11x08 - Is This a House for a Hermit Crab

[bunniefuu]

♪ Reading rainbow

♪ Butterfly in the sky

♪ I can go twice as high

♪ Take a look

♪ It's in a book

♪ A reading rainbow

♪ I can go anywhere

♪ Friends to know

♪ And ways to grow

♪ A reading rainbow

♪ I can be anything

♪ Take a look

♪ It's in a book

♪ A reading rainbow

♪ Reading rainbow

♪ Reading rainbow

Should make
a perfect wall.

And let's see here.

Ahh! The perfect
front porch.

Hi. I'm just gathering
some materials

So we can build a house.

My friends need a home.

It wld be fun
to make them one.

You know,
everybody needs a home--

A place to eat, sleep,
take shelter,

Maybe raise a family.

You can't just
plunk yourself anywhere.

Here's a story about someone
who's house hunting

And checks out
plenty of real estate

Before hunkering down.

It's called is this a house
for hermit crab?

Hermit crab
was growing too big

For the house on his back.

It was time
to find a new house.

He crawled
out of the water

Looking for something
to hide in

Where he would be safe
from the prickle pine fish.

He stepped along the shore
by the sea in the sand...

Scritch, scratch, scritch,
scratch, scritch, scratch...

Until he came to a rock.

Is this a house
for hermit crab?

Turning himself around,

Hermit crab backed
his hind legs beneath the rock.

The rock would not budge.

It was too heavy.

He stepped along the shore
by the sea in the sand...

Scritch, scratch,
scritch, scratch...

Until he came
to a rusty old tin can.

Is this a house
for hermit crab?

When he tried to walk
with the can on his back,

It bumped

And clunked

And bumped

And clunked.

It was too noisy.

He stepped
along the shore

By the sea in the sand...

Scritch, scratch,
scritch, scratch...

Until he came

To a piece of driftwood.

Is this a house
for hermit crab?

Hermit crab crawled deep inside
the rounded hollow at one end.

It was too dark,

So he stepped
along the shore

By the sea in the sand...

Scritch, scratch,
scritch, scratch...

Until he came

To a small plastic pail.

Is this a house
for hermit crab?

[Clunking]

Climbing up
towards the rim--

Oops! He fell right in.

He clawed, and he clawed
until he climbed out.

It was too deep,

So he stepped
along the shore

By the sea in the sand...

Scritch, scratch, scritch,
scratch, scritch, scratch,

Scritch, scratch...

Until he came to
a nice round hole in the sand.

Is this a house
for hermit crab?

He poked his head
down into the opening.

A huge pair of eyes
blinked back at him.

Hermit crab shivered
as he scurried away

From the big fiddler crab
peering out of the burrow.

It was too crowded,

So he stepped
along the shore

By the sea in the sand...

Scritch, scratch, scritchl
scratch, scritch, scratch,

Scritch, scratch, scritch...

Until he came
to a fishing net.

Is this a house
for hermit crab?

Poking his claws
into the heap,

He got tangled and caught.

Hermit crab
wriggled and wriggled

Until he found
his way out of the net.

It had too many holes,

So he stepped
along the shore

By the sea
in the sand...

Scritch, scratch, scritch,
scratch, scritch, scratch,

Scritch, scratch,
scritch...

All of a sudden,

A gigantic wave tossed
and tumbled pebbles and sand

Over hermit crab's head.

He swirled with the tide

And was washed
back out to sea.

Sleeker than a shark,

The prickle pine fish
darted from its hiding place

In the tall seaweed.

Every spine of its back
stood straight as a steeple.

Mouth open wide,

It headed
right for hermit crab.

Hermit crab raced across
the ocean floor...

Scritch, scratch, scritch,
scratch, scritch, scratch...

Scurrying behind
the first creature he saw.

It was a sea snail.

He hoped it would
hide him,

But the shell was empty.

The shell was empty!

Hermit crab scrambled inside
as quick as a flash

And clamped his claw
over the opening in the shell.

The prickle pine fish circled
the snail shell three times,

But he could not
catch sight

Of the crab
he had been chasing.

He glided off in search
of something else to eat.

When all seemed
still and quiet,

Hermit crab
snuggled comfortably down

Into his new shell.

Ha ha ha!

It was not too heavy,
not too noisy,

Not too dark,
and not too deep.

It was not too crowded

And did not
have too many holes.

At last...

Hermit crab
had found a new home,

And it fit just right.

Ha ha ha!

Oh, yeah.

That's fine.

As hermit crab found out,

Your house has to be
right for you.

Who you are determines
what you need.

Since my friends
are birds--wrens--

They don't
need a big place,

Just one that will protect them
from bad weather.

They'll need
a front door, so...

Make my mark here.

Let's cut
a small round hole

That will let wrens in,

But keep squirrels
and bigger birds out.

Yeah.
Yeah, that looks good.

Every animal
has its own dream house,

Be it hive,
nest, tunnel, or den.

Here are some digs their owners
think are fit for a king.

To a bat, this cave
is the best spot,

Especially if you like
living with family and friends.

There are million
bats here

And always room
for one more.

If you think there's more
privacy here, think again.

This is an apartment complex
of sand martins.

The birds dig holes
in the sand themselves.

At last, the place
where you're home alone.

A baby kangaroo climbs
into his mamma's pouch

And goes along
for the ride.

Hey, are we there yet?

What home looks like
a tree stump, but isn't?

Looks like a fence,
but isn't?

And might be
feet high?

It's a termite mound,

Built by
a termite colony

Out of dirt
and their own saliva.

Hello.

Who is it?

An owl.n.

Living inside a tree.

Whoo! Whoo!

It's not unusual
for birds to build nests,

But weaverbirds weave homes
out of leaves and grass,

Making houses that dangle
from tree branches.

If it behooves you
to live on a cliff,

Perhaps you'd like
where the ibex lives.

Come prepared
with hard, ridged feet.

You'll be expected
to climb the walls.

Before you stop,
put your feet up

And enjoy the view.

There.

Better check the plan
to see what's next.

Let's see.

Oh, right.

O.k.

Hey! That's really beginning
to come together.

Animals don't need
to follow a plan.

They know
instinctively what to do.

They use
materials from nature,

And some work so hard,

They really sink their teeth
into their jobs.

Like the beaver,

The greatest animal
architect of them all.

This beaver is piling up
branches to make a dam.

The dam will hold back
water to create a pond--

The perfect spot
for a beaver's home.

But to build a dam
and a home,

A beaver needs
lots of branches and logs.

They gnaw at trees

And cut them down
with their sharp front teeth.

Timber!

Ha ha!

Looks good.

Next, the beaver drags
the branches down to the water,

And it instinctively knows
where each branch should go.

Small twigs and mud
help to pack it all down.

Then, off they go
to get the next branch.

Beavers are
excellent swimmers,

And they spend most
of their lives in the water.

See how thick their fur is

And how their
webbed feet propel them?

They steer
with their flat tails.

It's like having
a built-in rudder.

The entrance
to the lodge is underwater,

So only
beavers can get in--

A cozy house where
the babies, or kits,

Are warm
and well-protected.

While mom and the kits
snack,

Dad is outside
doing home repairs.

Soon the whole family
will gather for dinner.

They like to eat leaves

And tree bark, which they
nibble like corn on the cob.

Uh-oh!
Here comes trouble.

The bear is one of the beaver's
greatest enemies,

But the walls of the lodge
are so thick,

The bear
can't harm the beavers.

Oh, well.

Better give up and go home

And leave these
master architects safe

In their perfectly
constructed home.

There.

Now I'll put
a few twigs and leaves

In here
to get their nest started.

Not too much.

I'm sure they will
want to decorate.

I can't wait to have

A family of wrens
living in my yard.

I already have squirrels,
chipmunks, and insects.

You don't have to
live in the country

To have critters nearby.

It's hard to believe

That way up here
among the skyscrapers

There are peregrine falcons
living on the rooftops

And ledges of buildings that tower above the ground.

Peregrine falcons
are majestic birds.

They're also
an endangered species.

Their survival in the city
depends on people like

Chris nadareski
and barbara allen-louckes,

Scientists who
protect and take care of them.

When chris and barbara
go to work,

They go up, up, up,

Sometimes
up to stories high

To perform the dangerous
but thrilling job

Of looking after
the peregrines.

[Barbara]
we try to keep track
of peregrine falcons

And figure out ways
to help them.

[Chris]
to help
the peregrine falcon

Come back
to the numbers
it once lived at

In the eastern
united states.

This
particular bird

Looks pretty big,
uh...very aggressive,

Most likely a female.

I'll check the band.

[Squawking]

Just because
the baby birds scream

Doesn't mean
we're hurting them.

It means that
they're very afraid.

We don't hurt
the birds at all.

We're very,
very careful
with these birds.

Here's the mother falcon
watching her nest

That the scientists
placed here.

See the box
chris is leaning into?

It was put here

So falcons would have
a place to lay eggs.

In a sense, the city
is a natural habitat.

The tall
buildings and bridges
with nice ledges,

They're just
like the ledges
you would find

On a natural
cliff site

Where the falcon
would be known to nest.

Wait a minute!

Did chris say
buildings and bridges?

Could you really find
peregrine falcons

Making homes on bridges?

It's surprising but true.

The steel and concrete
underside of this city bridge

Is a favorite place for falcons
to raise their families,

And that means

The scientists climb out
onto this treacherous place

To care for the birds.

Today,
they're banding the birds,

Giving them
identification bracelets.

The babies object,

And their mother does, too.

[Squawking]

The bands help scientists
keep track of the birds

And learn more
about helping them.

What we'll do
is match up
the band size.

I'm going to
put it on before
I finalize it.

Make sure
it's nice and loose
around the tarsus.

Got to be
very careful.

Their bones are
still developing

In these
young birds.

. O.k.

That band
fits nicely.

Why don't
we inspect the...

After they're banded,

Each hatchling
gets a checkup.

Chris looks
in their mouths like this

And then
spreads their wings

To check
for lice or disease.

Luckily, this bird
is doing just fine.

The mother
is getting very angry,

And there's
always the danger

That she'll
attack the scientists.

[Squawking]

We bother them
once a year for banding.

We'll get important
information

About these birds
and where they travel

And how long
they live.

Thanks to the courageous
efforts of scientists,

Peregrine falcons
live among us

As our neighbors
in the city.

I think it's beautiful--
a work of art.

A house isn't a home
until there's a roof.

Let's put a lid on it.

One of the most amazing
things about animals

Is where they live.

Just to hammer
this point home,

Here are some books

That really hit the nail
on the head.

Everybody knows that most
animals live in the country.

Did you know that
many birds live in the city?

Find out more about them
in urban roosts.

Lots of birds
do well in the city.

Let me
show you some examples.

There's a sparrow
nesting in a traffic light.

Barn owls
actually lay their eggs

In flat, protected spots.

I always thought
they nested in trees.

There's a very interesting bird
called a chimney swift.

Guess where
they like to hang around.

Snowy owls like to be
where airplanes land,

Maybe because
it reminds them

Of their natural habitat.

I'm shaune,
and I enjoyed learning facts

About birds
living in the city.

No matter where you live,

You'll enjoy reading
urban roosts.

All of you have seen
squirrels before.

They're very common
and really neat,

And they're always
on the go.

Read more in this book--
busy, busy squirrels.

There are many different
kinds of squirrels.

The most interesting
squirrel to me

Is the flying squirrel.

It sleeps in the daytime
and is busy all night.

Did you know chipmunks
are squirrels, too?

Prairie dogs
aren't dogs at all.

They're part
of the squirrel family.

I'd like to tell you
more about squirrels,

But I'm very busy,

So read it for yourself.

Ebony says busy, busy squirrels
is worth your time.

Spider's web tells how
a garden spider catches food.

Some people
think this is gross.

I think it's amazing.

A garden spider
needs a web to catch food.

There are steps
to make a web.

In this book, there's a drawing
and a photograph of each step.

A spider's web begins
with a single thread,

But the spider
doesn't stop there.

The outside frame
looks like a pentagon.

These threads look like
the spokes of a wheel.

Wow! Check out this spiral.

Pretty cool.

My name is james.

I think
this book is fascinating.

If you like spiders,

You'll get wrapped up
in spider's web.

Magnificent!

Irresistible!

Could a wren ask for more?

There's a comfy
bedroom inside,

A porch or perch
for sitting,

And a patio
for outdoor entertaining.

I officially declare
this house a home.

You know what they say
in real estate--

Location is everything.

This spot is perfect.

There's plenty of light
and good access.

This is going to
look great here.

Yeah! Oh!

I definitely
want to make sure

That the birds
feel welcome.

Now, let's give
those birds a call

And let them know
there's no place like home.

[Chirping]

I'll see you next time.

♪ Butterfly
in the sky ♪

♪ I can go
twice as high ♪

♪ Take a look

♪ It's in a book

♪ A reading rainbow

♪ A reading rainbow

♪ A reading rainbow

♪ A reading rainbow

♪ A reading rainbow ♪