02x09 - The Giant Bug Invasion

[bunniefuu]

We've got a bug-out
on our hands.

On this episode of
kratts' creatures...

We're doomed.

[Chris]
they crawl, fly,

Wriggle, and squiggle,
but most of all...

[Martin]
they're on the loose,
and they're multiplying.

We've got to find
the emperor scorpion.

There's only one way
to solve the mystery

Of the giant bug invasion.

[Chris]
that's by taking a close look

At these creeping,
crawling creatures.

[Martin]
a really close look.

Let's get out
of this flashback.

And up close and personal

With giant, squirming,
wriggling bugs!

You o.k.?

We'll be getting closer
to bugs than ever before,

Coming up on this episode
of kratts' creatures.

Iarriba!

Iandale, andale!

[Martin]
they're out there!

[Chris]
and they're multiplying!

[Martin]
they're munching madly

With their maxillae
and mandibles.

[Chris]
they've got the world

Gripped in their thorny claws!

[Martin]
now they will strike.

Aah!

[Martin]
panic!

Hysteria!

Mayhem!

[Chris]
it's the giant bug invasion...

A cataclysmic civic catastrophe.

Call the army!

Call the marines!

Call the air cadets!

Call anybody!

[Panicked screaming]

Professor,

There are
bugs everywhere.

There certainly are,
professor.

From all over
the world.

In fact,

They're taking over
the planet.

Coffee?

Thanks, professor.

But how?

How did all this happen?

How didit happen?

I thought you knew.

No, I'm afraid

This one
has me stymied.

[Allison]
this bug invasion stuff

Is for the movies.

I'll explain the whole thing.

Chris and martin
have been asked

By the international
insect commission

To return several exotic bugs

To their original locations
around the world.

So the three of us went out,
and when we came back...

Hey, we left
the door open.

Not only that...

The dog must
have been
playing in here.

[Martin]
looks like the bugs

We were taking
care of got loose.

[Chris]
that's not good.

We've got
a problem.

A really big problem.

Bugs are cool,

And they're crucial
to the ecosystem.

But controlling
them?

Good luck!

[Allison]
what exactly is a bug?

[Martin]
bug is a technical term

Applied to certain insects,

But we'll call
every insect a bug.

We've got to find
these bugs.

The reason we can't have
exotic bugs getting out

Is because if they reproduce
and give birth to more bugs,

No one knows what effect
this will have

On our local ecosystem.

[Chris]
if these bugs can reproduce

As fast as a fly,
we're in trouble.

If unchecked by predators,

Two single flies
and their offspring

Could create 190 billion billion
flies in four months.

If you want to know
how effective bugs are

At altering the environment,

Just ask any cabbage farmer.

You try to run an honest
cabbage farm and what happens?

Some durn fool

Brings the cabbage butterfly
in from europe.

Before you know it,
it eats everything.

This is the only cabbage
I got from my entire cornfield!

[Chris]
butterflies start out

As caterpillars.

That's when the cabbage
butterfly chews up crops.

The problem is in north america,

We don't have the natural
checks and balances

To keep their numbers down.

That's what happens
when you mess with nature.

Look! Now I got
potato beetles!

Here's what
we're looking for.

A sonoran centipede,

An emperor scorpion,

A solifugid,
a madagascar cockroach,

A millipede, a stick insect,

A vinegarroon--
a.k.a. Whipscorpion--

And a tarantula.

Finding these guys
isn't going to be easy.

We've got a real bug-out
on our hands.

Hey, guys.

I found the centipede.

I don't
think so.

I think it's
the millipede.

How can you tell?

[Martin]
that's easy.

[Crash]

I've got the centipede.

You guys must have
the millipede.

Careful, martin.
They're poisonous.

I know. Get the jar.

[Martin]
"millipede" means "1,000 legs,"

But in fact
they only have up to 400.

This guy's a vegetarian,
and he's notdangerous.

The centipede is.

He's poisonous.

[Chris]
"centipede" means "100 legs,"

But the most they have are 40.

They're predators
who eat worms and snails.

[Martin]
there's another difference.

Centipedes are faster
and way more agile.

[Martin]
it's not easy being a millipede.

Meet the meerkat, the master
of munching millipedes.

[Chris]
meerkats are from africa,

And they're insect-hunting,
mongooselike creatures.

[Martin
one of their favorite meals is--

You're looking at it--
millipede meat.

[Chris]
these guys will stop at nothing

In their search
for multileg squigglers.

[Martin]
meerkats are always

On the lookout
for a millipede meal.

[Chris]
they'll do whatever it takes.

[Martin]
even if the millipede

Tries to defend itself

By curling into a ball,
it doesn't stand a chance.

[Chris]
the meerkat can cr*ck

The millipede's armor
no problem--

And I mean cr*ck!

[Martin]
after all that

Millipede munching,

It's time to mellow out.

What's up?

We won't find
the other bugs in here.

What makes you
so sure?

Look--an open window.

We're doomed.

Doomed is right.

Success!

[Allison]
I found the tarantula.

Well, sort of.

How about
a tarantula skeleton?

Say what?

While this looks
like a shell,

It's actually a skeleton.

Compared to bugs,
we're inside out.

They have their skeletons
on the outside of their bodies.

When it's time to grow,
they shed their skeletons.

The new skeleton hardens
as they grow.

They shed it
and grow again.

Get a load of this.

It's a cecropia,
a type of silk moth.

Check out the colors--

They're amazing--

And its wingspan must be
at least 5 inches long.

The spots on its wings
look like eyes.

The moth
looks like the head

Of a much bigger animal.

It's a great way
to scare off predators.

[Martin]
the cecropia is the largest moth

In north america,

But that size
doesn't offer any protection

From predators like birds,

Who'd love
to gobble them up.

That's where
his eyespots come in.

It's a great defense
against predators.

Hey, guys.

Check out these
monarch caterpillars.

They're not on our list,
but they're cool.

[Martin]
remember where we found

A great place
to check out caterpillars?

[Chris]
absolutely.

If you're looking

For the treasure trove
of caterpillars,

Go to south america.

There are so many caterpillars
in south america,

Scientists are still
trying to learn about them.

[Martin]
one thing we do know

Is that their bright color

Often acts as a warning
to predators.

[Chris]
right. Those colors
are like advertising--

Really negative advertising.

It's their way of saying,
"I have poisonous spikes.

"I have poisonous hairs.

If you bite me,
you're going to die."

[Martin]
in north america,

We have our own version
of a poisonous caterpillar...

[Chris]
the monarch caterpillar.

[Martin]
some people think caterpillars

Look like wiggly maggots,

But this is the stuff
butterflies are made of.

Stuff? Stuff?

That's not stuff.

That's butterfly babies--
called larvae--

But not all bug babies
look like wiggly maggots.

Here's what it takes
to make a butterfly.

When they're born,

They're like worms
with tiny legs.

We call them caterpillars,
but they prefer larvae.

They hang out
for a while as larvae,

Until they're done
with that stage.

Next they're called pupa.

After a while,
the pupa opens up...

And perfection itself!

Whoa!

It's a praying mantis.

Praying mantises
are incredible predators.

They're like the leopards
of the insect world.

They grab onto other insects
with their front legs

And eat them alive.

There's
a whole world

Of att*ck insects
out there.

This one's
from south america--

And that's where
she's going back to.

[Chris]
the praying mantis

Uses lightning speed
to grab insects.

She holds them
between the spiny teeth

On her front legs,

Then uses her powerful mouth

To break through
the armored heads.

[Martin]
talk about tough!

[Chris]
praying mantises

Can't even relax
around each other

Because they're very
cannibalistic.

That means they eat each other.

The praying mantis
isn't the only insect

That hunts other creatures.

Look around, and you'll
see lots of others.

[Martin]
like this fisher spider.

Believe it or not,
it hunts in the water.

[Chris]
a spider hunts in the water?

[Martin]
stick with me on this one,

Because it's great.

The fisher spider catches
its prey by playing dead.

When someone
comes to investigate,

Like a fish or tadpole,

They're in for a surprise.

The spider's alive
andon the move,

And he's having fish
for dinner.

It all happened
in the water.

[Chris]
how about the ant lion?

It's not an ant or a lion,
but it preys on ants.

It digs a pit in the sand

And waits for an ant
to amble by.

If the ant falls in,

He falls into the jaws
of the ant lion.

If he tries to get away,

The ant lion
flicks sand at the ant

To knock it back down
into the pit.

[Martin]
ants eat bugs, too.

[Chris]
who are you covering up for?

Ants don't just eat
other bugs.

They eat other ants.

Army ants will go after
a red ant and swarm it.

[Martin]
let's admit it.

The reality is,
bugs eat other bugs a lot,

But why not?

Your fellow bug
may make a great meal.

Beetles are eating mites--

[Chris]
praying mantises
have no compunction

About eating
a dragonfly or two--

[Martin]
centipedes eat slugs and worms.

[Chris]
some wasps eat insect larvae.

[Martin]
and this guy--

The amazing
african horned baboon spider--

Not only eats other bugs
like beetles and roaches...

[Chris]
he can even eat small birds.

[Martin]
a spider the width of a hand

Has a lot
of dining options.

[Chris]
remember the dragonfly

Who was being eaten
by the praying mantis?

He eats so many mosquitos,

His nickname
is the mosquito hawk.

Those big things on the side
of his head are eyes--

In fact, 30,000 mini-eyes
called facets.

[Martin]
he's an amazing
mosquito catcher.

Insects don't just
hunt small creatures,

But big ones, too.

Remember that time
we were up north?

That was
the perfect example.

Mosquitos.

Black flies.

They're driving me crazy.

They're all over me.

I can't take
much more of this.

Let's get out
of this flashback!

We've got to get back
to the giant bug invasion!

[Chris]
where were we? Oh, right.

Black flies and mosquitos
need the blood of humans

Before they can produce eggs.

[Martin]
and they just don't bite humans.

They also bite wildebeests

And other creatures
like tree kangaroos,

Chimps, elk,

Sloths,

Polar bears--

Just about everybody.

[Insects buzzing]

[Chris]
there's no denying

These bugs can be pesky.

[Martin]
but it's nothing personal.

Bugs are only doing
what they need to do to survive.

[Chris]
we shouldn't forget

That if bugs disappeared,

We'd have a real mess
on our hands.

In other words,

Some bugs make
amazing cleanup crews.

[Martin]
take flies and maggots--

Or, to be more accurate,
take flies--

[Chris]
because maggots--

Those white, squirmy things--
are fly larvae.

[Martin]
in other words, baby flies.

[Chris]
o.k. Here's what happens.

An animal carcass
is lying around.

Adult flies land on the carcass
and start eating.

Flies then lay their eggs
on the carcass.

[Martin]
while you're there, why not?

[Chris]
in 24 hours, all the eggs

Will have hatched
as maggots,

And the maggots
finish off the carcass.

[Martin]
they keep down the mess.

[Chris]
if you want more examples

Of bugs cleaning up...

[Both]
dung beetles!

[Chris]
these guys eat dung--

A scientific word
for poop.

[Martin]
tell your friends about this.

It's amazing.

[Chris]
I tell people about this,

And I can't understand

Why they don't think
it's amazing.

[Martin]
dung beetles take dung,

Roll it into a ball,
and the male buries it.

[Chris]
the female lays an egg on it.

When it hatches,
the larvae eat the dung.

[Martin]
it's a dirty job...

[Chris]
but someone's got to do it.

We've seen
some cool bugs,

But we haven't
found any of the ones

We've been looking for,

Especially
the emperor scorpion.

An emperor scorpion
from africa--

Here in north america--

This isn't good.

It's worse than that.
The scorpion is pregnant.

Pregnant?

Do you know
what that means?

If we don't
find that scorpion

Before she gives birth,

There will
be babies all over.

It will be impossible
to find all those.

We've got to find
the emperor scorpion.

Remember how we said

It would be dangerous
for the environment

If any of the exotic insects

Settled in and reproduced?

If the emperor scorpion
has babies

And those babies
survive and grow up

And they have babies,

Who knows
what will happen?

[Panicked screaming]

We got to find
that scorpion.

Scorpions hunt at night,

But during the day,
they hide out in any dark,

Safe place they can find--

Under logs, under rocks.

Any place
out of the sun.

[Martin]
you can't blame

A bug for hiding,

Especially when you realize

How many creatures
want to eat him.

[Chris]
it's not easy being a bug.

[Martin]
it may seem a little unfair

That bugs are constantly being
eaten by bigger creatures,

But the bigger creatures
are just trying to survive, too.

[Chris]
hey, there's another
reason to love bugs.

Without them, some of these
bug-eating animals

Could become extinct.

[Chris]
I found something!

It's not
an emperor scorpion,

But it's close.

You found
the whipscorpion.

Awesome, chris!

A whipscorpion is
not a true scorpion

Because it doesn't
have a stinger,

But is does have a sac

Filled with vinegarlike
acid that it sprays

Into its enemies' eyes.

Wow! Intense!

Great! We found another
one of our escapees.

[Chris]
now for another episode of...

[Martin]
stupid things not
to do with animals.

No real scorpions were used

In filming this episode of

Stupid things
not to do with animals.

[Whistles]

That is one
hungry bug!

It's the solifugid!

[Martin]
the solifugid chews its food

Up to a soft pulp,

Then it sucks up the juice.

[Chris]
it never has to drink.

It gets its moisture

From scorpions,
birds, and lizards--

[Martin]
and smaller solifugids.

Think he's done?

[Chris]
let's grab him.

We've got a pregnant
emperor scorpion to find.

I'll get him.

Got him!

[Chris]
unlike the solifugids,

Some creatures
are strictly fungivores,

Like the leaf-cutter ants.

[Martin]
leaf-cutters actually

Grow their own food.

They're fungus farmers.

They travel miles
to cut and collect leaves,

Travel back
to their underground nests,

And then feed the leaves
to fungi.

[Chris]
the ants feed on the fungi.

[Martin]
if you think

These farmers are cool,

Check out africa's
creature constructors--

Termites!

These guys are major league
bughouse builders.

[Chris]
they put together huge mounds

From dirt, sand, and spit.

Their spit holds it together.

[Martin]
termite mounds are hard as rock.

[Chris]
think of that.

Some sand--

[Martin]
some spit--

[Chris]
you got yourself a condominium.

O.k. Recap.

We've got the centipede
and the millipede,

The solifugid,
the vinegarroon,

The praying mantis.

We have to find
the tarantula,

The indian walking stick,

And the madagascar
cockroach.

Let's head
into the woods.

Guys, check out
this stick!

Ha! That's not
anystick.

You're right.
It's a walking stick.

[Martin]
walking sticks are insects

Who hide among the foliage
of trees and bushes.

[Chris]
their body shape and texture

Make them look like just
another stick on the branch.

[Martin]
they can even sway in the wind.

[Chris]
it's almost impossible

For birds to detect them.

[Martin]
walking sticks

Not only hide in foliage--

They eat it, too.

[Chris]
while you're hiding out,

You may as well snag a meal.

Wow! We're lucky
you spotted him.

He blends right in
with the branches.

Usually
walking sticks

Are only active
at night.

During the day,
they remain
motionless.

It's like
he's in trance...

A really deep trance.

He stays still
so predators
won't notice him.

Even if
you touch it,

It doesn't move.

Hey!

All right!

We found the indian
walking stick.

We only need to find
two more creatures--

The tarantula and
the emperor scorpion.

Something tells me
they're close by.

I've just
got this feeling.

Did you do something
to your hair?

No. What are you
talking about?

It does look
stranger than usual.

Come on, you guys.
Let's go find some bugs.

Martin, don't move.

Why?

Because your hair
just did.

It's a tarantula.

I hope it didn't
lay any eggs.

[Chris]
of the 30,000 kinds of spiders

Around the world,

Tarantulas are the biggest.

[Martin]
tarantulas live
all over the place,

In different habitats
from lowlands to mountains

To woodlands to grassy plains.

[Chris]
most tarantulas prey on insects

Like crickets,
grasshoppers, and flies,

But some hunt small birds.

[Allison]
lots of people get freaked out

By the sight of a tarantula.

They may not be cuddly,
but they're cool spiders.

The other cool thing
is that spiders aren't insects.

Scorpions and solifugids
aren't, either.

They're arachnids.

What's an arachnid?

Basically,
arachnids have eight legs.

Insects, on the other hand,
only have six legs.

Tarantulas are different
from most other spiders

Because they don't
spin webs.

Tarantulas are active hunters.

They k*ll their prey
with a lethal venom injection.

Aah!

Gulp!

[Gasping]

Just kidding.

She's really nice.

[Allison]
the world of spiders is intense.

[Martin]
and it's a world

Scientists are still
learning about.

One thing
we do know about spiders

Is that they're all predators.

[Chris]
and they all use poison

To k*ll and paralyze
their prey.

[Martin]
but they're also

Nothing to be afraid of.

There aren't many spiders

With poison strong enough
to harm humans.

[Chris]
not all spiders spin webs.

Some just stake themselves out
in a good spot

And wait for a tasty
invertebrate to come by.

[Allison]
I've always wondered

Why spiders who dospin webs
don't get stuck.

[Chris]
because there are two types

Of web strands--the sticky
kind that traps insects

And the nonsticky strands
the spider walks on.

The spiders know
how the web was weaved.

[Allison]
can you name the bug

With the best set of eyes?

I should have
thought of this earlier.

If we had the intense vision
of a dragonfly,

We'd find
that hissing cockroach

And emperor scorpion--
like that.

All I have to do is put on
my creature vision goggles,

Set them to "dragonfly"...

Chris?

It will be dark soon.

We better go back
to the creature club

And get some flashlights.

You o.k.?

Wooh!

Talk about sensory overload!

Seeing like a dragonfly
is not easy.

Whew!

Hey, guys.

Scorpions dig
little burrows, right?

What did you find?

This look like
a scorpion burrow to you?

It could be.

How do we tell
if she's in there?

[Chris]
emperor scorpions

Do live in burrows,

But that's not necessarily
where they keep their young.

[Martin]
they keep them
on their back.

[Chris]
they hang their
for about a week

Until they can make it
on their own.

[Chris]
so we didn't have to worry

About the babies
getting into the ecosystem.

[Martin]
right. Let's get her back

To the creature club asap.

[Allison]
we still have to find

That hissing cockroach.

The flashlights
should be by the desk.

Crackers! I haven't
eaten since breakfast.

You might want to
take a second look

At this cr*cker.

A cockroach!

A madagascar
hissing cockroach.

Now we found
the last of our bugs.

[Ttark]
colossal cockroaches!

Where have you been?

We've been chatting up
a storm.

Did you know
I've known cockroaches

For over 300 million years?

Because that's how long

These guys have been
crawling around.

I know you humans
think cockroaches are oogey,

But they're
a real success story.

They live in almost
every corner of the globe--

In cities, woodlands,
deserts, and mountains.

You got to hand it
to the cockroach.

They know how to survive.

After all,
there will always be

Dead insects
and animals to eat,

Not to mention
all those rotten plants.

If you ask me,

Cockroaches deserve
a little respect.

Actually, cockroaches,
other insects,

And arachnids
deserve a lot of respect.

[Martin]
maybe they seem kind of strange,

Maybe they seem
a little creepy,

But once you get to know them,

I know you'll think bugs
are really cool and fascinating.

And whatever
you think of their looks,

You can't deny
that bugs and insects

Are an essential part
of the creature picture.

As long as we don't
mess around

With their environments
or their lives,

We'll be able
to live together forever.

All the bugs are safe
and ready to go home.

If we want
something to eat,

We'll be able
to find something

That's bug-free.

Great!

I'm hungry, too.

Baby cockroaches!

Wow!

Cool!

Ttark forgot to
tell us something.

His cockroach friend
is also a new mom.

Most people would call bugs
disgusting, filthy,

And sometimes
downright scary,

But we've got to remember
that all bugs,

Even the simple cockroach,

Are beautiful
in their own way.

If every creature
was cute, fuzzy,

And had not-so-gross
eating habits,

It would make for
a pretty dull planet.