the rain is over, then it's out to feed in the forest.

That's got to be one of our cleverest homes yet.

Yes, and it means that the acacia ants and the tent-making bat

are connected because they both use plants as homes.

Our next homemaker likes a bit of privacy

so it's going to be tough to get a look at him.

Hang on, I think I can see him.

And there he is.

It's the web spinner.

That is one weird-looking bug.

Well, he doesn't just look weird, he acts pretty weird too.

It looks like he's building a web.

Well, given his name, that's pretty obvious.

Yeah, nice one, Einstein.

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer, are you?

Hang on, I thought it was spiders that spun webs to catch flies?

And make great cobwebby backgrounds for old horror movies.

Well, you'd think so, Barney, but spiders have some stiff competition

when it comes to making webs from the remarkable web spinner.

-Remarkable?

-Yes, remarkable.

I'm remarkable. All right?

Give him a chance, Barney.

OK, so he's building a bit of a silky web.

It's no spider's web.

That's because he makes his web in a very clever way.

The web spinner has amazing front legs with special pads

which produce silk and that's something a spider can't do.

Yeah.

Wow, he's like Spider-Man with his super Spidey web-slinging mitts.

Erm, right. Anyway, using his special silk spinners,

he weaves back and forth until he makes the perfect silk home

to hide away from anything that fancies silk spinner for lunch.

-Looks very cosy.

-Yeah, and it's also a bit like a silk tent for one.

Which links us back to our tent-making bats.

Both the tent-making bats and the web spinner have cosy tents as homes.

So, here we are. We've reached the halfway house.

Our homely connections have taken us from security-conscious swifts...

To our secretive web spinners.

Hiding their homes behind waterfalls,

the swifts have to put up with a water-swept home.

A bit like the marine iguanas.

Those red-eyed tree frogs have made their homes on land...

And in the water.

And wisely choosing the best place of all to live,

the red-eyed frogs make their homes in trees

just like the acacia ants.

Which connect to our tent-making bats

because they also make their homes from plants.

And tents as homes seem to be the latest fashion,

because the silk spinner also lives in a home-made tent.

Which brings us back to our line-up and our next remarkable residents.

Some of the smallest birds in the world are the hummingbirds.

And because they're so small, they hardly weigh anything.

It gives a whole new meaning to the expression "as light as a feather".

Barney, get on with it.

Being so small means you only need a small nest to raise a family in.

This one is making a hanging home so it's safe from predators.

If I could just get down to that nest, supper would be served.

Just a little further.

Ooh!

Ow.

Exactly. Nothing is going to be able to reach it there.

That's a pretty good home, Barney.

-OK, next.

-Woah, hold on, there's more, Gem.

Much more.

Because hummingbirds are so tiny, they can use a unique building material to make their homes from.

-Spiders' silk.

-Woah, that's amazing.

The hummingbird has got some spiders' web

and is wrapping it round and round its nest.

Not only does the silk hold the nest together, but it's very strong.

In fact, spiders' silk is stronger than steel.

So the hummingbird's nest is a reinforced residence.

Well, that's one way to keep out any unwanted guests.

Foiled again.

Ow!

Both the web spinner and the hummingbird are connected

because they both use super silk to make their humble homes.

-Barney, you know how you think ants are quite sweet?

-Yes, Gem.

Well, you're going to love our next guests.

OK, bring them on.

-It's the tarantula.

-Ah!

Gem, look, if there's one thing I can't stand, it's tarantulas.

But why, Barney?

Well, look at it! The hairy legs, those starey eyes.

Actually, it just reminds me of you.

Just more legs.

Oy!

The tarantula comes out at night for a bite, but the rest of the time,

it has an underground home in a burrow which it lines with silk.

I see. It looks like this one's going visiting the neighbours.

It's a male tarantula looking for Mrs Right to raise a family with.

DOORBELL RINGS TUNELESS HUMMING

-What?

-Hiya, I was just wondering if you wanted to go out for dinner.

Get lost!

-OK, that's a no, then.

-It looks like she's not too keen.

DOORBELL RINGS

Ah, but this one is. And it's not long before Mrs T

is proudly protecting a large sac full of eggs.

Wow, there's loads of them.

So, eventually there's the patter of tiny spiderlings

and they stay at home with mum until they're big enough

to venture out into the big, wide world on their own.

Bye, thanks for everything.

-I wonder where my taxi is.

-HORN BEEPS

-Coming, mate.

-So they'll make their own burrows to live in

-when they're big enough?

-Exactly.

And the connection between our tarantulas and the web spinners is

that they both use silk to make their homes.

-Knock, knock.

-Who's there?

-Twit.

-Twit who?

I got you, you went twit twoo.

Like our next homely guest. It's the burrowing owls.

Like an owl, you know, twit twoo.

I don't get it.

It's a joke, we're owls. Twit twoo.

It's a rubbish joke.

So I'm guessing these owls don't make their nests in trees like other owls?

Exactly. These owls have given up on a treetop penthouse suite

and settled for a home below the ground floor in the basement.

Dave, come and give me a hand to tidy the house, will you?

I'm, er, standing guard, Sheila.

-Standing guard?

-Yes, standing guard.

-I ask you one thing and you can't even be bothered.

-Standing guard.

Stop that, it's going in my face. Sheila, it's getting in my face.

Is it too much to ask you to do a couple of things?

Standing guard.

I have to say they do look very at home underground.

And they're very protective of their property too.

Don't come any closer, and you.

Any trouble...and they do this.

Aren't they over-reacting a bit?

No, because the big wing look should scare off most intruders.

But if it doesn't...

Woah, it knocked that guy right off his feet.

But what if an uninvited guest doesn't get the message?

Well, a stern talking-to soon makes them realise they aren't invited.

Looks like he's got the message.

There's the reason Mum and Dad have been so protective of their home.

-Look at the cute baby owls.

-Cute?

-They'd have your finger off given a chance.

-I still think they're cute.

Back to their homes and there's a reason why they live underground.

Not only is it safe, it's nice and cool.

So I guess the connection with the tarantulas

is that they both like to live in an underground burrow?

Spot on, Gem. Right, your turn.

One thing Latin America is not short of is fish.

Yeah, there are all sorts of different fish that live here,

from the electrifying to the terrifying.

And from the beautiful to the bizarre.

So what is a fish doing on our list?

Surely a fish's home is just in the water.

-In a way that's true, but this is the Midas Cichlid.

-The Midas what lid?

It's a Midas Cichlid

and it manages to make a home out of much more than just water.

Hey, looks like our fish has found a partner.

That's two fishy fellows and they're out to show each other who's boss.

-Oi, move it, mate.

-No, you move it.

-This is my pad, get out of it.

-Ow!

Looks like someone's going to have a sore head.

He's got rid of the competition so he can get on with building his home.

Oh, yeah, look, he's moving gravel out the way to make a pit.

He's made a nest in the gravel

which'll make the perfect home to raise a family.

It's not long before the missus turns up to survey his handiwork.

I'd have chosen a different coloured rock, but it'll do.

What? She's never happy.

So are you telling me that fish make nests just like birds do?

Yep. And it's for the same reasons.

When the eggs hatch, keeping the baby fish in a nest in the gravel

makes it easier to look after them.

Looks like they don't plan to let anyone anywhere near their property.

Oi! Move along, mate.

Well, that's to make sure that none of the baby fish get eaten.

Ah, but look at all the cute little fishy-wishies.

Barney, they're just fish.

Oh! Ah, look at that one there.

Ah...

So I'm guessing the link between our burrowing owls

and the Midas Cichlids has something to do with the nests?

And you'd be guessing right, Barney.

The burrowing owls and the cichlids

have nest homes where they raise their family.

Our next homemakers work together to build a hanging home.

Ah, those are wasps, aren't they?

Those are no ordinary wasps, they are paper wasps.

Speaking of which, here's one I made earlier.

Barney, can we get on with the show?

Oh, OK. Go on, buzz off.

-These wasps have something in common with the wasps at home.

-Hola.

-Hello.

-They build nests?

Yes, but have you ever seen one of our common wasps making its home?

They land on a bit of wood and scrape it with their jaws,

and then mix it with saliva to form paper.

That is what they make their nests from.

So that's why these guys are called Paper Wasps?

But isn't their home a bit flimsy?

Nope, because all the cells which form the inside of the nest

-form a surprisingly strong home.

-Wow! I'm impressed. That's clever.

-These Latin-American wasps are not that different from our wasps.

-Yes.

And as their home get bigger,

more wasps hatch out and help make the nest bigger still.

It's amazing how they all work together as a team.

Yeah, and whilst they work, the colony is watched over

by wasp guards in case something decides to attack their home.

Corporal, anything to report?

Em, wasps.

Good.

Looks pretty secure to me.

I wouldn't want to mess with those wasps!

Which brings us to our connection with the Midas Cichlids.

Both the wasps and the Cichlids

patrol and protect their homes from predators.

And last, but not least are the best home makers of all - the termites.

These guys are experts in construction.

Looks like it from the size of those towers.

Those towers are more impressive

when you see the size of the construction team.

They're clever, these termites.

Yeah, they are. And they've taken to living in a high-rise apartment.

Those mounds are way taller than me!

And all built by an army of teeny tiny termites.

Come on, then, how do they build those things?

By mixing a bit of mud with their saliva,

they make a kind of cement which dries into a brick hard layer.

Wow! They're good at that as well!

Good? I'm flipping great!

Yep, but if you think that's clever, cop a load of this.

This is the termite mound's air-conditioning system,

and it makes sure that the nest stays at just the right temperature.

-Are they chimneys?

-Yep, they allow air to circulate into the mound,

keeping all the termites at just the right temperature

while they work at building their magnificent tower block.

OK, so they are top builders, then.

Ah, but I haven't finished.

The termite tower blocks are so impressive

there's even space to rent out some rooms to tenants.

Looks like they don't mind sharing the joint with some bird buddies.

I saw this penthouse apartment and I just had to have it.

Or a lizard lodger.

Termite Towers is the place to live.

Fair to say, this is one popular pad.

Exactly, which makes termites the ultimate homemakers.

Not only do they build an amazing tower block for themselves,

but they also construct homes for other animals as well.

You know what, they have to be some of the best homemakers of all.

And they are connected to the paper wasps

because they build their homes by working together as a colony.

And because the termites use mud and saliva as their building material,

that leads us right back to our dusky swifts and their mud nests.

Time to take a look back at all of our amazing homemakers...

From the truly great dusky swifts...

..to the terrific termites.

Our swifts were connected to the marine iguanas

because they both had rather wet homes.

But the iguanas were just as at home on land, which links them to...

the red-eyed tree frogs. Ribbit!

Nice. Now, tree houses like this one have to be the best in town,

which is why the acacia ants also choose to live in them.

But if you can't find a tree,

a plant will do.

The tent-making bats make homes out of a plant, like the acacia ants.

Tents are all the rage in the jungle

and they link the tent-making bats to the web spinner.

Also using silk to make a remarkable home is the hummingbird,

which links to another silk dwelling for the tarantula.

But it's a silk-lined burrow which connects it to the burrowing owls.

And those owls raise their young in a nest,

which links them nicely to the nest-making Midas Cichlids.

And the Midas Cichlids are very protective of their pads,

a bit like the paper wasps

which live in a communal home just like our last guests, the termites.

Which connects us right back to the very start of our fantastic line-up

because the termites use mud and saliva to build their homes,

just like the dusky swifts.

OK, logs - safe, chimney's safe, kettle's safe, sugar - safe,

-cup - safe...

-What are you doing?

-Making sure everything's safe.

A safe home is a happy home and all that.

I'm going to check that the hammock's safe

while you make me a nice cup of tea. Thanks, Gem. Two sugars.