Strange Dwellings

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0:00:02 > 0:00:04# Wormy fish-killers Convoys of caterpillars

0:00:04 > 0:00:06- # Super-clever, brainless slime... # - Ugh!

0:00:06 > 0:00:08# Bunny rabbit swarms, raging storms

0:00:08 > 0:00:10# And pigs that swim at dinner time

0:00:10 > 0:00:13# Tornadoes of fire Starfish going haywire

0:00:13 > 0:00:15- # Algae balls from space! # - What?!

0:00:15 > 0:00:17# Prairie dogs that chat Birds going splat

0:00:17 > 0:00:19# And fish slapping in your face

0:00:19 > 0:00:21# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

0:00:21 > 0:00:23# Really, really wild and really, really weird

0:00:23 > 0:00:25# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

0:00:25 > 0:00:27# They're really, really wild

0:00:27 > 0:00:29# They're really, really wild and weird... #

0:00:29 > 0:00:32On today's show, something fishy is lurking in the garden...

0:00:32 > 0:00:35- They bellow and bellow. - Awwwrk! Awwwrk! AWWWRK!

0:00:35 > 0:00:38..a land-loving animal terrorising people in the sea...

0:00:38 > 0:00:40Why are they in the water?

0:00:40 > 0:00:43..And the pearl fish that has a really bum deal on accommodation.

0:00:56 > 0:00:59Have you changed the place? It's a bit... Seems different.

0:00:59 > 0:01:02- Yeah, what do you think?- I like it. It's a bit eh...

0:01:02 > 0:01:03A BEAR GROWLS

0:01:03 > 0:01:06- Bear!- I was going for minimalist.

0:01:06 > 0:01:08- THE BEAR ROARS - No. No. B-B-B-Bear.

0:01:08 > 0:01:11No, Tim, the correct term, I think you'll find, is actually minimalist.

0:01:11 > 0:01:13No, no, no! B-B-B-Rrraww! Bear! Rwarrr! Bear!

0:01:13 > 0:01:15THE BEAR ROARS

0:01:15 > 0:01:17- Oh, all right, do you want to go somewhere different?- Yes!

0:01:17 > 0:01:19ZAP! Is that better?

0:01:19 > 0:01:22Aw, yeah, that's way better. Lovely and warm.

0:01:22 > 0:01:24So, how are you doing this anyway?

0:01:24 > 0:01:26- Oh, I had a new button installed on the remote.- Oh.

0:01:26 > 0:01:28Shows us what it would be like if we lived in different places.

0:01:28 > 0:01:30- Did you leave the hairdryer on?- No.

0:01:30 > 0:01:32- HE GASPS - Quick - press the button.

0:01:32 > 0:01:36- Press the button! Press the button! Press the button!- OK, calm down!

0:01:36 > 0:01:39- ZAP! Is that better?- Awww - oooh, no.

0:01:39 > 0:01:42- Oh, it's chilly.- Oh, honestly, there's no pleasing some people.

0:01:42 > 0:01:45You know, some animals don't have a choice where they live.

0:01:45 > 0:01:47They have to set up home in very peculiar places.

0:01:47 > 0:01:50- Look, I'll show you. - C-C-Can we go home? Please?

0:01:50 > 0:01:53- ZAP! - Aw! Yeah, that's better.

0:01:53 > 0:01:54ZAP!

0:01:55 > 0:01:58On the southern tip of Africa, there's been an invasion.

0:01:58 > 0:02:01These beach-side retreats are under attack by something

0:02:01 > 0:02:04particularly menacing.

0:02:04 > 0:02:09They are very tough, very aggressive, quite dangerous animals.

0:02:09 > 0:02:12The stench? Oh, it stinks like hell.

0:02:12 > 0:02:14Ho-ho-ho. She's a bit angry.

0:02:14 > 0:02:16- That's Barbara. She lives there.- Oh.

0:02:16 > 0:02:21And when the wind blows we get all this black rubbish into the house.

0:02:21 > 0:02:24They can inflict extremely nasty scratches with their claws.

0:02:24 > 0:02:27And the noise at night is unreal.

0:02:27 > 0:02:28Awwrk! Awwrk!

0:02:28 > 0:02:31They bellow and bellow and bellow and bellow and bellow.

0:02:31 > 0:02:33Awwrk! Awwwrk! AWWWRK!

0:02:33 > 0:02:36I didn't sleep from quarter to four the other morning.

0:02:36 > 0:02:39I don't think I would either if he was outside my window making

0:02:39 > 0:02:40all that racket.

0:02:40 > 0:02:43I'll have you know that's one of my best animal impressions.

0:02:43 > 0:02:48- What? You... What? (Who's that?) - (Oh, that?)- (Yeah.)

0:02:48 > 0:02:52- (Professor Peter Barham. He's the expert in this story.)- Oh! Right!

0:02:52 > 0:02:56- Aw, would you do the, em... The, you know, the...- Yeah, OK.- Go on.

0:02:56 > 0:02:59Huah! Huah! Huah! HAUH!

0:02:59 > 0:03:01That is brilliant...

0:03:01 > 0:03:03What is it?

0:03:03 > 0:03:08- That's a lovely waistcoat. Oh - penguins!- African penguins.

0:03:08 > 0:03:10Ohhh, right.

0:03:10 > 0:03:12Naomi, would you explain, please?

0:03:14 > 0:03:18The culprits in question are, as Peter said, African, or

0:03:18 > 0:03:22jackass penguins, so-called because of their donkey-like bray.

0:03:22 > 0:03:23Hard not to love them.

0:03:23 > 0:03:27Unless of course you live in Betty's Bay. Isn't that right, Barbara?

0:03:27 > 0:03:29Look what they've done to the bush, here,

0:03:29 > 0:03:30they've killed all the garden!

0:03:30 > 0:03:34- Can you kill a garden? - Barbara seems to think so.

0:03:34 > 0:03:38- So, why are the penguins making homes in gardens, anyway?- Uh...

0:03:38 > 0:03:39- Let's ask the- Prof. Oh, yeah.

0:03:40 > 0:03:43Eh... OK... Thanks. Yeah.

0:03:44 > 0:03:46Well...

0:03:46 > 0:03:47ZAP!

0:03:47 > 0:03:51The real problem with Betty's Bay is that it's the only growing

0:03:51 > 0:03:55colony of African penguins, and there's no space.

0:03:55 > 0:03:58These animals arrived in Betty's Bay...1982, the first time.

0:03:58 > 0:04:01They've increased in numbers ever since and started to invade

0:04:01 > 0:04:04the areas where people live as well.

0:04:04 > 0:04:08- He's very good at this. - Did it all in one take, you know.

0:04:08 > 0:04:11'The penguins of course moved to where they could get more space.'

0:04:11 > 0:04:14As soon as the density goes up, they seem to want to move away.

0:04:14 > 0:04:18So, as the gardens move further away, they'll move to those gardens.

0:04:18 > 0:04:22- There's SO many of them.- Shhh! We're about to talk about breeding.- Sorry.

0:04:24 > 0:04:28Penguins breed the best in a really nice, dry burrow.

0:04:28 > 0:04:31Well, there are no dry, nice burrows, but a little shed is great.

0:04:31 > 0:04:34A building is great. Anything which has got a good roof on it - that's

0:04:34 > 0:04:36where they're going to nest.

0:04:36 > 0:04:40Finding the perfect habitat is key to their breeding success.

0:04:40 > 0:04:43And what these guys are looking for is enough room to breed and

0:04:43 > 0:04:46nest far away from the rest of the colony.

0:04:46 > 0:04:49It's THAT that's brought them into conflict with the locals.

0:04:52 > 0:04:54As the penguin colony grew in numbers,

0:04:54 > 0:04:57there were so many birds starting to breed in people's gardens...

0:04:57 > 0:05:02People found that they were too noisy, too smelly, um...

0:05:02 > 0:05:05The guano was killing off their plants.

0:05:05 > 0:05:10- Guano?- Ah, guano. Fancy name for sea bird poo.

0:05:10 > 0:05:11Ewww. Wish I hadn't asked.

0:05:11 > 0:05:13People just, for some reason,

0:05:13 > 0:05:16didn't like having penguins in their garden. It wasn't romantic.

0:05:16 > 0:05:20All things said, this population of penguins are thriving.

0:05:20 > 0:05:22And it's all thanks to people like Barbara.

0:05:22 > 0:05:25Well, their gardens, at least.

0:05:28 > 0:05:31- Thanks, Peter. Bye!- Bye!- Yeah, see you, mate. Thanks.- Bye!- Aw.

0:05:31 > 0:05:33What a nice man.

0:05:33 > 0:05:34WHIRRR!

0:05:34 > 0:05:37- Careful of the rope ladder!- Arrggh!

0:05:37 > 0:05:38CRASH! SPLASH! ROAR!

0:05:38 > 0:05:40THUMP!

0:05:40 > 0:05:42Owwww! I-I'm all right!

0:05:42 > 0:05:44- We have got to get that fixed.- Yeah.

0:05:48 > 0:05:50You know, penguins aren't the only critters to make their

0:05:50 > 0:05:53- home sweet home in unexpected places.- Oh.

0:05:53 > 0:05:57In fact, this encounter in the Caribbean caused quite a fright.

0:05:57 > 0:05:59ZAP!

0:05:59 > 0:06:03The Caribbean. With its perfect beaches and idyllic waters,

0:06:03 > 0:06:07the islands of the Bahamas are a dream destination.

0:06:08 > 0:06:11But something rather unusual is taking to the water.

0:06:14 > 0:06:17SCARY MUSIC PLAYS

0:06:21 > 0:06:25All of a sudden, these things were beginning to swim towards the boat.

0:06:25 > 0:06:26- ON WALKIE-TALKIE:- Which way are they?

0:06:26 > 0:06:30And I don't know what they are. Why are they in the water?

0:06:30 > 0:06:31Oh, my God!

0:06:31 > 0:06:34Hey guys, help us out, we're swimming.

0:06:34 > 0:06:37I was trying to swim around them quickly and they were

0:06:37 > 0:06:40- faster than me.- Can you see them?

0:06:40 > 0:06:43They were shooting every direction, these legs.

0:06:43 > 0:06:45SCREAMS AND GASPS

0:06:45 > 0:06:48- But they were swimming fast.- Whoa!

0:06:48 > 0:06:54It was one of the most unusual things I've seen in my entire life.

0:06:54 > 0:06:56- ZAP! - Whoa - what was that?

0:06:56 > 0:06:59Well, Mike and his friends were on a shark spotting trip.

0:06:59 > 0:07:02- So, sharks, then?- What, with legs?

0:07:02 > 0:07:04Er... Uh, maybe not. So, what was it?

0:07:04 > 0:07:07- ZAP! - Oh, my God!

0:07:07 > 0:07:12Mike realised that, gliding through the waves towards him were...

0:07:12 > 0:07:13swimming pigs.

0:07:14 > 0:07:15SQUEAL!

0:07:15 > 0:07:17Ha-ha...no.

0:07:22 > 0:07:24The world's a crazy place.

0:07:24 > 0:07:27You took the words right out of my mouth, Mike.

0:07:27 > 0:07:31- I didn't know pigs could swim.- Again - what he said.

0:07:31 > 0:07:34- So, can they?- Here...

0:07:34 > 0:07:35- Play this.- OK.

0:07:37 > 0:07:40- What would you like?- Erm... Anything in the key of C.- OK.

0:07:40 > 0:07:43- Just get this thing going. You ready?- Yeah.

0:07:43 > 0:07:46HE PLAYS A COMPLEX TUNE Three, two, one...

0:07:46 > 0:07:49Paddling pigs have been known for some time.

0:07:49 > 0:07:50And they're actually pretty good at it,

0:07:50 > 0:07:54as this footage of the late, great Ralph The Swimming Pig shows.

0:07:54 > 0:07:57In his heyday in 1970s Texas,

0:07:57 > 0:08:03he would enthral up to 350,000 visitors at Aquarena Springs.

0:08:03 > 0:08:05And pigs were one of the few animals that don't have

0:08:05 > 0:08:07functional sweat glands.

0:08:07 > 0:08:11So to cool themselves down, they need to wallow in mud or water.

0:08:11 > 0:08:14So it makes sense for them to know how to swim.

0:08:15 > 0:08:16HE PLAYS A FINAL CHORD

0:08:16 > 0:08:20- Well, hang on, hang on - you said this was in the Caribbean.- Yup.

0:08:20 > 0:08:23The Caribbean famous for its deserted islands and distinct

0:08:23 > 0:08:25- lack of pigs.- Mh-hmm.

0:08:25 > 0:08:28- So how did these porcine paddlers, then, end up in paradise?- Ah...

0:08:28 > 0:08:30ZAP!

0:08:32 > 0:08:36The theories about how they got here have become local legends.

0:08:36 > 0:08:40One theory suggests they could have swum from another inhabited island.

0:08:40 > 0:08:42Or, that these Caribbean pigs are descendents of

0:08:42 > 0:08:44a few that were once shipwrecked.

0:08:45 > 0:08:49No-one knows exactly what happened, but stranded on a Caribbean

0:08:49 > 0:08:53island, they've learned a new way to get a free and nutritious meal.

0:08:53 > 0:08:57Rather than spend hours digging and searching for food,

0:08:57 > 0:09:01they've realised they can get hand-outs from passing boats.

0:09:01 > 0:09:04There was lettuce heads, French fries... Just food scraps.

0:09:04 > 0:09:07Mmm...

0:09:07 > 0:09:09- If I was a pig...- If?

0:09:09 > 0:09:12..I'd probably do the same, because this is a good combo.

0:09:12 > 0:09:15It really is! And, I tell you what - Mike would do the same.

0:09:15 > 0:09:18MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH

0:09:18 > 0:09:21If I was a pig, and I was stranded on a desert island, and I saw a

0:09:21 > 0:09:25boat, I don't know if I'd have the brains to just jump in the water,

0:09:25 > 0:09:29dodge the sharks, the stingrays...all of those things,

0:09:29 > 0:09:33to go out and see if I could get lunch.

0:09:33 > 0:09:36Or maybe not.

0:09:36 > 0:09:40And it just goes to show - animals really do turn up in the most

0:09:40 > 0:09:41unlikely places.

0:09:41 > 0:09:44- ZAP! - Give me that. Was that you?

0:09:44 > 0:09:46ZAP!

0:09:46 > 0:09:47I knew it!

0:09:47 > 0:09:51Just a spot of filming for Naomi's Nightmares Of Nature.

0:09:51 > 0:09:53How did...

0:09:53 > 0:09:55Shameless plug.

0:09:59 > 0:10:03Right, moving on. We've had swimming pigs, penguins in a garden...

0:10:03 > 0:10:05But when it comes to strange dwellings,

0:10:05 > 0:10:09this next creature trumps them both.

0:10:09 > 0:10:13The Great Barrier Reef. Thousands of species live here,

0:10:13 > 0:10:15and space is tight.

0:10:15 > 0:10:18It can make finding a home pretty tricky.

0:10:18 > 0:10:20Even out on the quieter reef-edge,

0:10:20 > 0:10:24the exposed sea-bed offers few hiding places.

0:10:24 > 0:10:26If you're neither strong nor well-armed,

0:10:26 > 0:10:28like this tiny pearl fish,

0:10:28 > 0:10:31you'll need to get creative when it comes to looking for shelter.

0:10:31 > 0:10:36Perhaps set your sights slightly stranger...

0:10:36 > 0:10:38Is that a sea cucumber?

0:10:38 > 0:10:41Yup. Not the most glamorous sea creature you'll ever meet,

0:10:41 > 0:10:45but it does have the solution to the pearl fishes' accommodation problem.

0:10:45 > 0:10:47- ZAP! - Slightly scared to ask.

0:10:47 > 0:10:50Slightly scared to tell you, so, I won't.

0:10:50 > 0:10:53I'll let marine biologist Helen Scales set the scene instead.

0:10:53 > 0:10:54ZAP!

0:10:54 > 0:10:56Pearl fish, they're little fish,

0:10:56 > 0:10:58they're quite vulnerable

0:10:58 > 0:11:02simply because coral reefs are full of hungry predators.

0:11:02 > 0:11:05You mostly would only see them out and about at night-time,

0:11:05 > 0:11:07where they go out hunting for plankton, the little creatures

0:11:07 > 0:11:10that live in the water column. And then during the day,

0:11:10 > 0:11:12they need to find somewhere to hide.

0:11:12 > 0:11:16OK, but where does the sea cucumber come in, then, Helen?

0:11:16 > 0:11:19So, sea cucumbers have, basically, a hole at the front end

0:11:19 > 0:11:20and the back end.

0:11:20 > 0:11:23The front end is where the food goes in,

0:11:23 > 0:11:25and all sorts of things happen at that back end.

0:11:25 > 0:11:29Um, it where they breathe, it's where they will excrete the sand

0:11:29 > 0:11:33that they've been eating, any other digestive material will come out.

0:11:33 > 0:11:37So, it's a kind of, one-hole-does-many-things.

0:11:37 > 0:11:41And therein lies the clue, because the pearl fish makes its cosy

0:11:41 > 0:11:44home inside the sea cucumber's bottom.

0:11:44 > 0:11:46POP!

0:11:46 > 0:11:51Oooh! Oooh, no! No! Aww, no!

0:11:51 > 0:11:53It has to be one of nature's weirdest living arrangements.

0:11:53 > 0:11:55WHOOSH - POP!

0:11:55 > 0:11:58- Ohhh! Are you having a laugh? - No - for real.

0:11:58 > 0:12:00And there's no better place?

0:12:00 > 0:12:02- Nope.- Seems like a BUM deal to me.

0:12:02 > 0:12:07- Oh!- Uh-oh!- Ew!- Ew!- Ewww!

0:12:07 > 0:12:12MUSIC: I Can't Tell the Bottom From The Top by Kevin Rowland

0:12:14 > 0:12:18Well, if you can imagine those sandy areas next to a coral reef,

0:12:18 > 0:12:20there's really nowhere to hide. There's just flat sand.

0:12:20 > 0:12:24There aren't many rocks or any other holes or crevices to hide in.

0:12:24 > 0:12:26But there are sea cucumbers.

0:12:26 > 0:12:29However, whilst the pearl fish may have set its sights on

0:12:29 > 0:12:33a potential home, entry isn't always guaranteed.

0:12:33 > 0:12:37If a sea cucumber does have an idea that maybe there's

0:12:37 > 0:12:40a pearl fish around, it might close up its bottom,

0:12:40 > 0:12:43and so for a little while it won't be...open for guests.

0:12:45 > 0:12:49- Dare I ask, how does it gain entry to its bottom-y abode?- Well...

0:12:49 > 0:12:51ZAP!

0:12:51 > 0:12:55By sticking the tip of its tail into the sea cucumber's rear end,

0:12:55 > 0:12:59the pearl fish cuts off its oxygen supply, knowing that the

0:12:59 > 0:13:03sea cucumber will have to open up to breathe eventually.

0:13:03 > 0:13:05And when it does, it's home sweet home.

0:13:07 > 0:13:11Pearl fish really are the worst tenants.

0:13:11 > 0:13:14Well, there's just no accounting for some behaviour.

0:13:16 > 0:13:17PARP!

0:13:17 > 0:13:20Oh!

0:13:20 > 0:13:24- Sorry.- As I was saying... - Sorry.- Oh!- Let me make it up to you.

0:13:24 > 0:13:26- Cup of tea and a biscuit. - Go on, then.

0:13:26 > 0:13:29- ZAP! BOTH:- Whoa!

0:13:29 > 0:13:34- It's all right, just press the button again.- Oh!- Well done.

0:13:34 > 0:13:37- BOTH:- It's your fault. It's not mine!

0:13:38 > 0:13:42Don't worry, guys, I'll sort this out.

0:13:42 > 0:13:43Go on, then.

0:13:43 > 0:13:48MUSIC: Upside Down by Jack Johnson

0:13:48 > 0:13:51# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

0:13:51 > 0:13:52# Really really wild And really really weird

0:13:52 > 0:13:55# They're wild and weird Wild and weird

0:13:55 > 0:13:57# They're really really wild And really really

0:13:57 > 0:14:01# Wild and weird

0:14:02 > 0:14:05# Wild and weird! #