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CNN Larry King Live
Jack Hanna: Anything Can Happen!
Aired June 01, 2007 - 21:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP FROM "LARRY KING LIVE")
JACK HANNA, DIRECTOR EMERITUS, COLUMBUS ZOO & AQUARIUM: Isn't that beautiful, Larry?
LARRY KING, HOST: What is it?
KING: It's a jungle in here.
KING: Hey! Hey, what did -- hey, what did he do to you?
(voice-over): Thanks to Jack Hanna and his furry feathered, crawling, slithering friends.
(on camera): Stop it!
Are you going to say this is good looking?
They're off. Don't leave the set. You're a star.
HANNA: I'm afraid.
KING: You're afraid of this?
HANNA: No, no. I'm not afraid. I'm just expecting it to run.
KING (voice-over): You never know what might happen.
HANNA: Oh, that's a red pirate (ph). Oh, that does bite. I'd be crazy taking that out of the box.
KING: With Jack Hanna and his amazing animals.
HANNA: He likes you.
KING: Next...
(on camera): Oh, he slipped away.
(voice-over): On LARRY KING LIVE.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The term is "June is busting out all over." And it sure is here on LARRY KING LIVE because it's always a great pleasure Jack Hanna and his group of animals.
He is director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. The Web site, jackhanna.com, host of "Jack Hanna's into the Wild."
The aquarium, that's new?
HANNA: No, we've had it there a while, but we've upgraded it. We have manatees there at the aquarium -- one of the few parks in the world to have manatees, a beautiful animal from Florida that's very endangered.
So it's a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- it's one of the largest zoos in North America now, in Columbus.
KING: Really? In Columbus, Ohio?
HANNA: Yes.
KING: Where is "Into the Wild" going?
HANNA: "Into the Wild," what we're doing is, I'm talking my family now and doing a new series where I take all the family up to see the gorillas. It's our first special in Rwanda. We'll go into Africa and show what it's really like to be on safari behind the scenes. You know, as you know, with kids, it's a little bit different when you've got them all in Africa.
So it's going to be a lot of fun, you know, seeing what really goes on.
How do you get there?
You know, everybody just sees me here and then they see me ending up in Africa.
But what goes on in between? That's going to be a lot of fun.
KING: OK. Whenever Jack Hanna is here, we show you animals and teach you a lot about animals.
And we begin with the lynx.
HANNA: This is beautiful lynx here. It's so beautiful...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She's playing.
KING: Oh! Frisky, frisky.
HANNA: This is a Canadian lynx, Larry. And they're an animal that obviously is from Canada. And they're up in Idaho, Montana, that part of the country. They are the second-largest cat we have in North America, with the cougar, obviously, being the largest one.
You can tell it's a lynx because of the tufts on his ears there. And look at the big feet. Those big feet help it on top of snow. It looks like a snowshoe. Look at that. See the back foot?
KING: Yes. HANNA: That allows that cat to hunt in snow at three or four feet deep. And in the wintertime it turns kind of white. And this animal exists because of snowshoe hares. If there are a lot of snowshoe hares, then there's going to be a lot of Canadian lynx.
KING: So it lives in...
HANNA: Canada.
KING: Canada.
HANNA: All (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Canada.
It will come down...
KING: Tough weather?
HANNA: Yes, tough weather. And the cat is only -- it gets about twice this big. The Siberian lynx, which is virtually extinct in the wild, it's like four times bigger than this. But it's a unique animal, and about three years ago the population went way down because the snowshoe hare went way down.
But the feet really help it -- hey. The feet really helped this animal a great deal.
KING: Hey!
Hey, what did -- hey, what did he do to you?
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He is a-jumping.
HANNA: ... smart. He's trying to play with me is what he is trying to do.
KING: Ah, these Canadians.
All right.
HANNA: This animal here, Larry, is one of the...
KING: The red ruffed lamour.
HANNA: Lemur. Lamour...
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Oh, lemur, oh!
Well, I'm French.
HANNA: This is a... KING: Ah, lemur. I love lemurs.
HANNA: This is a lemur. But you remember, Larry The Lemur...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Larry the Lemur.
HANNA: Yes. He's making baby lemurs now. So like Larry lemur. This animal is a lemur. And you can see from the hands here. I think you can see this at home. I'll try and hold this hand here. It's a hand just like you would have.
This is a prosimian, which means it's pre-monkey and pre-ape. This has been around before monkeys and apes. It only lives on Madagascar. That's all.
If you took a satellite picture of Madagascar with Google or whatever 20 years ago, and you did it today, we talk about loss of rainforest, but here is incredible. You see just nothing but darkness and then a few patches of green.
This animal only exists in Madagascar. So if those forests are gone, this animal is gone.
There are about 28 types of lemurs left, Larry. And it has a -- you see how its grooming her nose right now?
See that?
It does that to groom each other. It also has these big fangs right there on the front of its mouth there. And those fangs are also used for grooming tools for the animal.
KING: Wow!
HANNA: A beautiful long tail there.
See that?
People still -- I'm sorry to say -- kill the lemur for food and use it...
KING: A beautiful, beautiful animal, the lemur.
HANNA: ... for coats.
KING: And now we meet the spider monkey.
HANNA: Now this, Larry, I want to spend a little time on this. This is not what a regular spider monkey looks like. This is David Jackson, from Zoo to You.
And, David, tell him what happened with this -- you won't believe this, Larry, where they found this. DAVID JACKSON: Unfortunately, it happens pretty commonly. She was found originally in a garbage dumpster here in L.A. because somebody had her as a pet illegally and when they didn't want her anymore and they figured out monkeys were not the greatest pets in the world, they didn't know what to do with her, they threw her away.
It happens quite often, unfortunately.
HANNA: And so the state calls David up. Now he gets a lot -- a lot of animals you see tonight are animals that come from either state of federal government or whatever. This was in a dumpster, as he said.
KING: God.
HANNA: Someone tried to feed the animal the wrong milk, so he has vitamin deficiency. As you see, his arms are all like this. The spider monkey lives in central South America.
See how that is?
They call this -- see his legs.
They call this a spider monkey, Larry, because it looks like a big old spider, plus he has a prehensile tale. You can see that on David's arm. And it lives in the trees, 20 or 30 of them.
They have a very large brain compared to other primates, as far as their body size. But, again, this is why people cannot have -- or shouldn't have -- it's against the law, number one, in most states, to have these animals as pets, because you have to know what you're doing.
He was trained at Moorpark College, north of here, which I'll talk about in a minute, and also other college degrees, so he knows exactly what's going on.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's doing fine now, by the way.
HANNA: Yes. She's doing good. She has it made, is what she has.
That's great.
KING: Garnett's bushbaby.
HANNA: This is a bushbaby...
KING: Oh.
HANNA: The great staffers of the World Wildlife Zoo in Phoenix, Arizona...
KING: What's that in the mouth, a grape?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a grape, yes.
HANNA: ... the Wildlife World Zoo. And this is a grape -- this is a bushbaby, Larry. This is a unique animal. When we're out in the wild filming at nighttime, you see all of these little eyeballs. And in the daytime they get one big blob. They all get together like -- it looks like this. And that means that -- and numbers are a great defense for a little animal like this, numbers.
Now, if this animal is by himself, anything would take it down. The bushbaby can go 20 or 30 feet tree to tree.
You can see those eyes. This is a perfect example. Look at the size of those eyes. They eat like sap and fruit, insects. They're great on insects. And when we see these out in Africa at nighttime, we see them all in the little bushes and the little small trees out there. And they all divide up during the nighttime to eat and then they all come back together daytime to stay together.
A bushbaby is a unique creature. Very, very soft fur there, as you can see. And, again, from Africa. Thanks to the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
KING: Beautiful.
HANNA: ... from the zoo -- Wildlife Word Zoo.
KING: A white-faced capuchin (ph).
HANNA: Now a capuchin, Larry, back when I was younger and you were younger, you remember the organ grinder monkeys.
KING: That's what this is?
HANNA: This is what this is, exactly, the capuchin. This is the animal that still some people have with special permits. The ones that might be a wheelchair -- have to have a wheelchair, that they need to open a door or get a phone or open their refrigerator. These animals are that.
But these animals should never be pets, Larry, at all. The capuchin monkey now is a threatened species in some parts of Central and South America.
KING: How did they become the organ grinder monkeys?
HANNA: I don't know. You know, I guess back in the old days, people just had the -- because they had -- obviously, you can see the personality the animal has. But, again, people at home maybe saw it's a nice little monkey.
Trust me, folks, it can bite your finger off. And they also carry diseases. So it's not something you have.
This was also confiscated and given to David Jackson and his people up there at Zoo to You.
But we used it strictly for education now. The capuchin monkey is an incredible animal, a New World monkey. The New World we refer to as Central and South America, and then, of course, Africa meaning Old World monkeys.
KING: You always want to (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
HANNA: I think he likes you, Larry.
KING: Yes, but don't take my card!
HANNA: Take his notes. There you go.
KING: Don't tick me off.
And the final animal in this segment is the barn owl.
Ah, I love the owl.
HANNA: Yes. The owl really...
KING: Look at his face.
HANNA: If you're ever on a game show, Larry, which you probably never will be, but if you are, and someone says, Larry, what animal is found on every continent except Antarctica?
It's this species of owl. They're found on every continent in the world except Antarctica, from the big Eurasian eagle owl to the real tiny little screech owl. I don't know if you have the screech owl here today or not.
And this animal obviously eats mice. And it hunts mainly, Larry, with echolocation. If I put a mice your big studio here in total darkness, this animal would find it by hearing it. And you can't hear a mouse, I know. No human being can.
KING: He can hear it?
HANNA: He can hear. Yes, great eyesight. And, again, 17 species of owl found all around the world.
KING: Wow!
HANNA: I had 12 squirrels in my backyard last -- about, I don't know, four weeks ago. Two owls came in, those squirrels left.
KING: Thank you, "owly."
We'll be back with more of Jack Hanna of this edition of LARRY KING LIVE.
June is busting out all over.
Don't go away.
HANNA: This has literally kept many, many parrots alive.
KING: Whoa. What a story.
We'll be back...
HANNA: I'll bet it (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
KING: I'll bet.
COMMERCIAL
KING: One quick reminder, Sunday night we'll be in New Hampshire and we'll follow the big Democratic Party debate.
We'll also be there Tuesday to follow the Republican Party debate.
That's Sunday and Tuesday in New Hampshire, special editions of LARRY KING LIVE.
We're back with Jack Hanna, director emeritus, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
And we begin this with the otter.
HANNA: This is -- this is -- Gary is from SeaWorld. See (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
KING: We've never had an otter on.
HANNA: No, no. This is a very threatened -- this is not the North American otter. It's probably a little bit smaller, wouldn't you say, Gary, than the North American?
GARY: Yes, it's a little bit smaller. Yes. This is the Asian small-clawed river otter. And it's the smallest type of the otters.
(CROSSTALK)
KING: And what is an otter?
GARY: An otter is a member of the Mustelidae family, so it's same family that you would find a skunk in or a badger or a weasel. But don't worry, she's not going to spray you with any odor.
HANNA: But it's interesting.
Why is this animal being killed?
You were talking about something about the shrimp fields.
GARY: Well, they have fish farms and they have shrimp farms that go along the mangrove forests. And the otters like to eat that kind of food. So the otters come down. They bring their whole family, all the kids, and they have a smorgasbord right there on the shore.
Well, obviously, the people that are raising the shrimp don't much care for that. They can eat about 35 shrimp a day.
(CROSSTALK) KING: And we also have a hyacinth macaw.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I do.
I have Wimpy.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I have Wimpy and we're going -- we're leaving Asia and going to South America.
HANNA: This is hyacinth macaw, Larry. Now, when I was in Brazil filming several years ago, we expected to see thousands of these. The most we ever saw of the flock was about 20 of these in one flock.
This is the hyacinth macaw, one of the largest -- the largest in the macaw family. That bird right now, if somebody were to try to sell that, it would be about $20,000. They're a beautiful bird, a (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
KING: Is a macaw a parrot?
HANNA: Yes. And look at that beak. Now watch what this bird does with his tongue. What the bird does with his tongue, is he's feeling for the soft spot in that nut. And SeaWorld San Diego, as you've been there before, has a magnificent collection of a lot of birds in it, with the educational shows there.
Now this is a parrot. And you could see what would happen if you had it as a pet. It would take your finger -- or tear your house apart in a split second. I don't recommend that as a pet at all. Now some are...
KING: No parrots as pets?
HANNA: No. If they were going to have a parrot as a pet, this is the one that's on Gary's shoulder here. And make sure, the second- largest smuggling we have in this country, Larry, is the smuggling of exotic animals and birds. Just several weeks ago, some parrots were smuggled into this country in PVC pipe, all wrapped in tape, and only about half survived.
KING: For the purpose of selling them as pets?
HANNA: Oh, yes. Right. But this one right here, if you're going to have a parrot -- I don't know if this one talks or not.
GAY: Say, hi, bud!
Can you talk?
Say, hi, bud!
HYACINTH MACAW: Hi, bud! (LAUGHTER)
HANNA: But this is -- I had a yellow-naped once and he would always -- he'd just -- they're a fun parrot. And you can work with him and have him at the house. But you have to take great care of him.
KING: Does the macaw talk?
GARY: The macaw only talks when she's alone.
HANNA: Yes.
GARY: She's a very shy little girl.
HANNA: I had a parrot that said three bad words, but I didn't teach him that. Somebody else did it.
KING: There was a good joke I heard, but never mind.
HANNA: No.
KING: Thank you, guys.
HANNA: Thanks, Gary. From SeaWorld in San Diego.
KING: And now the Manhattan snake. This is not the mayor -- OK -- and that was a little joke.
HANNA: This is a Manhattan snake?
KING: Mountain...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Oh, the mountain snake.
Why did I say Manhattan snake?
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
HANNA: Now, Larry, you should -- look, if our cameras can move in -- come here a minute -- come here a minute, David. This animal is a king snake. Now, Larry, David, tell them that -- you know what a coral snake is, right?
KING: I've seen them.
HANNA: Well, they're, you know, they're -- you don't want to have to be bitten by one of those.
Now tell the difference in coral snake and this?
DAVID: Oh, we always say red on black, friend of Jack; red on yellow, kill a fellow. That's the way you tell the difference... HANNA: So...
DAVID: So you look close.
HANNA: So if you have red on yellow with a snake, that's the coral snake, which is neurotoxic, which is not very good to be bitten by that if you want to hang around for a while.
KING: Live.
HANNA: But this kingsnake, this is one that eats other snakes, right?
DAVID: Yes. That's why they're called the king of snakes, yes. They eat other snakes.
HANNA: Now what would this thing eat, though?
I mean, it would have to be a pretty small snake.
DAVID: Mostly rodents. But if they do come across some smaller snakes they're kind of famous for eating young rattlesnakes.
KING: Where are they found?
DAVID: Arizona. The Sonoran Desert.
HANNA: See that gorgeous snake?
Look at that.
KING: Gee, that is a beautiful snake.
HANNA: It really is, isn't it?
KING: They don't get bigger, right?
DAVID: That's a pretty big one.
HANNA: He likes you. That's a nice snake. I love this snake. This snake here is one of favorites.
KING: I like him, too.
HANNA: Thank you for bringing that.
KING: And now, the peregrine falcon
HANNA: Peregrine.
KING: Peregrine falcon. The falcon.
HANNA: Now what this is, Larry, it's very important. This is the fastest animal in the world, clocked at about 220 miles per hour. The peregrine falcon now is adapting. You might have seen the stories in, whether it's New York City or whether it's Chicago, Columbus, Ohio. These birds are all now nesting in our major skyscrapers, because they love to eat pigeons, obviously.
KING: Yes.
HANNA: And that's one reason. But, also, they're way high up there. This bird, one time in about 1974, a guy was a falconer. And he flew a peregrine falcon between my legs at 200 and something miles an hour. And I want to tell you something, I could have lost everything.
KING: There are falconers, huh?
There are people who fly falcons?
HANNA: Oh, yes. Right. This is -- you talk about falconers, Osama bin Laden, for example, if you know about him, one of his favorite things is falconry. As a matter of fact, my understanding is, from what I have heard, that the -- this, by the way, is one that was injured, that we almost got Osama bin Laden because of a setup. He loved to buy falcons. He loves to fly these birds -- as well as a lot of the folks in the Middle East. It's a real -- it's a real profession.
But this bird here is one that was injured and lives at David Jackson's Zoo to You. It's a -- look at that -- look at the wings though, Larry. You talk about a stealth bomber. Look at how we design airplanes.
KING: They're patterned after them.
HANNA: Exactly. They're patterned right after these birds.
KING: Yes. Wow! That's a great bird. The great horned owl.
HANNA: Now we had an owl...
KING: Does this owl fly?
HANNA: This is the great horned owl. You may think that those are his ears. Those aren't. The ears are right down here on the side of his head, the great horned owl's ears. Again, they don't...
KING: Hello.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNA: ... they don't turn their heads, as I said before. This is one of the 17 species of owl. If you look at the talons there on the glove, if she didn't have that glove on, those talons would go right through her skin into the muscle.
Now if you took a bald eagle and did this, especially an Alaskan bald eagle, it would go in and break the bone. That's how powerful the talons are on the bald eagles. They're about 1,000 pounds per square inch of pressure.
KING: Where is he found?
HANNA: It's all over North America. Yes.
KING: Pretty.
HANNA: Aren't they gorgeous?
I just -- I love owls for some reason. People say -- people say as wise as an owl. It's not just that. Their brain is very small. What's wise is their senses -- their eyesight, their hearing. That's what makes them wise.
KING: And they don't get any percentage out of the potato chip...
HANNA: No.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: ... which kind of ticks them off.
Now finally in this segment -- I thought that was funny -- the turkey vulture.
HANNA: This is a turkey vulture. And a lot of people see the turkey vulture up in the air...
KING: It looks like a turkey.
HANNA: Right. But they may see -- you stay right up here.
They see the turkey vulture, they see the turkey vulture in the air, but they never one this close. You notice the bald head. That's because when he sticks his head down the cavity of a dead animal, bacteria cannot grow in all of those feathers. So he has a bald head.
Plus, I think -- this bird urinates, I think, on his legs to stay cool, Larry. That's how he stays cool. He urinates on his leg to stay cool.
And they soar. They can literally soar for hours in the air without ever flapping their wings.
They get up in the thermals and they just sit there and look for something dead and that's when they go down there.
A lot of the animals, by the way, like in Africa, if you have vultures and things in Africa, if a cheetah makes a kill, they'll circle like this, and the lions and hyenas will look up and they'll say, hey, the cheetah has made a kill. Then they go over and take the meat away from the animal.
So this animal is a guide to a lot of other animals throughout the world.
KING: Wow!
HANNA: A beautiful turkey vulture. KING: Another great segment with Jack Hanna, director emeritus, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
Back with more. Lots to come. Don't go away.
This is not a pretty animal.
HANNA: Well, in its own way.
COMMERCIAL
KING: We're back with Jack Hanna and his animals.
And we are a little careful about this one. This is a serval. And I didn't like this because the instruction was, don't go near him!
What is this?
HANNA: This is a serval cat, Larry. There you go. And they're from East Africa. I've seen these a couple of times in Africa. They're not that easy to spot because they live in the tall grasses. They're a cat that can catch a bird in free flight. They can jump six to eight feet in the air and grab a bird in free flight. Because you notice, Larry, their front and hind legs are different lengths.
The back legs much -- they're almost like a pogo. The back leg is used for -- for jumping.
KING: You're afraid of this one.
HANNA: No, no, I'm not afraid. I just respect it. If you -- if you see this cat, Larry, it follows herds of animals in Africa that kick up like bugs and snakes and things. And this animal will go by -- 60 percent of its diet is insects.
Now, they can't see this maybe at home, but on the back of its ears is what's called eye spots. Now, he's not going to turn around so you can see that. But -- there he goes, right there.
You see those spots on the back of his ears?
KING: Yes.
HANNA: If you can hold him right there a second, we can focus on the back of his ears there, if we can try it.
The back -- that's an eye spot, Larry. Very few animals in the country -- or in the world -- have those.
Let's say this cat was eating there. If this cat was eating something and -- like my hand, if this cat was eating something and a hyena came up, might see those eye spots back here, he might leave that cat alone.
So you can see what I'm talking -- you see the spots back there?
It looks like he is -- not to you it doesn't, but to another animal it does.
But, again, they're a unique animal. And if you watch, Discovery, by the way, or National Geographic, you will see -- or Animal Planet -- and if they happen to have something about the Egyptians and their tombs, you'll see this animal on the side of their mummies and on the side of their tombs.
So we know it used to live in Egypt. Now, you'd never find that animal except south of the equator, which as you know, goes across Kenya and that part of Africa. So a thousand miles north, 1,500, it's become extinct in the last 3,000 years.
KING: It's also beautiful.
HANNA: A gorgeous animal. That's why it was -- about 15 of these make one coat. That's why now it's out -- it's against the law to have them as coats.
KING: OK.
Goodbye, serval.
HANNA: Yes. We'll just -- we'll just say goodbye, serval.
KING: Go bother someone.
Roarrrrr.
Next is an agouti, am I pronouncing that?
HANNA: Yes. But we probably don't want to put the agouti up here while that animal is up here. That would be a good...
KING: Not if we would like the agouti to live through the segment.
HANNA: Yes.
Now the agouti is a very large rodent from Central and South America. A lot of people do eat these as -- here -- let's. Come here. Come here. Come here, agouti. Come here.
Will he eat this?
Let's see if he'll eat this here.
KING: A lot of people what?
HANNA: This is part of their diet in that part of the world.
KING: They eat agouti?
HANNA: Yes. It's a rodent. I've seen it -- I've been to a lot of places where they're -- they're eating these...
KING: It tastes like chicken. HANNA: It probably does, like a squirrel or something, I guess.
But the agouti, you've heard of the Capybara. The Capybara is from Central and South America. They're the world's largest rodent at about 300 and something pounds.
This agouti -- how old is the agouti here?
GARY: Six years old.
HANNA: All right. And this is from Moorpark College, as well. And why is that?
If you don't mind me saying -- one second.
Gary was the president of Moorpark College, which is -- people write me all the time and want to know where you go to be a zookeeper or a trainer. Moorpark College is north of here, Larry, Moorpark, California.
He's the one that helped start this college years ago. And now he's doing this as a favor to me, to bring all of these students here tonight. A lot of these folks are student there.
KING: Oh, they're all students?
HANNA: And so it's neat thing.
KING: They all want to be zookeepers.
HANNA: Right.
And what they're doing here for your show tonight, so you'll know this, a lot of these folks here, these trainers, will then help me on -- whether it's "Letterman," "Good Morning America," whether it's the Larry King show, Ellen's show, whatever it is.
So they're learning tonight, for the first time, these folks, about the process of TV goes.
So you're very nice to let all of these students here.
KING: Next is a sugar glider.
HANNA: The sugar glider is a unique creature.
But aren't they a beautiful animal?
KING: Beautiful.
HANNA: Look at this thing. Here we go. That's it.
They are unique, aren't they?
And you see about glider, Larry. And if you look there -- if you look at his little legs there, you'll notice there's flaps of skin underneath the little legs here, real long flaps of skin right underneath there.
You can't see it, really, unless they're flying. But when I say flying, this animal is capable of going like 20, 30 feet from tree to tree. And they're a pollinator. It's very important to know that this animal eats fruit, obviously, and seeds and stuff. And from tree to tree it will pollinate.
So it's a very important animal in nature. Like a bee pollinates, this pollinates in a different way, like a lot of animals pollinate, through their defecation.
But some people are getting these as pets and a lot of people don't really know how to take care of them. You've got be very, very careful when you have these little creatures, because they're nocturnal animals, as well, and they're just a unique creature. And, probably, I would not recommend these as pets unless you really are going to understand them and take good care of them.
If you are, then that's one thing. But they're a beautiful animal and should never be taken out of the wild. They're very -- they're so soft, Larry.
I don't know if you can -- can Larry feel this one?
Let me see here.
Just feel that. You won't believe that.
KING: Wow!
HANNA: It's almost like chinchilla.
KING: That is soft.
HANNA: Thank you.
He's from Moorpark College.
KING: And now a Larry favorite, the ever present hedgehog.
HANNA: Yes, these are the hedgehogs.
KING: I named these. The last time I had Herbie the hedgehog.
HANNA: Now are these African or European, these hedgehogs?
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Don't run your finger the wrong way, right?
HANNA: African hedgehogs. Yes. Exactly. Don't rub it -- let Larry have one there. Sometimes they might nip a little bit. But they like mealworms. These are mealworms here, by the way.
And, of course, a hedgehog is an animal -- these are African hedgehogs... KING: Don't get off. Don't leave the set.
HANNA: Stay up here, buddy.
KING: You're a star.
HANNA: But this is really -- the little books that are written for kids about hedgehogs and then the European hedgehog, even in England now, they have little tunnels underneath the roads where these little animals now can go from side to side instead of getting hit like our possums.
KING: You mean, hide under their thing?
HANNA: Yes. They just go underneath these pipes so they don't get hit on all the highways. They love little worms. Their eyesight is not that good, but their smell and their hearing is outstanding.
Plus, you can see here, they -- they're -- you can pick them up, but it's kind of difficult, because they...
KING: Why do they walk across highways?
HANNA: Well, just like any animal, you know, they're attracted -- a lot of animals get on the highways here, like a possum -- and animals just lay down on the asphalt, because during the daytime it gets warm, at nighttime it's cold, to stay warm.
KING: I love hedgehogs.
Are we are going to take a break?
HANNA: This is an African Hedgehog.
You can leave him there.
KING: We'll be back with lots more, including pot-bellied pigs, kingsnakes and a caracal, whatever that is.
Don't go away.
HANNA: Put him on Larry's shirt.
Put him there.
(CROSSTALK)
HANNA: That is -- isn't that beautiful, Larry?
KING: What is it?
COMMERCIAL
KING: We're back with Jack Hanna, director emeritus, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.
His Web site, by the way, is jackhanna.com.
And he's the host of "Jack Hanna's Into the Wild."
And now we have, what is a caracal?
HANNA: This is a caracal, Larry.
You don't see these at all. As a matter of fact, I've never had one on your show -- on any shows.
This animal is an animal from Africa. And if you notice, look at this, you can see that even this animal, way back when, again, in the years of Egypt and stuff, this animal was -- come here. Come here, buddy. Come here.
This animal is another animal, Larry, a cat that also can catch a bird in free flight. This is the youngster, only about 16 weeks. He loves to jump. He can jump, by the way. He can jump. He can jump, Larry, like 15, 18 feet out of a tree.
The ears -- the ears on this animal are very important, Larry. This animal has about 20 muscles in his ear. So if he wants to take that ear and direct it certain ways to hear, hearing is a very important...
KING: Stop it!
(LAUGHTER)
KING: They don't listen.
HANNA: He's not listening, is he?
KING: Nobody 16 weeks old listens.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right. He's just a kitten.
HANNA: But the cat is a very -- the cat is a very efficient hunter, Larry, and one that is very elusive and...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: No kidding.
HANNA: Whoops.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: And he likes coffee.
HANNA: But he is an animal that I've only seen briefly, Larry, only one time in all of my trips to Africa. But they get to be probably about probably 30, 40 pounds. And they are a solitary cat. And one who, as you can see, is a very efficient hunter when it comes to getting small mammals and birds, that kind of thing.
KING: I can tell.
HANNA: See though, this is part of the learning ability of the cat, doing this kind of thing, like a child, there you go. Thank you, Missy (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's right. You're welcome.
KING: Boy, zookeepers have to know a lot.
HANNA: Yes, they do.
KING: The pot-bellied pig is on the floor.
HANNA: Now, Larry, this is a pot-bellied pig. During the obviously the Vietnam War, what happened was some soldiers during the Vietnam War brought home a little pig called the pot-bellied pig. It's a smaller pig than our big old pigs we have over here. This pig -- pigs are intelligent, Larry. Some people don't understand that.
Pigs can be potty-trained. We had pigs on our farm. I love pigs. The pot-bellied pig, they're anywhere from this big to a little bit smaller than this.
KING: They come from Vietnam?
HANNA: Yes, the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig. Again, obviously they were used for food over there, but they also -- people had them as great pets. Back in the 19 -- hold, late -- in the '80s, late '70s, '80s especially. And they were really a craze. Many, many people had them. I did a show on a lady in Beverly Hills, had six of these in her house. It smelled a little bit, but she had six of them in the house.
KING: And servicemen brought them home?
HANNA: Yes. And then all of a sudden we had the Vietnamese pot- bellied pig here.
KING: Wow!
HANNA: They're neat creatures. They really are very intelligent. People tell you, pigs aren't intelligent. They are crazy. Pigs are...
KING: And you can house train them?
HANNA: Yes. This lady, I couldn't believe these pigs went to the bathroom all in the litter. They... (CROSSTALK)
KING: OK.
HANNA: ... in the backyard, they tore the backyard up.
KING: Species of king snakes, the first is the desert.
HANNA: Right, King snakes are a neat creature. I don't know who, is anybody miked on this group here?
KING: We have the desert, the Florida, the California, and the Arizona.
HANNA: Yes. Real quickly, I'm going to have you, David, step right in here because David is very expert on these things. You can tell when he -- it's really -- I've never done this before. So we can put him down here. Are they going to eat each other or...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, no, no, no. They won't eat each other. So you can keep the...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNA: Then I will -- what is this one here?
KING: A bevy of snakes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a California king, a Florida king, a Mexican king, and a desert king, desert southwest.
HANNA: Now this is a -- what's this one here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That one is a California king.
HANNA: California king. If you can bring that one -- no, we can't see it back behind that thing there. This is a California king.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Florida king.
HANNA: Florida king right here. Florida kingsnake -- oh.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNA: And this is a...
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's a Mexican king.
HANNA: You've got to bring it forward, because we can't see. There we Go, Mexican kingsnake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then a desert kingsnake.
HANNA: Now I've never seen this before, Larry. This is interesting to see, all of these different types of kingsnakes. We can -- I don't know if you're going to watch. I guess there are folks on each one of them right now.
But all of these, you can see, Larry, have color, except for this one right here which is the...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That's the Mexican black. And they do have different colors. They -- depending on the regions that they come from.
HANNA: And this is a protected snake in some places. I know that, the Kingsnake is.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, especially the Californian.
HANNA: Right. So see, Larry...
KING: And people take them for what, their skin?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, you know, a lot of times, we were talking about the mountain king earlier, a lot of people mistake them for coral snakes, and they don't even look to check and they just kill them going, oh, it's a poisonous snake. And they just get persecuted in that way.
HANNA: See the thing -- the key, Larry is to make sure that -- you know, that if you see a snake you think is poisonous, just leave it alone instead of going out and killing it, because snakes are vital to controlling rodents and all sorts of creatures. So they are an important animal on Earth. You like snakes, I know.
KING: I don't dislike them. They' re part of the nature of things.
HANNA: Exactly right. Right. He likes you. I think the boys should have that.
KING: At home? No.
HANNA: Yes. You wouldn't have any rats around the house.
KING: That would flip the wife.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: Oh yes. Yes, I'll take one home.
HANNA: OK.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: We'll be back with more of Jack Hanna and his array of animals, all kinds all colors, don't go away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNA: Larry, I've never had this one. Look at this, this is a unique one.
KING: Are you going to say this is good-looking?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: One of the more unusual looking animals, as we begin this segment with Jack Hanna, who is always welcome at LARRY KING LIVE, is the beaver.
HANNA: I don't know, Larry, if you ever see a baby beaver, there are the most -- they are cute -- one of the cutest animals in the world. And this is a big beaver here. Beavers are obviously animals that a lot of badgers -- some people don't like because they stop up creeks, they build their dams. But they're a fasting animal.
I remember the IMAX people did a tremendous job on beavers in their story. This animal also goes way back to our days as settlers, you know, who obviously trapped beaver for coats to stay alive and that type of thing.
They have that tail, I don't know if you can see this big tail of this animal. Look at the feet, Larry. This is beautiful here. If you can see this.
KING: Whoa.
HANNA: Look at this, look at the foot there. See that? Look at his foot here. How many people get to see a beaver's foot? Look at that, isn't that amazing? Almost like a duck's foot, isn't it?
KING: Amazing.
HANNA: That gets that guy going through the water, you won't believe how fast...
KING: We have a home in Provo and beavers built a dam across the Provo River. Watch him, they're doing like a bridge.
HANNA: Oh, it's amazing. These animals are engineers. I'm sure someone said that years ago we learned how to build things from beavers.
KING: Must have.
HANNA: They take their tail, you hear this like this in the water? You've heard it, I'm sure. They slap their tail like that, and warn all everybody that somebody is coming, there is trouble in their. This is a -- I don't know.
I don't know what it is about me, but I love these little creatures. I know a lot of people think they're a nuisance and a pest.
KING: Beaver, does this bother you? Don't bother him.
HANNA: No, he's a good beaver.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's (INAUDIBLE) for him.
HANNA: Isn't that beautiful? Now that's a big beaver there. I'm going to tell you something. But it is a very important animal, not just to our ecosystem, Larry, but again, to the settlers that settled our country as well.
KING: And now a historic moment on LARRY KING LIVE. This is a crocodile monitor.
HANNA: This is from Wildlife World Zoo in Phoenix. A great tale, Larry, about this, because this is a unique feature here, Larry.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is actually the world's longest lizard. It's not as heavy as a Komodo dragon, which is a cousin of it. But it can reach 12 to 14 feet in length. So that makes it the world's longest lizard. Plus...
KING: A lizard, not a crocodile.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not a crocodile.
KING: Then why is it called a crocodile?
HANNA: Look at this, Larry. Look at this.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Its jaw is powerful like a crocodile. And it can carry prey up into trees. So it has kind of a sharp teeth and the ability to carry up into trees. And what is interesting too is most monitors live in the trees when they're young and small and then they move to the ground.
This guy does the reverse. He actually spends most of his time in a tree, which is why they're also called the tree crocodile.
HANNA: Now look at this. Look at the tail there, Larry. Look at this thing. This thing is what, like eight feet long. It gets to be how long again?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Twelve to 14 feet. And two-thirds of that...
HANNA: Sorry, I didn't mean to do that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two-thirds of it are actually made up of tail, which is slightly prehensile. So as they're climbing through the trees, they can use this tail to balance and to grab on the branches.
KING: But what do they eat?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Mostly carrion, other prey animals that have been left behind. But they'll also eat birds' eggs and small animals.
KING: Do they bother humans?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Only if you get too close and harass them. They are pretty vicious hunters. And that forked tongue you see there, Larry, when he's tasting the air, that's a trait he shares with snakes. Snakes are the only other reptile that have a forked tongue.
HANNA: The infections they have in their gums is unbelievable. And when they do bite an animal, they will then trail that animal for days. And that animal usually dies from infection because it takes that tongue there and just goes -- it takes its take there and just goes -- takes its time and goes right down -- follows him. There it is laying there and eats it.
KING: Wow!
HANNA: I want to thank you for bringing that from Wildlife World.
KING: Thank you.
HANNA: It does take a lot of work. Thank you so much.
KING: Whoa. That is some animal.
HANNA: Thank you.
KING: And now we meet a loris.
HANNA: Now this is loris. I'm not that familiar with loris. This is also another first on this show.
Where is the loris from?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are from Southeast Asia.
HANNA: Right.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Specifically Indonesian rainforests.
HANNA: Right. And they call it a slow loris, right?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is a slow loris and a slender loris. This is a slow loris.
HANNA: Why is that, because he is slow?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, he is slow, but not...
HANNA: If we can turn his head around, he's facing the other way there. Just go like this. Oh yes, see, there, it's like he is in a jungle right now. See how he is camouflaged there.
KING: Yes.
HANNA: And the loris -- is it like the bushbabies, what they eat as far as insects in nature and things?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
HANNA: But this is from Asia, Larry. Again, it is called a slow loris. So they're pretty -- are these endangered or threatened?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are endangered, yes. They are very endangered actually. This is one of only a few here in the United States.
HANNA: Oh wow. Look at that. That is beautiful. I have never seen...
KING: I hate to hear that. Yes, I know. OK. Thank you, loris, great to have you on the show.
A pancake tortoise.
HANNA: Now, I -- where is the pancake tortoise from? Obviously, Larry, as you can see here, it looks like a pancake.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They're from southeastern Africa. And they live in rocky outcroppings...
HANNA: Do they move their shell?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's kind of -- compared to most tortoises there's a little bit of mobility here and also on the bottom plastron. And the other thing, of course, is they don't have a dome shell like most tortoises.
KING: Do they live 100 years, is that true?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably not so long. The smaller species tend to live a little bit shorter, maybe a couple of decades.
HANNA: And this -- where do you find it, in water or just on the land?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In kind of cliff areas, rocky outcroppings. They use that for protection.
HANNA: Are there a lot of these? I've never seen one of those.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Actually, they are pretty well-protected because they can hide in the rocks.
HANNA: Pancake tortoise. Thank you.
KING: Wow, look at this, the common snapping turtle.
HANNA: Don't put your finger in this one's mouth.
KING: Does not look very common to me.
HANNA: It doesn't make any difference about common, I was from Tennessee and these animals are where the...
(WHISTLING)
HANNA: Did this one snap?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She hasn't snapped at me.
HANNA: Well, yes, but, let me tell you something, once they hang on to you, they don't let go until sunset. That's what I was always told on the farm because they bite -- these animals, Larry, can get to be 150, 200 pounds, some of the snapping turtles in this country, in America. And they have a very powerful jaw. And as I said before, they go down there. This animal can stay down under water for several hours before it even comes up for air.
KING: Live in and out of water?
HANNA: Exactly. Well, mainly in the water, yes, where it's damp especially.
KING: Very hard rock shell.
HANNA: It's almost prehistoric-looking, this snapping turtle.
KING: Yes, it is. Wow. That's something. And now an Aldabra tortoise.
HANNA: Aldabra tortoise.
KING: Aldabra. One of the largest species.
HANNA: Second-largest tortoise right straight in the world.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, they go neck-and-neck with the Galapagos.
HANNA: With the Galapagos. So, Larry, this can get to be 300, 400 pounds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, even 500 or 600 pounds.
HANNA: No.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Really, yes.
HANNA: And live to how old? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least a century, maybe two centuries. No one really knows for sure. But they...
KING: They live a century?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least, yes. And they, of course, come from the atoll in the Indian and Pacific Ocean, the Aldabra Atoll. And beautiful dome shell. This fellow here is a youngster. He's only probably about 6 or 8 years old and he's only about 30 pounds. So he's at the beginning of his...
HANNA: And they eat cactus. They could go their whole life without drinking water. They get all the water they need from the plants that they eat, all the water they need.
As a matter of fact, Larry, this is interesting. The sailors, the pirates, years ago, especially Aldabra and the Galapagos, they would take these tortoises off the islands and turn them upside down in their ships. This was about 1600s, 1700s, 1800s. They would turn them upside down. This animal would live up to one year in those ships.
They would eat the meat -- that was their meat. They would have -- there was no refrigeration on a ship back then. So this was their meat. And plus they would drink the urine. The urine is very diluted -- dilated. And they would drink the urine. This was -- literally kept many, many pirates alive.
KING: Whoa, what a story. We'll be back.
HANNA: I'll bet it smelled on the ship.
KING: I'll bet. Lots more to go on this edition of LARRY KING LIVE with Jack Hanna. Don't go away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back with Jack Hanna. And who's our friend here?
HANNA: This is an emu here from the Wildlife World Zoo in Phoenix again. And the emu, Larry, is an animal that's from Australia. You have the ostrich, the emu, and the -- in South America...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The rhea?
HANNA: Yes, the rhea. The three largest land birds. This is second probably to the ostrich. The emu was -- you may remember this. There was a craze, Larry, back in the 1980s, '90s, with emus that were raised on farms for -- like ostrich meat, you know, was very low in, what, cholesterol, whatever it was. So a lot of people raised emus for food.
The animal doesn't get as big as an ostrich. They have the big feet, as you can see there on the ground. They are a ground bird. They don't fly. They love to eat vegetables, insects...
KING: Strange name, emu.
HANNA: It is. Emu is a strange name. And this is an animal who obviously in Australia would be hunted by dingoes and those types of things, or wild -- or dogs, whatever it might.
But again, these are commercially raised. The feathers are used for -- whether it be plumes or whatever it might. But the animal is a unique animal. And one that -- I'm not going to say it goes back to the -- what is that big old burly thing, emu? The (INAUDIBLE) -- the...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The cassowary?
HANNA: Cassowary, which is in Australia. Yes, that bird is gorgeous. It has a big old beautiful head.
KING: Thank you for the emu. And now we welcome one of our Favorites, the opossums. And these are young possums.
HANNA: Yes. This time of year, Larry...
KING: They play possum.
HANNA: Right. This time of year. Though, Larry, it's the only marsupial we have in our country. Australia has a lot of marsupials. This is the only marsupial we have, the possum. Now the difference is Larry, a kangaroo -- when a kangaroo has a baby, it can have three babies at one time. It can breed, have a baby coming out of the pouch, and have a baby go in the pouch.
The possum has a pouch there. They have one nipple in the pouch. Now the possum has like 12 or 13 nipples. And the baby possums all, boy, they look like worms, just like a kangaroo does. They go in the pouch and they stay there for about maybe two or three weeks, a possum does. Then they get to go to the mom's back. And then in six months or seven months, these possums can breed again.
That is not the case with the kangaroo. A kangaroo -- they are in a pouch up to eight months. These don'thardly stay in the pouch at all for very long. The kangaroo though stays there eight months and then of course it doesn't breed for a year or so.
KING: And then do they play possum?
HANNA: Yes. You know, people -- what they do, Larry, is they try and play like they are dead so something won't bother or eat them. But most of the time they are -- again, stay on the road, the hot asphalt, to stay warm. But they do play possum, but it's not something that people just say they did with it. A lot of times what happens is they are fighting so much, Larry, they just -- kind of just freeze up and stay this way. But this time of year, folks, when you see baby possums or baby skunks or raccoons, don't go bother them, because someone has now turned these in to Zoo to You, and now they have got to raise these possums the rest of the lives. So leave the possums alone. Usually the mother will take them away.
Another thing, raccoons and skunks can carry the rabies virus. They may not have any symptoms, but they'll carry the virus. So don't let your kids go out -- you don't have to kill them, just don't go out and let them play and pick these up as pets.
KING: And now we meet the baby warthog.
HANNA: Now the warthog -- this is also from Phoenix, Zoo to You. This animal, Larry, is an animal that is...
KING: This is not a pretty animal.
HANNA: Well, in it's own way. But there are very few warthogs -- really, a lot of zoos don't have the warthog, Larry. They are an animal in Africa that is quite prevalent. But they are also an animal that provides a lot of food whether it be leopards or lion, or even cheetah.
They call them warthogs because they have got little warts on the end of their noses.
KING: I hate when they jump.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNA: This warthog, they'll get into aardvark holes and they will go in backwards. A lot of animals you go in frontwards. The warthog goes in backwards. And then he looks out where he can watch where he is going. He doesn't go frontways.
But they have little antenna tails here. I'll show you his tail here. This little tail here. So when they are alarmed, they take this tail and put it up there like this. Just like that. Run around, and that -- they go fast, like 30 miles an hour.
They're very difficult to catch, these little warthogs. But it's not erect right now. But...
KING: And they drink milk, huh?
HANNA: Yes, this little eight-week-old warthog, neat animals.
KING: And now the ever-present centipede.
HANNA: Yes. I don't touch it. What is up -- yes, you can't touch that, can you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, sir. HANNA: They sting the fire out of you.
(LAUGHTER)
HANNA: Where is this from, Asia?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Vietnam.
KING: Now this will bite?
HANNA: These things sting bad. I know that. I got stung by one once. But this thing I don't want to get stung by this thing.
KING: And it's from Vietnam?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
KING: Still bugging us?
HANNA: Oh, man.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's red fire centipede.
HANNA: Red -- oh, that's a red fire one. Oh, that does bite. I'd be crazy talking that out of the box. Thank goodness I didn't do that.
And this bug here...
(CROSSTALK)
HANNA: Oh, I love these things. Look at this...
(CROSSTALK)
KING: Australian and Vietnamese.
HANNA: Put it on Larry's shirt. Look at that. Is that unique?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He's going to stand there and pretend like he's a ...
HANNA: That is -- isn't that beautiful, Larry?
KING: What is it?
HANNA: Australia walking stick. It looks like -- if you put these in the trees, Larry, you can never...
KING: What is a walking stick?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just like that.
HANNA: See, just like this one. It's like an insect.
KING: It's an insect?
HANNA: Yes. But aren't they unique, though? I mean, just like on -- oh, look at this one, Larry. Look at -- here, put this on Larry's shirt.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This one actually has some wings that it can show.
HANNA: And where is this one from?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That one is from -- also from Vietnam.
HANNA: Oh, look at that, Larry. Tell me...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Woo!
HANNA: Tell me, Larry, that you wouldn't think that is a stick walking through the jungle.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Look at him. He looks just like a stick.
KING: I would think it's a stick. Except, it doesn't feel like a stick.
HANNA: No, no, you are right.
KING: A stick would not be jabbing into your skin.
HANNA: Right.
KING: As this stick is doing. However, I am brave.
HANNA: Look at this, look at that, Larry, isn't that amazing?
KING: I feel it, though.
HANNA: But I just -- I think nature is incredible how it has created these animals look just like a leaf or whatever it might be.
KING: When we come back, one of the great moments in Jack Hanna history. In fact, Jack Hanna says, the most talked-about moment in his history.
(LAUGHTER)
KING: And remember, as we go to break, carry a big -- we'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: We're back. In our remaining moments with Jack Hanna, and Jack will tell you this, in 14 years of coming on this how, the following thing we're going to show you is the most talked about moment in Jack Hanna/LARRY KING LIVE history.
My two young boys, they're now eight and seven -- Chance is eight and Cannon is seven -- were on the show. They came on in the last two segments. Their mother was sitting over there watching with just joy. And we brought on a toad. And, well, it speaks for itself. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HANNA: This is a king toad. Now those right here are poison glands. This toad, Larry, is the one that came over from South America. And they brought him in this country, southern Florida. It's called the Alada (ph) Dance with Dogs. Dogs try and eat this. There's the poison glands right here, man, right back there. So the dog eats it. No, no, he's not going to hurt you.
CHANCE KING, LARRY KING'S SON: Somebody just get it off of me. Get it off of me.
KING: Chance, it's OK.
HANNA: Oh, no. No, it's just a toad. It's a toad.
L. KING: It's OK. It's OK.
HANNA: It's a toad.
L. KING: It's OK.
HANNA: Yes, it's OK. I don't blame you. I don't like toad much.
L. KING: He didn't bite you, Chance.
HANNA: Hey, Chance, I don't like them either, Chance.
L. KING: Yes. You're OK, he didn't bite you.
HANNA: Chance is good.
L. KING: Get (INAUDIBLE) out of here.
HANNA: You were good, Chance. That was good (INAUDIBLE).
L. KING: That was good. Give him five.
HANNA: Give me five. Give me five, Chance. Give me five.
L. KING: Say good-bye to the toad. Say good-bye.
C. KING: Why (ph)?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: Great moment, right. I still hear about it.
HANNA: I loved it. Oh, it was so unbelievable.
KING: And Cannon is looking like, my brother's going to get killed.
HANNA: He was, wasn't he?
KING: Here's another (INAUDIBLE) toad.
HANNA: Yes, now here's -- I don't know if you'd like (INAUDIBLE). This is the African pixy frog. (INAUDIBLE) put him on the desk here a second. This one, Larry, is even bigger than the other one.
KING: Is it poisonous too?
HANNA: No, not this one. The other one has a little poison. This one doesn't have that.
This one eats mice. Look at him. See, isn't that gorgeous (INAUDIBLE)?
KING: (INAUDIBLE).
HANNA: Isn't that amazing? This is the one -- they make the slime balls and goes inside the slime sack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Snot balls.
HANNA: Snot balls.
KING: Snot ball.
HANNA: Because that's where - he goes in there when it's real dry, right, and stays inside of his slimy sack for up to two droughts. Two droughts. Isn't that amazing? Look at this Larry. Feel this thing.
KING: Woo.
HANNA: See that. Feel that. It looks like a -- it's like silly putty or something.
KING: Yes, feels like silly putty.
HANNA: Right. Gorgeous animal.
KING: Beautiful.
HANNA: I love that frog.
KING: And now the madamda (ph) turtle.
HANNA: Turtle.
Now the madamda turtle - whoo, there, I've never had this one. Look at this now. If this isn't unique as what.
KING: I was going to say, you're going to say this is good looking? HANNA: But look at this, Larry. Look at the neck here. They bite. I think they do. Look at this, Larry. Look at this. See this right here. This is what -- fish see this kind of stuff just hanging out like this and the fish (INAUDIBLE) right, Greg (ph) . . .
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
HANNA: Fish will come up and say, oh, we'll eat this. Bam, that thing will grab them. Where is this from? Tell him about this. This is unbelievable.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is from South America. It lives in the Amazon in its estuaries. And it will park on the buddy bottom with its nostril. It can lift up above the water line to take a breath, so it doesn't have to move its body.
HANNA: Look at that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And it will suck in water and suck in the pray animals that Jack was telling you about, as it's kind of cleaning off (INAUDIBLE).
HANNA: They suck them in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Leave that nose hole, Larry. Have you ever seen a creature like this?
KING: Never have.
HANNA: This is like prehistoric. I mean I just think this thing looks - been around, who knows.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is one of the biggest madamda turtles you'll see.
KING: Do they live a long time?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Probably nowhere near your tortoises.
HANNA: If you would get the wildlife . . .
KING: One of the strangest looking creatures.
HANNA: Well, look at the neck there. I don't think they can see at home. Look at that stuff hanging off here. It just looks like it just sucked -- I mean looks like something you want to eat, doesn't it? I mean, not you, but I mean, you know, some fish or something will eat that stuff hanging off his neck there.
KING: Hanna, you're weird.
HANNA: If you get the Wildlife World Zoo (ph) as a kid (INAUDIBLE), you won't believe it.
KING: The green iguana. HANNA: Now this, Larry, was a craze about two, three years ago. Everybody was getting iguanas. And, of course, people wanted them to go to be five, six feet long.
KING: As pets?
HANNA: As pets. And I just don't recommend it because it -- I mean, if you really are dedicated and you want to take care of an iguana, that's one thing. But 90 percent of the people don't do that. And right now in Florida, you go down to Florida, you'll see these animals everywhere in Florida.
I was just talking to (INAUDIBLE) Davey Jackson (ph). People are just down there -- Miami, everywhere, out there, these animals are running everywhere in the trees by the thousands. And they been introduced down there and that's not good. The iguana, the animals, still use -- I just did a big show on them in Brazil and they're used for a lot of food over there. Some people steal the eggs and eat them. And now the iguana is threatened, believe it or not, in some parts of central America, Belize and as well as South America.
They live in the trees. They have a big, long tail there. They can -- they swipe with as a means of defense.
KING: And one more coming up, the rhino iguana.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is our baby iguana.
KING: A midget iguana?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We have a bigger one here (INAUDIBLE).
HANNA: Now these, I think, are these the threatened species, the rhino? Where are they from?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Caribbean.
KING: We have a minute left.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The mini iguanas are, because of losing habitat.
KING: Right. This is the same thing?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. This is a much younger one.
HANNA: Yes. Absolutely. But they call it the rhino iguana, why, because see the nose?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The chocolate chip horns there.
HANNA: See, they're just like a rhinoceros.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE) right there.
HANNA: Of course, the rhinoceros has the one big horn. But look at those. Look at those. It's called the rhino iguana.
And this animal, I did a story on these. I can't remember what island. Was it -- out in the Caribbean. But these animals are a threatened species on a lot of these islands right now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
KING: Night of the iguana.
HANNA: Night of the iguana, exactly.
KING: Jack, I can't thank you enough, as always.
HANNA: Thanks a lot.
KING: Thanks to all of you people. You were great.
HANNA: And we'll (INAUDIBLE) everybody out there.
KING: Thanks to everybody who's assisted. And Wildlife World Zoo and everybody responsible for this program tonight. We always love having you.
Jack Hanna, director of emeritus, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Website, jackhanna.com, host of Jack Hanna's "Into The Wild."
Sunday night following the Democratic Party debate. We'll be with you from New Hampshire with a live edition of LARRY KING LIVE on this Sunday with candidates, reporters and pundents.
Stay tuned now for "AC 360." Good night.
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