A Blue Whale's Heart Is as Big as a Car - Is That Real?

Nova: Buckle up, Explorers.

Cosmo: Brains in!

Nova: Wheels up!

Nova & Cosmo: Brain Bus, let's GO!

Nova: You're on The Brain Bus.

Nova: I'm Nova - your driver.

Nova: And today we're going somewhere amazing.

Nova: We're going to the ocean.

Nova: The big, deep, blue ocean.

Nova: Right now, the biggest animal EVER is swimming in there.

Nova: Its heart is as big as a little car.

Nova: A whole car!

Nova: Can you believe that?

Nova: Today, Explorers, we're learning about whales and dolphins.

Nova: Let's go.

Nova: Right into the ocean.

Nova: Close your eyes if you like.

Nova: Picture deep blue water all around you.

Nova: Way, way down in the blue... lives a blue whale.

Nova: The blue whale is the biggest animal in the whole world.

Nova: Bigger than a house.

Nova: Bigger than a bus.

Nova: As long as three buses all in a row.

Nova: And that heart - that big, big heart - pumps and pumps and pumps.

Nova: That's a whale's heart beating.

Nova: Can you say... WHALE?

Nova: Whale! Great, Explorers.

Nova: Now - whales have to breathe air.

Nova: Just like you do.

Nova: They swim deep down... and then they swim up, up, up.

Nova: And when they reach the top - PSHHHHH!

Nova: That big puff of air shoots right out of the top of their head!

Nova: There's a special hole up there called a blowhole.

Nova: Can you say... BLOWHOLE?

Nova: Blowhole! Wonderful.

Nova: It's like coming up from underwater in your bath.

Nova: You splash around under there... and then you pop up for air.

Nova: Whales do that too.

Nova: Because whales are not fish.

Nova: Whales breathe air. Just like us.

Nova: Now - let's talk about dolphins.

Nova: Dolphins are smaller than whales.

Nova: But they are still so, so clever.

Nova: Dolphins have their very own whistle names.

Nova: One dolphin makes a special sound - and it means "it's me!"

Nova: So their friends always know who's calling.

Nova: Just like your mum or dad calls your name.

Nova: Can you say... DOLPHIN?

Nova: Dolphin! Perfect.

Nova: Dolphins also love to play.

Nova: They blow little bubble rings underwater.

Nova: And they swim through them like a game.

Nova: They leap way up out of the water - so high!

Nova: Now - have you heard of the Māori people?

Nova: The Māori people are from Aotearoa.

Nova: That's the beautiful country we call New Zealand.

Nova: They have a very special story about a whale.

Nova: This story comes from the Māori people of Aotearoa.

Nova: It has been told for a very, very long time.

Nova: It is the story of Paikea.

Nova: Paikea was a young man.

Nova: One day, he was far out at sea.

Nova: The water was deep. He was in trouble.

Nova: But then - a great whale came.

Nova: The whale swam right up to Paikea.

Nova: And Paikea climbed onto the whale's back.

Nova: The whale swam and swam.

Nova: All the way to shore.

Nova: Paikea was safe.

Nova: He became a great ancestor of the Ngāti Porou people.

Nova: And because of Paikea... whales are family to the Māori people.

Nova: Not just animals. Family.

Nova: Isn't that a beautiful story?

Nova: Time for a little quiz, Explorers!

Nova: Let's see what we remember.

Nova: I'll ask a question. You shout the answer!

Nova: Question one!

Nova: True or false - a whale is a fish.

Nova: False! Whales are not fish.

Nova: Whales breathe air, right at the top of the water.

Nova: Just like you do.

Nova: Question two!

Nova: True or false - dolphins have special whistle names.

Nova: True! Every dolphin has its own sound.

Nova: It means "it's me!" so its friends know who's there.

Nova: Just like your name.

Nova: Question three!

Nova: What does a big whale eat?

Nova: Is it pizza... tiny little shrimp... or rocks?

Nova: Tiny shrimp! Called krill.

Nova: The biggest animal in the world eats the tiniest little things.

Nova: Big whale, tiny food. Isn't that funny?

Nova: Well done, Explorers.

Nova: You thought so hard.

Nova: Every single one of you did a wonderful, wonderful job.

Nova: Now - three quick facts that will make your brain go WOW.

Nova: Fact one!

Nova: A baby blue whale grows as long as a couch every single week.

Nova: Every week!

Nova: Fact two!

Nova: Narwhals - that's a whale with a long swirly horn - are real.

Nova: They really live in the ocean.

Nova: A real unicorn of the sea!

Nova: Fact three!

Nova: Dolphins sleep with only half their brain at a time.

Nova: Half the brain sleeps. Half the brain stays awake.

Nova: So they keep swimming. Even while they dream.

Nova: Explorers, it's time to be whales.

Nova: Ready?

Nova: Take a big breath in through your nose.

Nova: Fill your tummy up like a big balloon.

Nova: And now - let it whoooosh out of your mouth.

Nova: PSHHHHH! Like a whale's spout!

Nova: Let's do it three times together.

Nova: Ready? In through your nose...

Nova: And out - PSHHHHH!

Nova: Again - in...

Nova: And out - PSHHHHH!

Nova: One more - in...

Nova: And out - PSHHHHH!

Nova: Great big whale spouts!

Nova: Now - here's a wondering question.

Nova: If you were a whale...

Nova: And you had to come up to breathe...

Nova: Would you live near the top of the water...

Nova: Or way, way down deep?

Nova: Have a little think about that.

Nova: Hey, Explorers.

Nova: Come in close for a moment.

Nova: Whales live in the water.

Nova: But they breathe air.

Nova: Just like you do.

Nova: They're not fish.

Nova: They are big swimming animals.

Nova: With families.

Nova: With babies.

Nova: With mums who look after them.

Nova: Just like your family.

Nova: The blue whale has been swimming on this Earth for millions and millions of years.

Nova: And every single one of those whales had to come up to the top and breathe.

Nova: Every single one had a heartbeat - a great, slow, enormous heartbeat - just like yours.

Nova: Next time on The Brain Bus...

Nova: We're going somewhere very, very dark.

Nova: And very, very deep.

Nova: Where strange glowing creatures light up the dark.

Nova: I wonder what's waiting for us down there.

Nova: Stay curious, stay clever, and keep that brain working!

Nova: Until the next stop, Explorers...

Cosmo: ...keep wondering.