0:00:09 > 0:00:12APPLAUSE
0:00:17 > 0:00:20Hello, I'm Kate Humble and this is Curious Creatures,
0:00:20 > 0:00:24a brand-new quiz about all things zoological.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26And perhaps a few things zoo illogical, as well.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29LAUGHTER Sharing their natural history nous
0:00:29 > 0:00:32with us today are two expert teams.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Joining wildlife colossus Chris Packham
0:00:34 > 0:00:38is conservationist and primate expert Christy Harrison.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40APPLAUSE
0:00:42 > 0:00:46And teaming up with writer and sloth fanatic Lucy Cooke
0:00:46 > 0:00:49is everyone's favourite vet, presenter Steve Leonard.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52- APPLAUSE - Me?- Yeah!- Who knew?
0:00:53 > 0:00:55We start as we mean to go on,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58with some tantalising teasers from the animal kingdom
0:00:58 > 0:00:59in our first round,
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Yay or Neigh?
0:01:04 > 0:01:09So I am going to read each of you a statement about an animal
0:01:09 > 0:01:10and it may be true...
0:01:10 > 0:01:12ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
0:01:12 > 0:01:15That's a yay. Or it may be false...
0:01:15 > 0:01:16HORSE WHINNIES
0:01:16 > 0:01:18That is a neigh.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22All you have to decide is whether indeed it is fact or fabrication.
0:01:22 > 0:01:25So Chris, let's start with you.
0:01:25 > 0:01:30A dolphin does not have a navel.
0:01:30 > 0:01:32Well, they're born pretty much like a human.
0:01:32 > 0:01:34Do you think they have innies and outies?
0:01:34 > 0:01:35- LAUGHTER - They have a what?
0:01:35 > 0:01:36Do they have innies and outies?
0:01:36 > 0:01:38Innies and outies, what's that?
0:01:38 > 0:01:40LAUGHTER
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Innie or an outie.
0:01:42 > 0:01:43- What's that?- I think we should...
0:01:43 > 0:01:46- Yeah, here we go.- Come on. Everyone, get it out. Let's see.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48We all want to know whether Chris has got an innie or an outie.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50This is the first biological question you've not known.
0:01:50 > 0:01:54All I've got is noise going on, you know...just a noise.
0:01:54 > 0:01:55What are you talking about?
0:01:55 > 0:01:58Your belly button, does it stick in or does it stick out?
0:01:58 > 0:02:01It sticks in! Well, who has a belly button that sticks out?
0:02:01 > 0:02:03- Some people, perhaps you can... - What's the point of that?
0:02:03 > 0:02:05LAUGHTER OK, well, so...
0:02:05 > 0:02:08Do you want to take over, he's obviously all flustered?
0:02:08 > 0:02:11- That was my fault.- What you are you going to do, yay or neigh?
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Well, I imagine they would have a navel, don't you?
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Yeah, so if we're agreeing with the statement...
0:02:15 > 0:02:17They're born like humans, they have a placenta...
0:02:17 > 0:02:21- Yeah.- You know, surely some semblance of a scar would be there
0:02:21 > 0:02:24and I presume it would be an "innie."
0:02:24 > 0:02:26LAUGHTER
0:02:26 > 0:02:28A dolphin doesn't want anything outie,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30it would ruin the streamlined nature of the animal.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Very good point. Very good point.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34- I think they have a navel. - OK, they have a navel,
0:02:34 > 0:02:36- so we're saying it's a neigh. - HORSE WHINNIES
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Thank goodness we're there. And thank goodness you're right,
0:02:39 > 0:02:41otherwise we'd have to go on for even longer.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43APPLAUSE
0:02:43 > 0:02:48And just to prove it, we have a close-up of a navel.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50There it is. I would say that's an innie.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52- Innie.- It's an innie.- Would you say that's an innie?
0:02:52 > 0:02:53- Dolphins have innies.- OK,
0:02:53 > 0:02:57we are going to award you the first part of your curious creature.
0:02:57 > 0:02:58It better not be a navel!
0:03:00 > 0:03:04- Oh, look at that! - That is absolutely splendid.
0:03:04 > 0:03:05- Goodness me.- We shall wait till later to find out
0:03:05 > 0:03:08- what you think it is. Lucy.- Yes.
0:03:08 > 0:03:15Your statement is - a scorpion can regrow its tail,
0:03:15 > 0:03:16yay or neigh?
0:03:16 > 0:03:22Ooh. Now, some animals do have the fantastic ability
0:03:22 > 0:03:23to regrow their tails.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25- Famously...- Yes. - ..of course, geckos.
0:03:25 > 0:03:30- Yeah.- As a defence, if they're caught by a predator,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33an animal bites them on the tail, they're able to lose their tail,
0:03:33 > 0:03:35which then, I saw just the other day, actually, a lizard's tail,
0:03:35 > 0:03:37and they wiggle like a little worm in the ground
0:03:37 > 0:03:39- as a total distraction.- Mm.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The animal forgets that it's chasing the lizard and the lizard escapes.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44- Yep.- A scorpion, on the other hand, though...
0:03:44 > 0:03:46I think it's probably going to be neigh.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48It's too complicated an organ, I think.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And I think that once gone, they wouldn't have time.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54They need it for protection, so if it's gone,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57I'm afraid they're probably going to starve to death before they can fend
0:03:57 > 0:04:00for themselves might anyway. So I don't think they'd have had time,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03evolutionarily, to develop that as a strategy.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06- Wow!- That's my theory and I'm ready to be wrong.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07You've got some experience...
0:04:07 > 0:04:09- Yes.- ..in picking up scorpions by their tails...
0:04:09 > 0:04:11- Yep.- ..and one has never fallen off on your hands.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14- Have I seen one with two? No.- Yeah. - It's never come off in my hand, no.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16- So I think...- I think... I think...
0:04:16 > 0:04:17I'm confident, I'm with you, as well.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22OK, so let's hear it, a scorpion can regrow its tail, yay or neigh?
0:04:22 > 0:04:23- Neigh. - HORSE WHINNIES
0:04:23 > 0:04:24And you're right.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26- Yay! - APPLAUSE
0:04:28 > 0:04:29Now, you mentioned, Steve,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33that they probably wouldn't be able to survive for very long without
0:04:33 > 0:04:36their tail. Any guesses as to how long they can survive?
0:04:36 > 0:04:39I guess a week.
0:04:39 > 0:04:40Actually eight months.
0:04:40 > 0:04:41- Yeah.- Eight months?- Eight months
0:04:41 > 0:04:44and the reason for that is it gives it time to find a mate and
0:04:44 > 0:04:47- reproduce and then it can just get on with the job of dying.- Ah.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49- Nobody'll want it without a tail. - Ah, you never know, someone might
0:04:49 > 0:04:52- feel sorry for it.- You've got to have a sympathetic female... I know, yeah.
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Anyway, congratulations, you were absolutely right, so you get
0:04:55 > 0:05:00- your first part of today's curious creature.- Right.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Oh.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- There we go.- Aw, bless.
0:05:05 > 0:05:10Christy, I put it to you that leafcutter ants use the leaves
0:05:10 > 0:05:12to farm fungus.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15That definitely feels like it's ringing a bell.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17And I do remember seeing...
0:05:17 > 0:05:19It's amazing just watching them go along together, all in a line,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and it's just such a beautiful thing to watch.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24And it's... What's the difference in the weight that they're carrying
0:05:24 > 0:05:26compared to themselves? Chris, you might know.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29It's like a lass carrying a double-decker bus or something,
0:05:29 > 0:05:30- isn't it?- Yeah, exactly.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32They can actually carry 50 times their body weight.
0:05:32 > 0:05:35And obviously they're doing that for, you know, very good reason.
0:05:35 > 0:05:37They're not doing it for no reason at all.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39So if they were farming fungus, what would they be doing
0:05:39 > 0:05:41- with it, do you think? - Chris, help me out, I can't...
0:05:41 > 0:05:43They'd be eating it.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45They'd be farming to eat the fungus?
0:05:45 > 0:05:48Yeah, yeah, they're extraordinary creatures.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51They make their nests deep underground so they don't dehydrate
0:05:51 > 0:05:53and so they'll go down, like,
0:05:53 > 0:05:57ten metres to a chamber where they store the leaves and grow fungus on
0:05:57 > 0:06:00- them.- All of which indicates that you would say that this statement
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- might be true. Is that right, Christy? - Oh, yes. We're going for a yay.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05ELEPHANT TRUMPETS You'd be right.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08APPLAUSE
0:06:09 > 0:06:14And you said that it is absolutely enchanting to watch leafcutter ants
0:06:14 > 0:06:19and we've got a lovely bit of film that shows you just how remarkable
0:06:19 > 0:06:22they can be. So fabulous.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26There they are. So, very well done.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29You earn another part of your curious creature.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33Wow.
0:06:33 > 0:06:34Now, then. Mr Leonard.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- Hello. - My statement to you is reindeer's
0:06:38 > 0:06:41eyes change colour in the winter.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44I would find that very hard to believe, to be honest.
0:06:44 > 0:06:47Your eyes protect themselves through pupil size, basically,
0:06:47 > 0:06:50so they have irises that will just clamp down.
0:06:50 > 0:06:51Take a look at your cat at night.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54They've got whopping great big eyes and then obviously during the day
0:06:54 > 0:06:57they can go down to tiny, tiny slits.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00So I think in terms of camouflage, obviously,
0:07:00 > 0:07:02their eyes are a tiny part of their body.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03So in terms of, you know...
0:07:03 > 0:07:05Lots of animals do, especially in the Arctic,
0:07:05 > 0:07:07change colour to try and mask themselves.
0:07:07 > 0:07:10You know, the Arctic fox, those sorts of things.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12So I think in terms of camouflage,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16it's not really going to give them much in the way of benefit either,
0:07:16 > 0:07:18so I'm going to say neigh.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20HORSE WHINNIES
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Big mistake.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23It is a yay.
0:07:23 > 0:07:24Is it, really?
0:07:24 > 0:07:29It is. Reindeer are the only mammals whose eyes are known
0:07:29 > 0:07:32to change colour depending on the season.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33- Wow!- Oh!
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Their eyes are gold during the summer, when the reindeer experience
0:07:36 > 0:07:39almost constant sunlight, but in the darkness of winter,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43their retinas become less reflective and their eyes turn deep blue,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47which results in far less light being reflected
0:07:47 > 0:07:48back out of their eyes.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51Bad luck to Steve and Lucy.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55You don't get another part of your curious creature, but for now,
0:07:55 > 0:07:59we move on to round two, which today is What on Earth?
0:08:04 > 0:08:08So I have one clip for each team and we're going to start with you,
0:08:08 > 0:08:09Chris and Christy.
0:08:09 > 0:08:16Have a look at this and tell me what on earth this orangutan does when it
0:08:16 > 0:08:17starts raining.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22- Oh, can I start now?- No! - LAUGHTER
0:08:22 > 0:08:25- Hold yourself in.- Now, Christy, you like an orangutan, don't you?
0:08:25 > 0:08:27I love orangutans.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30What is it about an orangutan that you find so compelling?
0:08:30 > 0:08:33Well, I spent a long time out in Borneo,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36which is where I saw my first orangutan doing this,
0:08:36 > 0:08:37which is an orangutan called Siswi.
0:08:37 > 0:08:41It started drizzling and then, as always happens in these places,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43it was just a pure thunderstorm of water everywhere.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45I was completely drenched.
0:08:45 > 0:08:46I looked over to Siswi,
0:08:46 > 0:08:50who was just very carefully taking some leaves and placing them on her
0:08:50 > 0:08:53head and basically made herself a little bonnet.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57So she had a little hat to protect herself from the rain,
0:08:57 > 0:09:00which other apes haven't managed to do.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02Chimpanzees don't do it, gorillas don't do it,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06so it's something that the Bornean orangutan,
0:09:06 > 0:09:07and the Sumatran as well,
0:09:07 > 0:09:09that they have learnt how to build this little hat for themselves
0:09:09 > 0:09:12and keep nice, non-frizzy hair.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Do you think Christy's right?
0:09:14 > 0:09:15Let's have a look.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Genius.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22So this isn't, I would say, a little bonnet.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25- That's a bit more bonnet-like. - OK. Well...I think obviously...
0:09:25 > 0:09:27- It's the same...- Look at this!
0:09:27 > 0:09:29LAUGHTER Well, that's a tent.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31That's a festival poncho going on there.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I think, you know, it's the same.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37They've got different personalities, some are cleverer than others.
0:09:37 > 0:09:41Have you seen orangutans use leaves for anything else?
0:09:41 > 0:09:43If they're climbing up a prickly tree,
0:09:43 > 0:09:46where there's lots of thorns on it, they'll actually use it to help,
0:09:46 > 0:09:49almost like little gloves, to stop them from getting prickled.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- Yeah.- They've also spotted a couple of young ones where they actually
0:09:53 > 0:09:56twist it and hold it as if it's their own baby.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59They use them for cups, as well, don't they? They make receptacles
0:09:59 > 0:10:02for drinking out of, cos obviously their hands are long and thin,
0:10:02 > 0:10:05so they've worked out that they can actually hold more water in them,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08- as well.- Yeah, I mean it's amazing when you spend so much time watching
0:10:08 > 0:10:11them and you see all these kind of different tool-use these things that
0:10:11 > 0:10:14they're doing. There's also an orangutan who took a stick and just
0:10:14 > 0:10:17poked it in to see how deep the water was
0:10:17 > 0:10:19and she then proceeded to steal a canoe.
0:10:19 > 0:10:21- LAUGHTER - And used, because her hands
0:10:21 > 0:10:24are so big, just used her hands as a paddle
0:10:24 > 0:10:27and off she went. Siswi, as well,
0:10:27 > 0:10:31because they have this ability to obviously learn, to watch and learn,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34and they'd seen some of the people who work there that were washing
0:10:34 > 0:10:37clothes down by the river
0:10:37 > 0:10:40and so she went down and started washing clothes by herself.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Well done, and you have won another part of your curious creature,
0:10:43 > 0:10:44congratulations.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46APPLAUSE
0:10:48 > 0:10:50Now, Lucy and Steve.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54What on earth made this structure?
0:10:54 > 0:10:57I think I know what this is. Do you know this?
0:10:57 > 0:10:58I think I do, yeah.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00And is it, erm...
0:11:00 > 0:11:03- Is it a bower, is it? - I think it must be, yeah.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05It's one of those fabulous birds, isn't it?
0:11:05 > 0:11:07There's no sense of scale there, so that's...
0:11:07 > 0:11:10You know, whenever you just see trees and twigs and stuff like that
0:11:10 > 0:11:12and it's really getting a sense of how big this structure is.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14It's probably about, sort of, yay big, is it?
0:11:14 > 0:11:16That sort of thing. And it's obviously decorated
0:11:16 > 0:11:18- meticulously... - Yeah.- ..with...you know,
0:11:18 > 0:11:20and it's decoration that's the key point here.
0:11:20 > 0:11:22That's what I think gives it away.
0:11:22 > 0:11:25- I think...- What is it about the decoration that tells you it's a
0:11:25 > 0:11:27- bower?- I think the structure by itself...
0:11:27 > 0:11:30- Yeah.- ..could be any number of animals could've created that.
0:11:30 > 0:11:35- It is, yeah, yeah.- But the male bowerbird attracts the female by
0:11:35 > 0:11:37creating a bower out of sticks
0:11:37 > 0:11:41- and then choosing brightly coloured things to decorate it.- Yeah.
0:11:41 > 0:11:43Very beautifully.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46They are absolutely extraordinary. And sometimes...
0:11:46 > 0:11:49I mean, in this case, it looks like flowers, doesn't it?
0:11:49 > 0:11:50Yeah, there's definitely petals in there.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54But they'll use beetle casings and things like that.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56And they're very, very meticulous.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00It's very similar to a human who's just about to sell a house.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03- LAUGHTER - It's the same level of meticulous
0:12:03 > 0:12:06detail and it's all about bringing in the females.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08It's all about, "Look what I can do," you know,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11"I have a degree in interior decoration
0:12:11 > 0:12:13"and I can look after you."
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Well, let's see if you're right.
0:12:15 > 0:12:20We've got some film of the critter that made this wonderful shelter.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23- Let's have a look. - It's a hedgehog, isn't it?
0:12:23 > 0:12:24- There it is.- Oh, there you go.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27Mr Bowerbird's quite dull-looking, you see,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30so he has to make a really fancy looking shelter in order to attract
0:12:30 > 0:12:33- the ladies.- That's it. That area in front is called the gesso.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- Is that what he calls it?- No, that's what we call it, the gesso.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40Yeah. Some of them will place larger objects
0:12:40 > 0:12:45further away and the smaller objects closer to the entrance of the bower,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48and the trick there is to lure of the female into the bower,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52where again there was a target area marked by pebbles or whatever
0:12:52 > 0:12:54they put in there, and then he stands outside
0:12:54 > 0:12:56and throws objects across,
0:12:56 > 0:13:00and because of the forced perspective generated by the size of
0:13:00 > 0:13:01the objects on the gesso,
0:13:01 > 0:13:06he can increase the fascination that the female feels in the bower.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09And if he does that by only one or two seconds,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12it massively increases his chance of copulating with her.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13If only all men made such an effort.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Well, congratulations, Steve and Lucy, you were absolutely right,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20and you win another part of your curious creature.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22APPLAUSE
0:13:22 > 0:13:25- Ooh.- Ooh, I know what that is.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Now, it's time to play our regular mystery animal round,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Is it Bigger than a Chicken?
0:13:34 > 0:13:38Yes, we're going to be looking in some depth at a particularly
0:13:38 > 0:13:40interesting animal, but first of all
0:13:40 > 0:13:43our teams have to work out what it is.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46They will take turns to ask me questions to which I must be able
0:13:46 > 0:13:49to answer only yes or no.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53Each time they get a yes, a small part of the animal is revealed,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56and at that point, you can guess what the animal is,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00but if you get it wrong, you will be out of the round.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03And there is just one other rule.
0:14:03 > 0:14:08The first question that is asked must be, audience...
0:14:08 > 0:14:10- AUDIENCE:- Is it bigger than a chicken?
0:14:10 > 0:14:16Excellent. So we are going to start with Christy, I think.
0:14:16 > 0:14:17What would you like to ask me?
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Is it bigger than a chicken?
0:14:19 > 0:14:20What an excellent start.
0:14:20 > 0:14:24- I thought so.- And I can tell you that it absolutely is,
0:14:24 > 0:14:29so here is your first clue of the animal jigsaw.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31Any thoughts looking at that?
0:14:31 > 0:14:34That skin texture is a little bit diagnostic.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36You might have seen one of these, where you've been.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Yeah, no, that's exactly what I was thinking.
0:14:38 > 0:14:39I'm just going to go for it.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41- If you go for it... - Go for it, Christy!
0:14:41 > 0:14:44- I'm going for a Komodo dragon.- Can you possibly be right with just one
0:14:44 > 0:14:47- tiny clue? Let's have a look. - I feel it.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
0:14:50 > 0:14:51- APPLAUSE - Yes!- Yay!
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- I really wanted to say that. - Well done. Well done.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59Right, come on,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I know you're bursting to tell me all about Komodo dragons.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05Come on then, Christy. What do you know about them?
0:15:05 > 0:15:07So they live on Komodo island, which is in Indonesia.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08There's a lot. Obviously,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12they're called dragons because they are absolutely massive.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14They actually have toxic bites,
0:15:14 > 0:15:19so I've seen some really sad footage where they'll follow their prey and
0:15:19 > 0:15:22they're all just slowly nipping away at their ankles and biting it.
0:15:22 > 0:15:23And it takes quite a long time,
0:15:23 > 0:15:26so it can be days before they can bring down a
0:15:26 > 0:15:29large prey that's slowly being...
0:15:29 > 0:15:33We have got some footage of a Komodo dragon perhaps sniffing around a
0:15:33 > 0:15:35potential meal. Have a look at this.
0:15:35 > 0:15:37Oh, it's so horrid.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42God, it's a totally incredible creature.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44- They are amazing, aren't they? - Yeah, aren't they? So prehistoric.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48- So prehistoric. - As it emerges out of the mist.
0:15:48 > 0:15:52- Very many congratulations.- Thank you very much.- It was a punt worth
0:15:52 > 0:15:55taking and you get an extra part of your curious creature.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57Let's have a look at it.
0:15:57 > 0:15:58There it is.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02Now, Lucy and Steve,
0:16:02 > 0:16:05you do have a chance to win a part of a curious creature yourselves.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07Good. If you can answer this question.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12Why do young Komodo dragons often roll around in poo?
0:16:12 > 0:16:16One of the things about young Komodo dragons is their biggest threat in
0:16:16 > 0:16:18life is old Komodo dragons.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21There isn't a great deal of food on the island.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24Yes, so definitely they would cannibalise. Possibly even their own young, actually.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Oh, they do, yeah. Well, because they probably don't recognise them.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31So maybe it's a way of masking their own scent.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Yeah.- So they don't get predated on. Kate's nodding. Kate's nodding.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36I'm just nodding cos you're sounding so convincing.
0:16:36 > 0:16:37OK. Can we...
0:16:37 > 0:16:41We'll say it's to mask their odour to avoid being eaten by...
0:16:41 > 0:16:45You're absolutely right, it is to make them less appetising to adult
0:16:45 > 0:16:47- Komodo dragons.- I've done it myself.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50- Well, I know.- Yeah, it's part of being a vet, I'm afraid.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53How I managed to get a wife is beyond me.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55It's beyond most of us.
0:16:55 > 0:16:56But congratulations, you have won
0:16:56 > 0:17:00another part of your curious creature.
0:17:00 > 0:17:01And here it is.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02APPLAUSE
0:17:05 > 0:17:10Now, talking of poo, in today's round four,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12we're really going to get to the bottom of things,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15yes, it's time for Whose Poo?
0:17:19 > 0:17:24Each team will be given a sample kindly provided by the doyens of dung
0:17:24 > 0:17:27at the National Poo Museum on the Isle of Wight.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31All our teams have to do is figure out which animal has done the deed,
0:17:31 > 0:17:35but before we start, here's a small health and safety message.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38I implore you not to try this at home.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41All animal poo is potentially harmful
0:17:41 > 0:17:43and our expert teams are examining
0:17:43 > 0:17:47their samples under strictly-controlled conditions.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49Chris and Christy, you're going to go first.
0:17:50 > 0:17:53- Ta-da!- Oh, wow.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56That's a good chunk, isn't it?
0:17:56 > 0:17:57I can smell it from here.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59Well, it's definitely been eating some kind of...
0:17:59 > 0:18:02grassy, hay type.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- Yeah.- Are you thinking that this is a vegetarian poo?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Yeah, I think it does look like it's...
0:18:07 > 0:18:10Yeah, it's got lots of hair on the outside, though, hasn't it?
0:18:10 > 0:18:13- Oh, of course, it's hair. - Yeah, it's hairy on the outside.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15But look. Oh, goodness me, that's rock-hard.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17Is that poo, or... It is, it is, yeah.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19It has quite a distinctive smell.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21And it has a sort of a glaze on the outside of it.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24Doesn't it? It's very shiny on the outside, but look at that.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26On the inside, it's almost like soil, isn't it?
0:18:26 > 0:18:27- Yes.- It looks like...- Dusty.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29This is full of hair.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31No, yeah, this is carnivore poo.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35So I would suggest that this part here is where it's been fed on
0:18:35 > 0:18:38- raw meat... - And it's digested really well.
0:18:38 > 0:18:39And this is basically left over.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Yes. I mean, this is a very large predatory animal.
0:18:43 > 0:18:44The poo isn't fresh.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46So that the smell is not...
0:18:46 > 0:18:49I mean, it's there, but it's not as strong as it should be.
0:18:49 > 0:18:50I don't think you're close enough!
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Yeah, I was going to say, I can smell it from here, Chris.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55- It's like...- In science, you had to do...
0:18:55 > 0:18:56Yeah, get the chemicals.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58- Get that... - OK, so an animal this size,
0:18:58 > 0:19:01looking at the diameter of the poo because the diameter of the poo is
0:19:01 > 0:19:03obviously... Yeah, OK.
0:19:03 > 0:19:04So this is a big animal.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06It's clearly a carnivore.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08So we're going down the big cat route.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11It's potentially, you know, tiger, lion material, isn't it?
0:19:11 > 0:19:13It's been eating bones.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16Yeah, it's like, you know, hyena poo obviously is just completely white
0:19:16 > 0:19:18because of the all the bone that it ingests.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I'm just going to hold that up again cos that's magnificent.
0:19:21 > 0:19:25- Isn't it?- That brings a tear to the eye, that does, doesn't it?
0:19:25 > 0:19:27It's just such an emotional moment.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- It is...- That is absolutely stunning.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32I think it's time for you to have a little guess.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34It's bigger than leopard, it's bigger than jaguar.
0:19:34 > 0:19:36- Definitely, yeah.- So we are in the tiger, lion.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38I'd lean towards tiger.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Yeah, I would say. From the lion poos that I've seen,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43I would say let's go tiger as well.
0:19:45 > 0:19:46- Tiger.- Tiger poo.
0:19:47 > 0:19:51Let's have a look and see if you're right.
0:19:51 > 0:19:52Oh! You're not!
0:19:52 > 0:19:55- Lion!- So, I'm sorry, you don't get another part
0:19:55 > 0:19:57of your curious creature,
0:19:57 > 0:19:59but now, Lucy and Steve.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01Thank you so much, Kate.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05OK, so, Steve, I'm thinking as a vet,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07I reckon you're going to be quite good on poo.
0:20:10 > 0:20:11- Now.- Ah, OK.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13This is obviously slightly different.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17- It has been resined to preserve it.- Yes.
0:20:17 > 0:20:20And actually, that's the poo there, and this is the beach that it was
0:20:20 > 0:20:23found on. So the creature that's produced this...
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Lives under the... Lives under the sand, doesn't it?
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- Yeah, yeah.- So is it a lugworm or something like that?
0:20:27 > 0:20:30- Well.- I'm just trying to think cos I used to go with my dad when I was
0:20:30 > 0:20:33little down on Pett Level digging for lugworms.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35Did you look for those, or did you...
0:20:35 > 0:20:37- You see, I...- I think the lugworm cast...
0:20:37 > 0:20:39I sort of feel like...
0:20:39 > 0:20:43Or was it... I remember one of the casts was like longer but I think
0:20:43 > 0:20:46that's the razor clams cos it travels more.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49So it's either razor clam...
0:20:49 > 0:20:53When I originally saw it, I thought it was razor clam, but I don't know.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55It could be lugworm. If you're eating sand,
0:20:55 > 0:20:56cos this is what it's doing,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58it is basically... Whatever creature it is,
0:20:58 > 0:21:03it lives down a burrow and it basically ingests sand,
0:21:03 > 0:21:04extracts all of the...
0:21:04 > 0:21:08Because sand is obviously completely inert, they've got the cleanest...
0:21:08 > 0:21:10They don't need to go for colonic irrigation at all
0:21:10 > 0:21:11cos they're scoured.
0:21:11 > 0:21:13It's like it's got a through gut.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16- Now, razor clam won't have a through gut.- No.- Whereas...
0:21:16 > 0:21:20You know, so the invention of the anus by evolution was incredible
0:21:20 > 0:21:23cos it meant that you didn't have to ingest and then regurgitate,
0:21:23 > 0:21:24ingest and regurgitate.
0:21:24 > 0:21:26So the through gut is basically to enable you to
0:21:26 > 0:21:30keep eating and shoving everything out the back end.
0:21:30 > 0:21:31And I think worms...
0:21:31 > 0:21:33Worms were one of the first things that did it.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35- Yep.- I think it is probably a lugworm.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37OK, so we're going to go lugworm, then.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39- And you'd be right.- Bang!
0:21:39 > 0:21:41Here they are.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44This little one did you a favour and won you another part
0:21:44 > 0:21:45of your curious creature.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54- Attractive.- So, Chris and Christy have four parts of their curious
0:21:54 > 0:21:58creature, as do Lucy and Steve, so, well done to all of you.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00And we're nearly at the end of the show
0:22:00 > 0:22:02which means it's time to see how
0:22:02 > 0:22:06many bits of their curious creatures our teams can identify.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11So, Chris and Christy, we're going to start with you.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14You have got four parts of your curious creature
0:22:14 > 0:22:18and you will get two points for each one you correctly identify.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22So let's start with this very, very splendid head.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25That is one of the best birds in the world.
0:22:25 > 0:22:27I would have to agree with you.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29And they lek first thing in the morning,
0:22:29 > 0:22:32so you have to sneak into the jungle in pitch-black and as the light
0:22:32 > 0:22:35begins to come up, the males assemble,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38and make this cacophony of weird sounds, the females arrive.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42You can't appreciate the colour because it's in really low light
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and they look great. You're mainly looking at silhouettes.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46If you're very fortunate,
0:22:46 > 0:22:49one of them may loiter in the lekking area and you get a chance
0:22:49 > 0:22:52to see that colour. This is male cock-of-the-rock.
0:22:52 > 0:22:55- You're right.- It looks... It's not like a head, is it?
0:22:55 > 0:22:57- Mental.- It was punk rock years ahead of its time.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59That's why you like it so much.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03- Awesome bird.- It is an awesome bird, and it has won you two points.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Let's move on to these rather splendid ears.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10- Yes, ears.- These have perplexed us for a little bit.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12Yeah, go on, then, what do you think?
0:23:12 > 0:23:13- Come on, Christy.- So, we were...
0:23:13 > 0:23:15The first thing that came into mind was an ass.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18They've got the black around the edge, haven't they?
0:23:18 > 0:23:20I mean, it could be an ass, but it could be a donkey.
0:23:20 > 0:23:21Or it could of course just...
0:23:21 > 0:23:23I say just, it could be a zebra.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25Yeah.
0:23:25 > 0:23:26Quite woolly inside, aren't they?
0:23:26 > 0:23:29- Yeah.- And I think the shape of them...
0:23:29 > 0:23:30Mind you, look at that.
0:23:30 > 0:23:33They don't... Look at the hairs there. They don't look that big.
0:23:33 > 0:23:35Oh, this is a tricky one, isn't it?
0:23:35 > 0:23:36It is a tricky one.
0:23:37 > 0:23:39So we have to give an answer.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41- You might kick yourself. - Was that a clue?
0:23:43 > 0:23:45- Were you being clever? - Well, it could be a mule, then.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48No, but mule's not a real animal, it's a hybrid.
0:23:48 > 0:23:49Shall we go ass because it's a funny word?
0:23:49 > 0:23:51Yeah, go on, then. We're going to go...
0:23:51 > 0:23:53- Or donkey.- Let's go ass.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55- Ass.- Ass.- You're wrong.
0:23:55 > 0:23:56- LUCY:- She even gave you a clue!
0:23:56 > 0:23:57- CHRIS:- Donkey's ears.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00Who wants a donkey... Who wants to wear donkey's ears?
0:24:00 > 0:24:02They're associated with being a dunce, aren't they?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Just tell me whose body this is.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Well, we're not going to talk a lot about this.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09- Beetle.- Because it's a dung beetle, carapace.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- Yes.- Yes.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Thank heavens. Two points.
0:24:13 > 0:24:15Shall we go on to your final piece?
0:24:15 > 0:24:16- Yeah.- What's this?
0:24:16 > 0:24:18- Flying squirrel.- Flying squirrel.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20Or sugar glider. Or is it a flying donkey, for goodness' sake!
0:24:22 > 0:24:23You're absolutely right.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25It is a sugar glider, or a flying squirrel.
0:24:25 > 0:24:30That is two points. You have six points between you.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32You can win one extra point if you
0:24:32 > 0:24:36can identify the part that you didn't win, which is this.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38So, so what cetacean is it?
0:24:38 > 0:24:40- It looks like a...- Dolphin.
0:24:40 > 0:24:43Yeah. Well, there are
0:24:43 > 0:24:44a number of black and white ones.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47There's the little very tiny one called the Commerson's dolphin and
0:24:47 > 0:24:49they have a black and white tail like that.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54So, what are those pieces you were thinking of?
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Cos it does look like it could be from quite a small dolphin.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Well, Commerson's are the small ones.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02But I can't remember if they've got white tails or black tails.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04I just remember them being piebald.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Are there any others in the running?
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Do you know what? I'm still sulking over the donkey here,
0:25:08 > 0:25:10so I'm not really able to concentrate on this.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12- You are. I can tell.- Deep breath.
0:25:12 > 0:25:13OK. So dolphin is not enough.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15No. We need a little bit more specific.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18- Sorry.- OK. Shall we go for the Commerson's?
0:25:18 > 0:25:19Commerson's dolphin.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21It's a killer whale.
0:25:21 > 0:25:22Oh, my goodness.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25- Oh, blimey.- It is a killer whale, so no points.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28You end up with six points.
0:25:28 > 0:25:29Now...
0:25:29 > 0:25:30APPLAUSE
0:25:30 > 0:25:31Sorry.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36..Lucy and Steve.
0:25:36 > 0:25:37Let's see if you can beat six points.
0:25:37 > 0:25:41- Come on, Captain, my captain.- Yes. - You have the potential to get nine
0:25:41 > 0:25:46points, so let's start with your pretty little face.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49- It's a raccoon.- You're absolutely right, two points.
0:25:49 > 0:25:50Cute as Christmas.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Now, what about its cranial adornments?
0:25:55 > 0:25:58- Well...- Well, these are moose antlers, I think,
0:25:58 > 0:26:01because of the shape of them and they are...
0:26:01 > 0:26:05If they are moose antlers, then they are the biggest antlers in the animal kingdom.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07The fastest-growing tissue.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Yeah, fastest-growing bone.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12- Fastest-growing bone, yeah.- Cos it's ridiculous that it grows these
0:26:12 > 0:26:14- every year and sheds them. - So you're saying IF they are.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17- Are they, or not?- I think there are moose antlers, yes.
0:26:17 > 0:26:18- Yes.- Yes.- Yeah.- You're right.
0:26:18 > 0:26:20- Two points.- Nice.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Now, what about that little body?
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Yes, well...
0:26:25 > 0:26:27- it's a bee.- Yeah.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29- It's a bee.- It's a bee.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31- Do you need more than that? - A little bit more than that.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33It's not a bumblebee. It looks like a honeybee to me.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34If you just saw the very top of it,
0:26:34 > 0:26:37you could be mistaken for thinking it might be a bumble,
0:26:37 > 0:26:39but if you look at the whole body, it's not a bumblebee.
0:26:39 > 0:26:43And there's lots of different bumbles, so it's not. So we're going to say a honeybee, I think.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46- Are we? Are we happy with that? - The poor, poor, poor, endangered honeybee.
0:26:46 > 0:26:47It's a bumblebee.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50- It's a bumblebee.- It is a bumblebee.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Is it? There's loads of different types of bumblebees, though.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55It's actually a cuckoo bumblebee.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58- Ah.- Here you are. What about these pretty little pins?
0:27:00 > 0:27:02Rodent looking, aren't they?
0:27:02 > 0:27:05Yeah, I mean it looks like it's an animal that can jump.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10Or exceedingly run very fast, mainly with hind limb propulsion.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Exactly. But they don't look like marsupial legs,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14so we think they're probably rodent legs.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17There is a kangaroo mouse, isn't there, as well?
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- Yeah.- That's...- Which is a mouse rather than a marsupial.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Yes, I believe so.
0:27:21 > 0:27:24- Kangaroo mouse.- Let's go for it.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Sadly, it is not a kangaroo mouse.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29It is not even a rodent.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33It is a rufous rat-kangaroo, which is a marsupial.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35It was a marsupial.
0:27:35 > 0:27:36Oh!
0:27:37 > 0:27:41However, you have got one more body part which you didn't win,
0:27:41 > 0:27:45but we can present to you to see if you can get an extra point.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47You jolly well should.
0:27:47 > 0:27:48Would that make us even-stevens?
0:27:48 > 0:27:50- No.- No.- We're still going to lose.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53You're still going to lose. But, you know, you could claw back a little bit of dignity.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56So we're not playing for pride, we're playing for slightly less shame?
0:27:56 > 0:28:01- Exactly that.- Very good.- Exactly that. So tell me whose tail you think this is.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02It's a pheasant, isn't it?
0:28:02 > 0:28:03- Yeah.- It is indeed a pheasant.
0:28:03 > 0:28:05So you get one point,
0:28:05 > 0:28:11but I am afraid that brilliant bit of deduction wasn't quite enough
0:28:11 > 0:28:15and today's Curious Creatures winners are Chris and Christy.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Thank you.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18APPLAUSE
0:28:18 > 0:28:20- Very well done.- OK.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Thank you to all four of you curious creatures for playing.
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Thank you to you splendid sapiens at home for watching.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31See you next time, goodbye.
0:28:31 > 0:28:32APPLAUSE