National Geographic: Rain Forest Page #3

Year:
1983
199 Views


into the cool shade

within the canopy.

A "lie-in-wait" lizard remains

perfectly motionless.

It's a strategy that serves it well:

by keeping still,

the lizard is overlooked

by both predator and prey.

And an unsuspecting victim

can be pounced on from above.

Rain forests seldom get less than

Some even exceed 400 inches.

And so, most of the leaves

in the humid understory

of the forest are specially

adapted to drain water

from their surface as quickly

as possible.

If water stays on them,

the leaves may rot or become host

to tiny plants that may do damage.

These drip tips ensure that

the leaves will dry quickly.

The forest floor can usually

absorb rain as it falls.

But when the rains are

particularly heavy,

the forest becomes saturated

and the water runs off to flood

the surrounding rivers

flushing fallen trees

and debris out to sea.

A tide line of rotting vegetation

is left on the beach,

and a shy agouti forages

among it for fruits.

These paper wasps are drying

their nest.

Constructed of wood pulp,

it would soon soak up the rain

if the wasps didn't drink the water

and spit it over the edge.

The adults take so much care

and trouble,

because in each of the cells is

a developing wasp,

and their entire brood could be

destroyed by a heavy downpour.

As each larva grows,

the wasps enlarge its cell

by adding another layer

of pulp and saliva

to the outside rim.

And when the nest begins to warm

in the sun,

they cool their brood

by rapidly vibrating

their wings to create a current

of air.

The eggs of a poison-arrow frog

have hatched,

and the female carries two tiny

tadpoles on her back.

While they are developing into

frogs,

they have to be in water.

She takes them up a tree to a site

she has chosen in

a bromeliad plant.

She will deposit them in rainwater

held in the bromeliad.

She makes her way down a leaf

to a small pool at its base.

And here, she submerges her tadpoles

until they release their grip

and leave her back.

The tadpoles will complete their

development in this tiny pool.

In six to eight,

weeks they'll emerge as frogs

and return to the forest floor.

Army ants are on the move.

They build no permanent nests and

constantly comb the forest

for their prey.

This species preys only

on the larvae of social insects

and here they attack a nest

of paper wasps.

there is nothing the wasps can do.

They abandon their brood

to the voracious horde,

which will soon strip the nest

of all life.

They take their plunder

to a bivouac

on the underside of a fallen log.

Here, by linking special hooks

at the ends of their legs,

they form long, hanging chains.

Through sheer numbers,

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes

Unknown

The writer of this script is unknown. more…

All Unknown scripts | Unknown Scripts

4 fans

Submitted on August 05, 2018

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "National Geographic: Rain Forest" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/national_geographic:_rain_forest_14558>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    Browse Scripts.com

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.