05x05 - Parched and Thirsty in the Outback

[bunniefuu]

Water...

Water...

[Chris]
hey, martin!

What?

Come on!

We're here
in the outback of australia,

One of the most brutally hot
and barren places on earth,

Where temperatures can get as
high as 158 degrees fahrenheit.

That's 70 degrees celsius.

The really amazing thing is that
specially adapted creatures

Have been able to survive
hundreds of thousands of years,

And they've always
needed water...

Water...

Are you done with
your acting bit?

It's just
something I always
wanted to do

In the desert.

[Chris]
here we go to look
at all the creatures

Under the sun
in the outback.

It's all coming up
on this episode of...

Iarribe!
Iandale! Iandale!

[Chris]
we're here in
the outback of australia,

Home to all sorts
of cool animals.

And you have to be
cool to live out here,

Where it sometimes
doesn't rain for years

And the temperature

Can get as high
as 158 degrees
fahrenheit,



Outback--there are
lots of specialized animals

That somehow
manage to survive
with hardly any water.

[Chris]
it's a shingle-backed
lizard!

There are legions of lizards
living in the outback.

[Martin]
that's because lizards
like this shingle-back

Are great at surviving
in this brutal desert climate.

[Chris]
one way they survive
is by eating bugs.

[Martin]
another way they survive
is by not getting eaten,

And a shingle-back does it

By confusing predators
about which end is which.

Hey, see if you can spot
which end is her tail

And which end is her head.

That's easy.
It's the head.

No, that's not right.

O.k., It's the tail.

The head?

Wait a minute. This guy's tail
looks exactly like his head.

[Martin]
here's a foolproof way to tell
which end is which.

[Chris]
if you look closely,

You'll see that its scales
always run towards the tail.

[Chris]
there are other skinks
out here, too--

The gidgee,

The black rock skink,

And the great desert skink.

[Martin]
all these skinks are great
at surviving in the desert.

Yeah, but what does
a shingle-back do

If a predator does figure out
which end is his head?

[Martin]
that's when he deploys
his secret w*apon--

The terrifying blue tongue!

[Chris]
it may seem weird
that shingle-backs

Can scare off predators
with their blue tongues.

Lots of creatures use
different scare tactics,

Like cougars and this butterfly
with its scary eye spots.

Simple.
When they can't escape

And don't stand a chance
of winning a fight,

Some creatures scare away their
enemies by freaking them out.

I mean, if a shingle-back lizard
stuck out his blue tongue at me,

I'd freak.

But it's not just
scaring away predators.

The really neat thing that
a shingle-back lizard can do

Is survive in the outback,

And that's not easy,
'cause it's hot and dry.

If you want to know
how hot and dry it is...

[Radio static]

Outback radio h2o.

International creature
code seven.

[Man]
g'day, mate,
this is radio h2o

Coming live from
the outback of australia.

Looks like no end in sight
for the heat wave, folks.

It's going to be
another scorcher,

Heading up to 140 degrees
fahrenheit by noon today.

It's 140 degrees fahrenheit
and 60 degrees celsius.

Now, that's what
I call hot and dry.

[Ttark]
hot and dry!

What? Last time I checked out
that part of australia,

It was a lush
and shady forest.

Lush and shady?
I don't think so.

It's a gigantic
desert, ttark,

One of the hottest,
driest places on earth.

Hey, I'm not
kidding, al.

I'm not kidding
either,

And I'm telling you
it's a desert.

Everyone knows that.

But it used to be
underwater.

You know, swimming
central, fish city.

That's not possible.

A place can't
change thatmuch.

All I know is it
used to be a swamp.

Or could it?

Accessing
outback history.

Oh, wow,
you're right.

I hate it
when it happens,

But he's right.

It really was
a lush swamp...

But when did...

Ttark, you're talking


Hey, I didn't say when.
I just said it was.

But I still
don't understand
how a lush swamp

Turns into one
of the hottest,

Driest, dustiest
deserts on earth.

[Radio]
it's now 120 degrees
fahrenheit

And still rising.

The last place on earth
you'd want to be stranded.

Guys!

Guys? Are you there?
Where are you?

[Martin]
we're stranded
in the outback.

And the reason we're
stranded is because

Someone forgot
to put water
in the radiator.

Which shows you
what the most
important thing

About
the outback is.

Water.

Yeah, well,
you'd better do something.

According to outback radio,
the temperatures are climbing.

You guys sure you can
make it out there?

Sure we can.
All we have to do

Is do what
the other creatures
do to survive.

You mean the creatures
of the outback?

Yeah! How about emus?

These are huge,
flightless birds

That have survived
in the outback for eons.

[Martin]
they are all over australia.

The emu has really
conquered the continent.

[Chris]
even in the driest, dustiest
corners of the outback,

You can bet that emus
will find a way to survive.

And just as important,
they're great at finding water.

[Martin]
to find a water hole,

An emu will migrate
as far as 300 miles.

Hey, look at that emu chick.

[Chris]
and there's his dad.

[Martin]
it's pretty cool that an emu dad
takes care of the kids.

[Chris]
and teaches them all
his outback survival tricks.

[Martin]
they're really going
to need them out here.

Remember the question how does
a swamp turn into a desert?

Check this out.

Deserts are created
when temperatures change.

Things get cooler and dry up.

With australia,
it was all because of

The antarctic icecaps
building up,

And that's what changed
the outback

From a forest to a desert.

But then what happens
to the creatures?

How do they survive?

I mean,
take a look at the emu.

He's got to be roasting
out there.

[Ttark]
festering feathers!

[Allison]
festering what?

[Ttark]
that's how emus
can survive in the outback--

All those thick feathers.

They actually protect them
from the heat. Get it?

Insulation's
one of the best tricks

For surviving in the desert,

And the emu
has two layers of it--

Keeping cool air in...

And the hot air out.

Not so birdbrained after all,
are they?

So chris and martin
should do what?

Wear feather down jackets
or something to keep cool?

I'd love to see that.

[Whistling]

Nah!nah!

[Martin]
hey, remember what we said
about emus and food?

They'll snag
whatever they can find.

And that includes
the last of our food.

[Martin]
normally, emus and kangaroos
get along pretty well...

[Chris]
but sometimes they might have
a difference of opinion.

[Thumping]

Hey, did you hear that?
That thumping sound?

Red kangaroos.

[Martin]
red kangaroos are the biggest

And one of the most common
kangaroos out here.

[Chris]
now, it might seem
a little weird,

But the female red kangaroos are
sometimes blue-gray in color

And are called blue fliers.

[Martin]
and there's another species--
the gray kangaroo.

[Chris]
but both species use
the same tricks to survive.

[Martin]
unlike humans and emus,

Red kangaroos
can go without water for months

As long as there's
a little fresh growth around

Because they get most of their
water from the plants they eat.

[Chris]
nobody knows how,

But red kangaroos have been
known to detect fresh grass

More than 20 miles away.

[Martin]
you know,
it's getting pretty clear

That one of the first tricks
to surviving in the outback

Is staying cool.

[Chris]
one of the ways
kangaroos keep cool

Is by spending
the hottest part of the day

Chilling out in the shade.

[Martin]
but even when they're resting,

Their ears are always on guard
for sounds of trouble.

[Chris]
when it's really hot,

They lick their forearms
to keep cool.

[Martin]
and a mom keeps her baby cool
by licking him.

[Chris]
mom's pouch offers her baby

Great protection from
the harsh outback environment,

And it gives him easy access
to his mother's milk.

[Martin]
he's safe in there until
he's old enough to come out

And face the outback.

You just can't count
on finding water out here.

[Chris]
so you got to take water
where you can get it.

[Martin]
and kangaroos get moisture
from the plants they eat.

That's one of the keys
to survival.

[Chris]
and get this--

Kangaroos will actually
throw up their food

And eat it again.

[Martin]
that helps them get more
nutrients from their food,

And you're
going to love how

The bridal nail-tailed wallaby
does it.

[Chris]
but unless you have
a multichambered stomach,

Don't try this at home.

Kangaroos are masters
of the long trek

Because of their hop.

[Martin]
hey, we can hop.
Let's see if we can keep up.

One weird thing
about kangaroos--

They hardly sweat.

And they're able to do
all that hopping

Without getting tired
or running out of breath.

Dribbling diaphragms!

It's all a matter of how
you're put together.

It's breathing.

I mean, in all mammals,

It's the diaphragm
that helps us breathe.

So a kangaroo
can hop for so long

Because their diaphragm's
attached to their legs.

So the hopping motion
also controls breathing.

Al, are you
listening to me?

Sorry, ttark,
it's just...
This is amazing.

[Ttark]
of course
they're amazing.

Kangaroos are
in-kanga-credible.

No. I'm talking
about deserts.

For a creature,
it really is
a constant struggle

To find water
or retain it.

And no matter what,
if you don't have water,

You're in trouble,
serious trouble.

That sure makes me
glad we have water.

Yeah. It's great--

We had water.

[Radio]
the temperature in the outback
is now 130 degrees fahrenheit

And still climbing.

I'll tell you, mate,

Anyone with half the brains
of a nail-tailed wallaby

Knows you should be inside.

O.k., So we're here
in the outback.

We have no food, no water,
and our jeep's dead.

Well, at least we
know where we are.

Where are we?

I have no idea.

Well, at least we know
who we're with.

Totally cool.

Wedge-tailed eagle.

[Chris]
she's the largest bird of prey
in all of australia.

[Martin]
hey, check it out.

I bet those are her chicks
waiting for dinner.

[Chris]
wedge-tailed eagles
are scavengers,

Which means that
while they can k*ll,

They prefer to hang around
those creatures

That are dead or fast
on their way to dying.

She wants that carrion.

[Martin]
what is the proper definition
of carrion?

[Chris]
dead meat.

[Martin]
look at those little birds.

[Chris]
if I was a small bird,

The last place I'd hang around
would be an eagle's nest.

[Martin]
yeah, but these baby eagles are
still way too young to hunt.

[Chris]
they're still learning to fly.

But when they get older,

They'll be perfectly equipped
for hunting--

Sharp beaks, strong wings,
and powerful talons.

[Howling]

And that sounds like
another predator
of the outback.

Dingoes.dingoes.

[Howling]

Lizards.

Kangaroos.

And dingoes.

I had no idea
there were so many creatures

Who could survive
in the outback,

And some of them
are really weird.

I mean, a kowari?
Who's ever heard of a kowari?

It's totally cool.

Look at him. He looks like
a harmless little rodent,

But talk about
false advertising.

This guy catches mice
and even small chickens.

But he's still vulnerable
to predators.

That's why he mainly
comes out at night.

[Howling]

What was that?

It sounds like the guys
actually found the dingoes.

[Awoo]

Awesome!
That's a dingo all right.

[Chris]
dingoes are the wild dogs
of the great southland.

[Martin]
and like kowaris
and wedge-tailed eagles,

Dingoes are both
scavengers and predators.

Dingoes were also pets
for the aborigines.

Aborigines would sleep
with their dingoes

On cold nights.

But right now, we don't need
something to keep us warm.

We need something
to keep us cool.

Hey, martin,
what are you doing?

I just had a great
idea where we can
get some water.

From a water-holding
frog.

[Martin]
these frogs hide underground

In a cocoon-like covering
of old skin.

This helps keep water in
and the dry heat out.

Then when it rains,

They return to the surface
to soak up more water

And eat like crazy.

[Chris]
what the aborigines would do
is find one of these guys,

Give them a squeeze,

And they'd get
a mouthful of water.

Hey, wait a minute.

We can't do that.

Then we'd be depriving
this little guy
of his water supply.

Yeah, you're right.

You know what
we really need?
A water fountain.

Water fountain!

[Drip drip drip]

There's only one water fountain
in the outback,

And that's...

The thorny devil!

The thorny devil?

But the thorny devil's
a lizard, isn't it?

O.k., Maybe he looks
like a prickly cactus,

And he can change colors,
but a water fountain?

I don't think so.

I'm not talking about

The thorny devil
changing colors.

I'm talking about getting water
in the outback.

And old thorny
doesn't go to water.

It comes to him.

You see, morning dew
collects on his back,

And then it runs down
to the corners of his mouth.

Hey, what's he doing?

[Martin]
it is pretty funky.

[Chris]
and it's called cryptic walking.

[Martin]
some people think it helps him
hide from predators.

[Chris]
the back-and-forth motion
is so bizarre-looking

That other creatures may not
know what to make of him.

[Martin]
they probably don't even
recognize him as an animal,

So they just leave him alone.

[Allison]
man, that guy has
one weird way of walking.

It's the thorny devil strut.

[Martin]
and this is his favorite food--
black ants.

[Chris]
thorny devils
are really picky eaters.

They can even tell
the difference

Between martin's
ants and my ants.

[Martin]
hey, hey, I've got these
delicious-looking black ants.

[Chris]
but, martin, I've got the black
ants thorny devils really like.

If they like your aunts
better than mine,

There's nothing
I can do about it.

You can't apologize
for your relatives.

I found it! Water!

Let me see.

Says there's a man-made trough
or something out there.

It's used by animals
when water's scarce.

It used to be a water supply

For cattle and sheep
on outback stations,

But now it's used
mostly by birds, wild goats,

Kangaroos,
and just about everyone.

It says here it's the very
far edge of the outback.

Far edge of the outback...

You'd have more luck
walking to the sahara.

Wait a second.
We're not in the sahara.

No, we're not.

So maybe what we're
seeing is a mirage.

Both of us are seeing
the same mirage?

That's not a mirage.
That's the wild camels
of australia.

Hold it!

This, I know,
isn't possible.

The guys must be delirious.

Wait a minute.
I'm seeing them, too.

I'm not delirious.

But camels in the outback?
I don't think so.

Subject heading--camels.

Just like I said, wild camels
still live in the outback.

[Martin]
a camel can store
six months' worth of food

In the form of fat
in its hump,

And that's what
helps them survive

Through the tough times
in the desert.

[Chris]
another thing that helps them
survive in the desert

Is that they don't sweat
until their body temperature

Reaches over 104 degrees
fahrenheit.

Did you know that if
a human got that hot,

He could get brain damage,

But a camel would hardly sweat?

And they can go for ages
without peeing!

That helps them
save a lot of water.

Hey, guys, here's an idea.

If the camels are around,
maybe that could mean something.

Maybe that could
tell us where we are.

It could mean
we're near water.

If any creature
knows how to survive
in the desert,

It's a camel.

These camels might
not need to drink

For another three
or four months.

[Martin]
camels were introduced
to australia

To work in the desert.

[Chris]
but they got loose,
and now they're wild--

The only wild one-humped camels
in the world.

[Radio]
this is an h20 water bulletin.

It's 140 degrees now,
and let me tell you,

That's enough
to make you delirious,

Send you wandering
around in circles.

Wandering around
in circles?

Guys, do you realize

That's the fourth time
you've passed that tree?

[Allison]
you've been wandering
around in circles.

[Laughing]

All right, man!

The dry landscape
is as beautiful

As it is harsh
and unforgiving.

Nah....

Even with millions of years of
evolution behind them,

It's still a daily struggle

For creatures to survive
in the outback.

Boy, is this boring.

Water is life.

One of the things to remember
about the creature world

Is how important
water is to survival.

And we've learned from
the emus, kangaroos, and camels

Exactly what you need
to survive in the outback.