0:00:02 > 0:00:04Australia, home of strange lingo -
0:00:04 > 0:00:08no worries, fair dinkum - sunshine, the the bonzer Barrier Reef.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12It's the most spectacular coral reef in the world
0:00:12 > 0:00:14and every creature is linked to another.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Imagine one huge family tree dating back 18 million years.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21From the minuscule to the mammoth,
0:00:21 > 0:00:24there are connected in Barney's Barrier Reef.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Ah, my friend, the gentle Gemma,
0:00:56 > 0:01:01- fellow follower of nature and all its great joys.- Are you OK?
0:01:01 > 0:01:07Ah, I have never been better. Here, I've made you something.
0:01:09 > 0:01:13- Oh, thank you. - That is a deluxe apple core necklace.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17I ate those for two weeks. I've gone green, Gem, eco-friendly.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20And you are not allowed into my green zone
0:01:20 > 0:01:25- unless you abide by the laws of the bountiful Barney.- Which are?
0:01:25 > 0:01:26No MP3 players.
0:01:26 > 0:01:31Try this. You can make your own music.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36# Oh-ah-ooh-ee-ah! #
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Beautiful, beautiful, yes.
0:01:38 > 0:01:43And are those plastic that you are wearing on your feet?
0:01:43 > 0:01:46No, no, not allowed. Here, try these.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50- OK, Barney.- Bounteous Barney.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54Bounteous Barney, don't you think you're going a little bit too far?
0:01:57 > 0:02:01These are great for a desert island but can I run for a bus?
0:02:01 > 0:02:03OK, OK, I guess you are right,
0:02:03 > 0:02:09but I can't believe these Barrier Reef animals beat us to it again.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11- What?- They recycle everything.
0:02:11 > 0:02:17Look how far these guys go with their recycling, nothing goes to waste.
0:02:17 > 0:02:18Waste not, want not.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30They're squelchy, they're slimy,
0:02:30 > 0:02:35- but they are the super keen green machine, the sea cucumber.- Ew!
0:02:35 > 0:02:38I wish someone would recycle THEM!
0:02:38 > 0:02:42Gemma! Sea cucumbers have feelings too, you know.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47Believe it or not, without these cool cucumbers,
0:02:47 > 0:02:51the ocean bed would harden and loads of species would not survive.
0:02:51 > 0:02:58- So now you're claiming they're ocean heroes, too?- Call me Cuke, C Cuke.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04They are referred to as the earthworm of the sea.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07They eat sand and anything that sticks to it
0:03:07 > 0:03:10and they poo the bits they don't want.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Which is mostly sand.
0:03:13 > 0:03:15Yes, but this is pretty clean poo.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18The sand is cleaner as it comes out.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21The constant digging breaks up the seabed,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24keeping it well-aired and oxygenated.
0:03:24 > 0:03:29It also stirs up the sand, allowing other animals to feed on any morsels
0:03:29 > 0:03:32- that come to the surface.- Oh, yeah.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Loads of animals rely on the sea cucumber to survive?
0:03:36 > 0:03:41Exactly. Without the sea cucumber we'd have hard ocean beds.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43In fact, just one sea cucumber alone
0:03:43 > 0:03:47can nosh more than two tonnes of sand in one year.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Wow! That's like...
0:03:54 > 0:03:57..500 bags of sugar!
0:03:57 > 0:04:01- I know. That's what is known as remarkable recycling.- Wow. Next.
0:04:08 > 0:04:12The tiger shark, sleek, cool, streamlined, fierce,
0:04:12 > 0:04:15and the ultimate ocean garbage man.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17And the ultimate ocean hunter too.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21For this greedy guts, the fun is is in the clearing up.
0:04:21 > 0:04:22He'll eat anything.
0:04:22 > 0:04:25Well, he's got the gnashers for it.
0:04:25 > 0:04:27His teeth are specialised,
0:04:27 > 0:04:31so he's the perfect candidate for ocean dustman.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34They've found all sorts in his garbage guts,
0:04:34 > 0:04:39licence plates, tyres, bottles, tin cans, tennis shoes,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- plastic bags, a human head. - Are you serious?
0:04:42 > 0:04:48- You name it, it's been found in a tiger shark's belly.- What is that?
0:04:48 > 0:04:53- A rotting, stinking turtle, to be precise.- This is extreme, isn't it?
0:04:53 > 0:04:58He could take his pick. Why choose rotting turtles and tin cans?
0:04:58 > 0:05:02Why chase after live food when he's got a taste for waste?
0:05:02 > 0:05:05He's the ultimate green machine.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- He doesn't let anything go to waste.- Yummy!
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Like the sand-chomping sea cucumber,
0:05:11 > 0:05:14our tiger shark has a taste for other's waste.
0:05:17 > 0:05:18APPLAUSE
0:05:18 > 0:05:25OK, and up and down and up and down. Up and down.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33- Up and down. Very good. - What are you doing?
0:05:33 > 0:05:36I'm conducting Christmas tree worms.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41Silly. You go up, you go down. Up, down. Up, down. Up and down.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44APPLAUSE Thank you.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48I'm the silly one? Me? Right.
0:05:49 > 0:05:50Why are they so shy?
0:05:50 > 0:05:55They're just very sensitive to any movements or disturbances.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- A shadow makes them play peek-a-boo. - Why come out
0:05:58 > 0:06:01if they have a nice safe comfy hole to hide in?
0:06:01 > 0:06:06They need to feed, so they catch food bits in their mucus-coated arms.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09They certainly brighten up that piece of lumpy coral.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13These mini feather dusters find a piece of damaged coral
0:06:13 > 0:06:16- to settle down and make a home on. - Why would they do that?
0:06:16 > 0:06:19There's loads of healthy coral they could live on.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Living coral is already occupied,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24so they find an empty spot to live in.
0:06:24 > 0:06:26It's a typical reef waste-not-want-not set-up.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29See these bigmouth parrot fish?
0:06:29 > 0:06:32- Hello!- Ah, yes, with their parrot-like gnashers?
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Yeah. Well, they are coral destroyers.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39They have a strange appetite. They eat corals.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42They chomp and leave some of the coral a bit worse for wear.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44It's perfect for the Christmas tree worm.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Give them a few centimetres and they will take it.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50They settle in the chomped bit and the coral grows around them.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- It's Christmas tree-mendous. - Ah, that was tree-ly terrible.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56So was yours.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01- Yeah.- So, the tiger shark clears up unwanted rubbish
0:07:01 > 0:07:05and the Christmas tree worm makes its home in unwanted space.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07They are an unlikely connection,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09but our waste disposal truck,
0:07:09 > 0:07:10the tiger shark,
0:07:10 > 0:07:12and the Christmas tree worm,
0:07:12 > 0:07:13are linked because they both
0:07:13 > 0:07:15make sure nothing is wasted.
0:07:18 > 0:07:19Let's do the crab dance.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21- OK.- You ready?- Yeah.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26- Hands in the air. - Like you have leg hair.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30- Juggle and lift. - For the water to shift.
0:07:30 > 0:07:34- Scratch and lift.- And wave to Dave.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Hands out, hands together.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42Ooh, er, look at the weather.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52No wonder MC Crabster is chilling on the anemone carpet,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55all that leg and arm waving is exhausting.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57These are called porcelain crabs.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01They may look like they're dancing, but they're filtering the water,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04taking all the debris out and noshing at the same time.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08They must always be noshing, then. They are never still.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11That's why they have mucus-coated hands.
0:08:11 > 0:08:12They comb them through the water,
0:08:12 > 0:08:16catching passing bits of food which they then scrape off
0:08:16 > 0:08:18- and put into their mouth.- Yummy.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Ah, a bit like having snot-covered net hands?
0:08:21 > 0:08:24Kind of. And while he's running his very feelers through the water,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26he's cleaning up waste particles
0:08:26 > 0:08:28and helping to keep the water clean.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30So, like the Christmas tree worms,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32these feathery filterers
0:08:32 > 0:08:33sort through the water
0:08:33 > 0:08:35recycling anything they can eat
0:08:35 > 0:08:37and, at the same time,
0:08:37 > 0:08:38cleaning up waste.
0:08:38 > 0:08:39So, who else is linked
0:08:39 > 0:08:41to our wormy waste lovers?
0:08:44 > 0:08:46Wow. Spooky.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48Is it a shipwreck? I love those.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Yep, this one is called the Yongala Wreck.
0:08:51 > 0:08:53It was a passenger and cargo ship
0:08:53 > 0:08:58with 122 people on board that got lost in a cyclone in 1911,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00but now it's a world-famous wreck site,
0:09:00 > 0:09:03- which is home to loads of different animals.- Wow!
0:09:03 > 0:09:04You can see the portholes there.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09- That's the stern and the rudder. - Hey, I reckon that's the mast.
0:09:09 > 0:09:14- And those must have been the cabins. - And there's an electric fan!
0:09:14 > 0:09:15And the toilets!
0:09:15 > 0:09:20- It's like a whole new playground for creatures like our turtle.- Yeah!
0:09:20 > 0:09:24So the whole ship has been recycled into an ocean habitat.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26These ocean lot are true recyclers.
0:09:26 > 0:09:29Yep, it's home to all sorts of different animals.
0:09:29 > 0:09:32There's a ray, swimming alongside a school of trevally.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Why do you reckon the fish like wrecks so much?
0:09:35 > 0:09:37There's loads of real reefs for them.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41A wreck provides a solid surface in which new species can attach,
0:09:41 > 0:09:46like plankton, worms, bait fish and crabs.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49This attracts bigger fish and before you know it,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51you have one big shipwreck party.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00So like our cute Christmas tree worm,
0:10:00 > 0:10:02they make the most of empty space
0:10:02 > 0:10:05- to create new communities.- Yep!
0:10:05 > 0:10:07A green star for our ocean gang.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11It's time for a reef-cap.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13That's very seasonal.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19You know, just keeping with the green theme.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Those ocean recyclers are so cool, they're putting me to shame.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24It suits you.
0:10:26 > 0:10:32So how did we get from the sea cucumber to see wrecks?
0:10:32 > 0:10:34Our sea cucumber is extremely green.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36This is recycling gone mad.
0:10:36 > 0:10:41He eats loads of sand and then poos it out and cleans it too.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43What about the tiger shark?
0:10:43 > 0:10:49- He'll nosh on literally anything, including human heads.- Eugh!
0:10:49 > 0:10:53And like our porcelain crab, wormy uses his feathery hands
0:10:53 > 0:10:57to comb through the water for food, whilst helping to keep it clean.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00And also connected to our Christmas tree worms
0:11:00 > 0:11:02are our fun-loving wreck gang.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04They don't let a sunken ship go to waste.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08- Gemma to Barney, pick up the coconut phone! Over!- I've got it.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12So who's our next refuse lover? Over and out.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Don't look at me, I'm a hermit crab and I'm naked.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23I need to get dressed.
0:11:23 > 0:11:24I never get new outfits.
0:11:24 > 0:11:29They're so last season. I always find a vintage shell lying around.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Why buy new when there's good second-hand shells available?
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Ah! This will be a perfect fit.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Home, sweet home. Peace and quiet.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Just put the telly on.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Uh-oh. Not so peaceful.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45He's being crab attacked.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49- ELECTRONIC DISTORTION: One shell.- Two crabs.
0:11:49 > 0:11:51Who'll be the victor
0:11:51 > 0:11:53and claim the end prize?
0:11:58 > 0:12:02AMERICAN VOICE: Heroic hermit crab is hiding from this ferocious attack.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05Great sand-throwing technique but is it working?
0:12:05 > 0:12:09Heroic is staying put. He knows when to stay down to survive.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Having survived the sand attack, he's back on his feet.
0:12:15 > 0:12:17He's a tough cookie.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20He won't be giving that prize away easily.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26And Combat Crab is going for the back attack.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31Heroic is showing immense strength, carrying both him and Combat.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34- That is quite amazing. - And what a turn-up?
0:12:34 > 0:12:37He's thrown him off with a spectacular move!
0:12:37 > 0:12:41What strength, what agility!
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Combat claims the grand prize of the white shell,
0:12:45 > 0:12:50leaving our loser, Heroic, with a poor consolation prize.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55Oh, dear, contender two really has got the booby prize
0:12:55 > 0:12:58of a bit of abandoned pipe.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02- He put up a brave fight, but he's not looking too comfortable.- Ouch!
0:13:02 > 0:13:05I think he's been driven round the U-bend!
0:13:05 > 0:13:07Ha! That's hilarious!
0:13:07 > 0:13:11- NORMAL VOICE: Is this starting to hurt your voice?- Yes.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14It just goes to show that hermit crabs are so keen
0:13:14 > 0:13:18on re-using old shells, they'll do anything to claim their prize.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Although it's not ideal, they'll even make do with old bits of pipe.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Again, our waste is their gain.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29First there was the shipwreck and now pipes making homes for crabs.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31Just like our wreck-loving creatures,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34someone else's trash is a hermit crab's home.
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Does my hair look all right?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44I'm itching to stick this bit of algae on.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48- How do I look? - A little too green, I'd say.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51I just need a bit of this white stuff here.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56A ball of random fluff here. Oh, I love dressing up.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Oh, baby!
0:14:00 > 0:14:02I reckon these crabs have got
0:14:02 > 0:14:07- a little carried away with the ocean dressing-up box.- Hello!
0:14:07 > 0:14:11These crabs are called decorator crabs and the name says it all.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15They decorate themselves in bits and pieces of the reef for disguise.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18Whether they prefer a pebble-dashed look...
0:14:18 > 0:14:20the more traditional, leafy green attire...
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- stone accessories... - or purple hair,
0:14:22 > 0:14:27whatever they pick allows them to go unnoticed by their enemies.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31They're disguising themselves with outfits
0:14:31 > 0:14:33that let them completely blend in.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35- Watch it!- Clever, eh?
0:14:35 > 0:14:37I wish we could do that.
0:14:37 > 0:14:39I think we'd look even weirder.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43You're not wrong. And they're also recycling bits of the reef
0:14:43 > 0:14:48- to use in their outlandish outfits. - Looks like fun!- Yeah!
0:14:48 > 0:14:52But shouldn't they be scuttling on the shore, or leg dancing for food,
0:14:52 > 0:14:55or searching for shells, like other crab recyclers?
0:14:55 > 0:15:00Not all crabs are the same. They all have their own unique personality.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03But they all have one thing in common.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06Introducing...the Green Team!
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Porcelain crab, the wrap-tastic water washer.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13Hermit crab, fearless in pursuit of his recycling dreams.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17And of course, the decorator crab, the arty one.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20In his quest for the perfect outfit, he cleans up debris.
0:15:25 > 0:15:31Wow, you're right! These crabs are all true recycling superheroes!
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Although they have different tastes in outfits,
0:15:34 > 0:15:36our hermit crab and decorator crabs
0:15:36 > 0:15:40use any opportunity they can to recycle spare bits of the reef.
0:15:42 > 0:15:49Uh-oh! Meet the frightening frigate birds, also known as pirate birds.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53They take a rather unscrupulous approach to recycling.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55In fact, they're rather scary.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- So I can see! - Although they can't swim
0:15:58 > 0:16:02or walk or take off from the water, they're amazing fliers.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05They're what I like to call swooptastic.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08And their wingspan is over two metres!
0:16:08 > 0:16:11That's like one Barney and half a Gemma!
0:16:11 > 0:16:16And they have a real taste for already recycled food.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19Stand by - this is grossly grosstastic!
0:16:21 > 0:16:25- Birds like these dozy boobies... - Gulp! Hello.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27..swallow any food they catch,
0:16:27 > 0:16:32ready to regurgitate it later on for their chicks.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35What? In other words, they spew it up for their babies?
0:16:35 > 0:16:39That is like Mr Gross from Gross Road in Grossville!
0:16:39 > 0:16:44You'd think the fact that the boobies have swallowed the grub
0:16:44 > 0:16:47- would prevent anyone else from nicking the food.- Yeah.
0:16:47 > 0:16:52Not when it comes to these fearless and sneaky frigate birds.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55When they spot a bird carrying food home to the nest,
0:16:55 > 0:16:59they chase and harass it to make it spew up this already chomped food!
0:16:59 > 0:17:04Even more gross! That's Mr Gross from Grossville on the Planet Gross!
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Look, he's a true pilfering pirate!
0:17:07 > 0:17:11- Oi! Frigate bully bird! Get off him!- Hey!
0:17:11 > 0:17:15They're also linked to the more heroic hermit crab,
0:17:15 > 0:17:18because they both steal the hard work of other animals.
0:17:18 > 0:17:22Except that the hermit crab recycles a spare and empty shell
0:17:22 > 0:17:25while those pilferers steal needed food from baby chicks.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28It's not quite the same thing.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31So not all recyclers are heroes, it seems.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34Let's hope our next contender is a keener greener.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Oh! It's an ocean snowstorm!
0:17:40 > 0:17:44This is called coral spawning. The corals lay eggs into the water
0:17:44 > 0:17:47for the eggs to be fertilised by other corals.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51It's spawning time, it's spawning time.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54They release thousands of eggs. They're not the only ocean spawners.
0:17:54 > 0:17:59- Reef fish like these surgeonfish... - We love you!
0:17:59 > 0:18:01..and the colourful cuttlefish are also egg-laying.
0:18:01 > 0:18:06Sorry, just distracted by those butterfly fish playing football.
0:18:06 > 0:18:11- Or nose ball!- On your 'ead, son! - It's mine!
0:18:11 > 0:18:15They're not playing nose ball, they're pinching a cuttlefish egg.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19- Why?- To eat it.- No! The mummy cuttlefish is just there!
0:18:19 > 0:18:22- That's not fair! - You know how it is in the ocean.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27Nothing bobs along unclaimed for very long and eggs are no different.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30This cuttlefish egg will make a tasty snack,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and the butterfly fish aren't the only ones enjoying an egg feast.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36The porcelain crab will nosh on coral eggs.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40These snappers are having a bit of a feast on this surgeonfish spawn.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44- Man! Poor mummy fish! - Actually they don't mind too much.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49The coral, fish and cuttlefish all lay hundreds or thousands of eggs,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51some as many as a million.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54That is a lot of lunchboxes to pack.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56They know some will float away or get eaten,
0:18:56 > 0:18:59so they lay loads and loads of eggs to make up for it.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02So it's a bit of a bargain giveaway.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06The fish allow for the fact that some will be eaten and lay extra.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Nothing in the ocean goes to waste
0:19:09 > 0:19:13and fish allow for that even when they're spawning.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15And just like the frigate birds,
0:19:15 > 0:19:19these egg gobblers are pinching someone else's belongings.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24OK. It's time for a reef-cap of our radical recyclers.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31Empty shells are precious objects in the crab recycling world,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33and I don't blame them.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Who wants a bit of pipe for a home?
0:19:35 > 0:19:38Decorator crabs are constantly updating their homes,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41but they're always sure to recycle in the process.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44The frigate birds are SO not interested in conservation,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46apart from their own, that is.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50They only qualify as recyclers because they eat recycled food.
0:19:50 > 0:19:52Gross! And the rest of the ocean community
0:19:52 > 0:19:55don't mind nicking other fishes' eggs either.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59At least the fish know the extra eggs mean they can't nick them all.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02HE SINGS TUNELESSLY
0:20:02 > 0:20:04# It's my life... #
0:20:07 > 0:20:10- Good morning.- Aw!
0:20:10 > 0:20:14As we all know, the reef is a pretty and cheery place most of the time,
0:20:14 > 0:20:16with fish going about their daily business.
0:20:16 > 0:20:22But like all communities, it does have a dark side.
0:20:24 > 0:20:29- Yikes! Where's the happiness gone? - With the gnathiid isopods.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33- HE SINGS DOOMY FANFARE The what?- Gnathiid isopods,
0:20:33 > 0:20:36otherwise known as deadly parasites.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42They swarm around the coral looking for healthy fish blood.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Oh, that's gross! Where are they? I can't see any deadly things.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48They're almost invisible,
0:20:48 > 0:20:52but put a super microscope on them and they look something like this.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56Ugh! They're like warriors!
0:20:56 > 0:21:02What does happen when these isopody things find some healthy fish blood?
0:21:02 > 0:21:07- They're doomed!- Oh, no! But surely there must be someone who can help!
0:21:09 > 0:21:12- Enter the superhero cleaner wrasse. - Yay! ..What?
0:21:12 > 0:21:15You mean this little fish?
0:21:15 > 0:21:20This is no ordinary fish. They're the reef's courageous cleaners.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23This is their superhero dance.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25Their fishy friends are covered in parasites,
0:21:25 > 0:21:29but soon, the cleaner fish will rid them of all evil.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Er...OK. So how do they do that?
0:21:32 > 0:21:34They're not called cleaner wrasse for nothing.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39- They nibble the nasty parasites from their fishy friends.- Hang on!
0:21:41 > 0:21:44No fish is going to clean other fish for nothing.
0:21:44 > 0:21:48We all do things for money and food. What do the wrasse get out of it?
0:21:48 > 0:21:52- A right old feast.- What, they like eating parasites?
0:21:52 > 0:21:57Yes. Why else would they munch on more than 1,000 isopods a day?
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Wow! That is a healthy appetite.
0:21:59 > 0:22:05Without the cleaner wrasse, there'd be a lot of poorly fish in the reef.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07And like all those reef egg eaters,
0:22:07 > 0:22:11wrasse survive by eating stuff from other animals.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15But their fishy friends are very grateful to be nibbled on.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21Talking of recycling body items,
0:22:21 > 0:22:26be prepared for the strangest example of recycling you'll ever hear about.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Guaranteed. Meet the sea squirt.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32- Yo, wassup?- A squirt? - They're tubular creatures
0:22:32 > 0:22:36that hang out on the reef, pumping in water and bits of food.
0:22:36 > 0:22:38What does it do, exactly?
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Not much, to be honest. It just stays in one spot for its whole life.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50- That's a lazy squirt. - BARNEY SNORES - Reminds me of someone.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53SQUEAK!
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Oi!
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Well, actually, you're on to something there.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02I am kind of related to him - but so are you.
0:23:02 > 0:23:04What are you talking about?
0:23:04 > 0:23:08This creature may look like the most basic of all creatures,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11but according to evolution, there's a big family tree
0:23:11 > 0:23:13that goes back millions of years,
0:23:13 > 0:23:17- and on this tree, humans are related to the sea squirts.- Huh?
0:23:17 > 0:23:19As babies, they have a little spinal cord
0:23:19 > 0:23:22which puts them in the same family tree as us,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24but they eat it when they become adults.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28What?! Hang on. I don't know which I find the strangest -
0:23:28 > 0:23:33the fact that we're related or that they eat their spinal cord.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35And their brain and their tail.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38- Waste not, want not.- Oh, man!
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Now, that is extreme recycling!
0:23:40 > 0:23:44But there's not much squirting going on. I want my money back.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Yet another yucky body part recycling connection -
0:23:49 > 0:23:51the wrasse with their penchant for parasites
0:23:51 > 0:23:54and the sea squirt who eat their own brain.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Pretty Polly, pretty Polly.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02Polly wants a cracker.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04The parrotfish -
0:24:04 > 0:24:07by day, reef rock chompers,
0:24:07 > 0:24:13- by night, serene snot sleepers. - You know what time it is?
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- No. What time is it?- It's bedtime.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25- Snot sleepers?- Yes. See that cocoon surrounding him?
0:24:25 > 0:24:30- That's his very own snot sleeping bag.- It looks more like a cobweb.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32No, it's snot, all right.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35This is the parrotfish's bed for the night.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Once they've found a space to snuggle into,
0:24:38 > 0:24:43they produce a mucus sleeping bag and kind of camp out for the night.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47They get left alone by predators,
0:24:47 > 0:24:51because their sleeping bag conceals their smell and tastes gross.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56Well, it's a cool trick, but I think I'll stick to traditional methods.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00But you haven't heard the best bit.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04When they get up, they have to eat their way out.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Just like the squirtless sea squirt,
0:25:07 > 0:25:10the sand-pooing, snot-sleeping-bag-eating parrotfish
0:25:10 > 0:25:11eat their own body bits.
0:25:11 > 0:25:15Why waste all that snot when you've spent all night sleeping in it?
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I wasn't going to really.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21That would be gross. Yeah, parrotfish are gross.
0:25:25 > 0:25:27Hey, why did the puffer fish blush?
0:25:27 > 0:25:31- Because the sea weed. - Oh, you know it.
0:25:31 > 0:25:35You are a true recycler, Barney, of exceptionally bad jokes.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41They don't let anything go to waste in this ocean world.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45Poo, snot, brains, tin cans, human heads - they re-use the lot.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48First up, the sand-noshing sea cucumber.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51They eat the sand that was formerly poo
0:25:51 > 0:25:55- from the rock-chomping parrotfish. - Now, that is recycling!
0:25:55 > 0:25:58How about this ocean waste-disposal machine?
0:25:58 > 0:26:01The tiger shark will eat anything that floats his way -
0:26:01 > 0:26:03even rotten turtles.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05- Eew!- Double eew!
0:26:05 > 0:26:08The cute and clean Christmas tree worm
0:26:08 > 0:26:10filters the water and makes a home in damaged coral.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14- Put your hands in the air. - Like you have leg hair.
0:26:14 > 0:26:18All together now for MC Crabster! He's not just dancing.
0:26:18 > 0:26:22He also filters the water with his feathery feelers.
0:26:22 > 0:26:26But for a true reef party atmosphere, head on down to the rocking wreck.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28One man's waste is an ocean's playground.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32Tell that to the hermit crab that ended up with a bit of corner pipe!
0:26:32 > 0:26:36Hermit crabs will do anything for someone else's thrown-away shell.
0:26:36 > 0:26:37Ooh, wanna swap?
0:26:40 > 0:26:44The decorator crab - no fluff, coral or algae will go to waste
0:26:44 > 0:26:46with this dreamy dresser.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51But some recyclers take it too far, like the piratey frigate birds
0:26:51 > 0:26:55nicking regurgitated food from the mouths of baby birds.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57The ocean is full of food pinchers.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01Loads of creatures wait for spawning time, knowing they'll get a free meal
0:27:01 > 0:27:05with all those eggs floating around - but there are thousands of them.
0:27:05 > 0:27:09And thousands of the deadliest, nastiest, evil parasites.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13Luckily for the fish, the cleaner wrasse love to feast on fishy skin.
0:27:13 > 0:27:17But the most extreme example of waste not, want not you'll ever find
0:27:17 > 0:27:21is the not very interesting, apart from this fact, sea squirt.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25They eat their own brains, and the spine and the tail...
0:27:25 > 0:27:27when they've finished with it, of course.
0:27:27 > 0:27:30At least the parrotfish knows he gets a good brekkie,
0:27:30 > 0:27:33when he wakes up and eats his snot sleeping bag.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36Gem, we're never going to be able to compete.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41Not even snot or deadly parasites go to waste in that watery world.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Well, I'll stick to my apple necklace.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46Now, did you get me earrings to match?
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:27:51 > 0:27:54E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk