Episode 2 Autumnwatch Unsprung

Tired, jaded, under the weather? Let Dr Martin help you. I prescribe

a dose of war, neat, uncluttered We have got level-headed Joe, our

producer. You can get in contact with her right now. We have got a

fabulous audience. And we have got a friend or a Autumnwatch Unsprung,

Maya Plass. What on earth was that music, made? It was a disaster!

We have got to apologise. Why is it always made it has to apologise.

Last week, I made a mistake. Well, I didn't, who was it? We said that

a wild boar could produce 100 piglets in her lifetime. But

apparently that is complete rubbish. In fact, she can produce between 20

and 36. Another thing we did do last week was to throw out to the

audience an invitation to tell us what you think about the wild boar

controversy. We showed a film of They are an animal that would at

some stage need management because they are at the top of the food

chain. Martin, what you think? have lost the piece of paper it is

written on. We had very emotional responses, as you would expect, and

some responses from abroad. Berlin, wild boar have moved right

into the heart of the city, and I have seen photographs of people

waiting at a bus-stop with the animals routine over the Virgin

front of them. Are you serious? they live alongside them. Last week

we had Caspar. He is the albino squirrel. Let's have another look

at him. No, we don't have that. It is all going tremendously well,

isn't it? Oh, here he comes. Their ears. That has motivated you, the

audience, to send in all sorts of albino animals. Have a look at

Oh, no, they are the badgers. This is from Martyn and Sue Wisbey. Here

is a blackbird with a white head from Roger Brown. And perhaps most

curious of all, and meadow brown, but it is white.

One of the theories is that this is the result of a parasite that has

got into the developing larvae of the butterfly. Where are becoming

surrounded! They are ganging up on us. During the pupa stage, that is

when the butterfly's colours are being put into the wings. They have

little scales, and the blood is pumped through these, and it

carries the pigment. After all of the raid is gone, it fills up those

it is meant to, and they seal. Through the process, each of these

things are filled. They dry out and fold into the scales we see on the

butterfly. One idea for these aberrations is that while this is

in progress during metamorphoses, a parasite has disrupted the

distribution of pigment into these little sacks that become cells. It

is still symmetrical, you say. it looked healthy. Yes, but it was

sticking out like a sore thumb. The meadow brown is Brown for a reason.

What about the White Badger's? think those weren't albino badgers.

Albino badgers are actually very very rare. I think they are

actually arithmetic. That is an animal with a reduced amount of

melanin in its skin. You could see the strides if you look carefully.

And we had a lot of pictures of white animals sent to us. You know

how we have... De you have more to say? No, I am waiting for you!

always have a live animal and the studio - well, today, we have 50.

We have a rock pool. Hannah is from the National Marine aquarium in

Plymouth. This is fabulous. Have we really got 50 creatures in there?

think it might be even more than that. This is a pretty unusual rock

pool. This is something you wouldn't see in every rock pool.

And this is all stuff we can see in this country? Absolutely. We will

have a closer look at what is in here, and we are very much looking

forward to it. You might have your own quiz, but we will have a quiz

for you. We like this one. This week, are quizzes in the form of a

map. We want you to identify which creatures use these pathways to

migrate. Creature any moves from the extreme north down to the UK.

This one here moves around the seas of the UK, but then goes to the

Atlantic Ocean. The last one goes in the reverse direction, starts

around the Caribbean, goes across to West Africa and then comes up

into the waters around the UK. And lastly this one, it originates

around the UK and then his travelling down around the coast of

Europe and West Africa and then diverting right across here to

South America off the coast of Send your answers in. This is quite

a difficult one. I will be surprised if everyone gets this.

The last one is tricky. Has anyone got it yet? Give us some questions,

Michaela. This is a sweet question, handwritten on a piece of paper.

This is Finley Whales, we're doing this first because he might have to

go to bed soon. He sent us this: Why do some of my acorns look like

this? My six-year-old asked me the same thing the other day when we

went for a walk. I would say that that is caused by a wasp. Thank

goodness for your son! This is where a wasp aid has been laid

inside, and the egg and the La they modify the plant tissue to make it

more a double and at the same time to make it grow so that it better

protect them. These wasps are, and they lay their eggs into all sorts

of plant material. Sometimes there can be so many of them that

virtually every acorn on the tree has been turned into one of these.

How many little Wasps would be in there? Normally just one, although

in some instances, maybe more. It looks like to have grown either

side of the Acorn. -- two have grown. This was a fabulous question

from a nine-year-old, so thank you Now, we have some people who will

ask us questions on the video. We have got the group of the week from

the Cotswolds, who will personally Can you think of an ass question?

We other keepers at the Cotswold Wildlife Park. My Name is Hanna.

Where on a moth is the Johnston's organ found, and what is it for?

am Chris, and my question is when does an invasive species have

become classified as a native species. I was going to do my David

Attenborough voice, but I don't think I will. With tawny owls,

which one says twit and which once I have those questions here. What

is the Johnston's organ, and where is it on a moth? Isn't it on any?

On their lead? Oh, you will know, Chris. I think it is on the antenna.

It orientate them, like our inner ear. It is for balance. I think it

is a balance organ. But there is something else on the leg. I think

it is to do with sense of smell. You are thinking of the Jacobson

has organ in the roof of a snake. am! From Chris, when does an

invasive species become a native one. This is so difficult. Everyone

loves little owls. There is a perfect example, invasive species.

Grey squirrels. There was a white one on the screen a moment ago.

That is an adaptive evolutionary step, if they all became white we

would love them! Horse chestnut is an invasive species, and we love

them. You're avoiding answering the question. We normally sane native

when the land bridge between the UK and Europe closed, because that was

the last point at which mammals could crossover so most of the

purists use that. But harvest mice, brown hares, in fact 48% of our

terrestrial mammals, if you use that as the native., are not native.

Where have you suddenly pulled that fact from? It is incredible. From

Debbie, tawny owls, which one does twit? And which one says whom?

think it is the males and the females. Yes, it is a duet, and

they do it so quickly, you think it is one of bird, but it is two.

That explains the coat! She was kept away as they are sorting out

their territories. We are going to test you now, aren't we? Is Mia

there? Here she comes. A couple of boring

ied ems for you there. -- items for you there. These are

my boring items. These two here. You are looking distracted already!

These are the boring ones, you see. We are looking at the creatures

which have made these holes. There is an animal which bores into

wood. When I have seen pidit holes they are a nuisance. They bore into

them. It will be something like that.

Similar. You are close. It is a ship-worm. It is not a worm. It is

actually a type of shell that goes in and uses its foot to attach

itself and make all those holes. Presumably in the past that did

damage to wooden ships. That is why they used to put cooper plates

under ships. They would do that to stop these things from eating all

the wood. So.... Almost got you on that one.

This is another boring animal. not a dog well. That would be one

hole. This is a boring sponge. You can dissolve it into a mineral acid,

which will leave the little bits that are used to make the holes.

You can find them left over in acid and put them under a microscope.

You think of them as filtering animals. This is an especially

interesting one. May I guess at this one? You can.

This is an arris tottal's lat tern. It is the mouth part of an octopus.

Sea our chin. -- urchin.

That would have been inside. That is the right side. That is the

mouth area and that is the bottom. So, this is, this dental apparatus

sits inside. If you are lucky and go to an aquarium you may see them.

They scrape the algae off. It is an amazing piece of dental apparatus.

I was sorry for our chins. That hole in the top there is its bottom.

I just want you to imagine what The last one here. When you hold it

you are never supposed to make a mistake. Is that an old wife's

tale? That is symmetrical. Do you know what it is, Martin?

it a tooth. A grinding tooth of a ray. I think it's a grinding tooth

of a ray or a skaet. I would have said a -- skate.

It is a grinding tooth of something. You are close. It is the throat

teeth. It is something which the fishermen would have used as a good

luck talisman. Sometimes they are silver-coated. So it is the teeth

in the middle there. What do they use them for?

It has been a pleasure. I have learnt things. That is what it's

all about. How could you possibly know that answer? The answer to

that? You need to come with me now. We need to go to our live animals

in the rock pool. Sorry, audience. We are moving you around a bit.

Show me something fascinating. is hard to pick anything out. This,

you might well recognise as one of these, it is a mermaid's purse.

Here you can see, if I shine the light. You can see something moving.

That is fantastic. Inside, like a chicken egg, you have the yolk at

the bottom. You can see this, they used to be dog fish, now they are

cat sharks. You can see it wriggling around. I have seen lots

like this. It is unusual to see them like this. What about this?

That is a snake lock. You can see around the coast of Britain. These

are great to see. One thing about rock pooling is you can use all

your senses. When you touch it feels sticky. That is firing

stinging cells at you. Trying to catch you and pulling you into its

mouth. It uses its mouth as its bottom and releases sperm and eggs

from there as well. Imagine if we did that!

What a horrible thought! We have shrimps and prawns here and crabs.

That is always a great one to get children to do, is find as many

different species of crabs. We have her mit crabs in here. We have one

isolated crab in there. Why is she in there? She is nasty. These are

called the devil crab. They have bright red eyes. If I were to put

my hand in there, she would put her claws up and try and get me.

Where is the best place to take your kids to do this rockpooling?

The beach, more than the woodland! Surprisingly. There r there any top

spots? You want somewhere with a rocky sub strait to it and ask

locally. Make sure you get a spring tide. When the moon is full or new

you will see the most species. are not supposed to use a net.

advise not to. If you are digging around with a net it is destructive.

If you are digging around with your hands and a bucket to examine

things and then put them back where you found them is better than using

a net. It is good, to keep your kids interested to take an

identification kit so they know what they are looking at.

Get them to take a notebook to do drawings and identify them when

they get home and look before you go out so you can help identify

them together. It is an amazing thing to get ure kids to do. Our

big kids will do it, as in Chris and Martin. They are going

rockpooling next week. We are. If you are out and about

rockpooling, send us your photos. We would love to see them. A live

rock pool in the studio. What will we have next week, I wonder!

There's a rockpooling guide on the web if you log on to it in fact. We

must answer the quiz questions. Jo, did anyone get it right? A few

people did. My favourite answer was from Luke. He thought A, it could

be Santa Claus. Shall we ask the audience? What do

you think A was? It is moving to the north of England and Scotland.

Any answer? Geese.

Barnacle geese. Ba creature to and from a

mysterious place in the Atlantic here. It is in the water, quite

clearly. Eels. That is correct.

C, is a creature move from the Caribbean area and coming up into

the cooler waters of Europe. This was the tricky one. Anyone here?

Turtles. Who said that? It's a leatherback turtle. The last one is

a bird which is move from here, around the UK, it's going down the

coast of Africa and to Argentina. It is the one and only?

Storm petrol. Close.

It's the Manx shearwater. Who got it right? Let's

Good going. Round of applause for them.

That was tricky, wasn't it? Are we doing marine questions next? We can

give these to you. Question one, do you want to do that, tree sparrow.

Have you any idea what this marine skull is? It looks like a beak of

some sort and found on a beach in Northumberland earlier this year.

You have a ruler there to show you the scale.

It is a bird. Looks like the ster number. The -- sternum.

If If you flicked it up you would recognise it. It looks like that of

a large bird, a goes or a gar net, something like that.

The one got in touch via Facebook. "I didn't realise about the amount

of jellyfish we have around the UK. How many are there? What is the

most dangerous domestic one and any nasty visitors?" We had one nasty

one, the Portuguese man-of-war. It is not a jellyfish. We have a

picture of it. Bring it on. Look at that!

So, that is a one. One is the stinging bit and one is the

digesting bit. It is confusing. It is strange. It

is not quite a jellyfish. This sting is nasty. It is beautiful. I

had one in a tank one. The tentals go down and spring back up. A woman

keeping a man-of-war. My daughter had it in a bucket swinging besides

her. This is a massive jellyfish here.

These are moon jellyfish. This is a smack of jellyfish.

That's brilliant. If you get stung by them it feels

like you are being smacked. They congregate. The males and females

have to be together. Do we have more questions? Shall we

find out what's going on this weekend? Jo, can you tell us....

I'll go over to the map. Tell us what people can join in with.

open weekend at near Scunthorpe. No need to book. People can turn up.

On Sunday, you have to get up early. 8.30am, a guided migration walk at

Gibbs Point near -- at gibbral ta Point near stegness.

It really is, as I said earlier, if you want to see the stall mon

migration, a great time to see it and the bird migration. It will be

a great Saturday for migrating birds. Get out and about.

I have found this question. Positive. This is from T, wild boar

and I would love to see them introduced in all protected forests.

In a world we are losing so many wild animals we should embrace the

ones we have. Roy, on the other side said wild boar need to be

controlled or we'll have the same problem they have in Scotland with

the dear population. A hot debate - - deer population. A hot debate.

is a creature we've got to learn to live with. I would like to see boar

and the predators back. We'll be back next week.