07x09 - Fish out of Water

[bunniefuu]

♪ Wild Kratts!

Chris: In watery mudflat habitats around the globe,

lives a very strange creature.

We're here at Johns Hopkins University.

Martin: It's us the Kratt Brothers!

I'm Martin...Chris: I'm Chris.

We all know that there are lots of different kinds of fish,

from clownfish... Martin: ...to salmon.

Chris: ...to sharks, but have you heard of a fish

that comes out of the water?

Martin: A fish that walks on land?

We're talking about...

Martin/Chris: The mudskipper!

Chris: This fish spends a lot of time on land!

Breathing through its skin, mouth and gills,

and it's got a really unique way of getting around.

These are our friends, Chen and Divya,

and they're physicists and engineers

who study how animals move.

So, can we go see the mudskippers in action.

Martin: This is the test bed, where we can check-out

the mudskippers' movement.

Chris: And this is the mudskipper!

Now let's put him down, and see what he's got.

He's walking.

One of the most important features is the fins.

You see how they're strong, sturdy and jointed

to hold up the weight of the mudskipper.

Martin: Check-out that tail!

It's long now, but when the mudskipper really wants to move,

it'll curve the tail and then use it to push!

Divya: So, we study how fast they move,

also how much their fins sink in

and do they change the way they move

as that mud strength changes?

Martin: Ahhhhh... Chris: Right.

Chen: Yeah, so we measure these mudskippers live on mudflats and

every day as the tide comes in and goes out,

the mud goes from very dry to very wet.

So we're interested in how they can adapt.

Chris: Oh yeah, you're good at walking on land, look at that!

A fish out of water!

Imagine if we could walk on mud like a mudskipper.

Martin: Imagine if we had mudskipper powers.

Martin/Chris: What if?

♪♪

♪ [show theme song]

♪ On adventure with the coolest creatures ♪

♪ From the oceans to the trees

♪ The Brothers Kratt are going places ♪

♪ you never get to see.

♪ Hanging with their creature friends ♪

♪ Get ready it's the hour

♪ We're gonna save some animals today with ♪

♪ Creature Power!

♪ Gonna go wild with Wild Kratts gonna go ♪

♪ wild wild Wild Kratts

♪ Gonna go wild with Wild Kratts ♪

♪ gonna go wild wild Wild

♪ Cheetah speed and lizard glide ♪

♪ Falcon flight and lion pride ♪

♪ Gonna go wild with Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild wild Wild Kratts Wild Kratts! ♪

♪ Gonna go wild with Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Gonna go wild wild Wild Kratts ♪

♪ Go wild wild Wild Kratts.

Chris: A Fish out of Water

Martin/Chris: Woohoo!/Ha ha!

Chris: Hey butterfly pal, watch this move!

Martin: Woohoo! Nice flutter-flying mini-Chris!

Chris: Thanks, mini-Martin.

Martin: I love getting mini-sized

and fluttering around with butterflies.

The Butterflier XT definitely

isn't the smoothest ride.

Whoa! But it's fun!

Chris: Might even be more fun to fly around with Butterfly Power!

Let's see...where is my Butterfly power disc?

Cheetah power... proboscis monkey power...

panda power...

Martin: Hey Chris, look, check it out! Below us!

Chris: Whoa!

It looks like another planet!

Martin: With weird craters.

What are those all about?

Chris: Huh? Uh oh!

Chris/Martin: Woaaaaah!

Chris: My power discs!

Chris/Martin: Nooooo!

[plink plonk plunk...]

Chris: Uaah! I've lost control.

We're going down!

[crash] Chris: Whoooaaa!!

Crash landing on Planet Weird!!

[loud crash] Ow!

Ah! You okay bro?

Martin: Yup! You?

Chris: I'm good.

Except that my entire Creature Power disc collection is lost.

Martin: Ohh, it's somewhere out on this crazy mud flat.

But who knows where?

Chris: We gotta find it!

I'll get those discs back,

and nothing's gonna stop me!

Uaaah-oof!

Not a good start.

Martin: Whoaaa!! [thud]

Oh!

Chris: Whoa-whoa-whoaaaa!!! [water splashes]

Martin: Uh-oh. Chris!?

Chris: Hellooo??

Martin: You okay down there?

Huh?! Who-whoaaa!!!

Easy buddy! No problem here,

just looking for my brother.

Chris: [muffled] What's going on?

Martin: Wha-? You talk?

Chris: What? No!!

Martin: Huh?

Pptoo! [ka-thunk] Oh!

What happened?

Chris: He wanted me out of that hole.

Scooped me up and spit me right out.

Martin: Hey, any lost power disc holders down there?

Chris: I didn't have any time to check.

Martin: Yeah, well bro, look around us.

We're stranded, in the alien world of the walking fish!

Aviva: Walking fish?!

I don't believe my eyes!!

Koki: That is the weirdest thing I've ever seen...

Jimmy Z: B-but they're fish!

And they're walking on land!

That's not supposed to happen!

Chris/Martin: They're mudskippers.

Chris: A true fish out of water!

[blurp]

Koki: Amazing!

Aviva: A fish out of water!

Jimmy Z: I always thought "fish out of water" was just a saying

for someone who doesn't quite fit in.

But this is an actual fish out of water.

Chris: Oh yeah. They're unlike any other fish,

aka osteichthys.

In fact, they spend most of their time

out of water!

Up to % of it.

Aviva: But how?

Fish get their oxygen from water - with gills - like this.

They can't breathe air.

Martin: Mudskippers have a special ability,

to breathe through their skin!

Koki: Like many amphibians, mudskippers can absorb oxygen

through their wet skin.

Aviva: This fish is a scientific wonder.

But why is this fish

so different from other fish?

Jimmy Z: With all this science talk, sometimes I feel like

I'm a fish out of water!

They're science whizzes. Me - not so much.

Chris: Well, every creature has a niche.

A way that they fit into the environment

and an important role they play in nature.

Martin: Mudskippers are no different.

We just have to figure out their special niche.

Chris: Let's do that,

while we find all my lost Creature Power Discs!

Martin/Chris: Whoaaa!!

[kersplat] Uah!

Aviva: [giggles] Ok, mud-slippers!

I'll start working on a power disc to make it easier

for you to move around there.

Koki: Just send us any useful info you collect, bros.

And I'll see what I can research off the database.

Chris/Martin: You got it!

♪♪

Jimmy Z: And I'll just, umm...

sit over here, I guess.

Chris: Okay, my creature power disc holder

must've rolled down one of these mud craters.

We gotta go in, and search them.

[gasps] Oh! [mudskipper spits]

Ugghhh!

Martin: [laughs] There's mud in your eye, bro.

Ooof!

[muffled sound]

Chris: Who's laughing now?

[mudskipper spits] Ooof!

Martin: [giggles] Ooof!

What's with the mud pellets, Skippy?

Ooof!

Chris: Good name Martin!

Ahh.

Martin: Skippy, we give, we give!

Chris: Well bro, now we know what these mud craters are.

Martin: Yeah...

Martin/Chris: Mudskipper homes!

Martin: Wow! [mudskipper spits]

Chris: They're digging their burrows

by using their mouths as shovels.

Marting: Ooof!

Chris: Oohh!

Uaaah! Ugh!

Koki: They really need mudskipper powers

to fit into the mudskipper world!

Aviva: I'm on it! I'm just working on the fins.

They're totally unique!

They have a bendy joint in them to help them walk.

Kind of like we have a knee joint.

With special muscles to control it.

And voila! A walking fish!

Jimmy Z: Wow, Aviva's so good at engineering.

Koki: Now on to the eyes.

Real important.

Those bulgy eyes can dip down

into special water filled wells,

so that they stay moist and don't dry out.

Aviva: Got it!

Like this?

[blip-blop, blip-blop]

Koki: Perfect!

You know, they can't even see well in the water.

Their eyes are designed for seeing well in air.

Jimmy Z: Koki really knows her stuff.

I'm not really a science whiz or an engineer.

Does anyone really need me around here?

Aviva: Ok, I think we're ready to test this thing out.

Bros you ready?

Chris/Martin: Kratt brothers ready to test!

Aviva: Print Creature Power disc.

[hissing sound]

Ready for teleport, Jimmy! Jimmy?

Aviva/Koki: Where'd he go?

Chris: Hurry! When high tide comes,

water will cover these holes

and my disc holder will be really hard to find!

Koki: Where'd he'd disappear to?

Aviva: Can you do the teleporter, Koki?

Koki: No way! With me at the controls,

that disc could materialize anywhere.

Aviva: Well I can't do it either.

We need Jimmy!

Chris/Martin: Hurry!!

Chris: Send the disc!

Koki: Ok, let's try it.

Energize.

Cross your fingers.

And zap it!

[zapping sound]

[penguin braying]

Aviva: No, no! That's Antarctica!

Pull it outta there!

Koki: I hope this one's right!

[zap] [electrical popping sounds]

Aviva: I think we're breaking it.

Koki: The disc's gone!

Aviva: Uh-oh. We really needed Jimmy!

Koki: No one can work this technology like Jimmy can.

No one!

[zapping sound]

Baby monkey: Uuuh!

Chris: Martin! That monkey!

Martin: It's the disc!

Chris: Careful with that!

We need it to find my lost Creature Power Disc collection!

[sniff-sniff]

I'm the climbing brother. I'll get it!

You're kidding me!

You guys can climb trees, too?

A fish that climbs? Wow!

The fins can grip the surface of the root

and hold on while she climbs.

Where are you going?

Oh really? There's food on these mangrove trees.

Little insects that you like to eat.

So your food is on land - and even in trees.

That's part of your niche.

You eat food from the tidal zone of the mud flats.

I'll be right back!

Made it!

Oh no-no, come on buddy,

hand it over, please?

Monkey: Eee! Eeeeeeh!

Chris: Noooo!

[swishing sound]

Martin: Got it! [thud]

Ugh! Hey!

What?! Hey! Come back!

Stop skittling!

♪♪

Okay, I'm the swimming brother!

I'll get it!

♪♪

[splash]

Wow, a swimming mudskipper.

Can I hitch a ride?

So you guys can swim?

Walk, climb, and swim?

Now that's talent!

I like how your eyes stay above the surface when you swim,

because your vision is actually better out of water

than it is underwater, right?

There! The disc!

[water splashes]

I'll take that.

Insert mudskipper power disc!

[click]

Touch mudskipper!

And activate Mudskipper Power!!

♪♪

[blup-blip]

Yes, Mudskipper Power!

Whoa, it's blurry down here!

Much better.

A fish that sees better

out of water, than under water!

I have such sharp vision now,

I can even see- [gasps]

a dog-faced water snake!

Ahhhhh! Out of here!

Whoaa! [water splashes]

Surface swimming like a mudskipper!

Hey! Where're you going?

Aha! The burrows are protection from predators.

[grunts]

Hey! Oh, occupied, sorry!

How 'bout this one?

[grunts] Hey!

Occupied! Sorry!

Ahhhh!!!!

Gotta find an empty burrow!

[low humming sound]

Jimmy Z: [sigh]

♪♪

Hi. I think I know how you feel.

A fish out of water.

Mudskippers are different than the rest.

[sad sigh] I feel that way sometimes too.

[buzzing] So--

I think I'll join you!

Miniaturize!

[buzzing sound]

[thump] Ugh! Wow.

The mud is squishier than I thought!

[giggles] Now we're even more alike.

Hey! Whoa!

Ow! OW!

Let Go!

[munch]

[sigh of relief]

Thanks. Wow!

That's what you eat? Crabs?

So, you skip around the beaches eating crabs.

That's part of your notch.

Uh, I mean...wait!

Notch, or...niche!

That's it! Niche!

You come ashore and eat crabs!

I made my own scientific discovery!

Chris: Swim, Martin, swim!

Martin: Ahhhhh! Whoa!

Eee-ahhhh! Whoa!

Aviva: He's not going to make it!

Martin: Water snake! Water snake!

Oh oh.

[water splashes]

Snake! Snake! Water snake! Snake!

Chris: Martin! You're doing it!

You're a walking fish!

Martin: Where's the water snake?

Chris: Bro, it's gone!

A heron got it.

Martin: Whew! That was close.

But check it out.

These fins are made for walkin'!

Chris: And that's just what they'll do.

Ok. Back to finding my disc collection.

Now that you have the disguise,

start searching those holes, bro.

Martin: [chuckles] Hey, fellow fish.

Can I check out your place?

We're looking for something.

Whoaa!! What?! Au!

No!! What're you doing?

Ahh.. Ow!

He's not happy to see me, Chris!!

Chris: Uh-oh.

Maybe this was a bad idea.

Martin: I think I'm being attacked!

[struggle] Ooof.

[struggle] Ow.

Yeah, I'm being attacked.

Chris: Um Martin, it looks like

these fish are fighters!

They're doing it too!

Martin: Why? Ooh! Ow! Why?

Chris: It's territoriality.

They're protecting their holes

and their space on the beach.

Martin: Well, then this disguise isn't working.

Oww, ugh-- [struggling]

Chris: These fights can get fierce!

Oh! The intruder is retreating.

Martin: Good idea, me too.

Retreat! Retreat!

Upf!

Okay you win, you win!

Chris: Okay, this is gonna be

much harder than we thought.

Martin: You're telling me.

Aviva: But why? Why do they fight?

Koki: Look what that winning mudskipper is doing now.

It looks like he's...posing.

Aviva: And that one seems interested.

Koki: Let me guess, that's mudskipper style dancing?

Aviva: [giggles] Yup!

Mudskipping!

♪♪

Martin: Oh yeah!

I've got the powers!

Koki: I think she likes him.

Aviva: And right down the burrow.

Koki/Avia: [laughing]

Aviva: Martin, I think you've been outskipped

by a mudskipper. [laughs]

Chris: Okay Martin, new plan!

You have to reactivate

as a female mudskipper. Martin: I do?

Chris: Yeah, that's the only way we're going to get into

that burrow to check for my lost Creature Power Discs.

Martin: You're right. Ok, I'll do it!

Chris: Here she comes, act natural.

Martin: [humming] Chris: [whistling]

Martin: Reactivate!!

[buzzing sound]

Uh, I look exactly the same.

Chris: That's fish for ya.

Hopefully, they notice the difference.

Martin: All right, here I go!

[diving grunt]

Hey, he's not acting territorial anymore,

I'm not getting beat-up.

Chris: Good luck down there!

Martin: Thanks! [loud splash]

Jimmy Z: Thanks again for saving me from that crab.

Hey why do you do that?

[mud splashing]

Is it just for fun?

[laughs] Cause it is!

Or does it have a purpose?

Hahaha, squishy and wet!!

Wet?

Hey I remember Koki was saying that the mudskippers

have to keep their eyes wet.

They probably have to keep their whole bodies wet!

[chuckles]

And it probably helps you breath too.

Since you partly breathe through your skin.

A fish that comes on land, but is still

very dependent on the water too.

I'm really understanding your niche now.

And I'm really loving your muddy home too!

Martin: Ah, so this is where the hole leads.

A resting chamber.

Whoa, now I just need to look around here

for that lost Creature Power Disc holder.

You bring mouthfuls of air down here?

This burrow is part underwater and part air.

Eggs! [gasps]

Mudskipper eggs!

The female laid eggs before she left!

The male is going to take care of them until they hatch.

Keeping them moist and making sure

they have plenty of oxygen to develop.

Wow! Chris: Martin!

Is my Creature Power Disc Holder down there?

Martin: No! Not this one!

But it was nice meeting you.

Happy hatching!

[water splashes]

Chris: Oh! If we don't find my Creature Power Discs,

that's my whole entire collection,

lost forever!

Martin: Well, let's check the next burrow.

It's gotta be in one of them.

Mudskip this way!

♪♪

Uh-oh.

Chris: Monitor Lizard! Run!

♪ [tense chase music]

♪♪

[snap]

♪♪

Oh, another reason burrows are good protection!

Martin: Mudskippers have their niche all figured out!

Even down to how they protect themselves

from predators in their environment.

♪♪

Chris: But we don't, bro!

We don't have a burrow!

Martin: There! That one!

Aviva: Oh no! They're not going to make it!

Koki: They can't get in there in time! No!

Chris: We're doomed, bro!

[humming sound]

Jimmy Z: Hang on brothers!!

Jimmy Z to the Kratt Brothers Rescue!

Chris: Jimmy!

Jimmy Z: Yee-haaaw!

Piloting is my thing, lizard!

No tail is going to whip me out of the sky.

Martin: Ahhhh! We can't shake him!

Jimmy Z: I can!

[snap]

Grab on!

Chris: Uaaaah!

Agh!

[snap]

Chris/Martin: Ahhhh! Yahoooo!

Marting: Wooohooo! Chris: Awesome piloting Jimmy!

Martin: You saved us!

Chris: Hoh-h*, you're the best pilot

in the entire creature world!

Jimmy Z: Thanks! Yeah,

I guess I am pretty good at that.

It's my niche.

Aviva/Koki: Yay Jimmy!

Koki: Awesome work, Jimmy!

Chris: We sure are lucky to have Jimmy as part of the team.

Koki: Yeah.

Things didn't work out so good without you.

Teleporter problem, bros almost getting eaten, what a mess!

Chris: I'll say, and I'd like to say

Creature Mission Accomplished,

but I can't.

Martin: We failed our mission!

We couldn't find the creature power discs.

Jimmy Z: You couldn't? Chris: Nope.

My whole disc collection

is gone...forever.

Jimmy Z: Forever?

Chris: Yeah, I'd give anything to have it back.

Jimmy Z: Anything?

Like, maybe a giant ice cream sundae?

Chris: Definitely!

Jimmy Z: And...a blueberry pie with whipped cream?

Chris: Yeah, that too.

Jimmy Z: Ok, deal!

Chris: Huh?!

Jimmy Z: Here's your Creature Power Disc holder.

Chris: My Creature Power Discs!

They're all safe!

Martin: Jimmy! How'd you do that?

Jimmy Z: It all started on the beach.

The beach was dangerous that day, my friends.

Snapping crabs, hungry herons,

fanged snakes, marauding monitors.

But I had befriended someone special.

Someone different.

Someone unlike the others.

She showed me her ways.

Her ways of the mud.

And I had an idea.

The mud. It was her home.

But I could also use it as a disguise.

I was one with the environment.

And I checked the burrows.

One after another.

Until finally I found it!

With the precious Creature Power Discs!

Aviva: Amazing!

Jimmy Z: Just when I found them,

I heard the bros running for their lives!

Koki: And you sprang into action!

Jimmy Z: Yeah. I did that.

I sprang into action!

Aviva/Koki/Chris/Martin: Yay for Jimmy!

[chanting] Jimmy!!! Jimmy!! Jimmy!!

Chris: The Wild Kratts MVP!

Jimmy Z: Thanks.

We all have different roles and specialties...and NICHES.

And I love mine!

Right, buddy?

Thanks for helping a friend understand that.

Now where's that blueberry pie you owe me?

All: [laughter]

Martin: So, mudskippers are a unique fish

with strange abilities, that allow them

to fill a special niche in nature.

Chris: Now we've seen how mudskippers walk,

using the help of this mud bed,

but that's just the beginning, right Divya?

Divya: Yeah, our next step is to look more closely

into how the mudskippers walk, with the help of robots.

Chris: This is our friend, Gargi, she's an engineer,

who builds robots to study how animals move.

Martin: Like mudskippers.

So, this is the robot that you built

inspired by mudskipper powers?

Gargi: That's right, this robot moves exactly like

the mudskipper does, so I can study

how the mudskippers walk on mud.

Chris: Amazing, and right here, these are the fins?

Gargi: Right there! Martin/Chris: Oh, excellent!

Gargi: So the mudskipper pushes it's fins down onto the mud

and then pushes it's whole body forward.

Martin: Oh, so it lifts up and then goes forward, for support.

Gargi: Right. So, working with animals

is really hard. With a robot...

...I can tell it exactly how I want it to behave,

how fast it moves its fins,

what direction to go in,

and it will do exactly what I say.

Chris: Oh wow! Just like the mudskipper!

Martin: And you test it like how it moves

over different surfaces too?

Gargi: Right, so we'll run the robot all kinds of mud strengths

and then we'll see how changing the robot's behavior

changes how well it moves on those muds.

Chris: And what are these white dots here?

Gargi: So these white dots are markers that the cameras

that we use during experiments can then track.

By tracking these markers, we know how much the robot moved,

how fast, what direction and then this helps us learn

more about how it performs.

Martin: So this amazing work you're doing,

what kind of things can it lead too?

Gargi: It can lead to a lot of things.

For one, we can learn a lot more

about the animals that we're studying,

but then we can also accomplish some really cool things.

This robot can help us better understand how to walk on mud,

and then we can design machines

that can walk on mud. Martin: Oh wow!

Gargi: There's even a spider robot that helps us

better understand how the spiders sense their prey.

Chris: Amazing. It's called bio-inspiration.

We can learn so much and have so many technological advancements

by understanding creatures,

creature powers and nature.

Martin: So keep on creature adventuring.

Chris: We'll see you on the creature trail!

♪♪

♪ [show theme music]

♪♪

♪♪