And now it's time for Who's Smarted.
Psst. Hey, smartypants, trusty narrator here with some exciting news!
Who's smarted's resident breaking news reporter, who also happens to be my best friend, Chet Nickerson, is hosting a brand new game show.
It's called, Find That Animal!
That's right. And guess who gets to be his first contestant?
Why, it's me! And all you smartypants, of course!
Now, I don't mean to brag, but I feel like since I've met so many amazing animals here on Who's Smarted, Finding Animals should be pretty easy for me to do.
Oh, the show is starting!
Hello and welcome to everyone's favorite new game show, Find That Animal!
I'm your host, Chet Nickerson, and it gives me great pleasure to introduce our first contestant, not other than Who's Smarted's trusty narrator!
Thanks, Chet. I just want to say...
Here's how it works.
Trusty will use his Who's Smarted teleportation app to visit unique locations where an animal is located.
And then, all he needs to do is Find That Animal!
You feeling up to the challenge, Trusty?
Uh, yeah. What I was going to say is...
You seem pretty confident, Trusty, but I'm telling you, some of these animals will not be easy to find!
That's because they will be camouflaged!
Oh, now I get it, but I still think I'll be able to find them pretty easily.
What do you think, smartypants?
In fact, some of you might be wondering, what is camouflage?
Why do animals need to use it?
And which animals used camouflage in the first place?
Well, we're going to find out those answers while I play this game.
It's time for... Find That Animal!
Yes, that too, but also another whiff of science on...
Who's smarted? Who's smarted?
Who's smart? Is it you?
Is it me? Is it science or history?
Listen up! Everyone, we make smarting!
Lots of fun on Who's Smarted!
Hey, smartypants! Imagine a world filled with extra episodes of Who's Smarted!
Plus, bonus content all without any ads!
Well, guess what? That world already exists!
It's called Who's Smarted Plus.
And for the price of a slice of pizza each month, you'll get extra weekly episodes, and bonus content like smarty queues all ad -free.
Plus, you'll be supporting Who's Smarted so we can keep laughing and learning together.
To get all the smarting and none of the ads, sign up for Who's Smarted Plus right in Apple Podcasts.
Or go to who's smarted dot com and click subscribe today.
Welcome back to Find That Animal!
Alright, trustee, to find your first animal, we'll need you to teleport to Sub -Saharan Africa!
Okay, here we go. Wow, it is really hot in this dry grass.
It sure is! I'm glad it's you and not me.
More importantly, do you see an animal?
Um, actually, I do not.
Wait, is that grass moving?
Let me take a closer look.
Ah, it's a lion! Yep, I was just a lion here in the dry grass, which happens to be...
Excuse me, the same color as my coat or fur.
Smarty Pants, why would a lion need to blend in with the dry grass?
Is it A, to sneak up on prey animals, B, to hide from predators, or C, to be fashionable?
While I definitely look fashionable, blending in with my surroundings helps me sneak up on prey animals.
Many of who can outrun me, but if an animal can't see me, it doesn't know to run away, which means I get to eat dinner.
Yep, camouflage helps predators sneak up and catch their prey.
In this case, it snuck up on you!
Luckily, this lion just ate, otherwise you might have been a trusty snack.
I'm sorry to say you get no points for that round.
In my defense. For your next animal, please set your teleportation app for a garden in North America!
Sure. Okay, trusty, what do you see?
Um, I'm assuming it's smaller than the lion.
Hmm, I don't see anything, just a lot of shiny green leaves.
Hey, down here! Oh, it's a caterpillar.
I didn't even notice you.
Nope, my green, shiny, smooth skin looks like a leaf and helps me blend in.
It sure does. Smarty Pants, why would a caterpillar need to blend in with its surroundings?
Is it trying to, A, sneak up on other animals, B, avoid predators, or C, celebrate St.
Patrick's Day? If you said B, avoid predators, you're right.
Birds love snacking on nice, juicy caterpillars.
And I want to live long enough to become a butterfly someday.
Well, with camouflage like that, I'm sure you'll make it.
Looks like I lost this round too, Chet.
Not yet! Look down!
Hmm, there seems to be a burrow.
I see a little door made of dirt, pebbles, and webbing.
What else do you see?
Um, nothing. Who are you calling nothing, trusty?
Oh, there's a spider.
I didn't even see. And now you lost the round.
Ah, I see. I'm a trapdoor spider.
I hide in my burrow and poke out just enough to catch insects as they pass by.
So, you use camouflage to sneak up on other animals and eat them.
Aye, Gerald, that's how I survive.
Got it. Oh, and pay no attention to that shiny green leaf.
Thanks, trusty. Anytime, not a caterpillar.
So, Chet, where to for the next round?
Actually, this one isn't over yet.
Look straight down.
Oh, you mean at that stick?
Nope. I'm a stick insect.
Oh wow, I am really not good at this game.
Correct! So, what's your story, stickbug?
Uh, simple. If a predator like a bird comes near, I just hold still so I look a little like a twig or the stem of a leaf.
It must be hard to hold so still.
It is. But it's better than being eaten.
Great point. Okay, trusty.
You're O for four so far.
But it's not O for yet.
Please, set your teleportation app for a forest in the Southeastern United States.
Okay, I'm gonna get this one.
Okay, I see different shades of brown and white on the trees, and there sure are a lot of trees, but no animals.
Sorry, trusty. But I'm glad you didn't notice me.
Ah, there's a bird right there.
Ah, not just any bird, a bobwhite bird.
Gotcha. And why are you camouflaged, Bob?
Because I'm sitting on my nest.
While most birds don't really need camouflage, because we can fly, blending with our environments helps us protect our nests and our babies.
I see. Or, I didn't see.
Don't feel bad, trusty.
Bird nests are designed to be hard to see.
Most nests are made of materials that blend into the background.
Some birds also change their colors to match the colors around them.
The tarmigan and snowy owl molt, or loose feathers, in the fall.
New white feathers grow in to help them blend in with the winter snow.
Then when the tarmigan and snowy owl molt again in the spring, they grow spotted brown feathers.
Which looks like tree bark.
Exactly. Okay, trusty.
You're now 0 for 6.
What? I'm only 0 for 5.
No, you also missed the garter snake in the grass in front of you.
What? No. Ssss -uh, trusty.
Like Chet said, I'm a garter snake.
My skin has yellow and blue pigments that blend to look like the color of the grass.
Smarty Pants, what grass like color do yellow and blue make?
Shout it out. If you said green, great job.
Blending in with the grass is very helpful to me.
And I'm not the only reptile with colors that match my environment.
The Texas horned lizard's coloring blends in with its desert habitat.
Smarty Pants, why do these animals want to blend in with their environment?
Is it to, A, find food, B, avoid being eaten, or C, protect their young?
Well, no matter what you answered, you're right.
Because the answer is all of them.
Hi, trusty. Wait, who said that?
Me! I'm a tree frog that can magically change its color to match the color of the leaf or stem I'm on.
Ah, make that 0 for 7.
Yes, Chet, I know. But wait, you can actually change your color to match your surrounding?
How cool is that? Smarty Pants, what other reptile can you think of that changes color to match its surroundings?
Is it a rattlesnake, a chameleon, or a salamander?
If you said a chameleon, nice.
Chameleons are famous for their ability to change colors to blend in with their surroundings for survival.
They can change color as a reaction to dampness, fear, light, or touch.
Alright, trusty, you've shown zero aptitude for spotting camouflaged animals on land.
Perhaps you'll be better at spotting camouflaged animals in the ocean, although I seriously doubt it.
Hey, we'll find out right after this quick break.
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Here's what's amazing.
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Now back to who smarted.
Ah, here we are, under the sea.
And boy do I see a lot of beautiful colors.
But no animals. Let me guess, there's an animal right in front of me.
Correct. Please reveal yourself.
Ta -da. Here I am. Why it's an octopus the size of a pillow who somehow magically appeared out of nowhere.
Nope. I've been here the whole time.
You see, I can turn whatever color my underwater surroundings are.
Look, I'm the same beautiful pink as this coral reef.
And now I'm not. Amazing.
You were practically invisible.
Yep. And they're not the only sea creature that can change colors.
Smarty pants. What other sea creature can turn the color of its surroundings?
Is it a pufferfish, a shark, or a jellyfish?
If you said jellyfish, you're right.
Just like an octopus, a jellyfish can change colors to blend in.
For example, it could turn green just like that seaweed floating by.
Actually, that's a jellyfish.
You are now 0 for 10.
What? I'm 0 for 9. Nope.
That's a seahorse pretending to be seaweed right next to the jellyfish.
Oh, wow. And there's a sea dragon right next to the seahorse.
You're now 0 for 11.
Did you say sea dragon?
There's an entire dragon I can't see?
Don't sweat it, Trusty.
I'm only 10 inches long and look more like a piece of floating seaweed than a fish.
Wow. These animals are all really good at blending in.
Exactly. But that's not the only type of animal camouflage there is.
Some have special markings that stand out to help keep them safe.
Oh, I'm hoping they're on land.
I'm starting to get a little waterlogged.
Trusty, set your teleporter to another garden in southeast USA.
Okay, we're back in a garden.
Ah, and this time I spot an animal.
Why, it's a post -moth caterpillar.
Correct! But you're not very camouflaged.
Even I could see you, and I stink at this game.
Yeah, I'm not trying to hide.
Instead, I have markings on my tail end that look like a scary face.
When a predator, like a bird, sees my markings, they get scared and fly away.
And I don't get eaten.
Wow. Are there other animals that use their colors or patterns as a warning?
There sure are, Trusty.
A skunk's bold black and white patterns tell potential predators, stay away, I smell!
And bright colors like yellow often indicate animals that are poisonous, like certain species of venomous snakes or frogs.
Or things that sting, like bees and wasps.
But for animals who don't have venomous stingers, blending in is the way to go.
Oh yeah, when an animal wants to stay hidden, it's pretty hard to see it.
In fact, I don't know about this game show, Chet.
It might be too hard.
You're probably right.
Maybe I'll just stick to news.
This is Chet Nickerson at the scene where a well camouflaged hungry lion has snuck up on the trusty narrator.
What? Where? Today's shoutout goes to Vivian in the hog, Netherlands!
Wow, you just never know where Smarty Pants will be smarting with us.
We're so happy to have you and your Smarty family laughing and learning so much with me and all your friends on Who Smarted.
This episode Animal Camouflage was written by Sarah Sweetik and voiced by Adam Chet Davis, Taya Garland, Chris Okawa, Sarah Sweetik, Michael Ursu, Max Kamaski, Kim Davis, and Jerry Colburn.
Technical direction and sound design by Josh Hahn.
Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Rollek Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Chet Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Chet Davis and Jerry Colburn.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment Production.
