Once upon a time in a land far, far away,
Mother Nature began a magical journey to create a
perfect world.
Boy, I just love coming down to the shore of the Sea of
Nauria and gazing over the water. I can remember back
to what seems forever that I used to visit the ocean with my mom
and dad. My mother would always pack a giant picnic
basket filled with bamboo leaf sandwiches and
watermelons. Sometimes we'd make sand
sculptures of fish or we would fly our
kites and of course we would always go for a swim in the
water. I can remember thinking hm what it
must be like to be a fish and if I was a
fish I would be able to swim long distances and go as deep
and as far as I wanted to go all without coming up for
air boy that would be a lot of fun. I
wonder if the fish see me when they're swimming by and think
to themselves, hmm what it must be like to
walk on land. I bet they do
I just love coming down to the beach.
I wonder where Ray Ray is. He said he'd be here by now,
and he's never late. I know it's not like him.
I'm sure he just got caught up doing something somewhere out in Aura,
right, Beth, sometimes with us guys are in the middle of something.
Time just slips by. Well, Rayway's always on
time. I'm sure there's another reason. Before we go home.
Perhaps we should try and call him one more time. I think we
should. I agree. Come on guys, it's getting late.
Let's try one more time.
Boys and girls Yeah
Sorry I was late. I was down by the shore of the Sea of Naturia,
and I just lost track of time. I was on my way back when I heard you
call, and I ran as fast as I could. But now that I'm here,
what's up, guys? Well, we didn't know who you were, and now
that you're here, I'm kind of sad I didn't go with you because I just
love going to the sea. Me too. My family
always picnics at the seashore. I just love going to the
beach, picking up seashells and throwing the football around
for my friends. Well, my favorite thing to do is to fly
kites at the beach. The wind just always seems just right for kite
flying, and don't be sad, Kayla, we can all go together
someday soon. That sounds great, Ray Ray, and all of those
things are fun things to do, but I just love sitting on the shore
and gazing out into the sea and hoping to see a sea animal like a
dolphin or a whale. I couldn't agree with you more, Caleb.
Watching the animals in the sea swimming by makes a trip to the beach the
best time ever. Hey, Ray-Ray, let's sing one of your favorite
songs about the animals that live in the sea, you know, the one about the
whales. Oh yeah, that's a great idea, Beth.
Here we go.
Tell you a tale. T
A part of our history in this whale of a tale
you must see.
They love to play in the sea.
Swimming happily.
Dan here
Something we can do.
clean
claim for our friends the Wales.
I forgot all about that song, and we haven't sung that in a long
while. You're right, and I knew you'd like it.
I've always wondered what the other fish in the sea think of our friends, the
whales. I mean, since they're considered to be mammals and have to
breathe air like us, do you think the other fish like them? I'm
sure they do, Ray Ray, and I'm sure they have a lot of fish friends.
Hey, you know what that sound means? It's time
for a critter connection.
Scales and tails, feathery wings on the wind will
sail, live.
Hey guys, like all of our animal friends that visit us here in the Critter
connection, the nice people at the Lincoln Children's Zoo take good care of these
animals. Today we're here with John and his friend Colin and
their friends Hugo and Lanny. Hugo and
Lanny are Humboldt penguins. So John, Where
do humboldt penguins live? Humble penguins live along the west
coast of South America in Chile and Peru, and they actually live in
a desert, a dry, dry area where the desert meets one of the richest parts of the
ocean. So they actually live among cactus. They're actually fascinating
the very dry climate in which the humble penguins live.
Wow, I didn't know that penguins live where it wasn't cold. Well,
that's right, Ray Ray. A lot of the penguins live in Antarctica where it's very, very
cold, but there are some temperate climbing penguins like the Humboldts
that much prefer the warmer weather. They like warmer pools and warmer
sunshine, and as a matter of fact, we have to worry about frostbite with
our penguins here in Lincoln, Nebraska during the winter time, so they'll go
inside during the really, really cold. Winter. How do penguins swim?
Well, penguins actually fly through the water. Those very sleek
bodies are wonderful for zipping through the water up to 20 miles an hour.
They got flippers on each side. They got web feet for paddling, and they wiggle their
tails and they propel themselves through it very, very quickly, like boats going through
the water. They're just absolutely perfectly designed for zipping through the water and
actually flying. What do they eat? They
eat fish. They like to catch anchovies. These fast little swimmers go
zipping through the water, and they have very sharp little hooked bills, and there's actually
little notches along their bills too that make it very great for catching those fish that
go swimming by very, very quickly. So they'll catch those fish and they'll
swallow them down very, very quick. John, are humble
penguins endangered? As a matter of fact, they are considered vulnerable
to extinction because their population has gotten as low as 3000
in the wild at any one time. Right now, the scientists believe there are about
12,000 of them, and in captivity in the United States there are
fewer than 300. The Lincoln Children's Zoo is teaming up with 16
other zoos in the country to make certain that we have lots of humble
penguins for children to enjoy and maybe even someday to release back into
the wild. So yes, they are vulnerable to extinction, and that's why all these
wonderful zoos and aquariums are working together to save the Humboldt penguin from
extinction. OK, John and Colin, thank you for bringing your
friends Hugo and Lanny to meet with us today on the Critic
Connection. We'll see you next time, shipping. Oh
wow, Ray Ray, another awesome critter connection.
Thanks, Beth. All of our critter connections are great. Don't you think so,
kids? Yeah. You and show, show
and do. It's so funny.
It's the Enviro doing show. Hi boys and girls and welcome to
today's Enviro Doin show project. This is a time when we learn how to
make things at home that either helps us to better understand science
or helps the environment. Today, boys and girls, we're gonna
make a sand mosaic picture. This beach
project is sort of a natural version of glitter designs,
except unlike a glitter project, your supply of
sand is practically inexhaustible.
To make this project you will need scissors,
black construction paper, a shoebox lid, white
glue, sand, and assorted seashells.
First, cut a sheet of construction paper so that it fits inside of the
box lid. This will become our portable canvas.
Now to make the pitcher draw with the tip of the
glue bottle, then sprinkle on loose sand.
Once the sand is dry, shake off the excess by gently
tapping on the sides of the lid.
For added detail, you can glue on seashells, pebbles,
sea glass, twigs, or any other thing you might find, even
driftwood.
Making a very cool mosaic picture to remember your day at the
beach using sand and other things you find. It's that
easy. Wanna learn more? Hmm, have mom, dad, or
your teacher stick around and I'll show them where they can get directions
and activity sheets. Do and show, show and do.
It's so funny. You showing you.
It's the viral doing show. That was a really
cool doin show project, Ray Ray. I agree,
Reggie. That was a really cool doing show project, Ray Ray,
but I can't seem to get that song about whales out of my head,
and I keep thinking back to when we watched that video in school about
whale migrations in Alaska each year. Oh, that's
great that you've seen that video. I have too. I thought it was
really interesting that whales travel to colder water for feeding and
then travel to warm water when they're about to give birth to
baby whales.
right? I'm sorry, kids. Hi Jordan. Hi
Ethan. Hi guys, you two look busy today. We
are just placing some new oyster mats down by the Sea of Naturius Inlet.
Oh, that's good. I remember when Safari Stan and Safari
Sue installed some last year. Yeah, they're still taking care
of those. We ran into them earlier today. Yeah, the ones
they made are still doing great. Well, just to bring you two up to
speed, we've been discussing different things about oceans and seas today.
In fact, I started the day out by visiting the beach to
watch the sunrise. I love to
stand on the shore and watch the sun rise over the open water.
Same here, Jordan. And one time I watched the sun rise on a
boat, and all you could see was water, no
land at all. Wow, you couldn't see any
land. Nope, just water as far as you could
see. Well, that's not surprising given that most of the
earth's surface is covered by water, nearly 2/3 of it.
That's right, Ethan, and within the school that most of the earth's water is
salt water, you. Eyes are both right. Only about
3% of the world's water supply is fresh water, and most of the
freshwater is frozen. Only 1% of the Earth's fresh
water remains for us to drink. Well, now I
know why you said it was so important not to waste water.
Absolutely Kayla, every drop counts. Well,
if you'd like to know what I think we really don't. No,
we don't. OK then, I'll tell you, the
world is mostly covered with water because. I know for
a fact that there are not as many people tap dancing anymore. Less
people tap dancing, the less dry land you need. And just like that,
there's more water, less land. It's actually very
simple. Yep, that's a clear what I've heard, tap
dancing. Well, I have to thank you, Mr. L
dude, for making it crystal clear, and to be honest, I'm
just as glad there are less tap dancers. It leads more ways for me and my
buds to surf on between you two, I'm
not sure. Which one is worse to follow up an agreement
with Allie and with due respect, Mr. Leo, the simple fact
that the earth is primarily covered by water has
absolutely positively nothing to do with
tap dancing. Sorry,
I lost my cool. Tiger lily is correct. The
earth being covered by water has nothing to do with any kind of
dancing. Well, fine then. Perhaps next time I will
just not give my expert opinion. As always, Mr.
Leo, we do thank you for your valuable input.
Can we please change the subject?
Tree mail tree mail.
And Sorry.
Oh boy, let's see what we have today, deer and viral pals.
My name is George and I work at a really cool place called the Georgia
Aquarium's Conservation Field Station. The field station includes
research and veterinary facilities, both land and water animal
rescue vehicles, and even housing for researchers and staff. I would
really like it if Ray Ray would come to the conservation field station to learn more
about what our team is doing to help the ocean and marine mammals,
your friend George. That sounds like a great place to
visit, Ray Ray. Why don't you use the green screen to get there? And we'll stay
here with the kids in the house street and learn more while we watch you on the green screen.
That sounds like a fascinating idea, guys. I'm headed for another
great adventure. I'll be back in a flash.
Shipping. Hi George. Hi Ray Ray. Thank you
so much for your tree mail. Wow, is this the Georgia Aquarium
Conservation Field Station? Yes, it is. We're here in the town of
Marineland, which is south of Saint Augustine here in Florida. So George,
how does the Georgia Aquarium Conservation Field Station help the
ocean and marine mammals? Well, that's a great
question. We focus on two special areas. Ray Ray. One is
on stranded marine mammals, which would be any small whales or dolphins who
might be sick or injured and end up on our shorelines. And then we also
focus on the healthy and naturally occurring dolphin populations which
occupy the waters that we're standing right next to. So
how do you help marine mammals that might get stranded?
Well, our job can be pretty busy. First, we want to make sure that it's safe for
the animal and safe for us to get down there if we're going to try and help it. And
then a lot like a paramedic might do or a nurse at a hospital,
we actually evaluate the animal and see if we can tell if something's wrong right away
and if they need any other help. How do you move
such big animals? Well, it's our job to make sure that we can do
it safely and efficiently, and some of these dolphins or whales can weigh
anywhere from 500 pounds up to over 1000 pounds. So we have some
specialized equipment, some trucks, and even some boats which
have a few tricks to them that help us move these animals. We do have a
nice boat that allows us to pull marine mammals up. Inside of it
fairly easily and we can make take it over to one of our
trucks or we can drive our truck down to the beach and when we do,
we can actually put the animal inside a stretcher which will help us lift it
safely and we can do that with a boom lift which is in the back of one of our pickup
trucks and then we can even transfer it over to our animal
ambulance with another overhead lift. It's pretty specialized equipment.
What are some of the other things that you're doing to learn more about the marine
wildlife in this area? Well, that's another important
part of our job. We actually get to go out on the water here in this beautiful
area and we study local populations of dolphins who live
in these waters. It's important for us to build a baseline to see how many animals
live here year round or how many animals are simply transient, maybe moving back and
forth, or maybe sometimes how many are just moms who come back here
and give birth in this nice quiet area. Wow,
that seems like a lot of work. How do you keep track of all the
information that you gather? Well, fortunately for us, we now have digital
photography and we can actually take high resolution images of the
dolphins' dorsal fins and then we'll take them back to our computer in the laboratory where
we compare them to other dorsal fins that we have seen from being on the
water before. Once we have a few years of photo ID under
our belts, we're going to move forward to the next step, which will be a health and risk
assessment of the animals who live in these waters. What that means is that we will
actually be allowed to go out and handle the animals for a very short period of
time to obtain some important information like. Samples and
maybe some skin samples and maybe things like that that can tell us
how healthy these animals are who live in these waters year round. George,
what should I do or the boys and girls at home do if they
find a marine mammal that seems to be in distress or needs
help. That's a very good question. The most important thing to do is
to make sure that you are safe and the people around it who might be trying to
help it are safe. The next thing to do is to simply call the local
authorities. They might be fish and wildlife. They might be uh police or
other people or beach services who are in your local area, and they should
know who to contact to do the best thing that they can to try and help that marine mammal.
Wow, that's very important information that we need to know.
Boy George, that sure was interesting learning about the Georgia
Aquarium Conservation field station today and what you guys are
doing to help the ocean and marine life, but it's getting late
and I have to get back to Nauria. I can't wait to tell
all my friends about the awesome things the Georgia Aquarium
Conservation Field Station is doing to help our oceans and the
friends that live in it. OK, I better get going. Bye
George. Bye Ray Ray, and thanks for visiting us here in Marineland, Florida.
See you next time, should be. Oh
Awesome trip, Ray Ray. That green screen is really cool. We
always learn so much from your tree male adventures. Yep, and it's
always a great adventure when we learn new things, and it's even better
when we make new friends. You know, Ray Ray, we better get back to the
oyster mats. Yeah, it is getting pretty late.
OK guys, thanks for stopping by and giving us the latest news about the
oyster mats. See you again soon and say hi to Safari Stan
and Safario for us. Bye Safari kids. Bye.
Bye Jordan. by Ethan. Bye guys.
Ray Ray, I've always wondered something. What's the difference between the
ocean and the sea? The major difference between oceans and seas
is their size. Oceans are much bigger and deeper than
seas, and even the smallest ocean, like the Arctic
Ocean, is more than 4 times the size of the Mediterranean Sea,
which is the largest sea in the world. I have a great song that we can
all sing together that will help us discover more about the oceans
and seas.
Oh
from around But have you ever wondered what makes
Different from a C. Well, the most important difference is their size.
bigger than
Here to the side Steer, another difference is
Are also
I That the
Oceans in the world the Pacific Ocean, the
Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Southern.
Arctic ocean, but there are dozens of seas. Some of the
most famous seas are the. The Caribbean
Sea. And the red
seat.
like the
In
Well, boys and girls Friend
And cut Hey
you guys out there, it sure was fun learning about our oceans and
seas today since most of the earth's surface is covered by water, it's
important that we learn as much as possible about both the oceans
and the seas and the animals that live in them. And when we visit
our oceans and seas, we should do our part to clean up after
ourselves. Also, since we've learned that there's only a small part of the
water on Earth that's drinkable, we should always try to conserve as
much as possible and not waste water. Remember
boys and girls, if I do my part and you do your part
and your friends do their part, we can really make a difference. It's
that easy, bingo.
Kid, what was your favorite part of today? My favorite
part was the doing a show project. I liked the Tree male
adventure. I really like singing all the songs.
So remember everyone, we want you
to join me on the E Team.
Boys and girls, we'll And on the environment.
If you, your parents, or your teachers would like to know more about our environment
tips, lesson plans, greater connections, doing show activities,
teachers guides, or any other environmental materials, just visit
our website at enviroals.org and click on our