Extinct Animals

VHS cover

Extinct Animals is the twelfth episode of the third season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry discovering all about animals which are extinct today. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 30th June 1998.

As no video clips exist for many of the animals featured in the episode, few actual extinct animals are to be seen - in the majority of cases, they are substituted on-screen for living close relatives - such as modern woodland caribou being shown in a segment relating to pygmy caribou.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Extinct Animals.

Henry is seen in a construction hat, building a museum, calling commands to off-screen construction workers. We then see that the person at the controls is in fact Crab Tuesday, working a set of 5 coloured levers. He then finds that the Narrator has, to his annoyance, let guests [a duck with a chick] enter the museum - 20 minutes before opening. Henry then announces that the museum is, in fact, the "Natural Henry Museum" - an entire museum devoted to himself and his achievements. At one area of the museum is a large, golden statue of Henry - an effort the narrator deems egotistical. Henry informs that, in building his museum, he wants his name and character to live on in future generations of lizards. On exhibit are such things as which car he drove, what hats he liked to wear, and what he liked to eat. [show: a whole pizza] The narrator then explains that Henry is not the first animal to leave a record for future generations, and numerous extinct animals have done the same thing. This transitions to an animal segment detailing various extinct animals, such as the quagga and the ghost wolf.

#### First cartoon

* After the introductory segment about various extinct animals, A cartoon begins. It takes place in a desert, where a group of three Lizards are on an expedition for buried dinosaur skeletons. They realise they are where the skeleton is shown on the map - leading to one lizard having an enthusiastic fantasy about himself proudly showing off a dinosaur's skeleton in a museum. He then opens his eyes to look at the hole, and find that they have uncovered something, covered in dirt. The lizard blows the dirt off - to reveal an old teddy bear. A loud roaring sound is then heard - and the teddy is taken by its owner, Tyrannosaurus. In leaving the scene, the angry dinosaur proceeds to step directly onto one of the lizards.

Following this, the second Henry segment begins - Henry is pouring concrete, leaving his footprint in cement, in a similar manner to 'all the big stars'. Confident in the notion that, once they are dry, they will last forever. He then realises that the cement has already set - and he is now stuck. Crab Tuesday then brings a pair of drills to try to dig Henry out - dislodging a chunk of cement, taking Henry with it. Henry is sent across the museum, and collides with a pillar of the museum, causing a chunk of pillar to dislodge itself. This leads to the falling of the upper chunk of said pillar, leading the remainder of the pillar to topple other pillars over. Henry then falls and lands on the floor - to find that his museum is now in ruins. The narrator then leads into a segment about fossils, including how dinosaurs left their fossil footprints on Earth, as well as other dinosaur-related information.

#### Second cartoon

* After the fossil segment, the second cartoon begins - the same group of three Lizards in the desert now are led by a bone-detector - which works similarly to a metal detector, but finds bones, with various levels of severity dependant on the number of bones. It starts to buzz soon enough, indicative of a small number of bones. Further on, the detector finds a larger number of bones, and then a very large number of bones. Encouraged, the lizards begin to dig. This leads to the leading lizard having a fantasy where he is driving a blue limousine in front of a crowd of lizards, in the back of his car a pile of dinosaur bones alongside another lizard. The two other lizards dig up a wishbone - which they break in two. The leading lizard is annoyed at its insignificance.

The third Henry segment begins - where Henry is now calling for a new roof to be built, and asks Crab Tuesday to stay out of the art gallery, as he has done enough damage. He is seen standing in the art gallery, which features various impressions of himself. He introduces various paintings - the 'Mona Henry', by Leonardo di Lizard. Henry notes that 'the eyes follow you around the room', as the painting's eyes leave the painting and start doing just that. He then shows a more modern impression, painted by Pablo Pigecko. He then reveals the work at the centre of the gallery - a large sculpture of Henry himself. This cost Henry 'an arm and a leg' [one of each the sculpture lacks], but he will buy those back once he has paying customers. The Narrator is impressed, but notes that Henry's not so big in reality. Henry explains that he'd like all the lizards in the future to think that he was of such a size - 'big big big!'. And notes that if Extinct Animals could leave behind large remains, then he should be able to do so too. The Narrator then points out that not all extinct animals were as big as Henry imagines. This then leads into an animal segment about extinct smaller relatives of hippopotamus and caribou.

#### Third cartoon

* After the animal segment, a cartoon begins - where a Lizard looks proudly upon a large pile of bones. His two colleagues are digging in a pit, and this Lizard then has a fantasy - he imagines himself proudly-dressed in front of a mansion with a fountain and a dinosaur's skeleton in front. He then sees that the two other Lizards have dug up something covered in dirt, which is in the shape of a cylinder, and the two other Lizards brush the dirt off. It is then revealed to be a fast-food bucket, on the front featuring a picture of a dinosaur, like Tyrannosaurus, happily biting into a leg of chicken. The two Lizards beside it become hungry, but the leading Lizard is annoyed. Out of anger, he kicks the bucket [literally], only to hurt his leg. As he hops away, the two other Lizards only shrug in response.

The narrator now reminds Henry about his special report, with the elephant bird as the subject. Henry claims the elephant bird was simply an elephant with a propellor, which used other animals as soft-landing places and made many species go extinct. He also says the elephant bird has only faded slightly instead of disappearing completely, and warns the viewer to look out for falling peanut shells. The narrator then tries to correct Henry (but see Errors and corrections below), talking about how the elephant bird was a real creature that may have inspired the mythical Roc. Back in the museum, Henry and Crab Tuesday have still not put the roof back on. Suddenly it starts to rain, and some of the exhibits end up being damaged. The narrator explains how natural changes to climates and habitats, such as floods, droughts, wildfires and the Ice Age have all led to species becoming extinct.

#### Fourth cartoon

* After the animal segment, the final cartoon begins. The leading Lizard in the desert is seen using the bone-detector, which leads his crew to a cave. The two other Lizards enter the cave, but make a swift exit out of fear. Out of annoyance, the leader then enters the cave himself with a flashlight - only to be caught in headlights himself, leading him to make a swift exit too. The headlights were those of a motorbike of Tyrannosaurus, delivery worker for the brand of chicken seen previously. He then stops by the two other Lizards to give them a bucket of food, which they happily eat - to the Lizard's annoyance.

Henry checks that each of the different entrances are working, with the narrator telling him that it is a good idea to have different entrances for each type of animal to make them feel welcome. When the narrator asks Henry where the entrance for people is, he responds by saying it is an animal-only museum. Henry says he might allow little people in, but grown-ups only mess things up. The narrator concedes that people and animals don’t always get along, with the example of the American bison almost being hunted to extinction by European settlers. Fortunately, people realised what they were doing and made efforts to save the bison before it was too late. Henry concedes that humans may not be all bad. Another example is given with giant tortoises, shown being brought together to mate on the Galapagos Islands. Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards. The bronze medal goes to the Australian cousins of the Tasmanian emu and the silver medal is given to a relative of the extinct Saint Stephen’s wren. The Golden Gecko Award is given to the tarpan, which after becoming extinct in around 1900 was bred back into existence from domestic horses. After the Golden Gecko Awards, the last Henry segment begins, where he is now in the 'most important room' of the museum - the gift shop, which is stocked with various candies, toy cars, soft toys, and VHS tapes. The Narrator is confused as to why Henry would like to be remembered in such a manner, but Henry explains that he is worried that lizards will become extinct, as the dinosaurs before them did. The Narrator sympathises with Henry's plight, but explains that lizards are in no danger of extinction at current, as can be seen by the line outside.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Mallard, *Anas platyrhynchos*
* Rock dove, *Columba livia*
* House mouse, *Mus musculus*
* Toco toucan, *Ramphastos toco*
* Bearded dragon, *Pogono sp.*
* Frilled-neck lizard, *Chlamydosaurus kingii*

### Stock footage

* Komodo dragon, *Varanus komodoensis*
* Grey wolf, *Canis lupus*
* Domestic horse, *Equus ferus caballus*
* Plains zebra, *Equus quagga*
* Amazonian manatee, *Trichechus inunguis*
* Green iguana, *Iguana iguana*
* Hippopotamus, *Hippopotamus amphibius*
* Reindeer, *Rangifer tarandus*
* Red-eyed tree frog, *Agalychnis callidryas*
* Masai giraffe, *Giraffa [cameleopardis] tippelskirchi*
* Red-billed oxpecker, *Buphagus erythrorynchus*
* African bush elephant, *Loxodonta africana*
* Ruppell’s griffon vulture, *Gyps rueppelli*
* African buffalo, *Syncerus caffer*
* Thomson’s gazelle, *Eudorcas thomsonii*
* Lion, *Panthera leo*
* Walrus, *Odobenus rosmarus*
* American bison, *Bison bison*
* Galapagos giant tortoise, *Chelonoidis niger*
* Emu, *Dromaius novaehollandiae*

## Credits

* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Writer - Louise Anstey
* Script Editor - Rob Harvey
* Music - David Poore
* Studio Director - Anne Neale
* Camera - Michael Hutchinson
* Graphic Designer Director - Kate Finding
* Graphic Design Assistant - Chris Wreford
* Production Co-ordinator - Janelle Backes
* Production Secretary - Mandy Vaughan
* Computer Animation - Ricochet 4, Henry Lutman (director), Daniel Pearson and Matt McKinney
* Cel Animation - A for Animation, Mark Taylor (director)
* Sound Production - Films @ 59
* Editors
	+ Offline - David Warner
	+ Graphics - Sue Land and Tony Almond
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles
* Archive footage courtesy of NASA

## Errors and corrections

Most of the explanation by the narrator following Henry’s report is actually inaccurate. Madagascar had no species of pygmy elephant, instead having dwarf hippopotamuses. There were pygmy elephants on islands in the Mediterranean, however. While eggs of the real elephant bird (a ratite similar to the ostrich) were used as evidence of the Roc, the mythical bird was never known as the elephant bird. The source of the Roc is still mysterious, but may have been linked to old maps that depicted out-of-scale secretary birds accompanied by elephants on mainland Africa.

The Saint Stephen's wren is said to have been wiped out by a single lighthouse keeper's cat in the episode. Instead, the species was killed by a swarm of over 100 feral cats.

## Home media releases

The VHS for Amazing Extinct Animals was released on Xst X 199X. The cover shows Henry in his construction gear talking through a microphone. He is accompanied by a model of a Barosaurus, an American Bison, and an illustration of a quagga.

The spine of the VHS has an illustration of a dodo, while the back cover features a green basalisk.

The blurb on the back cover of the VHS reads:

**What do you call an animal that is half horse and half zebra? From which dinosaur are many birds descended?**

Join Henry the Lizard as he explores extraordinary wildlife, crazy characters, and unexpected animal surprises.

**"DINOSAURS ROCK!!!"**

Unearth the mystery surrounding some of the world's most AMAZING EXTINCT ANIMALS at the Natural Henry Museum, from giant lizards to mega-mammoths.

**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