- This page is about the episode. For the species of mantis, see Kratt's Lichen Mantis.
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"Liturgusa Krattorum" is the 1st episode of Season 4 of the PBS Kids show Wild Kratts. It is the 93rd episode of the series overall. It premiered on January 16, 2017.
In the episode, while in the Amazon rainforest, the Wild Kratts are overjoyed when they learn about Liturgusa krattorum, a recently-discovered species of praying mantis named in honor of the Kratt brothers. The Wild Kratts then head out to learn more about this praying mantis, which is endemic to the Amazon. However, Zach Varmitech, Donita Donata, and Gaston Gourmand also learn of L. krattorum. Incensed that a species was named after the Kratt brothers and not after one of them, the villains plot to work together to capture L. krattorum for use in their own traditional schemes.
Plot[]
The episode begins with a live action segment. The Kratt brothers head to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History to check out praying mantis specimens. Afterwards, they ask their "What if?" question and the show transitions into the animated segment.
The Tortuga lands in the Amazon rainforest. Out come the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin, who stealthily tiptoe around until they find a female mother jaguar and her cub sleeping. They recognize the cub as Shadow, whom they met in one of their previous adventures. Chris then remarks, "He's growing up into a real hunter, a true Panthera onca." Jimmy, puzzled by the term "Panthera onca," asks, "Why don't you just call him a 'jaguar'?" His teammates explain to him that Panthera onca is the scientific name for jaguar, and that every species has its own scientific name. All of a sudden, the Wild Kratts receive news that a scientist named a recently-discovered species of Amazonian lichen praying mantis in honor of the Kratt brothers: Liturgusa krattorum. While the Wild Kratts celebrate, their enemy, Zach Varmitech, is spying on them. Shocked and annoyed, he calls the Wild Kratts' two other enemies, Donita Donata and Gaston Gourmand, to tell them the news, saying it is unfair that the Kratt brothers get to have a species named after them. The villains unequivocally agree and meet Zach at his skyscraper in the city, where they plot to work together to capture L. krattorum for use in their own traditional schemes.
Aviva and the Kratt brothers head out into the rainforest on Buzz Bikes to learn about L. krattorum. They land near a tall tree and use the Miniaturizer to miniaturize themselves. They then hide the Miniaturizer under some leaves before going up the tree. It is not long before an L. krattorum finds them. Eyeing their bug-themed transport, the L. krattorum scurries towards them and strikes the Kratt brothers. While in its grasp, the Kratt brothers note the L. krattorum's physical characteristics and watch as another L. krattorum runs down an insect. Using this information and a body scan, Aviva finishes a pair of Creature Power Discs and throws them at the Kratt brothers, and they activate their Creature Power Suits.
While in its grasp, Chris notes the physical characteristics of L. krattorum.
Gourmand lands his plane on the Tortuga, followed by Zach's plane and Donita's plane. When Jimmy and Koki see them, Gourmand skillfully descends to ground level and takes Koki's Creature Pod and crushes it with his hands, while Donita uses a beam from her plane to disable the Tortuga's communications. Leaving Jimmy, and Koki by themselves, the villains follow Gourmand as he uses his nose to track down Aviva and the Kratt brothers.
Tired of being small, Aviva heads down to the ground to return to normal size. Once she reaches the ground, she meets up with Shadow, who briefly plays around with her before sensing the villains approaching, and hides with him in some brush when they arrive at the tree where the Kratt brothers are. Gourmand pulls out a bug net and climbs up the tree, while Donita and her henchmen, Dabio, use suction to collect L. krattorum. At first, Zach orders his Zachbots to suck up L. krattorum, but when Shadow pounces on his shoe, he changes his mind and instead plans to reassign the jaguar's scientific name to give the Kratt brothers a "double whammy." He illogically false-renames the jaguar's scientific name to Zachis Greaticus.
Aviva warns the Kratt brothers of the villains' presence, and they fly down to stop them. Martin chews through Gourmand's net, releasing the L. krattorum he caught. While trying to catch Martin, Gourmand accidentally breaks the jar holding all the L. krattorum Donita's caught, and they all fly away. Back on the ground, Aviva finds the Miniaturizer and returns to normal size. However, she ends up in front of Zach and they fight over the Miniaturizer. The Kratt brothers then use an opportune time to land on the Miniaturizer and to enlarge themselves. Zach, intimidated by the fact that they have a bug Creature Power, gives up on his plan to reassign the jaguar's scientific name and asks the brothers what the jaguar's real name is. Martin tells Zach that the jaguar's name is Shadow, Chris says that jaguar is its name, and Aviva joins in and says that the scientific name is Panthera onca. Zach admits that the jaguar's scientific name is Panthera onca and then surrenders Shadow to the Kratt brothers and then retreats. After the villains flee, Jimmy and Koki arrive and offer help, but since the villains have been already defeated, the Kratt brothers instead invite them, as well as Shadow, who hitches a ride on Martin's back, to learn more about L. krattorum.
The episode transitions into the concluding live action segment. The Kratt brothers meet Dr. Gavin Svenson, the entomologist who discovered and named Liturgusa krattorum. Gavin shows them L. krattorum specimens and tells them about the discoveries he made on L. krattorum biology. Afterwards, the Kratt brothers conclude the episode by saying "Keep on creature adventuring; we'll see you on the creature trail!"
Characters[]
Clockwise from left: Donita Donata, Gaston Gourmand, and Zach Varmitech and his Zachbots.
- Martin Kratt
- Chris Kratt
- Aviva Corcovado
- Koki
- Jimmy Z
- Zach Varmitech
- Zachbots
- Donita Donata
- Dabio
- Gaston Gourmand
Animals[]
Animation[]
Note: Featured animals are in bold.
The Kratt brothers watching Shadow and his mom.
- Jaguar: Shadow
- Kratt's Lichen Mantis (called Liturgusa krattorum)
- Western Honey Bee
- Black-headed Spider Monkey
- Gartered Trogon (called bird)
- Warlike termite
- Purple Tree Tarantula (called tree tarantula)
- Turnip-tailed Gecko
Live Action Images and Videos[]
Note: Live action animals are linked to Wikipedia
- Tortoise
- Ring-tailed mongoose
- Parson's chameleon
- Red-fronted lemur
- Chipmunk
- Malagasy civet
- Golden snub-nosed monkey
- Sportive lemur
- Starfish
- Giant panda
- Atlantic puffin
- Brown leaf chameleon
- Seal
- Milne-Edwards's sifaka
- Harpy eagle
- Spectacled caiman (called caiman)
- Hyacinth macaw (called macaw)
Mentioned[]
Note: Mentioned animals are linked to Wikipedia
Live Action[]
Note: Live action animals are linked to Wikipedia
- Malaysian shield mantis (called shield mantis)
- Ghost mantis (called dry leaf mimic)
- Walking flower mantis (called orchid mantis)
- Indonesian double shield mantis
- European mantis
- Carolina mantis
- Fly
- Many-colored bush anole (called lizard)
- Smooth-billed ani (called bird)
Specimens[]
- Standard ornament-winged mantis (called Chlidonoptera vexillum)
- Iridescent bark mantis (called Metallyticus splendidus)
- Central African mantis (called Sphodromantis centralis)
- Giant dead leaf mantis (called Deroplatys desiccata)
- Peruvian shield mantis (called Choeradodis rhombicollis)
- several other species (identification needed)
Trivia[]
- This is the first episode where Gourmand is mentioned by his full name, Gaston Gourmand.
- The termite in this episode looks exactly like the one from the genus Macrotermes, which is found throughout Africa and Southeast Asia.
- The scientific genus family of Panthera, which includes P. Onca, P. Tigris, P. Leo and P. Pardus, also includes two extinct species, P. Spelaea and P. Atrox.
- This episode reveals that Koki is very strong.
- This episode is based on a real-life event in 2014 where Dr. Gavin Svenson described 19 new species of praying mantis, including a mantis which would later become L. krattorum, and named it after the Kratt brothers. The live-action outro even shows Svenson showing the Kratts his discoveries on L. krattorum, and the credits give a special thanks to Dr. Svenson.
- This is the third time Zach steals the Miniaturizer. However, he didn't necessarily steal it. He was actually holding it the same time Aviva was holding it. Aviva was trying to keep it away from Zach because it belonged to her.
- This episode reveals two things: The villains never team up because they can't decide which plane to take (due to excessive fuel being used simultaneously) and they don't care about the environment, conservation, or recycling, despite Donita saying that three planes is a ridiculous waste of fuel.
- This is the first time Martin and Chris say this dialogue in the animation segment of Wild Kratts: "Hey, we're the Kratt brothers here, I'm Martin and I'm Chris." This dialogue is usually said in the beginning of the opening live-action segment of Wild Kratts.
- The hyacinth macaws on the Tortuga screen were referred to as Ara macao, the scientific name for scarlet macaw.
Key Facts and Creature Moments[]
- There are about 2,500 known species of mantis in the world.
- Every animal has a scientific name. The jaguar's scientific name, for example, is Panthera onca.
- Liturgusa krattorum chasing down an insect.