Animal Senses

VHS cover

Animal Senses is the sixth episode of the first season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry learning about the five major senses and how different animals use them. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 21st May 1996.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Animal Senses.

When the narrator meets Henry, he is not looking where he is going and bumps into a tower of bricks that each depict a sense – the tower falls over and the top brick bumps Henry on the head. Henry then smells something, only for a zorilla to run past him – Henry says he feels like he will never sniff again. The narrator tells Henry we need all our senses to get information. When Henry asks what the senses are, the narrator tells him that taste is one and tells Henry to guess the others. Henry correctly guesses hearing, smell, touch and sight to identify the five main senses. The narrator shows Henry that many animals use whiskers to sense the world by touch, and also shows how lions and zebras see the world – Henry thought that all animals saw the world the same way he does.

#### First cartoon

* Skunk is walking along and stinks out Tiger, Elephant and Parrot but is knocked out by the bad smell from Mole’s motorbike exhaust fumes.

Henry has been blindfolded to test his sense of smell and is able to easily tell the difference between a bunch of flowers and a dustbin. He cannot identify anything in a pile of dirt, but a pig can. The narrator tells Henry that pigs and many other animals, including coatis and moths have very strong senses of smell. The moth’s sense of smell can be tricked by the bolas spider. The narrator now gives Henry an eye test, but the different tests leave Henry’s eyes sore. The narrator explains how each animal has its own kind of eyes, to help it survive. Vultures can see great distances while in the air, giraffes have a long neck that helps them look out over long distances and cheetahs climb rocks to extend their view.

#### Second cartoon

* Mole is cleaning around his burrow and puts down his brush. Porcupine sees the brush and mistakes it for a female porcupine – he only learns his mistake when Mole gives Porcupine his glasses.

Henry has a go at testing his sense of touch by reaching into boxes to feel what is there. The first has a soft furry rabbit, the second has a hairy tarantula which scares Henry and the third has a porcupine that spikes Henry’s hand. The narrator shows Henry the raccoon, another animal with sensitive hands. Other animals use touch with different sense organs, such as the whiskers on seals and the legs of small creatures that live in deep caves.

#### Third cartoon

* Fish is alarmed by the sounds of a submarine’s radar. Frog opens the submarine hatch and gives a triangle to Fish, who is able to make the radar sound by striking the triangle.

Henry is now reminded to do his Special Report, which is about electric eels. Henry’s report says that electric eels glow in the dark, and were invented by fish to give themselves a light source. He also recommends switching to electric eels as a way of lighting up your home. The narrator corrects Henry’s report, saying that electric eels produce an electrical current to detect obstacles in murky rivers and can also use a shock to stun prey and kill predators as big as a human.

#### Fourth cartoon

* Fish is playing with the triangle and hears a strange sound seemingly replying to him. He investigates and finds Parrot in a scuba costume playing on an arcade game.

Henry claims he is thirsty, and sucks on a straw. However, it is attached to a lemon which Henry finds too sour. The narrator replaces it with a milkshake that Henry quickly drinks, finding it sweet. The narrator explains that Henry’s tongue helps to distinguish between different flavours. The giant Pacific salamander is shown using taste as a way of tracking down its slug prey. Sharks also detect traces of their prey in water. Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze medal is awarded to the elephantnose fish that has an electrical sense and the silver to the green tree python, which can sense heat. The Golden Gecko Award goes to the bat-eared fox, which uses its enormous ears to hear the footsteps of its termite prey.

#### Fifth cartoon

* Parrot blasts the volume on Elephant’s music player but as he rolls around laughing, Elephant blasts him in turn with noise from his trunk and deafens him.

Henry is listening to loud music on a pair of headphones, but the narrator warns him that Henry wouldn’t want to lose his hearing. Henry briefly flicks up a pair of ears when the narrator tells him to listen up. The narrator explains that some animals such as snakes and elephants can also feel sound as vibrations. River dolphins use their hearing as part of their sonar system, ensuring they don’t bump into things. Henry says he now knows a lot more about senses, and now knows he has them all. He falls off the row of sensory bricks, and the narrator jokes that Henry doesn’t have a sense of balance. Henry responds that the narrator is lucky that he has a sense of humour. The narrator tells Henry to never mind, and says that at least he now knows more about animal senses.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Red fox, *Vulpes vulpes*
* Zorilla, *Ictonyx striatus*
* Domestic pig, *Sus domesticus*
* Turkey vulture, *Cathartes aura*
* European rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*
* Mexican redknee tarantula, *Brachypelma hamorii*
* Crested porcupine, *Hystrix cristatus*
* Northern raccoon, *Procyon lotor*
* Common marmoset, *Callithrix jacchus*
* Blue-tongued skink, *Tiliqua sp*.
* Peter’s elephantnose fish, *Gnathonemus petersii*
* Corn snake, *Pantherophis guttatus*
* Domestic cat, *Felis catus*
* Barn owl, *Tyto alba*
* Wild boar, *Sus scrofa*
* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*

### Stock footage

* Brown long-eared bat, *Plecotus auritus*
* White-nosed coati, *Nasua narica*
* Rufous sengi, *Galegeeska rufescens*
* Domestic cat, *Felis catus*
* Cougar, *Puma concolor*
* Eurasian harvest mouse, *Micromys minutus*
* California sea lion, *Zalophus californianus*
* Red-tailed catfish, *Phractocephalus hemioliopterus*
* Lion, *Panthera leo*
* Blue wildebeest, *Connochaetes taurinus*
* African white-backed vulture, *Gyps africanus*
* Plains zebra, *Equus quagga*
* Baird’s tapir, *Tapirus bairdii*
* American black vulture, *Coragyps atratus*
* Olive ridley sea turtle, *Lepidochelys olivacea*
* Moth, Lepidoptera
* Magnificent bolas spider, *Ordgarius magnificus*
* Great grey owl, *Strix nebulosa*
* Red-eyed tree frog, *Agalychnis callidryas*
* Jumping spider, Salticidae
* Ruppell’s griffon vulture, *Gyps rueppellii*
* Lappet-faced vulture, *Torgos tracheliotos*
* Masai giraffe, *Giraffa tippelskirchi*
* Cheetah, *Acinonyx jubatus*
* Northern raccoon, *Procyon lotor*
* Hawaiian monk seal, *Neomonachus schauinslandi*
* Malaysian cave centipede, *Thereuopoda longicornis*
* Cave crab, *Typhlopseudothelphusa sp*.
* Cave catfish, *Prietella sp*.
* Electric eel, *Electrophorus electricus*
* Mangrove cat snake, *Boiga dendrophila*
* Banana slug, *Ariolimax sp*.
* Giant Pacific salamander, *Dicamptodon sp*.
* Blue shark, *Prionace glauca*
* Krill, Euphausiacea
* Green tree python, *Morelia viridis*
* Bat-eared fox, *Otocyon megalotis*
* African bush elephant, *Loxodonta africana*
* Pink river dolphin, *Inia geoffrensis*
* Proboscis monkey, *Nasalis larvatus*

## Credits

* Writer - Roger Stennett
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Music - David Poore
* Director - Anne Neale
* Graphic Designer - Kate Beldon
* Researcher - Fiorella Rossi
* Production Secretary - Cristina Hughes
* Production Team - Dominic Weston, Karen Steele, Susan Hubble and Tessa Nelson
* Camera - Jonathan Noad and Mike Kamei
* 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 - Julie Mitchell
* Dubbing Mixer - Andrew Wilson
* Editors
	+ Offline - Colette Hodges
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles
* Special thanks to:
	+ Doug Zwick
	+ Nancy Kemp
* Producer - Rob Harvey

## Home media releases

The VHS for Animal Senses released on 18th November 1996. The cover shows Henry wearing his blindfold and smiling, and he is accompanied by a hooded vulture, a pair of common dolphins and a striped skunk.

The spine of the VHS has a photograph of an arctic fox, while the back cover has a photograph of a raccoon.

The blurb on the back cover of the VHS reads:

**Which animals ‘see’ with their whiskers? Why can’t we hear elephants’ secret conversations?**

Henry sees, smells, and even touches some animals that couldn’t survive without their AMAZING ANIMAL SENSES, from the lion’s sight to the dolphin’s sonar.

**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