03x10 - Mungu's Revenge

[bunniefuu]

[Martin]
it's dark.

We could always
tell stories.

Like in africa.

We can whirl up
some good ones.

Places, everybody!

[Martin]
what an amazing cast
of characters.

Of course, some can be
unpredictable.

Aah!aah!

What kind of stories?

Creature stories.

[Chris]
martin and I are putting
our heads together...

We've got horns!

To tell legends like...

One night,
the earth cracked,

And from that cr*ck,

Out crawled
kazillions
of creatures.

[Allison]
legends about cheetahs,
kudu, and rhinos are cool,

But I know one
about the platypus.

The platypus!

You must promise
to give me your egg

When I ask for it.

[Chris]
all this and more,

Coming up
on kratts' creatures.

[Thunder]

Man, this is
some storm.

We've got no power,
no computer,

No video games,
and no tv.

We could always
tell stories.

Like in africa.

Africa?

Remember
that village?

They didn't have
electricity.

No one had lights,
and nobody had tv.

At night, they'd sit
around the fire
and tell stories.

What kind of stories?

Creature stories.

Legends like how the elephant
got its trunk.

Or how the warthog
got its warts.

Once upon a time--

African stories
start like that, too?

Work with me, al.

Once upon a time...

[Chris]
the impala and the giraffe
and the hippo

And all the other animals
on the savanna

Looked quite different
from what they do now.

For our purposes,
we'll say that long, long ago,

All these creatures
looked like this...

[Allison]
hey, that's you guys.

By "looked like this,"

I mean they had
no horns.

With no horns, they had no way
of protecting themselves

From you know who--
predators!

We're talking
the menacing masters of mayhem!

The toothy towers
of titanic terror!

The...you get
the picture.

And like everyone else,
these guys have to eat...

Aah!aah!

Every day.

[Lion growling]

One thing was certain--

The savanna was not
a safe place to be.

So one day,
the animals decided

To ask mungu, the head honcho
of all living things,

To help them.

They sent kushin,
the white egret,

To fly to where mungu
hung out--

The sacred mountain.

His mission was
to ask mungu

If he could protect them.

[Allison]
hold it!

Chris, answer
this one question--

Just what is
an egret, anyway?

Egrets are birds that eat
parasites like ticks and fleas

Off of other creatures

Like elephants,
horses, and zebras.

It's called
a symbiotic relationship

Because both creatures benefit.

This egret gets a meal,

And the creatures get
a thorough debugging.

Egrets normally
look like this,

But for our purposes,
we'll say kushin,

The white egret,
looked more like this...

[Martin]
chris, what are
you doing to me?

[Chris]
artistic license, bro.

So kushin asked mungu,

The head honcho
of all living things, for help.

[Martin]
o mungu, benevolent one,

Head honcho
of all living things...

If I have to look
that ridiculous,
I'm out of here.

All right,
all right.
How's this?

[Rap music playing]

Better.

[Chris]
so kushin went
to mungu and said,

"What up, mung?
We need help."

Mungu said, "yo, k!

"Tell everyone to come down
to my cave,

And I'll strap them with
some protection--horns. Word."

Everyone showed up.

When word got out,

Every creature
in the world

Traveled
to sacred cave

To ask mungu
to lay some horns on them.

But not all creatures
would get them.

They came
from north america,

South america,

And even as far away
as australia.

They did whatever it took
to get there.

They hopped, galloped,
or leaped.

Some took their time.

You would, too,
if you weighed 12,000 pounds.

Anyway,
everyone showed up,

Except the rhino.

[Thunder]

That's because the rhino
didn't have any buds.

He had a bad rep
as being a bully.

He had thick skin
and a cold heart.

He was long on street smarts
and short on sympathy.

He was ice, an island,
cool as a cucumber--

[Martin]
chris, we get
the point.

Anyway, he pushed
the other creatures

Away from
the best bushes,

Kicked dust
in their eyes,

Muddied the water hole.

Man, this guy
was a real plague.

At sunrise
the next morning...

All the animals

Gathered
at sacred mountain.

They entered the cave
for the horns

Which they received
from mungu,

The head honcho
of all living things.

Hey, what do you
think of these?

Ooh, they're way
too big for you, impala--

A little gaudy.

Ha ha ha!

Maybe you're right.

Hey, strong...
Yet elegant,

Visual,
yet understated.

I like them.
They're you.

All right!

What do you think
of these on me?

On anybody else,
I'd say no way,

But you...you seem
to make them work.

Really? All right!
We've got horns!

[Chris]
so all the animals

Left the cave
with new horns.

[Martin]
we're here on the runways
of africa,

Taking in the newest line
of herbivore accessories

Designed by
the creature king,

The one and only mungu.

Over past seasons,

Mungu had
a no-nonsense flair.

This season,

We've been told to expect
something dramatic.

Here comes sable,
looking smashing

In an understated pair of horns
with a graceful arc.

[Chris]
wildebeest is
wonderfully stunning

In a bold pair
of wide, curved horns

That scream,
"don't even try it!"

To potential predators.

[Martin]
oh, over there! Duiker looks
positively playful

In a spunky little set
of spiked horns

That sends out
the message--

"Don't mess
with this little tadger."

[Allison]
wait a minute.

Aren't horns more than
cool-looking accessories?

[Chris]
you got it, al.

The reality is, horns protect
creatures from predators

In a way most people
would never think of.

Every year, creatures
with horns and antlers

Compete for breeding rights.

[Allison]
how does head-banging
save them from predators?

[Chris]
because only the strongest,

Fittest, most resourceful male
wins the competition.

They pass strong genes
to the next generation,

Which means
the next gen
is stronger.

That's crucial
to the entire species

If they're
going to survive

The next generation
of predators.

Horns are more than just
cool-looking accessories,

But they do make
great back scratchers.

I got the horn thing.

What about the rhino?
What happened next?

[Thunder]

The rhino was so jealous
after seeing the other animals,

He went crazy.

He charged over to kushin,
the white egret,

At sacred mountain.

He wanted horns.

[Martin]
yo, rhino!

Up here on the boulder!

So you changed your mind.

Have I got
some horns for you!

So the rhino
got its horn.

Yeah, but the rhino wouldn't
settle for just any horns.

Special?
I got special.

Mungu keeps those hidden
in the back of the cave.

He doesn't want
to give them away,

But for you,
I'll make an exception.

Come on.

So the rhino
got special horns?

Yeah. He took
those special horns,

And he paraded around
the savanna showing them off.

[Chris]
hey, whose story is this?

So, he took
those special horns

And paraded around
the savanna showing them off.

[Martin]
is there an echo in here?

[Chris]
you can imagine

The shock waves
this sent

Through the entire
wildlife community.

No one could
figure it out--

The rhino
was accessorizing.

To say that the rhino was

A little self-conscious at first
is putting it mildly.

This was definitely worse
than a bad haircut.

The other animals,
who already had their horns,

Couldn't help
but notice the rhino.

Hey, topi,
check this out.

Huh?
What's going on?

He's supposed to
wear those on top
of his head.

They're sticking
out of his face.

Ha ha ha!

Ha ha ha!

[Chris]
you know what they say--
laughter is contagious.

All the animals on the savanna
joined in the joke.

As the ancient
african legend goes,

The hyena caught sight
of the rhino's crazy horn

And couldn't stop laughing.

That's how the hyena
got its famous laugh.

All the animals
on the savanna

Laughed so hard
at the rhino's weird horn

That he ran away
where he could live alone.

That's why
the rhino lives alone

And can get
a little touchy.

[Chris]
rhinos do have
a reputation

For being a bit touchy.

They don't have
very good eyesight,

And they'll charge
at anything

They can't recognize.

[Martin]
if a rhino charges,

Even lions head
in the opposite direction.

Would you att*ck
a 5,000-pound animal

With two 3-foot horns

Sticking out
of its face?

[Chris]
rhino horns aren't
made of bone.

They grow from the skin
and are made of keratin.

[Martin]
that's what hair and fingernails
are made of.

So as you can see,
rhino horns are pretty special.

When mungu found out
that kushin, the white egret,

Had given the special horns
to the rhino,

He freaked.

[Thunder]

[Screeching]

Really, o benevolent one.

Come on. It'll never
happen again.

I promise!

Seriously,
whatever you say, goes.

[Thunder]

[Chris]
no luck.

Mungu let fly
with merciless wrath.

Mungu would never
forgive this trespass...

[Martin]
oh, man.

And banished kushin from
the sacred mountain forever.

[Martin]
make one little mistake,

Have one bad day...oh!

[Chris]
and to this day,

The rhino still lives alone
on the savanna.

His only companion is kushin,
the white egret.

He eats ticks
off the rhino's back

And calls out
if he spots any danger.

That's why,
as legend has it,

If you're lucky enough
to see a rhino on the savanna,

You'll see a white egret
not far behind.

Great story, chris.

Now it's your turn.

My turn?

Well, there's
that story about--

No. That's not
really a legend.

O.k., I've got it!
The platypus.

The platypus!

[Allison]
the legend of the platypus

Began a long,
long time ago

When a mysterious south land
called australia appeared.

Its creation was recorded
by the native australians--

The aborigines--
in magical stories

Called the dreamtime.

Those stories are sung
in sacred ceremonies

Explaining how the land contains
powerful creator ancestors

Who can still influence
everyday life.

In the dreamtime, every rock,
every tree, every creature

Has a spirit.

You have to listen closely
to the spirits

Because they share
essential knowledge,

Like where to find
food and water.

The platypus occupies
a very special place.

As the story goes,
early in the dreamtime,

The ancestor spirits
were all deciding on totems.

A totem is the form
a spirit takes on earth.

All the mammals,
water creatures, and birds

Were trying
for the top spot.

[Allison]
anything that could fly
took wing

And flew the long, long journey
to the meeting place.

What a meeting!

Can you imagine
millions of different birds

Squawking, singing,
and whistling all at once?

This was the most
amazing amalgam

Of avian creatures
ever assembled.

The purpose of the meeting
was really simple.

There was only one thing
on every bird's mind--

They wanted to prove
that of all creatures,

They were the most important.

They decided to invite
one of the strangest creatures--

The duck-billed platypus.

[Martin]
they thought the duck-billed
platypus was a bird?

Understandable,
because the platypus
lays eggs

And has a bill
like a bird.

Exactly. The birds
asked the platypus
to join them,

But the platypus
said, "no way."

The mammals,
not to be outdone,
held their own meeting.

They wanted to prove
that they were the best.

All mammals,
big and small,

Marsupial or not,
were invited.

You can bet

This was one invitation
no mammal could turn down.

They wanted to prove
they were the greatest.

All these creatures
had good reasons

To think they were best.

This major mammal meeting
had the fastest,

The cleverest,
the greatest tool-users.

This was
a prestigious crowd,

No doubt.

The chief of the animals
was the kangaroo.

He bragged about how superior
the mammals were

To all other creatures--

How they were the strongest,
swiftest, most intelligent.

The kanga chief asked
the platypus to join them

Because the platypus can walk
on land like the kangaroo

And has fur
like the kangaroo.

But the platypus
declined again.

The water creatures were
the next to hold a meeting.

They wanted the platypus
to join them

Because she lives mostly
in the water.

It was a spectacular meeting,

Filled with fins of every spot,
stripe, size, and shape.

Everyone showed up
at this meeting,

From bannerfish
to barracuda,

To butterfly fish
to chris and martin--

Chris and martin?

[Chris]
how could we
pass up a meeting

Of every water creature
in the world?

[Martin]
we crashed the party.

[Chris]
hey, martin, a stingray.

[Allison]
you'll do anything
to get in the picture.

[Chris]
hey, the platypus.

[Martin]
let's follow her.

[Allison]
they better be quick

Because the platypus

Swims as well
as any water creature.

Her webbed feet propel her
through the water,

So she's fast.

However, on land,
she's slow,

So she builds burrows
close to the water's edge.

To see a platypus
in her burrow,

You've got
a long way to look.

Their burrows are
sometimes 100 feet long.

See anything?

[Muffled]

Look at that!
There she goes.

[Muffled]

[Allison]
ha ha! Gotcha, martin.

[Muffled shouts]

Again, the platypus
refused to join the group.

The next day, the platypus
talked over his situation

With his friend,
the echidna.

The platypus told her friend

How all three groups
wanted her to join their ranks.

The echidna thought carefully
and advised her

Not to join the birds,
sea animals, or mammals.

Why? Because she wasn't
like any of them.

The platypus was
her own creature.

Not bad advice.

In reality,
the platypus isn't a bird,

Even though she has a bill
and lays eggs

Like birds
and reptiles do.

[Martin]
and she isn't like
the other mammals

Even though she has fur
and suckles her young.

[Chris]
and she doesn't belong

With the water creatures,
even though she swims.

[Martin]
the platypus, along with
her friend the echidna,

Are the only two mammals
that lay eggs...

[Chris]
but suckle their young
with milk

Like other mammals.

They are monotremes--
totally unique creatures.

All right,
so what happened
to the platypus?

The platypus addressed
a meeting of all the creatures

And told them
that the great spirit

Had made her the way she is
and them the way they are.

She said everyone should
understand and value each other

Much more than they
were doing now.

All right!

She reminded the birds,
the water creatures,

And the land animals
that they had a lot to learn.

They needed to realize
that they were

All equal members
in a community that included

Every creature on earth.

She complimented each group
on their adaptability

And diversity

And reminded them
that in the creature world,

Diversity is
the greatest strength.

The legend of the platypus
is just one

Of many dreamtime stories,

But in the dreamtime,

The story of the platypus
occupies a special place,

And the story was told
to each generation

Of aboriginal people,
century after century.

To this day, if you're
lucky enough to catch a glimpse

Of a platypus
scurrying up a riverbank,

It's they best luck
you can ever have.

[Muffled shouting]

You want to give me
a hand here?

Yah!

Your turn,
hotshot.

O.k., I've got
the perfect story.

A long...long...long--

[Chris]
all right,
all right!

Long time ago,
there were no animals at all.

But then, one night,
the earth cracked,

And from out
of that cr*ck

Crawled zillions
of creatures.

And then
what happened?

Oh, it was chaos.

There were animals
running all over the place.

Somebody had to do
some organizing.

In other words,
they needed someone

To give them
a little direction.

O.k., Places, everybody!

Remember, I want to see
lots of happy faces.

There's lots of grass,
not a lion in sight.

Get the picture?

Mammals on the savanna,
birds in the trees--

Places, everybody!

O.k., Let's set the scene.

Dawn breaks out
on the african savanna--

This is marvelous--

Lighting the stage
for a rich and rhythmic dance.

You, chimpanzee! Get your finger
out of your nose!

Hey, cheetah!
Did I give you your cue?

I told you,
don't eat the cast!

Penguins on the savanna?

Who's in charge
of research?

Elephant, elephant,
how many times have I told you--

Stop eating the set!

You, hippo,
in the water.

No, no, not underwater!

I'll never work
with an ungulate again!

And he'll never work
on the savanna again!

Tickbirds!
What are they doing here?

I'm not talking
about symbiotic relationships.

That was chris' picture.

Impala,
where are you going?

Hey, you can't run out
on me now.

I need you
for my predation sequences.

Oh, man!

You with the feathers,
you're in the tree.

What--you don't
understand english?

You're a bird.
Get in the tree.

[Allison]
wait. Many birds
hang out in trees,

But an ostrich
can't fly,

So how could he
get up in the tree?

Exactly. The ostrich
didn't know where to go.

The ostrich was having
an identity crisis.

Then one day, the ostrich
laid a huge, white egg,

So she took the egg

To show it to all
the other birds.

[Martin]
other birds wanted
nothing to do with her,

Even if she did
lay eggs like they did.

First of all, the ostrich
looked nothing like them.

She was 7 feet tall
and weighed in at 300 pounds.

If she was a bird,
she was the biggest bird

They'd ever laid
their eyes on.

Secondly,
she couldn't fly.

What kind of a bird
doesn't fly?

Worst of all, the ostrich
was just plain brown and white,

Not colorful
like the other birds.

They weren't shy about
telling her what they thought.

[Birds squawking]

Rejected, the ostrich
left the birds.

She didn't look
like the other birds

And couldn't fly.

She said to herself,
"if I'm no bird,

Then I must be
a mammal."

A giraffe feeding
in a nearby tree

Heard the ostrich
and laughed.

He said, "I'm a mammal.
All my friends are mammals.

"You, bird,
are no mammal.

"You have two legs,
and you lay eggs.

"Hey, everybody, the ostrich
thinks she's a mammal!"

[Cacophony of animal sounds]

[Allison]
the poor ostrich
had no one to turn to.

Could anyone help her?

Only one being...

The sun wizard!

[Martin]
the ostrich made her way
across the savanna

To see the sun wizard.

The sun wizard
was wise and powerful,

And she could give the ostrich
strong legs like the mammals.

You are a bird.
You can't have four legs.

But I'll make you a deal.

I'll give you
long, strong legs

So you can keep up
with all the other animals.

Are you o.k. With that,
ostrich?

The ostrich
was totally psyched.

I'll give you what you want
on one condition.

You must promise
to give me your egg

When I ask for it.

[Martin]
with her new strong legs,

The ostrich chose
to live on the savanna.

And she still
watches over her
eggs carefully,

Ready to rush in
like a whirlwind

If anybody comes
close to them.

Yeah. The ostrich never
forgot her promise

To the wizard who gave her
those strong legs.

Did the wizard ever
come and take her egg?

I don't know.

You don't know?

I don't know.

You don't know
the end to your
own story?

Hey, that's how
the legend ends.

[Martin]
one thing I do know--

The ostrich can't fly,
but she doesn't need to.

[Chris]
exactly. The female ostrich's
plain brown coloring

May not be stylish,

But it does help her
to survive.

Female ostriches
blend in perfectly

With the savanna,

And that makes them difficult
for a predator to spot.

[Allison]
ostriches have

Practically
no natural enemies

Due to their amazing
running ability.

At maximum speed,
an adult can run

About 43 miles an hour.

That's about the same speed
as a lion.

[Martin]
she may not be able

To run as fast
as a cheetah,

But she can run
longer than one.

[Chris]
when it comes
to egg sitting,

Female and male ostrich
take turns sitting on the nest.

[Martin]
I don't know if the sun wizard
will steal the ostrich's egg,

But the ostrich
will always be out there,

Living in the wild.

It was a good story,
but mine was better.

No way!

Hey, the power's back.

The rain stopped.

Hey, who turned out
the lights?

Hey, ttark,
where were you?

Hopping hadrosaurus!

I've been listening
to all this storytelling.

Move over
and let an expert in.

After all,
I've been telling tales

Since indricotherium
was a pup.

Did I ever tell you
the story

About the furry little miacids
of the late paleocene period?

Or was that
the early eocene?

Anyway, one little miacid
had the annoying habit--

Hey, guys!

Where did everyone go?

Ah, who needs
an audience, anyway?

[Allison]
people from every corner
of the earth

Have wondered about the origins
of animals

And tried to explain them
through legends

Because legends
explain the unexplainable.

[Chris]
biologists, zoologists,
and paleontologists

Also explain
the unexplainable,

But they don't operate
in the world of myth and legend.

They need proof
and accurate measure,

So they use science.

Science may be
more accurate,

But legends can be
a lot of fun.

You guys ready?

Ready.

Ready.

Have you ever heard that native
north american legend

About how the coyote
got its howl?

It all began
a long, long time ago...