Waste Not, Want Not Barney's Barrier Reef

Australia, home of strange lingo -

no worries, fair dinkum - sunshine, the the bonzer Barrier Reef.

It's the most spectacular coral reef in the world

and every creature is linked to another.

Imagine one huge family tree dating back 18 million years.

From the minuscule to the mammoth,

there are connected in Barney's Barrier Reef.

Ah, my friend, the gentle Gemma,

-fellow follower of nature and all its great joys.

-Are you OK?

Ah, I have never been better. Here, I've made you something.

-Oh, thank you.

-That is a deluxe apple core necklace.

I ate those for two weeks. I've gone green, Gem, eco-friendly.

And you are not allowed into my green zone

-unless you abide by the laws of the bountiful Barney.

-Which are?

No MP3 players.

Try this. You can make your own music.

# Oh-ah-ooh-ee-ah! #

Beautiful, beautiful, yes.

And are those plastic that you are wearing on your feet?

No, no, not allowed. Here, try these.

-OK, Barney.

-Bounteous Barney.

Bounteous Barney, don't you think you're going a little bit too far?

These are great for a desert island but can I run for a bus?

OK, OK, I guess you are right,

but I can't believe these Barrier Reef animals beat us to it again.

-What?

-They recycle everything.

Look how far these guys go with their recycling, nothing goes to waste.

Waste not, want not.

They're squelchy, they're slimy,

-but they are the super keen green machine, the sea cucumber.

-Ew!

I wish someone would recycle THEM!

Gemma! Sea cucumbers have feelings too, you know.

Believe it or not, without these cool cucumbers,

the ocean bed would harden and loads of species would not survive.

-So now you're claiming they're ocean heroes, too?

-Call me Cuke, C Cuke.

They are referred to as the earthworm of the sea.

They eat sand and anything that sticks to it

and they poo the bits they don't want.

Which is mostly sand.

Yes, but this is pretty clean poo.

The sand is cleaner as it comes out.

The constant digging breaks up the seabed,

keeping it well-aired and oxygenated.

It also stirs up the sand, allowing other animals to feed on any morsels

-that come to the surface.

-Oh, yeah.

Loads of animals rely on the sea cucumber to survive?

Exactly. Without the sea cucumber we'd have hard ocean beds.

In fact, just one sea cucumber alone

can nosh more than two tonnes of sand in one year.

Wow! That's like...

..500 bags of sugar!

-I know. That's what is known as remarkable recycling.

-Wow. Next.

The tiger shark, sleek, cool, streamlined, fierce,

and the ultimate ocean garbage man.

And the ultimate ocean hunter too.

For this greedy guts, the fun is is in the clearing up.

He'll eat anything.

Well, he's got the gnashers for it.

His teeth are specialised,

so he's the perfect candidate for ocean dustman.

They've found all sorts in his garbage guts,

licence plates, tyres, bottles, tin cans, tennis shoes,

-plastic bags, a human head.

-Are you serious?

-You name it, it's been found in a tiger shark's belly.

-What is that?

-A rotting, stinking turtle, to be precise.

-This is extreme, isn't it?

He could take his pick. Why choose rotting turtles and tin cans?

Why chase after live food when he's got a taste for waste?

He's the ultimate green machine.

-He doesn't let anything go to waste.

-Yummy!

Like the sand-chomping sea cucumber,

our tiger shark has a taste for other's waste.

APPLAUSE

OK, and up and down and up and down. Up and down.

-Up and down. Very good.

-What are you doing?

I'm conducting Christmas tree worms.

Silly. You go up, you go down. Up, down. Up, down. Up and down.

APPLAUSE Thank you.

I'm the silly one? Me? Right.

Why are they so shy?

They're just very sensitive to any movements or disturbances.

-A shadow makes them play peek-a-boo.

-Why come out

if they have a nice safe comfy hole to hide in?

They need to feed, so they catch food bits in their mucus-coated arms.

They certainly brighten up that piece of lumpy coral.

These mini feather dusters find a piece of damaged coral

-to settle down and make a home on.

-Why would they do that?

There's loads of healthy coral they could live on.

Living coral is already occupied,

so they find an empty spot to live in.

It's a typical reef waste-not-want-not set-up.

See these bigmouth parrot fish?

-Hello!

-Ah, yes, with their parrot-like gnashers?

Yeah. Well, they are coral destroyers.

They have a strange appetite. They eat corals.

They chomp and leave some of the coral a bit worse for wear.

It's perfect for the Christmas tree worm.

Give them a few centimetres and they will take it.

They settle in the chomped bit and the coral grows around them.

-It's Christmas tree-mendous.

-Ah, that was tree-ly terrible.

So was yours.

-Yeah.

-So, the tiger shark clears up unwanted rubbish

and the Christmas tree worm makes its home in unwanted space.

They are an unlikely connection,

but our waste disposal truck,

the tiger shark,

and the Christmas tree worm,

are linked because they both

make sure nothing is wasted.

Let's do the crab dance.

-OK.

-You ready?

-Yeah.

-Hands in the air.

-Like you have leg hair.

-Juggle and lift.

-For the water to shift.

-Scratch and lift.

-And wave to Dave.

Hands out, hands together.

Ooh, er, look at the weather.

No wonder MC Crabster is chilling on the anemone carpet,

all that leg and arm waving is exhausting.

These are called porcelain crabs.

They may look like they're dancing, but they're filtering the water,

taking all the debris out and noshing at the same time.

They must always be noshing, then. They are never still.

That's why they have mucus-coated hands.

They comb them through the water,

catching passing bits of food which they then scrape off

-and put into their mouth.

-Yummy.

Ah, a bit like having snot-covered net hands?

Kind of. And while he's running his very feelers through the water,

he's cleaning up waste particles

and helping to keep the water clean.

So, like the Christmas tree worms,

these feathery filterers

sort through the water

recycling anything they can eat

and, at the same time,

cleaning up waste.

So, who else is linked

to our wormy waste lovers?

Wow. Spooky.

Is it a shipwreck? I love those.

Yep, this one is called the Yongala Wreck.

It was a passenger and cargo ship

with 122 people on board that got lost in a cyclone in 1911,

but now it's a world-famous wreck site,

-which is home to loads of different animals.

-Wow!

You can see the portholes there.

-That's the stern and the rudder.

-Hey, I reckon that's the mast.

-And those must have been the cabins.

-And there's an electric fan!

And the toilets!

-It's like a whole new playground for creatures like our turtle.

-Yeah!

So the whole ship has been recycled into an ocean habitat.

These ocean lot are true recyclers.

Yep, it's home to all sorts of different animals.

There's a ray, swimming alongside a school of trevally.

Why do you reckon the fish like wrecks so much?

There's loads of real reefs for them.

A wreck provides a solid surface in which new species can attach,

like plankton, worms, bait fish and crabs.

This attracts bigger fish and before you know it,

you have one big shipwreck party.

So like our cute Christmas tree worm,

they make the most of empty space

-to create new communities.

-Yep!

A green star for our ocean gang.

It's time for a reef-cap.

That's very seasonal.

You know, just keeping with the green theme.

Those ocean recyclers are so cool, they're putting me to shame.

It suits you.

So how did we get from the sea cucumber to see wrecks?

Our sea cucumber is extremely green.

This is recycling gone mad.

He eats loads of sand and then poos it out and cleans it too.

What about the tiger shark?

-He'll nosh on literally anything, including human heads.

-Eugh!

And like our porcelain crab, wormy uses his feathery hands

to comb through the water for food, whilst helping to keep it clean.

And also connected to our Christmas tree worms

are our fun-loving wreck gang.

They don't let a sunken ship go to waste.

-Gemma to Barney, pick up the coconut phone! Over!

-I've got it.

So who's our next refuse lover? Over and out.

Don't look at me, I'm a hermit crab and I'm naked.

I need to get dressed.

I never get new outfits.

They're so last season. I always find a vintage shell lying around.

Why buy new when there's good second-hand shells available?

Ah! This will be a perfect fit.

Home, sweet home. Peace and quiet.

Just put the telly on.

Uh-oh. Not so peaceful.

He's being crab attacked.

-ELECTRONIC DISTORTION: One shell.

-Two crabs.

Who'll be the victor

and claim the end prize?

AMERICAN VOICE: Heroic hermit crab is hiding from this ferocious attack.

Great sand-throwing technique but is it working?

Heroic is staying put. He knows when to stay down to survive.

Having survived the sand attack, he's back on his feet.

He's a tough cookie.

He won't be giving that prize away easily.

And Combat Crab is going for the back attack.

Heroic is showing immense strength, carrying both him and Combat.

-That is quite amazing.

-And what a turn-up?

He's thrown him off with a spectacular move!

What strength, what agility!

Combat claims the grand prize of the white shell,

leaving our loser, Heroic, with a poor consolation prize.

Oh, dear, contender two really has got the booby prize

of a bit of abandoned pipe.

-He put up a brave fight, but he's not looking too comfortable.

-Ouch!

I think he's been driven round the U-bend!

Ha! That's hilarious!

-NORMAL VOICE: Is this starting to hurt your voice?

-Yes.

It just goes to show that hermit crabs are so keen

on re-using old shells, they'll do anything to claim their prize.

Although it's not ideal, they'll even make do with old bits of pipe.

Again, our waste is their gain.

First there was the shipwreck and now pipes making homes for crabs.

Just like our wreck-loving creatures,

someone else's trash is a hermit crab's home.

Does my hair look all right?

I'm itching to stick this bit of algae on.

-How do I look?

-A little too green, I'd say.

I just need a bit of this white stuff here.

A ball of random fluff here. Oh, I love dressing up.

Oh, baby!

I reckon these crabs have got

-a little carried away with the ocean dressing-up box.

-Hello!

These crabs are called decorator crabs and the name says it all.

They decorate themselves in bits and pieces of the reef for disguise.

Whether they prefer a pebble-dashed look...

the more traditional, leafy green attire...

-stone accessories...

-or purple hair,

whatever they pick allows them to go unnoticed by their enemies.

They're disguising themselves with outfits

that let them completely blend in.

-Watch it!

-Clever, eh?

I wish we could do that.

I think we'd look even weirder.

You're not wrong. And they're also recycling bits of the reef

-to use in their outlandish outfits.

-Looks like fun!

-Yeah!

But shouldn't they be scuttling on the shore, or leg dancing for food,

or searching for shells, like other crab recyclers?

Not all crabs are the same. They all have their own unique personality.

But they all have one thing in common.

Introducing...the Green Team!

Porcelain crab, the wrap-tastic water washer.

Hermit crab, fearless in pursuit of his recycling dreams.

And of course, the decorator crab, the arty one.

In his quest for the perfect outfit, he cleans up debris.

Wow, you're right! These crabs are all true recycling superheroes!

Although they have different tastes in outfits,

our hermit crab and decorator crabs

use any opportunity they can to recycle spare bits of the reef.

Uh-oh! Meet the frightening frigate birds, also known as pirate birds.

They take a rather unscrupulous approach to recycling.

In fact, they're rather scary.

-So I can see!

-Although they can't swim

or walk or take off from the water, they're amazing fliers.

They're what I like to call swooptastic.

And their wingspan is over two metres!

That's like one Barney and half a Gemma!

And they have a real taste for already recycled food.

Stand by - this is grossly grosstastic!

-Birds like these dozy boobies...

-Gulp! Hello.

..swallow any food they catch,

ready to regurgitate it later on for their chicks.

What? In other words, they spew it up for their babies?

That is like Mr Gross from Gross Road in Grossville!

You'd think the fact that the boobies have swallowed the grub

-would prevent anyone else from nicking the food.

-Yeah.

Not when it comes to these fearless and sneaky frigate birds.

When they spot a bird carrying food home to the nest,

they chase and harass it to make it spew up this already chomped food!

Even more gross! That's Mr Gross from Grossville on the Planet Gross!

Look, he's a true pilfering pirate!

-Oi! Frigate bully bird! Get off him!

-Hey!

They're also linked to the more heroic hermit crab,

because they both steal the hard work of other animals.

Except that the hermit crab recycles a spare and empty shell

while those pilferers steal needed food from baby chicks.

It's not quite the same thing.

So not all recyclers are heroes, it seems.

Let's hope our next contender is a keener greener.

Oh! It's an ocean snowstorm!

This is called coral spawning. The corals lay eggs into the water

for the eggs to be fertilised by other corals.

It's spawning time, it's spawning time.

They release thousands of eggs. They're not the only ocean spawners.

-Reef fish like these surgeonfish...

-We love you!

..and the colourful cuttlefish are also egg-laying.

Sorry, just distracted by those butterfly fish playing football.

-Or nose ball!

-On your 'ead, son!

-It's mine!

They're not playing nose ball, they're pinching a cuttlefish egg.

-Why?

-To eat it.

-No! The mummy cuttlefish is just there!

-That's not fair!

-You know how it is in the ocean.

Nothing bobs along unclaimed for very long and eggs are no different.

This cuttlefish egg will make a tasty snack,

and the butterfly fish aren't the only ones enjoying an egg feast.

The porcelain crab will nosh on coral eggs.

These snappers are having a bit of a feast on this surgeonfish spawn.

-Man! Poor mummy fish!

-Actually they don't mind too much.

The coral, fish and cuttlefish all lay hundreds or thousands of eggs,

some as many as a million.

That is a lot of lunchboxes to pack.

They know some will float away or get eaten,

so they lay loads and loads of eggs to make up for it.

So it's a bit of a bargain giveaway.

The fish allow for the fact that some will be eaten and lay extra.

Nothing in the ocean goes to waste

and fish allow for that even when they're spawning.

And just like the frigate birds,

these egg gobblers are pinching someone else's belongings.

OK. It's time for a reef-cap of our radical recyclers.

Empty shells are precious objects in the crab recycling world,

and I don't blame them.

Who wants a bit of pipe for a home?

Decorator crabs are constantly updating their homes,

but they're always sure to recycle in the process.

The frigate birds are SO not interested in conservation,

apart from their own, that is.

They only qualify as recyclers because they eat recycled food.

Gross! And the rest of the ocean community

don't mind nicking other fishes' eggs either.

At least the fish know the extra eggs mean they can't nick them all.

HE SINGS TUNELESSLY

# It's my life... #

-Good morning.

-Aw!

As we all know, the reef is a pretty and cheery place most of the time,

with fish going about their daily business.

But like all communities, it does have a dark side.

-Yikes! Where's the happiness gone?

-With the gnathiid isopods.

-HE SINGS DOOMY FANFARE The what?

-Gnathiid isopods,

otherwise known as deadly parasites.

They swarm around the coral looking for healthy fish blood.

Oh, that's gross! Where are they? I can't see any deadly things.

They're almost invisible,

but put a super microscope on them and they look something like this.

Ugh! They're like warriors!

What does happen when these isopody things find some healthy fish blood?

-They're doomed!

-Oh, no! But surely there must be someone who can help!

-Enter the superhero cleaner wrasse.

-Yay! ..What?

You mean this little fish?

This is no ordinary fish. They're the reef's courageous cleaners.

This is their superhero dance.

Their fishy friends are covered in parasites,

but soon, the cleaner fish will rid them of all evil.

Er...OK. So how do they do that?

They're not called cleaner wrasse for nothing.

-They nibble the nasty parasites from their fishy friends.

-Hang on!

No fish is going to clean other fish for nothing.

We all do things for money and food. What do the wrasse get out of it?

-A right old feast.

-What, they like eating parasites?

Yes. Why else would they munch on more than 1,000 isopods a day?

Wow! That is a healthy appetite.

Without the cleaner wrasse, there'd be a lot of poorly fish in the reef.

And like all those reef egg eaters,

wrasse survive by eating stuff from other animals.

But their fishy friends are very grateful to be nibbled on.

Talking of recycling body items,

be prepared for the strangest example of recycling you'll ever hear about.

Guaranteed. Meet the sea squirt.

-Yo, wassup?

-A squirt?

-They're tubular creatures

that hang out on the reef, pumping in water and bits of food.

What does it do, exactly?

Not much, to be honest. It just stays in one spot for its whole life.

-That's a lazy squirt.

-BARNEY SNORES

-Reminds me of someone.

SQUEAK!

Oi!

Well, actually, you're on to something there.

I am kind of related to him - but so are you.

What are you talking about?

This creature may look like the most basic of all creatures,

but according to evolution, there's a big family tree

that goes back millions of years,

-and on this tree, humans are related to the sea squirts.

-Huh?

As babies, they have a little spinal cord

which puts them in the same family tree as us,

but they eat it when they become adults.

What?! Hang on. I don't know which I find the strangest -

the fact that we're related or that they eat their spinal cord.

And their brain and their tail.

-Waste not, want not.

-Oh, man!

Now, that is extreme recycling!

But there's not much squirting going on. I want my money back.

Yet another yucky body part recycling connection -

the wrasse with their penchant for parasites

and the sea squirt who eat their own brain.

Pretty Polly, pretty Polly.

Polly wants a cracker.

The parrotfish -

by day, reef rock chompers,

-by night, serene snot sleepers.

-You know what time it is?

-No. What time is it?

-It's bedtime.

-Snot sleepers?

-Yes. See that cocoon surrounding him?

-That's his very own snot sleeping bag.

-It looks more like a cobweb.

No, it's snot, all right.

This is the parrotfish's bed for the night.

Once they've found a space to snuggle into,

they produce a mucus sleeping bag and kind of camp out for the night.

They get left alone by predators,

because their sleeping bag conceals their smell and tastes gross.

Well, it's a cool trick, but I think I'll stick to traditional methods.

But you haven't heard the best bit.

When they get up, they have to eat their way out.

Just like the squirtless sea squirt,

the sand-pooing, snot-sleeping-bag-eating parrotfish

eat their own body bits.

Why waste all that snot when you've spent all night sleeping in it?

I wasn't going to really.

That would be gross. Yeah, parrotfish are gross.

Hey, why did the puffer fish blush?

-Because the sea weed.

-Oh, you know it.

You are a true recycler, Barney, of exceptionally bad jokes.

They don't let anything go to waste in this ocean world.

Poo, snot, brains, tin cans, human heads - they re-use the lot.

First up, the sand-noshing sea cucumber.

They eat the sand that was formerly poo

-from the rock-chomping parrotfish.

-Now, that is recycling!

How about this ocean waste-disposal machine?

The tiger shark will eat anything that floats his way -

even rotten turtles.

-Eew!

-Double eew!

The cute and clean Christmas tree worm

filters the water and makes a home in damaged coral.

-Put your hands in the air.

-Like you have leg hair.

All together now for MC Crabster! He's not just dancing.

He also filters the water with his feathery feelers.

But for a true reef party atmosphere, head on down to the rocking wreck.

One man's waste is an ocean's playground.

Tell that to the hermit crab that ended up with a bit of corner pipe!

Hermit crabs will do anything for someone else's thrown-away shell.

Ooh, wanna swap?

The decorator crab - no fluff, coral or algae will go to waste

with this dreamy dresser.

But some recyclers take it too far, like the piratey frigate birds

nicking regurgitated food from the mouths of baby birds.

The ocean is full of food pinchers.

Loads of creatures wait for spawning time, knowing they'll get a free meal

with all those eggs floating around - but there are thousands of them.

And thousands of the deadliest, nastiest, evil parasites.

Luckily for the fish, the cleaner wrasse love to feast on fishy skin.

But the most extreme example of waste not, want not you'll ever find

is the not very interesting, apart from this fact, sea squirt.

They eat their own brains, and the spine and the tail...

when they've finished with it, of course.

At least the parrotfish knows he gets a good brekkie,

when he wakes up and eats his snot sleeping bag.

Gem, we're never going to be able to compete.

Not even snot or deadly parasites go to waste in that watery world.

Well, I'll stick to my apple necklace.

Now, did you get me earrings to match?

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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