01x02 - City Critters

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On this episode
of kratts' creatures...

Was that a coyote?

Let's go visit
the subway mice.

[Howling]

The old
alligator-in-the-sewer story.

It's the big city!

Aah!

Aah!

Let's go for it.

Iarriba!
Iandale, andale!

As creature adventures go,

This one has us
really pumped.

We're going
to meet animals

That live in one of
the most surprising

Wildlife
hot spots around.

Within 3 miles
from this spot,

We expect to find
coyotes, foxes,
porcupines, terns...

Beavers, raccoons,
snakes, and sea gulls.

Owls, peregrine falcons.

Wait a minute.

Coyotes, foxes,
porcupines, terns...

This is impossible.

Where will you find all
those creatures in one place?

Where are you guys?

We're exploring
a creature habitat

That most people
don't even think of

As a creature
habitat.

It's big, has trees, rivers,
lakes, ravines...and cement.

It's the big city!

You got me,
but you got to admit,

You don't usually
associate the big city
with the creature world.

Most people
don't realize

That many creatures
live all around cities

And right
inthe cities.

While urban development
is threatening species
all over the world,

As forests are cut down
and rivers polluted,

The amazing thing
is that some creatures

Have found a way
to coexist with humans.

They're resourceful
and adaptable creatures

Who thrive
as city creatures.

[Sea gulls calling]

Let's take the beach.

Man, that's what
I call a real birdbath,

But I still can't
isolate your location.

That's weird because
I grew up in the city.

We're on a long
strip of landfill

At a lake
outside the city.

This landfill
was originally built

As an extension
to the harbor,

But wildlife moved in
and made it their home.

It became one
of the largest
nesting colonies

Of ring-billed gulls
in north america.

[Chris]
this colony is like
the base of operations

For the seagull air force.

[Martin]
from here, they'll launch
their scavenge att*ck,

Combing the big city
for any tasty scraps

They can snap up
in their beaks.

[Chris]
there's future recruits
for the seagull air force.

[Chris]
that one's trying
to steal a fish

From that merganser.

[Martin]
these gulls dominate
this landfill site

And much of the city

Through their unique ability

To take food
any way they can get it.

This is totally wild,
and I mean wild.

It says here the landfill site
was created in 1959,

But it wasn't made
into a park until 1972.

That's 13 years later.

Do you know
what happened in 13 years?

All sorts of vegetation
started growing,

And all sorts of creatures
started moving in.

Without meaning to, we created
a great creature habitat.

And some of them do
their own construction

Within the city.

There's a perfect example.

What do you see?

It's a beaver lodge!

Wow!
It's a huge one!

[Chris]
beavers sometimes build dams
across streams

To create their own ponds.

But this landfill site
is a man-made dam,

So when the beavers
got here,

They already had
a dam and a pond.

All they had to do
was build a lodge.

[Martin]
a beaver's lodge
is a beaver's home.

It's a fortress made
out of sticks, mud, and logs.

What these beavers
found out was that

Change caused by humans
was good for them,

So they took
advantage of it.

[Martin]
to build their lodge,
the beavers chew

Through some big trees
with their incisor teeth.

Then they take pieces of it
away to their lodge site.

But the beavers
don't do all this themselves.

They had help,
with the raw materials at least,

From their fellow creatures...

[Chris]
like birds!

These guys may
or may not know it,

But they help beavers
in a really crucial way.

Birds are great
transporters of seeds.

Some birds eat seeds, which are
spread around when they poop.

By dropping seeds
all over the place,

The bird helps
to plant trees,

And it's those trees the beaver
needs to build his home.

Beavers are nocturnal,

Which means
they're more active

At night than the day,

But if we sit and wait
quietly...

[Martin]
wait a minute!

Was that a coyote?

We got to
check this out.

Coyotes in the city?
That doesn't seem--

But I guess
it's possible.

Actually, why not?

They're
theopportunistic eater, right?

They'll chow down
on anything

From birds,
frogs, and snakes

To fruit and insects.

Coyotes would be
great urbanites.

Coyotes live
all over north america,

But you have to get lucky
to find one.

That's because
coyotes are smart,

And they've become total experts
at avoiding people.

Coyotes
sometimes use runways,

Which are constantly used
hunting trails...

Like this one.

And this runway...

Goes right by...

A hibernaculum.
Check it out.

They're all emerging
from the hibernaculum.

Hey, what goes on
in a hibernaculum, anyway?

Inside,
different species of snakes

Spend the winter together,

And then in the spring,

They all crawl out
at the same time.

And here they come,
looking for chow.

At the same time,

They have to avoid
being someone else's chow.

[Car horn honks]

All right.
We want to get a good look

At the creature world
around here, right?

Let's get a bird's-eye view!
Come on!

[Panting]

Maybe I should have
checked out the coyotes

And chris should have taken
the peregrines.

Aah!

This will be more
than a bird's-eye view.

We'll see one of the most
amazingcity dwellers...

An endangered species,
the great avian predator--

The peregrine falcon.

Peregrines are one
of the birds of prey

Called the raptors.

That means
they're flying hunters...

And I got one
in my sights! Wild!

The city is a perfect place
for peregrine falcons.

There are so many
great nesting sites here.

In the wild,
peregrine falcons

Use high, rocky cliffs
to build their nests,

But when they're in the city,
they go for the skyscrapers.

Peregrines like to be high up,
but not because of the view.

It's so they can
spot their prey

And stoop down on them
at 185 miles per hour.

Peregrines are always looking
for potential quarry.

Check out the talons!

They're used to pluck prey
right out of the air.

Their talons, wings, and eyes
are all essential hunting tools.

Whoa! Peregrine flyby!

So many birds peregrines eat
live here in the city, too...

Like the gull...
The blackbird...

The robin...
And the mallard duck.

And the falcons stoop down
on them from these heights.

Wow.

I haven't seen
a coyote out hunting,

But I'm hoping there's one
in this coyote den.

My plan...is to hide out.

[Thinking]
hmm...there's the den,

But no sign of any coyotes.

Maybe the mom
is out hunting.

After all,
she's got to feed her pups.

She could be out pouncing
on some rodents or something.

What's keeping her?

Still no action
at the den.

[Howling]

Hey, that sounds
like a coyote howling.

I can hear them,
but where could they be?

Maybe they're
at another den.

You know, coyotes
sometimes move their pups

From one den to another.

Maybe that's what happened.

[Growl]

Hey, what was that?

That doesn't sound
like a coyote.

That's no coyote.
That's a bobcat!

Wow. A bobcat in the city.
I can't believe it.

I better take cover.

And there she is.

Bobcats aren't much bigger
than a regular house cat,

But size isn't what counts
when it comes to hunting.

Oh, my gosh.
The hound picked up her scent.

And there she goes!
Bobcats are fast and tough.

You don't want
to tick them off.

[Growling]

Ooh, that's got to hurt.

[Howling]

Yes.

You know,
if you check out any city,

You'll discover many areas

Where wildlife has taken
nature back for themselves.

It says here
that back in the 1950s,

A hurricane went through
just miles from downtown.

The entire area was flooded,
and all the homes were moved.

Now it's chock-full

Of mammals, birds,
reptiles, and amphibians.

This is one area
the guys haveto check out.

We're on it.

Hey. We're in a park
outside of a city.

We'll see what
wildlife we can spot
in this habitat.

Ready?

Let's go!

[Martin]
yeah! There's a raven.

[Chris]
robins.

[Martin]
squirrel.

[Chris]
baby fox.

[Martin]
eastern newt.

[Chris]
mallard duck.

[Martin]
peregrine!

[Chris]
frog.

[Martin]
blue jay.

[Chris]
gulls.

[Martin]
beaver.

[Chris]
a snake.

[Martin]
rabbit.

Ugh!

[Chris]
coyote!

[Martin]
hey, porky.

[Chris]
whew! A skunk.

[Martin]
diamondback terrapin.

[Chris]
painted turtle.

[Martin]
white-tailed deer.

[Chris]
a raccoon.

[Martin]
owl.

Look.

[Chris]
groundhog.

[Martin]
chris, we clocked
a lot of creatures,

But know what
we didn't see?

What?

We haven't seen
a single red-tailed hawk.

[Martin]
they're one of the coolest
city creatures.

We got to find one!

[Screech]

Let's try up
in this meadow.

Yeah.

[Screech]

[Screech]

[Calling]

A red-tail!

[Martin]
you sure that's
a red-tail?

[Chris]
I think so.

[Martin]
doesn't look like
a red-tail to me.

[Calling]

Aah!

[Both screaming]

Look out for the fence!

Aw, we lost the hawk.

But we found
another creature.

Whoa.

A snapping turtle!

What's a snapping turtle
doing poolside?

It's a female looking
for a nesting site.

Other than that,

Snapping turtles hardly
ever leave the water.

But a swimming pool
is not a good place
for a snapper.

[Chris]
snappers live in lakes,
rivers, and marshes,

But females travel up onto land
when it comes time to lay eggs.

One of the reasons
snappers snap

Is because they can't hide
in their shells.

Without that defense,
they need a good offense.

That's where
the monster's snap comes in.

They also use
their powerful jaws

To snap down on food like
insects, fish, and young ducks.

Where are we?

I don't know.

But there's something
about this schoolyard

That reminds me of--

Do you remember something
you learned in school?

Ha ha ha!

Check this out.

A den of foxes...

Found in a schoolyard
in the city!

[Chris]
not exactly inthe schoolyard.

That would be too busy
for them,

But they're
pretty close by.

[Martin]
why not? There's shelter,

Some good places
to hide out,

And enough food for mom
to keep her kits well fed.

[Chris]
the schoolyard is
a strange habitat,

But it shows that a fox
is another wild creature

That can make it
in the big city.

[Martin]
a fox can find
a great den site

In a small,
wooded area like this.

Besides dogs, cars,
and some people,

There aren't many predators
that will go after a fox.

But there are
plenty of creatures
the fox can eat...

[Martin]
like squirrels...

[Chris]
rabbits...

[Martin]
robins.

[Chris]
hey, look. A fox on the prowl.

I wonder what
she's going for.

Could be any
of these creatures.

[Martin]
foxes sometimes bury their food
if they can't finish it all.

That way, they can
save it for later.

[Chris]
I wonder what food
he's burying.

[Martin]
looks like some kind
of rodent.

[Chris]
hey, maybe a mouse.

Mice are the city fox's
main meal.

Mice can live anywhere
and everywhere

In the big city,

But one place even
a fox won't go
to find them

Is underground...

Into the subways.

There's another reason
mice hang out in the subway--

It's warm...well, warmer
than fields in february.

[Car horn honks]

So let's go visit
the subway mice!

Tokens? We didn't
need tokens

To look for
wildlife in africa.

Probably just as well.

Traipsing around subway tracks
is dangerous...

Like wandering around in sewers
looking for alligators

Who are supposed
to live there.

The what?

Are you kidding? It's thegreat
city critter myth.

Oh, yeah. The old
alligator-in-the-sewer story.

The story is people buy
little alligators as pets

Then get squirrelly when they
realize they're growing.

What do these dodos do?
They flush them down the toilet.

Then in the sewers,
they become big alligators.

It's in this book
called creature myths.

But who would be so crazy
to keep an alligator as a pet?

They belong in the wild.
It's totally bogus.

I mean, I'm pretty sure
it's totally bogus.

We've got to find out.

All right. Now before
we go any further,

We have to make
something clear

About looking for
alligators in the sewer.

You shouldn't do this

Unless you're
a professional
creature searcher

With sewer experience.

This takes creature adventuring
to new depths.

Whoo-hoo!

And smells.

Let's go for it.

You're breaking
up on me.

Are you all
the way down?

Yeah. We're
down here, but...

I don't see
any gators down here!

But I hear
something. Listen.

Whoomp. Whoomp.
Whoomp.

Come on!

[Water rushing]

How far do you think
we've gone?

Pretty far,
but we haven't
found anything yet.

This doesn't seem
like a place a gator
could survive in.

Other than sewer rats,

What wild animal
couldsurvive here?

[Animal trumpeting]

What was that?

I don't know. I know
what it sounded like,

But that's impossible!

It sounded
like an elephant.

Hang on. I can
cross-match that sound.

Take an elephant trumpet
from our library...

Input...
Cross-match it.

[Trumpeting]

Wow. Guys,
what you heard

Isan elephant
trumpeting.

This is weird!

Maybe there's more
to this sewer legend
than we thought.

[Animal roaring]

That sounded
exactly like...

A lion!

That sound
and a real lion roaring.

[Roar]

That wasa lion roaring.

Whatis going on
down here?

[Animal laughing]

A hyena?

And it's coming
from up there.

[Hyena laughing]

We've definitely reached
a new weird here.

Hey, chris,
I found the gators!

And the elephants,
lions, and hyenas.

Gators? Elephants?
Lions? Hyenas?

Yeah! You can find
them all in the city

If you just check out...

The zoo.

[Trumpeting]

The zoo--i knew that.

So what we figured out

Is that that myth
is just that...a myth.

The only way you'll
find some wild animals
in the sewers

Is if you take
the sewers to the zoo.

In a big city,
a zoo is theplace

To find the more exotic
wild animals.

[Growling]

And this is
the final chapter

In our story of
the city critters.

[Chris]
hey, and not a bad place
to end it.

So whether you're
in the zoo

Or in the park
or in your backyard,

The city is
a great place

For checking out
the creature world.

You know,
no matter how much

We think we can control
the creature world,

We can't entirely
control nature.

That's because
the creature world

Is always changing
and adapting.

Meeting all of those
great city creatures

Should remind us
that we're sharing

This planet
with them.

Sharing with them?

Actually, they're the ones
sharing with us.

We took over theirspace.

If you ask me,
we've got to give
them back some space

And try a little harder
to live together.

To the tenacious
and resourceful
city creatures--

The great survivors.

If you want to know
how adaptable creatures can be,

Look around the city.

Despite our skyscrapers,
subways,

Housing developments,
and highways,

There are some creatures

Who have what it takes
to survive there.

That's a true
creature accomplishment.

Wonder how well humans
would adapt to theirworld.

Compared to creatures,

We're not
all that adventurous...

Well, some of us aren't.
Guys, are you there?

Yeah. We're
tracking goshawks,

And we think
we found a nest.

There are
more city creatures
to hang out with.

Going up?