Peculiar Pets Wild & Weird


Peculiar Pets

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# Wormy fish-killers Convoys of caterpillars

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

-Ugh!

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# Bunny rabbit swarms, raging storms

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# And pigs that swim at dinner time

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# Tornadoes of fire Starfish going haywire

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-# Algae balls from space! #

-What?!

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# Prairie dogs that chat Birds going splat

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# And fish slapping in your face

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# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

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# Really, really wild and really, really weird

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# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

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# They're really, really wild

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

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On today's show, we meet the monster

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that could be living in your fish tank...

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While, that thing is massive.

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..an island infested with bunny rabbits...

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HE LAUGHS

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..and rats with a death wish.

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# You will have a fishy on a little dishy

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# You will have a fishy on... #

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Mr Tibbles! Come out, come out, wherever you are.

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-Talking to yourself again, Tim?

-No. Strangest thing, though.

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-I've lost my fish.

-What are you talking about?

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Well, he was in there are swimming around all happy as a clam

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and now Mr Tibbles has vanished.

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-What are you eating?

-Fish and chips.

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HE GASPS

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You monster!

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Tim, I'm not eating your fish.

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-Oh, phew!

-Eurgh.

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-I wonder where he's gone, then.

-Yeah, it's a bit of a mystery.

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And not for the first time, by all accounts.

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To America!

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STAR-SPANGLED BANNER PLAYS

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Miami, in the USA.

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Where an invisible killer is on the loose.

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-What, him?

-No, that's Brian.

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He's the owner of a tropical fish and living coral aquarium shop

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and he's seen a lot of strange things in his time.

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We've had fish give birth, a shark hatch out of an egg,

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blue-ringed octopus,

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but I've never seen anything as mind-blowing as this.

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In January of 2013, Brian noticed something pretty unusual.

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I noticed when I came in in the morning,

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all the corals were pulled to the middle of the rocks.

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So I put them all back out and I explained to everybody,

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if you're going to clean the glass,

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to please move the corals back when you're done.

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Everybody had kind of denied it and said they didn't do it.

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The finger of blame pointed at some of Brian's colleagues,

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so he really wasn't happy when it happened again.

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The following day we got a coral shipment in.

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There's a coral called the Finger of Leather,

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which is a soft coral.

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I put it in, came back the next morning

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and it was only about a half-inch on each tentacle.

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Something had eaten about 3 to 4 inches.

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So Brian's fish shop staff were eating the coral?

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OH! I don't see the appeal myself.

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No, the staff weren't eating them but something else was.

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And not just coral but entire fish eaten alive!

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No, no!

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THEY GASP

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Fishy!

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Brian decided to investigate.

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Oh, I can't look!

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I decided to take all the rock out of the aquarium

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and out of nowhere, this giant thing

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just started swimming around the tank.

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The reaction was crazy.

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"Oh, my God, get a net! What is that?"

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And this is what Brian caught. It's a bobbit worm.

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This bizarre-looking creature usually lives in the waters

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of the Indo-Pacific ocean.

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In the wild, they hide in the sediment on the ocean floor

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using their highly tuned antennae to sense prey.

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When an unfortunate fish comes by,

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it strikes in a split second as if from nowhere.

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Ouch!

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Hmm. This is a job for Sherlock.

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It is. But not you.

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-Who then?

-Emma Sherlock.

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She's the curator of invertebrates

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at the Natural History Museum in London.

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Ah. Good choice.

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They are really, really powerful animals.

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They will attack with their jaws and it can be so fast

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and so vicious, they can actually snap fish in two.

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Definitely wouldn't want to get your fingers too close to these guys.

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This is a highly weaponised worm, not to be messed with.

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But there's still one thing that doesn't add up.

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It's something that's been in this aquarium

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for a very long time that we'd never noticed

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and we're in and out of the aquarium probably about 30 times a day,

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-20 times a day.

-Make your mind up, Brian.

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Shockingly, other people are finding them in their fish tanks too.

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Wow! That thing's massive!

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-It is quite revolting.

-It's huge!

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I can't believe I've never seen him, though.

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Believe it or not, this mega-worm can grow up to 3 metres in length.

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Here, hold this.

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So... Oh, no. Keep going, that's one. Yeah, that's one.

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Oh, hang on. 1.6, yeah, keep going. Keep going. Oh, there you go.

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How does something that big fit in my fish tank?

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I don't know, let's find out.

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Ow!

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It seems staggering to people but actually what's happening,

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is that when these animals are very small, they can fit

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very easily into little crevices in rocks and corals

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and when you're making up your aquarium,

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you put in these bits of coral unknowing of what's lurking inside.

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As the bobbit worm grows, it hides under the sand and rocks.

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The only sign of its presence is the ever-increasing list

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of missing aquarium animals.

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Do you reckon that's where my fishy's gone?

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Probably not.

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Uh, Tim? We see that castle there?

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Mm. It's fancy, isn't it?

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You don't suppose your fish has gone in there, do you?

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-Oh, yeah! Oh, there he is!

-HE LAUGHS

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Oh, fishy, fishy, fishy!

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Tim, why don't you just get yourself a proper pet?

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You know, one that does something interesting. Like a rabbit!

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No, not a rabbit! Anything but!

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What are you talking about, Tim?

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SCREAMING

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Naomi! Naomi!

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No, no! Not a rabbit!

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They are too hellbent on world domination.

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Don't be daft, rabbits are amazing and super cuddly. Look at this!

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WOMAN SCREAMS

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-what was that?

-Nothing. Where's the rewind button on this thing?

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We head to Okunoshima.

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A small island off the coast of Japan.

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But, visitors are not coming here for the scenery

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or for the sea air.

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Oh, no. They've come for this.

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SHE SCREAMS

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Welcome to Rabbit Island.

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# Rabbit, Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit,

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# rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit... #

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Okunoshima is home to hundreds of extraordinary rabbits.

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Those don't look like the shy bunnies of childhood stories.

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They're fearless. They're an army.

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Oh! A bunny rabbit army!

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That would be adorable. All their little ears!

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-Aw!

-But aren't rabbits supposed to be scared of everything?

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I'll let wildlife expert Dr Sasha Norris explain.

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A wild rabbit is a classic prey animal.

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So it's a muscular,

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highly nutritious sort of parcel of meat, really.

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I can relate to that.

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Hey!

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As a result, they're top of every predator's hit list.

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By contrast, rabbits on the island seemed to fear nothing.

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They're completely chilled out above the ground with

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no sign of that legendary vigilance.

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In fact, they're relaxed to the point of idiocy.

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Ah! Brilliant!

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Let's watch that again.

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HE LAUGHS

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-OOP!

-Tim!

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And rather than fleeing at the first sight of an intruder,

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these rabbits actually chase visitors.

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I knew it.

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-Murderous and violent, the whole lot of them.

-How can you say that?

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-Just look at their adorable little faces.

-Where did that come from?

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She just wandered in from outside. She's so fluffy!

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So why is the island filled with loads of rabbits, then?

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Well...

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During World War II, the island was used by the military

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so for secrecy and safety, the civilian population

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and their pets and livestock were evacuated.

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After the war, the island remained uninhabited and has done ever since.

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The theory is that during the 1970s,

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pet rabbits were released here by schoolchildren

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and it's those that are the ancestors of this brood.

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Kids today!

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Well, yesterday.

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Wherever the rabbits came from, one thing is true,

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today there isn't a single predator on the island

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so these bunnies live completely without fear

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and a lack of predators hasn't just made them bold.

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A female rabbit can produce a new litter every month.

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In theory, one female and her offspring

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could produce over 50,000 rabbits in just three years.

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-50,000?

-I know, isn't it amazing?

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It's terrifying!

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Oh, for goodness' sake, will you keep that creature under control!

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You can't just let her run riot all over the place.

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What are you on about, Tim?

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HE GASPS

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Naomi! Naomi!

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Those of you that haven't passed out are probably wondering,

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"Why are these rabbits chasing down the visitors?"

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Well, with so many rabbits on the island,

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edible vegetation can get pretty scarce.

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Luckily for the bunnies, part of the Rabbit Island experience

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is feeding these cuddly critters.

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So when the rabbits spot people, they know there's food to be had

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and they "hare" off in pursuit!

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SHE LAUGHS

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Oi, you! Wake up. You're missing my jokes.

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What follows is a very gentle fluffy mugging.

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HE LAUGHS

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-Naomi, Naomi?

-What?

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-Look!

-Oh!

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Look, Tim. There's nothing to worry about.

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The only come near you if you've food. Check your pockets.

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Ah...

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I might have something.

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-Why?

-Well you never know when you're going to need some spare cabbage.

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RABBITS: MMM...

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Oh, phew!

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Phew.

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You know, Naomi, when it comes to small, fluffy animals,

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there are loads that are better than rabbits.

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-For example?

-Rats.

-Ew! No.

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Rats are grosser.

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Oh, whatever, you're wronger. I mean, wrong.

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Rats just have a bad reputation.

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They're clean, they're clever, they fight cats...

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What, no? I think you're getting confused, Tim. Cats catch rats.

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Oh, do they? Have a look at this.

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# You better leave my kitten alone... #

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-What?

-I told you. Go on, get him!

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This behaviour defies all the rules of nature

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and it's not a one-off case.

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This is not a new species of uber-aggressive, biting rodent.

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These rats weren't born with a death wish. Oh, no.

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Scientists think that this bizarre behaviour

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might be brought about by a parasite.

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Ohh!

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Toxoplasma gondii to be precise.

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A tiny single-celled organism that lives in the rodent's brain.

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Here, it meddles with the neurons

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to render the rat completely fearless.

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But why would a parasite want to give a rat a death wish?

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-Well, this parasite doesn't care too much for rats.

-I know the feeling.

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Rats are purely a means to an end.

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You see, for the Toxoplasma, ultimate aim is to get into cats.

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I am well into cats.

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No, no, no. In to cats.

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What's unique about this parasite is that it can only reproduce

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inside the gut of a cat.

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What it needs to do, its life cycle, its evolutionary pressure,

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its need is to get from one cat to another cat.

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And the question is, how does a tiny parasite with no legs,

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no means of moving on its own,

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how does it get all the way from one cat to another cat?

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I don't know. How does a tiny parasite with no legs

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and no means of moving on its own get from one cat to another?

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-It's not a joke.

-Oh.

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-No, Toxoplasma makes rats its rodent slaves.

-Ew!

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Here's how it works.

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Toxoplasmosis offspring exit the cat in its poo.

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The rat or mouse then eats that poo.

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-Eurgh!

-I know, yeah!

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Once inside the rat,

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the parasite moves to the rodent's brain,

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lowering the rat's inhibitions,

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making it less cautious and more likely to get eaten.

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Et voila.

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The life cycle is complete.

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Look at that rat! How about that? He's chasing a cat.

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-Why are you talking in rhyme?

-I'm not. At least not a lot.

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Yes, you are. And it's gone too far.

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Oh, now I'm doing it too.

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-Oh, get you.

-Seriously. Let's stop now.

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-Yeah, OK.

-What have we learnt this week?

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-Oh, uh...pets are weird.

-Very good. Anything else?

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Yeah, you don't like light-hearted rhymes.

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-That's true.

-Yeah.

-What else?

-I can't think of anything else.

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Well I've learned the best way to get rid of you

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-if I want a bit of peace and quiet.

-Oh, go on.

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Here, bunny, bunny, bunny!

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HE GASPS

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# Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, rabbit... #

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See you next time!

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# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

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# Really, really wild and really, really weird

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# They're wild and weird, wild and weird

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

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# And weird! #

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Wild and weird!

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