1
The music's playing
I've got to move on, to go out
No more delaying
Pack my things up, carefree
Adventures waitin'
I'm heading out, heading out
to see the rest of the world
Yeah, yeah
So kick it up, stir it up
alive will make you feel
- Are we there yet, Dr. Fishbone?
- Patience, PeeWee, patience.
- Where are we going again?
- Today
we're going to visit
some underwater creatures
that live in a colorful
magic kingdom called Brazil.
- Brazil, what is that?
- Brazil is largest country
in both Latin and South America.
It's the world's fifth largest country
by both population and area.
And also, the largest with Portuguese
as its official language.
With an impressive coastline
spanning over 4,600 miles,
Brazil contains a vast
tropical rain forest
that's home to diverse wildlife
and myriad ecological systems.
This unique environment makes it one
of only 17 megadiverse
countries in the world,
and the subject of many
global environmental protection interests.
- Sounds like a great
place to find new creatures
for our beastie-o-pedia.
- It is indeed.
- Tell me more about Brazil, Doctor.
- Sure thing PeeWee.
Brazil's rich wildlife
reflects its impressive variety
of natural habitats.
In fact, scientists have
estimated that the total number
of Brazil's plant and animal
life could top four million.
And its Amazon basin is home
to an extremely diverse array
of fish species, including
the red-bellied piranha,
which has a savage reputation,
but is in actually, a
very timid scavenger.
- It's beautiful here, beautiful water,
and tons of different animal
species everywhere you look.
- That there is!
Brazil boasts a seemingly
endless roster of creatures
that call it home.
Creatures like the blue poison dart frog,
the toco toucan, the Pantanal jaguar,
the golden lion tamarin, and Lear's macaw,
are only a few whom we can
spot on any given day here.
- What underwater beasties are
we looking for, Dr. Fishbone?
- A stingray, PeeWee,
we're looking for a stingray.
- What does a stingray look like?
- Why the stingray is a cartilaginous fish
related to the shark.
It generally has one
or more barbed stingers
which are mainly used for
defense as opposed to attack,
but these stingers can
reach 14 inches long
and contain venom, so they mean business.
And a rare few species of a stingray
do not have stingers at all.
Wait, I see on right over there.
One very interesting
fact about the stingray
is the array of species in its family.
The stingray contains about
220 different known species.
And unfortunately, it's currently
on the endangered species list,
primarily as a result
of unregulated fishing.
- Endangered?
Aw, I hate to hear that, Doctor.
But the fact that there are
so many stingrays in existence
has to be a good thing, right?
- It's always good to see
a big number of animal species, PeeWee.
And despite their issues,
stingrays are not in danger
of disappearing tomorrow.
They also have many ways
of ensuring their survival
aside from their sheer numbers.
Stingrays flattened bodies allow them
to effectively hide themselves
in their environments
by agitating the sand at
the bottom of the water
and camouflaging themselves in it.
- Rad creature!
- You said it, kid,
whatever that means, uh.
The stingray also cannot see its prey,
instead using smell and
sensitive electroreceptors,
much like a shark, to hone
in and attack their prey.
They mainly feed on mollusks, crustaceans,
and sometimes small fish.
Some stingrays have shell-crushing
plates in their mouths
while others have only
strong sucking mouth parts.
- Radical riptide rolls,
that's news to me.
How do most stingrays usually
catch their prey, Doctor?
- One
common predatory technique
that's been observed
amongst stingrays, PeeWee,
is their tendency to ambush.
They seek out suitable hiding spots,
such as sand or coral, algae or rocks,
that match its particular color patterns,
and then lie in wait for
their prey to appear.
- Anchovy ambush, that's amazing.
Let's go look for the
next animal, Dr. Fishbone.
What will it be?
- Ah, looking low,
looking lower, and lower,
we're trying to spot a hermit crab.
- Look, is
that what I think it is?
- Good sighting, PeeWee,
meet the somewhat reclusive hermit crab.
- Wowsa, what's the hermit crab
hiding from, Doctor?
Does he owe somebody money?
- No, he
probably doesn't deal
with money, PeeWee.
The hermit crab is a decapod crustacean
that possesses an asymmetrical abdomen,
concealed in a scavenged gastropod shell
that it carries around.
- That's crazy, so
the hermit crab steals shells
to hide in then moves around in them.
- That's right, PeeWee,
the hermit's soft abdomen is
very vulnerable to predators.
And it uses a variety
of commandeered shells
as shelter and shielding
itself from attacks.
- So the hermit crab lives
its life in hiding, basically?
- In a sense, yes.
Most frequently, they use the shells
of sea snails in which to hide.
Although, some species use
hollow pieces of wood or even rock.
The tips of their abdomens are adapted
to clasp strongly to these shells
keeping the hermit crab
safe and secure inside.
- Camouflage clambake,
do they ever emerge from
their shells, Doctor?
How does the hermit eat?
- Well, as hermit crabs grow
they require larger and
larger shells, PeeWee.
So yes, they do emerge if only
to switch housing sometimes.
In the wild hermits eat a variety of food
from fallen fruit, to decaying wood,
to leaf litter, plants and grasses,
to items squashed up on shore.
Hermits are not fussy eaters,
and have even been
observed eating poop, ugh.
- Gross, tell me more about
the hermit crabs, Dr. Fishbone.
- Happy to, PeeWee.
Hermit crabs can survive
anywhere from 12 to 20 years,
and grow as big as coconuts.
The shell-less hermit crab,
also known as the coconut crab,
is world's largest
terrestrial invertebrate.
- Plankton platitudes, is
the hermit crab related
to the king crab, Doctor?
- Excellent question, PeeWee.
That's a fishbone of contention
among scientists and researchers
who argue to this day
over whether the king and hermit crabs
should be classified in the same genus.
Some say yes and some say no.
- Rub my fish belly,
that's mackerel madness.
The hermit crab is really interesting.
Whoa, look at that sea creature.
- Ah, yes,
allow me to introduce
the sea urchin, lad.
- Tell me moray, Dr. Fishbone.
- The sea urchin is small
spiny globular animal
that moves slowly,
feeding mainly on algae.
Urchin is an old word for the hedgehog
which sea urchins actually resemble.
- Let's hear it for the urchin, hip, hip,
a hedgehog in the ocean?
Are they preyed upon frequently, Doctor?
- Oh, they have their predators
for sure, PeeWee.
Sea otter, starfish,
triggerfish, wolf eels,
and others hunt the sea urchin,
making life tricky if
they don't stay on guard.
The sea urchin typically grows to anywhere
from two to five inches.
Although the largest
example of the species
has been recorded at 14 inches.
- That's a good bit of information
for our underwater beastie-o-pedia.
- Indeed.
- Whoa, look at the gnarly
sea creature, Dr. Fishbone.
- Ah,
that's a lobster, kid.
- Totally amazing.
- They are!
Lobsters have long bodies
with muscular tails
and live in crevices on the ocean floor.
Three of their five
pairs of legs have claws.
And they're highly prized
as seafood to humans,
commonly being one of the
most profitable commodities
of the coastal areas that they populate.
- Sounds like a lobster's
life is perilous, Doctor,
so many people want to catch and eat them.
What do they eat?
- Lobsters
like to eat clams, mussels,
starfish, small fish, and
sometimes even other lobsters.
Lobsters have teeth but
not in their mouths,
in their stomachs.
Their food is chewed in their stomachs
between what appear to be three molars.
- Chew-tastic.
- Right, lobsters generally grow
anywhere from 10 to 20 inches long,
moving by crawling slowly
along the sea floor.
However, when fleeing, they
move rapidly backwards,
curling and uncurling their abdomen.
A speed of 11 miles per
hour has been recorded.
- Whoa, has the lobster always been
a popular delicacy with people?
- Ah, in North America
the lobster didn't achieve popularity
until the mid-19th century
when elite New Yorkers
and Bostonians developed a taste for it.
Commercial lobster
fisheries only flourished
after the invention of the lobster smack,
a custom made boat designed
to keep lobsters alive
in on-deck holding wells during transport.
Prior to this time,
lobsters were considered
a mark of poverty,
or food for the poor, indentured servants,
or low class members of society.
How times have changed.
- Bourgeoisie blasphemy,
totally awesome sea creature facts.
- Another
interesting factoid
about lobsters is that they
live alone in crevices,
in rocky, sandy, or muddy bottoms,
everywhere from the shoreline
to the continental shelf.
- Wild and wooly
seaweed, I never knew that.
Can lobsters see very well, Doctor?
- Because they live in murky environments
on the seafloor, lobsters
use their antennae as sensors
which take precedence over their eyesight.
So their not great with optics,
but they compensate with superior senses.
- There are certainly a lot
of interesting sea creatures
living in Brazil, Dr. Fishbone.
- There certainly are, PeeWee,
interesting sea creatures, indeed.
Ha, ha, but know you must
get turbo fins on, PeeWee,
for it's time to move on
to our next destination, Saint Croix.
- Oh, yippee, I just
can't wait to get there.
- Let's get going then, PeeWee,
great adventures in the sea are awaiting.
- Ahoy, the
sights we're off to see
with Dr. Fishbone and
his assistant PeeWee.
Together, they search the ocean deep
always looking for new fish to meet,
new species to find and catalog
for their beastie-o-pedia Ocean Guide.
- Think we'll ever complete
our research, Dr. Fishbone?
- Probably not, PeeWee.
I've already cataloged
over a million sea creature
and plant species, and I'm
always discovering more.
It's a bit ocean out there.
- Are we there yet, Dr. Fishbone?
- You ask a lot of
questions for a young fish,
you know that?
Just relax, I'll
take you where you need to go
and tell you what you
need to know, you follow?
- Uh, sure, man.
Where are we going again?
- Today we're going to visit
some underwater creatures
that live in a sweet spot
known as Saint Croix.
- Saint Croix, tell me about it.
- Patience PeeWee, Saint Croix is
one of the largest islands
in the Caribbean Sea,
but its capital, Charlotte Amalie, is
actually located on Saint Thomas.
Saint Croix's nickname is Twin City
for the two towns that are found
on opposite ends of the island.
Weather wise, trade winds
blow the length of Saint Croix
and the western hills receive considerably
more rainfall than the east
which is a dry desert
terrain featuring cactus.
Meanwhile, the west is lush
with trees and vegetation.
- Sounds like a great
place to find new creatures
for our beastie-o-pedia.
- It is indeed.
- Tell me more about Saint Croix.
- I said patience, PeeWee.
Despite being an island,
Saint Croix has a decided lack
of fresh ground water, streams,
and rivers running through it.
So much so, that many
residential homes and businesses
feature built-in cisterns
to harvest rainwater.
- It's beautiful here.
What can you tell me
about the underwater life
in Saint Croix, Doctor?
- Saint Croix is famous
for its beautiful beaches
and magical underwater worlds.
Let's go explore.
- What underwater beasties are
we looking for, Dr. Fishbone?
- Keep
your wits about you PeeWee
because today we're seeking
the notorious moray eel.
You heard it right, we're
looking for a moray eel.
- Yeah, exciting!
What does a moray eel
look like, Dr. Fishbone?
- The moray
eel has two sets of jaws
and can weigh up to 66 pounds.
Most are nocturnal animals
and some display blunt teeth
for crushing hard-shelled prey.
The green moray is actually brown,
and the long fin on their backs is
actually a fusion of three smaller ones.
Wait, I see one right over there!
One interesting fact about moray eels is
that they are often regarded
as particularly vicious
or ill-tempered animals, but
this is not necessarily true.
The truth is the moray
eel would almost always
rather flee than fight.
This eel is shy and secretive,
and is known to attack humans only
in cases of mistaken identity
or perceived self defense.
Most attacks stem from
disturbing a moray's burrow,
an act which they do not take lightly.
- Geez, to moray's
ever interact well with humans
or is it always a dicey proposition?
- Well, it can work out
to everyone's liking
in certain situations, PeeWee.
For example, many dive
companies use the activity
of their divers hand-feeding moray eels
as a means of attracting paying tourists.
But morays have poor
vision and rely heavily
on their sense of smell to
eat, making distinguishing
between held food and fingers difficult.
A number of unlucky
divers have lost fingers
while attempting to hand-feed the moray.
It's hooked teeth and powerful bite
makes bites on humans particularly severe,
as the moray eel cannot release its grip,
even in death, and must
be manually pried off.
- Yikes, what a fascinating creature.
- Oh, you can say that again, PeeWee.
And one of the moray's
most ominous gestures
that strikes fear into the
hearts of many who witness it,
the slow opening and closing
of its intimidating jaws.
It's actually a function of necessity.
It breathes through its mouth,
and has to do that to survive.
- Blasting boat engines,
that's news to me.
Do moray eels have very big bites, Doctor?
- There's
an interesting answer
to that question, PeeWee.
Most moray's heads are
too narrow to create
the low pressure that most
fish use to swallow prey.
So the moray has another
set of sharp teeth
set into its throat.
When feeding, they launch
these jaws into their mouths
then retract the to help guide the food
through their throats
and into their stomachs.
- Dynamic digestions, well,
let's go look of the next
sea animal, Dr. Fishbone.
What will it be?
- I'll be you opened your presents
before Christmas morning, didn't you?
We're trying to spot brain coral.
- Look, is that it over there?
- Good sighting, my pupil.
That is indeed an example of brain coral.
- What in tarnation is
brain coral, Doctor?
- Oh, I'm glad you asked.
Brain coral looks like a
plant, but it's an animal.
It has a flattened egg-shaped figure
and can actually live
for hundreds of years.
- Whoa, like a vampire?
- Well, in a sense, yes.
The brain coral doesn't get
along well with other coral
and it's endangered.
They get most of their nutrition
from floating invertebrates
and extend their long tentacles
to catch food at night.
During the day these
tentacles serve as protection
as the coral wraps them around
the grooves in its surface.
This surfaces hard and offers protection
against both animals and hurricanes.
- Huh, the brain coral
sounds pretty relaxed.
Is that true, Doctor?
- Actually, the brain
coral is semi-aggressive.
It will commonly sting other corals
with its extended
sweepers during the night,
just because they find
themselves within its range.
- Well, I take it back then.
I guess they're pretty mean.
Does the brain coral have any
predators to watch out for?
- It does, PeeWee.
The brain coral is preyed
upon by gastropods,
and the parrot fish in particular.
- Anchovy action, tell me more
about brain coral, Dr. Fishbone.
- Will do, brain coral is found
in shallow, warm-water reefs
in all of the planet's oceans.
And its colonies have been known
to grow six feet or more in height.
- Super fish fin, that's cool.
Why exactly is it called brain coral.
- The
brain coral gets its name
on account of its spherical
deep grooved shape.
It looks like a brain.
- Well, fish up my slack jaws.
Whoa, look at that thing.
- It's
interesting looking, isn't it?
That's the fire coral.
- Me, oh, my, hit my fish brain
with more knowledge, Dr. Fishbone.
- Happily, my student.
Fire coral is actually a
colonial marine organism
that displays characteristics
similar to that of coral.
The name coral is somewhat misleading,
as the fire coral more
closely resembles hydra
and other hydrozoans.
- Coral craziness, does all fire coral
look the same, Doctor?
- Pretty much, PeeWee.
Fire corals have bright yellow,
green, and brown skeletal coverings.
And are widely found in tropical waters,
appearing as brush-like
groves on rocks and coral.
Divers often mistake
fire coral for seaweed
and great pain usually
ensues, hence the name.
- Ouch!
- Upon
contact, intense pain is felt,
usually lasting anywhere
from two days to two weeks.
- That's a good bit of information
for our beastie-o-pedia.
What causes the pain, Doctor?
- Indeed, the pain of
touching fire coral comes
from its tiny tentacles or sharp skeleton
that can painfully pierce
and scrape the human skin.
- Ooh, look at that really
cool sea creature, Dr. Fishbone.
- Well,
that's a lion fish, PeeWee.
- Totally gnarly.
- That they are.
Lion fish are native to the Indo-Pacific,
and characterized by their
conspicuous warning coloration
with red, white, cream, or black bands,
showy pectoral fins, and spiky fin rays.
- Warning colors,
what are they warning about, Doctor?
- Lion
fish are slow moving,
and very noticeable, so they
rely on their unusual colors
to discourage would-be predators
from eating them, PeeWee.
- Amazing.
- Currently, lion fish
populations are exploding.
And the recent invasion of
these fish into the Caribbean
is considered to be
the most serious threat
to coral reef ecosystems in modern times.
As a response, there have
been numerous public campaigns
to encourage the hunting and
consumption of the lion fish
as one basic means of controlling
its exploding numbers.
Once it's stripped of its venomous spines,
the lion fish is generally regarded
as delectable seafood fare.
- Whoa.
- Lion fish are even more
visually interesting when they're young,
with wigglers and fleshy nubs
over their eyes and under their mouths.
And as for their natural habitat,
they've been visually confirmed
at depths of 1,000 feet in the Bahamas.
- Totally awesome
sea creature facts!
- Lion fish are thought
to be nocturnal hunters,
but one hole in this theory
is the discovery of lion
fish with full bellies
during the day in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Amazing sea bubbles, I never knew that.
Lions are pretty big animals,
what about the size of the lion
fish, Doctor, are they huge?
- Anything but, PeeWee.
Lion fish generally grow to anywhere
from one inch to 18 inches.
- There are certainly a lot
of interesting sea creatures
living in Saint Croix, Dr. Fishbone.
- There certainly are, PeeWee,
interesting sea creatures, indeed.
But now you must get your
turbo fins on, PeeWee,
for it's off to our next
destination, Baja California.
- Yippee, I just can't wait
to get there, Dr. Fishbone.
- Let's get going then, PeeWee,
great adventures in the sea are awaiting.
- Ahoy, fish
mates, we're off to sea
with Dr. Fishbone and
his assistant PeeWee.
Together, they search the ocean deep,
always looking for new fish to meet,
new species to find and catalog
for their beastie-o-pedia ocean guide.
- Think we'll ever complete
our research, Dr. Fishbone?
- If we do, who will you
nag all day and all night?
Eh, but we probably won't.
Lots to do, as they say PeeWee,
there's a lot of fish in the sea.
- Are we there yet, Dr. Fishbone?
- What's the matter kid,
fishing line got your tail?
- No, I don't think so.
Where are we going again?
- Today, we're going to visit
some underwater creatures
that live in a very special
place called Baja California.
- Baja California, where's that?
- Baja
California, is a Mexican state
on the Baja California peninsula,
bordering the U.S. state of California,
which is not the same thing.
With a landscape that spans
mountains and beaches.
- Sounds like a great
place to find new creatures
for our beastie-o-pedia.
- It is indeed.
- Tell me more about
Baja California, Doctor.
- Okay, pay attention, here goes, PeeWee.
Baja California is the 12th largest state
in Mexico with rich geography ranging
from beaches to forests to deserts.
It has numerous islands
scattered off both its shores
that are all hosts to Baja's
rich and varied marine life.
- It's beautiful here,
rippling blue waters,
sunny skies, fluffy clouds, happy faces.
- Baja California is famous
for its beautiful beaches
and for its rich ocean life.
Let's go explore.
- What underwater beasties are
we looking for, Dr. Fishbone?
- The rockfish,
we're looking for a rockfish.
- Rock and roll,
what does a rockfish
look like, Dr. Fishbone?
- The
rockfish is a term applied
to several species of fish,
all named for their instinctive affinity
for hiding among the
rocks on the seafloor.
They generally have a bass-like appearance
with jutting lower
jaws, compressed bodies,
and big eyes and mouths.
Wait, I see one right over there.
- Hey, hey, rockfish, my friend.
- One very interesting
fact about rockfish is
their excellent talent for
hovering motionless in the water.
Some species of rockfish like to school,
while others are solitary and territorial.
- Wow, are they the solitary species,
always on the move,
swimming from reef to reef?
- No, PeeWee, quite the opposite,
solitary rockfish tend
to rest on the sea bottom
or in reefs.
And a rockfish span a wide swath of ocean.
They typically inhabit water anywhere
from 40-foot to 2,000-feet deep.
- What a cool creature.
- Indeed, PeeWee, the rockfish is one
of the most unique fish
you can find in the sea.
Did you know some rockfish live
to be 100-years old or older?
- Starfish face claw, that's news to me.
What do rockfish eat, Doctor?
- Oh, they eat shrimp, fish, crabs,
squid, jellyfish, plankton, and algae,
all the hallmarks of a great
natural seafood diet.
- Yum, let's go look for the
next sea animal, Dr. Fishbone.
What will it be?
- Put on your x-ray goggles, oh,
we're trying to spot a jellyfish.
- Look, I think I see one now.
- Good sighting, PeeWee.
Allow me to introduce you
to the famous jellyfish.
It's a soft-bodied,
free-swimming aquatic animal
with a distinctive gelatinous
umbrella-shaped bell
and trailing tentacles.
- Wow, what an
interesting creature.
What's the purpose of that
umbrella-shaped bell, Doctor?
- The bell can pulsate
to give the jellyfish
propulsion and locomotion,
kind of like a built-in
jellyfish turbo boost.
- Awesome, what habitats
do jellyfish enjoy, Doctor?
- Jellyfish
are found in every ocean
from the surface to the deep sea.
Jellyfish have roamed the seas
for at least 500 million years
and possibly 700 million,
making it the oldest multi-organ
animal on the planet.
- Prehistoric prawn mania,
I had no idea jellyfish were so old.
- Old is an
understatement, PeeWee.
Jellyfish have existed long before us,
or even the dinosaurs.
- Holy halibut, how long has
the species been called a jellyfish?
- The first recorded use
of the name jellyfish
was in the year 1707.
- Fish sticks, tell me more
about the jellyfish, Dr. Fishbone.
- No problem, P.W., the
largest jellyfish ever found
was a lion's mane
jellyfish with a diameter
of seven feet six inches
and 120-foot long tentacles.
- Radical rockfish, that's cool.
Jellyfish look so ghostly to me.
Are they solid animals?
- Interestingly, jellyfish are 95% water,
and if a jellyfish is cut in two,
it will regenerate as two jellyfish.
- Well, scratch my fish scales.
Whoa, look at that sea creature.
- I'm looking, PeeWee.
Oh, that's what we call a garibaldi.
- A garibaldi, hit my fish brain
with more knowledge, Dr. Fishbone.
- The garibaldi is species
of bright orange fish in
the damselfish family.
They originate in the subtropical
part of the Pacific Ocean.
And the male garibaldi
aggressively defends
its nest after the
female has laid her eggs.
- Marlin madness,
why are these fish called
garibaldis, Doctor?
It's a little bit of an unusual
name, you have to admit.
Sounds like a human Italian mobster
hiding out under the sea.
What, it's not right?
- No, PeeWee, it's not, but almost.
It's a reference to the
Italian military figure,
Giuseppe Garibaldi, whose
followers characteristically wore
scarlet shirts that
resembled this fish's color.
Garibaldis feed mainly on invertebrates
which they remove from rocks.
Adult garibaldis create a home territory
where the male clears a nest space
for the female to lay her eggs.
The male guards the nest
closely until the eggs hatch,
going so far as to attack any fish,
or even human, who swims
too close to their nest.
- That's a good bit of information
for our underwater beastie-o-pedia.
- Indeed.
- Ooh, look at that really
cool sea creature, Dr. Fishbone.
- That's what
we call a grouper, PeeWee.
- Boat bumping awesomeness.
- That it is, there are
over 100 types of grouper,
and their body markings change
to camouflage them with their backgrounds.
Groupers are considered the best fish
to serve by seafood chefs
with its texture often
being compared to a cloud.
- Wow, I bet the grouper
isn't happy about that.
- Probably not, PeeWee.
And the grouper can live up to 50 years,
that's a long time to hold a grudge.
- Amazing.
- Right, and the grouper can get big too.
The Atlantic goliath grouper
reaches eight feet in length
and up to 800 pounds.
- Whoa!
- The
grouper is a slow swimmer
with about a body not made to swim fast,
nor for long distances.
- Totally gnarly sea creature factoids.
- Another interesting
factoid about groupers is
that they are born and mature as females,
but have the ability to
change into the opposite sex
after they reach sexual maturity.
- Floating
flounder, I never knew that.
- Groupers
also live in small groups
containing one male and
three to 15 females.
If the male dies, the larger
female will change sex
to take over the harem.
- Craziness, there are certainly a lot
of interesting sea creatures living
in Baja California, Dr. Fishbone.
- There certainly are, PeeWee,
interesting sea creature, indeed.
But now you must get your
turbo fins on, PeeWee,
for its time to move on
to our next destination,
the Galapagos Islands.
- Yippee, I just can't
wait to get there, Doc.
- Well, let's get going then, PeeWee,
great adventures in the sea are awaiting.
- Ahoy, fish
mates, we're off to sea
with Dr. Fishbone and
his assistant PeeWee.
Together, they search the ocean deep,
always looking for new fish to meet,
new species to find and to catalog
for their beastie-o-pedia ocean guide.
- Think we'll ever compete
our research, Dr. Fishbone?
- You just never know
in our business, PeeWee.
I've already cataloged over a million
sea creature and plant species,
and I'm always discovering more.
As they say, there's a
plankton of fish in the sea.
Plankton, get
it, plankton.
- Are we there yet, Dr. Fishbone?
- Why, are your fins
getting tired, youngster?
- Where are we going again?
- Today, we're going to visit
some underwater creatures
that live in a paradise on Earth
called the Galapagos Islands.
- Galapagos Islands,
what are they all about?
- The Galapagos
Islands are a collection
of volcanic islands that are a part
of the Republic of Ecuador,
consisting of 18 main islands,
three smaller islands, and 107 islands.
The principle language
spoken there is Spanish,
and the population is just over 25,000.
The islands and their surrounding waters
form the Galapagos National Park,
the Galapagos Marine Reserve,
and the Galapagos Province of Ecuador.
- Sounds like
a great place to find
new creatures for our beastie-o-pedia.
- It is indeed.
- Tell me more about
the Galapagos Islands, Doctor.
- My pleasure, PeeWee.
As lyrical as Galapagos can be
the islands have been known
for their volcanic activity
for a very long time.
Isabela Island, alone,
contains six major volcanoes
with the most recent eruptions
ranging from 1813 to 2008.
- Whoa.
- The neighboring islands
of Santiago and Fernandina last erupted
in 1906 and 2009, respectively.
Despite the flowing lava,
Galapagos is a host to a wide variety
of vegetation and animal life.
Some of the creatures
that call the islands home
are the Galapagos land iguana,
the marine iguana, the sea cucumber,
the flightless cormorant,
the blue-footed booby,
the waved albatross,
the Galapagos penguin,
the Galapagos hawk, and many, many more.
- It's beautiful here, clear waters,
sea life bustling just beneath
the clear crystal waves.
- Indeed, the Galapagos Islands are famous
for their beautiful beaches
and underwater coral reefs and coves.
Let's go explore.
- What underwater beasties
are we looking for, Dr. Fishbone?
- Today, we
seek the dolphin, PeeWee.
We're looking for a dolphin.
- What does a
dolphin look like, Doc?
- A dolphin
has a sleek, streamlined body
with two limbs modified into flippers.
They have conical-shaped teeth
and well-developed hearing that can adapt
to both water and air.
Dolphins communicate with each other
through a series of distinctive
clicks and whistles.
And they use blowholes atop
their heads to breathe.
Wait, I see one, right over there.
One very interesting
fact about the dolphin,
aside from their excellent
hearing and eyesight,
is there their use of echolocation
to determine the exact
location of objects in the sea.
- Echolocation, what's that?
- Echolocation is the location
of objects through the
use of reflected sound.
Dolphins and bats, in particular,
are known to use this method.
- What an awesome impressive fish.
- Not a fish PeeWee, but a mammal,
and, ah, it is impressive, indeed.
Along with their clicks and whistles,
dolphins also use non-verbal
means of communication
like touch and posturing.
- Algae-tastic, that's new to me.
Are dolphins very intelligent, Doctor?
- Yes, they are, PeeWee.
Dolphins are believed to be
highly intelligent creatures
based on their activities,
social ability, tasking,
and the playful attitude
which makes them popular with humans.
- Let's go look for the next
sea animal, Dr. Fishbone.
Say, what'll it be?
- I looking high, looking low,
oh, we're trying to spot an orca.
- Oh, wow, just look
at that magical creature.
- Good sighting, PeeWee.
Meet one of the most instantly
identifiable creatures
in all the sea, the orca,
also known as the killer whale.
- Killer whale,
they sound vicious.
- The
name certainly does imply
a vicious streak, but the orca is actually
the largest member of the
dolphin family, also a mammal.
- Get out, their related?
But dolphins are so cute and friendly,
and these guys they're
a little intimidating.
- Well,
the orca is a rare kind
of creature, PeeWee, in
that it is an apex predator,
meaning it is at the
top of its food chain,
and there is no animal that preys on it.
- So no one strong
enough to prey on the orca?
No wonder it's called the killer whale,
now I'm really terrified.
- Ha, ha,
ha, the orca is actually
very beautiful and awe inspiring
if you take the time
to really look at one.
It has a diverse diet, some
feeding exclusively on fish,
while others hunt marine life
like seals and even dolphins.
Orcas are highly social creatures
with matrilineal family groups
that are considered the most stable
of any animal species in the world.
- So the orca has
a tight-knit family unit,
they love their parents
and their little ones?
- They do, PeeWee,
orcas have sophisticated vocal behaviors
and hunting techniques
that often passed down
through generations of relatives,
like learning an old
song from your grandpa.
- Traditional trout
tricks, that's not so scary.
Tell me more about orcas, Doctor F.
- Orcas are found in
all the world's oceans,
and most male orcas never
leave their mothers.
- Momma's boys, that's cool.
Do orcas communicate
with each other easily?
- Like the dolphin, they communicate
through a series of clicks,
and whistles, and pulsed calls.
And each family has its
own dialect of calls
that are passed down that only they use.
- Snare my snapper lip.
Whoa, look at that sea
creature, it's huge.
- Ah, it's been a while.
PeeWee, I'd like you to
meet the humpback whale,
another incredible mammal of the sea.
- Good golly Goliath,
hit my fish brain with more
knowledge, Dr. Fishbone.
- Well, the
humpback whale is huge,
ranging in length from 39 to 52 feet,
and weighing up to a
whopping 79,000 pounds.
- WrestleMania, that's enormous.
What do humpbacks eat,
everything in sight?
- No, PeeWee, humpback whales eat
mostly small fish and krill.
Granted, they can consume
a lot of small fish.
The male humpback is famous
for producing a complex song
that lasts between 10 and 20 minutes
which they'll repeat for hours at a time.
The exact purpose of
this song isn't clear,
though it could have
something to do with mating.
- Oh, look at that really
cool sea creature, Dr. Fishbone.
He looks wacky, wooly, and fun.
- I see it!
Oh, that's a sea lion, PeeWee.
- He looks more fun
than a barrel of guppies.
- He probably is.
Sea lions are mammals characterized
by their distinctive fore-flappers,
external ear flaps, ability
to walk on all fours,
short, thick hair, and
that big chest and belly.
- Sounds like my uncle Pat.
- Maybe he is a sea lion.
They have an average
lifespan of 20 to 30 years.
And the largest species
is Stellar sea lions,
which weighs over 2,000 pounds
and can grow longer than 10 feet.
- Amazing.
- While sea lion
attacks on humans are rare,
it's unadvisable to get too close
to this animal in the wild.
It can have a tendency to be territorial
or view small humans as
toys, like rag dolls,
to be played with roughly.
- Whoa, frightful fish
eggs, I'll keep my distance.
- Smart move, PeeWee.
Sea lions communicate
in a variety of ways,
although scientists are still in the dark
as to what all of their sounds mean.
They travel in large colonies
with smaller subgroups
within those colonies.
During a sea lion's lifetime,
it's not uncommon to move
from subgroup to subgroup,
so sea lions in enjoy
being a part of cliques.
- Uh, reminds me of fish school.
Totally awesome sea creature facts.
- Another
interesting factoid
about the sea lion is that
the northern Atlantic Ocean
is off-limits to them.
They can be found in
every ocean in the world
except that one, and no one
knows why they reject it.
- Goodness, I never knew that.
Are they a very popular animal?
- Indeed,
PeeWee, the sea lion has been
a main focus of tourism in New Zealand
and Australia for a long time.
And they're sometimes called
the unofficial welcoming committee
of the Galapagos Islands.
- There are certainly a lot
of interesting sea creatures
living in the Galapagos
Islands, Dr. Fishbone.
- There certainly are, PeeWee,
interesting sea creatures, indeed.
But now you must get your
turbo fins on, PeeWee,
for it's time to move on
to our next destination, California.
- Yowza, I just can't wait
to get there, Doctor F.
- Ah, let's get going then, PeeWee,
great adventures in the sea are awaiting.
- Ahoy, fish
mates, we're off to sea
with Dr. Fishbone and
his assistant PeeWee.
Together, they search the ocean deep
always looking for new fish to meet,
new species to find and to catalog
for their beastie-o-pedia ocean guide.
- Let's go look for the next
sea animal, Dr. Fishbone.
What will it be?
- It will be very handsy,
I'm afraid.
We're trying to spot the octopus.
- Look, I think I see one now.
- Nice, PeeWee.
The octopus is one of the ocean's most
amazing creatures, bar none.
It's an all soft bodied,
eight-armed mollusk
with two eyes, a beak,
and a mouth at the
center point of its arms.
- What, are you
describing an alien, Dr. Fishbone?
- Almost, the octopus
can alter its body on a whim,
fitting through surprisingly
narrow spaces when desired.
- Super shape shifter, tell
me more about this octopus.
- I'd be delighted to, PeeWee.
The octopus trails its eight long arms
behind it as it swims.
People often mistakenly refer
to these arms as tentacles,
but that's technically not the case.
These marvels have complex
nervous systems, excellent sight,
and are among the ocean's most
behaviorally diverse creatures.
- The octopus sounds incredible.
What do they eat, Doctor?
- Good question, PeeWee.
Nearly all octopuses are predatory.
Bottom-dwelling ones
eat worms, crustaceans,
and other mollusks like clams.
While open-ocean octopuses
mainly eat prawns and fish.
It commonly rejects prey
such as moon snails and rock scallops
on account of they're being too
affixed to the rocks to eat.
- Wow, what about their life expectancy?
How long do octopuses
usually live, Doctor?
- And they have a relatively
short life expectancy
with some species only
living as long as six months.
Larger octopuses, like
the giant Pacific octopus,
can live as long as five years.
Their lifespans are limited
to their reproduction.
Male octopuses only live on
a few months after mating,
while females die shortly
after their eggs hatch.
- Bluefish bummer, so then octopuses,
I mean octopuses don't really
get to know their parents?
- No, but it's not necessarily
a sad thing, PeeWee.
It's just how their cycles of life work.
They don't know any other way,
so an octopus is perfectly
happy without a mom or a dad.
- Crawling king crab, tell me more
about the octopus, Dr. Fishbone.
- Well, grab your fishnet, PeeWee,
'cause I'm dropping science.
The octopus can be found in every ocean.
And different species have
adapted to different environments
from shallow tide pools, to coral reefs,
to pelagic waters, to seagrass
beds, to cold open waters,
octopuses adapt to whatever
habitat they find themselves in.
But no octopus has ever been
known to live in fresh water.
- Eh, they say, stick to what you know.
That's cool, with so many legs,
does the octopus move very fast?
- Oh, it depends, PeeWee.
Octopuses mainly move by a slow crawling
or swimming in a head first position.
Jet propulsion or backwards swimming is
their quickest means of movement.
When in no hurry, they
usually crawl with their arms,
and during crawling
their heart rate doubles.
And octopuses commonly
need 10 or 15 minutes
to recover from relatively minor exercise.
- Whoa, look at that sea creature.
- Ha, ha, unique, eh?
That's the seahorse.
- Dorsal dolphin dances,
hit my fish brain with more
knowledge, Dr. Fishbone.
- A seahorse is a name given
to 54 small marine fish
in the Hippocampus genus.
Hippocampus comes from
the Greek word hippos,
meaning horse, and kampos
meaning sea monster.
- Kraken-mania, horses are big animals,
are seahorses as big as land horses?
- No, PeeWee, not even close.
The seahorse commonly grows to anywhere
between a half inch and 14 inches,
so there's a big
difference between the size
of the seahorse and the land horse.
One trait specific to the seahorse is
reproductive role reversal.
When mating, the female
seahorse deposits her eggs
into the male's ventral pouch.
He carries these eggs for nine to 45 days
before giving birth to anywhere
between 100 to 1,000 baby seahorses.
- That's a
good bit of information
for our underwater beastie-o-pedia.
- Indeed.
- Holy halibut, what fish-tastic factoids.
There are certainly a lot
of interesting sea creatures
living in Acapulco, Dr. Fishbone.
- There certainly are PeeWee,
interesting sea creatures, indeed.
But now you must get your
turbo fins on, PeeWee,
for it's time to move on to
our next destination, Brazil.
- Woo hoo, I just can't wait
to get there, Dr. Fishbone.
- Let's get going then, PeeWee,
great adventures in the sea are awaiting.
- Ahoy, fish
mates, we're off to sea
with Dr. Fishbone and
his assistant PeeWee.
Together, they search the ocean deep
always looking for new fish to meet,
new species to find and catalog
for their beastie-o-pedia ocean guide.
- Think we'll ever complete
our research, Dr. Fishbone?
- Probably not, PeeWee.
I've already cataloged over
a million sea creatures
and plant species, and I'm
always discovering more.
As they say, PeeWee, there's
a lot of fish in the sea.