WildHorizon

I love receiving asks, so don't be shy! Anonymous asks ARE allowed. So far my experience with asks has been overwhelmingly positive, for which I'm very grateful. There's just a few things to know:

1. Keep it mostly lighthearted.

2. Don't ask me about shipping. I do not ship any characters in Wild Kratts because I'm just not much of a shipper. I have absolutely nothing against ships, they're just not my thing. I reserve the right to not answer a ship-related ask if I don’t like the ship, or for any other reason.

3. Don't ask me about crossovers. I really don't want to have to do a bunch of research about another piece of media just so I can answer an ask about it, and I definitely will not write a whole analysis for media I'm not interested in. Even if it's media I am familiar with already, I still don't want to essentially write fanfic about it.

4. About "Incorrect quotes" or other memes. They are always welcome! It's totally fine if they're a little out-of-character, we can always suspend our disbelief for a silly meme. Just please don't portray any of the good guys as doing or saying anything deliberately mean or cruel (unless it's clearly specified that it's supposed to be an AU). (Also no ships.)

This is pretty much it. I haven't had any real negative experiences, I just don't want people to send in asks like these just to be disappointed when I don't have an actual answer.

Lastly, expect asks to be answered in around 1-4 days. I have a life outside Tumblr and can be busy some days. I might also be writing a very long response, or I might have a backlog of asks to get through, which can cause responses to take a while.

Oh damn, don’t make me cry 😭

Asked for by @manicstudios , thank You for the suggestion!

I really like seeing Chris practice climbing and not be perfect at it. Like yeah he’s exceptionally good at it, but he’s not magic. He still has to practice to get good, and he still struggles sometimes, and there are still things he can’t do. It makes him feel more real and relatable.

I don’t think they thought this through very well.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

NO NO NO NO NO

NO WAY. THEY DID THIS ON PURPOSE. THEY’RE TRYING TO FREAK US OUT ON PURPOSE. AND IT’S WORKING.

Hey, props to Jimmy for not being scared of the spider. Spiders are one of the most common things to be afraid of. I respect spiders, but they absolutely creep me out (as previously mentioned).

Jimmy’s afraid of a lot of things, but spiders are not one of them. And I love that about him.

Chris just recording Martin being silly and singing. He wants to remember this moment. Adorable.

Dabio: “Oh, we make teeny dresses for spiders!”

Oh Dabio, so sweet, so innocent. I love him. Too bad he serves someone so evil.

Not gonna lie… it looks like cheese. I wanna eat it.

lol. Aviva said “cross your fingers”, but they can’t bc they’re hanging on for their lives. So they crossed their legs instead 😂 they’re so silly goofy I love them

🎵Spider-man, Spider-man, does whatever a spider can-🎵

Man, they are having so much fun terrorizing Dabio 🤣

awww Dabio looks so sadddd

I know they had to take the spiders, but I still feel bad for Dabio 😭

Dabio trying to feed the spider his sandwich! He’s not the sharpest tool in the shed but he is the sweetest.

I’m as confused as Dabio looks. Why would the Wild Kratts send Donita a gift? Why are they being so nice to her? I guess the idea was to convince her that using materials inspired by nature is better than abusing nature… but it obviously didn’t work bc she continued to be a villain for another 5 seasons.

Guys, you’re not going to believe this, but Donita’s golden orb weaver silk dress? Yeah it’s real. It exists.

Donita, is that you???

Apparently the real-life dress was first displayed at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in 2009 (According to the linked source). While this episode released October 31, 2012, according to its wiki. So this means it’s entirely possible the IRL Kratt Bros (probably Chris bc he wrote this ep.) were inspired to make this episode based on that dress.

Fascinating.

Anyway, here’s 5 fun facts about golden orb weavers that the episode doesn’t tell you:

Every single spider we see in the episode is female. Female golden orb weavers grow to 2 to 6 inches in length, while males are only 0.5 to 2 inches long, so small they’re hard to see. That, and adult male golden orb weavers do not spin webs. Instead, they find a female’s web to live on. (Source A)

Humans don’t have to worry about being bitten by these guys. The bite of a golden orb weaver spider is not considered medically significant. While they do have venom to subdue prey, it is not harmful to humans in any serious way. (Source B)

Most golden orb weavers live for about one year. Their life cycle is closely tied to seasonal changes, especially in regions with distinct warm and cool periods. (Source B)

These spiders are able to change their yellow coloured silk to appear darker or lighter. This depends on the amount of light and colour in the web’s background. (Source C)

It is believed there are two reasons why golden orb weavers have yellow silk. The part of the yellow web which is in the sunlight will attract bees. The part of the yellow web which is in the shade will appear camouflaged against the background plants and bushes. Both help the spider to catch enough prey to survive. (Source C)

Sources:

A. https://sdzwildlifeexplorers.org/animals/golden-orb-weaver

B. https://spiderzoon.com/golden-orb-weaver-spider/

W-why is he holding the bird like that 😭

Where did you get this picture from? I’m asking purely for scientific purposes I swear-

4 jackets is kind of crazy, just wear one bigger jacket bro 😭 how is this easier

I didn’t mean something bad, just thought it could be funny..

lol that would be pretty funny!

Imagine them also whispering to each other in German when they wanna keep something secret from the rest of the Crew. Like they’re planning a surprise for someone so they’re excitedly whispering in German to each other to keep the surprise.

Or maybe speaking to each other in German when there are villains around so they can make plans without the villains eavesdropping. The villains would probably be mad at them for it, that’d be pretty funny too!

Asked for by @manicstudios , thank You for the suggestion!

Tell me why Aviva and Chris acted like they didn’t recognize him, and were surprised to see it was Martin. Like, is Chris really stupid enough to see a GIANT BLUE CATERPILLAR and not immediately know it’s Martin in a Creature Power Suit? Does Aviva really not recognize the suit SHE PROGRAMMED?

They had to have been joking. Right? They had to have just been playing. There’s no way they were serious. No way. I refuse to believe it.

Martin named her Maxilla.

Maxilla? Really? You mean like the upper human jawbone?

Odd choice for a name but okay. You do you… I guess.

Aviva doesn’t believe that monarch butterflies migrate 3000 miles, so the Bros immediately jump to proving it by doing it themselves? Isn’t that a little drastic? Does Google not exist in this universe? How did the Kratt Bros learn this information? Why not just point Aviva to the same source? If this information is as true and undoubtable as the Kratt Bros say it is, then surely there must be a reputable source out there somewhere?

I don’t have much to say other than I’ve always really wanted this as a gif so I’ve taken this opportunity to make that happen.

Poor Dabio 😭 the things he does for Donita. She doesn’t appreciate him anywhere near enough.

Uhhh… no. Don’t try to tell me that caterpillar is going to pupate in her hair. No way. There’s no way it would go unnoticed for that long. Remember Koki just said it takes about 10 days for a butterfly to emerge from its chrysalis. There’s no way Donita would ever go 10 days without washing, or even so much as brushing her hair, or even just taking a close look in a mirror or something. There’s no way a whole entire chrysalis would be in her hair for 10 days and she wouldn’t feel it eventually.

I love that line: “Nature’s got know-how.”

Heck yeah she does. Humans learn so much from nature all the time! Species will always find the most creative ways to survive and pass on their genes! There will always be more to learn! It’s so cool and interesting!

Aviva: “It’s butterfly size! You don’t want an advantage do you?”

Martin: “Uh… yeah, I’ll take an advantage…”

Martin has his priorities straight.

It’s hard to see in a still image but the Bros put their arms around each others shoulders when they got on the miniaturizer.

Adorable.

Oh my god It’s actually been 10 days. I refuse to believe she stayed on that pool floaty for 10 days. It’s literally impossible, even if Dabio brought her food, she still must have left to go to the bathroom at the very least, and at that point since she’s already left the pool, she might as well change clothes, shower, sleep in an actual bed, and do literally anything else a normal person might do? In which case she realistically would have noticed the chrysalis in her hair at some point. Soooo I’m just gonna headcanon my way out of this weirdly unrealistic situation.

I would like to headcanon that the caterpillar didn’t really pupate in her hair. Maybe it attached itself to the back of her pool floaty instead, or, heck, maybe it fell off of her and drowned, and this butterfly we’re seeing is a totally new individual that just landed on her.

I am willing to believe anything but that bug staying in her hair for 10 days straight 😭

Breaking news! The Kratts Brothers get hit by a car!!!

…ouch.

I think it’s really interesting how they’re recording this mission like a documentary or like it’s gonna be on the news or something. I wonder what that means for the Kratt’s public image, like are they on the news regularly or do they publish these “documentary-like” videos of their adventures all the time? Like, what does it actually mean to be a Wild Kratts Kid or fan within the universe? Are they watching the Kratts like a tv show? Or just keeping updated with the news? Perhaps the Crew has a YouTube channel or other social media that they regularly post videos/information/updates on? I wish we could learn more about that. Also, why is this the only time we see them recording their adventures like this? It’s not the only adventure thats taken months to complete. The Fourth Bald Eagle also took months, bc they stayed with the baby bald eagle from the moment it hatched to the day it could fly. Why didn’t they record that adventure too? Maybe they did and we as the audience just didn't get see it?

idk I’m just curious and wishing we could see more of the what the in-universe Wild Kratts fans are seeing.

Martin worrying about Maxilla (who is not pictured) when the Bros are barely surviving themselves. It’s pretty cute honestly how much he cares about their creature friends, although I do wish it didn’t come at ignoring their own problems.

w o w

that’s a lot of butterflies

are the animators even alive. Cus holy cow that’s a lot of butterflies to animate. I mean geez. I’m so impressed cus this really is incredible. Every single butterfly is individually animated. Can we all collectively take a moment to appreciate the sheer amount of work these animators did to make this happen? Massive respect to animators, such an incredibly difficult but incredibly beautiful profession.

Awwww they’re cuddling 💕💕💕 so cuteee so sweeeet

On the one hand, awwww he sucks his thumb like a baby (does he perhaps have anxiety to cause this? 👀)

on the other hand, CHRIS STOP SUCKING YOUR THUMB YOU’LL RUIN YOUR ENTIRE MOUTH

Some ppl are kinda confused about how the Bros managed to “hibernate” with the butterflies for weeks, but I’d like to headcanon that the Bros actually left and came back multiple times. So like, they would go back to the Tortuga and live their normal lives, and then every so often they’d come back to check on the butterflies and just hang out with them. This hc is supported by this moment in the first pic where Donita runs over the Butterflier XT bc it’s on the ground. They didn’t land on the ground the first time, they landed in the tree (in the second pic). So this means they must’ve left and come back, and parked on the ground this time.

Martin looks like something a leopard dragged up a tree 😭

Awww Martin has no idea what’s going on, he just heard his Bro shouting and immediately put his fists up. He’s always ready to kick butt for his Bro.

Aw Martin’s so sad for Maxilla, it breaks my heart.

I do like how they turn it around to not be too sad anymore by explaining how they’re not supposed to fly back. Instead, the next generation of butterflies will. This is just their natural life cycle, and that’s okay.

Of course this is just a joke in the episode, and what I’m about to say is totally off-topic, but for real though, this is exactly why if you have a small pet like a hamster, you should never put them in a hamster ball. Bc it’s really easy to get rolling and not be able to stop, and the little creature inside can get tossed around or hit a wall really hard. Keep your hamsters safe, don’t use hamster balls.

Anyway, does Wild Kratts have the highest death count for any kids show? Thousands, if not tens of thousands of butterflies died in this episode alone. (Not to mention just as many salmon dying in Wild Kratts Alaska: Hero’s Journey). That’s a lot of death, man. but hey, it’s nature, so I’m not complaining.

Alrighty, here’s 5 fun facts about monarch butterflies the episode doesn’t tell you:

The episode tells us that monarch butterflies are poisonous to eat, but what it doesn’t tell us is why. Well the reason is because of the plant they eat. Monarch caterpillars only feed on milkweed, and milkweed is filled with a toxic chemical called glycoside. They store that glycoside in their bodies even as they turn into butterflies, so if a predator tries to eat them, they get poisoned. (Source A)

On a similar note, monarch butterflies have their signature orange and black coloration as a warning to predators that they are poisonous. (Source A)

The monarch butterfly is the state insect of 5 U.S. states; Texas, Minnesota, Idaho, Illinois and Alabama. (You’d think they could be a little more original, lol?) (Source B)

Their scientific name is Danaus plexippus, which means “sleepy transformation” in Greek. This of course refers to their incredible transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly from inside their chrysalis. (Source B)

Usually monarch butterflies use the sun to orient themselves on their journey, but if the sun is hidden by clouds, they are able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field, allowing them to always find the right direction in any weather. (Source C)

Sources:

A. https://akidsco.com/blogs/kids-co-blog/are-monarch-butterflies-poisonous

B. https://australianbutterflies.com/10-incredible-monarch-butterfly-facts/

C. https://environmentamerica.org/articles/10-amazing-facts-about-monarch-butterflies-and-their-migration/

Sorry for the late reply!!! I kinda got distracted and forgot to answer 🥲

You’re right! Chris does get up even before Martin on numerous occasions. And Martin did struggle to sleep in the episode Bandito: The Black-Footed Ferret, which is the one where he stole Aviva’s stonedigger.

I love your ideas! I love the thought of Chris being super sleepy but refusing to admit he’s tired bc he doesn’t wanna miss out on whatever’s happening. (He prolly ends up falling asleep anyway and Martin puts his blue jacket over him like a blanket 🩵)

I also love the thought of Martin being a super deep sleeper who can sleep just about anywhere when he eventually does run out of battery. But if his battery isn’t completely empty, he struggles.

Asked for by @ace-apollo99 , @n-0-sy , and @killin-it-girl-wooo , thank you for the requests! (Wow, Tazzy Chris is popular! Who would’ve guessed, lol.)

Why is Chris carrying such a huge backpack while Martin isn’t? Is that just him being over-prepared? Or is this all stuff they really need and Martin’s just not carrying his fair share? Chris was struggling to carry this thing, either Martin needs to help out some more, or Chris needs to learn to pack lighter.

Or, alternate option, they could just leave everything at home and Jimmy could teleport them whatever they need when they need it, that way they don’t have to expend energy carrying it around the whole time. Unless of course Jimmy is asleep, seeing as it is the middle of the night and all, and you know nothing can wake Jimmy up from his sleep, lol.

I love that Aviva has a Tasmanian devil plushie.

Martin *being tickled by a creature but thinks it’s Chris*: “Do you really think this is a good time for a tickle fight?”

This sentence implies that tickle fights are something they do. Perhaps regularly.

Martin getting startled by a Tasmanian devil sniffing his leg and jumping into Chris’s arms is hilarious.

And of course Chris immediately fell down because what do you mean Martin expected Chris, his little brother that is smaller and has visibly less muscle mass than he does to hold him?

Martin do not put that in your mouth.

Aaaaand he put it his mouth. *disappointed sigh*

And now his mouth is hurt. Surprise, surprise. If only someone had told him not to put that stick on his mouth. Oh wait, I did.

Oh Martin, I love you so much, but sometimes I wonder how you’ve survived this long.

As I just said. How did he survive this long.

First he hurts his mouth, now he hurts… well everything probably. This is why they can’t go anywhere without their first aid kit. They’re too accident-prone.

(What I love about this joke is that it serves absolutely no plot purpose whatsoever. Usually when they fall, it helps them discover something on the ground, or it’s the direct consequence of a plot-relevant choice they made, or it gets in the way of their goal, or something. Not this time. He just fell just for the sake of falling. As soon as he falls, it cuts away to Zach’s mansion. This only happened to make us laugh. And it worked.)

Everyone take a seat and give the show your full attention, you’re about the witness the one and only pre-Tortuga flashback in the entire series.

LOOK AT THEMMMM. THEY’RE SO GOOFY LOOKING I LOVE THEM.

Zach’s hair wasn’t as shiny (so it’s either grease or too much hair gel in his adult hair), and his skin wasn’t as pale, so he spent more time outside. (Not to mention the adorable freckles)

The Bros had freckles when they were little. I honestly wish they’d kept them, they’re so cuteeee. I wonder how old they are here? Maybe like 8 and 4? Aaaa that makes Chris so littleee I can’tttt he’s just a babyyyy. They could be 9 and 5, or 10 and 6? We don’t know exactly, but either way they’re babies.

I’ve always liked to headcanon that Zach is in between the ages of Chris and Martin, so older than Chris but younger than Martin. And this flashback seems to affirm that? Idk it’s hard to really tell but it seems to me like Martin is the oldest kid here. It’s hard to tell who’s youngest though, but I’d like to say Chris.

Baby Zach: “I’ll get you Wild Rats!”

First of all, Zach what are you talking about they didn’t even do anything. Your machine fell apart all on its own, all they did was tell you to leave the frogs alone.

Second of all, this shows us Zach has been making robots, and abusing animals with them, ever since he was a little kid.

Third, Zach and the Bros have known each other since they were little kids. I wonder how many confrontations they had? Did Zach ever try to bully them? (If you want a fanfic about kid-Zach bullying kid-Chris, you should read a fic on ao3 called “Wild Kratts Oneshots” by twasalljustagame on ao3, or @mynameisfanfic as she’s known on Tumblr. It’s really good guys I love it, go read it.)

Fourth, Zach has been calling them “Wild Rats” for all this time, which means the Bros have probably been going by “Wild Kratts” for all this time too. I wonder when, how, and why they created that name? And does it mean they were the founders of the Wild Kratts team?

Koki, why did you sign up for this job if you knew you couldn’t handle the sight of rotten meat? You’re a Creature Adventurer. Seeing dead animals is part of the job description.

Chris: “Amazing! They can eat almost half their body weight in 30 minutes! That would be like me eating 256 hot dogs!”

There are two possibilities here: Either Chris memorized that fact and that number before the adventure just for the purpose of sharing it later (as opposed to sharing it in the moment) OR Chris just did the math in his head super quickly. I’m not sure which is more likely 🤔. They both seem equally in-character. He seems to have an interest in engineering based on how he likes to build contraptions and other reasons, so it seems likely he’d be good at math. And he’s also the kind of dork who would memorize a fact just to share it later when he feels the time is right. Which one do you think it is?

Zach’s drawing is so bad it’s funny.

I love that the malfunction causes what looks and sounds like electricity and it makes him convulse when he transforms. I bet it was painful. that’s good for imagining the potential Whumpy aftermath 😁

Martin, why are you letting him tower over you like that? You are taller than him. Just stand up straight!

Koki: “I can’t get any work done because rotten meat and carcasses gross me out!” Aviva: “I hear ya, but as part of the Wild Kratts crew, we’re gonna meet all types of animals; live ones and ones that have died of natural causes.”

THAT’S WHAT I SAID

Crumch.

No but I love that the suit has an optional muzzle feature. I think that’s so cool.

I would like to headcanon that every suit has this feature (if it’s applicable that is.)

Chris: “Hey, I’m pretty wild-looking!”

In other words, Chris thinks he looks good.

His “I’d never hurt you,” was so cuteeee. I mean we all knew that already but hearing him say it aloud is just another level of sweet.

Tazzy Chris took a bite out of this piece of metal… and never spit it out. Did… did he ingest a piece of metal?? Chris. Chris. Chris should I be worried. Chris.

Chris trying to fight against his Tazzy instincts is so fun. He knows he shouldn’t….. but he just can’t resist!

Now for 5 fun facts about Tasmanian devils the episode doesn’t tell you:

1. There is a slight inaccuracy in this episode. The episode says Tasmanian devils eat only carrion, but this isn’t true. Tasmanian devils will hunt small mammals and birds. (Source A)

2. The Tasmanian devil got its name from early European settlers who upon hearing mysterious unearthly screams, coughs and growls from the bush decided to investigate further. Finding the dog-like animal with red ears, wide jaws and big sharp teeth led them to call it "The Devil". (Source B)

3. Tasmanian devil mothers can have up to 40 babies at once. However, her pouch only has 4 teats, so only the first four to reach her pouch and latch on will survive. (Source B)

4. Sometimes if a Tasmanian devil feels uncertain or fearful, they may perform a yawn or gape, which shows off all of their big sharp teeth. (Source B)

5. Tasmanian devils have vocal sexual dimorphism. What that means is that a Tasmanian devils voice sounds different depending if it’s male or female (like humans!) Watch this video to hear the difference between male and female Tasmanian devils - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2AU7AtY-js

Sources:

A. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/tasmanian-devil

B. https://nre.tas.gov.au/wildlife-management/fauna-of-tasmania/mammals/carnivorous-marsupials-and-bandicoots/tasmanian-devil

Asked for by @herloverharmony , thank you for the suggestion!

Right off the bat, Chris says “Hey Martin, after that big adventure in the freezing Arctic, I can’t wait to snooze on a beach for a whole day.”

Well, this episode is the first of Season 3, so he must be referring to a Season 2 adventure. Well the last two episodes of Season 2 are Journey to the Subnivean Zone (episode 25) and Groundhog Wake-up Call (episode 26, the last of the season), if the Wild Kratts episode wiki is to be believed.

He can’t be referring to Groundhog Wake-up Call because that episode ends in the springtime. And he can’t be referring to Journey to the Subnivean Zone because that episode takes place in the “temperate forests of eastern North America”, according to its wiki, not the Arctic. No other episodes in Season 2 take place in the snow, except Snow Runners, but that one didn’t take place in the Arctic either.

So what this means is, the Crew must’ve had another adventure in the Arctic in between Season 2 and 3, that we didn’t get to see. I wonder what it was about?

Also, I feel like sometimes the Bros act they’re incapable of taking a day off from creature-adventuring, but Chris wanting to “snooze on a beach for a whole day” is proof that they do know how to take a day off. It just has to be on their terms.

Chris manages to prank Martin once, but Martin pranked Chris twice. Then when Martin tried to call for a truce (despite it clearly not being even) Chris then proceeded to trip over a shell.

Poor Chris, lol. (Guess who wrote this episode. Go on, guess.

… it was Martin. Lmao.)

omg they’re so scaredddd without shells poor babiesss. I really enjoy the concept of the Bros being extra nervous/anxious/flighty bc of prey instincts, it’s a lot of fun to me. Like yeah, if you are a small prey animal like a hermit crab (a life-size one anyway), or a hare, or a small bird or something, you have to be lucky enough to evade your predators over and over and over again. But the predators only need enough luck to catch you once.

You should be afraid. One slip up and you’re done.

Also I find it telling that Chris chose to hide behind Koki specifically. I have a feeling she’s the one they’re most intimidated by, so it makes sense that if they feel like they need someone to protect them, they’d choose Koki. They see her as the toughest and strongest, so of course they’d hide behind her.

Them running for their lives from a seagull when they’re obviously wayyy too big for it to be a threat is hilarious, ngl.

Obviously their crying is portrayed as very cartoonishly-over-the-top and dramatic, for comedic purposes, but it’s still sad to see.

It just shows how severely altered their minds are by these hermit crab instincts. They are sobbing just bc they can’t find a shell. Somebody give them a hug and a giant shell STAT.

AAAAAA

I will NEVER be used to those eyessss

Eugh they creep me out, it’s always a jump-scare whenever they use their eye stalks 😭

AVIVA THEY ARE DROWNING STOP EXPLAINING AND HELP THEM ALREADY

Wait a minute, the shell isn’t part of the hermit crab, we’ve explained this already, so how are they reactivating by touching the shell? Eh, whatever it’s not that important.

Martin fearing for Chris’s life, we love to see it 💕

Martin finding a new shell and saying “I’ll take this and you can have mine”.

And then all the hermit crabs arranging in line from biggest to smallest.

I don’t know why, but whenever the show acknowledges that Martin is the big brother and Chris is the little brother (both in age and in literal size) it always makes me really happy for some reason. It’s like… cute? I guess or something? I don’t know. Am I the only one?

The movie villains always attacking the protagonist one at a time:

Gourmand: “No crab is stronger than me! I’m on a special vitamin program!”

Gourmand is on steroids confirmed. /j

Now for 5 fun facts about hermit crabs that the episode doesn’t tell you:

1. Hermit crabs are able to change their sex during a moult. It is not known how common this is or why they do it. (Source A)

2. Hermit crabs are actually mostly nocturnal, doing most of their scuttling around during the night. (Source B)

3. Hermit crabs take their shell-finding seriously. They may fight to the death over a shell. (Source B)

4. Despite their name, hermit crabs are not true crabs. They are more closely related to squat lobsters. (And funnily enough, squat lobsters aren’t true lobsters!). (Source C)

5. Some sea hermit crabs will form a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with anemones, where the hermit crabs will place an anemone on its shell so that its stinging tentacles will protect it from predators, and the anemone gets carried around to food sources and gets to eat the hermit crabs scraps. Sometimes the crab will even move the anemone from one shell to another when it changes shells. (Source C) Watch this cool video of a hermit crab moving its anemones from one shell to the next! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYFALyP2e7U&t=150s

Sources:

A. https://www.happyhermie.com.au/post/30-interesting-hermit-crab-facts

B. https://www.seattleaquarium.org/animal/hermit-crab/

Asked for by @lucialazuli , thank you for the suggestion!

1. Koki likes to have tea in the morning. Nice little fun fact for ya.

2. I love to see Koki using her cool new chair that she got as a gift in the Christmas special, the continuity makes me happy.

3. Koki is literally stalking the villains?? She knows exactly where they are? That’s highkey creepy and unethical? BUT Zach does stalk the crew all the time, and Donita does too occasionally, so perhaps for those two, it’s fair, right? If Zach and Donita refuse to respect the Crew’s privacy, then why should they respect theirs? Especially when animal’s lives are at stake. I don’t think Gourmand stalks them though (correct me if I’m wrong), but then again, he is arguably the most dangerous and violent of the villains, and he tends to target endangered species the most, so maybe it’s warranted? Both for the creatures sake and also to protect their crew from being surprise-attacked by him.

Koki gets up early, but the Kratt Bros get up earlier.

This is shown many times, how the Bros always like to get up super early, because early morning is the best time to see creature activity. But I do wonder, if they always get up early, how do they manage their nighttime adventures? There are multiple episodes that take place mainly at night, like The Gecko Effect, or Googly-Eye The Night Guru for example. If they got up early then too, they’d be so tired during their adventure. Then, when they eventually do get to sleep, if they wake up at the same time the next morning, they’ll be really tired and exhausted and sleep-deprived, which feels terrible and will mean they can’t function at their best. Or, if they sleep late so they’re not tired, then their whole sleep schedule will be completely thrown off.

Either way, it sucks.

I wonder if they ever sleep in on purpose with the intention of having a nighttime adventure, so they aren’t tired?

I see these little anole lizards ALL THE TIME where I live. They’re EVERYWHERE. Even around my house, they get into my screened-in porch all the time.

Not much to say other than them almost leaving Aviva behind was hilarious 😂

Zach and Gourmand are so funnyyyy. Zach is SUCH A MANCHILD, when you search up “manchild” in the dictionary, his image comes up. /j

And both of them are voiced by the same actor, Zachary Bennet. This episode is just Zachary Bennet talking to himself 🤣

Here’s an interview with Zachary Bennet, where he mentions that sometimes he’ll voice Zach and Gourmand in a single take, and I thought it was pretty funny. It’s such an incredible skill how he’s able to switch voices so quickly and so well. Skip to 9:24 to hear him talk about this specific topic, and hear him give an example of voicing Zach and Gourmand together, it’s pretty awesome.

Why does Martin look like that? I thought he was excited to find Komodo dragons! What is he afraid of?

…. Chris probably, lmao.

(I saw a short q&a video from TVOKids where the bros answered a question that was something like “have you ever been afraid of an animal?” And Martin points to Chris and answered something like “Sometimes I’m afraid of my brother Chris” and they both laughed, and then they answered the question for real. But I can’t find it now, I think they took it down and I’m so mad that it’s gone!! Grr why do all my favorite interviews and q&a’s always go missing, especially right when I need them???)

Any creature with “dragon” in its name is automatically cool, bc dragons are cool as heck. Komodo dragon, bearded dragon, dragonfly, dragon snake, leafy sea dragon, dragonfish, draco lizard (bc “draco” means “dragon”, so they’re “dragon lizards”), and more. I dare you to tell me any one of those creatures isn’t sick as heck. They’re all total badasses.

Martin calls the baby dragons “dragonlets”.

As a Wings of Fire enjoyer, I am more inclined to call them “dragonets”, but you do you.

“🎶 The dragonets are coming

they’re coming to save the day

they’re coming to fight for they know what’s right

the dragonets, hooray!🎶”

-*AHEM*, excuse me, where was I? Oh right, the Bros were just about to get their new suits-

I LOVE the dinosaurian look of these suits, it’s so freaking cool. They even have a slightly dinosaur-like posture, kind of leaning forward, with a puffed out chest and their head going back a little? Like a raptor (not the modern-day bird kind but the prehistoric kind, you know what I mean)

Zach screaming “Lizard-men!! Attack of the lizard-men!!” Makes me think he watched too many of those old-fashioned “scary movies” before this trip.

Martin: “Alright you two, give us back those Komodo dragon eggs!”

Chris: “Yeah, you’ve dug up the next generation of Komodo dragons!”

Martin: “And we want them back!”

Chris: “Hatching free, and in the wild! See what I did there bro?”

Martin: “Yeah, nice!”

Chris seeking Big Brother’s approval for his joke XD. (Can you guess who wrote this episode, lol?)

(P.S. It was Martin. Martin wrote this episode.)

Y’know sometimes I wonder, when the IRL Bros are reading a script that the other one wrote, are they ever like

“What, you’re making me say this?” “Yep. Sucks to suck, now say the line.” *evil grin from the other side of the recording booth* “Ugh,” *plotting revenge for their next script*

WOW, EASIEST Gourmand defeat EVER. They really should use Komodo dragon powers when fighting Gourmand more often.

Okay now here’s 5 fun facts about Komodo dragons that the episode doesn’t tell you:

1. There’s actually a slight inaccuracy in this episode. Chris says that Gourmand has dug up all the Komodo dragon eggs in existence, but this can’t be true. Gourmand has only visited Komodo Island, but Komodo Island isn’t the only place in the world where Komodo dragons are found. Komodo dragons are found on Indonesia’s four islands within Komodo National Park (Komodo, Rinca, Gili Montang, Gili Dasami), and the island of Flores. (Source A)

2. Komodo dragons are believed to have a much smaller hearing range than humans and, as a result, cannot hear sounds like low-pitched voices or high-pitched screams. So the Bros shouldn’t have been able to hear Zach’s terrified screaming, lmao (I’m joking, I don’t know exactly how high pitched they can hear.) (Source B)

3. Because large Komodo dragons will cannibalize younger ones, one way the little ones avoid being eaten is by rolling in dung. Yes, you read that right, baby Komodo dragons roll in dung. This is because adult Komodo dragons are programmed to avoid dung, to avoid getting themselves sick. When a Komodo dragon eats the intestines of its prey, it will pick them up and shake them violently to shake out all their contents before eating them. (Source B)

4. Unfortunately for the people living on islands inhabited by Komodo dragons, due to the dragon’s tendency to eat a lot of carrion, dragons have been known to dig up and eat recently dead and buried people. To avoid this, most people have stopped burying their dead in sandy ground and instead exclusively bury in clay soil. They'll often add a pile of rocks on top of the burial for good measure. (Source C)

5. Komodo dragons like to play. Captive individuals have been observed playing with shovels, shoes, and even frisbees. The way the individuals interact with the objects is without aggression or food motivation and can therefore be considered play. (Source C) Just watch this video of a Komodo dragon playing “tug of war”, it’s surprisingly cute, for a giant, venomous, carrion-eating lizard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=almJghl1VXk&t=183s

Sources:

A. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/komodo-dragon

B. https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/komodo-dragon

C. https://www.treehugger.com/surprising-facts-about-komodo-dragons-4864224

I know this is very different from my usual posts, but as someone who’s going to go to college to major in Animal Studies so that I can (hopefully) become a zookeeper, this is something that’s been on my mind for a while. So many people hate on all zoos, claiming they’re all unethical and cruel, and acting like anyone who supports them is morally inferior. And I’m not gonna lie, it hurts. Especially when it comes from your own friend (not anybody on tumblr, it’s none of you guys I promise).

And I understand that it comes from a place of concern for the animals, I can’t be mad at that. But like, maybe educate yourself about zoos and how they work and what they do before just assuming they’re all evil bc “thE AnImAls yEaRn tO rOaM FrEe”.

(Also stop human-izing the animals. They’re not people, they don’t think like people, they don’t perceive the world the same way you do, they don’t have the same inherent wants and needs that you do. Stop making assumptions about the feelings, thoughts, or needs of animals you know nothing about. Especially when important things like the survival of their species are at stake.)

Of course, in a perfect world, zoos wouldn’t need to exist. But this isn’t a perfect world. And many creatures are at serious risk of disappearing forever if we don’t help them. And of course we should help them in the wild as best we can, by preserving their habitats, and protecting them from poachers, and other things like that. But sometimes that’s simply not enough.

If it wasn’t for zoos, animals like California condors, Arabian oryx, golden lion tamarins, black-footed ferrets, przewalski’s horses, and more would be extinct right now. Zoos are so critically important for conservation and research, and educating and inspiring the next generation to love animals. Ultimately, zoos are such a massive part of conservation, that being anti-zoo is anti-conservation, whether that’s what you intended or not, that’s simply the reality. If zoos were all banned today, species would go extinct. The natural world would suffer. It would do so much more harm than good.

I really want to be a zookeeper so I can help educate and raise awareness for animals, and be a part of endangered species conservation. I want to encourage others to help do what they can to protect wild places and creatures, and maybe even inspire some kids to become conservationists in their own time. I just want to help keep animals alive for future generations. It would be my dream to help a species come back from endangerment and be able to say “I was a part of that.” Or to reintroduce a species back to a place it once lived and be able to say “I made a difference.”

I actually saw somebody on Pinterest call him Christian once bc they just assumed that’s what “Chris” must be short for.

I thought it was funny. Like dude, you could’ve just googled it instead of assuming. Now you look silly. Silly goose.