Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to a special taster of our new
premium only story. We hope you like it. Hey yo, Hello,
I'm Josephine and this is the Animal Tales podcast. There
are over one hundred extra stories on our premium service,
with a new one released every Friday, and this is
another one. Leo is a premium member from Florida in
the USA, and he would like a story with a microraptor,
a titana boa, and well a lot of snakes and lizards.
Don't forget to listen to the animal facts after the
story to learn more about some of these creatures. If
you'd like to suggest an animal for a story, then
please do let us know at podcasts at Animaltales dot UK.
As premium listeners, we guarantee to write one for you.
For now, it's time to sit back and get comfy,
because it's time to begin Reptile Island. Millions of years
after the end of the dinosaurs, planet Earth was a
very different place. New creatures had risen to take the
place of the likes of t Rex and triceratops, leaving
those mighty creatures all but forgotten. But there was one
place where dinosaurs still held on on a tiny island
surrounded by a shallow sea. This was the secret home
to many families of microraptors, a small feathered dinosaur that
not only had wings where you'd expect wings to be,
but a second pair upon its legs. Despite these double wings,
microraptor wasn't that great at flying. They could manage short
distances and get about happily from tree to tree, but
longer distances were unlikely. But that didn't stop Leo from dreaming.
Leo was a young microraptor who spent far too much
time on the edge of the island, gazing westwards, for there,
some distance away, another island could be seen. I think
I could make it, Leo would say, to any one
that would listen, don't be so daft. The other microraptors
would say, that's far too far for your puny wings.
You'll never make it. You'll plunge into the ocean and
be eaten up by the first big fish that swims past.
But Leo wasn't so sure. He knew he was a
good flier, and he was certain that he could keep
going for long enough. After all, he was young, fit
and strong. I'm going to do it. To day, he
announced to a nearby microraptor, I'm going to fly all
the way to the neighboring island. And before the other
microraptor could comment, Leo launched himself into the air and
began to fly. He had the wind behind him and
determination on his side, allowing the breeze to help lift
his outstretched wings, and then just like that, he was
across the ocean gap and landing on a drooping branch.
He'd made it to a totally new island. As he
caught his breath, a frilled lizard appeared on the ground
below him, looking up in astonishment by my scaly tail.
What sort of bizarre creature are you, hello, said Leo,
happy to have met a resident of the new island.
I'm Leo. I've just flown all the way. You can't
do that, complained the frilled lizard. That's what all my
friends said, laughed Leo. But I did no. No, objected
the frilled lizard. I mean you're not allowed here, not
without permission from the king. What's a king, asked Leo innocently.
The king rules this island and he controls everyone and everything,
stated the frilled lizard. Firmly. Well, that doesn't seem very fair,
said Leo. We don't have a king on the island
where I come from. But you're not on that island anymore,
huffed the frilled lizard. You're on this one, so you'd
best come with me. Leo reluctantly agreed, gliding to the
ground to follow the lizard through the undergrowth. They will
towards the island's center, where an enormous tree grew with
spreading branches that twisted and tangled like knots. If you'd
like to hear more, please join our premium service. You
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suggestion into a future tale. I look forward to seeing
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