0:00:17 > 0:00:20Hello, I'm Kate Humble, and this is Curious Creatures,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25a brand-new quiz all about the boundless wonders of the animal kingdom.
0:00:25 > 0:00:29Sharing their enthusiasm and expertise today are four people with
0:00:29 > 0:00:34a love of all things furry and feathery - possibly scaly, too.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Please welcome on my left, scholar of every species Chris Packham,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43who is joined by marine and wildlife expert Miranda Krestovnikoff.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45APPLAUSE
0:00:47 > 0:00:51And on my right, genius of every genus, Lucy Cooke,
0:00:51 > 0:00:56who's joined by writer, broadcaster, and film-maker Simon King.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57APPLAUSE
0:01:00 > 0:01:04So we start with some testing teasers from the animal kingdom
0:01:04 > 0:01:08in our very first round of the day, and it is Yay or Neigh?
0:01:12 > 0:01:17So I will read each team member a statement about an animal which may
0:01:17 > 0:01:18be true.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
0:01:20 > 0:01:23That's a Yay.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Or false.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26HORSE WHINNIES
0:01:26 > 0:01:27A Neigh.
0:01:27 > 0:01:32All they have to do is decide whether it's fact or fabrication, and Chris,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34we are going to start with you.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40The statement is, "Some fish can communicate by breaking wind."
0:01:40 > 0:01:44Some fish can in fact, well, produce sounds by breaking wind,
0:01:44 > 0:01:46which they'll do, I think, in response to a predator.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49And I've got it in mind it's mackerel that are
0:01:49 > 0:01:51the principal culprits of this beneath the surface...
0:01:53 > 0:01:56- ..bubbling.- Communication? - Bubbling.
0:01:56 > 0:01:57Bubbling. And do you know what?
0:01:57 > 0:02:00There's an interesting thing, because for a long time,
0:02:00 > 0:02:05the Swedish Navy had listening devices out because they were worried about
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Russian submarines in the Baltic.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10And they had this particular sound that they could hear.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13And they thought that this was covert activity from the Russian
0:02:13 > 0:02:16submarines. And then eventually, one day,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19a piscatorial expert was wandering through, I don't know,
0:02:19 > 0:02:21the Swedish version of MI5 or something,
0:02:21 > 0:02:24and happened to hear this sound that they'd recorded and said,
0:02:24 > 0:02:25"That's not a submarine,
0:02:25 > 0:02:28"it's actually fish breaking wind beneath the surface."
0:02:28 > 0:02:31- No way.- Flatulent mackerel, nothing to do with the Russians at all.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33Nothing to do with the Russians at all! So at the end of all that,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36are you saying that fish can communicate by breaking wind?
0:02:36 > 0:02:38And so can the Russians.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42So we're going Yay?
0:02:42 > 0:02:43- Yay.- You are going Yay?
0:02:43 > 0:02:44Well, I'm going a big Yay.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46ELEPHANT TRUMPETS
0:02:46 > 0:02:47And you're right.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54Now you said mackerel were the particular culprits - actually herring.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59- Herring.- And you have won the first part of your Curious Creature.
0:02:59 > 0:03:01Let's have a look.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04There it is. Happy little chap.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10Now then, let's go to you, Lucy, what do you make of this statement?
0:03:10 > 0:03:14"The giant huntsman spider is the only natural predator of the golden
0:03:14 > 0:03:16"poison dart frog."
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Do you know what? I really do know the answer to this cos I love frogs.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23I know everybody probably knows that I love sloths,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26but I really love frogs, as well.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29And it's only found in a very small area, in the Choco,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31which is the Pacific coast of Columbia.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34It is the most toxic creature on the planet.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38So we all had to wear protective gloves when we went to go and find
0:03:38 > 0:03:40it because the toxin that it produces is defensive,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43so it sweats out this poison.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Anyway, when it's stressed, and of course,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48me picking it up made it quite stressed...
0:03:48 > 0:03:51So I'm there holding it, this frog, and it's sweating out the poison,
0:03:51 > 0:03:53and I just, you know, I love frogs,
0:03:53 > 0:03:58and sometimes I get a little bit overwhelmed by the majesty of nature,
0:03:58 > 0:04:01- and I...- Don't tell me you tried to turn it into a handsome prince.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03No, I didn't. No, no, no, no,
0:04:03 > 0:04:07I burst into tears because it was so beautiful and so strange,
0:04:07 > 0:04:11and so perfect and so wonderful and so endangered
0:04:11 > 0:04:15that I burst into tears, and I went to wipe the tears away from my eyes,
0:04:15 > 0:04:19and as I did so, everybody screamed, "Stop!"
0:04:19 > 0:04:23And if I'd have touched my eye, I would've been dead in three minutes, and there's no antidote.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26So I know quite a lot about this frog,
0:04:26 > 0:04:30and I know that his number one predator is not the huntsman spider,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32because the huntsman spider, as far as I know,
0:04:32 > 0:04:34they actually live in Australia or Asia,
0:04:34 > 0:04:36so he's a very long way away from Columbia.
0:04:36 > 0:04:42And the only animal on this planet that can deal with the toxins of the
0:04:42 > 0:04:45golden poison dart frog is a particular snake,
0:04:45 > 0:04:46I don't know the name of the snake.
0:04:46 > 0:04:51And the reason why this frog is so incredibly poisonous is because it's
0:04:51 > 0:04:55been in an evolutionary arms race with this snake over many, many,
0:04:55 > 0:04:59many years. The frog got more poisonous, and this snake learnt how
0:04:59 > 0:05:03to, you know... Evolved how to digest the poison and survive,
0:05:03 > 0:05:09and the frog got more poisonous and so we now have this outrageously poisonous frog,
0:05:09 > 0:05:13which advertises its extremely toxic nature by being the colour of a banana.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16So your answer to the statement, "The giant huntsman spider is the
0:05:16 > 0:05:20"only natural predator of the golden poison dart frog," is...
0:05:20 > 0:05:21Neigh.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22HORSE WHINNIES
0:05:23 > 0:05:26And you, Lucy Cooke, would be absolutely correct.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28Yay.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36So you have earned your team the very first part of your Curious Creature.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Let's have a look.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Very well done. Now, Miranda, your turn.
0:05:44 > 0:05:49I put it to you that a crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53I don't think I've ever seen a crocodile sticking its tongue out.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Their tongue seems to be very short and, sort of,
0:05:57 > 0:05:58almost glued to the bottom of their mouth.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00I'm just thinking... No.
0:06:00 > 0:06:01- They can't chew, can they?- No.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05And the tongue is principally an organ which allows an animal to move food around in its mouth,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07so that it can get it in the right place to chew it.
0:06:07 > 0:06:11Because, of course, they bite, they hold on, and then they spin,
0:06:11 > 0:06:12and that's how they break off chunks of prey.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14And they flick it up and swallow it.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17- And then swallow it.- Yeah. - So it's a Yay to your statement.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19ELEPHANT TRUMPETS Yes, you're right.
0:06:19 > 0:06:21APPLAUSE
0:06:21 > 0:06:25And you're also right by saying that a crocodile can't move its tongue
0:06:25 > 0:06:28very freely because it is connected to the bottom or floor of the mouth
0:06:28 > 0:06:30by a membrane.
0:06:30 > 0:06:34So you have won a second part of your Curious Creature.
0:06:34 > 0:06:35Let's have a look and see what it is.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37Oh, look at that.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42Now, Simon King.
0:06:42 > 0:06:43Welcome to the madhouse.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Thank you. It's a great pleasure to be here.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47It's lovely to have you here.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51So I'm going to ask you, Yay or Neigh to this statement.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54"A narwhal's tusk is made of keratin,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58"the same stuff our hair and nails are made out of?"
0:06:58 > 0:06:59Now, I've held a narwhal's tusk.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02Have you? Was it attached to a narwhal still?
0:07:02 > 0:07:03No.
0:07:03 > 0:07:05No, no, no, I was with...
0:07:05 > 0:07:06I imagine you were sort of like...
0:07:06 > 0:07:09I was working in the high Arctic with some Inuit,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13and they brandished a narwhal tusk and said, "Feel that."
0:07:13 > 0:07:14It felt like bone.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- Right.- That's not to say...
0:07:17 > 0:07:18A lot of things feel like bone,
0:07:18 > 0:07:23and indeed the stuff that rhino horn is made out of
0:07:23 > 0:07:24feels bone-like.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28Having said that, it's going to be wearing heavily with use.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31- What do you think?- I don't think it's keratin because why would it be
0:07:31 > 0:07:33keratin because why would a whale...?
0:07:33 > 0:07:35I think it's an aberrant... It comes from one side or the other of
0:07:35 > 0:07:38the head, as well - they have a right-hand side or left-hand side.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41- I'm going to say it's the same as dentition.- Yep.- I'm going to have to go for this.
0:07:41 > 0:07:42I'm a Neigh.
0:07:42 > 0:07:43HORSE WHINNIES
0:07:43 > 0:07:47You're right. It is not made out of keratin.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51It is indeed made out of dentin,
0:07:51 > 0:07:55so the same as the ivory on an elephant's tusk.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58- Or a hippo, or a hippo's... - Or a hippo.- Yep.- Or a hippo.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Shall we have a look at these extraordinary creatures in action?
0:08:00 > 0:08:03- Oh, yes, please.- This is a rather beautiful bit of film.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07Let's have a look at it. Little migration through the cracks in the ice.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11It's uncanny, isn't it, that they're able to negotiate that kind of
0:08:11 > 0:08:15fissure when you think how mobile ice flows are in the Arctic,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18and that it can close at any time with the movement of the ocean?
0:08:18 > 0:08:21And, of course, being cetaceans, air-breathing mammals,
0:08:21 > 0:08:23they've got to get access to the air.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25- Yeah.- That would give me the willies. Imagine that.- Absolutely.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Your next breath depends on that staying open.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32So well done, you have added another part to your Curious Creature.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36OK.
0:08:38 > 0:08:40- Good.- So, well done to our teams.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43Their Curious Creatures are beginning to shape up nicely,
0:08:43 > 0:08:47and we'll find out at the end of the show which animals they think those
0:08:47 > 0:08:48bits belong to.
0:08:48 > 0:08:55But, for now, we move on to round two, which today is What on Earth?
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Today, this round is all about identifying animal tracks,
0:09:03 > 0:09:08so Chris and Miranda, What on Earth made these tracks here?
0:09:08 > 0:09:10I'll give you a little bit of a clue -
0:09:10 > 0:09:13we're looking for a British native species.
0:09:13 > 0:09:15OK. So what are you thinking?
0:09:15 > 0:09:17Well, we're definitely not going...
0:09:17 > 0:09:19We're not going domestic. It's not a dog, for sure.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21- No.- And therefore, it's not fox.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Fox and dog prints are pretty similar -
0:09:23 > 0:09:27just the size of the middle two fore-pads separate those.
0:09:27 > 0:09:33So we're ruling out fox or domestic dog from that straightaway there.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36And they've done the typical thing of treading on their own pad.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39When you say typical thing, typical of this particular animal?
0:09:39 > 0:09:42- Because of the gait.- OK. - So what happens very often is that
0:09:42 > 0:09:47when an animal puts its forefoot down, its hind foot then treads
0:09:47 > 0:09:49on the forefoot's print.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51Which, you know, isn't helpful.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54- Confuses things.- Especially if you're ever tracking an animal,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56go for a three-legged one with a limp.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58LAUGHTER
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Look in the top left-hand corner, there's a bit of water there.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04So this is an animal that's moving alongside a river or stream, isn't it?
0:10:04 > 0:10:06We're going mustelid of some description?
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Well, let's think what might be alongside the stream, it could be otter.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Nowadays, of course, if it's in Scotland or other parts of the UK,
0:10:13 > 0:10:17- it could be beaver.- Yep.- But beavers have a very large tail which they
0:10:17 > 0:10:22drag behind them, which basically rubs their prints out most of the time.
0:10:22 > 0:10:24So I'm not thinking...
0:10:24 > 0:10:26I'm not thinking beaver.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31I'm thinking that we're probably going to go down the lutrine route for this one.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- OK.- What do you think? - I think we'll go with that.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36You're going to go down the otter route?
0:10:36 > 0:10:38And you would be right.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Let's have a look.
0:10:42 > 0:10:48So you get another part of your Curious Creature.
0:10:48 > 0:10:49Oh.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52That's right, it's got a little bit...
0:10:52 > 0:10:58Lucy and Simon. What on Earth left these telltale tracks?
0:10:58 > 0:11:02And your clue is that it is an Asian mammal.
0:11:02 > 0:11:08OK, I think there's quite a good clue in that thumb on that track,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10which is unusual, isn't it?
0:11:10 > 0:11:14- Very pronounced.- So if it's an Asian mammal, and it's snowy,
0:11:14 > 0:11:17there are two Asian mammals that have thumbs, aren't there?
0:11:17 > 0:11:21You've got the snow monkey, you've got the macaque, which it could be.
0:11:21 > 0:11:23It could be a macaque. A macaque foot...
0:11:24 > 0:11:28- ..has a thumb.- It does on the hind, and indeed the fore-foot.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31But you've got very stunted little fore-feet there.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34What about a panda?
0:11:34 > 0:11:39- Ah.- Cos the red panda is actually more closely related to the raccoon
0:11:39 > 0:11:43family, and the giant panda is, of course, a bear.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45What is a bear's footprint like?
0:11:45 > 0:11:48It hasn't got a sticky-out thumb like that, anything like it,
0:11:48 > 0:11:52not at all. Not even remotely - I know bear feet.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54You know bear feet. Otherwise, the other ones look like bear feet,
0:11:54 > 0:11:57- the ones without the sticky-out thumb.- Yeah, it's got a dinky thumb,
0:11:57 > 0:11:59though, look at the top one. It's got a dinky thumb.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02- Go red panda. Go on. - All right, let's go, why not?
0:12:02 > 0:12:03- Should we do it?- Yeah.- Red panda.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08Red panda? Well, let's reveal whether you are right or not.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Oh, I was right the first time!
0:12:11 > 0:12:12Oh, no!
0:12:12 > 0:12:16There you are, they are indeed the Japanese macaque.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19- Oh, well.- Shall we see a little bit of film of them...
0:12:19 > 0:12:21- Yes, please.- ..doing what we love seeing them do?
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Walking in the snow or bathing, enjoying the heat of a hot pool.
0:12:25 > 0:12:27- There you go.- There we go.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30That does look heavenly, doesn't it?
0:12:30 > 0:12:31His hands didn't look like...
0:12:31 > 0:12:33They didn't look like monkey hands, did they?
0:12:33 > 0:12:36- Do you know what I mean?- Yeah.- The feet look like they could've been,
0:12:36 > 0:12:38but the hands didn't look like they were.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41- It's the hind feet. - There we are, so I'm sorry,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45but you don't win a new part for your Curious Creature.
0:12:45 > 0:12:51And on that note, it is now time to play our regular mystery animal round,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54which is Is It Bigger Than a Chicken?
0:12:59 > 0:13:02This round is all about one particularly fascinating animal,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06but first of all, our teams have to work out what it is.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11They take turns to ask me questions to which I must be able to answer
0:13:11 > 0:13:13only yes or no.
0:13:13 > 0:13:17Each time they get a "yes", a small part of the animal is revealed.
0:13:17 > 0:13:23And teams, if you wish, you can make a guess at what that animal might be.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27But remember, if you're wrong, you will be out of the round.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30Oh, and there is just one other rule -
0:13:30 > 0:13:34the first question must always be, audience...
0:13:34 > 0:13:37- AUDIENCE:- Is it bigger than a chicken?
0:13:37 > 0:13:39Thank you very much. Simon.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Is it bigger than a chicken?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44Just blurt it out there.
0:13:44 > 0:13:49And I can tell you that the answer is a resounding yes.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52So you get your first visual clue.
0:13:52 > 0:13:53Let's have a look.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Anything you'd like to say about that?
0:13:58 > 0:14:02- Oh, I could have a stab. No, I'm going to hold back.- You're going to hold back? OK. All right.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05OK, Miranda.
0:14:05 > 0:14:06Is it a herbivore?
0:14:06 > 0:14:07Yes, it is.
0:14:09 > 0:14:10Good.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13So you get another little bit of the clue.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16Let's have a look. Which bit is that then?
0:14:17 > 0:14:18I dread to think.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21That rich red colour, when you think about it...
0:14:21 > 0:14:25- The colour is...- Yeah, but there are any number of mammals which have
0:14:25 > 0:14:27that rich red colour, actually.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29So not prepared to take a punt at this time?
0:14:29 > 0:14:31You can go from fox to bandicoot to orang-utan.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35I mean you could go on and on, so we can't be tempted by just the colour.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39- OK.- And the fact that it's, you know...- Furry.- Furry, right.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42OK, well, in that case, I shall move over to Lucy.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Is it a creature with hooves?
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Is it an ungulate?
0:14:46 > 0:14:48No.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51It's not. Chris?
0:14:51 > 0:14:53Is the animal principally arboreal?
0:14:54 > 0:14:56No.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59No, it's not. So Simon, back to you.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04- So it's a ground dwelling... - Non-ungulate...
0:15:04 > 0:15:06Glorious chestnut fur.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11That's completely thrown me. I'm really glad I didn't guess on the first try.
0:15:11 > 0:15:12It's a new species!
0:15:14 > 0:15:17There aren't really any primates that are not arboreal...
0:15:17 > 0:15:19So we are down to rodent, stroke agouti, stroke...
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Oh, I know! It's a capybara!
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Yeah, but anyway...
0:15:23 > 0:15:25Can we say rodent?
0:15:25 > 0:15:26- Yes.- Shall we go for that?
0:15:26 > 0:15:28- Is it a rodent?- Is it a rodent?
0:15:28 > 0:15:29Yes, it is a rodent.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31OK. Here we are.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Here is the third piece of your mystery animal jigsaw.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36So I'm going to put my neck on it.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39- Go on.- Yeah? Cos I get kicked out.
0:15:39 > 0:15:41I'm going to say it's a capybara.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42And you won't get kicked out.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Yay!
0:15:44 > 0:15:45APPLAUSE
0:15:48 > 0:15:51- It is wonderful.- There it is.
0:15:51 > 0:15:53It was indeed a capybara.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56Can you tell us a little bit about a capybara?
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Capybaras are the world's biggest rodents.
0:16:00 > 0:16:02They are pretty big, kind of about...
0:16:02 > 0:16:04- Bigger than that. Keep going. - Like this.- Oh, they're not that big.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07- They are!- Really?- That big!
0:16:07 > 0:16:10- They are huge.- Capybaras that I have seen are kind of, you know,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12they are big. And they...
0:16:12 > 0:16:14I still think a capybara that I have seen...
0:16:14 > 0:16:17- Anyway.- That's a guinea pig, for goodness' sake.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19It's basically...
0:16:19 > 0:16:22A capybara is a souped-up guinea pig.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26It's the world's largest rodent and they live in Central and South America
0:16:26 > 0:16:31and they live near water and the males have harems of females
0:16:31 > 0:16:35and they've just got these wonderful, imperious looking faces.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37And they are rather glorious.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39- And they bark.- Actually,
0:16:39 > 0:16:41I have heard them when they are a little bit shocked,
0:16:41 > 0:16:44they sound a bit like affronted Victorian ladies.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46They sort of go, "Oh!"
0:16:46 > 0:16:48when you surprise them. Anyway...
0:16:48 > 0:16:50- That was really good.- Thank you.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53On that note, you have won another part of your curious creature.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59There we are. Now, Chris and Miranda,
0:16:59 > 0:17:04you have a chance to win a bonus part of your Curious Creature
0:17:04 > 0:17:06if you can answer this question.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10As Lucy said, the capybara is the largest living rodent in the world.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12But do you know what the second-largest is?
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I'm going to go porcupine, one of the porcupine species.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18They get pretty big, and people forget they are rodents.
0:17:18 > 0:17:19Miranda? Do you agree?
0:17:19 > 0:17:22I'm with Chris, I didn't even think about porcupines.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Well, I'm afraid you are wrong.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29The second biggest species of rodent is...
0:17:29 > 0:17:32- the beaver.- Oh.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34- Fat beaver.- The fat beaver.
0:17:34 > 0:17:39The Eurasian beaver, being ever so slightly bigger than the American one.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42OK. But not as exciting as a porcupine.
0:17:42 > 0:17:43- No.- Perhaps not as exciting.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45However, I can give you something exciting.
0:17:45 > 0:17:50Would anyone like to see a capybara doing capybara-type things?
0:17:50 > 0:17:52- Would you like to see it? - I think we all do.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Let's have a look at these lovely creatures.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Oh, look at that face.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01- What was that just jumped on his face? A leaping frog.- Yeah.
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Sit all day and eat.
0:18:03 > 0:18:04They're looking out for jaguars,
0:18:04 > 0:18:07- that's what THEY'RE looking out for.- Aww.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11So sadly, Chris and Miranda,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14you don't add another part to your Curious Creature.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Well done Lucy and Simon, well done everybody.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20We are now all connoisseurs of the capybara.
0:18:26 > 0:18:31Now, in today's round four, our teams become dung detectives,
0:18:31 > 0:18:35because it's time for Whose Poo?
0:18:38 > 0:18:43Yes, this is where our teams become Poirots of poo and Miss Marples
0:18:43 > 0:18:45of muck. They will each have a sample to examine,
0:18:45 > 0:18:49all they have to do is figure out which animal is responsible.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53And today's delightful droppings are kindly provided by our friends
0:18:53 > 0:18:56at the National Poo Museum.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Now we do have a small health and safety message -
0:18:58 > 0:19:01please do not try this at home.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05All animal poo is potentially harmful, and our expert teams -
0:19:05 > 0:19:06that's this lot, apparently -
0:19:06 > 0:19:10are examining their samples under strictly controlled conditions.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12So, Chris and Miranda.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Ta-da!
0:19:14 > 0:19:16- Chocolate raisins.- Now then...
0:19:16 > 0:19:18Ah, well, chocolate raisins, Miranda...
0:19:18 > 0:19:21- After you.- Tell me what you are thinking then, Miranda.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Well, we ought to cut one open and have a little look.
0:19:24 > 0:19:27- You do the dissection. - Oh, they are really hard.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29So, OK. Well, obviously it's a herbivore
0:19:29 > 0:19:32because you can see it's been eating grass.
0:19:32 > 0:19:35They are like little pellets,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38but they are slightly pointed at one end.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Does that give you a clue, if they are slightly pointed at one end?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44The thing is, this is quite a tricky one, because any number of animals
0:19:44 > 0:19:46produce pelleted poo like that.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49And when you think about it, rabbits do it, squirrels do it.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Rabbits produce nice little round spheres of course, in two forms.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58But when it comes to things like goats and sheep and deer,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01all of these animals produce this pelleted poo.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Sometimes when they produce it, it comes out in what I call a crot.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09- Do you call them crots?- I call it a clump, but you can call it a crot if you want to.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12Crot, yeah. So imagine all of that moulded together,
0:20:12 > 0:20:16looks like a pineapple grenade, and then sometimes they fragment.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21Or sometimes they will just come out like this in single bits and it might
0:20:21 > 0:20:26depend on what the animal is eating and whether it had a curry recently.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29Quite a lot of ruminating going on here.
0:20:29 > 0:20:33Do we think it might be a species we would find in this country,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35or do we think it's foreign?
0:20:35 > 0:20:38UK deer species, probably.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40- Mm-hm.- So, there are six species in the UK.
0:20:40 > 0:20:42It's too big for muntjac and Chinese water deer...
0:20:42 > 0:20:44If anyone can get their hands on Chinese water deer poo,
0:20:44 > 0:20:46I'd like to shake those hands,
0:20:46 > 0:20:49because that would be hard to come by.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52So that leaves us with roe, fallow, red and sika.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54You said fallow first of all.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56- Gut feeling?- Gut feeling!
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Look what I did there, yeah.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03Miranda, I'm going to ask you to nail your flag to the mast.
0:21:03 > 0:21:04We're going to go fallow deer.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Fallow deer. Let's see if you're right.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11You're absolutely right.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18So you get a new part of your Curious Creature.
0:21:20 > 0:21:23- Oh, my goodness.- Oh! - There we are.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Now then, to Lucy and Simon.
0:21:28 > 0:21:31- Are you good on poo?- If it's in this country, not bad.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35If it's from other parts of the world - not bad on African poo.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37Get to Asia and it gets a bit shaky.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Let's see what we've got.
0:21:39 > 0:21:40Urgh!
0:21:41 > 0:21:43- Oh, my goodness me!- Nice.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47It looks like some revolting giant insect.
0:21:47 > 0:21:48Delightful.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52So, first impressions?
0:21:52 > 0:21:54- Smelly!- Didn't come from this country.- It's really smelly.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Didn't come from this country, you say, Simon?
0:21:56 > 0:21:58- Mm-hm.- It's really smelly,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01- which makes me think it's a carnivore or an omnivore. - Looks very carnivorous.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05Whoa! For viewers at home, that is one smelly poo.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07- Can I dig in? - You can absolutely dig in.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09Look at this. Hang on.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14Smelly does imply that it's...
0:22:14 > 0:22:18- It looks carnivorous. - Carnivore or omnivore.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Hang on. It's a bit fibrous, though.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22I'm not seeing any animal hair in here.
0:22:22 > 0:22:27It's a sizeable poo, which implies it's come from a sizeable bottom,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30which implies a sizeable creature.
0:22:30 > 0:22:32Look, a lot of vegetable matter there.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37Smells of castoreum, which is the scent that comes from a beaver's...
0:22:37 > 0:22:39- Beaver's anal gland. - And that looks like a beaver poo.
0:22:39 > 0:22:47The reason I don't think it's beaver is because beavers eat lots of wood.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48I think the smelliness...
0:22:48 > 0:22:51What's this? What's going on here?
0:22:51 > 0:22:53Do you think the keeper has red hair?
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Oh! It's an orang-utan!
0:22:55 > 0:22:58- Boom.- That's an orang-utan hair, isn't it?
0:22:58 > 0:23:01That's a long, orange orang-utan hair.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03Primate. Go orang-utan.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06Look at that. That is...
0:23:06 > 0:23:07The clue is this...
0:23:07 > 0:23:08I'm with you, go orang-utan.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11The big clue is this
0:23:11 > 0:23:17red hair that's suspending that fine piece of faecal matter.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21- Yes.- We believe it's an orang-utan poo.
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Shall we see if you're right?
0:23:23 > 0:23:24Yay!
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Lisa and Simon, very well done.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32You get another part of your Curious Creature.
0:23:36 > 0:23:37Hmm.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40There we go. We are nearly at the end of the show,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44which means it's time to see how many bits of their Curious Creatures
0:23:44 > 0:23:46our teams can identify.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53Chris and Miranda have four parts of their Curious Creature,
0:23:53 > 0:23:56and Lucy and Simon also have four.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Well done, both teams.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Chris and Miranda, we are going to start with you, and remember,
0:24:02 > 0:24:06any that you correctly identify will win you two points.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Let's start with that furry little head.
0:24:09 > 0:24:13- Any thoughts?- Well, it's a bear and it's got spectacles.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16- Yes.- Very obviously, it's a spectacled bear.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21Absolutely right. Two points. What about its protuberance?
0:24:21 > 0:24:23- Love that word.- Wow!
0:24:23 > 0:24:27We've all seen these in the park, stealing sandwiches.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31This is the beak of a male Mallard in its breeding plumage.
0:24:31 > 0:24:32It absolutely is.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Four points so far.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38How about its rather splendid body?
0:24:38 > 0:24:43It's a tree frog of some description, but we're just not quite...
0:24:43 > 0:24:45I can give you two points for tree frog,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47but if you want to tell me more about it.
0:24:47 > 0:24:54It's got a couple of white lines and then a dark line going through its eye, looking on the head there,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58which might mean it's the European green tree frog hyla arborea,
0:24:58 > 0:25:01but that would be really chucking it out there.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03It's actually a Japanese tree frog.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07- Of course it is.- What about these rather splendid arms?
0:25:07 > 0:25:11- The arms!- It's surfing arms, isn't it?
0:25:11 > 0:25:13We think the arms of a gibbon.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14I can give you two points for that.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16Do you want to elaborate just a little?
0:25:16 > 0:25:17I'm not big on gibbons.
0:25:17 > 0:25:19I can give you a clue.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22It sort of does what it says on the tin.
0:25:22 > 0:25:23Is it a creosote gibbon?
0:25:26 > 0:25:29- Miranda?- Dark-armed, white-handed gibbon?
0:25:29 > 0:25:33Pretty much. Yes. It is a white-handed gibbon, yes.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Very well done. You have scored eight points.
0:25:36 > 0:25:41We can give you an extra point if you can identify the part
0:25:41 > 0:25:44you didn't win, which is this rather splendid...
0:25:44 > 0:25:47- Oh! Hmm.- Look at that.
0:25:47 > 0:25:50- Oh!- Let's see what it looks like attached.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54That really helps. Much easier to identify.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56Splendid and fluffy?
0:25:56 > 0:25:58Erm...
0:25:58 > 0:26:00- Is that a red squirrel? - It is a red squirrel.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04And so you have a total of nine points.
0:26:09 > 0:26:13So, Lucy and Simon, you've got it all to play for.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17You too have four parts and you will get two points for each one
0:26:17 > 0:26:18you correctly identify.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21Let's start with the head.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24- Pretty straightforward. With that nose.- Tapir face.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Exactly, that's a tapir.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29It is a tapir. Two points for that.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31What about its fancy dress headgear?
0:26:31 > 0:26:35- What do you reckon? Stag beetle. - Looks like a stag beetle.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36- Stag beetle?- Mm-hm.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40Two points, which makes four points so far.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43How about these rather beautiful wings?
0:26:43 > 0:26:47There are a lot of birds with orange undercovers, like a kingfisher.
0:26:47 > 0:26:52- You sure a kingfisher is going to have...?- You can't see blue from the underwing of a kingfisher.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54- Really?- You can't.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57From above you can, from underneath...
0:26:57 > 0:26:59- Obviously on the breast you do. - Yeah. They look white underneath?
0:26:59 > 0:27:02A little bit just through here.
0:27:02 > 0:27:05- Really?- But it's doing a heck of an arc with its wing.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08You're sounding pretty confident, Simon, that you know what it is.
0:27:08 > 0:27:11- Can I just go for it? - Yeah, go for it.- Kingfisher.
0:27:11 > 0:27:13- Nope.- Oh!
0:27:13 > 0:27:15It's actually a Siberian jay.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19- Tricky!- So no points.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21Ouch!
0:27:21 > 0:27:25God, Simon, how did you not know the Siberian jay?
0:27:25 > 0:27:27I do actually know what the Siberian jay looks like,
0:27:27 > 0:27:30- but it didn't come to mind.- Sadly, you are not going to be able to win,
0:27:30 > 0:27:34but let's make sure you are in close running for second,
0:27:34 > 0:27:38and see if you can identify this beautiful body.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40That's easier. That's a sloth bear.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43Absolutely right. Yes. Two points for that.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48And I can give you one point for the bit that you didn't manage to win
0:27:48 > 0:27:51throughout the show, and it is this.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Snow leopard.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57It is a snow leopard. Cos you can tell from the snow. Yeah.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59And the tail. And even from the tail!
0:28:00 > 0:28:02You are right.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06It is a snow leopard, which brings your total to seven points.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12- Siberian jay!- Siberian jay.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14But valiant though that effort was,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17it means that Chris and Miranda are today's winners.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Thank you to all four of you Curious Creatures for playing today,
0:28:26 > 0:28:30and thank you too, to you hopefully happy hominids at home for watching.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32We'll see you next time, goodbye.