And now it's time for who's smarted.
Psssss, hey, smarty pants, trusty narrator here.
Before you try to guess where I am right now, based on the background noises, let me give you a few hints.
Ready? First hint. Where I am is located in Southern Florida, which, fun fact, is my actual home state here in the United States.
Hint number two. I'm currently in one of the world's largest tropical wetlands.
Hint number three. I'm about to board an airboat, which has a big fan on the back.
And it's perfect for traveling across this river of grass.
So were you able to figure out where I am?
If you guessed the Everglades, well done.
Or maybe you just read the name in this episode.
Either way, you're quite the smarty pants, and we're about to have quite the adventure here at Everglades National Park.
Sir, are you going to stand there all day talking to yourself, or will you be joining us on the airboat?
Oops, sorry, didn't mean to hold up the boat.
But just for the record, I wasn't talking to myself.
I was talking to the, um, hmm, smarty pants.
I seem to be talking to myself as there's nobody else on the boat.
But I could have sworn I heard a voice.
Didn't you hear someone say?
There you go again, talking to yourself.
I am not talking to myself.
I'm talking to the smarty pants.
Well now I'm talking to myself.
Or rather, I'm talking to a mysterious voice since there are no other people on this boat.
That's right, there are no other people but you're far from alone.
Whoa, smarty pants. There's a large pelican sitting on the bow of the boat.
Was that you talking to me?
Hey, he figured it out. Looks like you're a smarty pants today.
The name's Paco. I'm an associate tour guide here at the Everglades National Park.
I see. Are you going to be driving the boat?
No, I don't have a boating license, but no worries.
It's a self-driving boat.
There are self-driving air boats.
On a show with talking pelicans?
Yes, there are self-driving air boats.
Ah, too shay. So when do we start?
Right now. So, what brings you and the smarty pants to these wonderful water drenched wet lands today?
Well, we're hoping to see and hear what makes the Everglades such a fascinating and unique place.
And along the way, I'd love to know things like how big are the Everglades?
Which animal species are indigenous to the area?
What makes the Everglades such a diverse ecosystem and an important resource to fight climate change?
And finally, is it true that the Everglades are the only place on Earth where you can find two giant deadly reptiles living side by side?
Oh, well, you've certainly come to the right guy.
I mean bird. Great. Then it's time for a big wet whiff of science and history on.
Who smart egg? Who smart egg?
Who smart is it you? Is it me?
Is it science or history?
Listen up. Everyone, we make smart egg lots of fun on who smart egg.
Hi, trusty here with a special message for all the parents and guardians listening.
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One more at IXL.com. So, what do you want to know first, trusty?
First I want to know if there are other pelicans who give tours, I'm still trying to wrap my head around this.
Can we just move past that, please?
Okay, okay. Let's start with a general question.
How big is the Everglades and what makes the Everglades so unique?
That's two questions. Right.
Sorry. Don't be there great questions.
The Everglades is known as a subtropical wetland ecosystem that covers about 2 million acres across central and southern Florida.
Whoa, that's huge. And get this, the Everglades provide water to nearly 8 million people.
Nice. Also, in the Everglades, there are only two distinct seasons.
There's wet season which runs from May through November and dry season which runs from December through April.
Interesting, and speaking of interesting, I couldn't help noticing lots of odd looking plants and vegetation on my drive into the park, especially near the shore.
Not the stuff I usually see growing near rivers, lakes or ponds.
Good observation. Here in the Everglades you can find everything from salt loving razor sharp saw grass, and carnivorous bladder work, to beautiful cypress and scraggly mangrove trees.
That's quite the combination.
Oh, and note to self, stay away from the carnivorous bladder wards.
Buh. Okay, trusty, we're going to head over to that cove coming up on the left side.
I want to show you something cool.
Great, the smarty pants and I love cool.
And cool, it sure is hot here.
Okay, we're going to want to keep a distance of about 50 feet or 15 meters from those mangroves.
There's a lot happening, especially underwater, that even I, with my keen vision, can't detect.
Gotcha. True or false smarty pants, mangroves are trees and shrubs that grow primarily in tropical coastal line swamps.
And often flood during high tide.
If you said true, you're right.
The Everglades Park is home to the largest protected mangrove system in the western hemisphere.
Ooh, good to know. But why do mangroves need protecting?
Smarty pants, do you know?
Yeah, me neither. Mangroves provide an invaluable service to humans, wildlife and plants.
For starters, they are instrumental in lessening the effects of climate change, with the ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide, which ultimately stops greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.
Ah, I see. Notice how many homes the mangroves in the Everglades National Park can heat, thanks to the carbon transference they provide.
Hmm, what do you think, smarty pants?
How many homes can the mangroves in the Everglades help eat?
Is it A, 2 million homes, B, 10 million homes, or C, nearly 20 million homes?
The answer is C, nearly 20 million homes.
Good job if you got that, smarties.
And because mangroves have such a strong root system, which is partly above and partly below the water level, they also act as a powerful coastal defense against hurricanes in major storms.
While simultaneously providing the ideal breeding ground for countless species of fish, crabs, shrimp and other sea life.
Way to go, mangroves! I also couldn't help noticing.
There's tons of beautiful birds waiting in the shallow water.
It would be hard not to notice them.
Even you definitely use the right word there, trusty.
They are in fact known as waiting birds.
The park has primarily three different types of birds.
Landbirds, birds of prey, and waiting birds.
And within those waiting birds there are 16 different species.
Smarty pants, what feature do you think all waiting birds have that helps them?
Well, wait. Waiting birds have long skinny legs which allow them to wait.
It's W-A-D-E into the shallow waters to catch their food.
I wish my legs were longer so I could reach the snacks on the higher shelves in the supermarket.
Anyway, back to birds. What other birds are there in the Everglades?
You've got your white ibis, great blue heron, and great white e-grant.
Nice! And what's that neat looking pink and white bird hanging out near the mangroves?
It has a beak that looks like a mixing spoon?
That's a rosy spoon bill.
Smarty pants, if you look up R-O-S-E-A-T-E spoon bill, you'll see it fits its description well.
I gotta say, I love how all these different birds peacefully share the same space as they all search for their next meal.
Yep, but you're not going to catch any pelicans doing that.
Oh, no. What do pelicans do?
We fly over the water. And when we see a fish that looks about the right size, we dive bomb.
Beak first, until we scoop up the fish in our big throat pouch while it's still under water.
And then, when we come to the surface, we swallow it whole.
Whoa, and I thought I was a dramatic eater.
I'm numb, numb, numb, numb.
Okay, trusty. See that opening up there, where the mangroves are starting to creep out of the water.
Yeah? Good. Your eyes peeled.
Um. What exactly is it I'm looking for?
Shh. Be very quiet. Oh boy.
I mean, oh boy. Smarty pants.
We'll find out what new adventure awaits us right after this quick break and a word from our sponsors.
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Thanks. Now back to who's Smarted.
Shh, keep looking just under the surface of the water.
Okay, but it might be helpful to know what it is I'm looking for.
Also, why are we speaking so softly?
We don't want to agitate the gators and crocs.
Gators and crocs! Shh, keep your voice down!
Sorry, not sorry. Gators and crocs?
Together? Yep. How do we turn the self-driving boat around?
Shh, they won't bother us.
Just keep your voice down.
You don't want to. I know, I know, I don't want to agitate them.
And by agitate we mean alarm, excite, or disturb them.
Exactly, just relax. Relax!
If a gator or croc come near, you can just fly away!
I cannot! Can't you just tell me in the Smarty Pants interesting facts about the gators and crocs without us having to come face to sound?
I could, but where's the fun in that?
Think of it trusty when it comes to allogators and crocodiles.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Do you know why? Hmm, what do you think, Smarty Pants?
True or false? The Everglades is the only place on earth where you can find both gators and crocs in the same area.
The answer is... True! Shh!
Shh! Sorry! Don't eat me.
Relax, just stay in the center of the boat.
They can't get to you there.
I'm centering. I'm centering.
But wait, I thought allogators preferred freshwater habitats while crocs preferred salt water.
They do. However, crocs are adaptable to both fresh and salty water and the Everglades has both.
Fun fact, where we are right now near the coast, we're more likely to come across a croc than a gator because the water here is salty.
Wonderful. Smarty Pants, do you remember the differences between crocs and gators, appearance wise?
We actually covered some of this in our Crocs vs.
Gators episode. But in case you forgot or didn't eat it yet, croc and isles have a longer pointy or snouts.
Whereas allogators have shorter, more rounded ones.
Don't forget their teeth.
Right. Do you remember how their mouths and teeth are different?
When a gator's mouth is closed, only their upper teeth are visible, and for the croc, teeth, upper and lower teeth can be seen.
Nice, trusty. Maybe you could be a tour guide one day.
I'm good with narrating.
What the heck? So much for being quiet.
This is Chad Lickerson reporting live from Everglades National Park.
I should have known. We had a report of a Florida panther on the loose.
At first I thought it was just a hockey player who got lost on the way to the rink, but it turns out it's an actual panther which are indigenous to the Everglades.
These majestic creatures are endangered and protected.
They are also quite dangerous.
So if you see one, do not try to pet it.
And under no circumstances should you play hockey with it.
Okay, allogators, crocodiles and panthers.
I am out of here. Chad, toss down the ladder.
You got it, trusty. Thanks for the tour, Paco.
Catch you on the next one.
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Thanks for smarting with us.
A special shout out to Roya in South Orange, New Jersey.
Hey, Chet Nicherson used to play hockey at South Mountain Arena.
Anyway, we're happy to hear you love science and are super curious about how our world and bodies work.
Because you love knowing more than your parents.
Nice smarty pants. This episode, The Everglades, was written by Dave Wetlands Davis and voiced by Mike Pelican Provedi, Adam Crox Davis and Jerry Colbert.
Technical direction and sound designed by Josh Green Heron Hahn.
Our associate producer is Max Manitie Kamaski.
The theme song is by Brian No Gator Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Text Davis.
Who's smarted was created and produced by Adam Text Davis and Jerry Colbert.
This has been an atomic entertainment production.
No Gator, no. I wore winter boots every day for two years.
I hate climbing trees. I'm Deborah Goldstein, host of the podcast The Big Fib and half of those statements were indeed Fibs.
On every episode of The Big Fib, we bring on two grownups.
One is an expert and the other is a liar.
And it's the job of our human child contestant to help us figure out who is who.
Because no one can spot a liar better than a kid.
We've had episodes on everything from Minecraft to Mythology and from Lego to Libraries.
Join me and my robot co-host Lisa on The Big Fib on Apple Podcasts or on GZMshows.com.
