(music plays)

Against a white screen, the TVOKids and FifthGround Entertainment logos appear.

(giggling)

A caption reads "Original."

(theme music plays)

An animated blue sign that reads "FishHeads" falls into the sea.

Leo is an animated blue and orange catfish.

Leo says WE ARE THE FISHHEADS
EXPLORER CLUB,
SAYAT, CHRISTIAN,
AND ME, LEO.

Sayat and Christian are about 12 years old. Sayat has curly black hair and wears a blue sweater and a green lifejacket. Christian has short brown hair and wears glasses, an orange jacket and a blue T-shirt.

Leo continues TOGETHER, WE'RE GETTING WET
AND MUCKY
WORKING WITH EXPERTS AND
HELPING OUR AQUATIC FRIENDS.
EACH DAY WE'RE ON A NEW MISSION
EXPLORING WHAT'S GOING ON
ALONG THE SHORELINES
AND UNDER THE WAVES.
SPLISH, SPLASH, GRAB YOUR BOOTS
AND YOU CAN BE A FISHHEAD TOO.

Fast clips in split screens show Sayat and Christian sailing, exploring river eco-systems and learning about their creatures.

(water burbles)
The title of the show reads "FishHeads, Explorer Club."

Leo swims near two tablets showing clips of the show at the bottom of a lake.

Leo sings HI-HO, HI-HO
IT'S OFF TO THE WETLANDS
He says WE GO
THE BLANDINGS TURTLE
IS AT THE TOP
OF OUR FISH FINDER LIST TODAY,
AND YES YOU'RE CORRECT,
THEY ARE A REPTILE
BUT DARN IT, THEY NEED
THE FISHHEADS HELP TOO.
THESE GUYS SPEND A LOT
OF TIME IN THE WATER
AND IF A FELLOW WATER FRIEND
IS HAVING A HARD TIME,
THEN IT AFFECTS ALL OF US.
WHEN IT COMES TO HAPPY,
HEALTHY WATERWAYS,
WE'RE ALL JUST ONE HAPPY,
HEALTHY FAMILY.
BLANDINGS TURTLES ARE
ON THE ENDANGERED LIST.
ALL TURTLES HAVE A SHELL
TO HELP PROTECT THEM,
AND THE BLANDINGS HAVE A COOL
ONE THAT LOOKS LIKE A HELMET.
TODAY, THE FISHHEADS ARE
HELPING, PAUL,
FROM THE TORONTO ZOO,
AND JULIA FROM PARKS CANADA,
TO RELEASE THE YOUNG BLANDINGS
INTO THE ROUGE NATIONAL
URBAN PARK.

An animated map reads "Toronto Zoo, Ontario."

A turtle sits in a lake.

Leo says AWW, LOOK AT THAT FACE,
HMM, AND THAT SMILE.

A caption reads "Paul Yannuzzy. Toronto Zoo. Biologist." Paul is in his thirties, with a goatee and brown hair. He wears a black zip jacket with brown shoulders.

Holding a turtle, Paul says SO THIS IS CAPTAIN
SUNSHINE.
HE'S BEEN A MEMBER OF THE ZOO
TEAM NOW FOR 20 YEARS.
HE IS OUR AMBASSADOR TURTLE
SO HE LET'S THE PUBLIC KNOW
WHAT A BLANDINGS TURTLE IS,
WHY THEY'RE IMPORTANT,
AND WHY THEY NEED OUR HELP.

Sayat says A TURTLE WITH A JOB?
THAT'S SO COOL.
DO ALL BLANDINGS LOOK
SO HAPPY?

Paul says YEAH, SO THEY HAVE THIS
BRIGHT YELLOW COLOURATION
ON THE BOTTOM OF THEIR CHIN, OH,
AND IT MAKES THEM LOOK LIKE
THEY'RE ALWAYS SMILING.

Christian says LOOKS LIKE HE'S WEARING
A HELMET.

The caption changes to "Scutes are made of bone."

Paul says YEAH, THEY ALSO HAVE THESE
SCUTES ALONG THE SHELL
WHICH HELP PROTECT THEM
FROM PREDATORS
LIKE RACCOONS AND COYOTES.
THEY WILL HANG OUT INSIDE
OF THEIR SHELL
IF THEY WERE TO ENCOUNTER
A PREDATOR,
THEN WHEN THE PREDATOR LEAVES,
THEY'LL MAKE THEIR WAY BACK
TO THE WATER
AND HANG OUT FOR A FEW HOURS.

Christian says WOW, HOW DO THEY DO THAT?
I'D LOVE TO SPEND MORE TIME
WITH MY FISH FRIENDS
IN THE LAKE.

Paul says YEAH, SO THE BLANDINGS TURTLE
CAN HOLD HIS BREATH,
BUT THEY ALSO HAVE A COOL
LITTLE TRAIT
WHERE THEY'RE ABLE TO BREATH
THROUGH THEIR BUTT.

The kids laugh.

Sayat says THEIR BUTTS?

Paul says RIGHT HERE. YEAH.

Sayat says THAT'S PROBABLY THE COOLEST
SUPER POWER EVER.

Paul says THEIR BUTT OR ALSO KNOWN AS
THEIR CLOACA IS RIGHT HERE
AND IT HAS LOTS OF BLOOD
VESSELS RUNNING THROUGH IT
SIMILAR TO OUR LUNGS,
AND PROVIDE THEM WITH
THE OXYGEN
THAT THEY NEED TO SURVIVE
UNDERNEATH THE WATER.
TURTLES HAVE A WHOLE HOST
OF DIFFERENT SUPER POWERS
THAT THEY USE TO SURVIVE
IN THE WILD.

Two turtles eat from floating boxs. The caption changes to "Special turtle food packed with vitamins and protein."

Paul says OKAY, SO WE HAVE OUR
36 BLANDINGS TURTLES HERE
AND THEY ARE OUTSIDE
IN OUR TURTLE BOOT CAMP
GETTING READY TO BE RELEASED.

Sayat says TURTLE BOOT CAMP,
GETTING THEM INTO SHAPE
BEFORE THE WETLANDS.

Paul says EXACTLY, THAT'S A GREAT WAY
OF THINKING ABOUT IT.
WE'RE TRYING TO GET THEM READY
FOR THE WEATHER THAT'S OUTSIDE,
THE DIFFERENT LIGHT CHANGES,
AND THE DIFFERENT TEMPERATURES
THAT THEY'LL EXPERIENCE.

Christian says WERE THESE TURTLES BORN
AT THE ZOO?

Paul says YEAH, SO THESE TURTLES HASHED
AT THE ZOO TWO YEARS AGO.
SO NOW THEY'RE AT A BIG
ENOUGH SIZE
THAT THEY'LL BE READY TO
SURVIVE LIFE IN THE WILD.

Christian says HOW DO YOU HATCH THESE
TURTLE EGGS?

In an incubator room, a message on a glass wall reads "Blandings turtle eggs start incubating in June."

Paul says HOW WE DO IT HERE AT THE ZOO
IS WE PUT THE EGGS
IN AN INCUBATOR.
WE INCUBATE THEM AT AROUND
30 DEGREES
WHICH IS LIKE A HOT SUMMER DAY
AND IT ALLOWS THE LITTLE TINY
TURTLE EMBRYOS
INSIDE OF THE EGG TO DEVELOP
AND TO GROW.
AND THEN IN TWO MONTHS THEY
WILL HATCH HERE AT THE ZOO.
ARE YOU GUYS READY
FOR TURTLE WORK?

Christian says BORN READY.

Paul says HIGH FIN.

Sayat says HIGH FIN.

They high five.

Leo says IF YOU FIND TURTLE EGGS
THAT YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT,
MAKE SURE YOU PHONE YOUR LOCAL
CONSERVATION AUTHORITY
BECAUSE IT REQUIRES
A PROFESSIONAL
TO HELP THESE EGGS HATCH.

Paul says HERE WE HAVE OUR BLANDINGS
TURTLES
WHICH WE'RE GONNA AFFIX
SOME RADIO TRANSMITTERS
ON THEIR SHELL.
THE RADIO TRANSMITTER IS GONNA
HELP US FIND THEM IN THE WILD.
ARE YOU GUYS READY TO HELP?

Sayat saysRADIO TURTLE,
READY FOR ACTION.

Paul says COOL.

In a clip, Christian stands next to a green board and says DID YOU KNOW THAT RADIO
TRANSMITTERS
ARE DEVICES THAT OMIT A SOUND
THAT YOU CAN ONLY HEAR
WHEN YOU HAVE A RECEIVER
TO HEAR IT FROM.
YOU WILL HAVE TO HAVE
THE RADIO ON
TO LISTEN TO YOUR FAVOURITE
TUNE.
THE BLANDIES WON'T BE BLASTING
OUT ANY COOL MUSIC.
BUT THEY'LL EACH HAVE THEIR
OWN TRANSMITTER
WITH ITS OWN UNIQUE RADIO
STATION TO TUNE INTO.
SO WHEN PAUL AND HIS TEAM
GO TO CHECK ON THEM,
THEY'LL KNOW EXACTLY WHO
IS WHERE.
NOW YOU KNOW.

Paul says I'M JUST GOING TO ATTACH
SOME SUPER GLUE
TO THE TRANSMITTER HERE.
SO THE EPOXY IS GOING TO SECURE
THE TRANSMITTER
TO THE SHELL FOR TWO YEARS
SO WE CAN CONTINUE
TO TRACK THEM
AND SEE HOW THEY'RE DOING
IN THE WILD.

Sayat and Christian help Paul glue more transmitters to the turtles.

Paul says SO NOW THIS IS THE FUN PART.
WE'RE GETTING TO COLOUR IN
THE EPOXY,
TRYING TO GET THIS AS BLACK
AS POSSIBLE
TO MATCH THEIR BLACK SHELLS.

Leo says THE TRANSMITTERS MAY LOOK
BIG,
WITH OUR BLANDINGS WILL
NEVER KNOW THEY'RE THERE.

Paul says GREAT JOB. WE NOW HAVE
36 BLANDINGS TURTLES
TO RELEASE INTO THE WILD.

They put the turtles into little bags and then into a blue container.
(blows whistle)

Leo SAFETY CHECK.
WETLAND AREAS MAY NOT LOOK
TO BE VERY DEEP,
AND OFTEN TIMES IT'S HARD
TO SEE WHERE THE LAND ENDS
AND THE WATER BEGINS.
AND SOMETIMES A LAND PARK
IS ACTUAL MUD,
SO YOU CAN GET YOURSELF STUCK.
IF YOU WANNA EXPLORE
A MARSHY AREA,
HAVE AN ADULT WITH YOU,
WEAR BIG RUBBER BOOTS,
OR HIP WADERS LIKE
CHRISTIAN AND SAYAT,
AND A FISHHEADS BEST FRIEND,
A LIFE JACKET.
NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE FISHHEADS
TO MEET JULIA AND TAYLOR
TO HELP THE BLANDINGS
BACK INTO THE WETLANDS.

The caption changes to "Julia Philips. Parks Canada. Biologist." Julia is in her mid-thirties, with blond hair tied-up. She wears a blue polo-shirt, gray trousers with suspenders and boots.

Julia says HEY GUYS.

Sayat says HEY.

Julia says THANKS FOR YOUR HELP TODAY.
WE'RE HERE TODAY BECAUSE WE'RE
PART OF THE HEAD START PROGRAM
OR THE BLANDINGS TURTLE IN
ROUGE NATIONAL URBAN PARK.
AND TODAY, WE'RE HELPING
TO BOLSTER THE POPULATION
SO WE GET UP TO OVER
200 TURTLES.

Christian says WOW.

Sayat says WE'RE ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP
OUR AQUATIC FRIENDS.
SO WHY ARE THE BLANDINGS
TURTLES SO IMPORTANT
TO THE WETLANDS?

Julia says WELL, BLANDINGS TURTLES DO
A LOT OF GOOD THINGS
FOR WETLANDS.

The caption changes to "Taylor Tabobondung. Toronto Zoo. Biologist."

In his twenties, Taylor says SOMETIMES WE FORGET THAT
EVERY CREATURE
HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY,
AND THE BLANDINGS IS ESPECIALLY
IMPORTANT TO MY COMMUNITY.
SO PAUL MIGHT HAVE MENTIONED
EARLIER,

He takes a turtle out of a container and says THE BLANDINGS TURTLE HAS SCUTES
ON SHELL TO HELP PROTECT IT.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE,
THERE'S 28 LITTLE SCUTES
AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THE SHELL
THEY REPRESENT THE 28 DAYS
IN ONE LUNAR CYCLES.
AND THERE'S 13 OF THE BIG
SCUTES HERE IN THE MIDDLE
THAT REPRESENT THE 13 LUNAR
MONTHS IN ONE YEAR.
SO UNDERSTANDING THE SHELL
IS LIKE UNDERSTANDING A NATURAL
CALENDAR.

Christian says WOW, ANOTHER TURTLE SUPER
POWER.

Taylor says YES, THEY'RE REALLY AWESOME
CREATURES, AREN'T THEY?

Christian says ISN'T THERE ONLY LIKE
12 MONTHS IN A YEAR?

Taylor says THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION,
CHRISTIAN.
AND YES, THERE ARE ONLY
12 MONTHS IN THE YEAR
WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
THE SUN,
BUT THIS CALENDAR IS BASED OFF
OUR MOON
AND SO THERE ARE 13 MOONS
IN ONE YEAR.
AND SO UNDERSTANDING THE
CALENDAR CAN HELP US KNOW
WHEN TO PICK THE STRAWBERRIES,
OR WHEN IT'S TIME TO HARVEST
OUR MAPLE SYRUP.
THERE'S ALSO A STORY FROM
WHERE I COME
IN CENTRAL ONTARIO.
THE ANISHINAABE PEOPLE BELIEVE
THAT TURTLE, MISHIKI...
ONE DAY THE SUN WAS STOLEN
FROM THE SKY
AND THE MISHIKI, THE LITTLE
BLANDINGS TURTLE HERE,
SNUCK INTO THE HOUSE SO WHEN
THAT SUN WAS BEING KEPT,
HE SNAPPED HIS MOUTH ON IT
AND BROUGHT IT BACK OUT
AND RELEASED IT INTO THE SKY.
THAT IS WHY HE HAS A YELLOW
BAND HERE UNDER HIS CHIN
KNOWN AS THE TURTLE WITH
THE SUN UNDER HIS CHIN.

Sayat says WOW. WE HAVE SO MANY REASONS
TO BE THANKFUL
FOR THE BLANDINGS TURTLE.

Taylor says DON'T WE?
COME ON, LET'S GO PUT THESE
GUYS BACK IN THE WETLAND NOW.

Julia says OKAY GUYS, THIS IS A TOP
SECRET AREA
THAT WE'RE ABOUT TO RELEASE
THE TURTLES INTO, OKAY?
AND WE DON'T WANT A LOT OF
PEOPLE TO GET INTO THE WETLAND
BECAUSE WE DON'T WANNA DISTURB
THE ENVIRONMENT
AND MIX IT UP TOO MUCH.
SO WHAT I'M GONNA DO IS GET
YOU TO UNWRAP THE TURTLES
JUST ONE BY ONE
AND HAND THEM TO ME,
AND WE'LL GET THEM SET
FOR THEIR JOURNEY
AND GET THEM ON THEIR WAY.

Sayat says GREAT.

Christian says BUT HOW DO WE KNOW THAT
THE BLANDINGS TURTLES
WILL BE OKAY IN THE WILD
AFTER BEING TAKE FOR THE LAST
TWO YEARS?

Julia says WELL, THE THING ABOUT THIS
IS WE'RE GONNA RELEASE THEM
INTO AN ENCLOSURE AND THEY'LL
HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME
TO ADAPT TO THEIR WILD
ENVIRONMENT
BEFORE THEY GET WANDERING OFF
INTO THE REST OF THE PARK.
AND THEY'RE WILD ANIMALS
SO THEY'RE GONNA KNOW WHAT
TO DO, AND COME WINTER,
THEY'RE GONNA KNOW
HOW TO HIBERNATE TOO.

Sayat says WELL, THAT MAKES SENSE.

Christian says WELL, LET'S DO IT.

Julia says ALRIGHT, LET'S GET THESE GUYS
INTO THEIR WATER.

A fast-motion clip shows them releasing the turtles.

Christian says THE LAST ONES.
GREAT GETTING TO KNOW YOU,
MR. BLANDINGS.

Sayat says THEY CERTAINLY HAVE LOTS
F SUPER POWERS;
A SHELL TO PROTECT THEM,
BEING ABLE TO BREATH OUT
OF THEIR BUMS,
AND THEY BROUGHT US
BACK THE SUN.
GOODBYE SUPERHERO TURTLE,
HAVE A GREAT ADVENTUROUS LIFE.

Taylor says THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL
YOUR HELP WITH THE BLANDINGS,
FISHHEADS.

Christian says WE DO WHATEVER WE CAN
TO HELP OUR WATER FRIENDS,
WHETHER THEY HAVE FINS OR NOT.

Taylor says THAT'S AWESOME.
SO MY CULTURE, WHEN WE TAKE
FROM THE LAND
OR WE GIVE TO THE LAND,
WE LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU,
AND A WAY TO SAY THANK YOU
IS BY GIFTING
ONE OF OUR SACRED MEDICINES.
SO THIS IS TOBACCO.
WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO IS YOU'RE
GONNA USE YOUR LEFT HAND,
YOU'RE GONNA TAKE A LITTLE
PINCH OF THIS,
YOU'RE GONNA HOLD IT CLOSE
TO YOUR HEART,
AND YOU'RE GONNA SAY MIIGWECH,
WHICH MEANS THANK YOU.
SO FISHHEADS, YOU GUYS GO AHEAD
AND YOU GUYS TAKE A PINCH.

Sayat says MIIGWECH.

Christian says MIIGWECH.

Taylor says MIIGWECH.

Leo says GOOD LUCK, BLANDINGS.
(foghorn sounds)
ATTENTION!
FELLOW FISHHEADS
AND TURTLE LOVERS,
LET'S FACE IT, EVERYONE
LOVES THESE SMILING,
YELLOWY CREATURES,
WHICH IS ACTUALLY A PART
OF THE PROBLEM.
TAKING A BLANDINGS HOME
AND MAKING IT YOUR PET
IS A BIG FISHHEADS NO-NO.
LEAVE THESE AWESOME CREATURES
WHERE THEY BELONG, IN THE WILD.
THEY ARE WILD CREATURES EVEN IF
THEY ARE QUIET AND SLOW MOVING.
IF YOU REALLY, REALLY WANT
TO HAVE A PET TURTLE,
FIND A TURTLE RESCUE PLACE
NEAR YOU
WHERE YOU KNOW YOUR NEW TURTLE
WASN'T SCOOPED OUT
OF THE WETLANDS.
THEY NEED TO STAY IN THE WILD
OR THEY COULD BE LOST FOREVER.

Leo winks an eye.

(theme music plays)

The end credits roll.

Copyright 2019, All Rights Reserved.