"Whale of a Squid" is the second episode of Season One of PBS Kids' Wild Kratts. It was written and directed by Martin Kratt. It is the second episode of the series overall, and premiered on January 4, 2011.
Synopsis
The Kratt brothers use Aviva's newly invented amphipod-inspired submersible, the Amphi-Sub, to dive into the deep waters of the Southern Ocean. There, they witness a never-before-seen wildlife moment: a battle between a sperm whale and a giant squid. However, the water pressure at the extreme depths where the battle is taking place badly damages and partially crushes the Amphisub, forcing Aviva to use her new Robot Arm invention to pull the submersible back to the Tortuga. To allow Chris and Martin to return to the site of the whale-versus-squid battle, Aviva programs two new Creature Power Suits-Sperm Whale Power for Chris, and Giant Squid Power for Martin. The Kratt brothers use their new Creature Powers to dive back into the deep sea, where the sperm whale and the giant squid are still locked in combat. Suddenly, the sperm whale becomes entangled in a discarded fishing net-a ghost net-and begins sinking toward an area full of underwater volcanoes. To make matters worse, a colossal squid attacks the sperm whale's calf. Chris and Martin must put their Creature Powers of both sperm whale and giant squid to good use to rescue the mother sperm whale and her calf.
Recap
The episode begins with a live action segment, which shows the Kratt brothers going whale watching and see some fin whales coming up for a breath. Afterwards, they ask their “What if?” question and the show transitions into the cartoon segment.
While testing Aviva’s latest invention, the Amphi-Sub, the Kratt brothers meet a sperm whale calf (who swims above the Amphi-sub and spins it) and his mother (who swims under the Amphi-sub and spins it). The small calf playfully bangs its head onto the Amphi-Sub. Martin is thrilled and calls the little calf Bumper. The brothers follow the sperm whales to the depths of the ocean, but they soon find themselves in a battle between the mother sperm whale and a giant squid. Trying to keep up with the battle the Amphi-Sub gets caught in the crossfire. The controls fail and the sub begins sinking. To save them, Aviva pulls the Amphi-Sub out from the water with her new Robot Arm. Immediately the brothers beg her to find a way to return to see the battle. Aviva responds by making a Sperm Whale and Giant Squid Creature Power Disc. Martin got covered in giant squid slime and Chris found a whale tooth on the sub, allowing both to activate their Creature Power Suits.
The Kratt brothers dive into the water and find out that the squid and whale are still locked in fierce combat. But just at that moment a ghost net tangles Bumper’s mother and drags her down. The brothers head down to save her – Martin grabs the sperm whale while Chris pushes. Chris checks on Bumper with his sonar, but instead senses a colossal squid heading after Bumper. Chris leaves Martin with Bumper’s mom and heads off to save Bumper. The squid grabs onto Chris with its shard suckers and hooked tentacles. Martin is unable to help his brother because he and Bumper’s mom are heading down towards undersea volcanoes; that is, until Martin takes advantage of the giant gas-filled rocks from the eruption to bring him up towards Chris. He goes after the colossal squid but can not fight back. Suddenly, a sonic wave stuns the colossal squid and causes it to release the Kratt brothers. This sonic wave came from an adult male sperm whale (possibly Bumper's dad). The bull whale dives after the stunned squid. A fight begins, but this time the squid is devoured by the whale. The Kratt brothers continue pushing and pulling Bumper’s mom all the way to the surface. The other Wild Kratts members remove the ghost net, and the sperm whales swim away into the horizon.
The show transitions into the ending live action segment, which shows the Kratt brothers talking about the different groups of whales. They also spot humpback whale feeding on plankton. Afterwards, they conclude the episode by saying “Keep on creature adventuring; we’ll see you on the creature trail!”
Casts
Starring
- Chris Kratt as Chris Kratt
- Martin Kratt as Martin Kratt
- Athena Karkanis as Aviva Corcovado
- Heather Bambrick as Koki
- Jonathan Malen as Jimmy Z
Animals
Animation
Note: Featured animals are in bold.
- New Zealand Arrow Squid (called Arrow Squid): Squiddo, Squidtacular, Squidsicle, Beaks
- Sperm Whale: Bumper
- Giant Squid
- Colossal Squid
- Amphipod
Real Life
Note: Live-action-only specimens are linked to Wikipedia.
Key facts and Creature Moments
- The ecological complication shown during the cartoon segment is predation of ocean animals; the environmental complication is the hazards of ghost nets (commonly known as gillnetting).
- A squid has a beak like a parrot.
- What currently keeps people from exploring the deep ocean is the water pressure.
- Sperm whales and giant squid sometimes engage in deep sea battles.
- Sperm whales can hold their breath for 180 minutes.
- Giant squid suction cups have serrated cutting teeth.
- Squids have both arms and tentacles: eight arms with suckers all the way down and two long tentacles with suckers on the end.
- Colossal squids have both sharp suction cups and spinning hooks on their tentacles.
Trivia
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