Jane's World Animal Adventure (Live!)/Script

Jane's Intro
Jane: It's time we embark on a journey and you won't even have to leave your seats, together we will travel 6 biomes, when titanic herbivores meet terrifying predators. So, come with me on a journey...COME TO JANE'S WORLD ANIMAL ADVENTURE!

(The Bartered Bride, Overture, Smetana: meerkat, parrots, snake, birds, peacock, macaws, giraffes, elephant, zebra, hippo, flamingos, gorillas, panda, monkeys, orangutan, vulture, lizard, bear, tiger, lion, kangaroo, koala, owl, fishes, cockatoo)

Jungle
Jane: Let's begin the jungle and it's so tropical in here. Our first animal is the tiger, a majestic creature, as well as a member of the cat family. Being the largest cat in the world, they rely on hunting prey that is much bigger than themselves, willing to travel for miles to snag a hoofed animal that will sustain them for days.

(A tiger appears growling to us. We see these guys feed the tiger some carrion.)

Korrina: Now we got the tiger, what animal is next?

Jane: Now, here is my next animal from South America. Please welcome the tropical bird!

(The scarlet macaw flies to the tree stump.)

Jane: Now, tropical birds come in a variety of bright colours, mostly green, red, blue and yellow. There are a few exceptions, like the African grey parrot. You can probably guess what colour that is.

Serena: It's obviously grey. What else would it be?

Jane: There are more species of tropical bird in the world. This includes the macaw of South America, the New Zealand-native kea parrot, the domestic parakeet, the lorikeet of Australia, the peacock of India, and many more. The world's largest parrot is the hyacinth macaw, found in Central and South America and the kakapo of New Zealand.

(A peacock appears showing off his feathers to us.)

Jane: OK, think the next one is your favorite! Monkeys!

(A spider monkey appears scaring the tiger and the tropical birds.)

David Attenborough: There are currently 264 known species of monkeys.

Pumbaa: That's a lot of monkeys!

Jane: 138 of them are old world monkeys, which range from Africa to Asia. 100 of them are new world monkeys, which all come from Central and South America. Most monkeys are arboreal, which means they spend most of their time in the trees. Examples of arboreal monkeys include howler monkeys, tamarins and marmosets. other monkeys, which include mandrills, baboons and macaques, are terrestrial, which means they prefer the ground rather than the trees.

Timon: Now I know the difference!

Jane: There are few characteristics that are also different in both old world and new world monkeys. The noses, cheek pouches, rump pads and tails of old world monkeys are different compared to the ones that belong to new world monkeys.

Savannah
(Suddenly, the jungle becomes the savannah.)

Jane: The next biome is the savannah. The savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close.

(A hammerkop, wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, meerkats, hippo, rhino, cheetah, and ostrich appear.)

Jane: The next animal is an elephant. They’re enormous and intelligent, strong and sociable. Humans have been impressed by elephants for centuries, simply because they are so big—a male African elephant can weigh up to 7.5 tons (6.8 metric tons)! They also amaze us with their long and flexible noses, large and flapping ears, and loose, wrinkly skin.

(An elephant appears.)

Jane: Zebras are sturdy, spirited animals that are in a study of contrasts: social and standoffish, resilient and vulnerable, willful and playful. Their life in a herd can be complex, yet they also find safety in numbers.

(A zebra appears.)

Jane: The name “hippopotamus” comes from a Greek word meaning “river horse.” But hippos are not related to horses at all—in fact, their closest living relatives may be pigs or whales and dolphins!

(A hippo appears.)

Korrina: Long and lanky, cheetahs are the sprinters of the cat world. Their bodies are uniquely designed to run very fast for fairly short distances, allowing them to catch prey that other big cats can’t get. A cheetah’s ability to run starts with its flexible spine, which allows the front legs to stretch far forward on each stride. Its claws are hard and sharp like cleats, giving the cat great traction when running. (A cheetah runs around the stage or arena.)

Jane: Giraffes are the tallest land animals. A giraffe could look into a second-story window without even having to stand on its tiptoes! A giraffe's 6-foot (1.8-meter) neck weighs about 600 pounds (272 kilograms). The legs of a giraffe are also 6 feet (1.8 meters) long. The back legs look shorter than the front legs, but they are about the same length. A giraffe's heart is 2 feet (0.6 meters) long and weighs about 25 pounds (11 kilograms), and its lungs can hold 12 gallons (55 liters) of air! Its closest relative is the okapi. Giraffes have a small hump on their back and have a spotted pattern similar to that of a leopard. For a long time people called the giraffe a “camel-leopard,” because they believed that it was a combination of a camel and a leopard. That's where the giraffe's name camelopardalis comes from!

(A giraffe appears.)

Jane: Stars of movies and characters in books, lions are at the top of the food chain. The Swahili word for lion, simba, also means "king," "strong," and "aggressive." Despite this, lions aren't actually kings of the jungle, because that role belongs to the elephants. The word lion has similar meaning in our vocabulary like eagle.

(A lion appears.)

Beach
(Suddenly, the savannah becomes a beach.)

Valerie: The savannah gave rise to the beach.

Jane: That's right! Now, we're heading to the beach, filled with sand, and connecting to the large habitat we will visit next. Crabs are crustaceans that belong to the same family as lobsters. Walking or crawling is the usual mode of locomotion, and the familiar sidelong gait in the common shore crab is characteristic of most members of the group.

Pumbaa: Wow, they can walk sideways!

Timon: I guess that's what makes crabs unique.

Jane: Most crabs live in the sea. Even the land crabs, which are abundant in tropical countries, usually visit the sea occasionally and pass through their early stages in it.

(A crab appears.)

Jane: Sea lions, seals, and walruses are in a scientific group of animals called pinnipeds, which means "wing foot." You could probably pick out a walrus if you saw one, but how do you tell sea lions and seals apart? Sea lions and seals are marine mammals, spending a good part of each day in the ocean to find their food. They all have flippers at the end of their limbs to help them swim. Like all marine mammals, they have a thick layer of blubber to keep them warm in the chilly ocean. And they all like to eat fish. And by fish, I mean lots of fish!

(A Sea lion appears barking twice.)

Jane: Seagulls can be found flying anywhere, but their native range is beaches and oceans. But be careful when you have picnics at the beach, because seagulls could steal your food!

Serena: Maybe having picnics at the beach isn't the best idea.

Shellington: But do you know what is the best idea? Watching seagulls take flight!

(A group of seagulls fly around us.)

Jane: Found across Africa, cormorants prefer open water whether saline, fresh or brackish. In the ocean, it usually stays near shore since it likes relatively shallow water. Inland, it prefers to inhabit areas around lakes, dams, reservoirs, and rivers with sufficient fish.

Pumbaa: I see cormorants near water all the time!

Timon: Me too!

Shellington: The cormorant has adapted to balance thermoregulation and the need to reduce buoyancy to chase fish. Although they have an oil gland, they don’t appear to use it to waterproof feathers since that would retain air bubbles.

(The cormorants appear.)

Jane: It is easy to identify pelicans, because they are one of the only birds with a pouch under their bill.

Korrina: So I guess kangaroos aren't the only animals with pouches!

Shellington: Along with the giant pouch, pelicans are a large bird with short legs, and they appear rather clumsy on land. Once in the water, they are strong swimmers, thanks to their webbed feet.

(The pelicans appear.)

Jane: Common sandpipers are small to medium sized birds, but they have relatively long legs that they put to good use. When seen running in groups the birds appear to display a remarkable coordination of movement.

(The sandpipers appear.)