Desert Animals (Amazing Animals)

VHS cover

Desert Animals is the second episode of the second season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry supposedly trying to survive in the desert after making a mistake on his holiday booking. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 22nd April 1997.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Desert Animals.

The narrator meets Henry, who is wearing a rubber ring and pushing luggage through a desert. When the narrator asks Henry what he is doing, Henry says he had come on what he thought was a beach vacation. The narrator informs Henry that the Sahara Sunshine Resort is actually a desert, and then explains what a desert is. Despite the challenging conditions there are many tough animals that live in deserts. Henry responds that he is tough and can take it.

#### First cartoon

* Three Lizards are driving through the desert when their car breaks down. While waiting to hitchhike, they spot a camel lying at the side of the road. They investigate it but think it is dead. Suddenly, Rooster jumps onto it and uses a remote to turn it on – it is actually a realistic robotic camel. After it walks away, the Lizards give chase.

Henry complains about how hot he feels, and the narrator tells him to seek shade under a large rock. Once there, Henry finds lots of other animals also crowding into the shade. The narrator shows Henry the many ways desert animals keep cool, including the large ears of elephants and rabbits, the cooling movements of the shovel-snouted lizard, the air-trapping feathers of Kittlitz’s plover and the burrowing elephant shrew. Henry now does his Special Report, which is supposed to be all about camels. Henry says that while camels are well-adapted to sand, this was not always the case. They used to ferry passengers over the desert in boats in a time when the desert was much wetter. When the water turned to sand, they carried passengers on their backs, using one of their humps to store gasoline and the other a fold-up bicycle. After the report, the narrator concedes that camels are called ships of the desert, but that otherwise Henry’s report was entirely wrong. They store fat in their humps instead of gasoline or bicycles. The narrator also explains many of the amazing desert adaptations that camels have.

#### Second cartoon

* The Lizards catch up with Rooster, asleep in his tent, and try to steal the robot camel. They steal the remote. When they sit on the camel and try to turn it on, three springs burst out of its back and fire the Lizards away. Rooster briefly wakes up when the Lizards land in the distance, while the camel robot laughs to itself.

Henry appears with his own water diviner. He follows it to what appears to be a pool of water. Henry runs to dive in, only for the water to disappear – the narrator tells Henry he had seen a mirage. The narrator tells Henry there is water in the desert, provided you know where to look. Animals such as beetles, snakes and geckos capture moisture from fog, carnivorous animals get water from their prey while porcupines can get water from succulent melons.

#### Third cartoon

* The Lizards find Rooster trying to repair his camel and try to steal it again. The control first makes the camel run backwards before it makes it explode. The Lizards then give up and decide to go back to hitchhiking.

Henry is finding it difficult to walk on slow shifting sand, and sinks up to his neck. He then finds a lamp buried in the sand. On rubbing it, it explodes into a magic carpet, which Henry commands to carry him to the nearest swimming pool. The narrator says that desert animals can’t use flying carpets, so have other ways to get around. Ostriches and web-footed geckos have wide feet just like camels, sidewinders move across the sand so less than half their body contacts it at any one time and the golden mole swims underneath the sand.

#### Fourth cartoon

* Gibbon pulls over Rooster and confiscates his camel. Once Rooster gets off, it is revealed that Gibbon is actually the three Lizards in a costume. They jump on the camel and ride away, only for it to almost immediately break down because of lack of fuel. Rooster then rides past in the Lizard’s old car, now refuelled, and the Lizards give chase again.

Henry flies through on his magic carpet as the Golden Gecko Awards begin. The bronze medal goes to the camel and the silver medal to the porcupine. But the Golden Gecko Award is given to the scorpion, because they can survive without water for months and without food for over a year. They have many ways of both retaining water and keeping cool. Henry continues flying his magic carpet, but crash-lands into a sand dune. Henry still hasn’t found a drop of water, but the narrator shows Henry some approaching rainclouds. Once the rain falls, the desert plants spring into life and the animals feed well. Henry says it no longer looks like a desert, and the narrator explains that a desert is just somewhere without rain – even parts of the ocean can be deserts. Henry sees flowers blooming in his desert and looks forward to a drink, but the narrator asks if he is forgetting something. Henry suddenly remembers he was not in a desert or on vacation, but was in his sandbox instead. Henry decides to go and get some root beer, but finds a camel drinking it. The narrator says that Henry has plenty to share, and amazing desert animals need to drink whenever they can.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Large-clawed scorpion, *Scorpio maurus*
* Mongolian gerbil, *Meriones unguiculatus*
* Dromedary camel, *Camelus dromedarius*
* Saharan spiny-tailed lizard, *Uromastyx geyri*
* Meerkat, *Suricata suricatta*
* Egyptian spiny mouse, *Acomys cahirinus*
* Pancake tortoise, *Malacochersus tornieri*
* Large hairy armadillo, *Chaetophractus villosus*
* African white-backed vulture, *Gyps africanus*
* Sandfish skink, *Scincus scincus*
* Diadem snake, *Spalerosophis diadema*

### Stock footage

* Dromedary camel, *Camelus dromedarius*
* Fog-basking beetle, *Onymacris unguicularis*
* Shovel-snouted lizard, *Meroles anchietae*
* Collared lizard, *Crotaphytus collaris*
* Namaqua chameleon, *Chamaeleo namaquensis*
* Greater roadrunner, *Geococcyx californianus*
* Bobcat, *Lynx rufus*
* Gemsbok, *Oryx gazella*
* Meerkat, *Suricata suricatta*
* Greater kestrel, *Falco rupicoloides*
* Coyote, *Canis latrans*
* Common ostrich, *Struthio camelus*
* Rock squirrel, *Otospermophilus variegatus*
* Lion, *Panthera leo*
* African bush elephant, *Loxodonta africana*
* European rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*
* Kittlitz’s plover, *Charadrius pecuarius*
* Rufous sengi, *Galegeeska rufescens*
* Namaqua dwarf adder, *Bitis schneideri*
* Namib ground gecko, *Chondrodactylus angulifer*
* Cape porcupine, *Hystrix africaeaustralis*
* Web-footed gecko, *Pachydactylus rangei*
* Merriam’s kangaroo rat, *Dipodomys merriami*
* California kingsnake, *Lampropeltis californiae*
* Peringuey’s adder, *Bitis peringueyi*
* Grant’s golden mole, *Eremitalpa granti*
* Common yellow scorpion, *Buthus occitanus*
* Yellow-tailed scorpion, *Tetratrichobothrius flavicaudis*
* Springbok, *Antidorcas marsupialis*
* Geometric tortoise, *Psammobates geometricus*
* African bullfrog, *Pyxicephalus adspersus*
* Black-fronted bulbul, *Pycnonotus nigricans*
* African giant millipede, *Archispirostreptus gigas*
* Rainbow shield bug, *Calidea dregii*
* Thomson’s gazelle, *Eudorcas thomsonii*
* Grant’s gazelle, *Nanger granti*
* Common warthog, *Phacochoerus africanus*

## Credits

* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Writer - Alastair Swinnerton
* Script Editor - Jennifer Lupinacci
* Music - David Poore
* Director - Anne Neale
* Graphic Designer - Kate Beldon
* Graphic Design Assistant - Emma Rigney
* Researcher - Helen Exton
* Production Co-ordinator - Esta Porter
* Post-Production Co-ordinator - Liz Lewin
* Production Secretary - Vivienne Mackay
* Production Team - Steve Cronick, Pauline Davis, Sam Evans, Derrick Gayle and Dominic Weston
* Camera - Sean O'Driscoll and Andy Shillabeer
* 3-D Animation - Ricochet 4 and Daniel Pearson
* Computer Animation Director - Henry Lutman
* Cell Animation - A for Animation
* Cell Animation Director - Mark Taylor
* Sound Editor - Paul Fisher
* Dubbing Mixer - Andrew Wilson
* Editors
	+ Offline - Graham MacFarlane
	+ Graphics - Sue Land
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles
* Producer - Jessica Wootton

## Home media releases

The VHS for Amazing Desert Animals was released on 22nd December 1997. The cover shows a close-up of Henry as he walks past a couple of CGI cacti, and he is accompanied by a dromedary camel, a sandfish skink and a hamster. An alternative cover replaces the two smaller CGI cacti with a single, larger CGI saguaro and also replaces the hamster with a Mongolian gerbil.

The spine of the VHS has a photograph of a prairie rattlesnake, while the back cover has no animal photo.

The blurb on the back cover of the VHS reads:

What do camels really keep in their hump? How do lizards keep cool in the scorching hot sun?

“WHERE’S THE BEACH? THIS ISN’T LIKE THE BROCHURE!”

Henry’s vacation heats up when he lands in a desert. He’s not alone, however, and soon encounters some DESERT ANIMALS, from a fog-collecting beetle to a furry meerkat.

Alternative Desert Animals VHS cover

**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