Animal Weapons

VHS cover

Animal Weapons is the seventh episode of the first season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry playing with toy weapons and learning how animals use weaponry. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 28th May 1996.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Animal Weapons.

Henry is playing with toy weapons and a toy castle, including a squadron of rubber duck soldiers. The narrator asks Henry if he knows what he is doing. Henry says yes, but when he throws a boomerang and it comes back and hits him on the head, he has second thoughts. The narrator tells Henry that he could learn a thing or two from the many animals that have weapons, either to fight each other with or to hunt with.

#### First cartoon

* Parrot tries to impress Porcupine with his football skills but the ball gets popped on Porcupine’s quills. Parrot then kicks Porcupine and ends up with quills in his foot.

Henry goes to the gates of his castle and puts on armour before setting off to battle with his duck soldiers. The narrator tells Henry he should learn more about animal weapons before he goes to fight. Horns are used by fighting ibex and Jackson’s chameleons, while weaverbirds have to use their wings and beaks to fight. Henry then hides behind shields to avoid arrows with plungers – just like shields, the porcupine’s spines provide protection against attack. Many animals will use weapons for defence, from the horns of the African buffalo to the leaf-kicking of the Australian brush turkey.

#### Second cartoon

* Porcupine comes back to laugh at Parrot as he pulls quills from his foot. In revenge Parrot flies off and returns with a watering can to soak Porcupine and cause his quills to curl up.

Henry is marching with his duck troops when he encounters a monitor lizard, the neighbourhood bully. The narrator tells Henry to try bluffing to scare him away. Henry inflates his body to make himself look bigger before yelling loudly – this is enough to frighten away the monitor. Some animals also use bluff to defend themselves and ward off attack, such as ruff and chimpanzees.

#### Third cartoon

* Mole accidentally digs up into Bat’s roost. Bat tries to bite him but he has no false teeth in and just tickles Mole, who ducks back into the hole. Bat then puts his false teeth in and tries to bite Mole but bites onto a hard hat and breaks his teeth.

Henry is then reminded to do his Special Report, which he says is about why Tasmanian devils are so uptight. Henry says that Tasmanian devils love candy and hate brushing their teeth, so they end up with toothache but in turn refuse to visit the dentist. The pain from the toothache makes them furious and causes them to growl. The narrator says that, in reality, Tasmanian devils display their teeth to discourage other devils from fighting with them.

#### Fourth cartoon

* Dung Beetle finds a dead fly and is about to eat it when Frog steps out and lassos it with his tongue. Frog then uses his tongue as a whip to scare Dung Beetle away.

Henry thinks that, of all weapons, horns rule the most. The narrator says that many animals have evolved large weapons. The horns on Henry’s helmet grow so much that he can’t lift his head. The narrator shows Henry some animals with very large weapons in comparison to their bodies, including the Namibian sun spider and the fiddler crab.

#### Fifth cartoon

* Rhinoceros waylays Skunk and tries to frighten him with his skills in kung fu but is knocked out when Skunk sprays him with gas instead.

Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze medal goes to the ibex and the silver to the Jackson’s chameleon. The Golden Gecko Award is given to the Siamese fighting fish. The males of these fish will always fight if they meet and try to rip one another’s fins to shreds. The loser is unable to attract a mate without fins and has to wait until they regrow.

#### Sixth cartoon

* Frog climbs onto several toadstools that shrink into the ground; the last one begins to shake and knocks Frog off – it is revealed to be the nose of a spacecraft that bursts from the ground and takes off.

Henry is introduced to the secret weapons of the jungle nymph – a set of sharp leg spines. Henry also has his own secret weapon, a robotic version of himself with a ball cannon in its back. He demonstrates it, but it malfunctions and shoots at Henry and the camera. Lots of other animals have secret weapons, including the warning scents left by aardwolves, termites that spray annoying chemicals and the pistol shrimp that attacks with sound. Some animals may fight for hours to determine who is boss, such as elk and giraffes. Henry now starts to think all this fighting is dumb, and returns his duck squadron to base. When Henry forgets what he is saying after disciplining a straggling duck, the narrator tells him that weapons have a place in the animal world but are not a game. Henry says he will contemplate peace while he has a nice hot bath, with the narrator recommending Henry leave the weapons to the animals.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* West European hedgehog, *Erinaceus europaeus*
* Domestic chicken, *Gallus domesticus*
* Eurasian eagle owl, *Bubo bubo*
* Crested porcupine, *Hystrix cristata*
* Laggar falcon, *Falco jugger*
* Domestic horse, *Equus ferus caballus*
* Savannah monitor, *Varanus exanthematicus*
* Jungle nymph, *Heteropteryx dilatata*
* Spectacled caiman, *Caiman crocodilus*
* Jackson’s chameleon, *Trioceros jacksonii*
* Domestic goat, *Capra hircus*

### Stock footage

* Moose, *Alces alces*
* Nubian ibex, *Capra nubiana*
* Chimpanzee, *Pan troglodytes*
* African buffalo, *Syncerus caffer*
* Southern masked weaverbird, *Ploceus velatus*
* Jackson’s chameleon, *Trioceros jacksonii*
* Hartebeest, *Alcelaphus buselaphus*
* Lion, *Panthera leo*
* Giant desert hairy scorpion, *Hadrurus arizonensis*
* Lowland copperhead, *Austrelaps superbus*
* Fiddler crab, Ocypodidae
* Diurnal solifugid, *Metasolpuga picta*
* European bee-eater, *Merops apiaster*
* Bald eagle, *Haliaeetus leucocephalus*
* Cape porcupine, *Hystrix africaeaustralis*
* Carpet python, *Morelia spilota*
* Australian brush turkey, *Alectura lathami*
* Ruff, *Calidris pugnax*
* Domestic cattle, *Bos taurus*
* Tasmanian devil, *Sarcophilus harrisii*
* Grasshopper, Caelifera
* African bush elephant, *Loxodonta africana*
* Siamese fighting fish, *Betta splendens*
* Aardwolf, *Proteles cristatus*
* Snouted harvester termite, *Trinervitermes sp*.
* Pistol shrimp, Alpheidae
* Common prawn, *Palaemon serratus*
* Wapiti, *Cervus canadensis*
* Masai giraffe, *Giraffa tippelskirchi*
* Thomson’s gazelle, *Eudorcas thomsonii*

## Credits

* Writer - Roger Stennett
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Music - David Poore
* Director - Anne Neale
* Graphic Designer - Kate Beldon
* Assistant Producer - Sean O'Driscoll
* Production Secretary - Cristina Hughes
* Production Team - Dominic Weston, Karen Steele, Susan Hubble and Tessa Nelson
* Camera - Jonathan Noad, Mike Kamei and Tom Gordon
* Animation - Varga Studio Ltd
	+ Animation Director - Igor Lazin
	+ Animation Co-Ordinator - Krisztina Varga
* 3-D Animation - Ricochet 4 and Henry Lutman
* Titles Post-Production - Sue Land
* Sound Editor - James Pursey
* Dubbing Mixer - Andrew Wilson
* Editors
	+ Offline - Colette Hodges
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles
* Thanks to:
	+ Paradise Wildlife Park
* Special thanks to:
	+ Doug Zwick
	+ Nancy Kemp
* Producer - Rob Harvey

## Home media releases

The VHS for Animal Weapons was released on 1st February 1997. The cover shows Henry sticking his head out from behind a cannon, and he is accompanied by a green iguana, a crested porcupine and a crab.

The spine of the VHS has a photograph of a Jacob four-horned ram, while the back cover has a photograph of a lion.

The blurb on the back cover of the VHS reads:

**What animal has a claw longer than its body? What is a giraffe’s greatest weapon?**

Henry learns the importance of not bothering creatures with AMAZING ANIMAL WEAPONS, from the spiky porcupine to acid-squirting termites.

**Cartoon Characters**: \* Eagles • Tyrannosaurus • Rattlesnake • Tiger • Squirrel • Lizards • Elephant • Bat • Fish • Camel • Gorilla • Caveman • Mole • Bear • Stickman • Chicks • Hen • Rooster • Owl • Chameleon • Tortoise • Crocodile • Frog and Toad •
• Parrot • Porcupine • Mouse • Whale • Rhinoceros • Beavers • Snail • Rabbit • Dog • Skunk • Spider • Octopus • Vulture • Woodpecker • Flea • Dung Beetle • Butterfly • Gibbon • Fly • Mosquito • Bee • Beetles • Crab • Pigeon • Carnivorous Plant • Lamb

**Voice Actors**: Eric Meyers • Tom Clarke-Hill
**Season One**: Tropical Birds • Animal Disguises • Nighttime Animals • Animal Appetites • Animal Survivors • Animal Senses • **Animal Weapons** • Animal Builders • Armoured Animals • Mini-Beasts • Animal Babies • Poisonous Animals • Animal Journeys
**Season Two**: Birds of Prey • Desert Animals (Amazing Animals) • Scary Animals • Animal Records • Animal Colors • Animal Mothers • Animal Pets • Seashore Animals • Animal Families • Endangered Animals • An Animal Year • Prehistoric Animals • Monkeys and Apes
**Season Three**: Animal Hunters • Animal Talk • Slimy Animals • Rainforest Animals • Animal Acrobats • Underwater Animals • Animal Neighbors • Giant Animals - Creepy Crawly Animals • Farm Animals (Amazing Animals) • Animal Changes • Extinct Animals • Animal Eggs
**Season Four**: Around the World • Polar Animals • Clever Animals • Underground Animals • Animal Helpers • Woodland Animals (Amazing Animals) • Mountain Animals • Backyard Animals • Tiny Animals • Animal Partners • Scaly Animals • River Animals • Animal Flight