05x09 - Where?

[bunniefuu]

[Martin]
this time
on kratts' creatures...

Putting the continents
back together is a wild idea.

It looks like the elephants
have been in the yard again.

Lions are really
on the prowl
this morning.

What's going on?

[Martin]
all this and more,

Coming up
on kratts' creatures.

No way!

This planet's
in a constant state
of chaos!

Iarriba!
Iandale, andale!

When you're on
a creature adventure,

The first couple things
you have to know

Is where the creatures are

And where
the creatures aren't.

Like this red-eared slider.

Here in north america,

You can find
all kinds of water turtles.

Most ponds have them.

And you can also find
other amazing creatures,

But one animal you'll never
find in a pond like this--

[Snort]

An african hippopotamus?

I don't think so.

Having a hippo
in these waters

Would make jumping in
a little dangerous.

And that raises
an interesting question.

Why aren't there any hippos
in north america?

And how come kids in africa
can't check out timber wolves?

Why don't we have
kangaroos and gorillas

As part of oureveryday life?

And if we did,
what would it be like?

[Chris]
hey, martin!

Look. The lions are
really on the prowl
this morning.

Lions in a north american
neighborhood?

What's going on?

Not what--where!

Huh?

Not huh--where!

Because
in this episode of
kratts' creatures,

That's what
we're going to be
talking about--

Where certain
animals live

And where
they don't,

And why a creature
like a lion

Doesn't live
in north america.

Remember that old song

About lions and tigers
and bears?

Oh, my!

Well, the problem is,
it doesn't really work.

You just don't find
those three animals

Together
in the same forest.

If you're talking
about siberian tigers
and lions,

You're talking about
two creatures

That just don't live
together in the wild.

And if the lions of africa
ever saw a bear,

They probably wouldn't
even know what he was.

It's all a part of
creature distribution.

Creature distribution?

That's just
a fancy way of saying

That's where the animals are,

Because that's what
we're talking about.

So lions are
right about here...

And bears up here...

And tigers
right about there.

But I guess
the question is--why?

Why aren't there the same
creatures all over the world?

One of the reasons
is climate.

If you're a creature
that lives in a cold climate,

You have to have
what it takes to survive--

A thick coat of fur
or a good layer of blubber,

The ability to find food
in the ice or snow

Or to go without food
for a while.

You have to be a creature
with a special feature.

O.k. You want
special-feature creatures?

Then take a hike
up the south american andes

And check out the llama.

This grass-eating cousin
of the camel

Has soft, woolly hair

Because up here,
it gets cold--

Even in the summer.

And if you want to check out
more cold-weather specialists,

Then head for
the great north--canada!

There you can find creatures
like wolves, bighorn sheep,

Bobcats, and groundhogs.

They all have thick coats
to keep them warm.

And hey, for insulation,

You can't b*at
thick layers of fat.

Check out the polar bear.

He swims
in cold arctic waters,

So he needs insulation
big time.

And to be a cold-climate
specialist,

You need more
than just insulation.

You need to know
how to get food--

Not an easy trick

When your food's buried
under 6 inches of snow.

Coyotes have a special trick.

They'll use their monster leap
to break through snow and ice

To get to their prey,
like small rodents.

Another survival trick?

Being able to travel
far and wide to get at food.

Caribou and bison
keep on the move,

Traveling from food source
to food source.

And talk about traveling!

The tundra swan deals
with winter by flying south--

My personally preferred method
for dealing with the cold.

So you need
a lot of special features

To be a cold-climate
creature.

[Martin]
what about
the other extreme?

Hey! Who turned off
my snow?

If you live in a broiling hot
and bone-dry climate,

You have to have

A completely different set
of creature features.

[Martin]
to live out here,

You need to do two things--

Handle scorching heat
so you don't broil

And get enough water so you
don't dry up.

Finding water
isn't always easy,

So creatures like zebras,
gazelles, and elephants

Drink as much as they can,
whenever they can.

But if you want the ultimate
hot-weather specialists,

Check out lizards.

This huge group of creatures
have been crawling around

For millions and millions
of years,

And they live in some
of the hottest, driest areas.

So what's their
survival specialty?

Dry, scaly skin--
it helps keep water in.

Plus, lizards
like the chameleon

And the australian thorny devil

Find water in their food--
insects.

By chowing down on bugs,

These lizards get not only food,
but water, too.

And they're not the only
creatures using that trick.

Check out the australian camel.

Now, this one-humped
master of survival

Gets moisture
from the plants he eats.

So, whether it's wearing
dry and scaly skin

Or absorbing water
from food,

Special-feature creatures

Are cool at surviving
hot climates.

Wait a minute.
I know there's a difference

Between creatures who can
live in really cold climates

And creatures who can live
in really hot, dry climates,

But what comes first?

Do creatures adapt
the way they live,

Or do they find places to live
that suit them best?

The answer is both.

Some creatures evolved

As their habitat
changed

So they could survive
where they were...

While others moved on,

Expanding their range

And adapting
to new conditions.

[Crowing]

[Martin]
and a great example
of this--birds!

A bird's habitat must
provide food for foraging sites,

Cover from predators
and weather,

And a place to nest.

[Chris]
you'd be amazed

At how many different places
a bird can call home.

[Martin]
the big city, baby...

[Chris]
the windy plains...

[Martin]
or the frozen north.

[Chris]
in other words,

If there's water, food,
and a place to land,

You'll find birds.

[Martin]
nothing beats a pair of wings

For giving you the ability
to move freely.

[Allison]
wait a minute.

Isn't there another reason

Why birds can move around
so freely

And other creatures don't?

I mean, take a look
at the tundra swans.

When they migrate,
it's some trip!

They migrate from alaska

Down to texas or california
every year.

That means they went over--

Wow--at least 50 different
bodies of water.

That's some heavy-duty
traveling.

My point is,
this bird can fly.

And other creatures
can swim.

That's a major part
of the "where" story.

There's a huge ocean
between australia and africa,

And if you can't swim or fly,
you're staying put.

But if you canswim or fly,

You always have the option
of relocating--

Especially if you're a seal.

[Martin]
seals and sea lions

Are creatures who can be found
on every continent.

Not many creatures
can claim that.

[Chris]
there's one good reason
for why seals and sea lions

Have been able to conquer
so much territory

Over millions of years--
their flippers.

[Martin]
seals and sea lions
are such great swimmers

That whenever they needed
to branch out,

They just took to the sea

And found a new beach
to dry their flippers on.

[Chris]
they spend most of their days
in the water,

Chowing down on fish,
squid, or octopus...

[Martin]
but spend their downtime
hanging out on the beach,

Catching some zs.

[Chris]
their slick, streamlined bodies

Really make for smooth
underwater sailing.

[Martin]
and if you want smooth,
slick swimmers,

There's a creature
you got to check out.

[Chris]
absolutely.

Otters! I love otters.

You know,
there are at least


Of otters in the world.

You can find them from
africa to asia to europe

To north america
to south america.

Matter of fact,

The question isn't
"where are otters?"

It's "where aren'tthey?"

[Martin]
pick almost any continent,

And you're bound to find
otter country.

[Chris]
how about south america?

In peru, they call
the giant otters "river wolves."

[Martin]
clocking in at 70 pounds,

They're the biggest otters
in the world.

[Chris]
and one of the rarest.

[Martin]
how about heading

To the next continent--
due north!

[Chris]
in north america,

You can find otters scooting
around rivers and lakes,

Launching sneak att*cks

On birds, muskrats,
and even beavers.

[Martin]
when you think otters,

You may not think
of this continent--africa!

[Chris]
but africa boasts

A dozen different
species of otters,

And you'll find them
chowing down

On fish, crabs, and frogs.

[Martin]
as a matter of fact,

Almost anyplace you hang
your creature pack,

You won't be far
from an otter.

[Chris]
these amazing creatures

Are not only great swimmers,
but they're playful, too.

[Martin]
and if you ask me,

They're very intelligent.

[Chris]
but the main reason

You can find otters
all over the place

Is because they're unbeatable
aquatic hunters.

[Martin]
hey, it's an otter's world.

We're just living in it.

Guys, I've got a theory

About why you can find
some animals all over the place

And some are so isolated.

Actually, I've got
about 350 million theories.


Theories?

She must be talking
about plate tectonics.

That's how the earth's
continents break apart, move,

And become new continents--

Which is
a totally awesome idea.

And when I say awesome,
I mean awesome.

If you ask me,

This is another major part
of the "where" question.

The intense heat
of the earth's core

Keeps the mantle
around it moving.

The mantle is divided
into plates

Which move around
very slowly.

Over 300 million years ago,

All the continents
we know today

Were attached
to two supercontinents

Called laurasia
and gondwanaland,

And that was a totally
different creature story.

In these supercontinents
were the first marsupials--

The ancestors
of the kangaroo.

They lived
in both supercontinents,

But when they broke up,

The marsupials survived

In only australia
and south america.

[Chris]
so if you've ever wondered

Why there's no kangaroos

In africa, asia, antarctica
or europe, that's why.

[Martin]
it's because of
continental shift.

Shifting continents

Is another crucial part
of the creature story.

It explains so much
about why creatures evolved

Where they did
and how they did.

If shifting continents

Were so important
to the creature story,

What would happen

If we put all the continents
back together again?

Is that a cool idea or what?

Just think of it--
we might have

Some pretty unusual creatures
in our backyard.

[Brakes screech]

Hey, lions have
the right of way.

Hey, it looks like

The elephants have been
in the yard again.

You know, I'm going to have to
plant some more trees

To make sure that the elephants
have enough to eat.

Now, thatwould be cool.

And if we could
somehow

Put the continents
back together,

There would be
even more to it

Than elephants
in the backyard.

There'd be a lotmore to it.

Putting the continents back
together is a wild idea...

And it might
help us understand

The balance
of the creature world.

We could also get
a better understanding

Of why creatures are
where they are.

A lot of it has to do with
what you eat.

Let's take a look
at the elephant.

An elephant is an herbivore,

Which means he likes to eat
plants and vegetables.

So what would happen
to the elephant

If we put africa and australia
back together?

There'd be so many
different kinds of creatures

Competing for
the same type of food.

In this corner, straight from
all the way outback--

The kangaroo!
Weighing in at 140 pounds,

The kangaroo
is all sinew and speed.

[Chris]
and in this corner,

Wearing the gray trunk,
weighing in at 10,000 pounds--

The elephant,
the towering titan of titans!

[Martin]
and there's the bell.

[Chris]
o.k., What wouldhappen

If kangaroos and elephants
went head to head?

[Martin]
well, we're not talking
fighting here.

Both these creatures
would have to compete

To get at their
favorite food--vegetation.

[Chris]
when it comes to competing,

The elephant does have
a slight size advantage.

[Martin]
true, but then the elephant
may never see a kangaroo

Because elephants
graze by day...

[Chris]
and the kangaroo
grazes by night.

But still, even though
they may never see each other,

They'd still be competing
for the same food.

[Martin]
yes and no.

They both eat vegetation
and lots of it,

But the kangaroo only eats

Plants on the ground and
the lower branches of trees...

[Chris]
while the elephant can eat
food high up in trees.

[Martin]
so over time,

The two might actually
be able to get along.

[Chris]
maybe...or maybe not.

Nobody could say for sure.

But it wouldn't be just
elephants and kangaroos

Competing for food
in the new supercontinent.

There would also
be carnivores--

The animals that
eat the herbivores.

In africa,

One of the top carnivores
is the lion.

But on the new
supercontinent,

The lion
would be facing

Competing predators

That he'd
never seen before.

[Chris]
a lion has it pretty good

In africa these days.

Sure, he has some
competition for food...

From the cheetah...

Or the leopard...

[Martin]
but these three cool cats

Have different life-styles,

So cheetahs and leopards
rarely get under the lion's fur.

[Chris]
right now,

There's plenty of impala
and gazelles to go around,

But what if...

[Martin]
what if the continents

Were put back together
into a supercontinent?

[Chris]
then the lion would have to
compete with another predator...

[Martin]
north america's cougar,

Otherwise known as
the mountain lion.

[Chris]
this powerful cat

Is capable of k*lling elk
five to six times his size.

[Chris]
and the lion would also

Have to compete
with south america's jaguar.

This cat may be smaller,
but he's a powerhouse.

[Martin]
don't forget

The siberian tiger--
the biggest cat in the world.

[Chris]
but the lion does have something
over all these cats.

He's the only cat who lives
and hunts in a group.

[Martin]
and in the creature world,
there's strength in numbers.

It would be a whole new
ball game for this guy.

The big cats of the world

Would have to sort it all out
amongst themselves--

And some might not survive.

And hey, with all these
predators around,

What would happen to prey?

Out on the savanna,

It's hard enough being
a gazelle or impala these days.

But imagine if, in addition
to having to deal with

Cheetahs, lions,
and leopards,

What if you had to
deal with jaguars

And siberian tigers, too?

[Chris]
so, what wouldhappen

If the master hunters of asia
and south and north america

Were thrown into the mix?

[Martin]
I don't know,

But that's a pretty formidable
predator lineup.

[Snarl]

The lion may never
have seen a cougar before,

But there's
another competitor out there

The cougar's never seen,
either.

I mean, wolves, she's seen,
and coyotes, she's seen.

A coyote's no big worry
for the cougar.

I mean,
a coyote weighs 40 pounds,

And a cougar weighs 200.

Cougar's no tabby cat,

And to her, a coyote's
no big thr*at.

Wolves, on the other hand,

Travel in packs,
weigh around 100 pounds each,

And are no dogs to mess with.

But what about these guys--
the wild dogs of africa?

It's hard to say how cougars
would deal with them.

Wild dogs aren't huge,
but they travel in packs.

They're fierce and fast,
and if a pack was around,

A cougar would probably
avoid them.

If a wild dog
was out alone, though,

It might be a different story.

[Martin]
we don't know what would happen,

But we do know that there
would be lots of creatures

With similar life-styles

Competing
for the same resources.

But just because
these creatures are similar

Doesn't mean they
come out of it the same.

For example...

How about the ostrich
and the emu?

[Martin]
emus are the flightless birds
of australia.

[Chris]
just like the ostrich

Is the flightless bird
of the african savanna.

[Martin]
put them together on the same
continent, though,

And what would happen?

[Chris]
well, ostriches are
bigger than emus,

Faster than emus,
and tougher than emus.

[Martin]
don't forget that
out on the savanna,

The ostrich has to deal with

Some of the world's
greatest predators,

Like lions, cheetahs,
and hyenas.

[Chris]
which an australian emu
would not be prepared for.

An adult emu
has no natural predators.

[Martin]
so, while there's no way

We could say for sure
what would happen,

It's possible that the emu
could go the way of the dodo.

[Allison]
are you guys kidding?

You mean, there's a chance
we wouldn't have any more emus?

Wait a minute. We don't
really know that for sure.

Let's face it--the idea of
continents coming back together

And forming one supercontinent
is just fantasy.

No. It's as real as
a wombat's rumpshield.

There are two continents

That once separated
and now are rejoined.

Are you kidding me? Continents
docome back together?

Sure they do,
and right now,

You're standing
on one of them.

[Chris]
we're talking about
north and south america.

[Martin]
three to four million years ago,

These two continents
were rejoined by a land bridge.

[Chris]
this bridge, called
the isthmus of panama,

Was a massive development
in the creature world,

Permitting the flow of creatures
'cross the continents.

[Martin]
and that's when an opossum
from south america

Started its trek north.

Over time, he evolved into

The virginian,
or common, opossum--

The only opossum
in north america today.

[Chris]
but of course,

There were a lot of other
south american creatures

Who headed due north, too,

Like armadillos,
porcupines, and sloths.

But what about creatures
who went the other way?

[Martin]
prehistoric relatives of horses,

Deer, camels, elephants,
skunks,

Squirrels,
rabbits, dogs, and cats

All came down
to south america.

[Chris]
some didn't survive. Others did.

[Martin]
so north and south america

Are kind of like
one big supercontinent.

This is so totally awesome.

Continents coming together isn't
so far-fetched, after all.

Nope, and you know,

The continents
are still moving around

At a rate of about


That means
that the continents

Could come
back together again

In, oh...

About 200 million years,

And that's something
a lot of scientists believe.

Continental shift is
a major part of understanding

Why some animals are where
they are and where they're not,

But if you do a little checking,

You'll see
that there is one creature

Who played a humongous role
in the "where" story.

That creature is humans,

And over a relatively short
period of time,

We've had disastrous effects
on so many kinds of creatures,

Like the bison
of north america.

[Chris]
what would north america
look like without humans?

[Martin]
first of all,

There'd be bison everywhere.

Before the european
settlers arrived,

There were 40-60 million bison.

[Chris]
and in less than a century,

A loss of habitat
and overhunting

Had cut their numbers down
to less than 1,000.

[Martin]
there's no question

That humans
have affected the lives

Of every north american
creature, from loons...

[Chris]
to cougars.

These predatory cats

Once flourished
throughout north america

But are now only shadows.

[Martin]
they're hanging on
in wilderness areas

Where there's enough food
to support them.

[Chris]
and where they're
far away from humans,

Who still fear
and hunt them.

[Martin]
another north american
animal that flourished

Before the settlers arrived

Is the grizzly bear.

This massive omnivore

Once ranged far and wide
throughout north america

But now, like the cougar,
is confined to remote areas.

[Chris]
the more humans expand

Into north america's
wildlife areas,

The less space grizzly bears
have to live.

[Martin]
a slightly different story

With the coyote.

[Chris]
if the settlers
had never invaded,

This wily
scavenger and hunter

May never
have made it north.

[Yipping]

[Martin]
the coyote is one of a few
north american animals

Who have actually expanded
their range...

[Chris]
as the range of the wolf
has shrunk.

The reason we'd
only find coyotes
in the south

Is because of
this guy...

The timber wolf.

The wolf is
a dominant predator

And competitor
of the coyote--

In other words,
just by being around

Meant he kept
the coyote in check...

Until humans
became involved.

For some reason,

People have hated
wolves so much

And been so afraid
of them

That we've
almost k*lled
all the wolves off.

[Martin]
wolves are the largest
dog on earth.

[Chris]
and they're north america's
greatest predators.

A pack of wolves
is an awesome force,

Able to take down prey


Their individual weight.

[Martin]
wolves have been known
to k*ll livestock,

But they're only doing
what comes naturally.

[Chris]
and a healthy wolf has never
att*cked a human,

So humans have no excuse

For nearly wiping wolves
off the map.

But there
was an upside--
for the coyote.

Less wolves
meant the coyote
could flourish.

You know,

There's something else
humans have done

To alter
the creature world.

This is what a lot
of north america looked like

Before humans
started changing everything.

[Martin]
it was trees, trees, trees...

[Chris]
and then more trees.

This is the world that
wild creatures of north america

Have known
for millions of years...

And this is what much of
north america looks like

Now that humans
have taken over.

The creatures who couldn't adapt
to this kind of change

Went extinct
or became endangered.

The sad truth is,

Creature habitat
is shrinking every day.

[Horns honking]

O.k., This map
now makes no sense.

I mean, we've gone from
cougars and lions together,

To coyotes taking over
wolf populations,

Bison disappearing,

To humans
affecting creature habitat.

One thing I've figured out--
don't try and chart all this.

You'll just
drive yourself crazy.

One good thing--

At least the creature world's
settled down a bit.

Settled down? No way!

This planet's
in a constant state

Of chaos and confusion!

Remember those
early marsupials

That first started out
on the supercontinent?

[Chris]
well, the opossum

Is now expanding its range
into northern north america.

[Martin]
and so are raccoons and coyotes.

So the possums,
the lions,

And all the other
creatures

Have shown us
that there are
many factors

Determining where
creatures live.

Geographical shift...

Climate and climate
change...

Natural species movement...

Human development...

Humans moving creatures

From one continent
to another.

If history
tells us anything,

It's that
the creature world
is always changing.

We've had a lot of fun

Imagining what would happen
if the continents rejoined,

But no one knows for sure

How the creature world
would react.

Some creatures
would die off...

Others would evolve...

Some would adapt...

And whatever would happen,

We know that
the creature world

Is amazing, adaptable,
and unpredictable.

Hey, martin,
look over there!

Hey!

Over there.

Oh, wow--it's moving
pretty fast.

Bristly hair, bare tail.

It's a virginia opossum.

In canada?

You can't predict it.
That's what I figure.

One day there's this bird
that lives in india,

And the next day,
it's in your backyard.

The creature world is always
shifting and altering itself.

All we can do

Is be thankful that creatures
are so resourceful.

I mean, without them,

The world might be
a pretty boring place.

Hey!

What was that I said
about a bird

Coming from one
part of the world
to the other?

Hello, birdie.
Pretty bird.

I'm telling you,
we're too far north

For the virginia opossum.

They haven't made it
this far yet.

Hey, if there's
one thing we learned

About
the creature world,

It's that
it's unpredictable.

The unexpected
is always happening.

You never know what
is going to happen next.

[Elephant trumpets]