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

WARNING! Jane's World Animal adventure will have animal facts.

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.)

Jane: See you in Act 2!

(Blackout!)

Beach
(Suddenly, the savannah becomes a beach.)

Valerie: Well, after the 20-minute intermission, 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.)

Ocean
(Suddenly, the waves crash the beach creating an ocean.)

Jane: Onto the ocean, filled with lots of water, and of course, a wide variety of animals. However, the ocean is changing, because people are throwing plastic and other garbage into the oceans, and that harms the water and its inhabitants. But luckily, people who care about nature are trying their hardest to keep the ocean clean.

Shellington: Here come the next animals ending with the bonus animal!

Iris: WOW! Can we meet them?

Jane: Of course! We can meet them! First, the turtles! Turtles spend most of their life in the water. They tend to have webbed feet for swimming. Sea turtles are especially adapted for an aquatic life, with long feet that forms flippers and a streamlined body shape. They rarely leave the ocean, except when the females come ashore to lay their eggs, although some species, such as the green sea turtle, do come out on reefs and beaches to bask.

(A Sea turtle appears.)

Jane: Move on to the whales! Whales are distributed throughout the world’s oceans and seas. All are entirely aquatic, with specialized adaptations such as flippers and tail flukes for living in water.

Korrina: They use echolocation, right?

Shellington: Yes, they use echolocation to communicate with other whales. Species of whales include the humpback whale, beluga whale, blue whale and narwhal. Even though orcas are nicknamed killer whales, orcas are actually a type of dolphin.

(A whale appears.)

Jane: Next up is the fish! Fish are found in every part of the world. Some have dull colours, while others have bright and beautiful colours. Each species of fish is different and exploits its environment in its own way.

(A group of fish appear.)

Jane: Now, to the dolphins! Dolphins have smooth skin, flippers, and a dorsal fin. They have a long, slender snout with about 100 teeth, and a streamlined body. The single blowhole on top of their head has a flap that opens to reveal a pair of nostrils, which dolphins use for breathing when they surface. Dolphins are found in all the oceans of the world. Some live mainly along coastlines, but others live far out at sea. Unlike fish, who move their tails from side to side, these aquatic mammals move their tails up and down, just like whales and porpoises, who belong to the same family as the dolphins.

(A dolphin appears.)

Jane: The last ocean animal is the seahorse! The seahorse uses its prehensile tail as an anchor, wrapping it around seagrass stems, coral heads or any other suitable object. Males have longer tails and shorter heavier snouts than females. Their eyes can move independently of each other.

Iris: Just like chameleons!

Serval: The colours of the seahorse allow them to camouflage themselves very efficiently and make them very difficult to spot in the wild. They can change colour in a matter of minutes to match their surroundings. Camouflage helps seahorses in their role as ambush predators.

Timon: So I guess you could call them the chameleons of the sea!

(A seahorse appears.)

Jane: Oh, I have a big announcement! I have a bonus animal for you and that bonus animal is the penguin! Penguins are a group of aquatic flightless birds. They live almost exclusively in the Southern Hemisphere, with only one species, the Galápagos penguin, found north of the Equator. Highly adapted for life in the water, penguins have countershaded dark and white plumage and flippers for swimming.

David: The stocky, short-legged appearance of penguins has endangered them to people worldwide. They range from about 35 cm in height and approximately 1 kg in weight in the little blue penguin to 115 cm and 25 to 40 kg in the emperor penguin.

Korrina: Aren't prehistoric penguins the largest?

Kaban: Well, yes, but the largest of the living penguins are emperor penguins.

Kyururu: The gentoo penguin is the penguin that swims the fastest!

Caracal: A baby king penguin weighs the same weight as the adult king penguins!

Serval: And if you're wondering how macaroni penguins got their name, it's all thanks to the macaroni-like crests at the top of their heads.

Timon: Okay, I think we've heard enough penguin facts for now. WADDLE the next animal be?

(Some penguins appear.)

Jane: Get ready for Act 3!

(Blackout!)

Polar Regions
(Suddenly, the ocean becomes ice making the ocean animals run offstage!)

Jane: Again, after the 20-minute intermission, we're now in one of the coldest biomes in the world: The polar regions, both the Arctic and Antarctica. Many animals live in both of these regions.

Caracal: Walruses live in groups sometimes numbering 100 or more. It does not live near frequent deep water. Instead, it inhabits coasts and margins of ice shelves, where it periodically hauls itself onto beaches and ice floes to rest and bask.

Pumbaa: YAY! Another animal that has tusks!

Iris: But what do they use their tusks for?

Kyururu: The tusks function mainly in mating display and in defense against other walruses.

Serena: Cool! Let's watch the walrus swim in the arctic ocean!

(A walrus appears coming out of the water, shows it's belly, and claps its flippers!)

Jane: Perhaps no other animal symbolizes the frozen tundra regions of the Earth as do polar bears. They live on ice and snow, but that’s not a problem—these bears have some cool ways to stay warm!

Pumbaa: I love polar bears!

Timon: We gotta be careful though, because polar bears are carnivores!

Pumbaa: AAAAAAAHHH!

David: Don't worry, you're not part of the polar bears' diet.

Kyururu: Polar bears have no natural enemies. Strong, ferocious, intelligent, and patient hunters, they top the food chain in the Arctic, where they dine primarily on seals. The bears can remain motionless for hours above a seal's breathing hole in the ice, just waiting for a seal to pop up. The polar bear's nose is so powerful it can smell a seal on the ice 20 miles away, sniff out a seal's den that has been covered with snow, and even find a seal's air hole in the ice up to 1 mile away. No wonder many people call them "noses with legs!"

Shellington: For such a big animal, they sure start out small! Cubs weigh about 1 pound when born and are hairless and have their eyes closed at birth. They depend on the mother to keep them warm and fed. Milk from polar bear mothers is 36 percent fat, the richest milk of any bear species. This helps the cubs grow quickly, and by April, they weigh more than 20 pounds and start exploring with their mother outside the den. At about two years of age, they are ready to be on their own.

Serena: Polar bear cubs are so cute!

Shellington: Polar bears are highly intelligent and playful. In the wild, two or more bears sometimes form “friendships” that last for weeks or even years. These bears wrestle as a form of play and may also feed and travel together. Individual polar bears have been observed sliding repeatedly downhill or across ice for no apparent reason other than just for the fun of it!

David: However, climate change has created a conservation crisis for this iconic species, and their persistence in the wild is jeopardized by record-breaking sea ice losses and increasing industrial-scale human activity. In areas where the sea ice melts completely, polar bears must move ashore in the summer. They may scavenge to avoid starving, or they may fast until ice forms again. In some places, these bears have learned to eat at garbage dumps. They could be injured or poisoned by trash, and it puts the bears in close contact with humans. This can be a dangerous situation for both humans and polar bears. Today, it is estimated that there are 22,000 to 27,000 polar bears throughout the Arctic. Polar bears still need our help. People must continue to give these bears large, safe places to live and try to keep the environment clean and free of pesticides that could poison the bear's food.

Timon: OH NO! We have to do something to save the polar bears!

Shellington: We believe an Arctic without polar bears is simply unthinkable! You can help us save this species by donating and keeping the earth clean.

(A polar bear appears.)

Jane: These feathered giants have the longest wingspan of any bird—up to 11 feet! The wandering albatross is the biggest of some two dozen different species. Albatrosses use their formidable wingspans to ride the ocean winds and sometimes to glide for hours without rest or even a flap of their wings.

Kaban: Albatrosses are among the most spectacular gliders of all birds, able to stay aloft in windy weather for hours without ever flapping their extremely long, narrow wings. In calm air an albatross has trouble keeping its stout body airborne and prefers to rest on the water surface. Like other oceanic birds, albatrosses drink seawater. Although they normally live on squid, they also are seen to accompany ships to feed on garbage.

(An albatross appears circling around us!)

Forest
(The snow becomes the forest.)

Jane: The last stop on this around-the-world adventure is found in North America. Welcome to the forest! The forest cycles through all four seasons.

Jane: Squirrels are energetic small mammals that can be found in the forests of North America and Europe.

Pumbaa: I've never seen squirrels before!

Timon: It's because you're an African animal, Pumbaa.

Jane: Squirrels can leap 10 times their body length and turn their ankles 180 degrees to face any direction when climbing. In addition, they can learn by quickly copying other animals.

(A squirrel appears.)

Jane: Many people are familiar with the red fox, but there are over 30 species of fox living in an amazing variety of environments all over the world, which includes the arctic fox (which will also be featured later), the desert-dwelling fennec fox, the African bat-eared fox and many more. In general, foxes are small members of the dog family, the largest of which is the red fox.

Serena: I love foxes! They're so cute!

Jane: Although many fox species are endangered or threatened, the red fox has a strong population. Millions can be found all over Europe and North America. There is no doubt of the beauty of these animals, and there is no doubt why the term "fox" is often used to describe attractive people too!

(A fox appears.)

Jane: Deer are native to all continents except Oceania and Antarctica, and many species of deer have been widely introduced beyond their original habitats. They are also fast runners and high jumpers.

Korrina: Wow, they're fast creatures indeed!

Jane: Deer are specialized herbivores, as is reflected in their large and anatomically complex digestive organs, their mobile lips, and the size and complexity of their teeth. However, deer rely little on grasses, and they have not evolved grazing specializations comparable to those found in cattle.

(A deer appears.)

Jane: While most of us have no problem identifying an owl, just look for that round face, sharp, hooked bill, and large eyes—it’s not as easy to distinguish between different kinds of owls. Everything about an owl’s body makes it the ideal bird for night living. An owl has the best night vision of any animal, and its hearing is nearly as acute.

Serena: Owls are nocturnal, right?

Jane: Right. An owl's eyes are so big in comparison to the head that there is little room for eye muscles, meaning owls can’t move their eyes. Instead, owls must move their entire head to follow the movement of prey.

(An owl appears. Suddenly, we hear wolves howling.)

Kyururu: *Howls, Weeps, and Sniffles* Most of us grew up hearing stories about the "big bad wolf." But wolves are not really big or bad. They aren’t even harmful to humans! Wolves belong to the same family of animals, Canidae, as the dog you may have as a family pet. They are predators that hunt and eat other animals. In some places they are considered a vulnerable or endangered species. There are many wolf organizations and government agencies working to both save wolves and educate people about them.

Korrina: Where are wolves found?

Kyururu: *Weeps and Sniffles* Incredibly adaptable, wolves have inhabited, at one point, virtually all of North America, northern Europe, eastern Africa, and Asia. One of the best-known ways wolves communicate is by howling, a soulful song that sounds both melodious and mournful, mysterious and sad. Yet contrary to those impressions, a wolf’s howl is a celebration: wolves love to make music! When a pack performs, one wolf begins, then after one or two howls, others join in. They warm up with a few long, low howls and work up to a series of shorter, higher howls in a chorus with others. A group howl may last more than a minute. It’s an excited and emotional ritual that is vital to maintaining pack unity and community spirit.

Pumbaa: Why do wolves howl?

Kyururu: *Howls, Sniffles, and Weeps* Wolves howl for many reasons, in solo or chorus. They howl upon waking up from a long sleep and to rally the pack prior to a hunt. The howl inspires enthusiasm, helps synchronize pack activities, and can be a song of the feast, announcing and defending a kill. Wolves also howl after intense play and social interactions or to communicate positions or keep in touch when separated. Howling creates an acoustic barrier to warn other wolves to stay away, outlining boundaries and signaling location, pack size, and strength.

Everyone: *Howls*

(When everyone howls like wolves, a wolf appears!)

Jane: The question is what can bring down a wolf? Who can be friends? You will meet the notorious omnivore ever to roam the forest. The one and only BEAR!

(A bear cub appears.)

Korrina: This one's a cub. I think his father is coming for salmon.

(The bear cub is telling Korrina in SIGN LANGUAGE!)

Korrina: Your father is on the way! Hold on!

Jane: Hurry!

(The owl, wolf, and deer try to be nice to the bear cub until they heard a bear growl offstage.)

Jane: HERE HE IS FOLKS! THE ONE AND ONLY BEAR! The ultimate predator! Perfectly evolved to kill and eat other plants and animals! This one is a male! Normally, he will eat grass but he’s fiercely protected of his young! Oh, I think he’s very unhappy!

(A bear appears and growls loudly again! The bear growls like a tiger and roars like a lion at the forest animals making the squirrel, fox, owl, wolf, and deer run offstage then attacks and throws the bear cub offstage.)

Everyone: NOOOOOOOOOO!

(Quickly, when Jane and her friends saw the dead bear cub killed by his father, she shakes her head. As she screams and sobs, she wipes away a tear with her friends.)

Jane: I KNOW! I KNOW! LOOK WHAT YOU DID! YOU DID GREAT FISHING! HE NEEDS ME RIGHT NOW!

(Listen while they wail until the father bear joins the wailing. The dead bear cub goes back below the stage in the theatre version or bald eagles circle around and and eat the dead bear cub in the arena version. Jane's friends watch Jane in her tree. A blue jay is perching on a tree. Quickly, we see a rainstorm with lighting and thunder is heard. Jane sighs and was in her tree from the jungle reaching up and uses her paintbrush on the bear cub, smearing it with lamb's blood.)

Jane: Can't you imagine that tragic scene? It's so sad. Do not mourn the bear cub because the bear cub's descendants are extended animals! They finally made it in time!