Martin William Kratt (born December 23, 1965) and Christopher Frederick James Kratt (born July 19, 1969), are American
zoologists
This is a list of notable zoologists who have published names of new taxa under the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.
A
* Abe – Tokiharu Abe (1911–1996)
* Abeille de Perrin, Ab. – Elzéar Abeille de Perrin (1843–1910)
* ...
,
actors
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...
,
producers
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
,
directors
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
, and educational nature show hosts. Sons of musical-instrument manufacturer William King "Bill" Kratt, the brothers grew up in
Warren Township, New Jersey
Warren Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The township is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the much larger New York metropolitan area, located within the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2020 United State ...
, and together created children's television series ''
Kratts' Creatures'', ''
Zoboomafoo
''Zoboomafoo'' is a live-action/animated children's television series that originally aired on PBS from January 25, 1999, to June 7, 2001. It was formerly shown in public television (depending on the area) and was regularly shown on Sprout unt ...
'', and ''
Be the Creature
''Be the Creature'' is a TV series created by the Kratt Brothers (Chris and Martin). A wildlife series designed to immerse both the brothers and the viewers in the world of animals, unlike the brothers' previous works, '' Kratts' Creatures'' and ' ...
'' (which aired on the
National Geographic Channel and
CBC), as well as ''
Wild Kratts
''Wild Kratts'' is a live action/ Flash-animated educational children's television series created by the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin. The Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group produce the show, which is presented by PBS Kids in t ...
'' (which airs on
PBS Kids and
TVOKids
TVOkids (short for TVOntariokids and stylized as tvokids) is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by TVOntario (TVO) in Canada. It was launched on April 1, 1994 and runs from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. The brand also operat ...
).
Early lives and education
Martin was born on December 23, 1965, and Chris was born on July 19, 1969, in New Jersey to Linda (born 1939) and William Kratt (born 1928). They are the grandsons of musical instrument maker William Jacob Kratt (1892-1983), who emigrated from
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
to America in 1910.
The brothers attended
Watchung Hills Regional High School
Watchung Hills Regional High School is a regional comprehensive public high school and school district serving students in portions of Somerset and Morris Counties in New Jersey, United States. Students from Warren Township and from the neig ...
. Both were inducted into the school's hall of fame in 2013. Martin holds a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and ...
from
Duke University, and Chris holds a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
in
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
from
Carleton College.
Career
Shortly after graduating from Duke University, Martin became a research assistant for a
howler monkey
Howler monkeys (genus ''Alouatta'', monotypic in subfamily Alouattinae) are the most widespread primate genus in the Neotropics and are among the largest of the platyrrhines along with the muriquis (''Brachyteles''), the spider monkeys (''Atele ...
project under Dr. Kenneth Glander in
Costa Rica. Shortly after, he worked with Dr. Patricia Wright in Madagascar as well as Dr. John Terbogh in the Peruvian Amazon. In 1990, Chris served as an intern at
Conservation International in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
A year later, he started the Carleton Organization for Biodiversity. His ecology studies have been funded by the
Explorers Club
The Explorers Club is an American-based international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study. The club was founded in New York City in 1904, and has served as a meeting point fo ...
and the
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
. He was also the recipient of the
Thomas J. Watson Fellowship.
Chris also starred alongside his brother Martin in the show ''
Zoboomafoo
''Zoboomafoo'' is a live-action/animated children's television series that originally aired on PBS from January 25, 1999, to June 7, 2001. It was formerly shown in public television (depending on the area) and was regularly shown on Sprout unt ...
'', which aired from 1999 to 2001. On this PBS kids show, they went on many adventures with animals with the help of Zoboomafoo, a
Coquerel's sifaka
Coquerel's sifaka (''Propithecus coquereli'') is a diurnal, medium-sized lemur of the sifaka genus '' Propithecus''. It is native to northwest Madagascar. Coquerel's sifaka was once considered to be a subspecies of Verreaux's sifaka, but was ...
lemur (Propithecus coquereli).The other shows the brothers created are ''
Wild Kratts
''Wild Kratts'' is a live action/ Flash-animated educational children's television series created by the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin. The Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group produce the show, which is presented by PBS Kids in t ...
'', ''
Be the Creature
''Be the Creature'' is a TV series created by the Kratt Brothers (Chris and Martin). A wildlife series designed to immerse both the brothers and the viewers in the world of animals, unlike the brothers' previous works, '' Kratts' Creatures'' and ' ...
'', ''
Kratt's Creatures'', and ''Wild Alaska Live''.
From June 13 to August 3, 2008, the brothers appeared in ''Creature Adventures'', a stage show at
Dollywood
Dollywood is a theme park jointly owned by entertainer Dolly Parton and Herschend Family Entertainment. It is located in the Knoxville metropolitan area in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, near the gateway to The Great Smoky Mountains. Hosting nearly ...
in
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Pigeon Forge is a mountain resort city in Sevier County, Tennessee, in the southeastern United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 6,343. Situated just 5 miles (8 km) north of Great Smoky Mountains National Par ...
. They also appear as themselves in the ''
Odd Squad
''Odd Squad'' (stylized as ''ODD SQUAD'') is a children's live action educational television series that premiered on TVOKids in Canada and PBS Kids in the United States on November 26, 2014. Similar to '' Cyberchase'' and '' Peg + Cat'', other ...
'' episode "Night Shift". Additionally, in the
Nature Cat
''Nature Cat'' is an educational animated children's television series that premiered on November 25, 2015 on PBS Kids and is aimed at children aged 3–8. The series follows the adventures of four main characters: Nature Cat, Hal the Dog, Squeek ...
crossover episode “Wild Batts”, the Kratt Brothers voice bat versions of themselves looking for a new home. They even also appear in the
Molly of Denali
''Molly of Denali'' (stylized as ''MOLLY of DENALI'') is an animated children's television series produced by Atomic Cartoons in association with WGBH Kids, created by Dorothea Gillim and Kathy Waugh for PBS Kids and CBC Kids. crossover episode “Cry Wolf” as themselves looking for a missing pack of wolves in that episode with the help of Molly Mabray and her father.
In 2017, Dr Gavin Svenson discovered a new species of mantis and named it
Liturgusa Krattorum after the brothers for their impact on the educational television genre. A special episode of ''Wild Kratts'' was later released to commorate the occasion.
Personal lives
The brothers have lived in
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
since 2008, where they film and produce their TV series ''
Wild Kratts
''Wild Kratts'' is a live action/ Flash-animated educational children's television series created by the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin. The Kratt Brothers Company and 9 Story Media Group produce the show, which is presented by PBS Kids in t ...
.''
Martin Kratt
Martin is married to Laura Wilkinson and has two sons,
Ronan and Gavin, both of whom have had roles on ''Wild Kratts''. Martin had a walk on role as “Officer Hugh Plesky” on the NBC serial ''Manifest.''
Chris Kratt
Chris has two sons, Aidan and Nolan, with his wife Tania Armstrong, an interior designer whom he married in 2000 in
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...
.
Like their cousins Gavin and Ronan, Aiden and Nolan have roles in ''Wild Kratts'' as animated versions of themselves.
References
External links
*
Official Kratt Brothers websiteBe The Creature Official Site
{{Authority control
American television personalities
Male television personalities
American male television actors
American male voice actors
Carleton College alumni
People from Warren Township, New Jersey
Watson Fellows
Watchung Hills Regional High School alumni
1965 births
1969 births
Living people
American expatriate male actors in Canada
American people of German descent
American zoologists