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Speaker 1: Yo, Hello everyone, and welcome to the Animal Tales podcast,

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where you suggest the animal for us to write a

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story about. My name's Josephine and I've got a brand

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new animal story here just for you. There are now

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over one hundred extra stories on the Animal Tales premium service.

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Find out how to join by visiting our new website

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at Animaltales dot uk. And remember, for a tiny fee,

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they're all advert free. Ian is from San Diego in

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the USA and he would like a story with an

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I and a blobfish. You can learn more about these

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creatures in the animal Facts after the story. Now, settle back, relax,

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and I'll begin Ugly Animal Club. The Eye Eye nervously

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gazed up at the impressive stone building in the quiet street.

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It had taken a lot of courage for him to

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get this far, and now that he was here, he

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was seriously considering giving up. But I mustn't, the eye

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Eye said to himself, I need to go through with this,

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And so he marched up the wide stone steps and

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pressed the door bell with an incredibly long eye Eye finger.

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It came as something of a surprise for the door

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to be opened by a goldfish bowl Beneath the bowl

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was a set of robotic crab legs with two long

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pincer like arms, one of which was holding the door

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open and filling much of the glass bowl was the

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unmistakable face of a blobfish. Can I help you, asked

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the blobfish politely. Um yes, said the eye eye, with

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a slightly shaky voice. My name's Ian. I'm looking for

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the Ugly Animal Club. Ah, I see, smiled the blobfish.

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Please come in. Ian. Ian stepped into a lavishly decorated,

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high ceilinged hallway with a sparkling chandelier and an enormous

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oil painting of a naked mole rat in a top hat.

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Have you traveled far, asked the blobfish. All the way

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for Madagascar, replied the eyeye. Ah, very good, smiled the blobfish.

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We get animals from all over the globe here at

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the Ugly Animal Club. As he said this, a maraboo

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stalk strode past. On his way to the next room.

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Ian couldn't help but noticed the bird's bald head with

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its patchy red and black skin. Ian thought he looked

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quite frightening, and yet the bird still gave him a

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friendly smile. As he passed. Come this way, said the Blobfish,

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and I'll give you a tour. The robotic crab legs

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scuttled off down the hallway, heading to the room where

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the maraboo stalk had emerged from. It was some sort

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of lounge with animals sitting in high backed chairs. One

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or two were reading newspapers. A proboscous monkey was typing

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away on a laptop, and a hammer head backed was

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hanging upside down while scrolling on her mobile phone. Ah,

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what's this called? A female Walruss sitting in a chair

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that was straining beneath her weight. A new member, potentially

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smiled the blobfish. Ian, this is Wendy. Wendy, meet Ian Hallo,

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nodded Ian. Nice to meet you. Always a delight to

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see a new face here, grinned the Walruss around her

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long tusks and bristly mustache. Under Nice to see yours,

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said Ian, immediately regretting his choice of words. The war Us, though,

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didn't seem to mind. You're getting the tour, I see,

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said Wendy. Well, don't let me hold you up. Have fun.

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Ian waved good bye, folding back his oddly long finger

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in an attempt to hide it and through here, said

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the blobfish, scurrying into the next room is our game's room.

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A lumpy faced wart hog with curling horns was playing

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a game of snooker against a Vietnamese pot bellied pig.

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There was lots of grunting and snuffling going on as

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they lined up their shots. On a nearby table, a

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purple frog was playing solitaire, while in the far corner,

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a star nosed mole was playing chess against a giant salamander.

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Check Mate, said the star nosed mole. Happily I win,

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good game, Reggie, said the giant salamander. Say you're new,

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aren't you, said the star nosed mole to Ian. Fancy

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a game? Oh no, not right now, said Ian shyly.

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He's having the tour, explained the blobfish. Maybe later. Ian

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nodded at the possibility, but in truth he didn't want

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to play. He just wouldn't be comfortable playing a game

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where anyone that walked by could just stare at him.

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He was grateful that the blobfish was already heading on.

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Across the hallway was a tall dining room with several

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round tables laid out with fine glassware and shining silver cutlery.

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An extremely wrinkled Damascus goat was tucking into a salad,

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while on a neighboring table, a snub nosed monkey was

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wiping ice cream from her chin. The club will serve

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you food wherever you want, explained the blobfish. But if

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it's a proper meal that you want, then you're better

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off coming in here. Would you care for something to eat?

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Asked a pottoo bird appearing with that day's menu. It

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had extremely large yellow eyes, neither of which were quite

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looking at ean. I'm fine, thank you, said the eye

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eye politely. He was used to having his meals alone

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in the dead of night, not in the middle of

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a restaurant. Well, well you know where to find us,

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smiled the pottoo bird, as it waddled off the crab

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legged goldfish bowl scampered back into the hallway, with ian following.

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The deep plush carpet changed to a smooth black and

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white tile lined with ferns and palms that erupted from

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plump vases and pots. This opened out into a room

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with a glass roof. In the center was a swimming

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pool where a goblin shark was doing lengths. Hi there,

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said the long nose shark, with a wave of a

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fin er Hello, replied Ian. He wasn't used to so

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much friendly attention. This is a popular part of the club,

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said the blobfish. Here you can swim, enjoy a sauna,

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soak in a jacuzzi, or even have a massage. It's

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a great place to relax, Yes, said Ian, trying to

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look impressed, but in truth he wasn't keen on this

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area at all. It didn't make him feel relaxed one bit.

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In fact, quite the opposite. Is everything all right, asked

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the blobfish. You look if you don't mind me saying

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so a little worried. No, no, I'm fine, lied the eyeye.

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Don't you worry about me? The blobfish, though, smiled as

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if he'd seen this all before. Let's head out into

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the garden. We can chat there, he said. Despite being

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in the middle of a city, the club's garden was

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so well looked after, with mature trees and colorful plants,

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that you could be forgiven for thinking that you were

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in the jungle. Somewhere they found a private table and

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two chairs tucked away on a patty where a waiter

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brought Ian a tall, cold glass of orange juice. So

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tell me, said the blobfish. What made you interested in

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the Ugly Animal Club? The eye eye fidgeted awkwardly in

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his seat. You may have noticed, Ian said slowly that

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I'm not the most handsome of animals. Some would say

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that I'm well weird looking. The blobfish gazed at the

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eyes rodent like teeth and bulging orange eyes and bat

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like ears. I wouldn't say that, he replied. You're just

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being kind, said Ian. You see where I come from.

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I'm so strange compared to all the other lemurs that

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it's best that I only come out at night when

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nobody can see me. So you spend a lot of

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time alone, suggested the blobfish. That's right, nodded Ian. I mean,

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who wants to stare at a face like mine? Best

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that I stay out of everyone's way. So why travel

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all the way here? The blobfish inquired. You're called the

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Ugly Animal Club, said Ian, A club for ugly animals

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like me. I thought, I might you know fit in here,

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I see, smiled the blobfish. Well, you'll be pleased to know.

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That's why most animals seek us out. It's a perfectly

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normal thing to do. Do you have lots of animals

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as members, asked Ian, Oh, you'd be surprised, laughed the blobfish.

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We are a very very big club. I was surprised

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at how unbothered the animals were that we met today,

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pointed out Ian. Unbothered, repeated the blobfish. Unbothered about what? Well?

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You know, said Ian about the way they look. Oh,

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I see what you're saying. The blobfish nodded. Do you

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recall the large painting when you arrived of the naked

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mole rat in the top hat, asked Ian. That's the

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one smiled the blobfish. That's theopalis snook. The club's founder,

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like you, he didn't consider himself a handsome animal, what

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with his giant teeth and hairless skin, at least to

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begin with. What do you mean? Asked Ian. The blobfish,

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though didn't answer. He was watching a peacock walk by,

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trailing his beautifully colored feathers behind him. Once he'd passed,

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Ian turned to his guide in astonishment. Was that peacock

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supposed to be here? Ian asked? Isn't this a club

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for ugly animals. Surely peacock's are anything but ugly. That's

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precisely what I was trying to explain, said the blobfish.

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Theopolis snook realized something very important, and it's something that

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we at the Ugly Animal Club work very hard to

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share with every one that comes here. And what's that,

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asked Ian. It's very simple, the blobfish said, you, Ian,

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are not ugly, but protested the eye. Eye. But the

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blobfish wasn't finished, And neither are any of the animals here,

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continued the fish, not a single one of them. You see,

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what Theopolis snook realized is that he didn't look ugly,

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but different. I'm not sure I understand, Ian said. Let

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me put it this way, said the blobfish. Theopolis was

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a naked mole rat amongst naked mole rats. He looked

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exactly how a naked mole rat should look. He did not,

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he realized, look like a leopard, or a dolphin or

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an armadillo, and nor was he supposed to. Of course,

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he looked different to those animals, but comparing himself to

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them was pointless. He was a naked mole rat and

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looked like a naked mole rat. I think I understand,

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said Ian. At last, you're saying that I'm precisely how

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an eeye is supposed to look. So is that why

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the animals we met weren't bothered about me looking at them.

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You've got it, grinned the blobfish. They've realized that there's

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nothing wrong with how they appear to others. They look

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how they're supposed to and I hope you're starting to

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realize that too. But what about the peacock, asked the

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eye eye? Why is he here? He believes that he's ugly,

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sighed the blobfish, a bird with some of the finest

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plumage in all the world, thinks he's a terrible sight

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to behold. But why, Ian asked? Anyone can have those feelings,

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the blobfish explained, Even if you're not comparing yourself to

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other animals but those of your own kind, you might

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find yourself feeling in secure and unsure about your looks.

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So that peacock's taking the time to consider that even

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amongst other peacocks, he's different. Every single one of us

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is different. We're each unique and special because of it,

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and there's nothing wrong with that. It's something to be

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proud of, realized Ian, not ashamed of You've got it,

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said the blobfish. Well done. I knew when I first

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laid eyes on you that you were perfect for the

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Ugly Animal Club. Now, how's that appetite? Feeling hungry? Yet?

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I rather think I am, said the eyeye. And do

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you know, I've never eaten with another animal in all

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my life, but right now I'm rather looking forward to it.

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But before we go through, I'd just like to do

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one thing. And what's that, asked the blobfish. I'm going

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to run after that peacock and ask him to join us,

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said Ian. Just maybe I can help him understand that

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there's nothing wrong with looking a little different animals that

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my eyes are a nocturnal lemur for Madagascar. Sadly, they

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are on the brink of extinction due to the actions

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of humans, so are now a protected species. Although we

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may consider them strange looking, we must remember that their

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adaptations are what allow them to be successful foragers in

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the nighttime forests. Blobfish are very misunderstood creatures. They live

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in a section of the ocean called the midnight zone,

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which is incredibly deep and under tremendous pressure, so their

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bodies have adapted to living there. When we catch them

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and bring them to the surface, their bodies collapse into

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the blob shape we've seen in photographs, so not at

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all like they look normally. Thank you for your suggestions, Ian,

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We hope that you all enjoyed the story. Wherever you're

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listening in the world, don't forget to look at our

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animal Tales books. Discover them all at animaltales dot uk.

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Great bedtime reading, especially if you've discovered the joy of

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reading for yourself. Make sure you join us next time

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for another great animal tale. Good Bye,