.
Hey, all you really wild animals out there, have you ever wondered how come a zebra has stripes?
How much lunch can an elephant munch?
How fast is a cheetah?
How mean is a croc?
Is this guy really your cousin?
And what's a lion do with all that hair anyhow?
Well, the answers are all ahead, so hang on.
It's National Geographic's Really Wild Animals.
A swinging safari in Africa.
Oh!
Yeah, gang, it's me, Spin, Mr. Earth, himself.
And today we're going to one of the wildest places in the world, and I should know.
Africa is like nowhere you've ever seen, thanks to all the amazing animals.
Africa is like nowhere you've ever seen, thanks to all the amazing animals that live here.
Want to guess which one's my all-time fave?
The antelope? The answer's nope.
Crocodile? You're off by a mile.
Wildebeest? Not in the least.
But if you're spying a lion, there's just no denying.
Hey, lion!
So come on now and put your paws together for my main man, the lion.
Sing it, Leo.
Lion, lioness
The king of the beasts and the queen no less
Lion, so dignified
They have a lot of family pride
Come on, Leo
Hey, big cat, little cub
Giving each other a bath without a tub
Sometimes you see two or three
Sitting in the family tree
It's nap time here around the den
We'll get up sometime, we don't know when
Now we can cover a lot of ground
But right now, we're just lying around
Hey, lion, lioness
Roaring is what they do best
Now listen to the lion song
With the other lion singing along
Hey, Mama Leo
Lion, lioness
Hey, Mama Leo
Lion, lioness
That's right. When it comes to cool cats, this is the hot spot. Where, you ask? Let's
see. Africa? Africa, where do I put that place? Oh yeah, here it is. Starting just above my
middle, spreading down to the south of me. Africa is one huge continent, and if you're
looking for animals, step right over here to the Serengeti Plain. This place is packed
with them, and each one is special in some way. They're either pretty strong, pretty
fast, or very tough. That's what it takes to make it around here. It's called the law
of survival, and that's what Africa's all about. Whoa, put a pause on that pole, buster.
The survival business sure can get rough, but believe it or not, the animals have more
to worry about than just each other. They also have to survive the harsh climate. Around
here, there's no such thing as winter and summer. There are only two seasons, wet and
dry. Let's face it, that means it's pretty easy to predict the weather. And now with
a forecast, here's an update from Serengeti Eddy. Serengeti Eddy here, now with the Accu
weather forecast for the entire Serengeti region. Today we'll have lots of sunshine,
it'll be hot and dry as a dust devil. And tomorrow we're looking at more of the same
sunny hot and dry. And the next day, sunny, hot and dry. And for the weekend, sunny, hot
and dry. In fact, in the extended forecast for the next five months or so, the sun is
going to rise in the morning, it's going to beat down on all these animals, and anybody
looking for food or water is going to beat a path out of here. Had enough of this dry
season stuff? Well, all right then. June, July, August, now we're talking. Nice world
of peace. September, October, whoa, how are everything? It's November and it finally looks
like rain and boy do we ever need it. And now another weather update from Serengeti
Eddy. Ah, you betcha, it's going to rain today and tomorrow and the next day and every
day for weeks. It's going to get soggy and muddy and drippy and wet. And the animals
are going to get drenched and yucky. That's a technical term for gross and they'll smell
like that fur and, yeah, thanks Eddy, we get the picture. Suddenly there's new grass and
water holes everywhere and thirsty animals are high tailing it back for some eats and
a drink. So now with an update on traffic conditions, let's check in with a cheetah
chopper. Thanks Ben, it's a jungle out there today. The elephant interstate is backed up
for miles. So if you're planning on stepping out to the water hole this wet season, I'd
suggest you use an alternate route. Then again, an alternate route might be hard to find.
There are thirsty wildebeest blocking traffic all over the Serengeti plain. These herds
have been making the same trip every wet season for thousands of years. It's called a migration,
which means a very long trip. And it's rush hour 24 hours a day out here, I can tell you.
Oh, a head on collision. All across Africa, the wet season means there's plenty of everything.
There are new births, new flowers, new grass, you dance steps, and some age old dangers.
There are some pretty tough characters out here, like the cheetah brothers. These boys
are lean and mean. And with all the other animals fattening up, there's plenty of food
for them too. A brand new baby gazelle takes its first step. But there are hungry eyes
watching. Living out in the open means there's no time to waste practicing. The baby has
to be able to walk within minutes, or better yet, it had better run. Cheetahs can hit
60 miles an hour. If your folks drove that fast, they might get a ticket. It sure seems
like the gazelle doesn't have a chance, but all this commotion has attracted some other
hungry eyes. The lioness distracts the cheetah just long enough for the both of them to lose
the gazelle. Sorry cheetah, looks like it's leftovers tonight. It doesn't usually turn
out this way, but for once, luck is on the gazelle's side, and so is its mummy. Babies
are my favorite part of the rainy season. Baby flamingos, baby wildebeest, ooh baby.
Hey young thing, you're all around. Look where you're going, you're upside down, then downside
up again. New kid on the block, love the way you walk that walk. Oh young thing, smile
for the camera. Young thing, full of curiosity. Hey young thing, everybody loves a baby. Ain't
it great to be a young thing? Hey young thing, you jump too high, get a little reckless.
Still got to try, and try and try again. Tales are chase, trees decline, but you're always
home by dinnertime. Oh young thing, smile for the camera. Young thing, full of curiosity.
Hey young thing, everybody loves a baby. Ain't it great to be a young thing? First you crawl,
then you leap. Turn around, you're fast asleep. Hey young thing, it's time, it's time, it's
time to get up. Young thing, smile for the camera. Young thing, full of curiosity. Hey
young thing, everybody loves a baby. Ain't it great to be a young thing? Young thing,
smile for the camera. Young thing. Hey wait a minute, wait just one minute here. That
may look like a baby, it may act like a baby, but it's no baby. It's a grown up animal
called a bush baby, and if you think it's eyes are big, you should see it's appetite.
Doesn't that look moth-watering? And for dessert, a dab of tree gum, not the sugarless kind.
And how are bush babies able to get all that good eating? Yes, these characters can leap
up to 15 feet. That's as long as a car. Right now, mother bush baby wants to get the jump
on some dinner, but there's no such thing as a bush babysitter, so what's she supposed
to do with her baby bush baby? Here, he'll stay put for safekeeping, or will he? Junior
is curious, and so is the hungry tiger snake below. Lucky thing, he hasn't strayed far.
That's right, Junior, never talk to strangers who hiss. Phew, that's a relief. And now another
episode of Africa's Most Wanted. Do you recognize this mug? Take a look, a good look. It's a
crocodile, alias Mr. Smiley, alias Crocodilus niloticus, alias Holy Molas. Warning, suspect
is considered armored and dangerous and fits the following description. Length 18 feet,
weight nearly one scaly ton, profile cold blooded and cool headed, previous offenses
impersonating expensive handbags, teeth like you wouldn't believe. In the shocking dramatization,
the perpetrator is seen picking on a group of unsuspecting antelope, lining up to wet
their dry season whistles. Have you ever seen an antelope dance? Yikes! Oh, this is getting
hairy. Speaking of which. Now, here are some party animals I'd like to get to know. More
than 30 years ago, Jane Goodall came to East Africa, where she's been studying the wild
chimpanzees. Right, Jane? I respect them as individuals. I know that they share our emotions
to some extent, such as pleasure, joy, sadness, despair, fear. And that's the only way that
I can watch them is to know that these things are true. You wouldn't believe some of the
things Jane's seen through those binoculars. She's learned that, like humans, chimps stick
together. The mums stay close with the little chimsters. The males, meantime, stay on the
watch for danger. That's the chimps' idea of community. Except that sometimes a little
neighborhood get-together can get a little bonkers. Believe it or not, this is how chimps
say, hey, glad to see you again. There's always a show off at every block party. He's called
the alpha male. In other words, he's the chimp in charge, and he's found some cans from Jane's
camp. Like other tough guys, he's mostly bluff. But rough stuff is not the only way that chimps
chum it up. They also know how to reach out and touch someone. Hey there, they even know
how to slap each other five. And just like a human grown-up might cuddle a scared child,
chimps comfort their young. Isn't that touching? Now, even though you live outside, it doesn't
mean you have to be dirty. Chimps spend a lot of time cleaning each other, which also
strengthens their friendships, and by the way, gives them some fine finger food too.
Chimps hang out together, and together they build their nests. Since they're always on
the move, they're always making new beds side by side. Can you imagine falling asleep up
in a tree? And if chimpanzees seem almost human, Jane wants to check out what it's like
to be a chimp. Now that's a dedicated scientist. Of course, she does get the penthouse suite.
She's even sampled chimp food. Of course, if you're not big on berries, there's always
bugs. Care for a fresh termite, anyone? Come on, Jane, how about a termite? Well, even
Jane isn't quite that chimpified yet, but hey, do you see anything unusual about how
these guys are eating their meal? They're fishing for the insects with twigs. That means
they're using tools. And what happens when a chimp wants to chomp on a nut? Well, nut
crackers are scarce around here, but these chimps from West Africa may do just the same
by using tools again, which is remarkably intelligent for animals. Then again, chimps
are pretty remarkable all around. They are primates. That's a group of animals that are
all pretty smart. They have thumbs like you do and have good eyesight to find their food.
Gorillas are primates. So are bush babies. And guess who else is a primate? Yep, chimpanzees
are very much like you, amigos. Of course, they're a little shorter and hairier, but
you might say they're kind of like family.
If you're talking about gorillas, psychs or chimpanzees, or even a band of baboons,
they love their families. They're looking out for each other, and it's quite a familiar
scene to see a primate with a primate with a primate in between. There's a little colobus
somewhere in all of us. Family. I wonder when they look at me just what they think of what
they see. Am I a friend, an enemy, or part of the family? Family. Family. Family. Family.
This portion of Really Wild Animals is brought to you by Really Big Pets. Why settle for
seeing spots run when you can have yourself an industrial strength mondo jumbo giraffe?
Who wants an itsy bitsy little fishy when you can pack a whole lot of playtime into
an enormous elephant? Think of the fun you'll have taking it out for walks. So get a pet
with some poundage. Go for the gorilla. Some restrictions apply. Elephants available in
all colors as long as it's grey. To order, send 30 cents in the can of
gold. I know a lady who lets elephants in her house. They're orphans. They've lost
their mothers to poachers. Those are people who kill elephants for their ivory tusks.
Lucky for these orphans, though, there's Daphne Sheldrick. But Ellie and Ollie won't stay
here for long. An elephant mom has already been picked out to adopt them. Right, Daphne?
I'm going to hand these two little elephants over to her when they're a year old, which
is in another six months' time. And she will teach them how to be elephants. That's something
I can't teach them. In an elephant herd, they would be amongst lots of friends and relatives.
So that's what I have to do. Right now, though, six months is a long ways
away. Meantime, Daphne's team will have to feed Ellie and Ollie more than six gallons
of baby formula a day. That's like 100 human baby bottles.
Elephant calves need that much food to keep growing. And grow they do, up to 12 feet tall
and six tons. I mean, that's as big as, well, an elephant. Thank you. Adult elephants have
humongous appetites. They can devour more than 300 pounds of grass and leaves a day.
Now, that's eating your greens. And between meals, there's nothing like a little romp
in the mud bath. Not only is it fun to play in, mud also coats their skin and acts like
nature's own bug spray. That built-in hose is called a trunk, and there are 100,000 muscles
in it. It can be used for things as delicate as plucking a leaf from a tree, or as powerful
as knocking down the whole thing. It's always a female that's in charge of the herd. While
the dads are off gallivanting through the bush, she and the other mums and aunts take
care of the little ones. Which reminds me, it's finally time for Ellie
and Ollie to be returned to the wild. Can you imagine what it would be like to be raised
by humans and then dropped off with elephants? I mean, these guys are really big. They don't
look anything like Daphne Sheldrick, either. Hey, wait up. Elephant mums are the all-time
best. Good thing for Daphne's orphans, because they've got a lot to learn, like how to pick
up your trunk when you run. Time now, once again, for the ongoing saga
of the kooky colobus monkeys as the earth turns. When we last left our heroes, the colobus
monkeys, everyone was scurrying to get a glimpse of the new baby. But pushy Aunt Collie wanted
more. Let me at him, she cries. I just want to squeeze the little darling. No, you don't,
says Mum. Then, how about a back rub? Mum is distracted when suddenly, what's to become
of a baby? Well, the truth is, baby swiping is the family way with colobus monkeys. All
the mums and aunts help each other raise the young. And as for the dad, he's always on
the lookout. Uh-oh, a crowned eagle. That giant can snatch a full-grown monkey from
a tree. Dad sends the alarm, and everyone flees for the lower branches. There's that
law of survival again. Around here, if an animal's not on its guard, it's liable to
get eaten. But meanwhile, if it escapes, another animal goes hungry. It's something that links
every creature to another. Every animal that eats, every animal that's eaten by another
animal, they're all part of what we call the food chain. And now, the top ten reasons
why it's great to be on the top of the food chain. Reason number one, because if you're
a bug at the bottom of the food chain, you're liable to be eaten by a frog. Reason number
two, because if you're a frog, you'd better watch out for bigger frogs. Reason number
three, because if you're a bigger frog, you just might get eaten by a slithering snake.
Reasons number four through ten, because you, and you, that's right, all of you, you're
human beings, and you're at the top of the food chain. Nobody tries to eat you. Hopefully.
Oh, looks interesting. No, oh, nice threads. Nice face, just doing a little channel surfing
here. Hey, why is this channel in black and white? Oh, zebras, the wildest members of
the horse family. Now, aside from the fact that they look great in black and white, why
do you suppose zebras have stripes? No, not because they don't look good in plaid. The
stripes are probably a kind of camouflage, so that enemies will have trouble singling
out just one zebra. But if other animals are confused, the stripes may help zebras tell
each other apart, because no two zebras have the exact same pattern of stripes. No two
look exactly alike. Except, of course, they're all beautiful.
And the zebras are bold, but they're a little over-balanced.
See how we run
These grasses and streams
Are all that we need for home
Till the season is dry
And once again we roam
Mares and stallions, foes by our side
We are the tiger horses
With a powerful strike
Strikes!
Nature's design
Patterns in time
Strikes!
Moving as one
In the shimmering sun
Strikes!
See how we run
See how we run
This portion of Really Wild Animals brought to you by Really Cool Cats.
Wait a minute, these guys are cats? They look more like overgrown mice.
Actually, they're mere cats, which means they're not really cats at all, but a kind of desert animal.
We're talking way down south, even by African standards, in the Kalahari Desert.
Dig we must, is the mere cat motto, all to get their paws on an insect or two for lunch.
Can you imagine having to work this hard for your meal?
Of course, some grub is easier to grab, like scorpions.
Believe it or not, their poison doesn't affect mere cats.
This food chain stuff sure works for these guys.
Or how about a little between meal snack? Er, snake.
Hey, Cobra, wanna play tag? Stand back or you're it.
Mere cats are always on the lookout. That's why they stick together.
While some cats look for food, others have guard duty.
Bummer, chump. Stuck in the old tree again, huh? And here you forgot to bring your sunscreen.
Uh-oh, Jackal. One mean dude. You better tell the others.
The mere cats foil the Jackal's dinner plans, and he splits.
But just to make sure they stay tuned on the termite mound.
Being ready for danger is a full-time job around here.
In Africa, though, danger comes in many shapes and sizes. You'd think the rhino would have nothing to worry about.
I mean, that horn, it's pretty wicked. But it doesn't protect these guys from poachers.
Those same kind of outlaws who kill elephants have been hunting the rhinos for money, too.
What they don't know is that the rhino is worth much more to us alive.
Why is it so special? For one thing, the rhino's been around for millions of years.
That makes it even older than those Brussels sprouts in the fridge that no one will eat.
The truth is, the rhino doesn't deserve its tough-guy reputation. It only fights when it has to.
It doesn't even eat meat. It much prefers plants like the acacia tree.
Delicious. And rhino babies, they're big on milk.
A rhino mom will give birth only once every three or four years.
Of course, maybe one baby is enough when it weighs in at birth at a hundred pounds or more.
Well, right now, there aren't all that many rhino babies around. In fact, they're what we call endangered.
Which means at this rate, the rhino may end up dying out completely, like the dinosaurs.
And that would be sad.
Whoa, did he just say...
That's lion lingo for, hey, man, what safaris complete without me?
Lions just hate to feel left out. I mean, look at how much they enjoy each other's company.
No wonder a group of lions is called a pride.
Dad's job is to protect the pride. That big hair, which is called a mane, makes him look rough and tough, all right.
But it's mum who does most of the hunting.
Lions are not particularly particular about what they'll far take off.
So when it's slim pickings on the plains, when the gazelles are gone or there are zero zebras, they settle for snack food.
Which is bad news for this father ostrich and his eggs.
He may be the world's biggest bird, but he's no match for the big cats.
So let's see now.
How are they going to get into these eggs?
There must be a door or a zipper or something, right?
These eggs have proven lion proof, and as the egg-saspirated lions move off, Mr. Ostrich is free to return.
Luckily for the lions, there are other things on their menu besides omelets.
And right now, these zebras and wildebeest look mighty appetizing.
Working as a team, lions are masters of attack.
Two brothers stake out the herd, picking out the youngest and weakest to chase down.
Meanwhile, a lioness positions herself up ahead.
The brothers charge, sending the herd scattering right into the path of the lioness.
Three out of four attempts end something like this, with one happy zebra counting his lucky stripes and one hungry lioness coming home empty-poured.
That's okay, Ma, don't sweat it, the little guys love you just the same.
It's tough, this law of survival stuff, but it's been working here in Africa a long time.
Think of all the different ways the animals get by.
Speed and smarts, stamina and camouflage, sticking together or going it alone.
Every creature plays an important part, and together they're what makes Africa such a wondrous place.
The heart that beats in Africa.
African sunrise, what a sight to behold.
Home is the wilderness, as far as the eye can see.
Every life is connected, each a part of nature's plan.
And the sounds in the air are the songs that they share, a language they understand.
The heart that beats in Africa is the heart of survival.
The great and the small, they all answer the call of the heart that beats in Africa.
The elephant's thunder, the call of the smallest blade.
The sound of the rains on the highlands and plains, the rhythm of migrating herds.
The heart that beats in Africa is the heart of survival.
The great and the small, they all answer the call of the heart that beats in Africa.
Well gang, our African safari's been great.
But you know, there are lots more really wild animals all across this wonderful world of ours.
So be sure to join me on our next exciting adventure.
Until then, this is your pal, Spin.
Spin you later.
The sound of the rains on the highlands and plains.
The heart that beats in Africa.
The great and the small, they all answer the call of the heart that beats in Africa.
The sound of the rains on the highlands and plains.
The heart that beats in Africa.
The sound of the rains on the highlands and plains.
You guys made it just in time.
My favorite show's on.
National Geographic is proud to present Really Wild Animals.
Brand new home videos in a series especially for kids with a very special host.
It's me, Spin.
Also known as Dudley Moore.
Now kids can travel to the world's most exciting places and learn about some of the world's most amazing animals.
But hang on, we move pretty fast.
It's a jungle out there.
Learn how animals survive in the wild when we visit Africa on a swinging safari.
Find out if everything in Australia is really upside down when we explore the wonders down under.
Take the plunge into a whole new world on a deep sea dive to the bottom of the ocean.
And if you think you've seen some wild music videos, take a look at this.
Hey, young thing, it's time, it's time, it's time to get up. Young thing, smile for the camera. Young thing, full of curiosity.
It's the quality you expect from National Geographic but with a brand new spin.
Thank you.
Now kids can experience the animal adventures of a lifetime with Really Wild Animals, new from National Geographic.