03x07 - Great Salt Lake/The Praying Mantis Hunters

[bunniefuu]

That's me, Fred the house cat.

When my family leaves for the day,

I don't just sit inside watching the world go by.

I become...

♪♪♪

Nature Cat, backyard explorer extraordinaire!

♪ Oh, go go go ♪

Tally ho!

♪ Go go go ♪

Tally ho!

♪ We're climbing up the trees now ♪

♪ We're swinging through the breeze now ♪

♪ We're getting muddy knees now ♪

♪ With Nature Cat ♪

♪ Nature Cat, Nature Cat ♪

♪ Nature Cat, Nature Cat, Nature Cat ♪

♪ So what are we waiting for? ♪

♪ We're so excited to explore ♪

♪ All that nature has in store with Nature Cat ♪

♪ Go go go Tally ho! ♪

♪ Go go go Tally ho! ♪

♪ He's our favourite nature guide ♪

♪ We just can't wait to get ♪

Outside!

♪ We're swinging through the trees now ♪

♪ We're jumping in the leaves now ♪

♪ We're getting muddy knees now ♪

♪ With Nature Cat!

♪ Nature Cat, Nature Cat ♪ Tally ho!

♪ Nature Cat, Nature Cat, Nature Cat ♪

Tally ho!

Daisy: Great Salt Lake.

Hal: Whoa, that's a lot of stuff, baby!

Sure is!

As you know, a dashing nature adventurer

has to be prepared for anything!

Fresh breath is no exception.

(brush scraping)

(ding)

Sweet idea to do a little spring cleaning

and organize your stuff, Nature Cat.

Nature Cat, you got everything in here

but the kitchen sink!

Got one!

And a spare.

One never knows...

(gasp)

Hey, what's that?

When I was a kitten, I received this from my auntie.

It's a small replica of what my auntie calls

the greatest wonder in the world!

I always dreamed of going there!

Let me guess, the Taj Mahal.

No, no, no, no, no, the Eiffel Tower.

Oh, oh, is it the Great Wall of China?

The Cheese Castle in Kenosha?

Even better.

Brace yourselves.

I give you the Colossal Cat Monument!

Sounds amazing! Sweet!

What she and she said!

I know! How can you b*at a giant rock

in the shape of a cat's head

on a cliff in the desert?

Why, you can't b*at it!

Where's this big rock located?

Where is it?

That's an excellent question.

Ha ha! (springs)

The Colossal Cat Monument is located,

uh, hang on.

Uh, I know it's here somewhere.

(yells) (globe whooshing)

Here it is!

The Colossal Cat Monument,

a natural rock formation in the American West.

(Nature Cat bangs)

So it's that way, very far away!

Well, we better get moving then.

What mean you, Squeeks?

I mean, moving to make your dream come true, Nature Cat!

You'd really do that for me?

Go with me to the Colossal Cat Monument?

Of course we would!

And hey, we have everything we'll need

for our journey right here.

Water, sunscreen...

Snacks...

Headgear, sweet shades...

Oh, and snacks...

And a box of tissues for when we all cry in joy

at first sight of the Colossal Cat Monument!

Okay, but let's not forget the snacks.

And the best montage music

for a heading-West adventure montage!

(giggles) All right, we have it all covered then!

Onward and westward!

(dramatic adventure music)

(rain splattering)

(Nature Cat whimpers)

♪♪

According to this, we should see the monument

once we make it past these boulders.

Hal, ready my tissues.

I never thought this day would come.

Nothing can stop us now!

(gasps) Water.

Why does it have to be water?

Wow, double catchphrase!

Impressive, Nature Cat.

So, so, so much water.

Hey, all these streams must feed into all that water!

Man, oh man.

I think I misread this.

The monument is actually in those cliffs.

(Nature Cat gasps)

(Nature Cat sobbing)

Oh, there, there, Nature Cat.

Don't worry, we'll get you to the Colossal Cat Monument.

Looks like just water all the way to the mountains!

And there's no way I'm swimming across it!

Uh, maybe we, I dunno, walk around it then?

Hey, yeah.

Like my mommy always, always, always, says,

"Halbert, a walk around water that is in your way

"always, always, always starts with one step."

(yells)

Mmm, fresh and tasty water.

Squeeks: Whoa, momma, it's a lake!

And it's so big!

Man, oh man, it's huge!

It looks like the ocean!

Excuse me, team, we must focus back

on the Colossal Cat Monument and a shortcut to get there.

Right, Nature Cat.

Houston, come in.

Houston? Houston?

Oh, no signal.

There's gotta be someone around here to ask.

How about asking some fishies?

Fishies, hey, it's me, Hal.

We need some help.

No fishies?

Only little shrimps here?

And salty water?

Blah, weird.

We'll never find anybody out here to help us.

Save your dramatic moment

for later in the episode, Nature Cat.

I see somebody!

Excuse me, kind bird.

I'm an American coot, sonny.

Name's Codger McDowell.

Howdy, Codger McDowell.

Do you happen to know a shortcut

to the Colossal Cat Monument?

Hmm, that's plum on the other side of this lake.

Only way there is to walk around the lake,

probably take a good three days.

Three days?

Why so long?

Don't you know, sonny boy?

This is the Great Salt Lake!

Daisy: The Great Salt Lake?

That doesn't make any sense.

Everyone knows that lakes have fresh water.

Well, lakes can be salty too,

in fact, even more so than the ocean.

Hey, I told you I tasted salt

when I put my head in the water.

No way, lakes can't be salty!

(slurps)

Ew! Tastes like a really bad bowl of super salty soup.

Yuck!

(Codger laughs)

Most lakes have water that flows in and out,

but in some lakes, water only flows in.

I'm confused, Codger McDowell.

I thought all lakes eventually lead out to the ocean.

Well, not this lake.

Maybe it has something to do with these mountains.

That is all quite fascinating, really,

but is there any other way to get to the monument?

Oh, hey, it's dinnertime.

I'm gonna be late for the early bird special.

But wait! Codger!

It looks like I'm never getting

to the Colossal Cat Monument,

and it's all this Great Salt Lake's fault!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, nobody disses our Great Salt Lake!

Ah, I apologize, crane.

It's just that this lake of yours is in our way!

The Great Salt Lake is really important, you guys.

You see how it's mostly surrounded by mountains?

Yes, and those mountains are where we need to get

to see the Colossal Cat Monument!

Well, those mountains also keep the fresh water

that comes in from flowing out.

And the fresh water that comes in

carries some minerals with it, like salt.

Yeah, and since the air is so dry here,

the lake's water evaporates faster than it comes in,

leaving behind the salt.

And this lake is very, very shallow,

so the water is really salty over time.

So the salt's, like, stuck here?

Yep, mm-hmm.

(gasps) No wonder The Great Salt Lake is so salty!

It's because of the salt!

Wink, wink.

So if this water is saltier than the ocean

like the coot said, is that why we haven't seen any fish?

True. Many plants and animals can't live here, but some can!

Like who?

Like me.

I eat brine flies and brine shrimp,

tiny critters that live in and around the lake.

(playful music)

Ooh, whoa.

Whoa, whoa, whoa!

Mmm, brine shrimp!

Wow! So there's plenty for you to eat, huh?

Do you live here all year?

Some birds do, but we're migrators.

We pass through this great place

on our way south in the fall and north in the spring.

Exactly, this place is in the middle of the desert,

an important stopover for very hungry birds.

Sure is!

Food, fresh water over there

where the streams come in from the mountains.

This lake has everything we migrators need.

Yeah, oh, and speaking of migrating, we gotta get going!

See ya! Hey!

(sobbing)

We'll never make it to the Colossal Cat Monument!

(sobbing)

Tissue?

(blows nose)

Why don't we just swim across?

You can do it, Nature Cat.

The only way I would ever agree to swim across the lake

is if somehow I could float on it

without my head getting wet.

And I think we all know that floating in water

without getting your head wet is impossible.

Whee!

Hal's floating?

Say whaaaat?

Oh, I'm floating?

What do you know, I hadn't noticed.

How is that even possible?

Well, let's float to the other side, like little boats.

Everyone knows you can't float on water.

See, your head's getting wet!

Ah, Nature Cat, no.

This is really happening.

Oh yeah?

Try floating with no hands.

Or feet.

Oh, look at that, my little footies. (giggles)

Maybe all the salt in the water makes it easier to float.

Hey, yeah!

It says here it is easier to float in salt water!

Come on, Nature Cat.

You can do it!

Okay, deep breaths, you fearless feline.

Easy does it.

Downward and lean backward.

The Colossal Cat Monument waits for me.

But no, not yet.

Not mentally prepared.

(feet splashing)

Imagine you're a snowflake, Nature Cat,

and you're landing softly on a quiet, snowy mountain.

Be one with the saltwater.

I'll try.

(yells)

Hey, I'm floating!

I'm really floating! (laughs)

Onward and float-ward.

It's Colossal Cat time!

(birds hooting) Whoa!

There must be a lot of food around here for all these birds!

Mmm, brine shrimp.

Ah, what would all these birds do

if the Great Salt Lake weren't here?

I guess I shouldn't have complained

that it was in my way.

Uh, guys, we're not going fast enough.

Agreed. We need to float faster!

(water whooshing)

Whoa, we're picking up speed?

Well, hey, whippersnappers!

I brought along a few of my coot buddies

to help speed up your floatin'.

All: Codger McDowell?

Hang on, g*ng. We'll have you to the other side in a jiffy.

Whoa! The Great Salt Lake is so big, it's got its own islands.

What?

Hello, sandhill cranes.

It's me, Hal!

Of the Connecticut Hals.

The Great Salt Lake is amazing!

We're across!

Thank you, Codger McDowell!

You saved the day!

Don't mention it.

And remember, even the most strange

and seemingly empty places

can be beautiful and support life.

So true, Codger McDowell.

Bye bye, y'all.

Come back and visit anytime, ya hear?

Look, there she is!

There's The Colossal Cat Monument!

I can't believe after all these years,

I'm finally seeing it with my own eyes!

Amazing!

Thank you for being the best friends

slash nature adventurers ever.

Daisy: Man, oh man, the monument is so sweet!

That's not all that's sweet, Daisy.

The Great Salt Lake!

We're so lucky to experience these two amazing

feats of nature, all in the same day.

(cheering)

Daisy: The Praying Mantis Hunters.

(tranquil music)

Hello, bug lovers!

Daisy here.

Today we're on the hunt for bugs!

(light adventurous music)

(camera dings)

Ooh!

Here we have a grasshopper. (grasshopper chirps)

Ah! The monarch butterfly, just lovely.

What else will we find here in the meadow?

Hi, Daisy! It's me, Hal, baby!

(both scream)

Hal, what are you doing?

I thought you were looking for me,

but I'm right here, see?

So, Daisy, what are you doing?

I'm making a movie about bugs!

It's for Granny Bunny and all her entomologist friends.

I'm gonna show it tonight at the Bugaboo Bash!

Ah, entomologists, my favorite!

They study...

What?

Entomologists are scientists who study bugs:

where they live, what they do, what they eat.

Tonight, I get to be Granny Bunny's guest

at the Bugaboo Bash,

the biggest celebration of bugs

this side of the Mississippi!

Ba-bam!

Oh, bugs.

Fun.

Well, can we help you make your bug movie, Daisy?

Man, oh man!

That would be sweet!

But we have to hurry to be ready for tonight.

Granny and I have found

just about every bug from my bug journal.

We've found leaf beetles and grasshoppers

and centipedes and millipedes,

but the one insect we haven't found is this!

The praying mantis!

Hal and Nature Cat: Hmm.

(gasps) Whoa, I've heard of those,

but I've never seen one up close.

Neither have I.

Thank goodness, am I right?

Praying mantises are hard to find.

Their camouflage helps them hide.

Ooh, just like how I'm good

at blending into my surroundings.

Cammo-whammo!

(Hal splats)

Guys, I know you can't see me, but I'm still here.

Anyway, it's pretty, pretty, pretty special

if you do find one.

Why? What's so special about a praying mantis?

I'll tell ya! (pages flipping)

♪ A praying mantis is fast ♪

♪ So fast ♪

♪ A praying mantis is strong ♪

♪ So strong ♪

♪ A praying mantis is a patient hunter ♪

♪ And the wait is sometimes long ♪

♪ For food ♪

♪ Six legs makes an insect ♪

♪ And the front two act like arms ♪

♪ Like mine ♪

♪ It blends right into nature ♪

♪ To keep itself from harm ♪

♪ That's camouflage ♪

♪ Praying mantis are hunters ♪

♪ They have big appetites ♪

♪ Yummy ♪

♪ They eat moths and slugs and ladybugs ♪

♪ Just about anything in sight ♪

Wait, what?

♪ A praying mantis is a carnivore ♪

♪ Living things are what they eat ♪

Hold on.

♪ They're hungry meat-eaters ♪

♪ Isn't that so neat ♪

Time out! Back up! Ah, hold on!

Daisy, did you say

that the praying mantis is a meat-eater?

Sure did!

They'll eat anything they can.

(gasps) Anything?

Well, (laughs) anything they can fit in their mouths.

I'm out! Me too.

Me too too also.

(brakes squealing) Wait!

You're all too big for a praying mantis to eat

and I need your help.

I really want to film one before the Bugaboo.

It would make Granny Bunny so proud!

Huddle!

So we're all gonna get in a huddle,

and then after that, I have no idea.

Got it?

Break.

Okay, we'll help.

We wanna make Granny Bunny proud too.

And that's what friends do!

Oh, thanks!

But it isn't going to be easy to find a praying mantis.

It's green, like the leaves and grass where it hides,

and can be as long as this.

(gasps) Come on, let's go find a praying mantis!

Yeah, let's go find this meat-eating,

hungry, strong insect.

On second thought, whoa!

We're still searching

for the elusive praying mantis today.

Nature Cat: Ah! There's one over here!

Over here!

Come on!

(Nature Cat's teeth chattering)

It's over there!

Gah!

(Nature Cat's teeth chattering)

It's,

it's...

It's a leaf.

All: Oh.

(chuckles awkwardly) My bad.

Let's keep searching!

The praying mantis is a master of camouflage,

so it's very hard to find.

I found one! I found one!

(Squeeks zooms)

Look! (gasps)

See how it blends into its surroundings.

It waits, it watches, begging for its prey.

I'm goin' in!

(suspenseful music)

Nope, it's a twig, I found a twig.

(chuckles awkwardly) You got me good, twig.

(chuckles) Cool.

It's okay, let's keep searching!

We have to be quiet while we search.

Guys, come here!

Guys, guys, guys, come here, come here, guys!

(gasps) Ooh, yes!

Let's go!

(pants) Where is it, Hal?

Where is it?

It's in here!

Ouch!

Whoa, ooh.

Tah-dee!

Hal! That's not a praying mantis, that's a snail!

I know, but look at the spirally shell.

It's pretty cool, right?

Snails are amazing!

So slimy. (slime squishes)

(chuckles) What a marvel of nature.

Now it's back to the search!

Bye bye, snail!

(Hal zooms)

Oh, I wonder if we'll find

a real praying mantis in time for the Bugaboo!

Don't worry, Dais, we're definitely gonna find one!

I don't think we're gonna find one.

Oh well. Looks like today isn't the day we come in contact

with a strong, fast, meat-eating insect.

Phew!

Oh, I really wish we had found one though.

Granny Bunny would have loved it.

I'm sorry, Daisy, but we gave it a good sh*t.

And I know that Granny Bunny would be proud.

Yeah, I guess.

Is that?

Oh man, oh man, oh man!

Could it be?

(gasps) It's a praying mantis!

(screams)

If that bug wants to try something, I'm ready.

Soooo...

what happens now?

(suspenseful music)

It's not moving.

Well, I'll just say it:

Is that praying mantis alive?

Oh, I don't know.

It's not moving at all.

I got this, guys.

Whoa.

Its eyes are mesmerizing.

(gasps) It's alive, alive!

Daisy: Whaaaat?

Look how far the praying mantis can turn its head!

Oh, wow! That's incredible!

I've gotta film this!

(camera ticks) (gasps) No way!

The battery is dead.

No!

Why? No!

Noooo!

Wait! I have an external battery back at Hal's doghouse.

I can run back, get it, come back here,

and get some footage before the Bugaboo.

Squeeks: I know a shortcut!

And I have the key to get in! (chuckles)

(keys rattling) It's this one.

Nope, oh wait, no. No, it's this one, yep.

Wait, hold on a minute, sorry.

I was a janitor for a while.

Wait, here it is!

Nature Cat, you stay and watch the praying mantis.

Don't let anything happen to it.

But, uh, I, I mean, I don't know if I'm the one...

(clears throat)

Okey dokey.

It's just you and me, praying mantis.

You just stay right there, I'll stay right here, (chuckles)

and everything's gonna be all right.

So you're challenging me to a staring contest, hmm?

Good luck!

(suspenseful music)

(grunts)

Oh!

You're just too good!

Well done.

(chuckles) You know, maybe you're not so bad after all.

I guess I was just being a little silly, huh?

I'm sorry I misjudged you, mantis,

you sweet little green buggy.

Oh, look.

A cricket.

(mantis crunches) What?

Did you just?

I can't, too much!

No way!

I am done with this carnivorous creature,

even if Daisy hasn't filmed it for Granny Bunny yet!

(bird chirps)

Oh. A blue jay.

(cloud sparkles)

Praying mantises need to blend into their surroundings

to protect themselves from predators like birds.

(cloud pops)

I'm sure the praying mantis will be fine.

(cloud sparkles)

Please help me find one.

I really want to film a praying mantis before the Bugaboo.

It would make Granny Bunny so proud!

(cloud pops)

Ooooh! (moans)

I promised Daisy I'd help her, and help her I shall!

(jay caws)

I'm coming to save you, praying mantis!

Tally-ho!

(dramatic music)

Oh no!

I'm not going to get there in time!

(panting) (jay caws)

(feet scrape) Huh?

What are you doing?

We're back, baby!

Man, oh man, look!

(camera dings)

The praying mantis just did its bluff pose

to scare away a bird that wanted to eat it!

(wings buzzing) Fly, praying mantis!

Fly!

Oh man, oh man. I can't believe it!

I finally recorded a real praying mantis!

And I actually tried to help one!

Thanks, Nature Cat.

You're welcome, Daisy.

Come on!

Let's go to the Bugaboo!

Hello, Buggaboos!

Please enjoy my film!

I call it The Hunt for the Praying Mantis.

(audience murmuring)

Shh!

(straw slurps)

(adventurous music)

Daisy: We searched and searched

for the elusive praying mantis,

and after finding several other interesting things,

we finally found one!

All: Ooh!

I can't believe she got footage of that.

Look at that beautiful pose.

I've never seen one in real life!

All: Ah!

Fly, praying mantis!

Fly!

(audience cheering and applauding)

Thank you, thank you!

Oh, it really means so much.

That movie is dedicated to my favorite entomologist,

my Granny Bunny!

(audience applauding)

Oh, thank you, Daisy dear! (smooches)

And I also want to thank my friends for helping me.

I am so proud of all you!

Aw, it's a Granny Bunny group hug! (laughs)

It was no big deal.

That's what friends and fellow nature adventurers are for!

(audience cheering and applauding)

Narrator: Nature Cat, Squeeks, Daisy, and Hal

are cartoon characters

and not real animals.

To keep all of our animal friends safe,

check with a grown up before you bring a pet

on your next nature adventure.

Whoa!

Ha ha!

(theme song)

♪

♪