0:00:02 > 0:00:04A long time ago, Darwin came to our island.
0:00:04 > 0:00:09The stories that he told, well, filled my granddad with wonder!
0:00:09 > 0:00:13And he told me so that I could tell you.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19Granddad, have you ever seen a flying tortoise?
0:00:19 > 0:00:22No, son. I don't think I have!
0:00:22 > 0:00:26Mind you, there are some strange-looking animals out there.
0:00:26 > 0:00:32- Like what, Granddad?- Like the very unusual-looking platypus.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36Once upon a time, a young platypus hatched from his egg,
0:00:36 > 0:00:40and stayed safely in his burrow with his mummy.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44One morning, however, Peter Platypus woke up to find his mummy
0:00:44 > 0:00:46wasn't lying next to him!
0:00:46 > 0:00:48Mummy...Mummy!
0:00:48 > 0:00:52And when Peter Platypus heard no answer, he decided to set off
0:00:52 > 0:00:55to find her. The problem was,
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Peter had never seen his mummy in the daylight.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Mummy! Mummy!
0:01:01 > 0:01:06Oh! I'm not your mummy, little one. I'm a kookaburra.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10- But I have a beak just like you. - Maybe so, little one,
0:01:10 > 0:01:15and it's a beautiful beak. Great for digging up worms and insects
0:01:15 > 0:01:21under rocks on the river bed. But you have fur, and I have feathers.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24So I'm definitely not your mummy.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Oh. I'll go and find my mummy with fur, then. Cheerio!
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Mummy? Mummy?
0:01:30 > 0:01:31Me? Mummy?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Oh, no! I don't think so, little one.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Why? I have fur, just like you.
0:01:37 > 0:01:42Yes, and beautiful fur it is too. Very good for keeping you warm.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47And I'm sure it'll help you swim fast in the water too. But...
0:01:47 > 0:01:51you have webbed feet which, again, are great in the water,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54but my feet are very different.
0:01:54 > 0:02:00I'll go back to the water and find my mummy with webbed feet. Cheerio!
0:02:00 > 0:02:01Mummy? Mummy?
0:02:01 > 0:02:03What? I'm not your mummy!
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Why not? I have webbed feet just like you.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12Yes, so you do. But you have a long tail. I don't have one like that.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17Look! The crocodile who lives in the river has a long tail.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20I'll go and see her, and see if she's my mummy, then.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24Be careful, little one. Don't get too close!
0:02:24 > 0:02:26Mummy? Mummy?
0:02:26 > 0:02:28Aaah.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32- I'm not your mummy, or your daddy, for that matter.- Why?
0:02:32 > 0:02:35You have a long tail just like mine.
0:02:35 > 0:02:40Yeah, but it's very different to yours, and I bet you don't have
0:02:40 > 0:02:43my sharp teeth to eat things with!
0:02:43 > 0:02:48You're right, Croc! He doesn't have sharp teeth, but he does have
0:02:48 > 0:02:52a beak a bit like me and a kookaburra.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55Fur like kangaroo, feet like me...
0:02:55 > 0:03:00and a long tail a bit like yours. And this makes him
0:03:00 > 0:03:03a fine, young platypus.
0:03:03 > 0:03:04So?
0:03:04 > 0:03:09A platypus has a poisonous spine to defend himself.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Ha! I do!
0:03:11 > 0:03:14I wasn't that hungry anyway.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Thank you. But how will I find my mummy now?
0:03:18 > 0:03:20HE CRIES I'm lost...
0:03:20 > 0:03:22and I don't know my way back.
0:03:22 > 0:03:27Oh, well...you obviously live near the river,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29as you have webbed feet, like me.
0:03:29 > 0:03:32Sleek fur to help you glide through water...
0:03:32 > 0:03:35A beak for finding food on the river bed.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38And a tail a bit like mine.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42Why don't you carry on up the river, making a noise your mummy can hear?
0:03:43 > 0:03:46HE BARKS SOFTLY
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Mummy! Mummy!
0:03:51 > 0:03:56Peter! Where have you been? I've looked everywhere for you.
0:03:56 > 0:03:58You look just like me!
0:03:58 > 0:04:01Of course I do, Peter. I'm your mummy.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Now, you must be hungry.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08Wow, a platypus is really strange!
0:04:08 > 0:04:12I think it would be pretty cool to have parts of different animals.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16So which part of which animal would you like?
0:04:16 > 0:04:20I want the wings of an eagle so I can fly,
0:04:20 > 0:04:24a giraffe's neck so I can eat those leaves up there,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28and I want camel's legs so I can walk in the desert.
0:04:28 > 0:04:32Looking like that, where would be the perfect place for you to live?
0:04:32 > 0:04:34Hmm...
0:04:36 > 0:04:41The next story is all about a very popular desert plant
0:04:41 > 0:04:42called a cactus.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45THUNDER CRACKS
0:04:45 > 0:04:49- I don't like this thunder and lightning.- It'll soon pass, Sam.
0:04:49 > 0:04:53And just think how good all this rain is for the plants.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57- Really, Granddad? - Of course rain is good!
0:04:57 > 0:05:03Without water, there'd be no plants, which would mean no food for us.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08Well, maybe rain isn't so bad, but I don't like the thunder.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10I know what will help pass the time.
0:05:10 > 0:05:17A tale about a very popular and unusual plant called a cactus.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21One day, a family of woodpeckers were blown off course
0:05:21 > 0:05:26by a terrible storm, and got lost in the desert.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- I'm hungry, Mummy!- Oh...I'm thirsty.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33Huddle in tight, we'll find some food as soon as the storm is over.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37Once the storm had passed, the desert changed very quickly,
0:05:37 > 0:05:42from wet and thundery to very, very hot and dry.
0:05:42 > 0:05:43Goodness me!
0:05:43 > 0:05:48What are you all doing here? I've never seen birds
0:05:48 > 0:05:50like you around here before.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53We're lost and looking for food and shelter.
0:05:53 > 0:05:58- Best thing you can do is find a cactus.- A cactus?
0:05:58 > 0:06:02- I don't think I've seen one of those before!- It's a green plant.
0:06:02 > 0:06:07And there'll be plenty of water inside it for your little 'uns.
0:06:07 > 0:06:13And so Mother Woodpecker set off across the hot, dry, dusty desert,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17to find a green plant called a cactus.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22Excuse me, lizard. I'm looking for a plant called a cactus.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27Oh, the cactus is very popular around here. It holds so much water
0:06:27 > 0:06:31- and lots of insects live there too. - I love insects...and water!
0:06:31 > 0:06:35Why does a cactus have lots of water, Granddad?
0:06:35 > 0:06:40A cactus is like a big water tank. It soaks up lots and lots of water
0:06:40 > 0:06:44when it rains, and its waxy skin stops the water leaking out
0:06:44 > 0:06:45when it gets hot.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48So where can we find a cactus?
0:06:48 > 0:06:50Keep travelling in that direction.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54You should find one amongst the other desert trees.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58Oh, and watch out - the cactus has spines.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01There! A cactus!
0:07:01 > 0:07:05It might be! Let's see if there's any water in it.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11There's no water. This can't be a cactus.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14There are no spines, either.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Let's not give up. Come on, we're looking for a thick, green plant,
0:07:18 > 0:07:22with waxy skin and prickles.
0:07:22 > 0:07:23There!
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I don't think that's a cactus either.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30But...look behind it! Over there!
0:07:30 > 0:07:31Follow me!
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Now, mind where you land, little ones. Remember the spines!
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Oh, my!
0:07:40 > 0:07:42And look at these insects.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45KIDS: Wow!
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Ouch. Ouch!
0:07:48 > 0:07:49What's that?
0:07:49 > 0:07:54It looks like a cactus doesn't want to be eaten by rats.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57A perfect nest!
0:07:59 > 0:08:01I wonder if we can eat this.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05It's a very good thing that the woodpeckers enjoy the fruit,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08because it contains seeds.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10- Why?- Well...
0:08:10 > 0:08:13When they eat the fruit, they swallow the seeds,
0:08:13 > 0:08:17and the seeds come out in the woodpeckers' poo.
0:08:17 > 0:08:23When the poo lands on the floor, hopefully, more cactuses will grow!
0:08:23 > 0:08:26The next time there was a desert storm,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29the woodpeckers were much safer.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33The hole that Mother Woodpecker found in the stem of the cactus
0:08:33 > 0:08:37gave them great shelter. And if you looked carefully on the floor,
0:08:37 > 0:08:41you could see a little baby cactus growing too.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44From the woodpecker's poo!
0:08:44 > 0:08:46He-he! Yes, Sam.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48What are you doing, Sam?
0:08:48 > 0:08:52I'm going to gather lots of rainwater,
0:08:52 > 0:08:55so I can store it like a cactus.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57But you don't have prickles -
0:08:57 > 0:09:00how are you going to stop me getting to it?
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Hmm.
0:09:05 > 0:09:11In the next story, Sam finds out that not all tortoises look like us.
0:09:12 > 0:09:17Granddad! Look at these fish! They all look the same!
0:09:17 > 0:09:22We look almost the same, don't we? Are all tortoises like us, Granddad?
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Well, some are very different.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28- Are they?- On that island over there,
0:09:28 > 0:09:33the tortoises have long legs, their shells are a different shape,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37and their necks are much longer than ours.
0:09:37 > 0:09:38Why's that?
0:09:38 > 0:09:43Well, a long, long, long time ago,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47tortoises all looked a bit like each other,
0:09:47 > 0:09:52and they lived on an island where there were plenty of plants to eat.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Whoa! Hold on tight, Sam!
0:09:55 > 0:09:58We don't want you washed away by the sea!
0:09:59 > 0:10:03Sometimes, tortoises did get washed away from the island.
0:10:03 > 0:10:05What happened to them?
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Some tortoises floated across to islands
0:10:08 > 0:10:11where there weren't so many plants -
0:10:11 > 0:10:13where survival was hard.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17It's good to be out of the sea, but...
0:10:17 > 0:10:20There's not much on this island to eat.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23And there's not much on this island to drink.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25THEY SIGH
0:10:25 > 0:10:28Some of the tortoises did not survive.
0:10:28 > 0:10:35But some did, and after a long, long, long, long time,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39some of the tortoises were born with longer legs, and some
0:10:39 > 0:10:41had slightly longer necks.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45These helped them to live on the island more easily.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49- BOTH:- Stre-e-e-etch!
0:10:51 > 0:10:53Oh, that's too high.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56If only my shell didn't get in the way,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58I'd be able to reach it.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Being different can be really useful.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06Oh, yes. And when those tortoises had babies,
0:11:06 > 0:11:11some had longer legs, and some had longer necks.
0:11:11 > 0:11:15And after a long, long, long, long time,
0:11:15 > 0:11:18some even had slightly different-shaped shells,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21that didn't get in the way of their stretching.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26And it was the tortoises with the longest legs, and the longest necks,
0:11:26 > 0:11:29and the different-shaped shells who survived best.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31Correct.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35They were better suited to living on that dry and black island.
0:11:35 > 0:11:40So what about the tortoises on that island? Do they look like us?
0:11:40 > 0:11:43I'm not sure. Shall we go and see?
0:11:43 > 0:11:45OK!
0:11:45 > 0:11:46Watch out!
0:11:46 > 0:11:51Granddad! That tortoise looks like us, but he's much, much bigger!
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Oh, yes!
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Whoa!
0:11:56 > 0:11:59- THEY COUGH AND SPLUTTER - Don't panic, Sam!
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Us tortoises float. I'll swim over and get you.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08Climb up on my shell, Sam, and we'll float over to the island.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12You OK?
0:12:12 > 0:12:13That was a big wave!
0:12:13 > 0:12:15This is fun!
0:12:15 > 0:12:20- So, shall I finish the story as we go?- OK!
0:12:20 > 0:12:24You remember the tortoises that got washed onto the first island,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- and didn't have much to eat?- Yes...
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Some tortoises got washed onto islands
0:12:31 > 0:12:33where there was lots of food.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Plenty of lush food!
0:12:37 > 0:12:39And plenty of water!
0:12:41 > 0:12:45- BOTH:- And there's no sign of danger! Phew!
0:12:46 > 0:12:48So, with plenty of food,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52and no need to run away from animals that might eat them,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55these tortoises grew quite large.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00And when they laid eggs, some of those tortoises were bigger,
0:13:00 > 0:13:03and then some of their children were bigger too!
0:13:03 > 0:13:09And it all happened over many, many years, until they became...
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Giant, giant tortoises!
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Correct.
0:13:13 > 0:13:19Tortoises that once looked like each other had become different.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21Hello!
0:13:22 > 0:13:26So, Granddad, how long would we have to live on this island
0:13:26 > 0:13:28to grow as big as that tortoise?
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Hmm...
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:13:42 > 0:13:45E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk