Stinky and Jake: Here on the Animal Show.
Here on the Animal Show.
Here on the Animal Show!
Bunnie Bear: From under the ocean, over the clouds, and around the world…
Armstrong the Chickenhawk: Here comes the wild side of wild life.
Bunnie: The Animal Show!
Armstrong: And now, let’s have a wild welcome for your furry friends-
Bunnie: Stinky and Jake!
Stinky and Jake: Now it’s The Animal Show!
Jake: Hello, all you animals out there!
Stinky: I’m Stinky.
Jake: And I’m Jake. And today, we are going to meet the dung beetle and the Burmese python, both of which are animals that are considered invasive species.
Stinky: Invasive? Does that mean that they’re aliens?
Jake: No, Stinky. An invasive animal is an animal that has been released in the wrong habitat by humans. This can cause the habitat to lose its ecological balance. For example, mongooses were released in Hawaii to get rid of rats. This represented a problem because the rats are nocturnal, while the mongooses are diurnal. Now, Hawaii is swarming with rats AND mongooses.
Stinky: I bet it was Ernie.
Armstrong: And now, it’s time for…
Bunnie: That’s amazing! Today, we take a look at the cane toad.
This amphibian has the record of being the largest toad. It lives in South America, but was introduced to Australia in the 1930s.
Armstrong: But won’t the toads get eaten by other animals?
Bunnie: Cane toads are poisonous. If another animal eats this toad, it will die. As a result, cane toads have taken over two thirds of Australia.
Armstrong: Now, that’s a warty fact that will make you say…
Jake: That’s amazing! (Stinky returns with a detective outfit) Jake, what are you dressed as?
Stinky: Skunklock Holmes. I’m gonna investigate the show to see which cast members are invasive.
Jake: Stinky, polar bears are not invasive. And you know where I come from: The North Pole! Anyway, here’s our first guest all the way from Africa, please welcome Marvin the Dung Beetle!
(Bunnie carries over Marvin inside a small tank)
Marvin: G’day, Stinky and Jake. It’s a pleasure to be on the show.
Stinky: You have an Australian accent. Does that mean you’re an invasive species?
Marvin: Well, yes. We’ve been introduced to many different places, including Australia.
Stinky: What is that you’re rolling?
Marvin: That’s dung. We roll it around, lay our eggs in it, and our babies eat it. So do the adults.
Stinky: What’s dung?
Jake: Well, Stinky. Dung is… (whispers into Stinky’s ear)
Stinky: Ew, that’s disgusting!
Jake: Sorry you had to hear that.
Marvin: That’s okay. We get that a lot.
Jake: Tell me, Marvin. What are dung beetles doing in Australia?
Marvin: Humans brought us over to help control the fly populations. The flies breed in unburied cow dung, but we bury it, preventing the flies from breeding. As the flies started disappearing, we dung beetles took over. But there are animals in Australia that eat dung beetles: Echidnas, frilled lizards, spiders, and bandicoots. However, as Bunnie said earlier, we’re nothing compared to other invasive species in Australia, such as yellow crazy ants, European wasps, rabbits, and especially cane toads. At least we don’t eat the animals native to Australia like those pesky amphibians! And to make matters worse, they’re more tolerant to saltwater than most amphibians.
Stinky: Have you ever wondered what life in Africa is like? I’ve been to the Brushlands before.
Marvin: I’ve been told that it’s beautiful. Why do you ask?
Stinky: Well, you could visit Africa yourself with the Habitat Door!
Marvin: That sounds wonderful, but I’m afraid that my friends would miss me.
Jake: You could always send postcards.
Marvin: You’re right! They might miss me, but you know the old saying: The bird’s gotta leave the nest. (Marvin leaves to go to Africa)
Jake: And now, it’s time for…
Jake and Stinky: Baby talk!
(NOTE: Unfortunately, the original photos that went with today's Baby Talk have been deleted, so today, I will provide a link to a sparrow mom feeding her chicks. I'll explain why I picked sparrows in the Author's Notes.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdQ_SA1JCs4
(cut back to Stinky and Jake with Tizzy)
Tizzy the Bee: Hi, everyone! Time for a quiz! (cuts to the screen below)
Which of these animals DOES NOT live in Australia? The tortoise, the koala, the lyrebird, or the camel? Give it a think. Back in a buzz!
(Tizzy flies back to Stinky and Jake, who are having a hard time finding the answer)
Jake: You’re the detective, here. You should know the answer for once.
Stinky: I know which one of these animals is not found in Australia- The camel!
Tizzy: Ding-dong. You’re wrong. The answer is the tortoise.
Tortoises live on every continent except for Australia and Antarctica. They usually live in either deserts or jungles.
Koalas, on the other hand, are native to Australia. Unfortunately, their population is dropping like honey! This is because of habitat loss, bushfires, road accidents, and even attacks from dogs!
Lyrebirds are also native to Australia, and are capable of imitating human speech just like parrots!
Camels normally live in Africa and Asia, but were introduced to Australia after some humans settled there. There are now so many that they have been eating a lot of the country’s native plants! Bee-lieve it, because it’s true!
To be continued in Part 2...
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