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"Tardigrade Xtreme" is the 16th episode of Season 6 of the PBS Kids show Wild Kratts. It is the 154th episode of the series overall. It premiered on October 5, 2020.
Summary[]
The gang wonder if there is life on other planets, so the Kratt bros decide to head to outer space to look for clues. Back on Earth, Jimmy discovers a tardigrade, a microscopic creature that seems to be able to survive in the most extreme conditions.
Plot[]
The episode begins with live-action Chris and Martin giving us hints about a "mystery creature" before telling us they are talking about tardigrades. Then, they ask some Wild Kratts kids to help them gather moss, which tardigrades live on. Then, the episode switches to the cartoon.
The story begins with Chris, Martin, Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy outside, looking up at the stars. They begin wondering: are there any forms of life on other planets? So, the team decides to try to find out!
While Koki tunes up the turbo rocket, Aviva and Jimmy observe some mossy rocks with a microscope. Aviva reminds him how life forms aren't just noticeable animals, but also tiny creatures that you can't see without a microscope. With the microscope, Jimmy discovers a tardigrade on the mossy rock. Martin names the tardigrade Gummy Bear. Then, baby elephant Thornsley comes by and plays around with the rock, dropping it into the hot oven. Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy rush to save it, without much hope. However, the tardigrade is alive! The team discovers that tardigrades can somehow go into a survival mode which enables them to survive extreme conditions.
While Chris and Martin are rocketing to the moon, the crew travels to the desert, Antarctica, and the deep sea, and find tardigrades living there in the heat, freezing cold, and crushing pressure of each of these environments. They are shocked to see tardigrades have an astonishing power to survive just about any condition!
Chris and Martin arrive on the moon, and find no life forms of any kind, not even tardigrades. Suddenly, the spaceship floats away. Deeply horrified, Martin and Chris try to catch it, but fail. They are trapped on the moon, where humans can't survive for long, even with a spacesuit. Quickly, Aviva programs tardigrade power discs, desperately hoping tardigrades' survival power goes far enough to enable them to survive in space. But it is no use, for distraught Aviva didn't realize Martin and Chris don't have a tardigrade to touch, and the teleporter doesn't teleport living things. Then, the crew sadly tells Chris and Martin that there is nothing they can do, and the brothers accept that this is the end. However, Chris sees that a mossy rock fell out of their spaceship, and it's tardigrade power to the rescue after all! Chris and Martin "space swim" back to their spaceship.
Back home on Earth, Chris says to Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy, "We didn't find life in outer space on this trip."
"But we did remind ourselves," says Martin, "that Earth creatures can do far out things."
In the live-action closing segment, Chris and Martin take the moss gathered by the kids and look at it under a microscope. They find and observe tardigrades on the moss! They let the kids know that they found tardigrades, and they thank the kids.
Characters[]
Animals[]
Animation[]
Note: Featured animals are in bold.
- Tardigrade: Gummy Bear
- African Bush Elephant: Thornsley
- Lion
- Nubian Giraffe
- Dromedary (called camel)
- Emperor Penguin
- Dumbo Octopus
- Black Rhinoceros
Live Action[]
Note: Live action animals are linked to Wikipedia.
Trivia[]
- This is the first episode that takes place on the Moon.
- This episode also marks the first appearance of the space suits, which can also function similarly to the Creature Power Suits.
- This is the fifth time the Kratt brothers almost die in some way, and the second out of all of those times that the near-death was not caused by any of the villains.
- Jimmy quotes "Game over man! Game over!" from Aliens.
- While in the Sahara, Aviva was in her beach outfit as well as a hijab. Most likely to stay cooler from the desert heat rather than in her usual jacket and jeans.
Key Facts and Creature Moments[]
- Tardigrades are one of the few animals capable of surviving any habitat on earth. A tardigrade can survive harsh places in the world like in the Sahara Desert, Antarctica, the deep sea and even outer space.
- Tardigrades can survive in the desert for about 30 years without water.
- Tardigrades can withstand the deep sea pressure in oceans.
- Tardigrades can temporarily survive in space by curling up into a ball to deal with radiations, repair cells and deal with poisons.
- Tardigrades are sometimes called water bears.
- A tardigrade eating moss and other plant matter.