01x01 - Big Five, Little Five

[bunniefuu]

What is the big five?

I'm not sure yet,

But we'll find out
by any means necessary.

By the way,
that's mark--one...

And chris--zero.

That puts me ahead.

Laugh while you can,
rhino-boy.

I got them!
I found
the big five!

That's what I call
using your head.

How about
the little five?

How about running
from a herd of
stampeding buffalo?

Coming up
on kratts' creatures.

Kratts' creatures

Iarriba!

Iandale, andale!

Africa.

Of all the places where wildlife
still rules, it's africa.

There's always something new
to see.

If you're wondering where
chris and martin are, guess,

Or let me help you.

Chris? Martin?
You hear me?

We hear you, al,
and you'll never
guess where we are.

We're in busbokrand,
south africa...

And this
is a narchi.

[Speaking
african language]

Mmm! It's good.

Tastes like a cross between
a tangerine and an orange.

When most people
think of africa,

They picture
the savanna

And all its
incredible
creatures...

[Trumpets]

But when you're
starting a creature
adventure,

You have to get
your supplies
from somewhere,

And where else
but a town
like this?

[Chris]
but when we first arrived,

There wasone thing
that totally confused us.

What is
the big five?

I think
they're open.

Let's find out.

[Man]
I got to find
the big five.

What is
the big five?

Go ask them!

Excuse me.
What is the big five?

Elephant, rhino,
buffalo,

Lion, leopard.

That's what everyone
comes here to see.

What about other creatures,

Like the jackal,
mongoose?

They're here,
but you really want
the big five.

Big five, huh?

The big five.
That's a cool bunch
of creatures.

If we just look
for the big five,

We'll miss all
the other creatures.

But it sounds like
a great place to start.

It would be fun!

We could do it
like a scavenger hunt.

Yeah.

The big five?

That's a phrase
I've never heard.

You're kidding.

You're saying
you know about
the big five?

There's nothing
like a search

For the big five,
but why stop there?

Chris and martin
should set a realchallenge.

You think finding
a leopard,
an elephant,

A rhino, a buffalo,
and a lion
isn't a challenge?

You're missing my point.

There's more
than the big five.

They should look
for the little five.

The little five?

Some of my best pals--
the leopard tortoise,

Rhinoceros beetle,
elephant shrew,

Buffalo weaver,
and the ant lion.

I never even heard
of those creatures.

If the guys don't want
to take the challenge...

Not so fast.
We'll take
that challenge.

Got it, chris?

...elephant shrew,
buffalo weaver.

You go after
the big five.

I'll take
the little five.

Of course, you don't stand
a chance of finding them.

Ttark, it was
your challenge,

And I'll bet
chris and martin
can do it.

You guys ready?
On your mark,
get set, go!

Elephants...there's
got to be some around here.

If you're trying
to find elephants,

Look where there's
a lot of vegetation.

Elephants are herbivores,
which means they eat plants.

They stripped the leaves
off of this plant.

Elephants also drink
a lot of water,

So another place
to look is at a watering hole.

Elephants! I've really hit
the mother lode.

Look at them all!

Watering holes are one place
on the savanna

Where a lot of creatures
hang out.

That's because water
can be scarce.

You know what's funny?

Most people think
elephants drink

By just dunking their trunks
into the water

And sucking it up
like a vacuum cleaner,

But that's not true.

Check it out.

First the elephant
fills up her trunk.

[Elephant trumpeting]

Then she raises it
to her mouth

And sucks out the water.

It's like sucking water
up your nose

And blowing it
into your mouth.

When an elephant
fills up,

It can drink
up to 53 gallons!

That's more than a human
drinks in one month.

There are some big elephants
around here.

You have to be careful

When you meet an elephant
near a water hole.

Even though they're big,
they can still feel threatened,

And when they feel threatened,
they let you know.

They'll flap their ears...

Or shake their heads,

Or if they're
really threatened,

They'll stamp their feet.

When they stamp their feet,

It's pretty serious.

We're talking about powerful


You have to be extra careful

When there's
a baby elephant around

Because elephants

Are very protective
of their young.

Other than that,
if you don't bug them,

They won't bug you.

Fortunately, these elephants
don't seem to mind me,

Even though...

I'm pretty close.

You might think it's gross
to pick up elephant dung,

But as far as dung goes,
this stuff is pretty clean.

That's because
an elephant's system

Only digests
half of what it eats.

The other half comes out
exactly like it came in--

As grass or leaves.

Some animals eat elephant dung
to get the seeds out.

It's also used in the african
version of a snowball fight.

By the way, that's martin--one
and chris--zero,

The big ostrich egg.

We got
the elephant.

Martin's up
by one.

Hear that chris?
Martin's up by one.

Martin doesn't have
a chance.

I found the right kind
of terrain--

Rocky outcroppings,
plant cover,

The perfect stomping ground
for the elephant shrew.

[Chris]
can you believe this guy
has the name elephant?

He's the savanna's puniest.

He looks like
a hypercharged little mouse.

What's with the name?

This guy is tiny,
and elephants are huge.

I guess it's the schnoz.

That long nose must be great
for finding insects like ants.

I wonder if he likes flies.

These little guys
are underrated.

I wonder why
I've never heard of them.

Searching
for the little five

Is going to be great.

So that puts me in the lead.
Next up--buffalo weaver.

Wait. You're even,
not in the lead.

I wouldn't get
cocky about finding
the buffalo weaver

Because I can't find
anything about it.

Buffalo weaver's
got to be a bird,
right?

There are tons
of birds in africa.

Let's see.

There's
the wahlberg's eagle,

The red-billed hornbill,

The pin-tailed whydah...

Bingo!

They build thorny nests
in grass or tall trees
of the savanna.

Chris is nowhere
near the savanna
or tall trees!

He has to cover
a lot of ground
to win.

Not a problem, al.

[Chris]
all it takes is initiative,
the right equipment,

And a flight manual
would really come in handy.

Uh-oh. There's martin,

And he's heading
straight for a pride of lions.

It gets really hot out here
during the day,

Often over 100 degrees,

And the lions invariably
head for the shade,

So if I'm going
to find some lions,

I've got to find
a nice shady spot.

Ta-da! Lions!

[Grunts]

It looks like they might have
made a k*ll last night.

They seem pretty content.

They're lounging around,

And look at those bellies!

[Martin]
you know when you eat a lot
and you want to lay around?

Well, lions feel
the same way.

You see, for a lion,
the next meal

Is a catch-as-catch-can
proposition,

So when a lion gets
a chance to eat, they gorge,

[Yawning]
and then sleep it off...

And that's what they do

For 21 hours a day.

Hey, but something's going on.
What's that guy doing?

Whew!

Of all the creatures
in africa,

Nobody makes a stink
quite like a lion.

That's martin--2, chris--1,
and I'm out of here.

Whew!

That leaves martin
one step ahead.

If chris wants
to catch up,

He'll have to find
the buffalo weaver

And an ant lion.

No problem, al.
I give you...buffalo weavers!

[Chris]
these guys look

Like pretty ordinary birds,

But if you take
a closer look,

You'll see
they're amazing builders.

They weave whopping nests
out of sticks,

Using just their beaks.

Wow! I've never seen
a nest that big.

I'd like to see
one of the big five do that.

[Al]
hey, ttark,
come on out.

I remember somebody saying
they didn't stand a chance.

As my old friend
wormie the platypus
says,

It ain't over till
the fat bird sings.

When chris finds
an ant lion,

Then we'll talk.

What's so hard
about finding an ant lion?

[Chris]
al! Look at this.

I haven't found an ant lion,

But I havefound something
martin's looking for--

The rhinoceros.

Rhinos are like modern
mammal versions of triceratops.

I mean, they even
look like dinosaurs,

And they're almost
as rare.

Unlike triceratops, rhinos don't
have to worry about t. Rex,

But they do have to worry about
lions hunting their babies,

So rhinos are always
on their guard.

Rhino's don't have
the greatest eyesight,

So they depend a lot

On smell and hearing.

Their cupped ears
are always swiveling,

Picking up sounds.

Even when they're having fun,
they don't let their guard down.

And what's fun for a rhino?

A mud bath.

It doeslook like fun.

Wonder if old triceratops
ever tried it. Anyway...

Not only am I now
even with martin,

I found one
of his creatures,

So I'll hang out
with the rhino

And let martin
catch up.

Laugh while you can,
rhino-boy.

How about one
from your list?

This is
the rhinoceros beetle.

If you're wondering
how he got his name,

Look at the horn.

This guy isn't that hard
to identify.

The horn is a dead giveaway...

But I wonder what he does
with that horn.

Probably the same way
the rhino uses it--

To protect himself
against rivals,

Or maybe the rhino beetle
uses it for digging.

Who knows
what the rhino beetle

Does down there?

I bet it's
a great place to hide

And escape predators.

That's what I call
using your head.

Rhino
and rhino beetle...

They're going
to make it.

Rhino and rhino beetle?

I haven't seen those two
in ages.

You giving up yet?

They haven't even
hit upon the real
creature challenge yet.

The hard part's
still to come.

No kidding!

When it comes to hard,

How about running from a herd
of stampeding buffalo?

Man, this isn't good.

The buffalo that you find
on the african savanna

Is called the cape buffalo.

Of all the mammals here,
he's one of the toughest,

So why would one of the toughest
animals in africa

Be so freaked out?

The answer?

There's probably
a lion around.

[Martin]
lions are a serious thr*at,

Enough to freak out
any savanna creature,

But the buffalo do have
a great defense.

First of all,

They're big and tough.

Second,
they stick together.

See how they're packed
so tight?

Any lions trying to att*ck
could easily get trampled.

And if the herd strategy
doesn't work,

Buffaloes resort
to using their horns.

But you might be wondering,

If these buffalo
are so great at defense,

Why worry about lions?

Because sometimes lions can
still get them and their young.

Hey! What's going on?

The buffalo's getting his nose
picked by an oxpecker.

That little bird isn't going
for boogers, though.

He's eating bugs and ticks.

All right. Another one down.

There's no stopping me now!

Chris is toast.

He's closing
on you, chris.

It's martin--4
and chris--3.

Chris,
where are you?
You o.k.?

Whew! This time of day,
this savanna is hot.

Most animals are off
taking a nap.

How will I find
the leopard tortoise now?

Hey! What are
those warthogs doing?

They're into something.

I guess warthogs
are interested

In the little five, too.

Although, I don't know
if it's exactly right

To call
the leopard tortoise little.

One thing
you got to love about tortoises

Is that they really know
how to chill out.

When's the last time you
saw a stressed-out tortoise?

Wonder if that's how
they live to over 100.

I've heard one way to tell
the age of a leopard tortoise

Is by its spots.

On older ones,
you can't see many spots,

But on younger ones,
the spots are brilliant.

Hey, this guy's
moving fast...

For a tortoise.

I bet he's hungry.

He's chomping down
on some fruit.

But out here, you can't
stay in the sun too long,

So what these guys do
is relax in the shade.

If you're wondering
how it got its name,
look at its shell,

And then look
at a leopard.

When looking for a leopard,

You've got to get some height
on the situation.

I climbed this tree
for a clear view,

But how was I
supposed to know

This tree
was somebody's hangout?

I find myself in the company
of the prince of stealth,

The leopard--

A primordial feline,

Graceful, cool,
and in control,

Muscles like tightly wound coils
ready to spring--

Whoa!

I'm sounding like
a nature documentary.

The leopard
is one cool cat.

He's the master
of the pounce,

And one of the best hunters
on the savanna.

And check this out--

A leopard can carry the dead
weight of an impala up a tree.

That's some serious power.

The leopard is not a creature
to mess with.

I'm not really
at the greatest position here.

Best thing that could
happen is if a herd of impala

Wandered by
and distracted the leopard.

Fortunately, there's
some impala headed this way.

Leopards won't normally
att*ck people,

But if he'd wanted to,
he could have gotten me.

Leopards pounce
before their victims can react.

If I was 15 feet
from a leopard,

He'd grab me
before I took two steps.

Yes, yes, yes...

Hey!
It's that guy!

What's going on?

I saw a leopard!

I found
the big five!

All right!
Good job!

How about
the little five?

What's the little five?

Elephant shrew,
buffalo weaver,

Leopard tortoise,
ant lion,

Rhinoceros beetle.

They're great!

Really?

I got to find
the little five!

Hey! I just saw a flock
of buffalo weavers
over there.

Buffalo weasels!

Wait! Buffalo weavers,
not buffalo weasels!

Ttark, they've got


All they have to find
is the ant lion.

What's hard
about that?

[Martin]
let's think.

It's got to be an ant

Or a lion.

I can't find
anything in here

About a lion that's
similar to an ant.

So it's got to be
an ant.

I guess so.

There are so many
different kinds of ants
in africa.

How are we going
to find this ant lion?

I don't think these
are the ones.

Nope.

Nothing very leonine
about these guys.

Chris! Look at this!

See that ant
in the pit?

Watch what happens.

Something's down there,
and it's going for the ant.

Whatever it is,
it has the ant
by the leg.

It's like a monster--
throwing up sand,

Knocking its victim
into the waiting jaws.

It's pulling him
under.

He nailed him!

He didn't
stand a chance.

That creature
pounced on him

Like a lion
pouncing on
a zebra.

Lion--

That eats ants.

The ant lion!

That's it,
isn't it?

The ant lion is
an insect that
feeds on ants.

Can you believe that guy?

Talk about resourceful.
Talk about planning.

I didn't think the guys
would do it,

But you got to admit

The old ant lion
is something to roar about.

[Martin]
the ant lion

Is like an insect-devouring
shape-shifter.

It starts out
looking like this,

And it lives
in a sand pit.

Then it metamorphosizes

Into this--

A winged creature
who flies in search of a mate

And never eats again.

At both stages,
the ant lion
is awesome.

Like I said, africa isn't
only about big creatures,

It's about
the little guys, too.

The big creatures
always stand out

As being
obviously cool,

But when you take
a closer look

At the little
creatures,

You realize they're
just as fascinating,
funny, and bizarre.

There's a whole world
of adventure to be had

In exploring
the little creatures.

I hope you
don't mind me winning.

What?

I was ahead
the whole time,

And I found
the elephant first.

I found
your rhino.

That's nothing
compared to
a leopard

And the ant
lion.

Yeah, but how could you
miss an elephant?

Talk about
an elephant shrew.

You got lucky
with that.

[Al]
humans always tend to think
of the big mammals

When we think of africa.

The big creatures get
the publicity,

And the little creatures
are forgotten.

The answer is--
here's to the little guys.

Speaking of guys...
Chris? Martin?

[Martin]
can't talk now, al.

We're on the trail

Of one of the coolest
african creatures.

Who?

His zoological name
is lampyridae.

You might know him
as the firefly.

The firefly?

See you later, guys.