Angry Animals Wild & Weird

# Wormy fish-killers Convoys of caterpillars

-# Super-clever, brainless slime... #

-Ugh!

# Bunny rabbit swarms, raging storms

# And pigs that swim at dinnertime

# Tornadoes of fire Starfish going haywire

-# Algae balls from space! #

-What?!

# Prairie dogs that chat Birds going splat

# And fish slapping in your face

# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

# Really, really wild and really, really weird

# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

# They're really, really wild

# They're really, really wild and weird... #

On today's show - lemmings terrorise an unlikely adversary...

A freaked-out fish with a taste for flying...

Knocked my hat off!

And an angry dinosaur on the warpath...

No, you do not go out there.

# Run, rabbit Run, rabbit, run, run, run... #

Naomi...

Naomi!

What's going on?

You have got to get control of this rabbit.

It's being totally unreasonable, acting all crazy.

Well, yeah, not now, obviously.

But a minute ago, it was spitting carrots all over the place,

it was firing cabbage left, right and centre.

-It's like a thing possessed!

-Oh.

Well, yeah, again, don't be fooled by the doe-y eyes and floppy ears.

That thing is an animal!

-Oh, well spotted(!)

-You know what I mean!

She does get a bit excited before dinner time, but...

Excited?! I think the word you're looking for, actually, is "angry".

An angry rabbit?

Now, I think YOU'RE going crazy.

Animals aren't angry, Tim.

Oh, really?

Well, let me show you something.

-Would you mind?

-Honestly!

Can you...tidy this place up?

Exhibit one - angry lemmings.

Lemmings aren't angry, Tim!

They're rodents - positively shy and retiring.

And for good reason - they're top of the menu for most predators.

Case closed.

Then explain this.

If I'm not very much mistaken,

that's a cat being attacked by a lemming.

Whoa, he's gutsy!

-Angry.

-Certainly very confident.

-Angry.

-Maybe a little assertive.

Angry!

So what's going on? Why is this lemming behaving so angril...

so out of character?

Well, zoologist Nick Crumpton

doesn't think it's so out of character.

I'm actually going to send him the clip now.

-Yeah?

-Yeah, so we can see the reaction on his little face.

-Yeah!

Huh! Wow!

That is very, very brave.

Oh, you've got to love technology.

Nick thinks the clue

to this weird behaviour

lies in the lemming's appearance.

Usually, small mammals are quite dull - they're brown or grey.

And that's what the American, the common lemmings look like.

But the lemming in this video is brightly coloured and stripy!

Exactly. And that tells Nick that it isn't a common lemming.

This is its Norwegian cousin.

It says that rather than hiding from their predators,

they're actually advertising themselves.

Hold it. Hold it.

You're telling me they actually want to be seen, by predators?

I'm not, no, but Nick is, yeah.

That doesn't make any sense. Look.

Insects use bright colours to advertise their stings and bites.

So do amphibians, warning of their toxic skin.

And you wouldn't want to mess with

this unmistakable black-and-white stink bomb.

The lemming doesn't stand a chance against a cat,

so why is it so garishly coloured?

I'm telling you, it's angry.

It's in its blood. You don't believe me.

Just ask Nick.

Norwegian lemmings are different to other lemmings and other voles

in that they're very, very aggressive.

SQUEAKING

And that, your honour, is the case for the defence.

Boom! Ha-ha-ha!

Go on, then, press play, loser.

-You're the lo...

-Silence in court!

Like the Vikings, these Nordic inhabitants

are bloodthirsty hairy berserkers.

Norwegian lemmings have been known to kill weasels and fight off skuas.

In fact, the Norwegian lemming will take on perceived predators

of almost any size, including our cameraman!

It looks like this cat picked on the wrong type of lemming.

Oh, there's the basketball, picks it up, hook shot...

Ooh, three points! He shoots, he scores, he wins!

Ha-ha-ha! Just remind me again - was the lemming angry?

-Can't remember(!)

-Yes.

-He was. Where's your money going on

-a fight between a cat and a lemming?

-The lemming.

Yeah, I think it probably would.

Shall we ask Nick? Nick, what do you think?

Yeah, my money's on the lemming.

Case closed.

-All right!

-Where are you going?

-Er...

-Oh.

-Yeah.

You know, with that lemming and your rabbit,

-I need to wind down a little bit.

-Fishing?

-Yeah.

That may not be as relaxing as you might expect.

-Really?

-Let me explain.

Our next story takes place in the small riverside city of Havana,

near Chicago. It's a peaceful kind of place, but under the surface

something is stirring.

Whoa! Oh! My God!

Every time the locals hit the river for a spot of fishing,

the river starts hitting them back!

SCREAMING

Now, it might look like fun,

but these aquatic acrobats can pack a punch.

Did I just see that right?

Did that guy just get smacked in the head by a flying fish?

-Yep.

-I've got to see that again!

Ha-ha! Brilliant!

No fish... Bang! No fish... Bang!

-No fish...

-Bang!

-Can we carry on?

-Yeah.

Oh...

I equate it to like being hit with a flying bowling ball.

-Knocked my hat off!

-Some days it can get real interesting out there.

We had a guy get hit right in the daddy parts.

And it folds him right over.

Ooh!

So why are there so many of these frenzied flying fish?

Levi Solomon, from the Illinois River Biological Station,

has studied these aquatic acrobats.

They grow very rapidly.

They're very fecund, which means they produce a lot of eggs.

They're a very adaptable fish, and they're excellent at what they do.

And what are fish excellent at doing?

-Swimming.

-And...?

Having b...

-Baths.

-Babies.

Correct.

In this marina where we are, we saw clouds,

I mean literally clouds of baby fish in the water.

These airborne invaders are silver and big-head carp,

and their original home lies thousands of miles away

in South-East Asia.

So what happened to bring the fish here, then?

-They were first brought...

-No, I'm not asking you.

-I was asking Levi.

-Oh. OK.

They were first brought here in the 1970s, into Arkansas,

to help water quality in their aquaculture facilities.

During flood events, they would escape from the facility

into the main stem of the Mississippi River -

and they've expanded their range from there.

Oh, my God!

HE LAUGHS

When they first turned up, they found a river packed with food,

and with no major predators, nothing stood in their way.

All very interesting.

But why do these schools of fish torpedo themselves into the sky?

Oh, I know this.

Well, it turns out that the fish are flying into a panic because of us.

When the carp hear a boat's engine or sense its movement in the water,

their anti-predator instincts kick in,

and they fling themselves into the air to escape.

And when one does, just to be on the safe side, they all do.

So these fast-breeding aquatic invaders are simply trying to evade

a predator that isn't even there.

Knocked my hat off!

Oh! Animals are angry, aren't they?

-Told you!

-Crabby carp, leery lemmings.

-Raging rabbits.

-Oi. Come to think of it,

there is another angry animal

-that could give that lot a run for their money.

-Oh, yeah?

-Yep. I give you a delinquent dinosaur.

-Ooh!

The north-eastern coast of Queensland.

People come here for the relaxing lifestyle,

and a chance to live amongst the beautiful beaches

and pristine rainforest. But lately,

local gardens have become the scene of some very alarming encounters.

No, you do not go out there.

Even a simple car journey is more like living in a scene

from Jurassic Park.

SQUAWKING

Wait, let him come. Let him come.

Oh, God.

CRASH

THEY SCREAM

It's big, it looks threatening, and up close it's even more startling.

More startling even than that.

-So, what are these velociraptor-like visitors?

-Ah!

The creature is in fact a southern cassowary.

It's as tall as a man,

but one rather frightening feature makes them stand out -

its three-clawed foot,

reaching nearly 12cm in length, and razor-sharp.

A kick from one of these bad boys could unzip a human.

I don't think I'd like to come up against a cassowary in a, erm,

kung fu competition.

Oh, don't be silly. Cassowary would never enter a kung fu competition.

-Couldn't fill in the entry forms! No opposable thumbs!

-Ah, good one.

I suppose you're wondering, though, what would provoke an attack.

No. I'm wondering...what would provoke an attack.

Well...

Cassowaries are fiercely territorial

and defend their patch of forest from other birds.

They're also caring parents and, if they need to,

they'll protect their chicks

by striking out with their fighting feet.

So no wonder people are a bit concerned when they find a bird

armed with a flick knife in their garden.

I'm standing in my house, and there's a cassowary in my yard.

Ooh, that's a bit freaky.

Don't...

Don't go out there. But it's very curious.

Wow, isn't that amazing, Jonah?

Yeah.

Extremely.

So why are they raiding gardens?

Well, in 2006, a cyclone destroyed huge swathes of forest,

and the cassowaries lost their food source.

-What do they eat?

-Fruit.

And a lot of it - up to five kilograms a day.

And fruit is something that gardens in Mission Beach have in abundance.

Oh, wow.

It's eating the Davidson plums.

Hello, there.

The truth is, left alone and treated with respect,

cassowaries are actually quite shy

and not the angry birds we might think.

But with the cassowary's fearsome reputation,

looks and their newfound love of grow-your-own,

the consequences are potentially deadly.

DRAMATIC MUSIC

All this talk of angry animals has put me right on edge.

Mm, tell me about it. We need an antidote to all this aggression.

Yeah. Any ideas?

Let me think. Oh, do you want to see

-a man get super excited about a rainbow?

-Nah.

-No?

-I'd prefer to see a man get super excited

-about a DOUBLE rainbow.

-Like your style!

Double rainbow - oh, my God!

It's a double rainbow all the way!

Double complete rainbow!

HE SOBS

Oh, right in my front yard!

SOBBING CONTINUES

But how...? Why is he...?

Don't ask. Just enjoy.

It's so bright and vivid.

Oh! Ah!

Ah...

Double rainbow all the way across the sky!

Oh, my God!

Whoo!

Yeah!

That's better.

You know, maybe the world's not such an angry place after all.

-Cup of tea?

-Oh, yes, please.

No sugar, though. I am sweet enough!

Hey, stop throwing cabbage.

-I'm not!

-Well, if you're not throwing cabbage, who is?

RABBIT CHUCKLES

Agh! Naomi!

HE GASPS

RABBIT CHUCKLES

# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

# Really, really wild and really, really weird

# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

# They're really, really wild

# They're really, really wild and weird... #

Wild and weird! #