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Speaker 1: Yea. Hello. My name's Josephine and this is the five

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hundredth story on the Animal Tales podcast. Thank you to

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all of you for listening and supporting Animal Tales. It

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couldn't happen without you. If you know some one that

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might enjoy Animal Tales, please do mention us to them.

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We asked our premium listeners to suggest an unusual animal

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for our five hundredth story, and it was AMORALI from

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Alabama U s A who suggested a great one and

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I I. You can learn more about these creatures in

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the animal facts after the story. Okay, are you ready?

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That's good? Then I'll begin. I I spy. There are

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many voices in Lima town that day. Strange news had

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brought all the lemurs together, and now Moe, the town's mare,

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and a ringtailed leamer was calling for order. Quickly, a

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hush fell over the babbling crowd. I know the news

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sounds unbelievable, but I assure you it is true. The

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ringtailed Lema said, the Fossors want to make peace with us,

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but the Fosss hate all Lemurs called out at sefarkar Lema.

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I don't think they can be trusted I agree, said

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a tiny mouse Lemer. They've always been so mean to us, Lemas,

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Why do they suddenly want to be nice? Murmurs of

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agreement rippled through the crowd. Moe could see their point

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of view. Life on Madagascar has been a struggle with

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the Fosss for as long as we all can remember.

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We've always squabbled. They do worse than squabble, said the

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Suffacha crossly. Those Fossors are downright mean. I know, I know,

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said Moe gently. But the Fossors are suggesting peace. Isn't

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that something we want to There are some nods from

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the crowd, although many still seemed unsure. So how will

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this piece work? Asked an injury lemur. That's easy to answer,

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continued Moe. As an apology for years of strife. Tomorrow,

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the Fosss will throw us a party. There will be games, music,

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and cake. Many of the lemurs looked impressed. After all,

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who could say no to cake? So it was decided

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they would agree to peace between Lemurs Andosss and celebrate

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it at tomorrow's grand party. Mo, though remained nervous as

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he watched everyone leave. He was old and knew the

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Fosss only too well. He could only hope they meant

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what they were saying. Thinking the meeting hall empty, MO

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went to turn off the lights, only to realize he

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wasn't alone. My apologies, Amarali, I didn't realize you were

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still here, said the mayor, looking at the figure in

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the shadows. It was an ae I, one of the

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most secretive of all the lemurs on Madagascar. It is

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good news, Amarali said softly. Peace between Lemas and Foss's

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would be good for every one. You and I both

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know this is suspicious, said the Mayor, speaking honestly. At last,

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you think it's a trick, the aye I asked. I'm

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not sure, said the ring tailed mare, But for the

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sake of all lemurs, I have to give it a chance.

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And what if the Fosss are up to no good,

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AMORALI asked, that's where you come in, Mo replied, I

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need a secret agent to check this out to night.

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If the Fosss are up to something, I want to

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know about it before it's too late. The eye I

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nodded in understanding, then left, slipping away into the night.

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The Mayor sighed, if spying on the Fosss was what

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was needed, he couldn't have picked a better Lema for

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the job. The main Fossor town was some distance away,

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high in a cluster of bao bob trees. One of

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the largest buildings belonged to the leader of the Fosss,

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and tonight he was holding a gathering of those he

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trusted most. There was a table around which the assembled

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Fosss either stood or sat, and on the tabletop was

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a large sheet of paper which everyone was studying. Outside

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the window, his dark fur helping him hide in the darkness,

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watched Amarali. There were too many Fosss in his way

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to allow him to see the paper, but his giant

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bat like ears allowed him to catch at least some

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of the conversation. They were discussing the party, the lemurs,

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and the cake. But even Amorali's ii ears couldn't hear

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everything that was being said. He'd have to try something else.

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Creeping stealthily, Amorali located a quieter part of the house

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without any lights on. He tried the first door he

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came to, finding it unlocked. Slipping inside, he found himself

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in a very messy kitchen, piled high with mixing bowls,

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empty bags of flour, and sugar and cartons of eggs.

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Someone's been baking cakes, Amarani noted, being careful not to

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disturb anything. Amarali tiptoed through the kitchen to arrive in

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a dark hallway. Somewhere over his head was the meeting

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room full of Fosss. He'd need to stay alert if

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he wasn't going to get caught. Almost immediately he heard

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voices approaching. As the hallway lights flickered on, Amarali had

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to dart through a nearby door, just managing to close

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it behind him in time. Yeah, it docks to morrow morning,

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said one of the fosss. It's huge, But will it

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be big enough? Asked another voice. I hope so, the

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first Fossor cackled, Otherwise it'll be a tight fit. Amarali's

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eyes narrowed. It sounded as if the Fosss were getting

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a boat, and a big one at that. But what for?

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An unusually loud snore made the eye eye freeze. Somehow

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he'd managed to sneak into a foss's bedroom. He couldn't

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stay here, but now it sounded as if more Fosss

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were approaching, and they weren't trying to be quiet either.

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Fearing the sleeping Fossor would be disturbed. Amarali moved into

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the darkest part of the room. Fortunately, his night vision

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was excellent. This end of the room was like an office,

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with a cluttered desk and a whiteboard on the wall.

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Written on the whiteboard in bold pen with the words

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one drop per hour of sleep. In such a large house,

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it seems range for an office to include a bed

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or a bedroom to include an office. Amorani noted a

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cup beside the bed, and when he investigated it, he

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noticed a dribble of blue liquid at the bottom. Was

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this fossor part of some sort of experiment? Had this

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cup contained whatever gave an hour of sleep per drop?

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Outside the voices had died away, so after a quick

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careful listen at the door, the eyeye sneaked out. The

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fosss had been heading towards the kitchen, so Amorali headed

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for the stairs. Heading up, Amorali counted the doors until

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he was certain he'd found the room he'd seen from outside.

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He couldn't hear anyone within, but when he tried the

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door he found it locked. Luckily, Amorali was prepared. The

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eyeye had won finger. Unlike all the others It was

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very long and very thin, great for hooking an insect

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out of a tree and also ideal for picking locks. Slowly,

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he pushed it into the lock, moving his long claw

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until he heard a satisfying click. The door swung open

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to reveal the meeting room. Amarali immediately headed to the table,

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and there was the large sheet of paper that had

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held so much interest. It was a map of Madagascar.

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A line ran down the middle showing where the island

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was split into the Fosser half and the Lema half.

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There were lots of large red crosses drawn over both halves,

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but they meant nothing to the eye eye. But what

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was odd was a sketchy drawing of a roller coaster

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with Fosser fun Land written underneath. It was right where

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Lema Town currently stood, so thought AMORALI. A Fossor theme

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park where a Fossor theme park shouldn't be, some sort

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of sleeping experiment going on downstairs, a large boat arriving tomorrow,

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and a marathon baking session in the kitchen. But were

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they all connected? Amarali's ears twitched. Someone was coming. He

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couldn't afford to get caught. Now he needed to get

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all this information to the Mare. If the Fosss caught

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a spy in their midst, then any chance of peace

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was over before it had begun. He had to move

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and fast. The door clicked open as a breeze from

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the open window ruffled the map. Somebody closed that window,

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snapped the foss leader. I said, I wanted this room

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left secure. A grumpy Fossor poured it closed, seeing nothing

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beyond but darkness. AMORALI was already deep in the shadows,

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using the night as cover. The party was to take

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place at the border between the two halves of the island.

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Lemurs from across their half of Madagascar flocked to find

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an elaborate venue of balloons, flowers and flags. They were

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greeted warmly by the Fossors, who shared drinks and set

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up games. It was as if there had never been

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any trouble between the two sides. Mo the Mare stood

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off to one side, clearly worried. Come a long smile,

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said the foss leader with a grin as he threw

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an arm around Moe's shoulder. This is a day of celebration.

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Finally the island has become one. The mayor smiled weakly.

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I'm glad we could finally make peace, he said. Then

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let us seal the deal with cake, announced the leader

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of the Foss's, gesturing to where an enormous cart of

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cupcakes was being wheeled forward. The Leamurs gasped at this

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extraordinary mountain of cake, all adorned with bright blue icing.

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And there's enough for every Leamur here, the foss grinned

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from us to you, let us eat one together, suggested Moe,

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as a sign of friendship. Oh there's no need for that,

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deflected the foss leader. The cupcakes are for you, guys.

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I know, I know, smiled Moe, suddenly seeming to gain

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his confidence. But we think we should share them half each.

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Isn't that right, Amorali the eye I appeared at the

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Foss's side, holding out a blue frosted cupcake. We insist,

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said Amorali. More and more Lemurs were falling silent as

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they witnessed this strange exchange. You don't know what you're doing,

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snapped the Fossor. By refusing our generous baking, you risk

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ruining the peace. Oh we know what we're doing, corrected

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the Eye, because we know what's in these cupcakes. The

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Fossor suddenly looked very pale. You've dosed them with a

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sleeping potion, haven't you, challenged Mo. The lemurs gasped, while

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the Fossors began to shift uncomfortably. There were many more

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lemurs present than there were Fosss. The Fosss were numbered.

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That's we didn't that's absurd, the foss leader spluttered. Then

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share a cupcake with Mo, suggested Amarali. Calmly, Look, this

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is crazy, the foss said, urgently, trying to take control

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of the situation. Why would we want to put you

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all to sleep? What would be the point? So you

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could load us onto a boat and send us far,

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far away. By the time we'd woken up, the whole

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island would be yours. Amarali declared. Is this true? Bellowed

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the Safarka Lima to the Fosss around him. Well is

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it they wanted to get rid of us? I knew it,

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shouted the mouse Lema, this was all one big trick. Furious,

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the Lemurs turned on the Fossors, many of which were

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already making a break for it. In no time, there

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wasn't a single Fossa to be seen. Oh well, sighed Mo.

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I guess nothing's changed after all. We could still have

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a party, suggested Amarali. We've got everything we need here.

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I guess we do, agreed, Mo, although we really should

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avoid the cupcakes. Leave that to me, said the eye eye.

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We owe you a big debt of thanks, Amarali, the

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mayor said, And I suspect we'll need you again when

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the Fosss try something next, but it's good to know

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I'll have my eye spy on stand by. Animal fat

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e eyes are one of one hundred and seven species

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of lima, all found on the island of Madagascar. With

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so many different kinds of lemur, e eyes evolved away

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to survive that all the others didn't, They became nighttime specialists.

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They have large night vision eyes and enormous bat like

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ears that they can rotate to help them pinpoint sounds.

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They listened for the movement of insect larvae burrowing beneath

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the bark of trees, and when they detect it, they

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use their incizeor teeth to chew into the bark and wood.

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Once the larvae's tunnel is revealed, they then use their

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incredibly long and thin third finger to poke inside and

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hook the grub out. If you've never seen a picture

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of an eye eye, it's worth taking a look. Thank

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you for your suggestion, AMORALI. We hope you enjoyed the story,

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and thank you to all of you across the world

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for listening to it. In addition to the five hundred

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free to listen stories, there are over one hundred extra

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stories for our Premium members, only available through Apple or

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Supercast and for a tiny fee. All the stories are

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advert free. Join us next time for another great animal tale.

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Good Bye,