A Real Bug's Life (2024) s02e02 Episode Script
Life's a Beach
1
♪
♪
♪
Ahh, a tropical island paradise
in Southeast Asia.
This is vacation heaven
for humans.
But it's hell on Earth
for bugs.
Take this young hermit crab.
Okay, yeah, I know,
crabs aren't bugs.
But hear me out.
They're crustaceans.
Their ancestors were
among the first creatures
to leave the sea,
colonize land,
and evolve into insects.
So, let's call this hermit crab
a beach bug.
Anywho,
for a golf ball-sized creature,
the beach is
a tough place to live.
Half the day
it's like a desert,
and the other half
it gets totally flooded
with salt water.
But our little hermit
has a smart solution.
She's using an abandoned shell
as a mobile home.
Wherever she goes,
it shelters her from
the extremes of island life.
Just one issue:
She's outgrown it
and desperately needs
a bigger shell.
So, nothing's gonna stop her
from climbing
the property ladder.
♪
[boing]
[thud]
Okay, let's try that again.
♪
And what do you know?
Now, that shell is
the perfect size.
Got to snag it
before anyone else.
♪
♪
Oh, tourists!
Man, they are the worst!
♪
♪
Only the most determined little
beach bug can make a home here,
in this brutal but beautiful
world between land and sea.
♪
♪
Our little hermit crab is
on the cusp of adulthood.
But if she's ever
gonna start a family,
she needs to find a shell
with enough room to grow into
and still have space for eggs.
Easier said than done.
Dream homes don't just
wash up on the tide.
Well, actually they do.
♪
♪
A sweet new listing on
the beachside property market.
♪
A bit ambitious for her maybe,
but perfect for this big guy.
He's looking to upgrade, too.
Whoa-ho-ho!
That's a big crab!
♪
And now that his move
is complete,
his old shell is up for grabs.
♪
Hermits can sniff out a shell
swap from far across the beach.
Like a property chain,
each time someone moves,
a smaller shell
comes on the market.
♪
♪
But man, it's competitive.
♪
Got to move fast.
Muscle your way in,
or you'll lose out.
♪
Wait, hold up!
One shell left,
about the right size.
But this one's
a real fixer upper.
Looks like the search
for a new shell
is turning
into an epic mission.
♪
By midday, the sand bakes
like a cookie sheet.
It's 30 degrees hotter
than the air.
Only one bug is cool enough to
make a permanent home out here.
♪
[crash]
The tiger beetle.
Yay! An actual real bug.
When it comes to handling heat,
he's got the goods.
Shiny wing cases
and white hairs
reflect the sun's rays.
Long legs keep him
high off the burning sand.
And when trouble
comes calling
[squawking]
he leaves danger
in the dust.
♪
Tiger beetles are
the speediest insects on land.
moving at up to 170
body lengths per second,
they're 20 times
faster than Usain!
This lil' bolt of lightning
is so fast,
even his eyes can't keep up.
[zooming]
So, when he's out hunting,
he has to stop
[tires screech]
to look for lunch.
Well, hello.
A delicious fruit fly
dying in the heat.
♪
♪
A master of hunting
at the shoreline,
he can dine and dash.
Keeping cool where others
can't take the heat,
the tiny tiger has
the run of the beach.
♪
Going where he likes,
eating what he likes.
Sandhoppers.
Snack-size and plenty of 'em.
♪
♪
But one false move,
and these guys are
out like popcorn.
♪
Man, these tourists actin'
like they own the place.
♪
♪
♪
Just beyond the beach,
by afternoon the low tide
has exposed a new world.
Our hermit has come a long way
searching for shells.
It's a little cooler here,
but she's getting
stuck in the mud.
This place is more for those
still a little further behind
on the evolutionary journey
out of the sea.
[boing]
These bug-eyed fish
are mudskippers.
[burp]
Fish out of water
that only survive
where they can keep wet enough
to breathe through
their skin
and find scraps of algae
to snack on.
Mmm-mmm.
But this mudflat zone
between the tides is limited.
So, they have to compete
for real estate.
Leaping like this means,
"This is my property, punk.
Step off!"
♪
And if that doesn't work, it
ends in a mudskipper turf war.
♪
♪
Too few shells, too much mud.
Time to dip.
Besides, an enticing aroma is
luring her back to the beach.
[bird chirping]
♪
Her antennae have detected
a smell so irresistible
it's worth braving
the burning sand.
♪
Hermit crabs mistake the odor
of plastic for food.
♪
Every year,
millions of hermit crabs
get trapped in our trash.
♪
Humans!
What litterbugs.
This usually ends
in one of two ways:
cooked to death
or slowly starve.
Oh, wait, the tide is turning.
Third option:
drowning in the ocean.
♪
♪
♪
Trapped, alone,
and getting swept
further from the shore,
our little hermit
is in deep
Uh, uh, water.
is in deep water.
But only a few months ago,
she was right at home here.
She was born in the sea
and spent her first four weeks
feeding on plankton
before she was ready to go
seek a home on land,
and leave the crowds
of Coral City behind.
Competition for living space
is intense on the reef.
But this mantis shrimp
yep, he's a crustacean, too
has a practical solution.
♪
He simply builds his own home.
♪
A bit of this.
Oh, this will look fabulous
over here.
♪
Just putyou could just
put this there.
Give this a little "zhuzh."
"Zhuzh" this up here, yeah.
Et voilà.
A coral castle.
♪
Now that's it's been built,
it needs defending.
♪
♪
Reef real estate is
in such demand,
he's got to patrol
for trespassers.
♪
And it's other mantises
he really has to watch out for.
♪
Hey, buddy! Move on!
This shrimp's packing
serious heat.
♪
A punch with the force
of a .22-caliber pistol.
[click]
♪
Yeah, thought so.
That's right, run away!
It's gonna take a mightier
mantis to claim his castle.
Coral City is so crowded
and competitive,
it's no wonder hermit crabs
evolved to live on land.
♪
But our crab's quest
for a new home
is going in
the wrong direction.
She's drifting out to sea,
and bigger problems
are coming her way.
♪
♪
Is there nowhere safe
from these guys?
♪
♪
Another change of course.
Up the creek,
into a tangled web of roots.
Our hermit has washed up in
the mysterious mangrove forest.
Home to a very different
kind of crab.
[boing]
[boing]
The heavily armed fiddler crab.
These guys have hard,
protective exoskeletons,
and dig burrows to live in.
So they don't have to find
seashells like a hermit does.
But they do have to fight
for their mudhole homes.
That's where
the outsized claw comes in.
When other males try
to muscle their way in,
it's time to get the guns out.
♪
♪
This crab has defended
his home.
And good timing, too.
A female is looking for the guy
with the best crab crib.
Maybe he can entice her over
with his outsized appendage.
It's not just for fighting,
it's for waving.
[laughs] What?
♪
All the males are eager
for attention.
♪
♪
"Hey, lady, hey, sweetheart,
over here."
♪
Okay, easy, easy.
Not so desperate.
Okay, she's coming your way.
♪
At least she was.
[screeching]
Until these monkeys came
and harshed the vibe.
♪
♪
Proboscis monkeys mostly
eat mangrove leaves.
♪
But sometimes
they look for a bug
to add a bit of spice
to their diet.
[barks]
♪
♪
♪
Males are particularly nosy.
♪
But also easily distracted.
[screeching]
While they fight,
this is her chance to escape.
At least it would be if the rim
wasn't choked with mud.
Her only option:
leave her precious shell.
[screeching]
[squeaking]
[squeaking]
With no protection
for her soft body
[squeaking]
she's vulnerable.
[squeaking]
♪
[squeaking]
[grunt]
[squeaking]
[squeaking]
♪
♪
Better than nothing.
♪
But she has no future
in a temporary shelter.
♪
And no future
in the mangrove forest either.
The tide is rising.
♪
Better get out of here,
or soon she'll drown.
The whole forest is flooded.
Time for fiddlers
to get in their burrows.
But this male is still trying
to entice the female.
Come on, wave harder.
In a few minutes,
this place will be underwater.
♪
Yeah, she's interested.
Who could resist
his muddy hole?
Sealed the deal,
just in time.
♪
♪
Back on the reef,
looks like our mantis shrimp
has a visitor, too.
"Hey, I said no trespassers!
Beat it, mister!"
Hang on.
[squeegee wiping]
That's a female.
She shrimps are welcome.
Come admire
his interior design skills.
♪
[rhythmic squeaking]
I'm pretty sure
that's what she's doing.
Seems everyone is shacking up
and making babies.
♪
And when night falls,
even Coral City is spawning.
A once-in-a-year event
that rejuvenates the reef
keeping this
underwater nursery alive
for generations
of beach bug babies to come.
Nighttime in paradise,
and love is in the air.
But our little hermit crab
is still homeless and alone.
[fireworks popping]
Thankfully,
under the moonlight,
even the humans are in
a more caring, sharing mood.
♪
♪
♪
The perfect property,
back on the market.
But already,
there's other interest.
♪
"Yeah, not after the day
I had, sweetie."
♪
When the housing market
is this competitive,
sometimes you've got to be
a little shellfish.
♪
♪
At last,
the dream home is hers.
Oh, maybe tourists
aren't so bad,
once they learn
to respect the locals.
Upgrading her shell
was a very good move.
It suits her perfectly.
♪
This male hermit
certainly thinks so.
He finds her irresistible.
[fireworks whistling]
One day soon, she'll be ready
to go to the water's edge
and release her own eggs.
And a new generation
of beach bugs
will begin making
their home here, too.
But that's a story
for another day.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
Ahh, a tropical island paradise
in Southeast Asia.
This is vacation heaven
for humans.
But it's hell on Earth
for bugs.
Take this young hermit crab.
Okay, yeah, I know,
crabs aren't bugs.
But hear me out.
They're crustaceans.
Their ancestors were
among the first creatures
to leave the sea,
colonize land,
and evolve into insects.
So, let's call this hermit crab
a beach bug.
Anywho,
for a golf ball-sized creature,
the beach is
a tough place to live.
Half the day
it's like a desert,
and the other half
it gets totally flooded
with salt water.
But our little hermit
has a smart solution.
She's using an abandoned shell
as a mobile home.
Wherever she goes,
it shelters her from
the extremes of island life.
Just one issue:
She's outgrown it
and desperately needs
a bigger shell.
So, nothing's gonna stop her
from climbing
the property ladder.
♪
[boing]
[thud]
Okay, let's try that again.
♪
And what do you know?
Now, that shell is
the perfect size.
Got to snag it
before anyone else.
♪
♪
Oh, tourists!
Man, they are the worst!
♪
♪
Only the most determined little
beach bug can make a home here,
in this brutal but beautiful
world between land and sea.
♪
♪
Our little hermit crab is
on the cusp of adulthood.
But if she's ever
gonna start a family,
she needs to find a shell
with enough room to grow into
and still have space for eggs.
Easier said than done.
Dream homes don't just
wash up on the tide.
Well, actually they do.
♪
♪
A sweet new listing on
the beachside property market.
♪
A bit ambitious for her maybe,
but perfect for this big guy.
He's looking to upgrade, too.
Whoa-ho-ho!
That's a big crab!
♪
And now that his move
is complete,
his old shell is up for grabs.
♪
Hermits can sniff out a shell
swap from far across the beach.
Like a property chain,
each time someone moves,
a smaller shell
comes on the market.
♪
♪
But man, it's competitive.
♪
Got to move fast.
Muscle your way in,
or you'll lose out.
♪
Wait, hold up!
One shell left,
about the right size.
But this one's
a real fixer upper.
Looks like the search
for a new shell
is turning
into an epic mission.
♪
By midday, the sand bakes
like a cookie sheet.
It's 30 degrees hotter
than the air.
Only one bug is cool enough to
make a permanent home out here.
♪
[crash]
The tiger beetle.
Yay! An actual real bug.
When it comes to handling heat,
he's got the goods.
Shiny wing cases
and white hairs
reflect the sun's rays.
Long legs keep him
high off the burning sand.
And when trouble
comes calling
[squawking]
he leaves danger
in the dust.
♪
Tiger beetles are
the speediest insects on land.
moving at up to 170
body lengths per second,
they're 20 times
faster than Usain!
This lil' bolt of lightning
is so fast,
even his eyes can't keep up.
[zooming]
So, when he's out hunting,
he has to stop
[tires screech]
to look for lunch.
Well, hello.
A delicious fruit fly
dying in the heat.
♪
♪
A master of hunting
at the shoreline,
he can dine and dash.
Keeping cool where others
can't take the heat,
the tiny tiger has
the run of the beach.
♪
Going where he likes,
eating what he likes.
Sandhoppers.
Snack-size and plenty of 'em.
♪
♪
But one false move,
and these guys are
out like popcorn.
♪
Man, these tourists actin'
like they own the place.
♪
♪
♪
Just beyond the beach,
by afternoon the low tide
has exposed a new world.
Our hermit has come a long way
searching for shells.
It's a little cooler here,
but she's getting
stuck in the mud.
This place is more for those
still a little further behind
on the evolutionary journey
out of the sea.
[boing]
These bug-eyed fish
are mudskippers.
[burp]
Fish out of water
that only survive
where they can keep wet enough
to breathe through
their skin
and find scraps of algae
to snack on.
Mmm-mmm.
But this mudflat zone
between the tides is limited.
So, they have to compete
for real estate.
Leaping like this means,
"This is my property, punk.
Step off!"
♪
And if that doesn't work, it
ends in a mudskipper turf war.
♪
♪
Too few shells, too much mud.
Time to dip.
Besides, an enticing aroma is
luring her back to the beach.
[bird chirping]
♪
Her antennae have detected
a smell so irresistible
it's worth braving
the burning sand.
♪
Hermit crabs mistake the odor
of plastic for food.
♪
Every year,
millions of hermit crabs
get trapped in our trash.
♪
Humans!
What litterbugs.
This usually ends
in one of two ways:
cooked to death
or slowly starve.
Oh, wait, the tide is turning.
Third option:
drowning in the ocean.
♪
♪
♪
Trapped, alone,
and getting swept
further from the shore,
our little hermit
is in deep
Uh, uh, water.
is in deep water.
But only a few months ago,
she was right at home here.
She was born in the sea
and spent her first four weeks
feeding on plankton
before she was ready to go
seek a home on land,
and leave the crowds
of Coral City behind.
Competition for living space
is intense on the reef.
But this mantis shrimp
yep, he's a crustacean, too
has a practical solution.
♪
He simply builds his own home.
♪
A bit of this.
Oh, this will look fabulous
over here.
♪
Just putyou could just
put this there.
Give this a little "zhuzh."
"Zhuzh" this up here, yeah.
Et voilà.
A coral castle.
♪
Now that's it's been built,
it needs defending.
♪
♪
Reef real estate is
in such demand,
he's got to patrol
for trespassers.
♪
And it's other mantises
he really has to watch out for.
♪
Hey, buddy! Move on!
This shrimp's packing
serious heat.
♪
A punch with the force
of a .22-caliber pistol.
[click]
♪
Yeah, thought so.
That's right, run away!
It's gonna take a mightier
mantis to claim his castle.
Coral City is so crowded
and competitive,
it's no wonder hermit crabs
evolved to live on land.
♪
But our crab's quest
for a new home
is going in
the wrong direction.
She's drifting out to sea,
and bigger problems
are coming her way.
♪
♪
Is there nowhere safe
from these guys?
♪
♪
Another change of course.
Up the creek,
into a tangled web of roots.
Our hermit has washed up in
the mysterious mangrove forest.
Home to a very different
kind of crab.
[boing]
[boing]
The heavily armed fiddler crab.
These guys have hard,
protective exoskeletons,
and dig burrows to live in.
So they don't have to find
seashells like a hermit does.
But they do have to fight
for their mudhole homes.
That's where
the outsized claw comes in.
When other males try
to muscle their way in,
it's time to get the guns out.
♪
♪
This crab has defended
his home.
And good timing, too.
A female is looking for the guy
with the best crab crib.
Maybe he can entice her over
with his outsized appendage.
It's not just for fighting,
it's for waving.
[laughs] What?
♪
All the males are eager
for attention.
♪
♪
"Hey, lady, hey, sweetheart,
over here."
♪
Okay, easy, easy.
Not so desperate.
Okay, she's coming your way.
♪
At least she was.
[screeching]
Until these monkeys came
and harshed the vibe.
♪
♪
Proboscis monkeys mostly
eat mangrove leaves.
♪
But sometimes
they look for a bug
to add a bit of spice
to their diet.
[barks]
♪
♪
♪
Males are particularly nosy.
♪
But also easily distracted.
[screeching]
While they fight,
this is her chance to escape.
At least it would be if the rim
wasn't choked with mud.
Her only option:
leave her precious shell.
[screeching]
[squeaking]
[squeaking]
With no protection
for her soft body
[squeaking]
she's vulnerable.
[squeaking]
♪
[squeaking]
[grunt]
[squeaking]
[squeaking]
♪
♪
Better than nothing.
♪
But she has no future
in a temporary shelter.
♪
And no future
in the mangrove forest either.
The tide is rising.
♪
Better get out of here,
or soon she'll drown.
The whole forest is flooded.
Time for fiddlers
to get in their burrows.
But this male is still trying
to entice the female.
Come on, wave harder.
In a few minutes,
this place will be underwater.
♪
Yeah, she's interested.
Who could resist
his muddy hole?
Sealed the deal,
just in time.
♪
♪
Back on the reef,
looks like our mantis shrimp
has a visitor, too.
"Hey, I said no trespassers!
Beat it, mister!"
Hang on.
[squeegee wiping]
That's a female.
She shrimps are welcome.
Come admire
his interior design skills.
♪
[rhythmic squeaking]
I'm pretty sure
that's what she's doing.
Seems everyone is shacking up
and making babies.
♪
And when night falls,
even Coral City is spawning.
A once-in-a-year event
that rejuvenates the reef
keeping this
underwater nursery alive
for generations
of beach bug babies to come.
Nighttime in paradise,
and love is in the air.
But our little hermit crab
is still homeless and alone.
[fireworks popping]
Thankfully,
under the moonlight,
even the humans are in
a more caring, sharing mood.
♪
♪
♪
The perfect property,
back on the market.
But already,
there's other interest.
♪
"Yeah, not after the day
I had, sweetie."
♪
When the housing market
is this competitive,
sometimes you've got to be
a little shellfish.
♪
♪
At last,
the dream home is hers.
Oh, maybe tourists
aren't so bad,
once they learn
to respect the locals.
Upgrading her shell
was a very good move.
It suits her perfectly.
♪
This male hermit
certainly thinks so.
He finds her irresistible.
[fireworks whistling]
One day soon, she'll be ready
to go to the water's edge
and release her own eggs.
And a new generation
of beach bugs
will begin making
their home here, too.
But that's a story
for another day.
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪
♪