Episode 4 Curious Creatures


Episode 4

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Transcript


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APPLAUSE

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Hello, I'm Kate Humble and this is Curious Creatures,

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a brand-new quiz about all things zoological.

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And perhaps a few things zoo illogical, as well.

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LAUGHTER Sharing their natural history nous

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with us today are two expert teams.

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Joining wildlife colossus Chris Packham

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is conservationist and primate expert Christy Harrison.

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APPLAUSE

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And teaming up with writer and sloth fanatic Lucy Cooke

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is everyone's favourite vet, presenter Steve Leonard.

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-APPLAUSE

-Me?

-Yeah!

-Who knew?

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We start as we mean to go on,

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with some tantalising teasers from the animal kingdom

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in our first round,

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Yay or Neigh?

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So I am going to read each of you a statement about an animal

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and it may be true...

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ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

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That's a yay. Or it may be false...

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HORSE WHINNIES

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That is a neigh.

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All you have to decide is whether indeed it is fact or fabrication.

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So Chris, let's start with you.

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A dolphin does not have a navel.

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Well, they're born pretty much like a human.

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Do you think they have innies and outies?

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-LAUGHTER

-They have a what?

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Do they have innies and outies?

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Innies and outies, what's that?

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LAUGHTER

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Innie or an outie.

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-What's that?

-I think we should...

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-Yeah, here we go.

-Come on. Everyone, get it out. Let's see.

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We all want to know whether Chris has got an innie or an outie.

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This is the first biological question you've not known.

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All I've got is noise going on, you know...just a noise.

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What are you talking about?

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Your belly button, does it stick in or does it stick out?

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It sticks in! Well, who has a belly button that sticks out?

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-Some people, perhaps you can...

-What's the point of that?

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LAUGHTER OK, well, so...

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Do you want to take over, he's obviously all flustered?

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-That was my fault.

-What you are you going to do, yay or neigh?

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Well, I imagine they would have a navel, don't you?

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Yeah, so if we're agreeing with the statement...

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They're born like humans, they have a placenta...

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-Yeah.

-You know, surely some semblance of a scar would be there

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and I presume it would be an "innie."

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LAUGHTER

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A dolphin doesn't want anything outie,

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it would ruin the streamlined nature of the animal.

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Very good point. Very good point.

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-I think they have a navel.

-OK, they have a navel,

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-so we're saying it's a neigh.

-HORSE WHINNIES

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Thank goodness we're there. And thank goodness you're right,

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otherwise we'd have to go on for even longer.

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APPLAUSE

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And just to prove it, we have a close-up of a navel.

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There it is. I would say that's an innie.

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-Innie.

-It's an innie.

-Would you say that's an innie?

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-Dolphins have innies.

-OK,

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we are going to award you the first part of your curious creature.

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It better not be a navel!

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-Oh, look at that!

-That is absolutely splendid.

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-Goodness me.

-We shall wait till later to find out

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-what you think it is. Lucy.

-Yes.

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Your statement is - a scorpion can regrow its tail,

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yay or neigh?

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Ooh. Now, some animals do have the fantastic ability

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to regrow their tails.

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-Famously...

-Yes.

-..of course, geckos.

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-Yeah.

-As a defence, if they're caught by a predator,

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an animal bites them on the tail, they're able to lose their tail,

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which then, I saw just the other day, actually, a lizard's tail,

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and they wiggle like a little worm in the ground

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-as a total distraction.

-Mm.

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The animal forgets that it's chasing the lizard and the lizard escapes.

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-Yep.

-A scorpion, on the other hand, though...

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I think it's probably going to be neigh.

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It's too complicated an organ, I think.

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And I think that once gone, they wouldn't have time.

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They need it for protection, so if it's gone,

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I'm afraid they're probably going to starve to death before they can fend

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for themselves might anyway. So I don't think they'd have had time,

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evolutionarily, to develop that as a strategy.

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-Wow!

-That's my theory and I'm ready to be wrong.

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You've got some experience...

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-Yes.

-..in picking up scorpions by their tails...

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-Yep.

-..and one has never fallen off on your hands.

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-Have I seen one with two? No.

-Yeah.

-It's never come off in my hand, no.

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-So I think...

-I think... I think...

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I'm confident, I'm with you, as well.

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OK, so let's hear it, a scorpion can regrow its tail, yay or neigh?

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-Neigh.

-HORSE WHINNIES

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And you're right.

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-Yay!

-APPLAUSE

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Now, you mentioned, Steve,

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that they probably wouldn't be able to survive for very long without

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their tail. Any guesses as to how long they can survive?

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I guess a week.

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Actually eight months.

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-Yeah.

-Eight months?

-Eight months

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and the reason for that is it gives it time to find a mate and

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-reproduce and then it can just get on with the job of dying.

-Ah.

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-Nobody'll want it without a tail.

-Ah, you never know, someone might

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-feel sorry for it.

-You've got to have a sympathetic female... I know, yeah.

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Anyway, congratulations, you were absolutely right, so you get

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-your first part of today's curious creature.

-Right.

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Oh.

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-There we go.

-Aw, bless.

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Christy, I put it to you that leafcutter ants use the leaves

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to farm fungus.

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That definitely feels like it's ringing a bell.

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And I do remember seeing...

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It's amazing just watching them go along together, all in a line,

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and it's just such a beautiful thing to watch.

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And it's... What's the difference in the weight that they're carrying

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compared to themselves? Chris, you might know.

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It's like a lass carrying a double-decker bus or something,

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-isn't it?

-Yeah, exactly.

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They can actually carry 50 times their body weight.

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And obviously they're doing that for, you know, very good reason.

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They're not doing it for no reason at all.

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So if they were farming fungus, what would they be doing

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-with it, do you think?

-Chris, help me out, I can't...

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They'd be eating it.

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They'd be farming to eat the fungus?

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Yeah, yeah, they're extraordinary creatures.

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They make their nests deep underground so they don't dehydrate

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and so they'll go down, like,

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ten metres to a chamber where they store the leaves and grow fungus on

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-them.

-All of which indicates that you would say that this statement

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-might be true. Is that right, Christy?

-Oh, yes. We're going for a yay.

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ELEPHANT TRUMPETS You'd be right.

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APPLAUSE

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And you said that it is absolutely enchanting to watch leafcutter ants

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and we've got a lovely bit of film that shows you just how remarkable

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they can be. So fabulous.

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There they are. So, very well done.

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You earn another part of your curious creature.

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Wow.

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Now, then. Mr Leonard.

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-Hello.

-My statement to you is reindeer's

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eyes change colour in the winter.

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I would find that very hard to believe, to be honest.

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Your eyes protect themselves through pupil size, basically,

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so they have irises that will just clamp down.

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Take a look at your cat at night.

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They've got whopping great big eyes and then obviously during the day

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they can go down to tiny, tiny slits.

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So I think in terms of camouflage, obviously,

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their eyes are a tiny part of their body.

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So in terms of, you know...

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Lots of animals do, especially in the Arctic,

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change colour to try and mask themselves.

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You know, the Arctic fox, those sorts of things.

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So I think in terms of camouflage,

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it's not really going to give them much in the way of benefit either,

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so I'm going to say neigh.

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HORSE WHINNIES

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Big mistake.

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It is a yay.

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Is it, really?

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It is. Reindeer are the only mammals whose eyes are known

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to change colour depending on the season.

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-Wow!

-Oh!

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Their eyes are gold during the summer, when the reindeer experience

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almost constant sunlight, but in the darkness of winter,

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their retinas become less reflective and their eyes turn deep blue,

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which results in far less light being reflected

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back out of their eyes.

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Bad luck to Steve and Lucy.

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You don't get another part of your curious creature, but for now,

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we move on to round two, which today is What on Earth?

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So I have one clip for each team and we're going to start with you,

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Chris and Christy.

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Have a look at this and tell me what on earth this orangutan does when it

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starts raining.

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-Oh, can I start now?

-No!

-LAUGHTER

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-Hold yourself in.

-Now, Christy, you like an orangutan, don't you?

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I love orangutans.

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What is it about an orangutan that you find so compelling?

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Well, I spent a long time out in Borneo,

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which is where I saw my first orangutan doing this,

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which is an orangutan called Siswi.

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It started drizzling and then, as always happens in these places,

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it was just a pure thunderstorm of water everywhere.

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I was completely drenched.

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I looked over to Siswi,

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who was just very carefully taking some leaves and placing them on her

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head and basically made herself a little bonnet.

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So she had a little hat to protect herself from the rain,

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which other apes haven't managed to do.

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Chimpanzees don't do it, gorillas don't do it,

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so it's something that the Bornean orangutan,

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and the Sumatran as well,

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that they have learnt how to build this little hat for themselves

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and keep nice, non-frizzy hair.

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Do you think Christy's right?

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Let's have a look.

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Genius.

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So this isn't, I would say, a little bonnet.

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-That's a bit more bonnet-like.

-OK. Well...I think obviously...

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-It's the same...

-Look at this!

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LAUGHTER Well, that's a tent.

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That's a festival poncho going on there.

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I think, you know, it's the same.

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They've got different personalities, some are cleverer than others.

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Have you seen orangutans use leaves for anything else?

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If they're climbing up a prickly tree,

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where there's lots of thorns on it, they'll actually use it to help,

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almost like little gloves, to stop them from getting prickled.

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-Yeah.

-They've also spotted a couple of young ones where they actually

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twist it and hold it as if it's their own baby.

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They use them for cups, as well, don't they? They make receptacles

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for drinking out of, cos obviously their hands are long and thin,

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so they've worked out that they can actually hold more water in them,

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-as well.

-Yeah, I mean it's amazing when you spend so much time watching

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them and you see all these kind of different tool-use these things that

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they're doing. There's also an orangutan who took a stick and just

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poked it in to see how deep the water was

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and she then proceeded to steal a canoe.

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-LAUGHTER

-And used, because her hands

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are so big, just used her hands as a paddle

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and off she went. Siswi, as well,

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because they have this ability to obviously learn, to watch and learn,

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and they'd seen some of the people who work there that were washing

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clothes down by the river

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and so she went down and started washing clothes by herself.

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Well done, and you have won another part of your curious creature,

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congratulations.

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APPLAUSE

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Now, Lucy and Steve.

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What on earth made this structure?

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I think I know what this is. Do you know this?

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I think I do, yeah.

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And is it, erm...

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-Is it a bower, is it?

-I think it must be, yeah.

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It's one of those fabulous birds, isn't it?

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There's no sense of scale there, so that's...

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You know, whenever you just see trees and twigs and stuff like that

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and it's really getting a sense of how big this structure is.

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It's probably about, sort of, yay big, is it?

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That sort of thing. And it's obviously decorated

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-meticulously...

-Yeah.

-..with...you know,

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and it's decoration that's the key point here.

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That's what I think gives it away.

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-I think...

-What is it about the decoration that tells you it's a

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-bower?

-I think the structure by itself...

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-Yeah.

-..could be any number of animals could've created that.

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-It is, yeah, yeah.

-But the male bowerbird attracts the female by

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creating a bower out of sticks

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-and then choosing brightly coloured things to decorate it.

-Yeah.

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Very beautifully.

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They are absolutely extraordinary. And sometimes...

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I mean, in this case, it looks like flowers, doesn't it?

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Yeah, there's definitely petals in there.

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But they'll use beetle casings and things like that.

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And they're very, very meticulous.

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It's very similar to a human who's just about to sell a house.

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-LAUGHTER

-It's the same level of meticulous

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detail and it's all about bringing in the females.

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It's all about, "Look what I can do," you know,

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"I have a degree in interior decoration

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"and I can look after you."

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Well, let's see if you're right.

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We've got some film of the critter that made this wonderful shelter.

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-Let's have a look.

-It's a hedgehog, isn't it?

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-There it is.

-Oh, there you go.

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Mr Bowerbird's quite dull-looking, you see,

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so he has to make a really fancy looking shelter in order to attract

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-the ladies.

-That's it. That area in front is called the gesso.

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-Is that what he calls it?

-No, that's what we call it, the gesso.

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Yeah. Some of them will place larger objects

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further away and the smaller objects closer to the entrance of the bower,

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and the trick there is to lure of the female into the bower,

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where again there was a target area marked by pebbles or whatever

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they put in there, and then he stands outside

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and throws objects across,

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and because of the forced perspective generated by the size of

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the objects on the gesso,

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he can increase the fascination that the female feels in the bower.

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And if he does that by only one or two seconds,

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it massively increases his chance of copulating with her.

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If only all men made such an effort.

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Well, congratulations, Steve and Lucy, you were absolutely right,

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and you win another part of your curious creature.

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APPLAUSE

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-Ooh.

-Ooh, I know what that is.

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Now, it's time to play our regular mystery animal round,

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Is it Bigger than a Chicken?

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Yes, we're going to be looking in some depth at a particularly

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interesting animal, but first of all

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our teams have to work out what it is.

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They will take turns to ask me questions to which I must be able

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to answer only yes or no.

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Each time they get a yes, a small part of the animal is revealed,

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and at that point, you can guess what the animal is,

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but if you get it wrong, you will be out of the round.

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And there is just one other rule.

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The first question that is asked must be, audience...

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-AUDIENCE:

-Is it bigger than a chicken?

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Excellent. So we are going to start with Christy, I think.

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What would you like to ask me?

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Is it bigger than a chicken?

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What an excellent start.

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-I thought so.

-And I can tell you that it absolutely is,

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so here is your first clue of the animal jigsaw.

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Any thoughts looking at that?

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That skin texture is a little bit diagnostic.

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You might have seen one of these, where you've been.

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Yeah, no, that's exactly what I was thinking.

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I'm just going to go for it.

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-If you go for it...

-Go for it, Christy!

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-I'm going for a Komodo dragon.

-Can you possibly be right with just one

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-tiny clue? Let's have a look.

-I feel it.

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ELEPHANT TRUMPETS

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-APPLAUSE

-Yes!

-Yay!

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-I really wanted to say that.

-Well done. Well done.

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Right, come on,

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I know you're bursting to tell me all about Komodo dragons.

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Come on then, Christy. What do you know about them?

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So they live on Komodo island, which is in Indonesia.

0:15:050:15:07

There's a lot. Obviously,

0:15:070:15:08

they're called dragons because they are absolutely massive.

0:15:080:15:12

They actually have toxic bites,

0:15:120:15:14

so I've seen some really sad footage where they'll follow their prey and

0:15:140:15:19

they're all just slowly nipping away at their ankles and biting it.

0:15:190:15:22

And it takes quite a long time,

0:15:220:15:23

so it can be days before they can bring down a

0:15:230:15:26

large prey that's slowly being...

0:15:260:15:29

We have got some footage of a Komodo dragon perhaps sniffing around a

0:15:290:15:33

potential meal. Have a look at this.

0:15:330:15:35

Oh, it's so horrid.

0:15:350:15:37

God, it's a totally incredible creature.

0:15:390:15:42

-They are amazing, aren't they?

-Yeah, aren't they? So prehistoric.

0:15:420:15:44

-So prehistoric.

-As it emerges out of the mist.

0:15:440:15:48

-Very many congratulations.

-Thank you very much.

-It was a punt worth

0:15:480:15:52

taking and you get an extra part of your curious creature.

0:15:520:15:55

Let's have a look at it.

0:15:550:15:57

There it is.

0:15:570:15:58

Now, Lucy and Steve,

0:16:000:16:02

you do have a chance to win a part of a curious creature yourselves.

0:16:020:16:05

Good. If you can answer this question.

0:16:050:16:07

Why do young Komodo dragons often roll around in poo?

0:16:070:16:12

One of the things about young Komodo dragons is their biggest threat in

0:16:120:16:16

life is old Komodo dragons.

0:16:160:16:18

There isn't a great deal of food on the island.

0:16:180:16:21

Yes, so definitely they would cannibalise. Possibly even their own young, actually.

0:16:210:16:24

Oh, they do, yeah. Well, because they probably don't recognise them.

0:16:240:16:27

So maybe it's a way of masking their own scent.

0:16:270:16:31

-Yeah.

-So they don't get predated on. Kate's nodding. Kate's nodding.

0:16:310:16:34

I'm just nodding cos you're sounding so convincing.

0:16:340:16:36

OK. Can we...

0:16:360:16:37

We'll say it's to mask their odour to avoid being eaten by...

0:16:370:16:41

You're absolutely right, it is to make them less appetising to adult

0:16:410:16:45

-Komodo dragons.

-I've done it myself.

0:16:450:16:47

-Well, I know.

-Yeah, it's part of being a vet, I'm afraid.

0:16:470:16:50

How I managed to get a wife is beyond me.

0:16:500:16:53

It's beyond most of us.

0:16:530:16:55

But congratulations, you have won

0:16:550:16:56

another part of your curious creature.

0:16:560:17:00

And here it is.

0:17:000:17:01

APPLAUSE

0:17:010:17:02

Now, talking of poo, in today's round four,

0:17:050:17:10

we're really going to get to the bottom of things,

0:17:100:17:12

yes, it's time for Whose Poo?

0:17:120:17:15

Each team will be given a sample kindly provided by the doyens of dung

0:17:190:17:24

at the National Poo Museum on the Isle of Wight.

0:17:240:17:27

All our teams have to do is figure out which animal has done the deed,

0:17:270:17:31

but before we start, here's a small health and safety message.

0:17:310:17:35

I implore you not to try this at home.

0:17:350:17:38

All animal poo is potentially harmful

0:17:380:17:41

and our expert teams are examining

0:17:410:17:43

their samples under strictly-controlled conditions.

0:17:430:17:47

Chris and Christy, you're going to go first.

0:17:470:17:49

-Ta-da!

-Oh, wow.

0:17:500:17:53

That's a good chunk, isn't it?

0:17:530:17:56

I can smell it from here.

0:17:560:17:57

Well, it's definitely been eating some kind of...

0:17:570:17:59

grassy, hay type.

0:17:590:18:02

-Yeah.

-Are you thinking that this is a vegetarian poo?

0:18:020:18:05

Yeah, I think it does look like it's...

0:18:050:18:07

Yeah, it's got lots of hair on the outside, though, hasn't it?

0:18:070:18:10

-Oh, of course, it's hair.

-Yeah, it's hairy on the outside.

0:18:100:18:13

But look. Oh, goodness me, that's rock-hard.

0:18:130:18:15

Is that poo, or... It is, it is, yeah.

0:18:150:18:17

It has quite a distinctive smell.

0:18:170:18:19

And it has a sort of a glaze on the outside of it.

0:18:190:18:21

Doesn't it? It's very shiny on the outside, but look at that.

0:18:210:18:24

On the inside, it's almost like soil, isn't it?

0:18:240:18:26

-Yes.

-It looks like...

-Dusty.

0:18:260:18:27

This is full of hair.

0:18:270:18:29

No, yeah, this is carnivore poo.

0:18:290:18:31

So I would suggest that this part here is where it's been fed on

0:18:310:18:35

-raw meat...

-And it's digested really well.

0:18:350:18:38

And this is basically left over.

0:18:380:18:39

Yes. I mean, this is a very large predatory animal.

0:18:390:18:43

The poo isn't fresh.

0:18:430:18:44

So that the smell is not...

0:18:440:18:46

I mean, it's there, but it's not as strong as it should be.

0:18:460:18:49

I don't think you're close enough!

0:18:490:18:50

Yeah, I was going to say, I can smell it from here, Chris.

0:18:500:18:53

-It's like...

-In science, you had to do...

0:18:530:18:55

Yeah, get the chemicals.

0:18:550:18:56

-Get that...

-OK, so an animal this size,

0:18:560:18:58

looking at the diameter of the poo because the diameter of the poo is

0:18:580:19:01

obviously... Yeah, OK.

0:19:010:19:03

So this is a big animal.

0:19:030:19:04

It's clearly a carnivore.

0:19:040:19:06

So we're going down the big cat route.

0:19:060:19:08

It's potentially, you know, tiger, lion material, isn't it?

0:19:080:19:11

It's been eating bones.

0:19:110:19:13

Yeah, it's like, you know, hyena poo obviously is just completely white

0:19:130:19:16

because of the all the bone that it ingests.

0:19:160:19:18

I'm just going to hold that up again cos that's magnificent.

0:19:180:19:21

-Isn't it?

-That brings a tear to the eye, that does, doesn't it?

0:19:210:19:25

It's just such an emotional moment.

0:19:250:19:27

-It is...

-That is absolutely stunning.

0:19:270:19:30

I think it's time for you to have a little guess.

0:19:300:19:32

It's bigger than leopard, it's bigger than jaguar.

0:19:320:19:34

-Definitely, yeah.

-So we are in the tiger, lion.

0:19:340:19:36

I'd lean towards tiger.

0:19:360:19:38

Yeah, I would say. From the lion poos that I've seen,

0:19:380:19:40

I would say let's go tiger as well.

0:19:400:19:43

-Tiger.

-Tiger poo.

0:19:450:19:46

Let's have a look and see if you're right.

0:19:470:19:51

Oh! You're not!

0:19:510:19:52

-Lion!

-So, I'm sorry, you don't get another part

0:19:520:19:55

of your curious creature,

0:19:550:19:57

but now, Lucy and Steve.

0:19:570:19:59

Thank you so much, Kate.

0:19:590:20:01

OK, so, Steve, I'm thinking as a vet,

0:20:030:20:05

I reckon you're going to be quite good on poo.

0:20:050:20:07

-Now.

-Ah, OK.

0:20:100:20:11

This is obviously slightly different.

0:20:110:20:13

-It has been resined to preserve it.

-Yes.

0:20:130:20:17

And actually, that's the poo there, and this is the beach that it was

0:20:170:20:20

found on. So the creature that's produced this...

0:20:200:20:23

Lives under the... Lives under the sand, doesn't it?

0:20:230:20:25

-Yeah, yeah.

-So is it a lugworm or something like that?

0:20:250:20:27

-Well.

-I'm just trying to think cos I used to go with my dad when I was

0:20:270:20:30

little down on Pett Level digging for lugworms.

0:20:300:20:33

Did you look for those, or did you...

0:20:330:20:35

-You see, I...

-I think the lugworm cast...

0:20:350:20:37

I sort of feel like...

0:20:370:20:39

Or was it... I remember one of the casts was like longer but I think

0:20:390:20:43

that's the razor clams cos it travels more.

0:20:430:20:46

So it's either razor clam...

0:20:470:20:49

When I originally saw it, I thought it was razor clam, but I don't know.

0:20:490:20:53

It could be lugworm. If you're eating sand,

0:20:530:20:55

cos this is what it's doing,

0:20:550:20:56

it is basically... Whatever creature it is,

0:20:560:20:58

it lives down a burrow and it basically ingests sand,

0:20:580:21:03

extracts all of the...

0:21:030:21:04

Because sand is obviously completely inert, they've got the cleanest...

0:21:040:21:08

They don't need to go for colonic irrigation at all

0:21:080:21:10

cos they're scoured.

0:21:100:21:11

It's like it's got a through gut.

0:21:110:21:13

-Now, razor clam won't have a through gut.

-No.

-Whereas...

0:21:130:21:16

You know, so the invention of the anus by evolution was incredible

0:21:160:21:20

cos it meant that you didn't have to ingest and then regurgitate,

0:21:200:21:23

ingest and regurgitate.

0:21:230:21:24

So the through gut is basically to enable you to

0:21:240:21:26

keep eating and shoving everything out the back end.

0:21:260:21:30

And I think worms...

0:21:300:21:31

Worms were one of the first things that did it.

0:21:310:21:33

-Yep.

-I think it is probably a lugworm.

0:21:330:21:35

OK, so we're going to go lugworm, then.

0:21:350:21:37

-And you'd be right.

-Bang!

0:21:370:21:39

Here they are.

0:21:390:21:41

This little one did you a favour and won you another part

0:21:410:21:44

of your curious creature.

0:21:440:21:45

-Attractive.

-So, Chris and Christy have four parts of their curious

0:21:510:21:54

creature, as do Lucy and Steve, so, well done to all of you.

0:21:540:21:58

And we're nearly at the end of the show

0:21:580:22:00

which means it's time to see how

0:22:000:22:02

many bits of their curious creatures our teams can identify.

0:22:020:22:06

So, Chris and Christy, we're going to start with you.

0:22:090:22:11

You have got four parts of your curious creature

0:22:110:22:14

and you will get two points for each one you correctly identify.

0:22:140:22:18

So let's start with this very, very splendid head.

0:22:180:22:22

That is one of the best birds in the world.

0:22:220:22:25

I would have to agree with you.

0:22:250:22:27

And they lek first thing in the morning,

0:22:270:22:29

so you have to sneak into the jungle in pitch-black and as the light

0:22:290:22:32

begins to come up, the males assemble,

0:22:320:22:35

and make this cacophony of weird sounds, the females arrive.

0:22:350:22:38

You can't appreciate the colour because it's in really low light

0:22:380:22:42

and they look great. You're mainly looking at silhouettes.

0:22:420:22:44

If you're very fortunate,

0:22:440:22:46

one of them may loiter in the lekking area and you get a chance

0:22:460:22:49

to see that colour. This is male cock-of-the-rock.

0:22:490:22:52

-You're right.

-It looks... It's not like a head, is it?

0:22:520:22:55

-Mental.

-It was punk rock years ahead of its time.

0:22:550:22:57

That's why you like it so much.

0:22:570:22:59

-Awesome bird.

-It is an awesome bird, and it has won you two points.

0:22:590:23:03

Let's move on to these rather splendid ears.

0:23:030:23:06

-Yes, ears.

-These have perplexed us for a little bit.

0:23:060:23:10

Yeah, go on, then, what do you think?

0:23:100:23:12

-Come on, Christy.

-So, we were...

0:23:120:23:13

The first thing that came into mind was an ass.

0:23:130:23:15

They've got the black around the edge, haven't they?

0:23:150:23:18

I mean, it could be an ass, but it could be a donkey.

0:23:180:23:20

Or it could of course just...

0:23:200:23:21

I say just, it could be a zebra.

0:23:210:23:23

Yeah.

0:23:230:23:25

Quite woolly inside, aren't they?

0:23:250:23:26

-Yeah.

-And I think the shape of them...

0:23:260:23:29

Mind you, look at that.

0:23:290:23:30

They don't... Look at the hairs there. They don't look that big.

0:23:300:23:33

Oh, this is a tricky one, isn't it?

0:23:330:23:35

It is a tricky one.

0:23:350:23:36

So we have to give an answer.

0:23:370:23:39

-You might kick yourself.

-Was that a clue?

0:23:390:23:41

-Were you being clever?

-Well, it could be a mule, then.

0:23:430:23:45

No, but mule's not a real animal, it's a hybrid.

0:23:450:23:48

Shall we go ass because it's a funny word?

0:23:480:23:49

Yeah, go on, then. We're going to go...

0:23:490:23:51

-Or donkey.

-Let's go ass.

0:23:510:23:53

-Ass.

-Ass.

-You're wrong.

0:23:530:23:55

-LUCY:

-She even gave you a clue!

0:23:550:23:56

-CHRIS:

-Donkey's ears.

0:23:560:23:57

Who wants a donkey... Who wants to wear donkey's ears?

0:23:570:24:00

They're associated with being a dunce, aren't they?

0:24:000:24:02

Just tell me whose body this is.

0:24:020:24:04

Well, we're not going to talk a lot about this.

0:24:040:24:06

-Beetle.

-Because it's a dung beetle, carapace.

0:24:060:24:09

-Yes.

-Yes.

0:24:090:24:11

Thank heavens. Two points.

0:24:110:24:13

Shall we go on to your final piece?

0:24:130:24:15

-Yeah.

-What's this?

0:24:150:24:16

-Flying squirrel.

-Flying squirrel.

0:24:160:24:18

Or sugar glider. Or is it a flying donkey, for goodness' sake!

0:24:180:24:20

You're absolutely right.

0:24:220:24:23

It is a sugar glider, or a flying squirrel.

0:24:230:24:25

That is two points. You have six points between you.

0:24:250:24:30

You can win one extra point if you

0:24:300:24:32

can identify the part that you didn't win, which is this.

0:24:320:24:36

So, so what cetacean is it?

0:24:360:24:38

-It looks like a...

-Dolphin.

0:24:380:24:40

Yeah. Well, there are

0:24:400:24:43

a number of black and white ones.

0:24:430:24:44

There's the little very tiny one called the Commerson's dolphin and

0:24:440:24:47

they have a black and white tail like that.

0:24:470:24:49

So, what are those pieces you were thinking of?

0:24:510:24:54

Cos it does look like it could be from quite a small dolphin.

0:24:540:24:57

Well, Commerson's are the small ones.

0:24:570:24:59

But I can't remember if they've got white tails or black tails.

0:24:590:25:02

I just remember them being piebald.

0:25:020:25:04

Are there any others in the running?

0:25:040:25:06

Do you know what? I'm still sulking over the donkey here,

0:25:060:25:08

so I'm not really able to concentrate on this.

0:25:080:25:10

-You are. I can tell.

-Deep breath.

0:25:100:25:12

OK. So dolphin is not enough.

0:25:120:25:13

No. We need a little bit more specific.

0:25:130:25:15

-Sorry.

-OK. Shall we go for the Commerson's?

0:25:150:25:18

Commerson's dolphin.

0:25:180:25:19

It's a killer whale.

0:25:190:25:21

Oh, my goodness.

0:25:210:25:22

-Oh, blimey.

-It is a killer whale, so no points.

0:25:220:25:25

You end up with six points.

0:25:250:25:28

Now...

0:25:280:25:29

APPLAUSE

0:25:290:25:30

Sorry.

0:25:300:25:31

..Lucy and Steve.

0:25:330:25:36

Let's see if you can beat six points.

0:25:360:25:37

-Come on, Captain, my captain.

-Yes.

-You have the potential to get nine

0:25:370:25:41

points, so let's start with your pretty little face.

0:25:410:25:46

-It's a raccoon.

-You're absolutely right, two points.

0:25:460:25:49

Cute as Christmas.

0:25:490:25:50

Now, what about its cranial adornments?

0:25:510:25:55

-Well...

-Well, these are moose antlers, I think,

0:25:550:25:58

because of the shape of them and they are...

0:25:580:26:01

If they are moose antlers, then they are the biggest antlers in the animal kingdom.

0:26:010:26:05

The fastest-growing tissue.

0:26:050:26:07

Yeah, fastest-growing bone.

0:26:070:26:08

-Fastest-growing bone, yeah.

-Cos it's ridiculous that it grows these

0:26:080:26:12

-every year and sheds them.

-So you're saying IF they are.

0:26:120:26:14

-Are they, or not?

-I think there are moose antlers, yes.

0:26:140:26:17

-Yes.

-Yes.

-Yeah.

-You're right.

0:26:170:26:18

-Two points.

-Nice.

0:26:180:26:20

Now, what about that little body?

0:26:200:26:22

Yes, well...

0:26:220:26:25

-it's a bee.

-Yeah.

0:26:250:26:27

-It's a bee.

-It's a bee.

0:26:270:26:29

-Do you need more than that?

-A little bit more than that.

0:26:290:26:31

It's not a bumblebee. It looks like a honeybee to me.

0:26:310:26:33

If you just saw the very top of it,

0:26:330:26:34

you could be mistaken for thinking it might be a bumble,

0:26:340:26:37

but if you look at the whole body, it's not a bumblebee.

0:26:370:26:39

And there's lots of different bumbles, so it's not. So we're going to say a honeybee, I think.

0:26:390:26:43

-Are we? Are we happy with that?

-The poor, poor, poor, endangered honeybee.

0:26:430:26:46

It's a bumblebee.

0:26:460:26:47

-It's a bumblebee.

-It is a bumblebee.

0:26:470:26:50

Is it? There's loads of different types of bumblebees, though.

0:26:500:26:53

It's actually a cuckoo bumblebee.

0:26:530:26:55

-Ah.

-Here you are. What about these pretty little pins?

0:26:550:26:58

Rodent looking, aren't they?

0:27:000:27:02

Yeah, I mean it looks like it's an animal that can jump.

0:27:020:27:05

Or exceedingly run very fast, mainly with hind limb propulsion.

0:27:050:27:10

Exactly. But they don't look like marsupial legs,

0:27:100:27:12

so we think they're probably rodent legs.

0:27:120:27:14

There is a kangaroo mouse, isn't there, as well?

0:27:140:27:17

-Yeah.

-That's...

-Which is a mouse rather than a marsupial.

0:27:170:27:19

Yes, I believe so.

0:27:190:27:21

-Kangaroo mouse.

-Let's go for it.

0:27:210:27:24

Sadly, it is not a kangaroo mouse.

0:27:240:27:27

It is not even a rodent.

0:27:270:27:29

It is a rufous rat-kangaroo, which is a marsupial.

0:27:290:27:33

It was a marsupial.

0:27:330:27:35

Oh!

0:27:350:27:36

However, you have got one more body part which you didn't win,

0:27:370:27:41

but we can present to you to see if you can get an extra point.

0:27:410:27:45

You jolly well should.

0:27:450:27:47

Would that make us even-stevens?

0:27:470:27:48

-No.

-No.

-We're still going to lose.

0:27:480:27:50

You're still going to lose. But, you know, you could claw back a little bit of dignity.

0:27:500:27:53

So we're not playing for pride, we're playing for slightly less shame?

0:27:530:27:56

-Exactly that.

-Very good.

-Exactly that. So tell me whose tail you think this is.

0:27:560:28:01

It's a pheasant, isn't it?

0:28:010:28:02

-Yeah.

-It is indeed a pheasant.

0:28:020:28:03

So you get one point,

0:28:030:28:05

but I am afraid that brilliant bit of deduction wasn't quite enough

0:28:050:28:11

and today's Curious Creatures winners are Chris and Christy.

0:28:110:28:15

Thank you.

0:28:150:28:17

APPLAUSE

0:28:170:28:18

-Very well done.

-OK.

0:28:180:28:20

Thank you to all four of you curious creatures for playing.

0:28:220:28:26

Thank you to you splendid sapiens at home for watching.

0:28:260:28:29

See you next time, goodbye.

0:28:290:28:31

APPLAUSE

0:28:310:28:32

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