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"Snow Runners" "Rattlesnake Crystal"

"Attack of the Tree Eating Aliens" is the 20th episode of Season 2 of the PBS Kids show Wild Kratts. It is the 60th episode of the series overall. It premiered on June 7, 2013.[1]

Plot[]

The episode begins with a live-action segment. The Kratt brothers say that a healthy ecosystem is one that is in balance, and without this "balance", there is trouble. Afterward, they say their "What if?" question, and the show transitions into the cartoon segment.

Jimmy is pulling the Kratt brothers, who are hang gliding as he flies the Tortuga. He makes sharp turns, which are much to their enjoyment, except for Koki and Aviva. Then they all receive an alarm from Wild Kratts kids, who tell them that the trees around them are dying, and they do not know why. Jimmy is ordered to immediately take the Tortuga down, causing the Kratt brothers to get flung directly through the Wild Kratts kids' clubhouse window. They meet the same Wild Kratts kids that called Koki and Aviva earlier. The Wild Kratts kids tell the Kratt brothers the problem and then Chris agrees that it's not good and thanks Aidan for letting them know. The Kratt brothers go to discover the case.

Martin activates Squirrel Power to take a closer look at the top of the tree, while Chris and Wild Kratts kid Aidan take a look below. At first, they see nothing wrong. This shows that they are not looking properly.

Back at the Tortuga, Koki shows the live satellite image feed to Aviva and Jimmy and the feed shows a lot of sick trees. Just then, they all hear a knocking sound, Jimmy goes to answer the door, but no one is there. Aviva thinks it was a wind that knocked on the door, but it doesn't seem likely. They go back to discover the tree mystery.

Martin continues climbing up the tree when he gets distracted by falling seeds. Chris gets him to stay focused, and then, Aidan notices small holes on the tree. Aviva discovers that there are holes in the tree and wonders where they could have come from. Just then, the knocking comes back and Koki gets the door, but still no one is there. It comes back, but no one is still there. It turns out that the knocking is actually on the window. After responding to what appears to be knocking, Jimmy then opens the window and a pileated woodpecker pecks at his forehead and then he gets hurt. Since woodpeckers make holes in trees, Aviva and Koki are sure that the woodpecker is the reason why the forest's trees are losing their color.

Aviva shows the Kratt brothers the pileated woodpecker, which is knocking on a tree. Martin climbs up the tree, and Chris follows suit after he activates Raccoon Power. They follow the woodpecker to the tree it is in. Just when Chris gets a scan, the woodpecker flies away to Martin's location and starts drilling into the tree, leading Martin to name him Headbanger. Chris notices that the hole Headbanger made looks different than the holes in the dying tree, but Aviva is not convinced, and she heads back to the Tortuga to make a Woodpecker Power Suit.

Later, Martin follows Headbanger to his nest, which is a hollow knothole. Then a pine marten comes into view and attacks Headbanger, who is able to escape through another hole. Then the pine marten turns its attention to Martin and chases him across the forest canopy. He calls Koki, and he says that he is being chased by a marten. Koki does not understand, thinking that Martin is saying that he's chasing himself. Koki and Katie decide to go back to the Tortuga. Afterward, Martin is able to escape the pine marten.

After seeing Headbanger making more holes in another tree and picking out some insects, Aviva finishes the Woodpecker Disc, and Jimmy teleports it and a woodpecker feather. Chris activates Woodpecker Power, and starts drilling with his beak, but goes out of control due to the suit lacking a shock absorber. Martin grabs and presses Chris's deactivation button in time, and he deactivates on contact with the ground. While Chris is still dizzy, Martin sends Aviva a scan, which shows why the woodpecker can drill without the risk of getting concussions. Then Aidan finds some tunnels under some holes where Chris drilled. Martin miniaturizes and enters one of the holes to investigate. Not long after, he bumps into an insect and finds out that this insect is responsible for the holes and tunnels. Martin delivers a scan to Koki, who realizes that this insect is nonnative, and later sends an alert to all the Wild Kratts kids in hopes of getting a species identification. Chris then explains to everyone that woodpeckers do no real damage, while the nonnative insects damage the important under-bark vessels. It turns out Headbanger was not responsible for the damage to the trees. Afterward, Koki and Aviva apologize to Headbanger.

The Wild Kratts receive an alert from Yi, a Wild Kratts kid from China, who explains that the insects are Asian longhorn beetles and they are native to China, where they are predated by Asian woodpeckers and wasps. Then Chris and Aidan see Headbanger try to make a hole where Martin is. To save Martin, Chris is teleported an updated Woodpecker Power Disc with a built-in shock absorber. He activates Woodpecker Power and starts drilling successfully. Chris is able to pull Martin out with the suit's tongue, while Headbanger gets a beetle.

The Kratt brothers round up some longhorn beetles with Woodpecker Power so they can take them back to China.

The show transitions into the concluding live action segment. The Kratt brothers are in a forest invaded by ash borer beetles. To aid the forest, the two and some Wild Kratts kids nail artificial woodpecker homes onto trees. 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.

Database Images[]

Mentioned[]

Note: Mentioned animals are linked to Wikipedia.

Live Action[]

Note: Live action animals are linked to Wikipedia.

Trivia[]

  • In the second live action segment, the yellow-bellied sapsucker was misidentified as a hairy woodpecker.

Key Facts and Creature Moments[]

  • The main reason why introduced species can be devastating is that it often "tips the balance" in nature.
  • Woodpeckers do not risk brain damage when drilling because of the shape of its beak and a shock absorber in front of its brain.

References[]

Wild Kratts episodes
Seasons: 1234567
Season 1

"Mom of a Croc" • "Whale of a Squid" • "Aardvark Town" • "Flight of the Draco" • "Mystery of the Squirmy Wormy" • "Platypus Cafe" • "Polar Bears Don't Dance" • "Build It Beaver" • "Voyage of the Butterflier XT" • "Honey Seekers" • "Bass Class" • "Fireflies" • "Mystery of the Weird Looking Walrus" • "Tazzy Chris" • "Octopus Wildkratticus" • "Walk on the Wetside" • "Elephant in the Room" • "Let the Rhinos Roll!" • "Kickin' It With the Roos" • "The Blue and the Gray" • "Falcon City" • "Koala Balloon" • "Cheetah Racer" • "Kerhonk" • "Mimic" • "Caracal-Minton" • "Zig-Zagged" • "A Huge Orange Problem" • "Seasquatch" • "The Food Chain Game" • "Masked Bandits" • "Flight of the Pollinators" • "The Gecko Effect" • "Little Howler" • "Quillber's Birthday Present" • "A Bat in the Brownies" • "Stuck on Sharks" • "Birds of a Feather" • "Googly Eye: The Night Guru" • "Raptor Round Up"

Season 7

"Outfoxed" • "Clever the Raven" • "Race to Goat Mountain" • "Owl Odyssey" • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA • TBA

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