02x24 - Desert Elves

[bunniefuu]

MARTIN:
We're here in North America,
down in the south-west.

CHRIS:
In a habitat called
the Sonoran Desert.

MARTIN:
Hey, it's us,
the Kratt brothers.

I'm Martin.
I'm Chris.

And out here in this desert,
the earth is dry and sandy

and the landscape is dotted by
these awesome saguaro cactuses.

It seems like it could be really
tough to make a home out here,

but if you look
and listen closely--

(Chittering)

Check it out!

A gila woodpecker has made
a hole in that saguaro

and that is where the
gila woodpecker lives.

But when the woodpecker is done
with that hole,

other animals
can move in.

And in the more
grassy areas,

ground squirrels and
prairie dogs make homes

in tunnels
underground.

And those burrows and tunnels
can be homes for other animals,

like gila monsters,
rattlesnakes--

Uh, Chris-- think you
forgot somebody.

And burrowing owls!

Can you believe it?

An owl that lives
underground!

And one of the smallest
owls in the world.

A little desert elf.

This tiny owl is only about
the size of my hand

and weighs about as much
as a small orange.

It's one of the few small
species of owl

that call
this desert home.

CHRIS:
Even though they're small,

burrowing owls
are fierce hunters.

They'll eat just about anything
they can catch in those talons.

From beetles and grasshoppers,
to mice and snakes, birds

and even young
ground squirrels

that actually built their
homes in the first place.

MARTIN:
And their amazing owl powers
of sight and hearing

are the keys to their
hunting success.

Imagine if we had the sensory
powers of an owl.

Then we'd really get an
insider's view

into the lives of
the desert elves.

BOTH:
What if?

♪ On adventure with
the coolest creatures ♪

♪ From the oceans
to the trees ♪

♪ The Brothers Kratt are going
places you never get to see ♪

♪ Hanging with
their creature friends ♪

♪ Get ready, it's the hour ♪

♪ We're gonna save
some animals today with ♪

♪ Creature Power ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild,
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild, wild ♪

♪ Cheetah speed
and lizard glide ♪

♪ Falcon flight
and lion pride ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild,
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild, wild,
Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Go wild, wild, Wild Kratts ♪

♪

JIMMY Z:
Whoa!

Aah! My bag!

Whoa!

Slow down!

(Koki laughing)

JIMMY Z:
Stop.

The Sonoran Desert
is great!

Koki, cut it out.

You're acting like
a Kratt brother.

Gah!

Hey, every now and then
I like getting out

and letting loose
on the hover bike.

Whoa!

Don't you?

No!

The desert
creeps me out.

The blazing heat, hardly any
water, the creepy crawlies--

Ah, see?

It's freaky.

Let's just get to town,
get those supplies we need

and get back
to the Tortuga.

Whoa!

Slow down,
I'm spilling my beans!

They're seeds.

And why are you collecting
them anyway, Jimmy?

They go well with
my pebble collection.

Besides, they're cute.

Hmm.

JIMMY Z:
Whoa!

AVIVA:
I can't do it
right now, guys.

They'll be back from the
supply run by noon and

I have a lot
of cleaning up to do.

Ugh, they're
everywhere.

Hmph!

BOTH:
Please, please!

You just got to!

Oh brothers.
Not the begging.

Anything but
the begging--

BOTH:
Please!

Ugh, okay, okay,
just get up.

I can't take it.
Sheesh!

BOTH:
Awesome!

Thanks, Aviva!

I know you guys have been
wanting this power

since we got to
the Sonoran Desert,

but hurry up
and get me some info.

I can't make a suit

without knowing exactly how
the creature power works.

Don't worry.

We've got a plan.

(Sighing)

Steady, steady--
smooth it out, Martin!

(Panting)

I can't see
anything down here.

Okay, just a little to the right
and we're there.

Whoa--
wah--

little more
to the right.

Almost there--

MARTIN:
Where?

Whoa, too much.

Whoa--
stop!

There!
The cactus with eyes.

Okay, a few steps to the left--
perfect.

Haha--
we did it!

We're close
to an elf owl!

The smallest owl
in the world.

What a great place
for a nest.

It's a really cool place
away from the hot sun.

And with all
those cactus spines,

it's a tough place
for predators

like coyotes and
bobcats to get to.

(Gasping)

A feather!

Okay, we just need to get
a scan of the elf owl

and we'll have what Aviva needs
to make the power suit.

I can't wait!

The eyesight, the hearing,
the stealth flight.

Oh, we've got to
get it all.

Owl powers,
here we come!

Yeah, we did it!

Oh no!

Quick!
After that feather!

Right--
whoa, whoa--

Gah! Oh!
Ha!

Alright!

Right?
You got it, bro!

Wait, no!

BOTH:
Whoa! Aah!

Ow! Ugh!

Ow,
why'd you say right?

Not right.
Alright!

As in,
I got the feather.

You do?!

Um-hum.

Well, I did
have the feather.

Aw!

(Both chuckling)

(Engine sputtering)

Oh, great.

Please tell me
this is a joke.

KOKI:
Hang on. Okay. And--

Out of battery power?

Oh, no!

Isn't this kind of stuff
supposed to happen

to the Kratt brothers
and not us!

You mean being-- being stranded
way out here in the desert?

Well, it's not supposed
to happen to me!

No water, no food,
no communication.

(Screaming)

Hey, remember, the Sonoran
desert has more rainfall

than any other desert.

We'll be
fine.

But it's still
a desert!

It might not rain
for days!

And we can't last that long
without water.

Well,
we'll just stay put.

Aviva and
the Kratt brothers

know we were heading
towards town.

They'll realize we're missing
and come looking for us.

Problem is,

you decided to take the long,
scenic route, remember?

They'll find us.

We're in this together,
little bean bag.

(Grumbling)

Help!

MARTIN:
Two thousand,
three hundred fifty-six.

Ow!

Two thousand,
three hundred fifty-seven.

Gah!

Uh-- we gotta stop
running into you like this.

(Both laughing)

Oh great, now we find out you
like to sit on people's heads.

Would have been
a lot less painful

if we'd known that
before.

Ow!

At least now we can
get a good look

at this little elf owl's
features.

Like those eyes.
They're huge!

That's right!

I'm checking out
the scan you got.

And according to my
analysis,

owls have eyes that are up to
times better at seeing

in the dark
than ours are!

Yeah, and even though
they can't

move them around
like we can,

they can turn their heads
completely backward, like--

Ow!

Like we can't do.

Oh!

CHRIS:
That's how it's done.

Great!

That's Owl Sensory
Power # : Eyesight.

Now let's check out
that hearing.

We need owl-powered
ears.

Elfis here can show us
that, too.

Elvis?
Like the famous singer?

No, Elfis.

Elfis, the elf owl.

That's what I'm
naming him.

AVIVA:
Stop! Hold everything!

Huh?

Ow!
Missed one.

What's up, Aviva?

I just realized Koki and Jimmy
aren't back yet!

They're super late!

Well, just call them.

I did--
no answer.

Oh, Koki's the communication
queen.

She wouldn't be late
without calling.

What if something
went wrong?

Okay well, just keep
trying to reach them.

We'll put the elf owl adventure
on hold and be right there.

Sorry, Elfis.
Emergency.

We'll catch up
with you later.

(Chirping)

(Grunting)

It sure is
scorching hot out here.

Not a good place
to be stranded.

Yeah, we need to
find them fast.

Guys, over here!

Aren't these the seeds
Jimmy was collecting?

Yes, they're
driving me crazy.

He's been leaving them
lying around everywhere.

Hmm?
Hmph.

Exactly!

He leaves the seeds
everywhere he goes!

And look-- they left
a whole trail of seeds.

He spilled them
as they were riding off.

So if we follow
the trail of seeds--

It should lead us
right to Jimmy and Koki!

ALL:
Yes! Wahoo!

Alright!

We'll have Koki and Jimmy
back here in no time.

Follow those seeds!

(Howling)

♪

CHRIS:
Uh-oh.

The seed trail
is petering out.

That's strange.

Back here it's fine, but--

wait, they were here,
now they're gone.

But that doesn't
make sense!

We just looked this way
for a second-- huh?

Now there are
even less!

Wha--?!

BOTH:
Ah-ha!

Haha!
They're jumping beans!

But look,
some don't jump.

Why do those jump
and these don't jump?

Come on,
lazy bean, jump!

Let's see.
Ooh!

Hey, get back here.

(Rattling)

Uh-oh!

Don't move.
That's not a good sound.

Yeah, I'd say a rattlesnake
rattling at my hand

is definitely
not good.

Especially if he stops
making the warning sound

and decides
to strike.

Yeah, that would be
even more not good.

I'll see if I can
coax him out.

Hey rattlesnake, we didn't
mean to bug you, we just--

Chris, it's an--

Ow! He got me!
I'm done! Finished!

The venom of the rattler is
coursing through my veins.

I can feel it.

Uh, Chris, wait a sec!

Can't wait.
I don't have much longer.

Goodbye,
brother of mine.

I'm feeling weak.

Uh, Chris, it wasn't
a rattlesnake.

It was an owl!

Huh?

That guy.

CHRIS:
That guy?

A burrowing owl!

Yes!
Another desert elf.

And this one
lives underground.

And is also happy
to be out in the daytime.

Who said our owl adventure
was on hold?

Oh, they use old ground squirrel
holes as their homes.

And so do rattlesnakes,

so any one of the holes out here
could have a ground squirrel,

a rattlesnake, or
a burrowing owl living in it.

So if you're
a little burrowing owl

with some big predator poking
around your home,

who better to imitate
than a rattlesnake?

Uh-oh.

That coyote's
looking for a meal.

(Rattling)

But the question is--
who's down that hole?

I'm betting that one
really is a rattler.

I'm going with
the burrowing owl.

(Rattling)

MARTIN:
Oh, he backed down.

Yes, a burrowing owl!
Now that's a great trick.

Mimicry:
burrowing owl style.

They got us
and a coyote to back off.

Plus, I got
the jumping bean back.

Guys, Aviva here!
Come in.

Did you locate
Koki and Jimmy?

No, but I've been checking out
these jumping beans

and you won't believe
what's making them jump.

Uh, cool new
basketball sneakers?

(Chuckling)
Not exactly.

Look inside.

It's a caterpillar!

And when the caterpillar flips
around inside the seed--

it jumps.

So if the seed has a caterpillar
inside, it's a jumping bean.

If it doesn't, it's just a
regular seed that doesn't jump.

But why?

Why flip around and jump
in the first place?

Look at this.

The caterpillars don't like
getting too hot,

so they jump around until they
find a cooler spot.

Ah, so that's why we're losing
Jimmy and Koki's trail.

It's the heat of the day and the
seeds with the caterpillars--

the jumping beans--

are jumping around
to get away from the heat.

If too many seeds
jump away,

the seed trail could
disappear completely.

No time to lose.
Let's go!

MARTIN:
We're coming,
Koki and Jimmy Z!

(Grunting)

JIMMY Z:
Are you getting hungry, Koki?

I think I'm okay--
for now.

Not me.

All I can think about is
my little mini-fridge,

packed with all
my favorite snacks.

Hot dogs, popcorn,
pepperoni pizza--

I think you're getting
a little delirious.

You need some
food and water.

I hope those guys
are looking for us,

because we're frying
out here!

This trail goes
all over the place.

It's like they were taking the
long way to town or something.

Whoa,
a burrowing owl!

He got
a collared lizard.

These burrowing owls
are masters at catching

insects, lizards,
small mammals, and--

MARTIN:
Hey hey!

That's pretty amazing-- nothing
like a cool creature distraction

as we follow
the seed trail.

Hey, get back here
with that seed!

Don't you mess up
our trail.

Stop! Thief!

Hmm, what's all this stuff
at his doorstep?

Shells, feathers,
seeds--

Oh, even
mammal dung?

(Gasping)
A beetle!

Amazing.

You owls don't
only hunt,

you attract food
right to your doorstep.

These beetles eat dung

and they like to live and hide
under all kinds of things.

So the beetles
come here thinking,

"Ah, it's a great
place to be,"

and then you owls
gobble them up.

Hey, but just don't take
those seeds, okay?

We need that seed trail
to follow our friends.

(Ringing)

Guys! Did you
look at the sun?

No. What?

Huh?

It's going down!

That means it'll be dark
in just a few minutes.

Too dark to see
the trail!

BOTH:
Too dark to find Koki and Jimmy!

Hurry!

We're too late.
I can't see anything now.

Martin, look!

It's Elfis!

Elfis!

Hey, someone's having
no trouble seeing.

Are you kidding?

He could probably see us
a mile away with those eyes.

Those eyes--
owl eyes!

Owls are the masters
of the night.

With incredible
night vision--

And excellent hearing.

Owl power can help us
save Koki and Jimmy.

The answer was right under
our noses the whole time.

Aviva, come in.

I'm already on it, guys.

Having a look at Owl Sensory
Feature # now: Hearing.

When a sound comes in,

the big round disc-shaped
face of the owl

works like
a huge satellite dish,

collecting as much of
the sound as possible.

BOTH:
Wow!

And not only that, owl ears are
hidden under their feathers.

But one ear is way down here,
and one ear is way up here.

That helps
the owl pinpoint

exactly where the sound
is coming from.

Amazing!

If you can get those
features in a suit,

they'll really help us
track down Koki and Jimmy Z.

Okay, but whatever you do,
don't lose Elfis.

We need his help with
the transformation.

Don't worry,
we've got that covered.

We're sticking
with you, pal.

We need your
help tonight.

Do you hear something?
See something?

I bet those ears and eyes are
in full hunt mode right now.

I don't hear
or see a thing,

but an owl can hear an insect
skittling in the leaf litter

from feet away!

Martin,
he's heading your way.

Wait up, buddy.

You heard something
way over there?

Incredible!

You knew that scorpion
was hiding there

from way over
in that tree!

Hello!

Those are exactly the kind
of senses we need!

Well, those are
the kind of senses

you're getting
right now!

The elf owl power discs
are ready to go.

Ho-ho, just in time.

I don't know how much longer we
could've kept up with Elfis.

Two Power discs ready
for Teleportation.

Coming at you, JZ.

Oops.

Oh yeah,
he's not here.

It's just not the same
without Jimmy.

And-- zap it.

BOTH:
Activate Elf Owl Power!

♪

To the Jimmy rescue!

To the Koki rescue!

Now this is what nocturnal
search and locate is all about!

This eye gear
is awesome!

I can see the seed trail so
clearly now-- even at night!

Ah!

Alright, alright--
no need to scream, Chris.

This owl hearing is
ultra-sensitive.

We're like nocturnal
spy missiles.

MARTIN:
Come on, the trail
goes this way.

Let's just hope we're
not too late.

(Grumbling)

Aah!
What's that?!

Did you
hear that?!

Hear what?

That growl.

Something's out there.

(Grumbling)

There it is
again!

Jimmy, do you know what that
growl is coming from?

I don't want to know.

Your stomach.

(Grumbling)

Oh! Well, that's because I'm
starving out here!

Hold it together
a little longer, JZ.

Those guys
will find us.

They better
find us fast.

(Sighing)

Huh?

Hey, what's going on?

My seeds?!

What?! Moths?

Chris, I'm picking up some
strange movements ahead.

Wait a second--
our trail.

It's hatching!

Whoa, those little caterpillars
inside the jumping beans

transformed
into moths.

They're leaving the seeds!

CHRIS:
And check out Elfis.

He loves it!

He's a master
insect hunter.

Wait, what's over
there?

Owl eyes--
maximum focus.

More moths.

Hey, if Jimmy had a whole bag of
these jumping beans, then--

That big swarm of moths
could be from his bag!

Let's go!

Whoa, that's a lot
of moths!

Ew! Just put them down
somewhere, JZ.

They're getting
everywhere.

Aah!

Whoa!

BOTH:
Whoa!

Ugh!

Oh, no!

We're in trouble
now.

How will they ever find us
way down here?

And there's no food
down here, either.

Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm.

CHRIS:
Look! It's Jimmy's bag
of jumping beans!

Oh, but no sign of
Jimmy and Koki.

Hmm, maybe they ditched
the seeds for some reason.

That means our trail
ends here.

Yeah, but we know they were
heading that way--

so let's just keep on searching
in the direction

they were headed.

Good idea, bro.

MARTIN:
And keep those
owl senses tuned in!

(Grumbling)

Wait, what's that?

Owl hearing,
maximum power!

It's--
it's--

BOTH:
Jimmy's stomach!

That's the sound it makes
when he's hungry for pizza!

Quick! It's coming from
over there.

Whew-- almost flew
right past it.

Ha! This owl power
is incredible!

Being able to pinpoint
a tiny sound like that

and hone in on exactly where
it's coming from.

Let's just hope ours works
as good as his.

There they are!

Ha ha!
Jimmy! Koki!

Wahoo!
You found us!

Yay!

How'd you do it?

Let's just say we got some help
from a little desert elf.

CHRIS:
With big creature powers.

(Grumbling)

(Chuckling)

And-- got you!

BOTH:
We're saved!

Mission accomplished.

We got Jimmy
and Koki back!

JIMMY:
Thanks to my jumping bean
collection.

Which we now know
are really caterpillars

that live inside the seed
of a Sebastiana bush.

And thanks to the desert elves
of the Sonoran Desert.

Their creature powers of sight
and hearing are incredible.

Don't forget Jimmy's
rumbly tummy.

Yeah, it's a good thing my tummy
called out for pizza

when it did,
right, guys?

AVIVA:
Chris? Martin?

Uh-oh.

Don't tell me we lost
somebody else now.

They're not lost.
Look.

(Chuckling)

I guess after a long night
of looking and listening,

every owl needs
some shut eye.

So the desert elves--

both the elf owl that lives
in the saguaro cactus

and the burrowing
owl that lives underground--

are little creatures
with big sensory powers.

But both of these owls
also have a big problem.

Every year there are fewer
and fewer of them

and they're disappearing from
parts of North America!

So we're teaming up
with our friend Brit

from the University
of Arizona.

Hey Brit.

Hey.

How's it going?

Brit and her team are
trying to learn more

about one of these owls--
the burrowing owl.

Yeah!

This is a burrowing
owl burrow.

One of the ways
you can tell

is by all this strange mammal
dung and other things

right at the
entrance of the den.

The owls carry
this dung here.

It attracts beetles
and other insects to the den

so that they can eat food
right at their doorstep.

What we're going to do is set up
a special owl trap

so that we can get a close look
at these owls

and find out more
information about them.

The trap's set.

Now we wait.

CHRIS:
And so, with a cool little elf
owl in a nearby tree,

we waited and waited.

Until--

It worked!
We caught one!

One of the pair
of burrowing owls.

When he's in my hand
like this,

you can really see how tiny
this owl is

an incredibly
lightweight.

So the first thing we do is take
measurements and weigh.

MARTIN:
And then banding.

Each bird gets a
lightweight band

that gives it a unique
identification number.

CHRIS:
They're so light, the owl will
hardly even know they're there.

Being able to identify
each individual owl

helps Brit learn new things
about owls.

For example, she now knows
that burrowing owls

often use the same burrow
year after year.

We've also learned that some
burrowing owls migrate,

and some don't.

So which one are you?
Do you migrate or stay put?

We'll find out, because we're
ready to release the owl.

Alright.

Now that we have all the
information we need

to help these owls,
we're ready to let him go.

Back to living free
and in the wild.

MARTIN:
And with the help of a
motion-sensitive camera,

we can watch and study them
as our pair of owls

raise some chicks
of their own.

And we'll see you again soon
on the creature trail.

Keep on creature
adventuring!

Awesome.

♪