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Scene opens: Sea anemone is already out waving its tentacles. Blemy already on stage behind "barnacle shell" rises |
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Blemy |
Oh good, no rainbow wrasse around - now's my chance to eat some plankton! There's a delicious-looking morsel. |
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Blemy continues to dart up and down collecting plankton. Starfish move slowly onto stage from the left.Parrot fish already on stage behind "coral" moves into view sideways |
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Parrot fish |
If the Blemy is out it must be safe for Parrot fish too. I'll just nibble away at this mound of coral. |
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Parrot fish continues to nibble at coral |
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Sea anemone |
Plenty of shrimps in the plankton today - my tentacles are full of them. |
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Hermit crab enters from right and starts to move slowly across the stage |
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Starfish |
It's alright for you! I can't find any mussels in the coral today and us starfish need to
eat a lot. I'll have to make do with clams. |
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Sea anemone and starfish continue searching for food - starfish moves
slowly across the stage
Ghost shrimp moves onto stage from the left |
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Hermit crab |
Are there any octopuses around? Oh good - there aren't. Lets see what there is to eat in the coral. |
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Ghost shrimp |
Why should a hermit crab worry about an octopus? It can hide in its shell. Its harder for us ghost shrimps to escape. |
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Starfish |
Stop moaning and eat the plankton while the tide is coming in. |
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Manta ray and Whale shark enter from right |
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Ghost shrimp |
You had better be careful, starfish, there's a manta ray and a whale shark overhead. |
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Starfish |
Its Ok - they only eat plankton. |
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Whale shark
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The tide always brings plenty of plankton with it. There's enough here to keep us all happy. |
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Manta ray |
Happy? That's a joke. I am so itchy today. Blast these parasites. Where are those lazy cleaner fish? |
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Cleaner fish enter from right |
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Cleaner fish |
Cleaning service! Cleaning service! Who wants to be cleaned today? |
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Manta ray |
Oh it's you - and about time. You should have been here half an hour ago. |
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Cleaner fish starts to clean the manta ray |
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Whale shark |
I need cleaning too. |
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Cleaner fish |
OK! OK! I'll be with you in a minute. Give me a chance! |
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Whale shark |
Well hurry up! I cannot waste time. I need to eat tons of plankton every day. |
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Cleaner fish finishes cleaning the manta ray and moves to the whale shark. Manta ray moves off stage |
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Blemy (alarmed)
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Watch out everybody! Rainbow wrasse above. |
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Rainbow wrasse enter from right. Blemy ducks behind "shell". Sea anemone hides. Shrimp quickly moves behind "coral" where the parrot fish lives.
Hermit crab moves down and keeps still. |
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Rainbow wrasse |
I wonder what's on the menu today. Blenny perhaps, or shrimp. |
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Cleaner fish stops cleaning but stays on stage. Whale shark moves slowly off stage |
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Cleaner fish |
Cleaning service! Any more fish to be cleaned today? |
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Rainbow wrasse |
I can clean fish too - I enjoy a few tasty parasites. |
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Cleaner fish |
This is my patch, wrasse. |
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Parrot fish |
Watch out! I can see a sting ray coming. |
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Sting ray moves in from left. Cleaner fish and Rainbow wrasse stay on stage.
Parrot fish moves behind "coral". All animals at ground level keep a low profile |
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Sting ray |
I thought there were some anemones around here. Where are they (moves around) I wonder
what is hiding under the coral. There's got to be something to eat. A blenny, perhaps, or a few shrimp. |
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Cleaner fish and Rainbow wrasse move off stage. Shrimp moves out from behind the "coral" |
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Sting Ray |
A ghost shrimp! I thought so - come here breakfast! |
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Shrimp is chased off stage by Sting Ray. All animals come out from their hiding places |
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Sea anemone |
Wow! That was a close thing! |
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Manta ray, whale shark and cleaner fish back on stage, behind and high up |
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Starfish |
It certainly was. That sting ray has put me right off my food. |
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Octopus enters from left. Rainbow wrasse return, behind and up high. Blemy moves down and out of sight |
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Hermit crab: |
Oh help! The octopus is on the prowl.
Goodbye.
(moves down in its shell) |
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Octopus |
(approaching the hermit crab) Come out little hermit crab - I won't hurt you. There's no need to hide from me. |
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Sea anemone, Starfish, Blemy, Parrot fish |
together (just looking out of their hiding places) Don't fall for it/ Some joke/ Rubbish
(hide again immediately) |
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Scorpion fish enters from behind the octopus |
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Octopus |
Who said that! |
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Scorpion fish |
Who said what, octopus? |
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Octopus |
A scorpion fish! I'm out of here. I'm looking for a meal, I don't want to be one. |
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Octopus moves off stage quickly. Squid moves on stage from the other side. |
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Scorpion fish |
What a shame, I am particularly fond of octopus. Such a nice flavour. |
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Squid |
Exactly what I was going to say about you, scorpion fish. |
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They chase each other around the stage for a few minutes. Other animals
take it in turns to look out of their hiding places. Manta Ray and Whale shark move off stage |
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Squid |
There's no escape - I have eight tentacles to catch you with. |
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Scorpion fish |
You have to get close enough to use them! (moves off stage) |
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Squid |
Just watch me. (follows scorpion fish) |
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Rest of the animals come out from their hiding places. Blemy moves down every now and again since the rainbow wrasse are above |
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Sea anemone |
Thank goodness! All quiet again. |
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Blemy |
As long as those rainbow wrasse stay up there. I have to keep both eyes on them all the time. |
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Sea slug moves in |
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Hermit crab: |
Hello, a sea slug. What's it looking for, I wonder. |
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Sea anemone |
Oh disaster! A sea slug! It's me it's looking for. Oh my poor tentacles. |
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Anemone moves down |
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Sea slug |
What a lovely day! And look, there's an anemone - what luck. (moves towards the anemone) This
anemone tastes so good. Its stinging cells don't hurt me at all. |
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Rainbow wrasse and cleaner fish move down. Blemy hides |
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Rainbow wrasse |
(agitated) Hide everyone. Here come the seals and sailfish. |
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Cleaner fish |
There's a pelican about to dive, too. |
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Parrot fish |
And I can see a dolphin! I'm getting out of the way. |
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Sailfish and sealion come on stage. Manta ray and whale shark come back behind and high. Hammer head shark moves in. |
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Others |
/me too/hide quickly/ |
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Sea slug |
They won't bother me - I don't taste very nice. (Continues to eat the anemone) |
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Hammerhead shark |
Where are the cleaner fish? I only come here to be cleaned. |
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Manta ray |
They're never around when you need them. |
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Hammerhead shark |
Cleaner fish! Come on we can't wait here all day. I am covered in parasites and they must be taken off before I
return to the ocean. I have a long journey ahead of me. |
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Cleaner fish move towards hammerhead shark. |
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Sealion |
It feels great to play in the water. I love chasing fish. (starts to chase wrasse) |
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Sailfish |
Yes, it is good fun especially when there are so many fish to chase. |
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Dolphin |
I bet I can catch more fish than either of you. |
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Sealion |
Don't be so sure, dolphin. I can stay under water longer than you can. |
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Sailfish |
And I don't have to go up for air at all. |
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Starts chasing the smaller fish |
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Pelican |
Why waste time chasing fish when you can just dive in and catch them? |
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Dolphin |
Because its fun to chase the fish. You are too serious, pelican. |
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Sealion |
We always find lots to eat around the coral reefs. Fish, octopuses, crabs and shrimp. |
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Sailfish |
I prefer the wrasse and the cleaner fish. Squid are good too. |
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Pelican |
There is so much to choose from in the Sea of Cortez. |
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All animals move around and look for food. Cleaner fish also cleans larger fish.
Smaller animals come out for food when they can.
Suddenly there is a loud noise - all the animals stop, as if listening. The lights go out - animals quietly leave the stage on both sides.
Lights go on - nothing on the stage
Animals return to stage, facing forward and still.
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Blemy |
The trawl nets take everything from the coral on the sea bed. |
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Manta ray |
The fishermen are only fishing for shrimp. |
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Hammerhead shark |
By the time they have picked out all the shrimp, all the other animals are dead. |
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Sealion |
The fishermen throw the dead fish back into the sea and the seagulls eat the dead bodies. |
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Sea slug |
There is no more life in the coral. |
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Sting ray |
No animals to eat the plankton. |
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Whale shark |
No small animals for the large animals to eat. |
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Cleaner fish |
The food chain is broken. |
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Rainbow wrasse |
Life disappears from the Sea of Cortez. |
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