Lunchtime Andy's Baby Animals

# Andy's baby animals

# If you're a polar bear and you're going somewhere

# Andy's baby animals

# Or an elephant calf then you'd better take care

# Andy's baby animals

# If you're a capuchin learning how to eat

# An ostrich chick trying to beat a retreat

# Andy's baby animals

# If you're a black bear looking for a tree to climb

# Andy's baby animals

# Or a penguin chasing Mum at breakfast time

# Andy's baby animals

# An orangutan trying to make a bed

# Or a meerkat struggling with a sleepy head

# Andy's baby animals Andy's baby animals

# We're growing stronger every day

# Watch and try and laugh and play

# Andy's baby animals

# Andy's baby animals. #

Here we go, Sam. That's it!

Hello, I'm Andy and this is Sam.

Sam is a baby elephant or calf.

Now, elephants like to eat a lot of food.

In fact, they can eat twice my body weight, which is loads!

In the wild, they'll eat leaves and plants and trees.

I'm feeding Sam here some bananas.

There we go, Sam.

All over the world,

wild baby animals are learning what to eat and how to eat it.

First stop, the Kalahari Desert in South Africa.

This meerkat pup is just two months old and she's about to have a very

big day.

She lives here in the desert with her family and friends in a big gang

called a mob.

They always make sure she has enough to eat,

but now it's time to start catching her own food.

A yummy meal for a meerkat is very different from the food you or I

like to eat.

First course - ants.

Be careful, little meerkat!

This dinner bites back.

Ooh! Ow! Ooh! Ooh!

Mm! Delicious! Oh!

For a meerkat, that is.

And if you thought that first course was strange,

just look at what's for the main course -

a scorpion!

Our mini meerkat will have to watch out for nasty nipping claws and

a painful stinging tail.

It might seem a bit dangerous to you and me,

but a scorpion's sting doesn't hurt too much if you're a meerkat.

Don't think the scorpion is very keen on being dinner, though.

Oh!

Yikes!

Argh! Ha!

Catching your own dinner isn't so easy after all.

At least, when you live in a big gang,

there's always someone close by to help keep an eye on you and

make sure you're doing it right.

There, she's done it.

Well done, you!

Well done!

Catching your own dinner is a big step on your journey to becoming

a grown-up meerkat.

Maybe next time you can show these pups how to catch a scorpion.

# Andy's baby animals Andy's baby animals. #

Now we're off to Finland.

Learning what's nice to eat and what's not is very important

for any baby animal.

And it's usually up to Mum to show her offspring The Good Food Guide,

like this Asiatic raccoon dog mum.

She's getting her family ready for a freezing Finnish winter.

Brr!

She's got a very big family waiting back at her den.

There's one, two, three...

Keep still! I'm counting.

One, two...

Oh! I give up.

It's definitely a lot of mouths for one mum to feed, though.

And the pups are going to need plenty of food before it gets cold,

because raccoon dogs sleep for the entire winter.

Sounds good to me! They're not being lazy, though.

It's called hibernation and it's a great way to hide from the chilly

winter weather. But you have to eat lots of food before you can stay in

bed for that long, so Mum's been giving them lots of milk.

You don't need to push! There's plenty for everyone.

And now it's time for Mum to go and find some new food whilst Dad

takes care of the pups.

It's not long before Mum's back with the first foodie feast.

Looks like it's eggs for breakfast, everyone!

Her pups have never seen an egg before.

It's not a football, lads! You're meant to eat it, not roll it.

Oh, there we go. It looks like he's worked it out.

Well done.

And here comes Mum again, this time with a meaty morsel.

Mum's doing a good job of teaching the pups what to eat.

Some of them have even started looking for food on their own.

That pine cone looks a bit chewy, though.

Maybe you should let Mum pick the lunch menu for now.

# Andy's baby animals Andy's baby animals. #

Our last stop is Costa Rica.

Sometimes, you need a bit of brainpower to get the meal

you really want.

Take these white-faced capuchin monkeys.

They've got a taste for seafood.

They see food and they eat it.

Ha!

No, I mean real seafood.

So when the tide goes out,

they head down to the beach to seek out some scrummy shellfish.

Fresh clams are a favourite

and there's plenty around.

But the clams are protected inside two very hard shells.

And they don't answer the door when a monkey comes calling.

So it's up to the clever capuchins to pick the lock.

First, a spot of hammering.

Then a bit of rolling.

Hammer...

..then roll.

Pay attention, youngsters! It'll be your turn soon.

After all that hammering and rolling,

the clam can't cling on any more and it starts to open up.

Let the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet begin!

Tasty!

Now it's time for the baby monkeys to have a go.

Now, remember, it's hammer...

..then roll.

That's right. You're getting it.

But just make sure that you don't drop it.

Never mind. It looks like your sister's got the hang of it.

Maybe she'll let you share.

Oh! Or maybe not.

Raccoon dog pups, baby capuchins and young meerkats

all have different ways of learning to eat.

It's one of many lessons all baby animals need.

That's it, Sam. See you next time.