SAM: HEY GUYS, IT’S ME SAM, AND I’M YOUR AQUATIC GUIDE
IN THE ATLANTIC CORAL REEF AT THE NATIONAL AQUARIUM.
READY TO DIVE AND LEARN ABOUT A PRETTY AWESOME FISH,
BUT BEFORE WE DO, ALWAYS REMEMBER, SAFETY FIRST!
THAT’S WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO WEAR THE RIGHT GEAR:
A SCUBA SUIT KEEPS ME WARM UNDERWATER.
IT GETS PRETTY COLD DOWN THERE!
MY OXYGEN TANK, SO I CAN BREATHE UNDER WATER.
FLIPPERS, HELP ME SWIM LIKE THE FISHES.
AND A MASK, LETS ME SEE THE AMAZING CREATURES DOWN THERE.
I’M ALL GEARED UP AND READY TO GO,
LET’S SEE WHAT TODAY HAS IN STORE.
♪ [THEME MUSIC PLAYING] ♪
IMAGINE, A FISH AND A PORCUPINE TOGETHER, WHOA!
SOUNDS LIKE AN INTERESTING COMBO, RIGHT?
WELL TODAY, WE’RE GOING ON A DIVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE
SPOTFIN PORCUPINEFISH.
NOT ONLY DOES IT HAVE A FUNKY NAME,
BUT IT’S PRETTY FUNKY LOOKING TOO!
IT CAN INFLATE ITSELF WITH WATER,
PUFFING UP LIKE A WATER BALLOON AND WHEN IT DOES,
THESE SHARP SPINES POKE OUT, LIKE A PORCUPINE.
WE’LL BE LOOKING FOR THE SPOTFIN IN THIS AWESOME TANK,
WITH THE HELP OF MY DIVE BUDDY, JACKIE COOPER,
WHO LOOKS AFTER THE SAFETY OF ALL THE DIVERS
HERE AT THE AQUARIUM.
♪ ♪
SEEING ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL FISH DOWN HERE MAKES IT SO
HARD TO FOCUS ON JUST ONE.
WELL, I GUESS THEY WEREN’T TOO HARD TO SPOT,
BECAUSE JACKIE’S FOUND ONE!
JUST LOOK AT HOW BIG THEY ARE!
THERE ARE THREE IN HERE!
TWO VERY BIG ONES AND ONE SMALLER ONE.
WOW THEY HAVE SUCH BIG EYES.
AND REMEMBER IF YOU GET TOO CLOSE, THEY’LL PUFF UP!
JUST LIKE A PORCUPINE, THE SPOTFIN PORCUPINE USES
THOSE SHARP SPINES TO PROTECT AGAINST PREDATORS.
I BETTER STAY BACK, I DON’T WANT TO GET POKED!
LET’S GET OUT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS
CRAZY LOOKING FISH FROM JACKIE!
OKAY, JACKIE, WE SAW SOME SPOTFIN PORCUPINE, RIGHT?
JACKIE: YES.
SAM: SO WE HAVE THREE SPOT-FI, SPOTFIN PORCUPINE FISH,
IT’S REALLY HARD TO SAY THEIR NAME.
SOME PEOPLE CALL THEM.
JACKIE: PUFFERFISH.
SAM: AND THAT’S A COMMON TERM TO CALL THEM, RIGHT?
JACKIE: THAT’S A COMMON TERM TO CALL THEM
AND PEOPLE CALL THEM PUFFERFISH BECAUSE
BECAUSE THEY CAN PUFF UP.
SAM: WHY DO THEY PUFF UP?
JACKIE: GENERALLY, IT’S A DEFENSIVE MECHANISM,
SO IF THEY WERE THREATENED,
THEY WOULD PUFF UP AND SOMETHING REALLY COOL HAPPENS.
NOT ONLY CAN THEY BE THREE TIMES LARGER,
BUT NOW THEY HAVE LONG SPINES STICKING OUT.
SAM: THEY CAN GROW FROM ABOUT 20 CENTIMETERS
UP TO AS MUCH AS 3 FEET.
THREE TIMES LARGER THAN THE SIZE THEY ARE ALREADY NOW?
JACKIE: THAT IS CORRECT.
SOMETIMES EARLY IN THE MORNING,
WE CAN CATCH THEM WHEN THE LIGHTS FIRST COME UP,
AND THEY’LL PUFF WHEN NOTHING’S GOING ON AND WE
THINK THAT’S KIND OF LIKE STRETCHING AS YOU
GET OUT OF BED.
SAM: ME TOO, I CAN ALWAYS USE A GOOD STRETCH IN THE MORNING.
[YAWNS].
SO WHERE DID THE SPOTFIN PORCUPINE GET ITS NAME?
JACKIE: IT’S REALLY COMPLICATED.
THEY’RE CALLED SPOTFIN PORCUPINES BECAUSE WAIT FOR IT,
THEY HAVE SPOTS ON THEIR FINS.
SO, ANOTHER COOL NAME FOR THEM,
THEIR SCIENTIFIC NAME IS DIODON HYSTRIX,
WHICH SOUNDS REALLY CRAZY,
BUT IT’S GREEK FOR “TWO TEETH PORCUPINE.”
SAM: THEY ACTUALLY ONLY HAVE TWO TEETH?
JACKIE: SO, THEIR UPPER AND LOWER TEETH ARE FUSED,
SO THEY ONLY HAVE ONE TOOTH ON THE TOP, BASICALLY,
AND ONE TOOTH ON THE BOTTOM LIKE A BEAK.
SAM: WOW, A BEAK, THIS REALLY IS A COOL FISH!
♪ WOMAN: CAUSE WHEN IT BREATHES DOWN ♪
♪ I WANT TO FOLLOW YOU EVERYWHERE, ANYWHERE. ♪♪
SAM: THANKS JACKIE, FOR ALL THE FUN FISH FACTS.
GUYS, TODAY WE HAD SO MUCH FUN!
WHAT DID WE SEE?
THE SPOTFIN PORCUPINE FISH.
WE LEARNED THAT WHEN HE BLOWS UP,
HE HAS SOME SPIKES THAT STICK OUT.
THAT MEANS HE’S IN DEFENSE MODE.
SO A PORCUPINE FISH THAT GETS PUFFED UP,
IS JUST TRYING TO PROTECT ITSELF.
WE MAY NOT HAVE “PUFFER-POWERS” BUT WE CAN
PROTECT OURSELVES UNDERWATER BY WEARING A SCUBA SUIT,
OXYGEN TANK, FLIPPERS AND A MASK.
REMEMBER SAFETY FIRST!
♪ WOMAN: I WOULD FOLLOW YOU EVERYWHERE, ANYWHERE ♪
♪ I’M GONNA FIND YOU, UH-HUH SOMEWHERE. ♪
SAM: BYE EVERYBODY, I’LL SEE YOU ON OUR NEXT ADVENTURE!
