Jake: And now, let’s see what’s cooking in the kitchen with Yves St. La Roche.
Stinky: If that’s the case, I need to put my suit back on.
(cuts to Yves in his kitchen)
Yves: I’ll get you for that, little stinker! (looks at camera) Oh, bonjour, bonjour little animals out there! Do you want to be poisonous? Well, here’s your chance, with Yves St. La Roche’s toxic salad. First, we add some poison ivy (pours ivy into the bowl), then some wild berries (pours berries into the bowl), and finally some Brussel sprouts (pours Brussel sprouts into the bowl). I know that Brussel sprouts are not toxic, but I’ve been around many humans, and their young absolutely hate it! Anyway, we mix the ingredients around, and voila! You have a toxic salad. (takes a bite) Delicious! Could use a little soap, though. (squirts dish soap on the salad) Just be warned that this won’t work on all animals.
(cuts back to Stinky and Jake, with the latter having his hazmat suit back on)
Jake: And now, from the deserts of the world....
Stinky: World.
Jake: Please welcome Hank the Scorpion!
Hank: Hello, guys. It’s not often you have an arthropod on the show.
Stinky: An Arthur-what?
Hank: Arthropod. It’s a group of boneless animals that includes bugs, arachnids, and crustaceans. We scorpions are arachnids, so we’re related to spiders and ticks. Here, take a look.
Stinky: You live all the way in the desert?
Hank: Usually, though some of us live in jungles.
Stinky: Remind me to never go to the jungle.
Jake: What are the claws for?
Hank: We use the hairs on our claws like a radar to find prey. They’re also as powerful as our tails.
Jake: And the tails have venom, right?
Hank. Yesiree, but most scorpions won’t do fatal damage to humans. Unless you live in the Sahara Desert in Africa. And want to know something else?
Jake: That scorpions fight animals bigger than themselves?
Hank: That, and we also glow in the dark. Can someone kill the lights? (the lights turn off, and Hank turns blue)
Stinky: Wow, that’s cool! Can you also sing?
Hank: Well, this one can.
Jake: And now, here’s Hank singing ‘The Scorpion Tango’.
Hank: The scorpion is toxic
The scorpion is tough
But we don't mind living out in the bluff!
Lift up your claws and tail, and swing to and fro
We're doing the Scorpion Tango!
Many animals don't like us, like humans and dogs
But we're considered a meal by mongooses and hogs!
We live where there's no water, and absolutely no mangos
We're doing the scorpion tango
Now wrap your tails around each other
Don't try this at home!
And swing your partner around
Until he reaches Rome
But be careful of your tail
Or you might go Bango-o
We're doing the scorpion tango!
Bunnie: And now it’s time for the Animal Awards! Today, the award for the most poisonous animal. Could it be… the lionfish?
Armstrong: The blue-ringed octopus?
Bunnie: The black mamba?
Armstrong: Or the box jellyfish?
Bunnie: And the winner is… The box jellyfish, which can kill up to 60 adult humans!
Armstrong: Remind me to never learn how to swim.
Bunnie: Back to you Stinky and Jake!
Jake: And now it’s time for a story. Today’s story takes place in the desert and features a snake. Want to join, Hank?
Hank: Sure! I’m actually friends with a snake.
Jake: Today, we’re going to read ‘Stinky's Bad Day’.
Stinky: Not again.
Jake: Let me read the book, please. “Once upon a time, there was a skunk named Stinky. He was walking along one day, but little did he know that he was being watched by a snake. As he walked, not paying attention to where he was going, he stepped right on a prickly cactus. ‘Ouch, oocha, oh, oh,’ He said. ‘Oh, that really, really hurts.’ And then he ran around trying to get it off of his foot. Just then, ‘hisssss’, said the snake. “What are you doing here skunk? This is my spot.’ Fortunately for Stinky, this snake was not poisonous. But he was angry. He didn’t want any skunk in his favorite spot. ‘Hey you, get off of my sand!’ ‘Okay, okay, I’m leaving, sheesh.’ Said Stinky. And so, the little skunk learned one of the most valuable lessons of life in the wild. Watch where you’re going, or you might never get there. The end.”
Hank: (laughing hysterically) That was the funniest story I ever heard! Wait until I tell Yenye about this!
Stinky: Did you have to read that, Jake?
Jake: Sorry, Stinky. There were no stories about scorpions in this book.
(cut to Armstrong and Bunnie in front of the habitat door)
Bunnie: Okay, Armstrong. It’s Habitat Time! Today, we’re going to the deserts of North America.
Armstrong: Deserts?! As in scorching sun, prickly cactuses, and sand that hurts your feet? Count me out.
Bunnie: Oh, Armstrong. Give it another chance. You might fight a girl bird there!
Armstrong: Okay, but only for the girl birds.
Bunnie: (opens the door) Then let’s go!
This is the Mojave Desert, one of the hottest places in North America. Despite having little water, there are lots of unique animals found here.
This is a ground squirrel. Rather than living in trees, these critters spend most of their time in underground burrows.
Armstrong: Do they eat nuts?
Bunnie: No, ground squirrels eat plants and bugs.
Armstrong: Great, another poisonous animal.
Bunnie: No need to worry, Armstrong! That’s just a terrestrial garter snake, and it seems to be swimming in a puddle.
Other common animals in the desert include lizards, such as this plateau lizard.
Armstrong: A lizard? I thought it was a dragon.
Hey look, I found a bird! Can I bring it home with me?
Bunnie: Sorry, Armstrong, but the LeConte’s thrasher prefers to live in deserts with very little vegetation.
Armstrong: Aw. Can we go home now?
Bunnie: Come on, Armstrong. Let’s meet one more animal.
Armstrong: You mean that turtle?
Bunnie: Armstrong, that’s not a turtle. That’s a tortoise! Tortoises have dinosaur feet, eat plants, and prefer to live on land. Turtles, on the other hand, have webbed feet, eat meat, and prefer to live near water.
Armstrong: Speaking of water, I’m getting thirsty.
(Bunnie and Armstrong leave the desert and head back to the Animal Show studio)
Bunnie: For Habitat Time, it’s Bunnie Bear-
Armstrong: And Armstrong the chickenhawk.
Bunnie: Just back from the Mojave Desert.
(Tizzy flies around Stinky and Jake again)
Tizzy: Quiz time!
Jake: And what’s the quiz this time?
Tizzy: Well, here it is! (cuts to the screen below)
The question is do scorpions give birth or lay eggs? Give it a think. Back in a buzz!
(Cuts to Stinky and Jake trying to answer the question)
Stinky: I have no clue. How about you?
Jake: Well, since spiders lay eggs, it only makes sense for scorpions to do the same.
Tizzy: Well, here’s the answer. Scorpions, in fact, give birth like mammals! The babies come out of the mommy scorpion’s back and ride on it until they’re old enough. Bee-lieve it, because it’s true!
Jake: Thanks for the quiz, Tizzy. That's all the time we have today, and until next time, keep seeing the world through the eyes of animals. (Stinky takes off his hazmat suit) Stinky, you decided to take off that suit.
Stinky: You bet, Jakey. I decided that it’s cool to look at poisonous animals, as long as you don’t touch them!
Author's note: A lot of people don't know this, but cockroaches can, in fact, eat soap.
Pepe the Poison Dart Frog is named after the old meme Pepe the Frog, while Hank the Scorpion is named after Hank Scorpio from The Simpsons episode 'You Only Move Twice'. Scorpio was a James Bond-esque villain who Homer briefly worked for, though he doesn't like it when you call him 'Boss'.
Tizzy is right about tomato frogs being poisonous: If a human were to touch one of these amphibians, they would have an allergic reaction.
Jake actually read the story 'Stinky's Bad Day' in an older episode of The Animal Show, Rattlesnake and Skunk.
Animal Show | Rattlesnake 🐍 / Skunk 🦨 | Jim Henson Family Hub | Kids Cartoon - YouTube
In the next episode, you'll learn how climate change affects two different animals: The walking-stick and the ptarmigan.
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