Wonder world Of Science: Why can't I fly like a bird? (1989)

[Music] thank you [Music] thank you [Music] I wonder I wonder what do you wonder wonder cat I wonder why can't I Fly Like a Bird why can't you fly like a bird well if you're curious enough you can find out well I was curious I know that birds have wings Birds use their wings to fly and then I looked around I saw that insects that fly have wings too I found out that everything that flies has wings so I made wings for myself but they didn't help I still can't fly why can't I Fly Like a Bird because of the way your body is put together it's not just the wings that let a bird fly it's the way its whole body is made but flying looks like so much fun well it is a fun way of moving around and birds seem to enjoy it but flying is important to birds for other reasons it is yes be curious see if you can discover how flying helps Birds well it looks like that bird flew up into that tree to eat some seeds and it looks like that bird must have flown over there to eat some seeds too and that woodpecker had to fly to get to that tree trunk looks like it's getting insects from the bark [Music] and it looks like that other bird just flew down to eat a worm flying helps birds get food yes flying is just a way of moving and being able to move is an important way of getting food bees fly from flower to flower and collect nectar and pollen they use them for food dragonflies fly around and catch other insects that they eat all animals need food but all animals don't need Wings to get it ants for instance they just walk I know that and animals like me just have legs that let them move and get food yes some animals hop and some animals walk but some Slither along some swim that's right animals move in different ways to help them get food thank you hey look the little fish are getting away from the big one it looks like swimming helps a fish get food but it also helps fish keep from being food doesn't it that's right I can see that some animals protect themselves by getting away and being able to move helps them do it good observation moving away from danger is a way that many animals protect themselves but there are other ways look at that animal what animal I don't see any oh now I do wow being hard to see must protect an animal too many animals have shapes or colors and patterns that help make them hard to see but I see an animal that doesn't have to hide to protect itself a turtle it carries its protection with it it shall a skunk I know how a skunk protects itself with its awful smell we must have scared it that smell makes me want to stay away from it far away yes when you breathe you smell the skunk's protection it's in the air I'm just going to hold my breath as long as I can but not long enough I guess I have to breathe phew yes you and the skunk both need to breathe because your bodies need oxygen oxygen is part of the air we breathe you can feel air fill your lungs when you breathe in that's right it smells a lot better now but all animals don't need lungs to take oxygen from the air worms take in oxygen through their skins all animals that live in the air get oxygen from it and have to hold their breasts when they go underwater then I guess fish are lucky they don't live in air so they don't have to hold their breath when a skunk protects itself but they still need oxygen a fish gets oxygen from the water it lives in it takes water in through its mouth inside the body the water passes over special Parts called gills and then leaves the fish's body through openings on the side of its head gills help fish take oxygen from the water some animals that live in the ocean like seals and porpoises and whales don't have gills they aren't fish they have lungs as you do and so to get the oxygen they need they have to come up for air once in a while if I could get oxygen from water then I wouldn't be bothered by a skunk smell I can use water for is drinking and I sure get thirsty for it I know that other animals that live in air get thirsty too but do all animals need water yes they all do some animals drink water as you do but some animals live in places like the desert where there usually isn't water for drinking but they must get water from somewhere watch these desert animals and you might find out another way of getting water they're eating some kind of fruit I guess looks juicy say is there water in that juice yes all animals get some water from the food they eat but some animals get most of their water that way animals get water in different ways but they all need it well even if I can't fly I'm a lot more like a bird than I thought we both need food oxygen and water and we protect ourselves we're a lot alike you're even more like a bird than you think I am yes look down there oh a skeleton a bird skeleton that's right a bird skeleton is different from the skeletons of other animals but there's one important way in which they're all alike all these skeletons have backbones a backbone is that row of Bones down the animal's back birds have backbones and you have a backbone too I can feel it so is that another way all animals are alike not all animals birds have backbones but worms are animals and they don't fish have backbones but snails are animals and they don't rabbits have backbones but butterflies are animals and they don't you see all animals can be divided into just two kinds animals that have backbones and animals that don't and then in each of these two groups animals that are alike in other important ways are put into smaller groups for instance birds are all in one group of animals with backbones called Birds that's right all birds have feathers and wings and only two legs and fish are all in one group of animals with backbones call Fish yes that's right fish have gills and scales and fins I'm sure I'm not in a group with birds or with fish I'm a cat am I in a group called cats well cats and cat-like animals belong to a bigger group called mammals many different kinds of animals besides cats are part of the mammal group mammals are alike in certain ways just like animals and other groups are mammals have hair or fur like I have and have four legs or two legs and two arms and baby mammals drink milk from their mother's body so even though all animals aren't mammals like I am and all animals don't have a backbone like I do all animals are alike in important ways they need food and oxygen and water and they protect themselves and even if a butterfly and other insects can fly I'm more like a bird than they are because I have a backbone only only what Wonder cat only I still wish I could fly [Music] laughs [Music]