10x03 - Sam the Sea Cow

[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 ♪

Hi there!
You're just in time

Because I'm about to give
rachel her bottle.

Rachel is
a baby manatee.

She lives here
at sea world of florida.

Manatees are mammals,

So babies like rachel
need lots of milk.

Rachel gets
three bottles a day,

And she loves
to be fed.

Just look at her go!

She'll drink every drop.

The first time
you see a manatee,

You might think
they're strange-looking.

Manatees have wide,
flat tails

And big, round bodies

And flippers to steer
through the water.

Adult manatees spend their time
grazing on underwater plants.

I guess that's why
they're called sea cows.

Thanks, sandy.

When rachel was 1 week old,
she was hit by a boat.

She was rescued
and brought to sea world.

One of the first manatees
ever rescued anywhere

Was a curious young
sea cow named sam.

He got caught
in an underwater sewer pipe.

His story is told in this book,
sam the sea cow.

Spring comes
to southern florida.

A huge gray animal
moves slowly down a river

Toward the sea.

It is a shy,
harmless manatee.

On her back,

The manatee carries
a brand-new calf,

Just born.

His name will be sam.

The manatee rises
so her calf's head

Is above the water.

[Whooohh]

The calf breathes in.

[Whooohh]

He breathes out.

Even though a manatee
lives in the water,

It breathes air
just like you and me.

Sam's mother
ducks him and lifts him

And ducks him and lifts him.

She teaches him

To hold his breath
under water.

Sam finds a place
beneath his mother's flipper

When he is hungry.

He sucks her warm milk.

Manatees are mammals,

So they feed their babies
milk from their bodies.

Sam looks like
his mother.

He has little, round eyes
and a small head.

He hears sounds,

But he has no
outside ears.

Sam's body is shaped
like a big pear.

He swims with his two
mitten-shaped flippers.

Later, he will learn
to use his tail.

One day, sam hears
a strange noise.

[Buzzing]

He lifts his head
to look.

His mother squeals
to warn him.

[Bam bam bam]

Too late!
A motorboat hits sam.

The propeller cuts him.

Motorboats are manatees'
worst enemies.

Sam's wound leaves a scar
between his eyes.

It will be there
for the rest of his life.

In the fall,
sam and his mother

Swim upriver to warmer waters.

Alligators
snooze on the shore.

Long-legged herons
wade in the mud.

Sam eats plants
like other manatees.

Mmm!

[Munch munch]

[Munch munch]

Sam pokes his whiskered face
into some hyacinth.

[Munch munch]

[Munch munch]

[Munch munch]

Every five minutes,
sam comes up to breathe,

And sometimes he pops up
near fishing boats

And surprises the fishermen.

Sam leaves his mother
when he is 2 years old.

Like other manatees,

He spends years
swimming along the seacoast

In the warm months

And returning to rivers
in the cooler season.

When sam isn't eating,
he goes exploring.

He swims around
wooden pilings.

He searches
under old piers.

One day,

Sam swims into a big, round
cement pipe.

He squirms half in,
but can't get out!

Sam is stuck
in a sewer drain!

People hear
sam's cries.

[Eeeep eeeep]

They try to help him,

But sam can't be moved
from the drain.

Someone calls
the seaquarium.

They pull sam out

And take him
to the seaquarium.

Sam has a new home now.

He lives in a round,
cement pool.

Soon,
sam feels well again,

But there is nothing
to explore here!

Even when sam is put
with other manatees,

He is lonely.

The keepers finally decide
to return him to a river.

Sam is lifted
and taken to an airplane.

The pilot flies sam
to crystal river



Other manatees
are swimming in the river.

[Eeeep eeeep eeeep]

Sam calls them.

He flips his tail
and swims to them.

One manatee
turns to face sam.

She puts her snout
near sam's.

They rub noses.

Heh! Therub whiskers.

They swim off together.

Good-bye, sam!

When a manatee is saved,

It takes experts
and muscle power to do the job.

There are many people
in florida

Ready to save an injured manatee
on a moment's notice.

When a manatee
is hit by a speeding boat,

A rescue team races
to the accident scene.

They must quickly
get the animal

On land for treatment.

This manatee was struck
by a spinning propeller.

Each emergency is different.

That's why teamwork
and fast thinking

Are so important.

This manatee,
like sam the sea cow,

Is stuck in a drain pipe.

Because he's frightened
and in pain,

The rescue team
must be careful.

Crews often use
ordinary fishing nets

To pull a manatee to safety.

Drop it!

But when a net
won't do,

They bring in
the heavy equipment.

O.k.

Watch it!

Hang on!

O.k.

Lift away.

As soon as a manatee
is out of the water,

It's carried to the back
of a waiting truck--

A manatee ambulance.

The hurt animal is taken
to a special place

To rest and recover.

This is h*m* springs.

Injured manatees come here

For a little
tender loving care.

Park ranger betsy dearth
and veterinarian mark lowe

Work with them daily.

I've never been around

This many huge
water animals before.

How big are
the manatee?

The adult,
male manatees

Run about 1,000
to 1,200 pounds.

The females run
around 2,000 pounds.

That's a lot
of weight.

They are large.

Many people
don't think

That manatees
are attractive,

But I find them
beautiful.

I think the thing
about manatees is

They're so ugly
they're cute.

These marks on amanda's
back look like scars.

That's right.
They are.

At times,
their curiosity
gets them entangled

In crab trap lines

And injured
from propellers.

One major cause

Of manatee injuries
is boating.

They get too close,

And their propellers
cut their skin.

You can see
the lines.

These scars
were from

Getting hit
by a boat.

These white
marks are
the scars.

Betsy, what
are we feeding them?

These are
monkey biscuits--

Vitamin/mineral
biscuits.

We give them
lettuce, cabbage,
and carrots.

They're vegetarians.

In the wild,
they eat

Hydrilla grass
and hyacinth.

They spend
their day

Eating,
sleeping,
and playing.

Not a bad way
to live.

Let's talk about
where the manatee

Come from, dr. Mark.

They are descended
from which animal?

We think it is
the elephant.

It's their
closest relative.

Their upper lip
is similar to
an elephant's trunk.

It's prehensile,
meaning it will grab.

Here, one is reaching
and grabbing.

They're reaching
like an elephant would--

With the end
of his trunk!

They're like
fingers, sort of.

And then the nails
on the flippers.

They look like
elephant's toes.

Small nails similar
to the elephant's.

I just love the way
their skin feels.

Isn't it neat?

They do have
sparse body hairs.

Along their back,
you'll see
some fine hairs.

Oh, yeah!

One
of the things

That makes
him a mammal

Is body hair.

Manatees hold
their breath, right?

As they submerge,
a valve on their
nostril closes.

This keeps water out.

They breathe
every 3 to 5 minutes.

Oh, yeah!
There he is breathing,

Then he goes
down again.

Their tails are
really huge and flat,

Like a beaver's tail.

They use this
to propel themselves.

A 2,000-pound manatee
needs a large tail

To push him
through the water.

How many
manatees are left?

The latest figure
we have

Is around 1,450
in florida.

That's not
an awful lot.

Not very many.

Do they have
natural enemies?

No, other than man.

Dr. Mark, they're really
gentle creatures.

That's the most
amazing thing

For an animal
this size.

They're gentle
and loving.

Call them
gentle giants?

Gentle giants
is exactly
what they are.

[Levar]
when a manatee
playfully tumbles,

It's a sign
he's healthy again.

That's when he's ready
to return to the wild.

Meet barnacle bill.


This manatee was hit

By a speeding boat.

Since then,

He has been recovering
here a sea world.

Today, he is finally
going home,

And bill needs the help
of every team member

To get
to his release site,

Including me!

Move forward.

Good!

O.k., Coming up!

Start coming up!

O.k., How's he look?

O.k., Get ready, levar!

Before leaving
sea world,

Bill is lowered
to the ground

For one last checkup.

Veterinarian mark walsh
and I examine bill

To make sure
he's healthy

And ready to go.

Here we go.

We measured bill and discovered
that he had grown a foot

Since he was rescued!

Wow,
look at that!

That looks fine.

O.k.!

After dr. Walsh
gives the o.k.,

Bill is hoisted
onto a truck

For the long ride home.

Let's
get some slack!

It's a three-hour drive

To punta gorda, florida,

Where bill
will be released.

During that time,
we want him

As comfortable
and calm as possible.

[Horn honks]

Whoa!

It must have been
that horn.

Is he o.k.?

We got you,
bill.

It's o.k.

Watch your steps
on these rocks here.

It takes eight of us
to carry bill

The final few steps
to freedom.

He's fine.

Spin him around?

Let's try to go

As far deep out
as we can

To the right.

Can we go deeper?

No deeper.

Let's drop him here.

Let's point him
this way.

Go!
Drop him!

Sorry about that.

All right.

[Cheering]

So long, barnacle bill.

Well, the true-life tale
of bill is now complete.

With our help,
it had a happy ending.

You can find stories
about manatees and other animals

At your local library,

But don't take
my word for it.

Don't touch that dial
because I'm kenneth neill.

I'm here to tell you
about sweet sea creatures--

Manatees!

That's the name
of this book.

Manatees are sea mammals.

They live along
the florida coast.

They're big and curious,

So sometimes they get
into trouble.

If there's garbage
in the water,

They check it out.

If a boat goes by
with a propeller,

They have to investigate.

That's how they get hurt
and sometimes k*lled.

I like manatees because
they never hurt anyone,

And they have big, goofy,
lovable faces.

If you're ever in florida,

Check out the manatees.

While you're at it,
check out this book.



Are about animals,
animals, and more animals.

Let me tell you about them.

These books help you
appreciate animals,

Especially the ones
that are endangered.

My favorite book was 10 things
I know about penguins.

You might learn

Some things about penguins
you never knew.

Even though penguins are birds,
do you know they can't fly?

But in the water,
they are great swimmers.

I really enjoyed
the photographs.

Aren't they cute?

I'm nyssa fajardo.

If you're
an animal lover like me,

These books
are for you.

Do you know
any endangered animals?

Before reading this book,

I only knew that elephants
were hunted for ivory.

I learned about other animals
that need help in this book,

Will we miss them?

I was surprised.
A sixth-grader wrote this book!

There are lots of facts
about animals in danger.

For example, the panda
eats bamboo sticks.

He has a special lining
in his throat

To protect him from
bamboo splinters!

Look at this whale spouting!

The blue whale is the largest
animal on earth.

I'm kathryn.

Will we miss them?
Reminds me

That we need to save
endangered species

Because all of the animals

Make our world
more beautiful.

This is florida's chassahowitzka
national wildlife refuge.

Manatees swim through
places like this

Where the water is warm,
shallow, and filled with plants.

We're going to cross marshland
to where manatees live.

We will get there
by airboat.

You ready, cameron?
Come on!

An airboat glides
over the water.

Animals swimming below us
are safe.

The secret to this boat
is the giant fan.

The fan pushes
the boat forward.

It's so loud,

Ear protectors
must be worn.

The fins move
side to side,

So changing directions
is a breeze.

Manatees share
these wetlands

With many rare
and endangered animals.

They need these wild places
if they're to survive.

That was a great ride,
cameron.

I'm glad
you enjoyed it.

Signs like this
warn boaters

That this is a manatee area.

They must slow down.

When you see a sign
like this up here,

It often means that someone
is having lunch down there.

♪ Sunlight on the water ♪

♪ Reflections
on the world below ♪

♪ The manatee so peacefully ♪

♪ Swimming in the shallows ♪

♪ Dream a dream of the way
the world could be ♪

♪ Save the manatee ♪

♪ Dream a dream ♪

♪ Where everything
lives free ♪

♪ Darkness on the water ♪

♪ Casting shadows
on the world below ♪

♪ The manatee so helplessly ♪

♪ Have no other
place to go ♪

♪ Let's dream a dream ♪

♪ Of the way
the world could be ♪

♪ Save the manatee ♪

♪ Dream a dream ♪

♪ Where everything
lives free ♪

♪ Graceful, gentle giants ♪

♪ Side by side
so peacefully ♪

♪ Can we learn
to live together? ♪

♪ We just got to live
together ♪

♪ It won't be easy, no ♪

♪ Until we dream a dream ♪

♪ Of the way
the world could be ♪

♪ Save the manatee ♪

♪ Dream a dream ♪

♪ Where everything
lives free ♪

♪ Make it reality ♪
♪ dream a dream ♪

♪ Of the way
the world could be ♪

♪ Save the manatee ♪

♪ Dream a dream ♪

♪ Where everything lives free ♪

♪ Save the manatee ♪

♪ Yeah ♪♪

Manatees have lived
on this earth

For millions of years,

But they won't survive
without our help.

These gentle animals
are dying so fast

That they're in danger
of disappearing forever.

People are racing
against time

To save the manatees,

And if we all
work together,

Maybe, just maybe,
this is a race we can win.

I'll see you next time.

♪ Let's dream a dream of the way
the world could be ♪

♪ Save the manatee ♪

♪ Dream a dream ♪

♪ Where everything
lives free ♪

♪ Graceful, gentle giants ♪

♪ Side by side so peacefully ♪

♪ Can we learn ♪

♪ To live together? ♪

♪ We just got to live together ♪

♪ It won't be easy, no ♪

♪ Until we dream a dream... ♪

♪ ...of the way
the world could be ♪

♪ Save the manatee ♪♪

Today's reading rainbow books
are sam the sea cow,

By francine jacobs,
illustrated by laura kelly,

Published
by walker and company, inc.

Manatees,
by emilie u. Lepthien,

Published
by childrens press.

By wendy wax and della rowland,

Illustrations by thomas payne,

Published by calico books,

An imprint
of contemporary books, inc.

Will we miss them?
Endangered species,

By alexandra wright,

Illustrated by
marshall peck iii,

Published by
charlesbridge
publishing.