Boy, this is the life.
Yep. The sun, the sand, and us
This is what l call a field trip.
And what a great topic£º 'how animals make a place to live'.
Good thing we're animals. And what better place to pick than the beach?
Except...
...this isn't the right place.
What do you mean, Ralphie?
This is where we want to be.
Trust me£¡ This spot here has everything we need£¡
But Ralphie, what's so great about this spot?
And how come nobody's here but us?
Uh...scratch that.
Forget this£¡ lt's way too crowded now. Let's move back to where we were£¡£¡
Uh uh£¡ We stay here. This is the right spot for us. You'll see.
Sorry, but l don't think so, Ralphie.
There's no room to lie out or build sand castles - or anything£¡
And it's nowhere near the water£¡
Yoo-hooo£¡ Class£¡£¡£¡
MS FRlZZLE£¡
Salutations, sun seekers£¡
l see you've found the uh...busiest spot on the beach£¡
You can say that again.
But this is where we're staying£¡
Not me£¡ Not only is it too crowded here - it's trash city£¡
Keesha's right, Ralphie. l can't think of one good thing to say about this spot£¡
Relax, you guys£¡ You'll get the message soon enough.
Oh, and speaking of messages...
...this just floated in with the tide.
The tide?
Uh huh The regular rise and fall of the water in the oceans, Arnold.
Huh??
l know what you mean£¡
There's a pier near where we go on vacation, and when it's high tide...
...the water rises up£¡
Right, Tim?
Uh, right, Ms Frizzle£¡
And when it's low tide...
...the water goes down.
Up... and down.... Up... and down.
Twice a day - everyday£¡
SeRVice you can count on£¡
Who sent the message, Ms Frizzle? Open it, open it£¡
Why, it's from my Uncle Shelby£¡
Why am l not surprised?
''Greetings, my valorous Valerie. l'd like to finagle a favor.
''l'm off to a shell show - a meeting of mollusks starring my moluscular mate, Mert.
''Turns out Mert needs someone to keep an eye on his scrumptious shoreline home.
Are you game?''
Ah£¡ A scrumptious shoreline home£¡
That's exactly what we've been looking for£¡
We're not looking for anything, Wanda.
We've got a place here, remember?
Get real, Ralphie. This is not scrumptious and it's nowhere near the shoreline.
Hmph£¡
Oh look£¡ There's even a map to show us how to get there£¡
Please can we go, Ms Frizzle? Can-we-can-we-can-we-can-we??
Well, it would be nice to help out my Uncle Shelby ...
l got his machine...
Val here, Uncle Shel.
Tell your friend Mert we'd be happy as clams to watch his place for him.
Conch up with you later.
Hi ho class£¡
You guys go. l'm staying right here to guard our spot.
lt has everything we need, right, Liz?
Single file, class£¡
Let's see£¡
According to this map, Mert's place should be right over there£¡
You'd better double-check the map, Wanda.
That place doesn't look so scrumptious to me£¡
Well, the map divides the shoreline into three zones -- high, middle and low.
This dotted line goes right down through the High Zone into the part of the Middle Zone....
...which is in the water£¡ Let's go£¡
No way£¡ Nobody would live down there£¡
Mert does. lt's on the map, see?
Besides, Ms Frizzle promised. She can't go back on her word now.
Right, Ms Frizzle?
Loyalty is everything, Phoebe.
Why, l'd go to the bottom of the sea for my Uncle Shelby.
Uh oh. Why do l get the feeling that...
Never fear - the bathisphere£¡
WAHOOOHOOOHOOOO£¡
... this is turning into a field trip£¡
Buckle up, class...
...we're goin' down£¡
Um...Ms Frizzle?
Yes, Arnold?
What do we do when we run out of air in here?
Well, in the famous words of my cousin Crus Tacean,
''when you're in mussel territory - do what mussels do''£¡
And what might that be...?
What happened? What are we?£¡
You are now mytilus californianus - mussels£¡£¡
MUSSELS??£¡?
Look£¡ We can breathe.
Hey, yeah£¡ We've got gill thingies -- just like fish do£¡
Ah, yes...the thrill of a gill£¡
Don't you just love it£¡
But what's the deal with these stringy things?
Well, it's all part of what it means to be a mussel.
Mussels don't have arms and legs, you know.
There goes my career as a concert pianist.
Hey, according to the map...Mert's place is right here£¡ Look, there's the sign£¡
Scrumptious shoreline home...huh£¡
Well, this has been very interesting, but uh let's go back now.
Being turned into a mussel has made me hungry.
Besides, what's all this got to do with Mert?
Waitaminute£¡ This is starting to make some kind of weird sense. Ms Frizzle...
Yes, Wanda?
By any chance is Mert...a mussel?
Well, my Uncle Shelby always did hang out with an unusual crowd.
Oh no£¡
What better way to find out how animals pick place live...
...than to live in the place an animal picked£¡
l like it.
Hey£¡ Wait£¡ Someone's moving into Mert's place.
l hate to be a crab, but it might be time to muscle in£¡
Time to do the Mussel Hustle, class£¡
What's to keep us from falling off?
Maybe that's what these stringy things are for - to fasten ourselves down£¡
What a fasten-ating idea, Phoebe£¡
l don't get what's so great about this spot.
l mean, it's just as crowded as Ralphie's spot on the beach.
And what do we do for food?
Patience, Arnold.
According to Uncle Shelby, this is one of the finest spots on the shoreline.
l told you, Liz. This is one of the finest spots on the beach.
Whatwasthat??£¡
Hey£¡£¡£¡
HEYYYYY!!!
Awright, awright, don't panic. We gotta stay calm.
You know, Carlos, you're my pal and all,
but l'm not too thrilled about you living on my head.
Yeah, well, if Arnold would just give me a little shell-room...
At least you two don't have to bunk with species you don't even know.
According to my research that snail is a turban snail.
And those clusters are goose barnacles.
l guess they want a piece of the rock, too.
But do they have to have my piece??£¡?
Ms Friz-zulllllllll£¡
Ahhhh, l see you've met an Owl Limpet, Arnold£¡
Not because l wanted to. lt's pushing me right out of...
...herrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre£¡£¡£¡
Me, toooooooooooooooooo£¡£¡£¡
HELLLLLLLLLP...£¡£¡£¡
That owl limpet's really pushy.
What'd we ever do to him?
At least now we know why Uncle Shelby needed someone to watch Mert's place.
Everyone wants to move in - though l'm not exactly sure why...
Maybe we can find another place for Mert to live - and save it for him.
l guess that's better than giving up. But where?
Now that you're mussels, act like mussels£¡
You've got to live where you've got what you need£¡
Well, l want a place that's not so crowded£¡
A safe place where no one's going to push us around.
And wherever it is, it needs to be wet. We are mussels, after all£¡
Deep thinking, class. So, where to?
l vote for the Low Zone£¡ Let's go deeper£¡
A sensible suggestion, my mollusk minions£¡£¡
And this time, l'll leave the driving to you£¡
Whoa£¡ Way cool£¡
Come on, guys£¡
Mussel magic£¡
Follow me£¡£¡
Wow£¡ This Low Zone is way better than the Middle Zone. Mert'll love it here£¡
Coming through£¡
l can feel myself getting attached to this place already£¡
So what do you think, class?
ls this place great or what?£¡
Yep£¡ This place has it all, Ms Frizzle.
First of all, there are no annoying neighbours like those pushy owl limpets.
Second, it seems safe enough.
Third, We're far enough underwater that We'll stay wet even at low tide.
And fourth...uh ...
fourth...
...look at those pretty sea stars£¡
Yeah. And they're... coming closer£¡
Eeuwww£¡ That sea star's eating a mussel£¡
What if we're next?£¡
Actually, Keesha, mussels are good£¡
Yeah, good enough to eat.
So much for being safe in the Low Zone.
But we've got to find a place for Mert£¡
There's only one place to go from here...UP - to the High Zone£¡
And we'd better go NOWWWWWW£¡£¡£¡
Hey, the High Zone isn't bad - a little dry maybe, but not bad at all...£¡
There's nobody here to bother us.
Just a bunch of barnacles and periwinkles.
No owl limpets to shove us around.
Or sea stars to eat us...
Seems to be safe.
Then how come We're not breathing easily?
Because mussels need water to breathe, remember?
Better save what you have inside your shells£¡
Clam up, class£¡
What happens when the water inside our shells dries up?
l don't want to think about it£¡
l don't get it£¡ The dryness and the heat doesn't seem to bother these guys?
Maybe it's because those barnacles are white -
and white doesn't get as hot in the sun.
Cool obseRVation, Dorothy Ann£¡
As far as l can see - this place is gold£¡ Mert's gonna love it.
Pretty soon the tide will rise and...
WANDA£¡ LOOK OUT£¡
HELP£¡£¡£¡£¡
WAAAAAAAN-DAA!!!
Whoa£¡ That was close£¡
No wonder all the critters up here in the High Zone have really strong shells.
They need them for protection£¡
Yeah. Our shells don't stand a chance against those seagulls£¡
Well, as Uncle Shelby once said£º
''A mollusc is only as good as his shell£¡''
So much for being safe up here£¡
lf you ask me, Mert knew a good thing when he saw it.
l say we go back to the place he picked£¡
ln the Middle Zone£¡
Good idea.
l'm beginning to dry up...£¡
Yeah, and if we stay here much longer, we could be gull-lunch£¡
Let's get out of here£¡
Just sit tight Liz,
we'll be able to breathe again when they've finished digging.
This is still the best place£¡
Let me get this straight...
The High Zone was no good for us mussels 'cause it's too hot,
too dry and too dangerous.
And the Low Zone was no good 'cause we could get eaten.
So now we're going back to the middle where it's really crowded and pushy -
do l have that right?
Oh you said a mouthful, Arnold...but don't open it yet£¡ Come on class£¡
Let's make a splash£¡
Speaking of water, how'd it get down there? lt was up here before.
Not only that, but these mussels have totally taken over Mert's spot.
Look the water's down there, because it's low tide.
But it's coming back up, remember?
SeRVice you can count on£¡
ln the meantime, let's take back Mert's spot£¡
Uh£¡ Move over, pal£¡
l think we need a little help, Ms Frizzle.
Yeah - where are the owl limpets when you need them?
Coming right up, Carlos£¡
So that's why crabs can't whistle...
HEY, BUS£¡£¡£¡£¡
DO YOUR STUFF£¡£¡£¡£¡
Thataway, bus£¡£¡£¡
Okay£¡ Now push£¡
Give 'em the old heave ho£¡ Do it for Mert£¡
Okay, class. Lash yourselves in tight£¡
Unh£¡
Okay, so we fought our way in here..
...we've got some room - we're not in any danger -
and it's wet enough to breathe, but...
But what, Arnold?
What good is it if we can't get any food? What's life without lunch?
Um...guys? Maybe there's something else we should worry about besides no food.
And what would that be, Wanda?
GlANT WAVES£¡£¡
Ahhhh, right on schedule. Time and tide wait for no mussel£¡
Hey, that wasn't so bad.
Yeah£¡ These shells really hold up.
And these threads keep us from getting knocked off£¡
Not again£¡
Wohhha£¡
No wonder those hungry sea stars stay in the Low Zone.
They'd get clobbered in this surf£¡
Okay, so we can take it and they can't£¡ But toughness doesn't fill a lunchbox£¡
Don't be so sure, Arnold.
Hey look the water's making the mussels open back up...They're eating£¡
You see that, Arnold?
...Arnold?
What?£¡
Arnold, what are you doing?£¡
Enjoying this fabulous, all-you-can-eat buffet -
delivered by the tide thru the waves directly into your mouth...
Make that your siphons, Arnold£¡
Water with food goes in one siphon£¡
Water without food comes out the other£¡
Ah, yes, the 'treasures of the sea''£¡
Gosh, l forgot zooplankton tasted so good£¡
You said it£¡ This goose barnacle laRVae is deee-lish£¡£¡
No wonder Mert puts up with this place£¡ He's made for it£¡
Not only is the food great - he's built to take the pounding of the waves.
And the sea stars and sea slugs that can't take it live in the Low Zone.
And barnacles and periwinkles have the High Zone all to themselves,
cause they can take the heat and dryness,
til they get a splash of water and a bite to eat at high tide.
Yep, this place makes sense to me, now£¡
What could be better than having meals home delivered with each tasty tide?
Twice a day - every day£¡ Man, l'll never leave this place£¡
l don't know... l could sure go for some ice cream to top if off.
But...we can't leave yet£¡ What about Mert?
lt's a good thing Ms Frizzle has her shellular phone£¡
CAR-LOS£¡
Hello? Yes...
Yes£¡ Perfect timing£¡ We'll be waiting.
Who was it, Ms Frizzle?
Uncle Shelby...Actually, Dr. Shelby, the marine biologist£¡
He always likes to return his specimens.
Mert's on his way down.
YAAAAAAAY!
So long, little fella£¡
Keep your foot out of your mouth£¡
Welcome home, Mert£¡ We saved your place for you£¡
Already class£¡
We're going home£¡
Hey, Ralphie£¡ We're back.
And we saved Mert's spot£¡
lt was a long and difficult battle - but l saved the perfect spot for us£¡
That's great, but l still don't get why you're so excited about being right here.
Easy£¡ What makes a spot special?
What makes a spot so good it's worth fighting for against all odds?£¡
Well, to begin with, there has to be enough room for yourself -
even if it's crowded.
And you have to have the gear to handle the place you're in.
And it has to be safe from danger.
And to be able to breathe helps.
True£¡ All of it true£¡ But most the important thing that makes a spot special is...
FOOOOOOOOD£¡£¡£¡
And now that the lce Cream Truck's here -- who's first in line?
Well, as l always say...
...picking the right place does have its rewards£¡
Hey, Liz£¡
Hey come on£¡ Let's walk along the beach and see what we can find£¡
You'll love it£¡ Let's go£¡
Chill out, Liz. lt's just the wave moving the water in and out.
Oh, look at...
Here, could you hold onto that?
Hello, Magic School Bus.
The things you find on a beach.
Do mussels and sea stars and barnacles really live in separate zones?
Or were you just doing that because it made a better story?
No, it's true£¡
Sometimes the zones aren't as clear as we showed,
but you can still see them if you look closely.
And these zones aren't only on rocks....
... but on piers and pilings at the shore.
Everywhere, they pick places to live
according to how well they can cope with the changes of the tide.
Thanks for calling£¡
Hey, Liz - you want some help with that stuff?
l think you'd better leave that snail there, Liz.
All these plants and animals are well suited for their particular places on the shoreline.
But humans...and lizards...can accidentally destroy their homes and their lives.
Better to take nothing but trash and pictures,
and to leave behind nothing but footprints.
Now let's go home.