Slimy Animals

VHS cover

Slimy Animals is the third episode of the third season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry trying to clear his garden of snails and learning how slime can be useful for animals. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 28th April 1998.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Slimy Animals.

The narrator meets Henry while he is gardening. Henry steps in a pool of slime left behind by an animal and plans to get rid of them. The narrator explains that animals use slime in many different ways, from helping them move around and keeping their skins moist, to helping with giving birth, setting sticky traps and some animals even eat slime. The narrator also explains to Henry that, despite appearances, snakes have completely dry skins and are not slimy.

#### First cartoon

* A Tiger and three Rattlesnakes, serving as doctors, visit animals on a hospital ward. The first Rattlesnake is sucked into the shell of a Tortoise with a heavy cold and the second is strangled by an Octopus when it sneezes. The third hides when Elephant prepares to sneeze – Tiger gets pasted to the wall by Elephant’s sneeze.

The narrator notices there is a lot of slime still in Henry’s garden, but Henry introduces his patented snail sucking machine. It doesn’t work effectively, and the narrator suggests lubricating it, just as slugs and snails lubricate themselves with slime to help them move more easily. Unfortunately, Henry lubricates his machine too much and gets sucked inside it. The narrator then shows Henry some animals that use slime when giving birth – both chameleons and wallabies have babies covered with slime to help them to stick to leaves or their mother’s fur.

#### Second cartoon

* Rooster is licking stamps for letters but gets a dry throat. He creates an invention that uses snails to slime the stamps on but the machine malfunctions and leaves Rooster covered with snails.

Henry is now reminded to do his News Report. Henry’s report is about a giant nest that has been discovered that has been made from the spit of bats, along with spit replicas of monuments such as the Taj Mahal and Mount Rushmore, which will cause a spit shortage. The narrator says that there are nests built from spit, but they are made by swiftlets rather than bats. Henry has given up trying to clean the garden and is running a bath, but finds a duck using it instead. Ducks use a kind of slimy oil to waterproof their feathers. Other animals use slime as protection – tree frogs use slime to hold their eggs safely on leaves above the water, lungfish make a mucus cocoon to hide in during droughts and clownfish have a slimy coating to help them live among sea anemones.

#### Third cartoon

* Octopus is selling ice creams at the beach. When three Lizards see this, they decide to try and steal some ice cream for themselves. They smear themselves completely in suntan lotion, before running and grabbing an ice cream each. The angry Octopus tries to grab one of them, but the Lizard slides from his grip. The Lizards stop to eat their ice creams, but they slip out of their hands and land on their heads, leaving Octopus laughing at them.

Henry tries to trap the snails with a bucket of slime jammed over the door of his shed but, as the narrator expects, Henry messes it up and causes himself to be covered with slime. The narrator shows Henry that there are some creatures that more successfully use slime to capture prey, including the New Zealand glow worm, the sundew plant and the Peripatus. Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze medal goes to the salamander and the silver to the wallaby. The Golden Gecko Award goes to the poison-arrow frog, which uses the toxic mucus covering its skin to protect itself from predators.

#### Fourth cartoon

* Frog and Toad have a spitting competition at a target. When Spider comes down to determine the winner, Frog takes another spit and covers Spider. Spiders wraps Frog and Toad up in silk and leave them swinging together like a Newton’s cradle.

Henry has now decided not to let the slime in his garden bother him, but gets annoyed by a large dog slobbering next to him and his ice cream. But Henry cannot resist letting the dog share his ice cream. The narrator points out that slime, in the form of saliva, helps many animals eat their food while to other animals including snakes, hedgehogs and the fry of the discus fish, slime is part of their diet. Egrets lubricate fish with slime to feed their chicks. Henry finds this revolting, but gets an idea. Back at Henry’s house, there are several large jars full of slime. The narrator asks what they are – Henry has collected snail slime, dog slobber and spider goo. When the narrator asks why, Henry responds that everything in nature has a purpose, even slime. When the narrator asks Henry what is in the biggest jar, Henry climbs up the side and sneezes into it. The disgusted narrator then leaves, with the sounds of his footsteps on the floor, and Henry is pleased to see that even the narrator can be grossed out by amazing slimy animals.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* East African giant land snail, *Lissachatina fulica*
* Garden snail, *Cornu aspersum*
* Mallard, *Anas platyrhynchos*
* Chilean rose tarantula, *Grammostola rosea*
* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*

### Stock footage

* Indigo snake, *Drymarchon couperi*
* Giant Pacific salamander, *Dicamptodon sp*.
* Oriental fire-bellied toad, *Bombina orientalis*
* African lungfish, *Protopterus annectens*
* Swamp eel, Synbranchidae
* Rosy wolf snail, *Euglandina rosea*
* Common earthworm, *Lumbricus terrestris*
* Natal dwarf chameleon, *Bradypodion sp*.
* Fungus gnat, *Arachnocampa luminosa*
* European brown common toad, *Bufo bufo*
* Netted slug, *Derocerus reticulatum*
* Velvet worm, Onychophora
* Discus fish, *Symphysodon sp*.
* Tiger salamander, *Ambystoma tigrinum*
* Slug, Gastropoda
* White-lipped snail, *Cepaea hortensis*
* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*
* Tammar wallaby, *Notamacropus eugenii*
* Blue wildebeest, *Connochaetes taurinus*
* Osprey, *Pandion haliaetus*
* Edible-nest swiftlet, *Aerodramus fuciphagus*
* Hourglass tree frog, *Dendropsophus ebraccatus*
* French angelfish, *Pomacanthus paru*
* Clarke’s clownfish, *Amphiprion clarkii*
* Maroon clownfish, *Premnas biaculeatus*
* Strawberry poison-dart frog, *Oophaga pumilio*
* Green-and-black poison-dart frog, *Dendrobates auratus*
* Golden poison-dart frog, *Phyllobates terribilis*
* Lehmann’s poison-dart frog, *Oophaga lehmanni*
* Dyeing poison-dart frog, *Dendrobates tinctorius*
* Red-backed poison-dart frog, *Ranitomeya reticulata*
* Blunt-headed tree snake, *Imantodes cenchoa*
* West European hedgehog, *Erinaceus europaeus*
* Snowy egret, *Egretta thula*
* Double-crested cormorant, *Nannopterum auritum*

## Credits

* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Writer - Alastair Swinnerton
* Script Editor - Rob Harvey
* Music - David Poore
* Studio Director - Anne Neale
* Graphic Designer Director - Kate Finding
* Graphic Design Assistant - Chris Wreford
* Researcher - Helen Exton
* Production Co-ordinator - Janelle Backes
* Post-Production Co-ordinator - Esta Porter
* Production Secretary - Mandy Vaughan
* Production Team - Steve Cronick, Sarah Davies and Dominic Weston
* Camera - Graham MacFarlane
* Computer Animation - Ricochet 4, Daniel Pearson and Matt McKinney
* Computer Animation Director - Henry Lutman
* Cel Animation - A for Animation
* Cel Animation Director - Mark Taylor
* Sound Editor - Ian Bown
* Dubbing Mixer - Graham Wild
* Editors
	+ Offline - Vincent Pipe and David Warner
	+ Graphics - Sue Land
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles

## Home media releases

The VHS for Slimy Animals released on 22nd February 1999. The cover shows a close-up of Henry lifting his foot out of a puddle of green slime, and he is accompanied by a fire salamander, an African giant land snail, an ornate horned frog and a slug.

**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