On the African plains, a Cheetah is on the prowl.
The Earth still has sanctuaries, and, on occasion, they hold spectacular gatherings of wildlife.
The Cheetah continues prowling as a few zebras were grazing nearby. And a few gazelle rushed by several yards away as the Cheetah started to trot.
They provide vital space, but they're disappearing fast.
The Cheetah continues trotting as a nearby herd of wildebeest galloped as they lowed, and the Cheetah seems to be following them. And wildebeest are one of the animals they prey on, and he continues following them as a braying zebra was heard nearby.
Soon, the Cheetah changes it's pace as it gallops as a fleeing zebra ran as the cat started to gain speed. And the cat appears to be now selecting a victim of choice. And soon, the Cheetah changes it's running stride as the wildebeest herd runs by as the Cheetah then charges to a full 70 mile per hour sprint.
And the wildebeest continued running.
FROM DESERTS TO GRASSLANDS
The night sky looms over a rocky terrain of the driest desert on Earth. As many stars were viewed in the sky, as well as a cosmic cloud.
A fifth of the land on our planet is covered by desert.
The driest of all is the Atacama in South America. There are places here where rain has never been recorded.
Soon, the sun begins to rise as the morning light begins to shine over the Atacama.
The Atacama Desert is a desert plateau in South America covering a 1,600 kilometer strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes Mountains. And covers an area of 600 to 700 miles.
The sun shines over it's rocky terrain.
Deserts may appear to be barren and empty, but they are crucial importance to life.
For those that can overcome their challenges, they provide a vital refuge.
The sun shines over another desert in a different part of the world as wind whistled.
Then, flying through the blowing wind, a black species of cormorant appeared. And is followed by others.
Socotran Cormorants, emerging from a dust storm in the Arabian Desert.
The Socotran Cormorants continue flying as there were dozens of them.
It is the very emptiness of this landscape that has brought them here, and they have come in immense numbers.
Somewhere in the Arabian Desert, a massive colony of cormorants gathered as squawking was heard among the crowd. And the Wild Kratts watched them from nearby.
50,000 of them. A quarter of the total population.
"That sure is a lot of cormorants." Aviva said looking through her binoculars.
"Yeah, 50,000 of them gather here." Chris said looking through his own binoculars.
"So, why of all places would these cormorants come here to have chicks?" Koki asked.
"Well, it's basically the same way like with those Guanay Cormorants." Chris said. "The chicks are safe from predators as well."
They have come because here they can breed... undisturbed.
The Wild Kratts watched the cormorants as several flew in the air, and many adults and chicks which were white were below them.
But nesting in a desert is difficult.
The day continues on as the blazing heat of the sun scorches the desert landscape.
Temperatures can reach 104 degrees Fahrenheit, 40 degrees Celsius.
Towards noon, the Wild Kratts were still watching the cormorants as the heat was starting to affect them.
"Boy, it's hot out!" Chris said wiping some sweat off.
"You're telling me." Koki said.
Yet, both the adults and their white chicks are ready for this challenge.
"Serious, how do they handle the desert heat?" Aviva asked who recently switched into her beach outfit and also had a neme on as well.
"Well, birds don't sweat." Martin said. "But the answer is what they're doing now."
They watched the cormorants close by as they pant to keep cool like how dogs do.
They cool themselves by panting.
"Are they panting?" Aviva frowned.
"Yeah, like dogs, cormorants pant to keep cool to avoid overheating." Chris said.
Soon, an adult cormorant stood near a chick.
Any adult that appears to have food in its crop is mobbed.
The adult cormorant begins to move off as the chicks watched it go.
An adult will only give food to its own chick, which must be here somewhere.
Soon, a few chicks followed the adult cormorant as it flees.
The Wild Kratts watched as 3 chicks chased an adult, as it was likely none of them were it's own.
The chicks chase an adult out into the desert.
"Why are they chasing the cormorant like that?" Jimmy asked.
"They're trying to get some food, but cormorants only feed their own chicks." Chris said.
They watched as the chase continued, and soon the cormorant adult flies off as the chicks were still too young to fly.
No luck.
Now, they must get back quickly to the safety of the colony.
Soon, the chicks begin to head back to the colony.
Towards sunset, the cormorants were still at the nesting area as the Wild Kratts watched as some flew above them.
This desert provides the cormorants with more than just a secure refuge.
The next morning, the Wild Kratts were back out after getting some sleep last night. And they soon the cormorants were starting to move.
"What's happening?" Aviva asked.
"They seem to be on the move." Chris said.
Every morning, a mass movement begins.
Soon, the cormorants begin to take flight.
It's the rush hour.
"Whoa, it's like cormorant rush hour out here." Martin said.
They watched as the Socotran Cormorants fly off towards the nearby shallow stretch of sea and many flew over the water.
A shallow arm of the sea, right beside the colony, is full of food.
The great flock of Socotran Cormorants flew over the shallow water as they cawed.
This richness comes from the desert itself. Dust, blown from the land, contains nutrients that fertilize the surrounding waters.
The cormorants flew just over the surface of the shallow water.
"You know, believe it or not, the dust blown from the desert being carried to the sea can actually help provide nutrients to the open ocean." Martin said.
"Really?" Koki said.
"Yeah, dust from deserts can even be carried for thousands of miles over the ocean." Chris said.
So, it is the desert itself that enriches the sea.
The Socotran Cormorants continue flying over the shallow water in great numbers.
Further inland, a layer of mist drifts in the blowing wind over the land.
In Oman, during the summer monsoon, fogs roll in from the sea, billowing over the Dhofar mountains.
The mists drift just enough moisture to sustain a vegetation...
A thick layer of mist drifts from the side of a cliff.
...and this sparse greenery becomes a focus of life.
At the ledges, a herd of Ibex were crossing them in search of food.
Ibex must cross the near vertical cliffs to reach one of the few springs.
A few Ibex drank a spring of water as the Wild Kratts watched from a distance.
But they're nervous... and with good reason.
"These Ibex are amazing." Aviva said softly.
"Yeah, these guys are amazing rock climbers out here." Chris said.
"Yeah, but they strangely look nervous." Koki said.
"You're right, they are." Martin said. "And there's good reason for that."
"Why's that?" Jimmy asked.
Then beeping was heard as Koki brought her tablet out, and they looked at the screen as it showed from one of their hidden cameras. And then, a silhouette of a cat appeared.
"Is that a cat?" Aviva said.
Martin then gasped quickly recognizing it. "It's not just any cat."
It was one of the rarest of all wild cats.
An Arabian Leopard, 1 of less than 200 that survive in the wild.
"That's an Arabian Leopard, one of the rarest wild cats." Chris said. "And very endangered, less than 200 of them out here."
They watched through Koki's tablet as the leopard walks by a boulder and sniffs it.
This male's territory extends over 135 square miles, 350 square kilometers of high mountains and deep wadis.
Soon, the Arabian Leopard walks off out of camera view.
The Ibex continue drinking as two of then clashed horns.
Nearby, the Arabian Leopard continues patrolling his territory.
The southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula is one of the few places left where these is enough prey to sustain a population of these leopards.
Soon, the last of the Ibex finishes drinking and heads off.
And not long after that, the Arabian Leopard appeared as the Wild Kratts watched as he bends down to drink from the spring.
"Whoa, he's amazing." Martin said.
"Incredible." Aviva said.
But even so, there are probably less than 60 individuals in over 15,000 square kilometers.
"Are Arabian Leopards really that rare?" Koki asked.
"Yeah, and their numbers are still in decline from human conflict." Chris said.
These leopards have always been rare, but now conflict with people is causing their numbers to decline still further.
The leopard continues drinking as a bird flew by, and it chirped as the leopard turns to it. The leopard continues drinking for a few more moments, and soon heads off.
Few leopards are left, so what our hidden cameras now capture verges on the miraculous.
Koki then worked on her tablet, and they watched screen showing one of their hidden cameras they placed out earlier as the leopard walks by.
Then suddenly, unexpectedly, a second leopard appeared into camera view.
"Whoa, another leopard." Jimmy said.
"Wait a minute." Martin said. "That looks like a female."
A female leopard, and she is tracking a male.
Koki soon works her tablet showing another camera, and shows the male resting by a ledge as the female appeared. She walks on the ledge a bit then turns around and nuzzled the male and growled a bit.
Such meetings like these are becoming increasingly rare.
The female leopard wanders off a bit, and soon came back as she and the male then vanish out of camera view for several seconds. And soon came back as they growled as it seems they have just mated. And soon, they parted ways as the female heads off behind the camera. And the male heads off the other direction.
This briefest of unions may ensure the short-term future for these leopards.
But in the longer term, their fate will depend on their territory being protected.
"These leopards are really amazing." Aviva said.
"Yeah, and there aren't many left." Chris said. "Every leopard and cub is precious."
The sun soon sets over the Dhofar mountain landscape.
In space, a vast desert is in view away from the mountains.
To the north of the Dhofar mountains lies a place of almost unimaginable emptiness.
The Rub' al Khali, the Empty Quarter.
On the surface, large dunes of sand stood with many miles of sand in every direction.
The very name of the place resonates with the romance of these desert lands. This is the largest sand sea in the world. There are parts where Human Beings never venture.
Soon, the Tortuga flew over the Rub' al Khali as they all looked from the cockpit's windows.
"Welcome to the Rub' al Khali." Chris said.
"Whoa." Aviva said astonished.
"It's so... empty." Jimmy said.
"Yeah, that's why it's also called the Empty Quarter." Martin said. "Most of this desert is still unexplored. And only the most specialized creatures can live here."
On the desert's surface, a trail of footprints lead towards and pass by a bush left by a small creature.
Only the greatest desert specialists can survive here.
Elsewhere in the Empty Quarter, a herd of oryx were trekking across the desert as the Wild Kratts watched from nearby.
Arabian Oryx.
"Wow, nothing in this desert can handle the conditions as good as the Arabian Oryx." Martin said.
"They're amazing." Aviva said.
Their ranges are vast, extending for over 3,000 square kilometers.
The Wild Kratts continued watching them.
This is one of their last refuges.
The Arabian Oryx herd continues on as the Wild Kratts watched them.
Once hunted close to extinction, they have now reclaimed their ancestral territory.
"Man they are such an incredible creature." Martin said. "And these guys were almost extinct. But were soon returned thanks to conservationists, and now there's a thousand living in the wild."
With the help of conservationists, they have returned home.
"It's really amazing how reintroduction can help many species." Chris said.
They watched as the Arabian Oryx continues on through the desert.
But reintroduction cannot save all desert animals.
Thousands of miles away, huffing occurred as the many legs marched as a herd of desert giants were on the move.
Desert elephants.
The herd of desert elephants treks across the desert as the Wild Kratts watched from a distance in the Createrra.
"Okay, now this is crazy." Koki said. "Elephants can live here too?"
"Yeah, but they're not a separate species." Chris said. "They're the exact elephants we see on the savannah like with Thornsley, but totally adapted for desert life."
"And there are only places in Africa where you can find desert elephants." Martin said. "On the edge of the Sahara, and here in Namibia."
Less than 150 survive, here in Namibia.
This oldest of deserts is scarred by dry riverbeds, carved by water that flows for only 1 of 2 days in a year.
The Namib Desert is 55 million years old, and temperatures can reach a blazing 113 degrees Fahrenheit.
The herd of desert elephants continues their route as the Wild Kratts followed them in the Createrra.
An adult elephant must find up to 440 pounds, 200 kilos of food each and every day if it's not to starve.
"How can these elephants even survive out here?" Jimmy asked. "Like finding enough food and water?"
"Well, life out here is tough even for elephants." Chris said. "What keeps them going is the endless trek to find food and water. Elephants can go 4 days without drinking."
So, for these last survivors, life is an endless trek.
The herd continues on as they were led by a single tusk-less female as the Wild Kratts kept following them.
The herd is guided by a single old female, the matriarch.
"Okay, so this herd like any other is led by a elderly female." Aviva said.
"Yeah, the matriarch." Martin said. "She could be in her 40's and has great desert experience. And the herd totally depends on her for survival."
"She's seem to be leading them something where there should be food and water." Chris said.
She is leading her family to a special place where food should be available even in a drought.
The Wild Kratts watched as the elephants continue on one of their many ancestral routes they've taken for countless generations.
She learned its existence from her mother, many years ago. Now, she's teaching her own calf how to get there.
As the herd marched, the Wild Kratts have noticed a calf probably several months old among the adults.
Some distance away, a pair of lions appeared like desert phantoms.
The elephants are not alone in their search for food.
Desert lions.
"Whoa, check it out." Chris said. "Desert lions."
"What?" Koki said in disbelief. "Lions live here too?"
"Yeah, lions live here as well." Martin said. "Even rhinos, zebras, oryx, leopards, and giraffes make a living out here."
"How many lions are out here in this desert?" Aviva asked.
"At less 200 survive out here." Chris said.
They are just as rare as the elephants.
They watched as the 2 male lions walk by near the Createrra, as they are likely brothers. One of them stops and scans the landscape for any suitable prey.
In the herd, the calf continues on following it's elders. And elephant calves are an easy target for lions if they get a chance.
The calf is protected by its mother.
The herd continues on as the lions watch them go, wisely deciding the calf is not worth the trouble for a meal.
So the lions let them pass.
The Wild Kratts continued following the herd as distant trees started to appear in view.
Distant trees are a sign of water.
One of the elephants heads down a dune as it drags it's hind legs on the sand as it heads down as it brays a trumpet. Which is how elephants get down steep dunes, and soon the other elephants followed.
Soon, the herd arrives at an oasis of a grove of trees as the Wild Kratts were right behind them.
The riverbed is dry.
The ana trees, however, are still green.
The herd continues on as the Wild Kratts followed as they seem to be looking for food.
But there is a problem.
The Wild Kratts watched as the elephants start to near some ana trees, but felt something didn't seem right.
At this time of year, seedpods from the ana trees usually litter the ground. Rich food for elephants.
Having a closer look, the Wild Kratts watched as the matriarch walks by as she feels the sand with her trunk and grabs a stick.
"Hmm, looks like the matriarch brought them here for find food." Martin said. "But I don't see any seedpods on the ground."
"Yeah, they're good source of food for elephants." Chris said. "I don't even see one."
But this year, the crop has failed.
The matriarch has led her herd for nothing.
They watched as the matriarch tossed some sand up and huffs in disappointment.
The Wild Kratts watched as one elephant nears one of the trees, and reaches it's trunk up trying to reach the branches but were too high.
Even the trees' leafy branches are out of their reach.
The family has no option but to move on.
The Wild Kratts soon watched as the herd heads off, and they soon start to follow them in the Createrra.
The herd continues on through the desert.
At a nearby oasis, a large bull elephant reaches his trunk high to the lower branches of a tree.
A bull, standing nearly 13 feet, 4 meters tall.
The bull's trunk nears the lower branches, and then wraps around one and pulls it down from the tree.
He can reach into the canopy, and he could be the solution to their problem.
Soon, the herd arrives with along with the Wild Kratts.
The old female has known him all her life and turned to him for help before.
The bull elephant feeds on the branches, and soon he lends the herd a helping trunk with branches to eat.
Later, the elephants continue feeding as the Wild Kratts watched them as Chris and Martin were in Elephant Power.
"I still can't believe elephants can live here." Koki said.
"Yeah, it's thanks to the incredible memory power, and the knowledge that's pass down each and every generation." Chris said.
It's nothing short of a miracle, that the biggest land mammal on Earth can survive here. And each and every elephant and calf is unbelievably precious.
Elephants can only survive here because of knowledge passed down over generations.
The bull elephant collects some sand and tosses it up as he gives himself a dust bath.
But less than 20 matriarchs still survive, and if their knowledge is lost, elephants may no longer be able to live here.
The light of the sun casts over a hummingbird as it nears a flower and sips it's nectar.
Deserts cannot support large numbers of animals the year round, and even those specially adapted to these conditions can only survive in small numbers.
The hummingbird continues sipping nectar from the flower.
But on very special occasions, deserts are transformed.
Storm clouds started form and gather as thunder rumbled.
A large amount of rain pours down over the landscape as a lightning bolt flashed.
Once in a decade, there may be a cloudburst.
The storm continues on, and water rushed through into a canyon.
A single one can turn the desert green.
High above, a desert region in California slowly started to turn green.
In southern California, the change is visible from space.
On Earth, the desert region was lush and green with plant life.
Hundreds of square miles suddenly bloom.
Hills of the landscape turn yellow, lavender and orange as the landscape almost looked a thousand artists have painted area. And flowers bloom in the landscape.
If such transformations become regular, a new habitat may develop.
Thousands of miles away, wildebeest feed on the African savanna.
Grasslands.
One of our planet's most productive landscapes.
The wildebeest herd marches across the plain along with zebras.
They support the greatest aggregations of large animals on Earth.
The wildebeest herd continues on their migration route.
The Serengeti sustains herds of over a million wildebeest.
The Wild Kratts watched the migrating wildebeest from the Createrra.
They follow the rains to crop the newly sprung grass.
The herd continues on as among them were young calves.
The herd continued marching as they pass through a shallow area of ridge.
These vast herds attract predators.
Elsewhere in the Serengeti, a Cheetah patrols it's hunting ground through the tall grass.
And it wasn't alone.
With it, were 4 others.
5 male Cheetahs.
One of the largest coalitions ever observed.
The Cheetah coalition continues patrolling as they pass by the Wild Kratts' Createrra as they saw them.
"Whoa, Cheetahs." Chris said.
"Wow, a whole pack of them." Jimmy said.
"Actually, a group of Cheetahs is a coalition." Martin corrected. "Females like Blur mainly go alone, while males sometimes group together."
The dominate a territory of 173 square miles, 450 square kilometers.
The Cheetahs continue prowling their hunting ground.
They patrol it together, and that attracts attention.
Birds were heard chirruping as a flock of Guinea Fowl were nearby. The Wild Kratts watched as the flock seems to be following the coalition.
The Cheetahs continued on as a herd of giraffes were close by, and a pair of Topi as well as zebras watched them. Even a herd of gazelles watched them as one of them snorted a bray.
Soon the gazelle herd moves on.
The Cheetahs stood and move as they worked out what prey to go after.
A change of strategy is needed if they're to hunt successfully.
The Cheetahs then begin to head off and kept an eye out for suitable prey, and the Wild Kratts followed them.
They need cover.
The Cheetahs quietly stalk as they look for prey, and the Wild Kratts watched as eventually they froze as they saw 1 Cheetah showing a stance as he looked he spotted a potential target.
Nearby ahead of them, some gazelles were seen as well as a passing wildebeest.
An adult wildebeest is a formidable opponent.
The Cheetahs watched from the edge of the bushes.
"Looks like they have their sights on that wildebeest." Martin whispered.
"But aren't Cheetahs used to catching gazelles?" Aviva softly asked.
"Yeah, but you get a group of them, they can go after bigger prey." Chris whispered.
Soon, 1 Cheetah begins to stalk towards the wildebeest and the others followed him.
4 of the Cheetahs start the stalk, walking directly towards the prey.
Elsewhere, the fifth Cheetah begins to head to an ambush site.
The fifth creeps around the side.
"Oh, I get the hunting strategy." Koki whispered. "4 Cheetahs move towards the wildebeest, while the fifth one moves around to set up an ambush."
"Exactly." Martin whispered. "Just like how other pack-hunting animals do like lions."
The 4 Cheetahs slowly stalked towards the wildebeest as the coalition start to get into position.
They need to get really close before making their final sprint.
The wildebeest herd continues grazing as they haven't noticed the Cheetahs yet.
One Cheetah starts to close in.
They're nearly there.
Nearby, a zebra was keeping watch but soon turns away.
The Cheetahs slowly continue moving towards their target, and the wildebeest continues grazing as the Wild Kratts remained silent as they watched.
A Cheetah begins to quicken his pace as closes in, and then he charges as a braying zebra was heard.
All 5 break cover, each cat chasing a different target.
"Whoa, seems like each one is chasing a different target!" Martin said.
"That must mean which Cheetah catches what, the others will join in." Chris said.
One of the male Cheetahs runs as the wildebeest herd rushed by as he looks for a straggler.
It's chaos.
One Cheetah snatches a wildebeest youngster and tries to take it down as it struggles as he held on to the youngster's neck.
A single Cheetah is not strong enough to defend its prize.
Then an adult wildebeest appeared as the Cheetah was forced to flee.
Another Cheetah chased after an adult wildebeest as another was behind him. The first Cheetah quickly catches up to it, and tries to trip it.
Elsewhere, another Cheetah was caught in the stampede as 3 Cheetahs went after a wildebeest.
They must work together.
A fourth Cheetah soon appeared as they continue trying to bring down the wildebeest as they try to trip it. The Wild Kratts watched as the wildebeest tries to fight back, but the Cheetahs begin to attack as they held on to prevent escape.
Soon, the wildebeest drops to it's knees as 2 Cheetahs bite down on it's neck as the wildebeest begins to weaken.
Towards sunset, the wildebeest herd feeds as the Wild Kratts watched from nearby.
These dramas only continue because the Serengeti is protected, and has been for over 65 years.
"The Serengeti sure is amazing." Aviva said.
"Yeah, since being protected over 65 years ago, it's wildlife continues to thrive." Martin said.
But the Serengeti is an exception.
The wildebeest continue feeding as the sun lowers.
Across the planet, space for grasslands has been steadily disappearing.
On the prairies of North America, a large male Bison huffs a bellowing sound.
A hundred and 80 years ago, herds of Bison, millions strong, grazed the Great Plains of North America.
A large of Bison migrates across the prairie.
They roamed across a prairie a hundred times larger than the Serengeti.
The Bison herd migrates as the Wild Kratts watched them.
This was the true wild west.
2 Bison bulls clashed as they ram each other, and another roars.
Every summer, the males roared their challenges and fought for possession of the females.
The Wild Kratts watched as a bull Bison paws the ground with his hoof, and 2 other bulls roared out ready for a challenge. And another bull rolls on the ground having a dust bath.
2 bulls ram each other as they fought.
As the rut intensified, the fights become more brutal.
"Things are getting crazy out there." Jimmy said.
"Yeah, male Bison compete each other over females." Martin said. "And things really heat up during the summer."
They watched 2 bulls fighting each other, and they fought ferociously as they seem evenly matched. And fights sometimes lead to serious injury, but most end with one backing down.
They watch the fight continue on as soon 1 roars out in triumph.
Today, however, most of the prairie is silent.
The herd migrates as a Buffalo Bird flew off.
"These prairies are truly amazing." Aviva said.
"Yeah, but this habitat is sadly disappearing." Martin said. "Once covering the central region of North America, but now in scattered patches, and there used to be tens of millions of Bison."
Humans slaughtered the great herds.
Less than 30,000 wild Bison remain, and 90% of the prairie has been lost, most of it to agriculture.
High above, a a number of fields lay across the landscape.
What we eat, and how we produce it, will determine the future of our planet's grasslands.
The sun shines over a grassy field in Europe as the Tortuga stands by.
Our past could show us how we can feed ourselves and still leave room for nature.
The Wild Kratts through the field as Chris and Martin seem to be looking for something.
"So, what are we looking for?" Aviva asked.
"There's a type of caterpillar here that has a crazy but cool lifestyle." Chris said.
The ancient hay meadows of Hungary, still farmed in the traditional, provide habitats of extraordinary richness.
The Wild Kratts continued looking at they saw some butterflies sipping nectar from flowers.
Butterflies are abundant. 1 species has an almost unbelievably complex life cycle.
"Let's see, I know they're around here something." Chris said.
"Wait, look!" Martin said.
They then saw the species of butterfly they were looking for as it flew by.
The Alcon Blue.
"An Alcon Blue Butterfly." Chris said amazed.
They looked at 2 of them on a purple plant.
"This might be surprising, but these have a shocking lifecycle compared to other butterflies." Martin said.
"Really?" Koki frowned.
"Yeah." Chris said.
Each female must mate and lay eggs on just 1 species of plant, the Marsh Gentian.
"The lifecycle start with a female laying eggs on just plant species, Marsh Gentian." Chris said.
"Almost like how Monarch Butterflies lay eggs mainly with Milkweed?" Aviva inquired.
"Exactly." Martin said.
Elsewhere in the meadow, a Alcon Blue caterpillar crawls up a plant.
The eggs soon hatch into caterpillars.
High up on the plants, they're safe from predators below.
Below the caterpillar 2 ants crawled by.
"As soon as the eggs hatch, caterpillars start feeding, and they're safe from predators like ants." Martin said.
An ant feeds on a fly it recently caught and another any joins in.
The Wild Kratts then went to a different of the meadow, and came across the caterpillar that just hanged under a plant by a thread of silk.
But then, the caterpillars do something seemingly suicidal.
"Sometime after feeding, the caterpillars strangely do something that looks suicidal." Chris said.
They then watched the caterpillar descends down.
They abseil down on threads of silk to the ground below... and into danger.
The Wild Kratts watched as the caterpillar crawls on the ground, but then an ant appeared and snatches it in it's mandibles.
They have no defense against the marauding ants, which carry them off.
The ant then carries it's prize off.
Another ant soon found another caterpillar and grabs it.
But this is exactly what the caterpillars need to happen.
"With ants crawling around, the caterpillars actually lit them take them." Chris explained. "On purpose."
"Really?" Jimmy frowned bewildered.
"Yeah." Martin said.
"That's crazy." Koki said.
The ant heads off with the caterpillar as they watched.
They're producing a scent like that emitted by an ant larva.
"And surprisingly, the caterpillars produce scent that emits ant larva." Martin said.
"Really?" Aviva frowned.
"Yeah." Chris said.
They watched as the ant carries the caterpillar into the tunnel entrance to the nest.
"And just like, they carry them to the nest." Martin said.
The ants respond by taking them back to their nest.
Inside the nest, the ants continued with their business as some fed the caterpillars.
There, they deposit them into the colony's brood chamber.
"At this part of the lifecycle, the ants feed the caterpillars for the next 2 years, until they become butterflies." Chris said.
The purple-colored caterpillars, lying among the ants' own white larvae, give off just the right signals.
And the nurse ants rush to feed them.
But there is more.
Eventually, the caterpillar get bigger, and they do something even more strange.
The caterpillars now start to mimic the sounds made by the queen ant, and, as a result, the ants treat them like royalty.
"Oh, as the caterpillars get bigger, they actually start mimicking the sounds a queen ant would ant." Martin said.
"Okay, now that's just weird." Koki said.
"I know, this has to be the strangest lifecycle of any butterfly." Chris said.
If food gets short, the ants will even feed the caterpillars instead of their own young. They give them in such quantities of food that the caterpillars grow hugely.
As time went by, the caterpillars grow larger.
The sun begins to set over the landscape of Hungary.
And there, underground, the caterpillars feed and grow for nearly 2 years.
The next day, the Wild Kratts managed to locate another ant nest with Alcon Blue cocoons.
Until, 1 day, there is nothing left for the ants to feed.
The caterpillars have pupated.
Soon, 1 cocoon begins to split as an Alcon Blue starts to pull free from it's cocoon.
But a few weeks later, out crawls an Alcon Blue Butterfly.
Another Alcon Blue soon works itself out from the cocoon.
Now, they begin to leave the nest that has been their home for the last 23 months.
The Wild Kratts soon watched as the Alcon Blues crawled out of the ant nest they been living for almost 2 years.
Inside, the ants crawl around as one stood by the cocoon.
The Alcon Blue crawls up a plant as the Wild Kratts watched.
The young adult makes its way out of the nest and clambers up a grass stem. Its wings expand as it prepares to fly off and find a mate.
The Wild Kratts watched the butterfly on the stem as it's wings expand.
"And the last part of the lifecycle, it climbs with a grass stem and waits for it's wings to expand and fly off to start the next generation." Chris said.
"But, why do Alcon Blue caterpillars even do this thing with the ants?" Aviva asked.
"No one knows for sure, the caterpillars seem to grow slower than most other species." Martin said. "But whatever the reason, this lifecycle they have is so complex, they may disappear if something happened to the ants or the Gentian."
This complex life may be laborsaving for the butterfly, but it's risky.
Another Alcon Blue crawls on a grass stem.
If anything happened to the ants or the Gentian, the Alcon Blue would become extinct.
The Wild Kratts then watched as many Alcon Blues flew around them.
Only tiny fragments of these ancient meadows are left in Europe.
In space, the sun shines over the land strip of Italy and further into Asia.
But beyond them to the east, once stretched grasslands that extended for a fifth of the way around the world, from Romania to China.
On the Earth's surface, a layer of clouds flows over of what's left of the great grassland.
And the Tortuga soon at a spot of the grassland were a few mounds of rock stood.
Here, there are places where, for mile after endless mile, there are no roads or fences.
"Whoa, this place is so huge and vast." Aviva said.
"There's not a single tree anywhere." Koki said.
"Yeah, any birds that do live here have to nest on the ground." Chris said.
Here, where there are no trees, eagles nest on the ground.
Somewhere on the grassland, a Steppe Eagle chick sat in it's nest as it's mother stood over it.
"Wow, a Steppe Eagle." Chris said. "Sometimes called Booted Eagles."
They watched as a Steppe Eagle mother lands to feed her 2 chicks.
Once, these eagles would have preyed on antelope that numbered in millions.
Elsewhere on the grassland, a Saiga Antelope mother and her baby walked across the landscape.
And some are still here.
These are Saiga, antelope that live nowhere else in the world.
The Wild Kratts watched the Saiga as one drinks water from a puddle.
"Wow, a Saiga Antelope." Martin said. "They're only found here."
Their extraordinary noses are specially adapted to filter out dust kicked up by the immense herds that once lived here.
"What's with the big nose?" Jimmy asked.
"They help filter out dust that gets kicked up by the migrating herds." Martin said.
Now, they're critically endangered. Poaching and the loss of habitat have had a devastating impact on them.
"Sadly, these amazing antelope are endangered due to poaching and habitat loss." Chris said. "Fewer than 5,000 remain. And these guys were around even during the Ice Age."
The Wild Kratts watched the herd as they are some of the last survivors.
And one Saiga lies on the ground.
But conservation efforts have recently started to make a difference. There is still hope for these extraordinary plains dwellers.
The Saiga continued grazing on the plains.
And the proof of this can be found further east, in Mongolia, where the grasslands still remain largely intact.
The Wild Kratts soon arrived at a grassland region of Mongolia, and came across a herd of horses, that was almost extinct. But had an amazing comeback story.
These are Przewalski's Horses.
"Meet the Przewalski's Horses." Chris said.
"Whoa, they're amazing." Aviva said.
50 years ago, they were extinct in the wild, but a few adults survived in captivity.
The Wild Kratts watched the herd as they watched them peacefully grazed, and among them was a mother with a foal.
Careful breeding from 12 of them increased their numbers until there were sufficient enough to release on the plains.
They saw other foals as they were mostly white.
These are their descendants.
"Wow, this is such an amazing horse." Martin said. "They're the only true species of wild horse. And just 50 years ago, they were extinct in the wild."
"Really?" Aviva said.
"Yeah, but careful breeding of those in captivity helped brought their numbers back enough to be release." Chris said.
Nearby, the herd's main stallion stood by keeping watch.
A stallion protects each harem.
In the herd, a foal stood by with it's mother.
The Wild Kratts watched the stallion trots off.
They must be vigilant, and they race to defend their herd...
The stallion soon nears a rival male as he kicks him with his back legs. The herd's stallion turns and starts kicking back.
...or chase off bachelors trying to lure away a mare.
The stallion soon chases off a trio of bachelors.
The Wild Kratts watched as some bachelor horses run off as the stallion chased them away.
The Przewalski's Horse herd continues grazing peacefully.
With their numbers now topping 300, the future for these wild horses looks more secure.
"These Przewalski's Horse are another example of the success in reintroduction." Chris said. "Planned carefully, and a species can be saved."
"Perhaps there's even still a future for these horses." Koki said.
"Yeah." Martin said.
Their recovery was only possible because the vast Mongolian steppe still remains largely untouched.
The sun rises over the grassy landscape.
These grasses are some of the tallest to be found anywhere on our planet.
Among the grass field, a creature moves through the grass stems.
But looks can be deceiving.
They're so tall they can conceal elephants.
A herd of Asian Elephants walked through the tall grass as it wasn't much of a problem for them to move through.
Elsewhere in the tall grass, a water buffalo grazes.
They make the giants that live among them seem small.
The Tortuga flew over the tall grass, as Chris and Martin were looking for a rare and endangered giant.
In the tall grass, a bird lands on the back of a large gray animal. But it wasn't an elephant.
Chris looked around and then gasped. "Jimmy, stop!" He called out.
Jimmy soon slows the Tortuga as it hovered, and the garage platform opens as they looked out and saw a single horn poking through the grass.
"Can it be?" Martin said.
Barely visible through the grass, they managed to see it's head as it sports a single horn.
A last hiding place for the highly endangered Greater One-horned Rhino.
"Whoa, an Indian Rhino." Chris said astonished. "Possibly the most endangered creature in India."
"Whoa, look at that horn." Aviva said.
"Yeah, they only sport 1 horn." Martin said.
Nearby, a pair of Asian Elephants graze on the grass.
This is India, one of the most populous countries on Earth.
The elephants continue feeding.
Yet here there is a great determination to protect these crucial grasslands.
Elsewhere in the tall grass, a Chital deer stood motionless as if it was watching for something.
What must it be like to live in this dense, claustrophobic world?
The deer continued keeping watch as one moves through the tall grass. And the Wild Kratts soon wandered aimlessly through the tall grass.
"Sure is weird walking through this tall grass." Aviva said.
"Yeah, this grass in some areas can even conceal elephants out of sight." Martin said.
"I hope we don't accidentally run into one." Koki said.
Just moving about could mean walking into danger.
Elsewhere in the tall grass, an orange coat with black stripes silently moves through the grass as it hunts.
The grasses conceal tigers.
Less then a hundred yards from the Wild Kratts, a female Bengal Tiger or Tigress patrols her hunting ground in search of prey. Using the grass as cover.
Stripes and shadows blend.
"Um, you get the feeling we're being watched?" Aviva asked having a strange feeling.
"I know what you mean." Martin said. "Tigers happen to use the tall grass for cover when hunting."
"Um, so one could be right on top of us and we wouldn't know?" Jimmy nervously said.
"Relax Jimmy, I'm sure there isn't a tiger around." Martin said. "Right?"
Nearby, a Chital buck walks through the grass as the tigress stalks.
Long grass may hide a tigress from her prey, but it also hides the prey from her.
The Tigress slowly stalks quietly towards the Chital, but the tall grass makes it hard for her to pinpoint where the Chital are hiding.
She must get within 65 feet, 20 meters of it.
And she must always know exactly where the prey are hidden.
The Tigress continues stalking as the Chital continue grazing, and the Wild Kratts were not too far away. And she begins to slowly close in on the deer.
The Tigress keeps a sharp eye out as she carefully watches the Chital trying not to be seen.
The Chital continue feeding as the Tigress slowly stalks closer, but was starting to lose track of them.
She may have lost them.
The Tigress looks around as she tries to spot the deer through the grass.
She risks a look.
The Tigress then slowly lifts her head up trying not to give herself away, but then a Chital suddenly bleats alerting the herd as it has spotted the tiger. And the bleating resonates as the tiger soon heads off of losing the element of surprise.
And the Chital watch her go as the Wild Kratts saw her as well as she walks off in disappointment.
Every deer around now knows exactly where the tiger is.
The Chital watch as the tiger leaves.
The Tigress prowls through the field as the Wild Kratts followed behind her from a distance.
Others have heard the signal that announced her failure.
The Wild Kratts continued following her as she nears a tree-line and then noticed something.
Her cubs.
Then suddenly, they saw 4 tiger cubs less than 6 months old as they were in amazement.
She had left them hidden in the grass.
"Whoa, she has cubs." Martin said.
"4 of them, that's rare to see that many cubs in the wild." Chris said.
They watched as the mother tiger growled.
Nearby, the Chital herd moves off.
And soon, the mother tiger and her cubs head off as well in a different direction.
In the last hundred years, the number of wild tigers has declined by over 95%. But here in India, despite the enormous pressure from poaching, and a growing human population, tiger numbers are actually increasing.
The Wild Kratts watched the tigers as they go, and hoping there will still be a future for the cubs.
Protect the precious space that grasslands and deserts provide, and the animals will bounce back.
The mother tiger continues on with her 4 cubs, as one of them looks back at the Wild Kratts.
Please visit ourplanet .com to discover what we need to do now to protect wild grasslands.
Author's Note:
The desert elephants have to be Africa's rarest sight. I hope to see them one day when I visit Namibia.
Next chapter, is definitely my real favorite in the whole series.
