In the middle of winter, late in December almost New Year's Eve. And the Wild Kratts were flying over Jacksonville's Florida coast of the Atlantic.

With New's Year's just only 2 days away, they were trying to decide on where to celebrate.

"So, where do you think we should do it this year?" Chris wondered.

"New York City, Time Square?" Aviva thought.

"Heh, too crowded." Martin said.

"Surely we can think of something." Koki said.

"Right now maybe we can do one last adventure of the year." Chris said.

"Sure, but what animal should we check out?" Martin wondered.

"Well, we are in Florida, why not here?" Koki asked.

"Hey, maybe your right?" Martin liking the idea.

Jimmy then came from the cockpit. "Oh, no, no, no! I am not doing Alligators and Crocodiles again!" He referred to the time about the Crocogator Contest when an American Alligator and American Crocodile got in the Tortuga 4 years ago.

"Relax, Jimmy." Chris assured. "It's not what we're thinking about."

Jimmy was relieved.

"What about Manatees?" Aviva thought. "We haven't checked them out yet. And there one of my favorites."

"Hmm? That's one idea." Martin said. "But what else?"

As they think, Jimmy headed to the cockpit. And as he sits down, he then noticed something and the shallow water a half mile off shore.

"Huh? What's that?" Jimmy wondered.


In the HQ Room, Chris, Martin, Koki and Aviva were thinking.

"Okay, it's a late in winter to check out Reptiles." Martin said. "Like the Lizards, Turtles and Snakes. Though one like I would like to check out is the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake."

And then the Tortuga felt as if it was put into hover mode.

"That's weird, it felt like we stopped." Koki said.

And there a beep.

"Hey, guys? Can you come up here for a second? I think I see something below us." Jimmy's voice said.

They glanced each other, and headed to the cockpit.


They joined Jimmy in the cockpit.

"What's up, Jimmy?" Martin asked.

"There's something black into the water below us." Jimmy gestured to a black silhouette just 300 feet below them.

"What is that?" Koki looked out trying to make it out.

"I'm not sure." Aviva said. "Jimmy, can you lower us down?"

"Got it." Jimmy said.

Jimmy grabs the controls and slowly lowered the Tortuga down for a better.


Chris and Martin got down to the garage, and looked below.

"A little lower, Jimmy!" Martin called. "I think I can almost make it out."

"On it." Jimmy replied.

"Hey, those pale yellow patches look kinda familiar." Chris noticing something on the object.

And then the silhouette started to be seen clearer near the surface.

Chris then gasped. "Jimmy, hold the Tortuga!"

And then the Tortuga halted with a jolt shaking a bit.

"Guys, get down here!" Martin called.

"Guys, what's wrong?" Aviva asked as they soon joined them.

"Look!" Martin pointed to the water.

And then, raising from the water was a North Atlantic Right Whale.

"Whoa, a Right Whale." Aviva beamed.

"Amazing!" Koki in awe.

"Cool." Jimmy smiled.

"She's beautiful." Aviva smiled.

Jimmy, lower the Tortuga gently." Chris said.

"Got it." Jimmy ran to the cockpit.

And slowly, Jimmy carefully lowers the Tortuga and into Sea Turtle Mode and lands on the water just 30 feet from the Whale without disturbing her. But the Whale doesn't seem bothered by the Tortuga near her.

The Whale itself was as long as the Tortuga's body minus the head at 46 feet long. And she may as weigh as much as 60 tons.

"Cool, a North Atlantic Right Whale." Chris beamed.

"Why would a Whale be half a mile from the shore?" Aviva asked. "Isn't she at risk of being beached?"

"Well, as long as she doesn't move to the shallows near the shore, she'll be fine." Martin assured. "Right Whales are actually normally sometimes found near the coast."

"Why do they call it a Right Whale, anyway?" Jimmy asked. "Isn't because they always right about something?"

Chris, Martin, Aviva and Koki laughed at that.

"N-No, Jimmy!" Chris catching his breath. "It's because during the Whaling Era, they were actually the right Whales to catch because they were slow."

"Oh, I guess that explains something." Jimmy said.

"Yeah, North Atlantic Rights are one of the most endangered whales in the world." Martin said. "Less than 500 of them are recovering so far."

"So, what's she doing here?" Koki asked.

"Possibly just resting." Chris suggested.

And then the Right Whale spouts from her blowhole, and then turns towards the Tortuga seeming curious of the Sea Turtle like object in her environment.

And she swam right up to the platform.

"Hey, big girl." Chris said. "Came to say hi?"

And then suddenly, a Right Whale calf surfaced and lifts his head out of the water.

"No way, she's actually a mom!" Martin beamed.

"Aw, que lindo!" Aviva beamed.

"Wait, I don't believe it." Chris realized something. "This is actually the first North Atlantic Right Whale of the season!"

"Really?" Aviva asked.

"Yeah, there hasn't been a calf seen here in 2 years." Martin said. "Ooh, you deserve a name little fella." He then thinks of one. "What about, Little Patch!" And then he turns to his mother. "And you, Momma Patch."

And then Little Patch barrel rolled seeming to like his name.

"He is so sweet." Aviva laughed. "I could just hug him."

"He can't be more than a week old." Chris said. "It's likely were the first humans he seen."

And then, Momma Patch and Little Patch went under and started to swim off.

"Let's get in there." Chris said.


A few minutes later, the 2 Right Whale swam as Little Patch explored the seabed.

And soon, Chris, Martin and Aviva were in their wetsuits and slowly approached them.

And they watched as Little Patch swims by a small reef, while his mother kept a close eye on him.

"He sure is curious about the reef." Martin chuckled.

They watched as Little Patch explores the reef, and a Caribbean Reef Shark swims off when he got too close to him.

And then, Shield the Hawsbill Sea Turtle appeared, and Little Patch went up to him. A little unsure of the nosy calf, Shield turns his shell towards him as he got closer. And then Little Patch bumps the shell pushing him a bit and tossed him a bit. And then the Hawksbill quickly swims off

Chris laughed from that. "Looks like Shield isn't in the mood to play."

"Little Patch sure is a nosy fella." Aviva laughed a bit.

"But it is a way for him learn about his world." Martin said.

While Momma Patch rests for a bit at the surface, Little Patch explores a section of reef. And then, the 2 Bottlenose Dolphins Whistle and Click appeared with their pod who were close by.

And they curiously went up to Little Patch as Whistle swims around him. And Click greets him with a little whistle like click possibly saying hi.

"Aww, looks like he made friends with them." Aviva smiled.

"Dolphins have been sometimes seen with Right Whales." Chris said. " It looks like they did."

And then Little Patch follows Whistle and Click curiously as they joined back with the pod as they used sonar clicks over the sand searching for any fish hiding. And Little Patch watched curiously wondering what they were doing.

"What are they doing?" Aviva asked.

"Oh, it's a Dolphin hunting technique." Chris said. "On a flat seabed, Dolphins sometimes hunt Fish under the sand."

"Does it work?" Aviva asked never knowing.

"Were about to find out." Martin said.

One member of the pod scans the sand with her sonar, and soon looks like she found something. And once getting a reading, she then buries her face in the sand, and soon lifts up with a fish in her mouth. And soon shakes the sand off, and eats her catch.

Whistle and Click started searching through the sand as well and have already learnt this method.

And then, Little Patch brought his snout towards the sand, trying to do the same thing. And even though he's living on his mother's milk, but that doesn't him from copying them and learning new things as a calf. Though Right Whales are actually filter feeders.

"Uh, Right Whales eat Krill, right?" Aviva asked.

"Yeah, but I guess his curiosity doesn't stop him from that." Chris said.

And then, Little Patch lifts his chin up as a level of sand lifts up. And then a dozen fish swam out from the disturbance, and then the Dolphins started going after them.

"Wow, looks like he help the pod a bit." Chris said.

And then Little Patch turns and swam up to the 3.

"Oh, hey buddy." Chris petting him.

And then Little Patch bends down and swims, and a piece of sea plant got caught around his right flipper.

"Oh, he is so playful." Aviva said.

And then Little Patch came back, and then nudges her.

"Hi, sweetie." Aviva stroking him.

And then, Momma Patch was heard calling out to her son. And then Little Patch turns and swims off back to his mother. And begins nurse and drinks from his mother's rich milk.

They swam with the 2 Right Whales for the entire day.


They next day, they came back to them and Chris and Martin placed a tag on the 2.

"There, that why we'll know it's them when we came across them again." Chris said.

Little Patch seemed curious about his tag, and soon he joins back with his mother.

The Florida waters are a perfect place for Little Patch to spend the first few weeks. The water here is warm enough, and the 15 foot calf will spend with his mother a year before going off on his own.

And Little Patch is indeed very important to the population of his kind. With a little over 500, they are still threaten by ship strikes and other threats. But slowly, and surely, their making a steady comeback.

And hopefully, their species will be protected for generations to come.


Author's Note:

I found out about the calf about a few days ago, before New Year's.