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"Rattlesnake Crystal" is the 21st episode of the second season of Wild Kratts, originally airing on PBS Kids on August 19, 2013. Overall, it is the 61st episode of the series. The episode was written and directed by Martin Kratt.
In this episode, while deciding where to adventure next, the Tortuga loses altitude and crash lands in the Sonoran Desert. Although the Kratt brothers are excited to discover the various creatures that inhabit the Sonoran Desert, Koki is worried, and she says that the Tortuga will permanently shut down if they do not find a fresh stock of rare tellurium crystals. The Kratt brothers begin the search, and as they try to stay on track, they stumble upon a diamondback rattlesnake. Knowing how it senses its surroundings, the Kratt brothers race to find some tellurium and save the Tortuga.
Plot[]
The episode begins with a live-action segment. The Kratt brothers find a western diamondback rattlesnake in the Sonoran Desert. Afterward, they ask their "What if?" question, and the show transitions into the cartoon segment.
The Wild Kratts are deciding where to have their next adventure when their Tortuga HQ unexpectedly crash lands in the Sonoran Desert. Although the Kratt brothers are excited to be in this environment because they have not adventured here yet, Koki is worried because the Tortuga's supply of tellurium crystals, which provide power to much of the Tortuga, is flaking away. If the tellurium were to be completely spent, she says, the Tortuga will permanently shut down. But getting a new supply is no small order. Tellurium is a very rare element and can only be found on Earth in small pockets, if that. So the Kratt brothers take it upon themselves to find some tellurium if any is in environment.
Along the way, the Kratt brothers (mostly Martin) get distracted after looking at the several animals of the Sonoran Desert and somewhat forget that they are searching for tellurium. When they stumble upon a western diamondback rattlesnake, they miniaturize and follow it into a ground squirrel tunnel, all while keeping track of the two creatures' heat signatures. Later, they call Koki and Aviva, telling them that they should make Rattlesnake Power so they can gain senses like the ability to sense heat to find tellurium. However, doing that is a great risk. Since creating a single disc would use a large amount of power, they'll be less time to save the Tortuga before any tellurium crystals can be obtained. But with no other option, it's worth a shot. Aviva starts by modifying a disc of a similar animal (Eyelash Viper Power). After she finishes, she gives the discs to Jimmy, who accidentally starts teleporting them and Koki yells at Jimmy not to teleport them because they didn't have enough power to teleport them. This leaves only thirty minutes to get more tellurium. Since teleporting the discs is obviously off the table, the only way to get them to the Kratt brothers now is for Jimmy to hand delivery himself. Jimmy becomes scared but Aviva and Koki tell them that he can do it. They all head out and Jimmy gets scared by lots of stuff but successfully delivers the discs to the Kratt brothers and Jimmy runs back. The Kratt brothers activate their Creature Power Suits and slither back into the ground squirrel tunnel network. They find some tellurium crystals sticking out of the earth; however, it falls down into a cavern leading to more tunnels. The Kratt brothers enter one of the tunnels, where they find a rattlesnake hibernating chamber. At the very end is a pile of tellurium crystals. They ring Koki, Aviva, and Jimmy and tell them the good news, but the celebration is short-lived when an alarm sounds and Koki tells the Kratts that they only have five minutes to return to the Tortuga. They grab as much as they can carry, slither out of the tunnels, and get back to the Tortuga as fast as they can. Koki takes the tellurium crystals and throws them into the core a few split seconds before the last of the original tellurium crystals completely disintegrate. The lights of the Tortuga then turn on and the Wild Kratts cheer.
The show transitions into the concluding live action segment. The Kratt brothers look around for rattlesnakes in the Sonoran Desert using radio telemetry. 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.
- Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (called Diamondback rattlesnake)
- Horse
- Elf Owl
- Coyote
- Sonoran Collared Lizard (called Lizard)
- Greater Roadrunner (called Roadrunner)
- Western Spotted Skunk (Spotted skunk)
- Gila Monster
- Harris's Antelope Squirrel (called Ground squirrel)
- European Garden Spider
Live Action Images and Videos[]
Note: Live action animals are linked to Wikipedia.
- Green anaconda
- Giant anteater
- Black caiman
- Wallaby
- Wombat
- Platypus
- Sydney funnel-web spider (called Spider)
- Venomous snake
- Giant panda
- Lion
- Cheetah
- Thomson's gazelle
- Eastern gorilla
- Common chimpanzee
- Emperor penguin
- Leopard seal
Mentioned[]
Note: Mentioned animals are linked to Wikipedia.
- Peccary (called Javelina)
- Jaguar
- Ring-tailed cat (called Ringtail cat)
- Eagle
- Red-tailed hawk
- Eyelash viper (Creature Power Disk image also shown)
Live Action[]
Note: Live action animals are linked to Wikipedia.
- Hooded skunk (called Skunk)
- Great horned owl
Trivia[]
- During the emergency landing, the original Tortuga HQ is seen falling from the sky, while the second version is seen running into the desert ground.
- The Tortuga is revealed to be powered by tellurium.
- This is the Wild Kratts' first snake adventure.
- This is the first episode where an animal is not named by any of the Wild Kratts members at all, nor do any named animals make their reappearances.
- This is one of rare episode's The Kratt Brothers do a PSA on Snakes.
- In one scene, Martin says that Chris is "walking like an Egyptian". That is a reference to the Bangles song "Walk Like an Egyptian".
Key facts and Creature Moments[]
- Rattlesnakes hunt using sharp eyes, tongues that can pick up scents, and infrared vision derived from its two pit organs.
- A rattlesnake gives off a warning call to predators by making a rattling sound with its rattle, which is located at the back of its tail.
- A rattlesnakes rattle is hollow and segmented, allowing it to make that signature rattling sound.
- Rattlesnakes sometimes hibernate and sleep together in groups.
- A ground squirrel making its tail heat up to look bigger and trick a rattlesnake into missing it, allowing it to escape.
Gallery[]
