Animal Eggs

VHS cover

Animal Eggs is the thirteenth and final episode of the third season of Amazing Animals. The plot revolves around Henry finding an egg while golfing and caring for it, while also learning about other animal eggs. It first aired on the Disney Channel on 7th July 1998.

## Episode

### Episode outline

Click here for the full transcript for Animal Eggs.

The narrator joins Henry and Crab Tuesday while they are out playing golf. Henry hits the ball after many attempts, which bounces off the flagpole and ricochets between trees. It goes down a tree hole and an egg comes out the bottom of the tree before it rolls towards the hole. Henry tries to hit the egg, but the narrator stops him just in time. Henry thinks it can’t be an egg, as it is blue, but the narrator points out that eggs come in many shapes and sizes. Different animals look after their eggs in different ways, with many birds sitting on them, turtles burying them in sand and Siamese fighting fish placing them in a nest of bubbles.

#### First cartoon

* The smaller Eagle unveils a plan to the larger Eagle to train some eggs in flying practice so that when they hatch, they can fly for the Eagles. When the eggs hatch it is a baby Lizard, Tortoise, Crocodile and Rattlesnake inside – the smaller Eagle quickly flees.

The narrator tells Henry that, for the last time, it is not a chocolate egg – Henry jokingly says it must be peppermint and pretends to try and eat it. Henry tries to work out what bird the egg belongs to, although the narrator reminds him that reptiles, fish and insects all lay eggs as well. Henry hopes he can find the real mother so he doesn’t have to babysit anymore. The narrator points out that many animals take better care of their eggs than Henry does. Tree frogs glue leaves to make a funnel-shaped nursery for their eggs, murres have eggs shaped so they roll in a circle on their steep cliff-edge nests, horn sharks screw their eggs into the seabed and lapwings will leave their camouflaged eggs to distract passing predators.

#### Second cartoon

* A female Parrot lays an egg in the hospital with the Lizards as nurses. She goes to visit her egg in the nursery with all the other eggs but her out-of-tune singing to her egg starts to wake all the others. To stop her singing, the Lizard gives her a dummy.

Henry plans to play games with the egg, but the narrator warns him to be careful and look after it. At first, Henry tries to get other animals to look after the egg for him, but when he finds he has to look after the egg himself he puts a bobble hat on it. When Henry leaves the egg, it starts to walk away. The narrator shows a couple of animals, the iguana and the malleefowl, that incubate their eggs without needing to sit on them.

#### Third cartoon

* A mother Crocodile leaves her egg to go and look for food. The egg is found and swallowed by Rattlesnake. When the mother Crocodile returns, the egg hatches inside Rattlesnake and the baby Crocodile runs out through Rattlesnake’s mouth.

Henry is now reminded to do his News Report about animal eggs. Henry’s report is about the chickens cheating at a biggest egg competition, prompting fury among the other competitors. The narrator says that at least Henry did refer to the ostrich, which lays the biggest of all bird eggs. The smallest bird eggs belong to the hummingbirds. Kiwis also have record-breaking eggs, with their eggs being almost as large as the bird itself. Henry is ready to leave the egg on the sofa as he goes out shopping, but when the narrator tells him of the dangers that could befall the egg, Henry takes it with him. Henry proceeds to take the egg everywhere with him, including while flying a plane and snorkelling in the sea. The narrator shows Henry some animal parents who take better care of their eggs, including the giant water bug and the green tree python.

#### Fourth cartoon

* Tyrannosaurus leaves an egg with Frog and Toad with a threat of violence if things go wrong. After getting bored of looking after the egg, Frog jumps onto the egg and rides it but it pings out from underneath him and cracks on a rock. Tyrannosaurus arrives back and goes over to the egg where she picks up her new baby. The frightened Frog and Toad both faint from shock.

Henry and the egg are relaxing on the beach when a gull pecks the egg and cracks it. Realising the egg is about to hatch, the narrator tells him to take the egg back where he found it. Animals that prey on eggs are then shown, including the egg-eating snake. Henry also narrates how the monitor lizard, which he refers to as his cousin Monty, steals crocodile eggs. Henry now does the Golden Gecko Awards for the best egg-laying animal. The bronze medal goes to the lapwing and the silver to the crocodile. The Golden Gecko Award goes to the oropendola, which builds a bag-shaped nest to keep its eggs. Cowbirds will lay their eggs in the nest of the oropendola, but cowbird chicks protect their foster siblings by eating dangerous flies. Back at the golf course, Henry is watching the egg with binoculars. He and the narrator struggle over who gets to watch the egg when it hatches. They see that the egg contained a Khaki Campbell duckling, which finds its family. The narrator congratulates Henry, who responds by saying that the real credit goes to the amazing animal eggs.

## Animal species filmed for the programme

### Studio footage

* Domestic rabbit, *Oryctolagus cuniculus*
* Domestic dog, *Canis familiaris*
* Eurasian red squirrel, *Sciurus vulgaris*
* Mallard, *Anas platyrhynchos*
* Tawny eagle, *Aquila rapax*
* African white-backed vulture, *Gyps africanus*
* Indian rock python, *Python molurus*
* African bullfrog, *Pyxicephalus adspersus*
* Monarch butterfly, *Danaus plexippus*
* Roe deer, *Capreolus capreolus*
* White’s tree frog, *Litoria caerulea*
* Golden hamster, *Mesocricetus auratus*
* Domestic turkey, *Meleagris gallopavo*
* Domestic cat, *Felis catus*
* Black-headed gull, *Chroicocephalus ridibundus*

### Stock footage

* Tiger keelback, *Rhabdophis tigrinus*
* Eurasian oystercatcher, *Haematopus ostralegus*
* Mute swan, *Cygnus olor*
* Amazon river turtle, *Podocnemis sp*.
* Black-headed uakari, *Cacajao melanocephalus*
* Giant owl butterfly, *Caligo memnon*
* Siamese fighting fish, *Betta splendens*
* Tree frog, Hylidae
* Common guillemot, *Uria aalge*
* Swellshark, *Cephaloscyllium ventriosum*
* Horn shark, *Heterodontus francisci*
* Southern lapwing, *Vanellus chilensis*
* Turkey vulture, *Cathartes aura*
* Green iguana, *Iguana iguana*
* Malleefowl, *Leipoa ocellata*
* Common ostrich, *Struthio camelus*
* Hartebeest, *Alcelaphus buselaphus*
* Hummingbird, Trochilidae
* North Island brown kiwi, *Apteryx mantelli*
* Giant water bug, *Abedus herberti*
* Green tree python, *Morelia viridis*
* Common egg-eating snake, *Dasypeltis scabra*
* Nile monitor, *Varanus niloticus*
* Nile crocodile, *Crocodylus niloticus*
* Crested oropendola, *Psarocolius decumanus*
* Giant cowbird, *Molothrus oryzivorus*

## Credits

* Henry - Eric Meyers
* Narrator - Tom Clarke-Hill
* Writers - Alastair Swinnerton and Louise Anstey
* Script Editor - Rob Harvey
* Music - David Poore
* Studio Director - Anne Neale
* Graphic Designer Director - Kate Finding
* Graphic Design Assistant - Chris Wreford
* Production Co-ordinator - Janelle Backes
* Production Secretary - Mandy Vaughan
* Camera - Graham MacFarlane and Michael Hutchinson
* Computer Animation - Ricochet 4, Henry Lutman (director), Daniel Pearson and Matt McKinney
* Cel Animation - A for Animation, Mark Taylor (director)
* Sound Editor - Ian Bown
* Dubbing Mixer - Andrew Wilson
* Editors
	+ Offline - David Warner and Vincent Pipe
	+ Graphics - Sue Land
	+ Online - Sharon Stiles

## Home media releases

The VHS for Animal Eggs released on Xst X 199X. The cover shows Henry wearing his golfing hat and looking at the CGI egg, and he is accompanied by a crowned lapwing that has hatched from an egg, a chicken with chicks, a European brown common frog on a ball of frogspawn and a lesser spotted catshark hatching from a mermaid’s purse.

**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