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Speaker 1: Yeah. Hello, My name's Josephine and this is the Animal

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Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.

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There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,

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with a third premium only story every Friday. Please continue

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to share Animal Tales with your friends and leave us

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reviews where you can. Joshua is from Derby in England

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and he would like a story featuring a Tarannasaurus rex.

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You can learn more about these creatures in the animal

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facts after the story. Okay, are you ready? That's good,

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then I'll begin. Taranasaurus tourist Whoo shouted the t Rex

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out of the truck's window. He was driving down a

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coastal road on New Zealand's South Island, enjoying the beautiful

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landscape and seaview. It was such an amazing place and

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he was enjoying every moment of it, but that enjoyment

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was suddenly shattered by flashing blue lights in his rear

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view mirror. The t Rex obediently pulled over safely to

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the side of the road, and the police vehicle pulled

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in behind him. A moment later, a female police officer

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approached the truck's window Good morning, officer, said the t

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rex politely. Um, yes, good morning, said the police officer,

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somewhat sternly. We've had reports of an illegal animal being

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released into the wild. Oh I'm sorry to hear that,

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said the t rex. Is it serious, Oh, yes, said

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the police officer. New Zealand is home to many creatures

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found nowhere else on planet Earth, including many flightless birds.

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We can't allow any animals from outside New Zealand to

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threaten them. Quite right, agreed the t rex. So what's

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that got to do with me? Exactly? Um, well, you see, sir,

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said the officer, stumbling over her words. You're an animal

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and you're out in the wild. So I'm afraid it's

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you that's the illegal animal. No, that's not right, insisted

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the t rex. I'm not an illegal animal that's been released.

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I'm a tourist. The name's Joshua, a tourist, repeated the officer.

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That's right, said Joshua, the t rex. I'm visiting your

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one country. I've always wanted to come, you know, it's

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my favorite place in the whole world. So you're not

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going to stalk the country side and eat all the animals,

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asked the officer. Goodness mean, no, laughed Joshua. I'm just

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here to enjoy the scenery. Oh, said the police officer.

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Well in that case, you'd best be on your way.

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Joshua did just that, but not before shouting nice to

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have met you as he went. Joshua had decided to

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visit Arthur's Pass National Park, surrounded by amazing snow capped mountains.

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He parked his truck outside a pretty lodge where he'd

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booked a room, then walked inside. The man behind the

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desk spilt his coffee when he saw a t rex

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enter the reception area. Oh good, good afternoon, he spluttered

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as he brushed at the hot liquid on his trousers.

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Good afternoon to you too, smiled Joshua. I have a

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reservation under the name Joshua tar Annosaurus. Oh yes, said

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the man nervously. We were thinking that was some sort

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of joke. A joke, why, asked Joshua innocently. Well, ha,

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you see, we don't get many dinosaurs staying with us,

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said the receptionist. Well perhaps that will change now I've

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been said Joshua. I'm taking lots of photos. I plan

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to show everyone I know how great it is. That's nice,

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said the man. Look, I have to ask, while you're

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staying at the lodge, is there any chance you might

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eat some of the staff or other guests. Oh no,

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chuckle Joshua. I'm a tourist, so I want to do

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all the things a tourist does, and that includes enjoying

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the very best for the menu in your restaurant. Oh,

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said the receptionist as he handed over a key card. Well,

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in that case, welcome to our lodge. Thank you, said Joshua,

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and went off to find his room. Joshua was very

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keen to experience as much of New Zealand's wonderful sights

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as possible, which meant he just had to visit Charleston

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Glowworm Caves, and so it was that he found himself

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entering a cave entrance along with several other visitors. The

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roof of the caves was covered with thousands upon thousands

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of glowing strands, each one made by a tiny creature

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called Oraknakampa luminosa, the New Zealand glowworm. It was like

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staring up into a galaxy full of stars. Excuse me,

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said a little girl to Joshua. All the visitors on

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the tour were wearing a caving helmet with a light

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on the front, although hers were slightly too big and

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she kept having to push it up so she could

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see properly. Are you a dinosaur? I am nodded Joshua.

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I'm a Tyrannosaurus rex. Is this the cave where you live?

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Asked the little girl. Oh no, replied Joshua. I'm not

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from New Zealand. I'm just visiting. I'm a tourist like you,

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so you're not going to eat me and my daddy.

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Then she asked, no, laughed Joshua. I'm just here to

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see the wonderful glow worm display, just like you are.

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That's good, decided the girl. I hope you like it.

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Oh I do, grinned Joshua happily. Joshua's next stop was

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a night time guided tour to see a very special creature.

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He made sure to get then nice and early, and

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was met by a very surprised looking tour guide. Yikes,

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said the tour guide, unable to help himself, Hello, said

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Joshua with a friendly wave of his tiny arm. Are

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you what I think you are? Gulped the tour guide.

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I am nodded, Joshua, I'm a tourist, Oh, replied the

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tour guide. That's not what I thought you were going

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to say. Well, it looks like you may be the

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only one to night. Shall we get on with it?

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The pair of them marched off along a narrow trail

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into the darkness, with the tour guide suggesting they be

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as quiet as possible. They'd been walking for a few

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moments when the tour guide lifted his hand to signal

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that he'd seen something over there coming out of the

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long grass. He whispered. Joshua looked over eagerly and was

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delighted to see the shaggy brown feathers and long whiskers

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of a flightless kiwi bird. It was inspecting the ground

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with its long beak as it slowly walked forward. Um

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can I just ask something? Said the tour guide, looking concerned.

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What is it? Asked Joshua. You haven't come on this

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tour so you can gobble up the kiwis that we see,

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have you? What with you being a Tyrannosaurus rex and all?

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Oh no, chortled Joshua. I could never do that. Tyrannosaurs

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and birds are pretty much the same thing. Me and

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this kiri are practically cousins. That's all right, then, said

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the tour guide, looking relieved. Come on, let's see if

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we can find another one. Sounds good to me, smiled Joshua.

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The t rex had been very keen to see some

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of New Zealand's marine life too, but this required him

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hiring a kayak. The trouble was nobody had a tyrannosaur

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a sized kayak available. In the end, he had to

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use a large rowing boat instead, which sat very low

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in the water, but it worked, so Joshua was able

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to paddle with a group of other tourists around Tonga Island,

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part of Abele Tasman National Park. It was an astounding experience,

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with them seeing plenty of penguins and even a pair

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of dolphins in the first fifteen minutes. However, Joshua soon

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realized that one of their tour group, the teenage boy,

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was far more interested in him than the creatures of

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the sea. Are you enjoying it, Joshua asked the boy politely.

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You're a dinosaur, mumbled the boy. Well spotted, said Joshua,

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are you like part of the tour? The teenager asked,

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I mean like, are you going to suddenly dive into

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the water and attack the first seal that we see.

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Oh no, said Joshua, visibly horrified at the thought. I've

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come to look at the seals just like everyone else.

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That's what being a tourist is all about. Oh, said

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the teenager. So you're not like going to battle a

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mossasaur or something. Goodness me, No, laughed Joshua. That would

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scare the seals away. Then we wouldn't see anything, would

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we guess? Not, agreed the teenager, appearing to be satisfied.

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Oh oh, there are some seals, said Joshua, suddenly pointing

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with his oar just above the shoreline. Together they paddled

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a little closer to get a better look. Joshua had

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been making the very most of his time in New Zealand,

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seeing and experiencing as much as he possibly could, but

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there was one thing he was still determined to do.

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He'd heard of a Maori owned whale watching tour based

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in the coastal town of kai Kura. He pulled his

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truck up in sight of the sea and headed down

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to the tour boat. A Maori woman greeted the big

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dinosaur on the dock gazing up at his large head.

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You're a big fella, aren't you, she said, I was

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hoping to see some whales, said Joshua hopefully. Is there

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any way you can fit me on board? The Maori

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woman gestured to the whale watching boat beside them. Our

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boats are big, she said, I think we can work

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something out. So after much pushing and shoving, squeezing and squashing,

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Joshua found himself on the top deck of the boat,

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being blasted by salty sea spray as the boat raced

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across the waves. The Maori tour guide was good enough

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to sit with Joshua, telling him how her ancestors had

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come to New Zealand on the back of a whale

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long ago. What whales will we see? Asked Joshua excitedly.

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Every day it's different, she explained, but you won't be disappointed,

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and Joshua wasn't. He saw jo and sperm whales, leaping

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humpback whales, and best of all, a gigantic blue whale,

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the largest animal on the planet. Wow, said Joshua with awe.

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It's not often I see a creature that's even bigger

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than me. Joshua took lots of photos and was thrilled

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to bits by every moment. Did you enjoy that, asked

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the tour guide as they headed back to shore. Oh, yes,

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beamed Joshua. I have seen so many amazing sights in

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New Zealand, but the whale watching just has to be

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the most impressive of them all. I'm so glad I've

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saved it until last. I'm so pleased to have shared

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it with you, grinned the woman. Do you know, said Joshua,

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Suddenly you're the first person on this trip who hasn't

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asked me if I'm about to eat someone or something?

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Is that? So? Smiled the woman back at him. You

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just looked like another happy tourus to me. Joshua grinned

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at that, because that's exactly what he was. Animal fact,

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Tyrannosaurus rex is quite possibly the most well known of

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all the dinosaurs. This is despite the fact that we

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only have around thirty skeletons and a selection of other

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odd bones. T Rex is a North American dinosaur that

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was alive at the end of the Cretaceous period, so

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right up until the dinosaurs were wiped out by the

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asteroid impact. Like other two legged carnivorous dinosaurs. It is

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from the group of dinosaurs known as theropods, which is

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where birds come from. They were large predators, growing up

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to twelve meters that's almost forty feet in length and

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standing six meters high that's around twenty feet So would

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a t rex eat you if it ran into you?

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Quite likely, although you'd be little more than a light snack.

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Thank you for your suggestion, Joshua. We hope you enjoyed

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the story, and thank you to all of you across

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the world for listening to it. Remember, if you prefer

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your stories advert free, then please consider our premium service

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through Apple or supercarst for a tiny fee, the stories

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are advert free. Join us next time for another great

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animal tale. Goodbye,