03x05 - Who's Who?

[bunniefuu]

We're packing up

For one of the greatest
creature adventures.

But we're not the first
to take this adventure.

There were millions,

Maybe billions
of creatures before us.

They were pioneers--

The greatest
explorers ever!

All right.
Creature van's loaded.

And I've got
the map.

We're all set.
Let's hit the trail.

Hit the trail?

That's right, al.

Let's hit the trail
of life on earth.

We're going to follow
those same paths

That creatures took
through prehistory.

We'll see how they
evolved and changed

To become the creatures
we know today.

It's sort of like
a journey through time,

So get ready
for this episode of...

[Together]
kratts' creatures!

Iarriba!
Iandale, andale!

[Allison]
insectivora.

O.k. Insectivora
branched off

And pholidota came in?

Oh, that's not it.

I'm trying to put together
an animal evolution tree,

But is it ever confusing!

Scientists are still
putting it together.

For years, scientists have
studied bones and fossils.

From studying these,

They're able to classify
creatures into groups or orders

Like reptiles, birds,
and mammals.

I'm trying to figure out
how they're all related.

I don't even know
where to start.

[Allison]
scientists claim

All creatures are related,
right?

How can that be?

How can the biggest creatures
be related to the smallest?

You've got animals living
underwater, on the water,

And by the water--
different creatures

Needing totally different
environments--

And they're all connected?

Think about the incredible
diversity of life on earth--

Thousands of shapes, spots,
sizes, and stripes.

How will we figure out
how they're all linked

To one another?

That's why
we have this map.

Scientists
have basically

Laid out
a pathway

Through
the creature
kingdom.

The only
problem is,

It's complex
and hard
to understand.

So chris and I are each
going to pick one creature,

And we're going to follow
its evolutionary path.

By taking this hike
through prehistory,

We might be able
to better understand

How all creatures

Are related
to one another.

So we'll each pick

A totally different
creature.

I'll take the elephant.

And I'll take a creature

Different in lifestyle,
body design.

How about an aardvark?

[Allison]
we'll be tracking the path
of creature evolution

By going backwards
through history?

That's a great idea!

We'll make
a creature family tree,

Sort of like
the baldwin family tree.

This is
my great-grandpa baldwin.

If you follow it through,

You get to my uncles,
my father,

And then, finally, me.

All right!

We made it
to an early junction

On the creature trail.

These are two
of the largest groups

In the creature world--

The plants
and the animals.

Plants are an amazing
group of creatures,

And we're discovering
more species all the time.

But we're
taking the trail

To the aardvarks
and the elephants.

Everybody knows
they're not plants!

[Martin]
vertebrates!

And invertebrates.

The trail
splits again...

Just like the animal
kingdom does...

Into two
distinct groups--

The vertebrates
and the invertebrates.

What's an invertebrate?
You're looking at them.

Someof them.

You couldn't see
all of them,

Because invertebrates
make up 90%

Of the earth's animals.

Invertebrate is
a scientific word
for spineless.

That doesn't mean
they're pushovers.

The biggest group
of land invertebrates

Are insects, like ants.

They're
successful animals,

Making up 80% of
the world's creatures.

For more
invertebrate action,

Grab your scuba gear.

When you scuba-dive,
you see what looks like

Thousands of bits of
debris floating around.

They're not debris--

They're tiny little
invertebrates.

There are bigger
invertebrates,

Like these jellyfish...

Nudibranch...

And this
amazing creature

Called the sea cucumber.

This coral may look like
part of the scenery,

But they're animals,
too--

Invertebrate animals.

Awesome! Only thing is,

I don't think
we're going to find

Elephants and aardvarks
down here.

We're just establishing

That we've got
an amazing group

Of creatures
without backbones

Called invertebrates.

And we've got
vertebrates.

Those are animals
withbackbones.

We're vertebrates,

And some of the most
well-known creatures

Are down this path.

There's camels, bears,
barracudas, snakes,

Falcons, loons, chimps,
lions, dolphins,

Salamanders, ostrich,
tigers, beavers,

Eagles, zebras,
penguins, rhinos.

Whoa, martin.
That's a lot of backbones.

Yeah.

Aardvarks and elephants
have backbones, too.

Aardvarks and elephants
have backbones, too.

They're down there
somewhere.

As much as we'd love
to check out

The invertebrates,

Like jellyfish
and sea cucumbers,

We're taking
the vertebrate
trail.

Whoa.

Fish!

Fish are an incredibly
successful

Group of creatures.

There are more species
in the fish group

Than there are in any
other group of vertebrates.

[Chris]


Is covered in water.

[Martin]
in this vast space,

Fish have evolved
to become

The most diverse group
of vertebrates.

The variety
of species, colors,

And shapes of fish
is staggering.

Look around,

And you'll find
another kind of fish...

A creature who's
one of the world's
greatest hunters.

You're looking at her--
the shark!

Most of the shark's
skeleton

Isn't made of bones
but cartilage--

The same hard,
squishy stuff

That gives shape
to your nose and ears.

Sharks are
so well-designed

That they've
barely changed

Since the days
they shared the world

With dinosaurs.

Hey, they were around


Beforethe dinosaurs.

Back then,
the only life on earth

Could be found underwater,

But some drastic changes

Were just around
the corner.

Around 400 million
years ago,

An amazing thing
happened on our planet.

Plants, which before had
just grown in the water,

Started to appear
on land.

This gave creatures

A great new opportunity
for food,

And when there's a new
opportunity like that,

Someone takes
advantage of it.

Water animals

Started crawling up
out of the water to eat,

And slowly, a new group
of creatures developed.

They were both water
and land creatures,

And they became
the amphibians.

Amphibians
took a giant leap

In the story
of life on earth.

They did it by simply
crawling up on land.

They couldn't make
the jump to life on land
completely.

They still needed to lay
their eggs in water.

Amphibians are
amazingly successful.

There's over 4,000 species.

They all have unique
ways of surviving.

Some, like hellbenders,
spend most of their time
underwater...

While newts
and other salamanders

Divide their time
more equally

Between land and water.

Most amphibians,
like this siren,

Have smooth skin
and no claws--

Big difference
from reptiles,

But we'll
get to that later.

Maybe you've never heard
about amphibians before,

But everyone's heard of
its most famous species...

Frogs!

They live in just about
every corner

Of the world,

And there's
over 3,400 species.

Check out any pond,

And you'll likely
find a frog

Patiently awaiting

Her next
invertebrate meal.

Millions of years ago,

Amphibians were the largest
land creatures.

Can you imagine
a giant newt?

[Spooky music playing]

I don't think so.

But today,

Some amphibians are among
the smallest creatures

With backbones.

That'smore like it.

You know what's
really neat, al?

Weshare a common
ancestor with amphibians.

Elephants, aardvarks,

Humans, birds,
reptiles--

We all started out

With the same
amphibious ancestor.

Here's another split.

To the reptiles!

[Chris]
what makes a reptile
a reptile is...

Well, there are over


So it's hard to say.

They were the first
vertebrate creatures

To make a full break
from the water.

You could say
that reptiles
conquered the earth.

Their dry, scaly skin
gives them

The unique ability
to hold in water.

O.k. There are four
orders of reptiles--

Crocodilians...

Turtles...

Snakes...

And lizards.

They all lay eggs that
won't dry out on land.

That was
a groundbreaking
development,

But reptilian evolution

Wasn't just a walk
down the beach.

The early reptiles

Had a pretty
tough time.

It wasn't easy
making the move

From being a water
andland creature

To just being
a land creature.

The first thing
they had to figure out

Was how to lay
their eggs on land.

[Chris]
no reptile figured it out
better than the sea turtle.

They dig their nests
in the sandy beach

Not far from
the ocean's waves.

After the baby
sea turtles hatch,

They actually sort of
swim through the sand

To get to water.

Sea turtles are
one of the few reptiles

Who live in the water,

But they still lay
their eggs on land.

But now the road
to life on earth

Leads us to another
egg-laying creature...

[Roaring]
dinosaurs!

[Chomping]

Dinosaurs filled
every niche on earth.

They went from
the size of a house cat

To the size
of a small building.

Dinosaurs
ruled the earth

For 140 million years.

Then, about 65 million
years ago,

Something horrible
happened.

Nobody really knows
what it was,

But it was big.

It could have been

An asteroid crashing
into the earth...

Or some other kind
of colossal disaster,

But whatever happened,

It k*lled off
a large part

Of the earth's
population

And all
of the dinosaurs.

But some creatures
survived,

Like reptiles...

And birds...

And mammals.

You know,

There's a real connection
between dinosaurs and birds.

Let's check it out!

[Martin]
there are about 9,000
species of birds,

And among them
you can find

The world's
fastest animals,

The longest travelers...

And some of the best
hunters and scavengers.

Scientists
are certain that birds
developed flight

So they could
catch food better.

Where do scientists think
birds came from

In the first place?

Scientists are pretty sure
that birds evolved

From small,
flesh-eating dinosaurs.

But no one is exactly
sure how or when.

Some people think
they started out

As animals that
lived in trees...

And from here,
they started to fly.

Oof!

Others think that
it was a ground animal

That was a great
runner and leaper.

However they evolved,

Birds are found
everywhere in the world.

Birds of prey,
also called raptors,

Are one group
in the amazing bird family.

A bird of prey
has sharp eyes,

Sharp talons,
a sharp beak,

And it seizes prey
with its feet.

[Chris]
you can think

Of birds of prey, like
owls, hawks, and eagles,

As flying merchants
of death...

[Martin]
or as incredible hunters
with unbelievable skills.

You can look at raptors
and all birds

As feathered relatives
of dinosaurs.

We started with invertebrates
and vertebrates,

We went down
the vertebrate path,

Then we went to fish,

Followed it up through
amphibians, reptiles, and birds.

So we're ready to head
down the mammal trail

And continue our search
for the aardvark...

And the elephant.

[Martin]
mammals is the name

For a huge group of
animal families like...

[Chris]
marsupials--

Mammals who carry
their young in pouches.

We're talking about
animals like kangaroos,

Koalas,
and tazzy devils.

Or monotremes--
egg-laying mammals

Like the platypus

And the echidna.

Dolphins--
mammals who live

Their entire lives
underwater.

Then there's big groups
like carnivores.

We're talking
meat-eaters,

Like raccoons, bears,
sea lions, and cheetahs.

But mammals also include
bats and primates...

And some weird groupings

Like camels, hippos,
and giraffes.

What's the connection
there?

But not all mammal groups
are made up of giants.

There are rodents,
like pacas,

The cane rats,
and the porcupines.

Wow! That's
a lot of mammals.

Mammals are divided
into many different groups.

How will we figure it out?

I think we've
got it, al.

I'm searching
for relatives
of aardvarks,

So if I
find the sign
of the mammal

That's most similar
to them...

You can head
down that path

And find aardvarks!

I'll try anteaters.

They must be related.

Aardvarks and anteaters
related?

They do eat the same food.

Let's check this out.

[Allison]
the aardvark looks like a pig

With a longer snout.

He has short legs,
walks close to the ground,

And gobbles up
tons of insects.

Aardvarks
look like anteaters,

And they both eat
ants and termites.

They're a lot like
costa rica's anteater--

The tamandua.

The tamandua uses
his long sticky tongue

To slurp up bugs,

But unlike the aardvark,
who sticks to the ground,

This guy lives the high life,
finding his meals in trees.

The anteater has a cousin

That's one of the world's
great defenders--

The armadillo.

The armadillo loves to chow down
on squirmy invertebrates,

But she balances it
with plants and roots as well.

Of course, creatures like
gators, dogs, and jaguars

Like to chow down on her.

That accounts
for her armorlike skin.

Hey! Sloths are
in this group, too.

Man! This is a weird
group of creatures--

Tamanduas, armadillos,
and now him?

Wait! There are
no aardvarks down here.

They don't belong
with these guys.

I took the wrong path.

Hey, how'd you do?

I found out that,

Even though
they seem similar,

Aardvarks are not
related to anteaters.

I finally figured out
what I'm going to do.

I'll try ungulates.

Maybe an elephant's
down there.

Good luck!

Thanks!

I mean, what is
an ungulate, anyway?

[Allison]
what's an ungulate?

That's simple.

Ungulates are hooved creatures,
like horses and zebras.

[Martin]
yeah. I knew that.

I know that
elephants and ungulates

Share a common ancestor,

A creature called
condylarthra,

So somewhere down here
on the ungulate trail,

I should be able
to find a clue

About who elephants
are related to.

A white-tailed deer?

I guess that makes sense.

We know that ungulates are
basically hooved creatures,

Like bison, deer, antelope,
zebras, and camels.

There are over 190 species
of ungulates.

Besides hooves, they have
something else in common--

They love chowing down
on vegetation.

Ungulates live in
a wide variety of climates,

From hot deserts to tropical
grasslands to arctic tundra.

Wait a minute--those hooves!

Sort of like the toes
on an elephant?

Could I possibly find elephants
down this path?

Elephants eat vegetation,
like ungulates.

I know they're somehow
related, so...

Nah. The elephant's toes

Are nothooves.

I won't find elephants here.
I got to keep looking.

Where are the elephants?

How'd it go?

I found some clues

To the elephant
and its relatives,

But not enough.

I've got to take
a different creature path.

I've been thinking.

Why don't we both pick

Some other
african creature?

Rhinoceros?

Aardvark?

Elephants. Hey, maybe!

This could be it,

Because elephants
and rhinos,

They're both huge
and gray, right?

Hey, you never know what
we could find down here.

We're back on
the ungulate trail!

Sure, because rhinos
are ungulates, too.

They're odd-toed
ungulates--

Different,
but still ungulates.

But where are they?

I don't know.

[Animal trumpets]

Shh!

There it is--a rhino!

[Martin]
it's great that
we found the rhino.

He may lead us
to the elephant.

[Chris]
after the elephant,

The rhino is the largest
creature on land.

Like elephants,
rhinos eat vegetation.

They chow down on a huge
variety of green stuff.

So let's
check them out.

There are some definite
similarities here.

You know what
that could mean?

We could be
on the right path.

Wait a minute!

Where'd
the rhino go?

We lost him...

But is that
a rhino relative?

What is it?

A tapir!

Let's move!

[Chris]
now we're really
making time!

Let's look for clues

On how the tapir
and rhino are related.

That might lead us
to the elephants.

[Martin]
tapirs are herbivores

Living in south
and central america

As well as southeast asia.

They're great swimmers
and never stray
far from water.

That's the opposite
of rhinos!

They live on
the hot, dry savanna.

You sure we're on
the right path?

Absolutely, because
the rhino and tapir

Both come from an ancestor
with an odd number of toes,

So they are related.

We're making real progress.

Now we know that the rhino
and the tapir are related.

But it doesn't
look like

The elephant
or the aardvark

Are with them.

We've got to try
something else.

[Chris]
hyrax?

Flexi-nose?

Siren?

Tube-tooth?

What kind of a creature
group isthis?

Let's find out.

Hey, are we lost?

No. There's always a path
leading somewhere out here,

And as long as there's
a creature around...

Like that furry thing
running over there.

A hyrax!

[Martin]
how could this
furry little rodent

Be related to the largest
animal on earth?

[Chris]
it is pretty weird.

Check out its teeth--
two elongated incisors,

Sort of like
an elephant's tusks.

One of the ways scientists
say creatures are related

Is when they have
similar bones or teeth.

That could mean elephants
and hyraxes arerelated.

Look--manatees!

This is great!

The hyrax led us
to the manatee.

The manatee will lead us
to the elephant.

Yeah! He is?

Sure. Figure it out.

Manatees are also
called sea cows.

Like cows, they're big,
they're mammals,

And they eat
grassy vegetation.

And here's a clue

To how they're related
to elephants.

Check out
the manatee's fins.

See those things on the tip
that look like toenails?

Now check this out.

The elephant has almost
identical toenails!

The elephant,

The manatee,
and the hyrax

Must have evolved from
a common land ancestor.

So the hyrax is related
to the manatee.

How's that possible?

Just look at these guys.

They couldn't be related.

There isa slight
size difference.

But they arerelated!
I can't get over it.

Strange things happen
in the creature world.

You can say that
again, al.

It's amazing

That two completely
different-looking
creatures

Like the hyrax
and the manatee

Can be related.

Yeah! Same thing
with anteaters,

Armadillos, and sloths.

[Snort]

Isn't that the sound
the aardvark makes?

Could this be the path
of the aardvark, too?

Aardvarks! Here!

I can't believe
we found them.

They must share
a common ancestor

With the hyrax
and the manatee.

If they're
down this path,

They must be
related somehow.

[Snort]

Now that we found
this guy, we're set.

Sure--once we find
the elephant.

[Elephant trumpets]

Elephants, too!

We found them both!

All right!

All right!

[Trumpets]

You're kidding!
Do you know what that means?

It means...

They're all related.

The elephant, the aardvark,
the manatee, and the hyrax--

All these creatures related?

No one knows who
their common ancestor is,

But they might have lived
in africa



A mammal called
condylarthra

Gave rise to a group
of primitive ungulates

Who separated
into four distinct orders--

Aardvarks, manatees,
elephants, and hyrax.

Guys, you did it.
We solved the puzzle.

I'm surprised you ended up
where you did.

We thought we'd end up
somewhere different, too.

In the end,
we came out in
the right place,

With the elephants
and the aardvarks.

And after all, exploring
the creature world

Is an amazing adventure.

You never know
what's going to happen.

So, we followed
the creature trails

And found out that it's
all like one big puzzle.

Every day, scientists
are trying to figure out

Who's related to who.

They look at bones,

Teeth, hair, feet,
blood, and dna,

All to figure out
creature relationships.

Not only is it cool
to discover

Who's related to who,

But when you run into
so many creatures,

You realize one thing...

Every creature is
unique and amazing

All on its own.

The way animals
branched off

And became the way
they are today

Is like a puzzle.

Piecing together
the creature kingdom

Is like doing the world's
biggest jigsaw puzzle.

It's a cool challenge,

One that scientists
and creature adventurers

Will be working on
for a long time.

You're right, al.

Arranging creatures
into groups

Is like putting together
a huge puzzle.

In reality,

Creatures aren't organized
into neat paths

Like the ones
we've been following.

Nobody knows

Exactly what happened
in prehistory

Or how animals are
related to each other,

But in the wild today,

There are so many
wild animals out there,

Interacting
and doing their thing.

To meet them,
all you have to do

Is a little creature
adventuring on your own.

Hey!

Primates. Cool!

We can't pass this up.

It's where webelong!