Australia, home of the possum, cool surfer dudes, strange lingo, no
worries mate, fair dinkum. Lots of sunshine and the Bonza Barrier
Reef. It's the biggest, most spectacular coral reef in the world,
and what's more, every creature is linked to another. Just imagine one
huge family tree dating back 18 million years. From the
minuscule to the mammoth to the miraculous, they're all connected in Barney's
Barrier Reef.
There are many ways you can travel around the ocean. Yes, and this is one of them.
Well, it's the easy way. There's the athletic
way. Or there's the ambitious way.
Really, we're spoilt for choice. Yeah, but unfortunately, the ocean community
don't have planes, trains, or boats, but they still need to find a way to get around.
Luckily they do have a wealth of weird and wonderful ways of wandering through the
water. So how do they get from A to B? Let's find out.
Full steam ahead, please.
First up, a very mysterious mover. Oh.
Wow, is it a fish? Oh, is it, is it a turtle? Is it a
whale? What is it? This Barney is a
sunfish. Is it alive? I mean, no offense, mate, but it looks like someone forgot
to finish you off. I know, he's a little weird looking for sure.
Notice anything missing? Yeah, most of his body. But something in particular
that might make him swim a little slower. Well, he's lacking something on the back
end, like half a body. Yeah, the most distinguishing feature
about the sunfish is what he doesn't have. He has no tail.
That's why he just looks like a fish head.
So how does he get along and why is he only half built? Well, he uses
fins to propel himself forward. No one really knows why he has no
tail, but they think that just parts of the dorsal and fins at some point were
extended and then joined back together again over the years to replace the tail fin.
So that stumpy bit waving at the back is not a proper tail, but a kind
of, well, pretend tail. I bet he's gutted. I doubt it.
He's still a pretty big presence in the reef. They can grow up to 1.5
tons in weight, so he knows his place all right.
1.5 tons, that's like 20 barneys. It's no wonder he doesn't miss his
tail. Hey, it would take 16 average men to lift this big
boy. Or 26 barneys. Are you saying I'm below average? As
if. Tell you something though, he's not the life and soul of the party, is he? Well,
maybe not, but he still found an ingenious way of moving himself around. I mean,
you try swimming without a tail. OK, keep your hair up. I guess he does
qualify as an ocean mover. Well, just.
Ah, it looks like a domino. I know they're pretty, aren't they? They're actually called
triggerfish. OK, tell me more, triggerfish expert.
Well, the triggerfish does have a tail, but like the sunfish, it's practically
abandoned using it and instead uses its top and bottom fins.
The reason these guys are more agile than the sunfish is because they also have these
handy side fins that help them move around obstacles like corals. In other
words, they have a great steering system.
They look like they're kind of sideways swimming. It's a bit like a bird flying on its
side. Why do they use their top and bottom fins more than the
other fins though? Well, they need to move around quickly, and this is a much
more energy efficient way of swimming. OK, so in other words, they're just
lazy. No way, they have to swim all day, remember? This method just
means they don't get tired as easily. Try it, it works. OK, so why do
front crawl when you can mose along on your side? Well,
it works for me. Just like the sunfish who has no real tail,
our triggerfish doesn't use his tail much either. He's also figured out that sideways
swimming is the way forward. OK, so we've had
two tailless travelers who both use pretty nifty ways of getting from A
to B. So who's our next magnificent mover?
Look at him. He's not an animal, he's a flying carpet. Yeah, he's quite a
nifty mover, this one. This is a flat worm. A flat worm.
I think he's been a little shortchanged on the name front. He's not that flat and
he looks nothing like a worm, and it doesn't describe what a good move. He
is, he should be called the rippling worm, or rather the rippling
carpet. I agree, this is a pretty speedy way of moving.
It's because he uses literally his whole body to move around. The
flexible flat worm, I like it, but what's the hurry?
Well, they live on the ground most of the time, but sometimes they find themselves
swept up in the water by a super strong current or chased by a bossy
fish. That's why they came up with this speedy swimming technique. Well, does
he ever stop? He goes on and on and on, this one.
Oh phew, I'm exhausted. Me too. But I think I
see the connection. Both the triggerfish and the flatworm use a rippling motion to
get around. The flat worm ripples its entire body and the triggerfish
ripples its fins. Exactly. These two are connected because they both
go for a cool ripple effect.
Poss
pink spanol. Are you OK? Do you like my Spanish accent? Mhm.
OK. I'd like to introduce our next nifty mover, the Spanish
dancer. Spanish dancer, I can't see any dancing
or anything Spanish. Ah, pretty and pink though.
Holy.
This is a species of nudibrank, named after the flamenco dress of
Spanish dancers. Ah, I can kind of see that, but
really, I'm not sure you can call that Spanish dancing. No,
instead of the nifty dancing feet, they just have one big clumsy foot underneath
their dress, which slides them along the reef. They're quite cool though, and they can grow up to
50 centimeters, which is the size of a small poodle.
That's one big dress, right? OK, so they do move,
but I wouldn't say this is a great mode of water transport, sliding in the
odd flip and bend. Yeah, that is where you are wrong, senorita. Oh,
drop the accent, sorry. Let me introduce you to the Spanish dancer's nifty
moves. And move that body and be and
be and work that body. Oh, it looks like hard
work. See, now you know why he needs to chill sometimes.
And he swims a bit like the flat worm. He does indeed. Our
Senor Spanish dancer uses his whole body to move through the ocean, which connects
him to the floaty flat worm.
And while we're visiting our Spanish dancer, I'd like to introduce you to our
next crafty carrier. See the little pink shrimp just there? Oh yeah,
bless. He is an Imperial shrimp, and this is an example of
literally you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. Although in this case, it's the
shrimp doing most of the scratching. Oh yeah, I left a bit. OK,
down a little bit. That's it, good. And
hitching by the looks of it. Yeah, they get a good deal from our friend, the Spanish
dancer. They get to nibble, poke around and have a free ride.
They're very nicely coordinated, I must say. They are, they're the same color as their
boss or nudibrank, which is handy because they are completely camouflaged.
And this, together with the fact that the Spanish dancer looks tasty, but actually tastes
foul, completely puts off predators.
This means that Shrimpy here can just chill out and eat and travel knowing he's completely
safe. A bit like traveling first class with a bodyguard.
So our pretty in pink shrimp and our glamorous Spanish dancer are always together.
Can't get much more closely connected than this. They are constant traveling
buddies. Who else is connected to the Spanish dancer?
Snails. Oh, get a move on mate, we haven't got all morning. Give
them a chance, just because they don't have a pink frilly coat like the Spanish
dancer. Doesn't mean they
don't have a nifty way of moving. Pull the other one. They're
so slow. So they still move, don't
they, and only using 1 ft. Ah, this one's a little better. He
looks like an army tank, but I wouldn't put my money on him winning any battle. This
one's a giant Triton shell. Oh, a giant Triton
shell.
Sounds like something off the gladiators, but it's just a snail. You may mock,
but they can grow as big as a small dog. Well, whoop
de do, it doesn't matter how many different ones you show me, Jim, they are
still too slow. They don't have to move quickly. They feed
on sea stars who are also slow movers and sandy dwellers, so they don't have
to look far for dinner. And they've always got their shell to retreat into, so
why bother rushing? Because it's like watching paint dry.
They can also dig under the sand to find food. Um, what are you doing?
Oh, you know, just catching up on some emails, or
should I say e snails. It's quite a slow connection,
yeah. You know, just till the snails get here. OK, OK,
get the message. Send.
The seas now links the Spanish dancer through their ability to move
on 1 ft. You'll have to wait for my next
magnificent mover while we catch up on our connection so far.
How do we get from the tailless sunfish to the sleepy snails? We
started with our stately sunfish who with no tail has to use his
half-finished fins to transport him around. Our triggerfish saves his
energy by a bit of sideways swimming. It's cool, but not as cool as the
fabulous flatworm. Rubbish name, sensational swimming technique.
But for a true workout, he can't beat a Spanish dancer who can't
dance, but boy can they swim. They use their whole
body for a proper aerobic workout.
Unlike the lazy shrimp, who's just along for the ride. Then there's the,
oh, excuse me, the sleepy snails who move around on
1 ft. It takes them all night to cross the ocean floor. So
we've had sensational swimming, we've had bus riding shrimps, and we've had
flouncy flatworms. How else do our fishy friends get from A to B?
Yeah.
Hello handsome. Now
one guess why he's called a frogfish. He looks like a frog and hops like a
frog, but not nearly as effectively. One thing's
for sure, they certainly weren't first in the queue when swimming techniques were handed out. They
had to use their modified fins as legs. It's their only way of moving.
Wow, these are real bumbler, but it's still quite impressive for a fish to be able
to walk, especially one that looks like a frog. Although I still don't
understand why he just can't swim off. Well, unlike most fish, frogface
here doesn't have a swim bladder. That's the thing that helps fish to stay afloat.
It's a bit like a rubber ring, so they have to stay at the bottom.
Where's he going? Hey, come back. Yeah, it also means they can get
blown away by the current if their fins aren't able to stabilize them.
So actually, the fact that he can jump at all is pretty cool. He's a
determined little geezer, all right, and jumping for him is like us trying to jump from
the bottom of a pool with lead weights tied around our ankles. Oh, I won't be
volunteering for that experiment, thank you very much. Oh, he can't
move very well, but at least he's too ugly for anything to want to eat him.
Well, someone would eat him. Nothing goes to waste in the ocean. That's
why Hay Mary here is hiding in the weed, and these orange ones look like sea
sponges. Well, I
guess frogfish are a bit cooler than my snails.
So our ugly, clumsy but brave frogfish uses his fins
to walk along the ocean floor, which links him to our slow walking snail.
Who's our next ocean mover?
Introducing the epaulette shark. Ah, spotty shark, that's a new
one. Yeah, he's a bottom dwelling shark, so needs different markings so that he can hang
out at the bottom unseen. He's definitely not as scary looking as some of the other
sharks. In fact, he looks quite comical. I know, he's very different from your
average shark, this one. He loves paddling around in shallow water. Hang on a
minute. Is he walking? Yep, those fins are made. Walking.
It's weird, isn't it? Yeah, a little. So he's just taking a stroll among the
shallows then. Yeah, he can swim, but because he loves the ground so much, he's
adapted his fins to also allow him to walk across. So when it's low tide,
they don't have a lot of water to swim in, so they can just trot along from pool to pool,
and it allows them to have a good rummage for any food. As they're strolling along,
they can stop, have a nibble, and carry on.
He's another one who's got fins built for walking just like the
frogfish. It's another great way of getting from A to B in the Barrier
Reef, and you're right, they're linked to the frogfish because they both prefer the
pedestrian way. OK, next up.
Now we can't talk about traveling without talking about the ultimate long
distance traveler, and this is another shark altogether.
Are we talking about what I like to refer to as the classic shark? Do you
mean the shark that Legends films and all scary seas are made of?
Absolutely. These guys are the
long distance lorry drivers of the ocean. They keep on swimming and
swimming and uh swimming, morning, noon and night.
They must stop to eat or take a nap.
Well, some do, but our classic shark doesn't, or rather, can't.
Why not? Even lorry drivers get a tea break. Well, sharks don't have a
swim bladder. That's the thing that most sea life have to allow them to float without
sinking. So why don't they sink then? Well, they've got a few handy
devices to help them swim. They're shaped for one. It's a bit like a plane.
It's designed to lift up as it moves forward. It's pretty streamlined, but they
have several cool devices to help them in their superior swimming.
Wow, they're pretty fast for a start. And that's because of their skin. It's made
of interlaced scales that allow the water to pass over quickly, meaning they can
move smoother and faster.
But even better is their oil-filled liver. Oil filled
liver, how does that help them swim faster? Calling Doctor
Barnacles. OK, here's the science
bit, listen and learn. Now oil is lighter than
water, so it stops the shark sinking, which means they can spend more
energy swimming and less energy floating, and those two elements
combined with their super light skeleton means that these super sharks
zoom through the water. This of course doesn't
apply to plastic sharks. You see, there's nothing like the
classic sharks, stamina, looks, and superpowered skin.
They've got everything. But what happens when it's dinner
time? Well, they just nosh on the move. It's the ultimate ocean drive-thru.
So unlike our epaulette who can stop because he's based on the ocean bottom and
doesn't need to swim as much, these other sharks just can't stop swimming,
so are constantly on the go from A to B. Got it. So we've had
long distance, walking sharks and fish and 1 ft crawlers.
Who else connects back to our epaulette shark, marathon runners.
Well, funny you should say that, what would you do if you had eight legs?
Is this the start of one of your bad jokes? No, seriously, what would you do? Um, OK,
well, I'd take them out for a bit of a stroll and, uh, then I'd enter a running competition.
Really? Yeah, I see, great minds think alike, just like our octopus.
Um, Jem, I don't think you can compare me to an octopus. It's a
compliment. They're really intelligent.
Well, like you said, what's the point of having 8 arms and legs if you don't make the most of them?
Do you think he's got a spare one? Hmm, he needs them all. They don't have any skeletons, so their
arms are just muscle. Oh, so that's why he's so flexible. And
their suckers work like those rubber bathroom mats and allow them to cling on for dear
life if they fancy a breather. He does spend a lot of time on the bottom,
doesn't he? A bit like our epaulette shark who prefers to walk rather than swim.
Yep, and that's the connection between our flexible octopus and our epaulette shark. They
both find walking a lot less effort than swimming.
Ah, pretty coral.
Yeah, yeah, but where's all the action? After the octopus, I wanna see some
proper movement. Patience, Barney. See that
spindly thing there?
There are loads of spindly things. This is like spindly reef. Well,
that particular spindly thing, that is a feather star.
And that feather star's not doing any moving as far as I can see. In fact,
he's clinging onto that reef for dear life. Well, he's only got
spindly little legs, or feathery little legs more like.
Oh, I think they're cute. Look, they come in different colors. Well, the yellow
one's slightly better, but really I'm not that impressed. Next.
Well, OK, look at this then. Have you ever seen a swimming technique
like this one? No, it's no wonder they cling on. That's not
swimming. That's flinging arms in all directions and hoping for the best. Does
he know how ridiculous he looks? Probably not, but call
points go out of the window when you're trying to survive, so they use their many arms to
swim back to safety. Oh, and this might perk you up a bit.
They have their mouth in their center and their, um, bottom is
located next to their mouth. Oh,
now that is weird. And I didn't think there could be anything with
more arms than the sprinting octopus. So our feather star is linked
to the sprinting octopus because they both have loads of arms to help them move around.
OK, time for a wee cup.
Our ocean movers haven't missed a single trick when it comes to getting from A to
B. And these frog feet might be made for walking, OK,
but not always in a straight line when it comes to our friend, the frogfish.
Yeah. But a walking shark, I mean, that's a new one on me. Our
epaulette shark is linked to Mr. Froggy by their walking action.
Unlike the classic shark who has to travel for very Long distances because he has to keep
moving. Doesn't even stop for a cup of tea. Oh, I bought him. I know. And what about
the running octopus with his 8 arms to scurry across the sea bed? Who's connected to
the feather star with this funky arm moves. Look at him go. He won't win any awards
for swimming, but he sure knows how to get from A to B.
Now imagine for a second you had no brain. OK, where are you going with
this exactly? OK, bear with me. If you had no brain, you wouldn't be able to walk,
talk, eat or do anything really. OK, Doctor Gemma, I'm with you so
far. Well, I just think that our next ocean move is really inspiring. Ta da.
Inspiring. These are just sea stars, Jim, beginning to
wonder what's happened to your brain. Nothing wrong with my brain, Barney.
These guys literally have no brain, but they can walk with
5 arms all at once. Are you sure they're walking? Oh yes,
and not only that, they're coordinating all their 5. Arms at the same
time, together with many many feet underneath the arms. Oh,
but come on, they must have a brain. Nope, it's one of the mysteries of the ocean, and it's
been baffling scientists for decades. Well, that explains why they
move so slowly. It's a lot to think about all at once. Oh, yeah,
and they smell with their feet while they're moving.
What, so they have smelly feet? What feet that smell? Smelly feet,
get it? Huh
So, do they have one arm that does most of the work, so to speak, you know, like being
right-handed or left-handed? Nope. All the arms share the work. That's what's
so clever. If the feet on one arm has smelt something good for dinner, the
rest automatically follow. Imagine if we had 5 legs. Do
you think we'd even manage to walk 1 m, and we have brains?
That's true. Oh wow, look, he's doing backflips. Well, wouldn't you if you had 5
arms? Yeah, but those groovy moves that the spindly feather
star does would be fun too. You've got it. The sea star and the
feather star are linked together because they both travel around with their arms.
Next please.
Well, we couldn't do a show about cool fishy ways of traveling without
including this crazy contender, the crafty crab. Look at him go. He
moves completely sideways. Now, you try running sideways.
It's not easy.
Yeah, it feels totally unnatural.
Now that's traveling. I've always wondered, could
he walk forwards if he wanted to? Well, I can answer that. Oh, OK,
know it all. Because of the way their legs are positioned, they can only move
sideways. Their limbs are kind of hinged together. And they seem to
tiptoe everywhere they go too. I know running sideways on tiptoes.
What an effort. It's no wonder they've got a quirky little running style.
And he's another one with loads of legs. He goes a bit faster than our brainless
starfish, doesn't he? Yeah. Our crazy crab's more nifty,
but he's connected to the sea star because they both have lots of legs to control.
Now here's something special for you, the flame shell.
Is it me or is this animal flashing? Is there an ocean emergency? Yeah,
quite a light show, hey. Flame shells are pretty impressive. That's
a nice display he's given us there, but he doesn't do much else, does he?
Ah, that's where you're very wrong.
Look at him move. Wow, is that the same animal? Yeah,
but guess how he does it. Now this is impressive. Go on then. So this
is a mollusk. It doesn't have fins, arms or legs, hands or
feet. So it doesn't have much going for it then, does it?
Ah, yes, it does. This geezer uses something called jet
propulsion. Oh, OK, so they push themselves forward. Well, hang on a minute.
How? Well, they move using all they have really, their
shells. They open their shells, fill up with water, then snap the shells
together, which forces the water out and jet propels them sideways. They don't
go super fast, but it's an ingenious way of moving. Yeah,
so they move just using water and shells. Well, when you put it like that, I guess it's pretty
cool. They can't really move forwards properly, can they? It's more of an
odd sideways thing going on, a bit like the crabs.
It is a bit crab-like. So flame shells are connected to our crabs by
their crazy sideways moves.
Roll up, roll up, see the magnificent performing squid. He
flies through the air. We'll see with the greatest of ease.
It's the stupendous, swimming squid.
He does look like he's on an invisible trapeze. You see, they are
like little circus performers. They have no feet and no big fins.
So how do you think they move? Hm, good question. Well, the squid
takes jet propulsion to the extreme. This is like a real
superpower. Look at him go! How?
Has he got a little rocket up his? No, it's a lot more simple than that.
See those jerky movements he's making? Uh yeah. Well, that's him filling his
body with water, which he then forces out of his siphon. That's this bit
just here, and that jets him forward. Cool, so it's a bit like
filling this bloom with air and then letting it go. Oh.
Or getting one of these squirty bath toys and uh
squirting somebody. Hey!
Now that is a cool way of getting around, that is definitely the technique I would choose.
I like his little skirt. Oh, typical. There I am talking about his
superpower and all you can talk about is what he's wearing. Well, those are
their fins. As you can see, they're a bit, um, well,
girly. And what's wrong with that? Well, that's my only problem. For an animal with
such a super cool power, he really needs to think about a makeover.
Well, I like it. You would. But I'd love to be a squid or
a flames shell. jet propulsion is such an awesome way of getting around.
So the squid and flame shell are linked by their jet propulsion that helps
them travel from A to B. Let's have a look back over our
ocean transportation system. Come on, Barney.
Come.
The reef is packed with groovy movers and what's more, they are all
connected. First up, our half finished sunfish, who
moves like a train on a bank holiday. He doesn't go very far, very fast,
but has found a unique way of moving despite his lack of tail. Then there's
our sideways swimming triggerfish. He swims with ease, but not as
funkily as the flatworm or the Spanish dancer with his water workout.
The cheeky Imperial shrimp hitches a ride on the back of the Spanish
dancer. Who at least travels faster than the one footed snail
who can only move on 1 ft, but don't wait up for him. But what about our
walking frogfish? OK, so he doesn't walk in a straight line, but not bad
for something with no swim bladder. I think the epaulette is cool. Our
walking shark, now that is a first. Unlike his cousins, the classic sharks,
for them it's swim or sink. Linked to our walking shark was our
eight-legged runner, the octopus, who runs with his arms and legs, unlike the
feather star, who swims quite badly with his. There we arms. They
hooked us up with the sea star with his five legs and super
coordination. And one of the quickest, quirkiest movers in the ocean, Mr.
Crab, who couldn't move forward if he tried. How about the flame shell?
They can really move, but not as fast as a super squid who jet
propels himself across the sea. Getting from A to B in the reef
isn't always easy, but our weird and wonderful animals always find a way,
no matter how difficult or um uncool,
they might look.
Come on dolph, it's me and you. I come.