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Sesame Street Explores National Parks.
[SINGING]
We are park rangers.
We take care of the parks.
We look at rocks and animals, investigate tree bark, observe
butterflies in butter, look for fireflies that spark.
We are park rangers and we explore the park.
Yeah!
Want to play Park Ranger with Elmo and Murray?
Great!
Come on!
Come on!
Oh, say hello to Ranger Amala from Grand
Canyon National Park.
Hello, Ranger Amala!
Hi, guys.
What park rangery stuff are we doing today, Ranger Amala?
Today, we are going to find out about a special family
that lives in Grand Canyon.
Ah.
Oh, don't tell me.
I can picture the family now.
The mom's a lawyer.
The dad's an accountant.
They have 2.5 children and live in a
lovely, split level ranch.
Not even close, Murray.
What?
Well what family are we going to learn about?
Yeah.
We're going to learn about a family of California condors.
Ah.
What kind of animal is a California
condor, Ranger Amala?
Yeah, what is it?
Well, what do you think it looks like?
Um, Elmo thinks it looks like a bird.
Bird!
I'm going to say bird, too.
Bird!
That's right.
The California condor is a bird, and it happens to be the
largest flying bird in North America.
Ah.
It stands three to four feet tall.
Hold on, hold on.
Let me get these awesome facts down in my nature journal.
Here I go.
Three to four feet tall.
Go on.
And the California condor weighs 18 to 24 pounds.
18 to 24 pounds.
And it has a nine and a half foot wingspan.
A wingspan of nine and a half--
wait a minute.
How big is that?
Well, hold out your arms, Murray.
OK, holding them out.
It's bigger than that.
Whoa!
That is big.
Yeah.
Well, who else is in the California condor family?
Yeah, who?
Who?
Well, at Grand Canyon, a mom, a dad, and a baby
condor live in a cave.
They take care of their baby for two years
before it leaves home.
Well, if you're taking care of the biggest flying bird in
North America, it's going to take a little time.
Yeah.
Boy, Elmo really wants to know more about the California
condor family.
Hey!
So do I!
No problem.
Let's use our binoculars and take a look at Grand Canyon.
OK.
Binoculars to see the Grand Canyon?
These must be powerful.
Just put them on, Murray.
Oh, OK.
Wow.
Condor families live high up in cave in a
nest called a scratch.
People visiting Grand Canyon often use a telescope or
powerful binoculars, like the ones we are using now, to see
condor families up close in their nest.
Condors lay their egg and have their baby
right on the cave floor.
A baby condor is called a chick.
The mommy and daddy condor take turns feeding and taking
care of the chick.
Right now, the daddy condor is out getting food, so it's
mommy's turn to take care of baby.
Because there are so few condors left in the wild,
scientists give each condor a special number so we can know
who they are and where they are all the time.
The mommy and daddy condor raise their chick for about
two years, or until it's old enough to fly and find food
all on its own.
Boy.
Ranger Elmo loves the California condor family.
Yeah, me too.
Hey, Ranger Amala, can we look for California condor families
in our park?
I'm afraid not, Murray.
Many, many years ago, you could see them all over the
United States, but not anymore.
What happened, Ranger Amala?
Yeah.
Well now, California condors are endangered.
That means there aren't many of them, and they are only
found in California, Arizona, Utah, and Mexico.
Aw.
But we can observe other animal families in the park.
Ranger Elmo can?
Absolutely.
Come on, rangers.
Let's look closely and carefully at other animal
families in the park.
Look at this adorable family of ducks that
live in your park.
As you can see, the baby ducks follow close by wherever the
mommy duck leads them.
Baby ducks are called ducklings.
Here is a family of geese.
Right here in Elmo's own park?
Who knew?
Their webbed feet allow them to walk on land
or swim in the water.
Oh boy!
There are animal families all around.
So be like a ranger.
Go outside and observe all the animals and their families.
Yeah.
But animals are wild, so don't get too close.
Yeah.
Yeah.
See you outside on Sesame Street.
And at the park.
Peace.
Bye bye.
"Sesame Street Explores National Parks" is produced in
partnership with the National Park Service and the National
Park Foundation, who would like to remind you that
national parks belong to everyone, so be like a park
ranger and help keep our parks clean, safe, and healthy.
Special thanks to Grand Canyon National Park, Gateway
National Recreation Area, and Hopper Mountain National
Wildlife Refuge.