Sam Snow.
Kit Casey.
The Creature Cases!
The Puzzle of the Poisonous Leaves.
And so's I said, "Papaya? But I barely even know ya!"
Get it?
-Oh! Huh?
The joke wasn't all that bad.
Wait. Are you all right?
I think she's been poisoned!
Poisoned?
Oo…
Let's see.
Thermals, mittens, and…
Oo…
My head will be so toasty skiing down those snowy slopes.
Where are you going for your vacation, Kit?
I'm going to the desert to get some sun and to study stink bugs.
Ew! Sounds hot. And smelly. And hot.
Eh…
A new case!
This old suitcase? Nah, I've had it for years.
No, I mean, look!
Director Scratch has a new Creature Case for us! Let's go!
Nice hat, Agent Snow.
I know vacations are coming up,
but we've got an urgent new case to unpack, so to speak.
Howler monkeys at a jungle resort are falling out of their tree.
Really? But howler monkeys are usually such great climbers.
Indeed.
But the Mice Squad's photos suggest that they were poisoned.
Poisoned? But how?
And why?
That's what you two need to figure out.
It's up to you to solve this mystery before another poisoned monkey falls.
You can count on us, Director!
Good luck, agents.
Time for me to fly the coop.
Vacation!
Now arriving at destination biome,
South American Jungle.
This looks like the place.
Wow.
If we weren't here for work, this would be a great vacation spot.
Yeah. If you like your vacations extra hot and sweaty.
Excuse me.
Welcome to the Howler Monkey Resort
for Peace and Relaxation!
Why is she yelling?
Howler monkeys are known for being pretty loud.
We're from CLADE,
and we'd like to ask the manager a few questions!
Ah! He's already being interviewed.
Is that guy with you?
Huh?
-Another detective? -Who is that guy?
Excuse me.
I'm Agent Kit Casey, and this is Agent Sam Snow.
And you are?
Philip.
Philip Night. Nocturnal detective.
When you want a case solved, I'm the night monkey for the job.
Okay…
Night monkey? I thought we were dealing with howler monkeys.
Night monkeys are a whole different species.
We're nocturnal, see, which means we only work at night, see.
And I only work alone.
Look, Philip, it's been very nice to meet you,
but we've been sent here to crack this case.
Sorry, kid, but this is my case.
Uh, maybe we could work together.
Fine. But just don't get in my way.
Sir, can you tell us what happened here?
Well, I--
Notice anything strange?
Strange? Uh… I--
Maybe just start from the beginning and--
Listen here, pal. Just what are you trying to hide?
Okay! Okay! I confess!
One time I took a twisty straw from the kitchen,
but I was gonna bring it back!
A straw?
No! We're trying to find out what's poisoning your guests.
Was it you?
Me? No! I love our guests. We're like a big family here.
Well, did you serve them any unusual food lately?
Anything…
poisonous?
Not that I know of.
We only serve leaves here,
and we've never had any problems with them.
Until yesterday.
It seems there's no other explanation.
If leaves are all they ate, then--
Then the leaves must be poisonous.
Hey! I was about to say that.
But that's impossible! We've been eating these leaves forever.
We'd better do a poison scan.
Leave it to me, kid. I got a nose for this sort of thing.
Why don't we both check the leaves and see who can get to the bottom of this first?
You're on.
It's the leaves!
I'm sorry, Mr. Manager, but these leaves you're serving are--
Pois--
…definitely poisonous.
But that's all we serve here, and it's almost dinnertime!
We have to stop them.
Don't eat the leaves!
Hey, my dinner!
It's for your own good, ma'am.
Hey! What's the big idea?
-Gimme that. -How dare you!
Hm?
Mm! Mm, mm, mm.
I don't feel so good.
We're too late.
They already ate the leaves.
We've gotta catch them!
-Philip, will you help us? -We've got some monkeys to save.
A little help here.
Thanks for the help, Philip.
The howlers are safe, and the poison should wear off soon.
That was some ace work back there. You CLADE agents are all right.
I just wish we knew why the leaves are bad.
There's gotta be some clue.
Hm…
The howler monkeys only eat the leaves from this tree.
And they've been eating them for years.
So why are they being poisoned now?
Hm… Huh?
Check it out. This leaf is different.
Good eye, kid. Looks like a new leaf to me.
They're different colors depending on how old they are.
The light ones are newer and the dark ones older.
Philip, give it a sniff.
Oh! Definitely poisonous.
Now try this new one.
It's all right. No poison.
So that means only the old leaves are poisonous.
The new leaves are fine to eat.
Of course!
As the leaves get older, they become poisonous.
Which is okay, as long as there are plenty of new leaves mixed in.
But most of these leaves look old. Where did all the new ones go?
What is it, Phil? Got something?
I'm picking up a scent.
-Over here.
A trail of new leaves. And it's heading that way!
Nice sniffing, Phil.
Like I told ya, I've got a nose for this sort of thing.
Look over there.
Another monkey resort.
And look at this box right here, see?
Hm…
Whiskers, that's it!
These monkeys have been stealing the safe new leaves for themselves…
and leaving nothing but old poisonous ones behind.
I've heard that howler monkeys will fight over their favorite trees,
but stealing leaves? That's new to me.
Better bring them all back.
-Huh? -Hey, you!
Get away from our leaves!
You mean your stolen leaves.
That is what I mean, yeah!
-Let's get out of here!
I don't think they're going to give those leaves back.
But what are we gonna do?
It's almost time for breakfast, and those howlers are gonna be hungry.
Howler monkeys stealing from other howler monkeys.
You hate to see it.
Wait.
Do that again, Philip.
Huh?
How long have you been working the night shift?
Me? I've been doing this for years.
So you've been eating the fruit from these trees
and spitting the seeds out this whole time?
Sure have.
Of course!
Philip, you've saved the howler monkeys.
I did?
I mean, I did. How'd I do that?
Every time you spit out seeds, you've been planting new trees.
New trees with new leaves.
That aren't poisonous.
Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle.
We gotta get these leaves back to those howlers before they wake up.
Thanks for all the new leaves! You three are a real team!
Another Creature Case…
Closed.
See you around, agents.
Night monkeys don't do much good when the sun comes up.
Well, you did a lot of good for us tonight, that's for sure.
Take care, Philip. We couldn't have solved this case without you.
Here's looking at you, kids.
You know what this means.
-Vacation! -Vacation!
This place is pretty nice, once you get used to the heat.
Hello!
Can I get you anything else?
Yeah. A towel.
-Well, that's one way to cool off.
Mice Squad Fact File.
-Status?
System Settings?
Update. Night monkeys.
Night monkeys are the only monkeys that are nocturnal.
That means they sleep during the day and are awake at night.
Night monkeys like to eat fruits.
They spread the seeds around the jungle,
planting new trees.
Night monkeys have a really good sense of smell.
Just by smelling leaves, they can tell if they're safe to eat.
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The Mystery of the Missing Hare.
…100, 101, 102…
Settle down, campers.
I know you're excited,
but we have to make sure everyone got here safely.
…103, 104, 100 and… five…
Where's 105?
105? Who's 105?
I haven't seen 'im.
One of our campers is missing!
Where are they?
It's colder than a snow squall in here.
Feels quite pleasant to me. Nice and chilly.
But if you're cold,
this should warm you up.
Your chicken hat? Not my style.
Come on. How could you say no?
-This hat is the warmest…
-Sam. -…softest, coziest…
-Sam!
The CLADE crest.
The Director's got a new case for us.
Hm…
Uh…
I was feeling chilly.
Well, you'll need to keep warm where you're going, agents.
Every spring,
these snowshoe hares head from the tundra to their forest campground.
But this year, they arrived to discover that one of them was missing.
Whoa. That's a lot of rabbits.
Not rabbits, Sam.
They're snowshoe hares.
Hares are bigger than rabbits, with longer legs.
Indeed.
Your job is to figure out what's happened to that missing hare.
You can count on us, Director.
Now arriving at destination biome,
North American Forest.
105?
Are you 105?
No, I'm 23.
105!
Excuse me, campers.
Uh…
Was it something I said?
Snowshoe hares are good at staying still when they're alarmed,
and their fur makes them camouflaged so they're hard to see.
Huh! It's true. Their brown fur really blends into the forest.
-Hello, there.
We're from CLADE, and we're here to find your missing camper.
Oh, thank goodness.
Well, we noticed someone was missing when we got here.
Every spring we come to the forest from the cold, snowy tundra.
That's because the snacks here are the best!
Grass…
And flowers.
But one camper never made it. Can you tell us what they look like?
Well, I suppose they look just like us.
-Long ears, brown fur, big feet.
How's this?
Looks like they're frozen again.
I'm sorry, agents. We're a little nervous.
That's all right.
What's the missing camper's name?
Oh, uh…
Was it Barbara?
I'm Barbara.
Sorry.
There are so many campers. I can't keep them all straight.
-Okay. Well, how about--
Oh no, not again.
I don't think we're gonna get much more out of them.
The hares came from the snowy tundra north of here,
so we'd better start our investigation there.
Sounds like a plan.
To the tundra.
Don't worry, campers.
We'll find whatever their name is and bring them back soon.
It's getting snowier.
And colder.
Maybe I should've brought your chicken hat.
Check it out. Footprints!
Snowshoe-hare prints by the looks of 'em.
We're on the right track.
-Huh.
-What is it, Kit? -I thought I heard something.
And it feels like someone is watching us.
-I heard something too.
A wolf!
Better find that missing hare before that wolf does.
Looks like he's working up an appetite.
Watch it, dudes!
I'm shredding here!
Not very polite.
And he wrecked the trail of footprints.
How will we find the missing hare now?
A missing hare?
What in the woolly world?! Didn't see you there, little guy.
Neither did that wolf.
Guess that's why they call me Snowball.
'Cause I'm so good at blending in with the snow, eh?
Snowball, we're from CLADE, and we're looking for a missing hare.
About your size,
but with brown fur?
Hm…
He does look familiar.
But I haven't seen him. Gotta go.
Guess we better keep searching.
Tree bark.
Is it a clue?
I think so. When there's not much food around,
snowshoe hares will eat the bark right off trees.
-Huh?
Sounds like someone's having a little bark snack now.
Could it be…
Mm…
What's up, agents?
-You again. -Who?
Oh! Oh yeah, me.
Snowball, are you sure you haven't seen a hare with brown fur?
Absolutely positive.
Brown fur would really stick out on all this snow, eh?
Well, good luck.
We still haven't found a single clue.
Maybe those hares counted wrong?
Maybe. Though I'm starting to feel like we're missing something.
Hey. What's this?
Looks like a snow burrow. The kind a missing hare would hide in.
Hello? Anyone home?
More bark.
I think someone's in there.
-Could it be… -Boo!
Snowball!
I got you guys good.
Snowball, we don't have time for games. This is a serious investigation.
And how'd you get here?
We saw you go the other way.
I told you. I'm good at blending in. You didn't see me sneak back here.
This is my snack shack.
Hold up. Snowball, you're sure that there are no other hares around here?
Well, there were more of us here earlier. Wonder where they all went. Heh.
-Now it's just me and that--
Wolf!
Gotta go.
What in the woolly--
After that hare!
Wait, what?
I think Snowball might be the camper we've been looking for.
Snowball? But his fur's the wrong color.
Not all of it. He's got a brown spot on his back.
We're not the only ones after him. Better hurry!
Whoa!
Whoa! Whooaa!
Huh?
Whoa!
Ah-ha!
Uh?
Wh-- Wh-- Whoa!
Snowball! Stay off the ice!
-What?
Oh no!
Clu-Bot, go.
Whoa!
Thanks for the lift.
Snowball, you're the missing camper we've been looking for!
I am?
But weren't you looking for someone with brown fur?
Wait.
My fur changes to brown for half the year.
How did I forget that?
Your fur changes color?
Uh-huh.
When the temperature changes,
it causes some animals to change the color of their fur.
Like weasels, caribou…
And snowshoe hares.
So they can blend in with the tundra in the winter
and the forest in the spring.
Oh, wow! Is it spring already? I was wondering why it was so warm.
And look. The warmer temperature has made you even more brown.
Uh-oh.
That wolf is still after me.
How will I blend into the snow like this?
Let's head back to the snowshoe hares' camp.
It's too far. We won't make it.
Maybe we don't have to go all the way back. Come on.
Now to find the right spot.
There! Half-brown, half-white. Just like your fur.
Perfect!
That wolf will never see you now.
Snowball, other way.
Huh? Whoopsie.
Here he comes. Snowball, hold still.
You two seen a rabbit?
Nope. No rabbits here.
Are you sure you haven't seen a rabbit?
-Uh-huh. -We're sure.
Hm…
Phew!
No rabbits here. Just a perfectly camouflaged snowshoe hare.
Nice job, Snowball.
Thanks for your help, agents.
Come on. Time to get you back to camp.
Hey, everyone.
I made it.
Snowball! You're back! And your fur is brown!
Snowball! Of course! That's who was missing.
Looks like we did it, Kit.
Another Creature Case…
Closed.
It may be spring in the tundra, but I'm still cold.
R.O.N., set temperature to hot.
Heating system offline.
No heat?
Desperate times call for desperate measures, Kit.
Fine. Give me the chicken hat.
How about I knit you a new hat on our way back to HQ?
Oo! Can it be a snowshoe-hare hat?
Of course.
What color? White or brown?
Why not both?
Mice Squad Fact File.
-Status?
System Settings?
Update. Snowshoe hares.
Snowshoe hares' fur changes color when the seasons change.
They're brown in the spring and turn white in the winter.
Their fur is used for camouflage.
That means they blend in with the colors around them.
Hares are different than rabbits.
Hares have longer legs, bigger feet, and larger ears.
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