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"Baby Tooth & Kid Musky" is the 24th episode of Season 4 of the PBS Kids show Wild Kratts. It is the 116th episode of the series overall. It premiered on April 12, 2017.
In this episode, Chris and Martin split up to explore with their favorite arctic animals, the wolf and musk ox, respectively. They encounter a musk ox calf that Martin names Kid Musky and an Arctic wolf cub that Chris names Baby Tooth. Chris and Martin's fun is interrupted when they find themselves in the middle of a predator-prey battle between Kid Musky's herd and Baby Tooth's pack, where they're forced to take sides.
Synopsis[]
While exploring the Arctic tundra, Chris and Martin are really excited to find their favorite arctic animals. The Arctic wolf for Chris and the musk ox for Martin but the only problem is they don't know which one to explore first. They meet Kid Musky the musk ox calf and Baby Tooth the Arctic wolf pup. Later, they must defend Kid Musky against Baby Tooth's pack.
Plot[]
The episode begins with a live-action segment. The Kratt Brothers are at Wolf Conservation Center in New York, visiting some Arctic wolves. After taking some time to discuss the predator/prey relationships between different creatures, they wonder what it would be like to be in the middle of the Arctic wolf and musk oxen battle for survival, and the show transitions into the cartoon segment.
The Tortuga is flying over a green, summery Arctic tundra with Chris and Martin seeing the view on the ship's outer shell with Gecko Power.Of course, the bros wouldn't have these powers without the tokay gecko shed skin from Chris's Creature Souvenir Collection, a small box of creature treasures that Chris has collected throughout his adventures. But today, Martin is eager to touch down on the tundra to explore some musk oxen; his favorite arctic animal. Chris is ready to go too, except he wants to see his favorite arctic creature: the Arctic wolf. So, the rest of the Wild Kratts take a vote. Jimmy Z sides with Chris to explore the Arctic wolf while Koki chooses the musk ox with Martin, leaving Aviva as the tiebreaker. The inventor is conflicted to decide, especially since the bros want her to make Creature Power Suits of each creature. So Koki suggests that Chris and Martin go see the creatures themselves so that Aviva can eventually come to a decision. So the bros go their separate ways (not before Chris takes his souvenir collection with him) to go find the arctic animals they each favor most.
Martin touches down on the tundra where a herd of musk oxen are grazing and meets a little musk ox calf. The older Kratt Brother names the calf Kid Musky and the two of start playfully headbutting each other. Aviva loves how adorable Martin's new friend is and how cool musk oxen are in general, and is eager to start programming Musk Ox Powers right away until Jimmy stops and encourages her to check on Chris.
Meanwhile, Chris has found a small pack of gorgeous Arctic wolves which includes a very cute wolf pup. While playing with Chris, he loses one of his baby teeth and the younger Kratt brother names him Baby Tooth. He puts the fallen tooth in his Creature Souvenir Collection as a token to remind him of the friendship he's made with the wolf pup. Aviva can't stop fawning over watching Baby Tooth and decides to make Arctic Wolf Powers, completely disregarding Martin and the musk oxen. It seems that Koki's plan has backfired and now it's even harder for her friend to choose between Arctic wolves and musk oxen.
Martin needs to get back to the Tortuga so he convince Aviva to focus her attention on programming Musk Ox Power, but Kid Musky isn't easy to say goodbye to even though Martin will come back before too long. He can only watch as Martin leaves the herd and makes his way to the Tortuga.
Aviva is in a bind between the two creatures she's seen and needs a reason to go with one over the other. And then, Chris who recognizes that his friend is struggling, calls in and says that because Arctic wolves are very closely related gray wolves; Aviva can modify the Gray Wolf Power Suit with Arctic wolf features in a fast amount of time. With that out of the way, Aviva can have more time to make the Musk Ox Disc for Martin. Everybody wins. This has just made the inventor's problem a whole lot easier.
Meanwhile, Martin is on his way back to HQ when Kid Musky comes up from behind. The little calf isn't supposed to wander from his herd all by himself. Unfortunately, neither of them remember the way back to the herd. And when Martin tries to call the Tortuga, his Creature Pod dies. The two of them are now lost with no communication whatsoever.
Back at the den site of the Arctic wolves, the pack is ready to embark on a hunting trip. But Baby Tooth being too young, has to stay behind. And as much as Chris wants to stay with his little friend, he's eager to join the pack on the hunt. Luckily for him, the Arctic Wolf Disc is ready to go so Jimmy teleports the newly made disc and the younger Kratt Brother activates Arctic Wolf Powers. With wolf stamina, Chris is able to keep up with the pack with ease.
Now that she had Arctic Wolf Powers out of the way, Aviva can devote her time to making the Musk Ox Disc. But as she's doing so, Koki is having difficulties contacting Martin. Aviva assumes that his Creature Pod probably died while out on the field, considering how often he forgets to put on charge. With the Musk Ox Disc almost complete, Martin definitely won't want to miss out on that.
Martin and Kid Musky are now wandering the plains of the tundra in hopes of finding somebody who could help them. And if the older Kratt brother knows Aviva, she's already working on programming Musk Ox Power. He finds himself lucky that he was able to send all the necessary information on musk oxen before loading all communication with the Tortuga. But all of a sudden, an Arctic wolf appears from over the hill along with a whole pack. And that's not all. Chris is with them to, donning his new Arctic Wolf Powers. The bros are now smack dab in the middle of the predator/prey relationship between the Arctic wolves and musk oxen. Awkward, right? Martin is determined to protect Kid Musky, but what good can a normal human do against nearly half a dozen wolves? Chris tries to coax the pack into not hunting the little musk ox calf while still being aware that predators hunting prey is just a normal part of nature. But then, he thinks about cute Baby Tooth; who needs to eat or else he'll starve. Meanwhile, Martin knows that the musk oxen defense strategy is strength in numbers. But right now the only thing standing between the closing wolves and a terrible end is one human and one musk ox calf. But his luck soon changes when a Musk Ox Power Disc is teleported to the blue Kratt Brother, courtesy of the Wild Kratts crew. Martin activates Musk Ox Power and then he and Kid Musky make a run for it. They gain some distance from the wolf pack, but not for long. Martin's musk ox fur, coupled with the summer heat, makes him overheat quickly and the pack catches up. But Chris does too and activates Musk Ox Power so he can aid his big brother. The Kratt bros try the best they can to protect Kid Musky, but two musk oxen simply aren't enough to fend off half a dozen wolves. Thankfully, Kid Musky's herd arrives just in the nick of time. The bigger oxen stand shoulder to shoulder in a circle with the calf tucked in the middle. The Arctic wolves put up a fight, but that doesn't mean that the musk oxen don't fight back. As the battle ensues, Chris observes how dangerous hunting can be for a predator. It can result in serious injuries or even death in some cases. Eventually, the wolf pack makes a hasty retreat, leaving Martin and the musk oxen to revel in their triumph. But Martin notices that his little brother had slipped away without saying a peep.
Chris, having deactivated Musk Ox Power, races back to reunite with Baby Tooth. Upon arriving, the younger Kratt brother takes the fall for interfering the pack's hunt, even though it's not necessarily his fault. And Baby Tooth clearly doesn't bear any ill will toward Chris. The green Kratt brother has gained a lot of empathy towards predators. A fact that's all more the more prominent now that he had been on both sides of a predator/prey struggle. All creatures do what they can to survive and there are no bad guys in nature. Just then, the Arctic wolf pack comes home with dinner. It may not be a musk ox calf, but it will help sustain Baby Tooth. Happily, Chris reactivates Arctic Wolf Power and calls Martin via his Creature Pod. The younger Kratt brother suggests that they stay in the tundra for the remainder of the summer. Martin concurs and the Kratt Brothers take a well-deserved rest with their respective creature friends.
The episode transitions into the concluding live action segment. The Kratt brothers educate the viewer on the predator-prey relationship between musk oxen and arctic wolves, and explore the nuances of predator-prey relationships between many animals. They affirm that there are no bad guys, and that such a relationship is only a means for survival. Afterward, they conclude the episode by saying "Keep on creature adventuring; we'll see you on the creature trail!"
Characters[]
Animals[]
Animation[]
Note: Featured animals are in bold.
Computer Images[]
- Tokay gecko
- White-tailed deer (called deer)
- Western diamondback rattlesnake (called rattlesnake)
Mentioned[]
Note: Mentioned animals are linked to Wikipedia.
- Harpy eagle
- Cow
- Sheep
- Goat
- Bighorn sheep
- Sable antelope (mentioned as sable gazelle)
Live Action[]
Note: Live action animals are linked to Wikipedia.
- Cheetah
- Thomson's gazelle (called gazelle)
- North American porcupine (called porcupine)
- Coyote
- Golden silk orb-weaver (called spider)
- Dirce beauty (called moth)
- Parson's chameleon (called chameleon)
- Abracris flavolineata (called grasshopper)
- Black-sided pygmy grasshopper (called grasshopper)
- American toad (called toad)
- Caterpillar
Trivia[]
- Baby Tooth's pack brought a ptarmigan and an Arctic hare back to the den for him to eat. This is the only time these two species have been seen in Wild Kratts.
- This episode appears to have been aired out of order; Kid Musky is introduced in this episode, but previously appeared in "A Creature Christmas."
- This is the last episode in the fourth season to be aired out of order.
- This episode appears to take place roughly half a year before the events of "A Creature Christmas." In this episode, noted to be summertime in the Arctic tundra, which lasts from June to September. This indicates 3-6 months pass in between "Baby Tooth & Kid Musky" and "A Creature Christmas."
Key Facts and Creature Moments[]
- Musk oxen look like oxen and cows, but their close relatives are really sheep and goats and act a lot more like sheep.
- Baby musk oxen are sometimes called "calves" even though they really not even in the cow family. Since they're closer to the sheep and goat family, a baby musk ox should really be called a "lamb" or a "kid".
- There can be up to 20 Arctic wolves in a pack.
- Arctic wolves are different than grey wolves, but they're super close relatives. The main differences are only its thick white fur, smaller size, shorter ears and legs to deal with cold weather, and larger carnassial teeth.
- Musk ox herd defending their young from an arctic wolf pack.