1 00:00:06,360 --> 00:00:09,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Creature future production of I Heart Radio. I'm 2 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:13,520 Speaker 1: your host of Many Parasites, Katie Golden. I studied psychology 3 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:17,720 Speaker 1: and evolutionary biology, and today on the show, from Katy 4 00:00:17,800 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: Tales to Sperm Whales, it's listener questions. You guys come 5 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:26,040 Speaker 1: up with some real brain tickling questions and I try 6 00:00:26,079 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: to answer them. We're talking about house cats to lions 7 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:34,720 Speaker 1: and salmon to deep sea events. Discover this more as 8 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:38,159 Speaker 1: we answer the age old question is the answer to 9 00:00:38,320 --> 00:00:43,320 Speaker 1: life back tear ya poop. So let's get to our 10 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: first question, first question of the day. So, why do 11 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:53,920 Speaker 1: cats wag their tails when they're hunting or annoyed? Every 12 00:00:53,920 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: time there's squirrels outside? The cats are almost creating a breeze, 13 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: holding still while wagging their tails around. This is from 14 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:07,400 Speaker 1: Will h. So there are two kind of butt area 15 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:11,679 Speaker 1: movements you might notice when your cat is hunting, butt 16 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:17,120 Speaker 1: wiggles and tail twitching. The butt wiggle has a pretty 17 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:21,319 Speaker 1: simple explanation. It is your kitty cat aligning her feet 18 00:01:21,720 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: into the perfect position for a well executed pounce. Um. 19 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:31,320 Speaker 1: It also maybe helps them kind of warm up their muscles. 20 00:01:31,800 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: It's not just house cats that do that. Little, but wiggle. 21 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: It is also big cats and wildcats. It's pretty funny 22 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 1: and adorable to see. As for the tail twitching, it's 23 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: interesting because cats use their tails uh to communicate or 24 00:01:48,120 --> 00:01:52,000 Speaker 1: express a number of emotions, which you may have noticed 25 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:55,160 Speaker 1: if you are a cat owner. A tail that is 26 00:01:55,400 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: up but smooth, with a slight curve at the tip, 27 00:01:59,720 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: it probably means this is a relax kitty, maybe attentive, 28 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,280 Speaker 1: but at ease. Whereas a tail that is up that 29 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: is poofed out it generally means a scared or agitated cat. 30 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,000 Speaker 1: Do not try to pet the cat, it will scratch 31 00:02:17,040 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: your eyeballs out. A tail being whipped around can mean 32 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: anxiousness or excitement. A twitching tail usually means that the 33 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:31,639 Speaker 1: cat is focused and interested in something. So if your 34 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: cat is focused on squirrels while twitching or whipping her tail, 35 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: she's probably very excited and interested. Because cats like to 36 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:46,639 Speaker 1: murder for fun, house cats generally speaking live off of 37 00:02:46,720 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: not hunting, but on the food that we give them, 38 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:54,840 Speaker 1: but they just enjoy hunting. It brings satisfaction to their 39 00:02:54,919 --> 00:03:01,160 Speaker 1: murderous little hearts. Cats love murder, and so when they 40 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: see a potential murder victim outside, they get excited. So 41 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:11,240 Speaker 1: uh as to why this twitching happens in terms of life, 42 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 1: does it serve any purpose? I don't think there's really 43 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:19,840 Speaker 1: any evidence that the tail twitching helps with their hunting 44 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:24,760 Speaker 1: at all. Unlike the other tail positions, which can communicate 45 00:03:24,800 --> 00:03:27,360 Speaker 1: with other cats or with humans what they're feeling, like 46 00:03:27,400 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: when it's poofed up. That helps communicate to other animals 47 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: like I'm angry, and it also makes them seem bigger 48 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:39,000 Speaker 1: so that they can scare off potential foes that twitching tail. 49 00:03:39,440 --> 00:03:42,640 Speaker 1: I don't think I've seen any real compelling research that 50 00:03:42,720 --> 00:03:45,839 Speaker 1: it has anything to do with anything. Really. It may 51 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: just be an expression of their excitement, sort of like 52 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:53,320 Speaker 1: when we bounce our knees because we're excited or nervous, 53 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,160 Speaker 1: or tap our fingers because we're impatient. It may just 54 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:01,880 Speaker 1: be their excitement and and and anticipation kind of bubbling 55 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: out through their tail muscles. So another question is I've 56 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 1: heard of scary creatures like vampire bats that are actually 57 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: sweethearts which share blood to more hungry members of its cauldron. 58 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: As well, there are beautiful creatures like milkweed butterflies that 59 00:04:22,640 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: are horror fests which feed on their own babies. Are 60 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:31,159 Speaker 1: there any other examples of good monsters and snow white 61 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,400 Speaker 1: step moms out there in the animal world? Thanks? This 62 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,799 Speaker 1: is from Michael D from San Antonio. Great question. I 63 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 1: agree with you so much on this. Vampire bats are sweet, 64 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 1: precious little angels. They share food with each other. They'll 65 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:53,120 Speaker 1: like give each other little backrubs, little scratches, and then 66 00:04:53,520 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: exchange blood meals. So if a vampire bat missed a meal, 67 00:04:57,279 --> 00:05:01,080 Speaker 1: they have very rapid metabolisms, and missing a eel can 68 00:05:01,120 --> 00:05:05,120 Speaker 1: be really dangerous, if not fatal. So they have this 69 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: great system of friendship where they will share meals with 70 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 1: their friends, and that is kind of a social safety 71 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:13,719 Speaker 1: net for these bats. And a lot of bat species 72 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:19,200 Speaker 1: actually babysit. It's called allow parenting, where unrelated adults will 73 00:05:19,240 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: help look after young in it. It's it's just they're 74 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:26,800 Speaker 1: such harmonious little creatures. They actually are pretty chill in 75 00:05:26,920 --> 00:05:31,080 Speaker 1: terms of sort of big social groups animals, like. They 76 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:35,200 Speaker 1: are one of the types of animals that tend not 77 00:05:35,320 --> 00:05:37,400 Speaker 1: to fight that much. I mean, there are fights, there 78 00:05:37,440 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 1: is bickering, but they're pretty chill, pretty pretty sweet. They 79 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:46,680 Speaker 1: have nice dispositions, and indeed, there are many examples of 80 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: beautiful but scary animals and horrifying looking but sweet creatures. 81 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:55,919 Speaker 1: So like bald eagles are majestic looking, beautiful and regal. 82 00:05:56,040 --> 00:06:01,279 Speaker 1: But there's little babies is cute little white huffballs will 83 00:06:01,400 --> 00:06:04,680 Speaker 1: kick each other out of the nest. There's also strikes, 84 00:06:04,760 --> 00:06:07,719 Speaker 1: a cute little bird that looks like an innocent little 85 00:06:07,760 --> 00:06:12,280 Speaker 1: songbird who will impale their prey on thorns. Sometimes their 86 00:06:12,320 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: prey is still alive and just left to languish until 87 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:21,000 Speaker 1: they die. Meanwhile, something is frightening, as a scorpion will 88 00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:24,400 Speaker 1: often carry their babies on their backs or even sacrifice 89 00:06:24,440 --> 00:06:28,160 Speaker 1: themselves for their young. And there are species of social 90 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:32,320 Speaker 1: spiders who all work together to make giant webbing to 91 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:35,400 Speaker 1: house they're young, and it helps protect them, and it 92 00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:39,800 Speaker 1: also helps protect the newer generations. So you definitely cannot 93 00:06:39,839 --> 00:06:45,240 Speaker 1: judge a book by its looks. Uh. Indeed, uh, as 94 00:06:45,839 --> 00:06:51,480 Speaker 1: Michael D pointed out, milkly butterflies, as beautiful as they are, 95 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 1: are pretty horrifying in terms of their behavior. They will 96 00:06:55,760 --> 00:07:00,000 Speaker 1: rip open caterpillars of their own species. And remember, caterpillars 97 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,960 Speaker 1: are the babies, they are the young juvenile version of 98 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 1: these butterflies before they go through metamorphosis. But yeah, the 99 00:07:08,000 --> 00:07:11,840 Speaker 1: adult butterflies will rip open caterpillars of their own species 100 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 1: and drink their sweet, delicious inner group basically the blood 101 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:20,720 Speaker 1: and fluids of these caterpillars like they're sucking out the 102 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 1: jelly from a jelly doughnut. Male milk weed butterflies will 103 00:07:24,720 --> 00:07:27,200 Speaker 1: do this to get an easy meal and a lot 104 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,800 Speaker 1: of nutrition to help increase the vibrancy of their colorful 105 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:35,840 Speaker 1: wings and their fitness to attract females, So literally eating 106 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:42,120 Speaker 1: babies to improve their pickup game. Real nice, nice job. Meanwhile, 107 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: horrifying looking insects like earwigs are extremely sweet and caring 108 00:07:48,040 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: mothers watching over their young for months without eating any 109 00:07:52,560 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: food just to protect them from predators and pathogens. And 110 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:02,280 Speaker 1: there are some great insect dads to Male giant water 111 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: bugs will carry their eggs on their backs to protect 112 00:08:05,840 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: those eggs, and looking at them is pretty horrifying. It's 113 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: like a tripophobes or snightmare. Tropophobia is the fear of 114 00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 1: a bunch of sort of sequential holes or bubbles um. 115 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: But yeah, it is kind of upsetting looking as it 116 00:08:22,760 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: is a weird looking kind of diamond shaped insect with 117 00:08:27,160 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: a bunch of squishy, shiny eggs on its back. But 118 00:08:30,240 --> 00:08:34,440 Speaker 1: this is such a sweet act of fatherhood. And of 119 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:39,600 Speaker 1: course there's also a little black beetle. It's kind of 120 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 1: intimidating looking. It's got this really um tough armor. It's 121 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:50,040 Speaker 1: called lethrus app terrorist. But despite looking you know, kind 122 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:54,599 Speaker 1: of tough and um like, it's just kind of pugnacious, 123 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:58,800 Speaker 1: they are actually extremely sweet and caring parents. The mother 124 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: guards the eggs, and the father guards the entrance to 125 00:09:02,679 --> 00:09:07,040 Speaker 1: the borrow, and the father will protect the borrow from 126 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:11,679 Speaker 1: any invaders, and these beetles will fight to the death 127 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:16,319 Speaker 1: to protect their eggs. So there was a study that 128 00:09:16,400 --> 00:09:19,240 Speaker 1: looked at these beetles and they were wondering, you know 129 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:25,040 Speaker 1: why these beetles they're they're relatively small, maybe like about 130 00:09:25,080 --> 00:09:27,920 Speaker 1: the size of your thumb, maybe a little thicker but shorter, 131 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:33,040 Speaker 1: and they are they actually are able to fend off 132 00:09:33,240 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 1: much larger animals to prevent them from entering this burrow. 133 00:09:38,600 --> 00:09:41,080 Speaker 1: And researchers were wondering, well, why do they have such 134 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:45,240 Speaker 1: a high success rate at defending these burrows despite their size, 135 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:49,079 Speaker 1: And it turns out, uh, this research seemed to determine 136 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: that they were just so much more dedicated in the 137 00:09:52,720 --> 00:09:55,960 Speaker 1: fight because they had something to fight for, their family 138 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:00,760 Speaker 1: so cute. So it's funny, I mean nature. You know, 139 00:10:00,880 --> 00:10:04,640 Speaker 1: sometimes something that's beautiful will be a real nasty animal. 140 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:09,000 Speaker 1: Sometimes something that's ugly will be a really sweet, wonderful animal. 141 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:12,480 Speaker 1: Sometimes something that's ugly is also just a mean, terrible animal, 142 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:14,840 Speaker 1: and something that's pretty as a sweet animal. It's you 143 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,160 Speaker 1: just don't know. You can't you can't know until you 144 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 1: really get to know them. You know, sit down, have 145 00:10:21,200 --> 00:10:23,559 Speaker 1: a little coffee, you know, just get to know your 146 00:10:23,559 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: local insects and talk to them, find out what they're 147 00:10:27,280 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 1: all about. Um. And while you do that, we're going 148 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:33,720 Speaker 1: to take a real quick break, and when we get back, 149 00:10:33,880 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 1: we're going to answer more listener questions, more listener questions. 150 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:47,199 Speaker 1: So welcome back to this show. Uh. This listener question 151 00:10:47,520 --> 00:10:51,640 Speaker 1: is from one of my younger listeners, Charlie, who wants 152 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:55,160 Speaker 1: to be an astronomer, naturalist, and even more when he 153 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 1: grows up, and he has a bunch of questions. He 154 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:02,920 Speaker 1: actually only asked me to answer one. Uh. He gave 155 00:11:02,960 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 1: me a bunch of questions to choose from. But hey, 156 00:11:05,080 --> 00:11:07,160 Speaker 1: guess what, Charlie, I'm gonna try to answer them all. 157 00:11:07,280 --> 00:11:10,040 Speaker 1: Let's see if we can do this. All right, I drink, 158 00:11:10,120 --> 00:11:13,040 Speaker 1: drink some coffee. I'm ready to go. Here we go. 159 00:11:13,360 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 1: First question from Charlie, why do rhinos have horns? Very 160 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:21,080 Speaker 1: good question. Rhinos use their horns for a bunch of 161 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 1: different things. I mean, it's kind of like asking why 162 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 1: do humans have thumbs? So they use their horns for 163 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:31,000 Speaker 1: self defense. They use it for digging up roots or 164 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:34,560 Speaker 1: even digging for water. They can use them to break 165 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: branches to get out some tasty vegetation. They will also 166 00:11:38,640 --> 00:11:42,720 Speaker 1: use them socially in dominance displays to try to award 167 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:46,360 Speaker 1: off competitors without having to get in a fight. Males 168 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:51,320 Speaker 1: will use them to attract females and to defend their mates, 169 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: and females will use them to defend their young or 170 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 1: also to help guide their young, so they gently nudge 171 00:11:58,840 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 1: their babies with their horns to direct them in a 172 00:12:01,520 --> 00:12:04,480 Speaker 1: certain way. You know. So, yeah, it's just an all 173 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: purpose utility tool. Next question, why are cheetahs so fast? So? 174 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 1: Why cheetahs are fast from an evolutionary perspective, is so 175 00:12:16,760 --> 00:12:21,560 Speaker 1: they can outrun prey. So predators, despite being fierce, actually 176 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,280 Speaker 1: have a pretty hard job they have. They often have 177 00:12:24,400 --> 00:12:27,640 Speaker 1: quite tough lives because they have to catch prey. They 178 00:12:27,640 --> 00:12:30,720 Speaker 1: have to eat a lot of meat to survive, and 179 00:12:30,800 --> 00:12:34,120 Speaker 1: so they have to have a really good advantage both 180 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:38,720 Speaker 1: against prey and other predators so they can outcompete them. 181 00:12:38,960 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: Uh So, you look at different big cat species and 182 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:46,120 Speaker 1: you see each of them has some kind of advantage. 183 00:12:46,240 --> 00:12:51,559 Speaker 1: So lions have the advantage of their incredible size. They 184 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: also have a social structure where they live in groups 185 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:59,280 Speaker 1: and they will hunt together. Jaguars of South America have 186 00:12:59,760 --> 00:13:04,520 Speaker 1: the most incredible jaw strength of any big cat, capable 187 00:13:04,559 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 1: of cracking open skulls, so they can they're basically ambush 188 00:13:09,679 --> 00:13:12,520 Speaker 1: predators that like drop out of the tree, grab some 189 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:16,920 Speaker 1: poor little thing and can crack open its head. Uh. 190 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 1: Mar Gas which are a much smaller spotted cat. They 191 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:22,480 Speaker 1: kind of look like awesol lots if you know what 192 00:13:22,559 --> 00:13:26,079 Speaker 1: that is. But yeah, they're much smaller, sleeker, little spotted cat. 193 00:13:26,520 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: They also live in South America. They are very graceful 194 00:13:30,679 --> 00:13:33,880 Speaker 1: and skilled tree climbers and they can basically walk up 195 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:38,480 Speaker 1: a tree vertically like they're defined gravity, and they can 196 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: mimic the cries of baby monkey monkeys to lure in 197 00:13:43,120 --> 00:13:46,880 Speaker 1: the adult monkeys and eat them so devious and graceful, 198 00:13:46,960 --> 00:13:51,200 Speaker 1: like some kind of little assassin. So, as you can see, 199 00:13:51,840 --> 00:13:55,080 Speaker 1: all of those wildcats have some kind of advantage that 200 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: helps them hunt, whether it's strength or agility or guile. 201 00:13:59,679 --> 00:14:05,560 Speaker 1: So cheetahs are specialized for incredible speed over impressive distances, 202 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,960 Speaker 1: giving them a huge advantage when it comes to chasing 203 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: down prey. In terms of how they're so fast, in 204 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:17,440 Speaker 1: terms of physics, we have to look at their anatomy. 205 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: So first, their respiration and circulatory systems are specialized to 206 00:14:23,800 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: provide their bodies with adequate oxygen for being able to run, 207 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: So they have large nasal passageways and a huge heart 208 00:14:34,040 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 1: to draw in oxygen and pump blood effectively. Also, their 209 00:14:39,040 --> 00:14:43,760 Speaker 1: bodies are aero dynamic. They have this small triangular head 210 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: in a long, smooth, sleek body, and a sort of 211 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: medium length stocky tail that works as a rudder to 212 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: help them control their movements in high speed chases. So 213 00:14:56,280 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: their legs are also longer proportional to their body versus 214 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: other big cats, allowing them larger strides and the bones 215 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:08,240 Speaker 1: of their lower legs are actually designed to limit rotation. 216 00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:13,600 Speaker 1: This sacrifices their climbing ability to actually allow them to 217 00:15:13,760 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: run faster without losing their footing and tripping. Their spinal 218 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:23,080 Speaker 1: vertebrae are highly flexible and can stretch to allow them 219 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 1: huge strides while running, so basically they can launch themselves 220 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: like little feline ronkets off the ground and travel a 221 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 1: huge amount of distance in a single stride, sometimes up 222 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:40,400 Speaker 1: to thirteen to twenty three feet or four to seven meters. 223 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,240 Speaker 1: It's like they're running with a bunch of long jumps. 224 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 1: So not only are they great at maintaining speed, but 225 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:53,640 Speaker 1: they can accelerate much more quickly than their prey. So 226 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 1: while they can run up to speeds of around fifty 227 00:15:56,320 --> 00:16:00,800 Speaker 1: five miles per hour eighty eight kilometers an hour during 228 00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: a hunt, the average speed of a cheetah is only 229 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:07,359 Speaker 1: around thirty three miles an hour or fifty three kilometers 230 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:12,160 Speaker 1: an hour during a single sort of chase. So the 231 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:16,320 Speaker 1: reason this is is that the cheetah accelerates extremely quickly 232 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 1: at the start of the chase, then slows down as 233 00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 1: it catches up to its victims. So basically, give it 234 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:25,800 Speaker 1: all they've got at the very start catch up to 235 00:16:25,880 --> 00:16:30,600 Speaker 1: that poor little gazelle or springbok, and then as they're 236 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:32,880 Speaker 1: closing in on them, they can slow down their speed 237 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 1: and make a grab for them. Alright, Question number three, 238 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:43,440 Speaker 1: why do some fish live in freshwater and others insalt? 239 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: And how do salmon do both? Charlie, this is an 240 00:16:45,760 --> 00:16:51,400 Speaker 1: excellent question. So the question of why they would live 241 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:55,040 Speaker 1: in fresh water has to do with ecological niches that 242 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:59,760 Speaker 1: animals find. So basically, if there is a livable space 243 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,400 Speaker 1: the planet, like an area on this planet Earth where 244 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:08,920 Speaker 1: life can physically live, they will do it. They will 245 00:17:08,960 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: find a way to exploit it. That's because competition selective 246 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:19,920 Speaker 1: pressures elsewhere are always going to drive animal species all 247 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:23,640 Speaker 1: around the world to find a niche that they can 248 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:27,959 Speaker 1: exploit and they can compete in. So that's why we 249 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 1: have mammals that could live in a desert or live 250 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:35,400 Speaker 1: in a rainforest, in these very different areas of the 251 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:39,600 Speaker 1: planet with very different environments, and yet they are going 252 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: out and they're finding these niches and they're evolving to 253 00:17:42,640 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 1: be able to survive there. So uh, fish are actually 254 00:17:47,520 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 1: an incredibly diverse group of animals that have this really 255 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 1: long time span of evolution, much longer than a lot 256 00:17:57,080 --> 00:18:02,719 Speaker 1: of species alive today in in the mammalian class and 257 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:07,880 Speaker 1: and other classes of animals. So some fish are actually 258 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:11,879 Speaker 1: more related to us, like more related to mammals uh 259 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 1: than they are too another fish. So these are just 260 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:21,719 Speaker 1: an incredibly diverse group of animals um. And so it 261 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: is pretty likely that these fish that have been going 262 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:29,640 Speaker 1: through revolution for so long or going to venture from 263 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:34,879 Speaker 1: the ocean to these rivers um So it was basically 264 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:38,080 Speaker 1: inevitable the way that river systems were because they actually 265 00:18:38,160 --> 00:18:42,080 Speaker 1: connect to the ocean and as they go inland, the 266 00:18:42,280 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 1: salinity of the water goes from being you know, salt 267 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:49,119 Speaker 1: ocean salt water to more brackish and lower salinity gradients 268 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:52,080 Speaker 1: until you get to freshwater. So you know, a fish 269 00:18:52,160 --> 00:18:57,160 Speaker 1: that is a sea dwelling fish could venture into these 270 00:18:57,440 --> 00:19:00,439 Speaker 1: where these rivers meet the ocean and be fair okay. 271 00:19:00,440 --> 00:19:02,120 Speaker 1: So that gives a lot of room for a sort 272 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: of evolution to help them start to survive in these 273 00:19:06,080 --> 00:19:11,800 Speaker 1: lower salinity environments. So basically, because you have there's so 274 00:19:11,880 --> 00:19:15,000 Speaker 1: many fish in the sea, it's almost inevitable that fish 275 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,440 Speaker 1: are going to find their way to this river and 276 00:19:18,040 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: because animals nature cores of vacuum. Animals will always try 277 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 1: to find a niche to exploit because it's got resources, 278 00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:28,479 Speaker 1: it's got space. Uh, they will find that and they 279 00:19:28,480 --> 00:19:30,639 Speaker 1: will go into these fresh water areas and then they 280 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:36,000 Speaker 1: will adapt to them. So interestingly, there is a greater 281 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:41,280 Speaker 1: diversity of freshwater species as compared to ocean species of fish. 282 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:45,000 Speaker 1: So there are more species of freshwater's fish than there 283 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: are in the ocean. Fact, forty I think about of 284 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,199 Speaker 1: species of fish are actually freshwater fish, which is incredible. 285 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: Despite the fact that the ocean covers so much more 286 00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:01,800 Speaker 1: of the lance a proportional to how much fresh water 287 00:20:01,880 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 1: there is, they're way more species per you know, square 288 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:09,200 Speaker 1: unit of fresh water is compared to the ocean. So 289 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:13,920 Speaker 1: the reason for this is actually because freshwater environments are 290 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: constantly changing, you know when you look at time on 291 00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:23,159 Speaker 1: a much larger perspective. So, uh, the the rivers and 292 00:20:23,200 --> 00:20:29,639 Speaker 1: freshwater systems are changing due to erosion, seismic activity, flooding, uh, 293 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: and even the activity of animals like beavers or humans. 294 00:20:33,720 --> 00:20:39,199 Speaker 1: And meanwhile the ocean remains relatively stable. Yeah, it changes 295 00:20:39,240 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 1: a little bit, but it's a much more stable environment 296 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:47,920 Speaker 1: than say rivers and streams and ponds, um so uh, 297 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:51,960 Speaker 1: and you'll have like a river, you know, get blocked off, right, 298 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:54,080 Speaker 1: So you can have a population of fish that's in 299 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: a river, and then that river like maybe a tree 300 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,400 Speaker 1: falls off for there's a landslide. Now you have this 301 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:03,440 Speaker 1: little this lake or something that is now separated from 302 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:07,000 Speaker 1: the river. And then uh, you know, you have a 303 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 1: separation of this population of fish. And then that can 304 00:21:09,800 --> 00:21:13,560 Speaker 1: help speciation where you have one species become two species 305 00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:18,960 Speaker 1: because they're physically separated and they will encounter different environmental pressures. 306 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:25,399 Speaker 1: So now onto uh, the other part of your question 307 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:29,119 Speaker 1: about salmon. So, most species of fish tend to be 308 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:32,359 Speaker 1: either freshwater or saltwater. If you try to stick a 309 00:21:32,440 --> 00:21:36,360 Speaker 1: freshwater fish in a saltwater aquarium or vice versa, they 310 00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:39,720 Speaker 1: will die very likely they will die pretty quickly due 311 00:21:39,760 --> 00:21:44,120 Speaker 1: to the effects that the high salinity or low salinity 312 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 1: has on their specialized cells, causing their cells either to 313 00:21:48,359 --> 00:21:53,720 Speaker 1: explode or implode. But some fish are anadromists, meaning they 314 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,199 Speaker 1: spend most of their lives at sea, but then migrate 315 00:21:57,240 --> 00:22:02,159 Speaker 1: to freshwater to reproduce, and they're young, start off life 316 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: as freshwater fish and then migrate to the ocean as adults. 317 00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:11,120 Speaker 1: Salmon are a great example of this, as our sturgeons, herrings, smelt, 318 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:15,640 Speaker 1: and some species of eels. So the way that salmon 319 00:22:15,800 --> 00:22:19,119 Speaker 1: and other anadroma species of fish managed to live in 320 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:24,159 Speaker 1: both saltwater and fresh water are adaptations that help with 321 00:22:24,320 --> 00:22:31,520 Speaker 1: OSMO regulation. OSMO regulation is managing the osmosis of water 322 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:35,639 Speaker 1: and salt in our cells. So and animal cells, the 323 00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 1: cells that we have, the cells that other animals have 324 00:22:38,960 --> 00:22:43,200 Speaker 1: like to have. They like to maintain equilibrium, so they 325 00:22:43,240 --> 00:22:46,760 Speaker 1: like to have equal amounts of salt and water inside 326 00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:51,159 Speaker 1: the cell as outside the cell. So the concentration of 327 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,520 Speaker 1: the concentration of the salt in the water inside the 328 00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: cell likes to be the same as outside of the cell. 329 00:22:58,160 --> 00:23:02,560 Speaker 1: So if that concentration is different, you'll have water moving 330 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 1: across the cell membrane to make it more or less equal. 331 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:10,800 Speaker 1: So that is called osmosis. So water will um leave 332 00:23:10,880 --> 00:23:15,639 Speaker 1: the cell uh if there is a higher concentration of 333 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,320 Speaker 1: salt outside the cell, or it will enter the cell 334 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 1: if there's a higher concentration of salt inside the cell. 335 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:28,359 Speaker 1: So if the water so if a salt water fish 336 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:34,800 Speaker 1: is dropped into fresh water, it's problem because water in 337 00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:40,160 Speaker 1: its system is less salty than the inside of the cell. 338 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:43,240 Speaker 1: So the saltwater fish used to a more salty environment 339 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:45,880 Speaker 1: it cells have more salt inside of them. You drop 340 00:23:45,920 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 1: it in fresh water, Suddenly the inside of their cells 341 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:53,000 Speaker 1: are saltier than the fluid outside of their cells. And 342 00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: what happens, water rushes into their cells, causing them to 343 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:04,119 Speaker 1: explode way, which is bad for the life of the fish. 344 00:24:04,280 --> 00:24:10,040 Speaker 1: So fresh water fish have the opposite problem. In salt water. 345 00:24:10,480 --> 00:24:15,000 Speaker 1: The water outside their cells is more salty than inside, 346 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 1: and so water leaves their cells trying to reach equilibrium, 347 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 1: and that causes their cells to shrink, which is also 348 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:28,720 Speaker 1: bad for the life of the fish. This kills the fish. 349 00:24:28,960 --> 00:24:32,719 Speaker 1: So the way that salmon and other anadromast species of 350 00:24:32,880 --> 00:24:38,760 Speaker 1: fish avoid this horrifying fate is through osmo regulations, so 351 00:24:39,080 --> 00:24:42,440 Speaker 1: managing the osmosis of water and salt in their cells 352 00:24:42,560 --> 00:24:48,520 Speaker 1: using other organs and other processes. So first strategy that 353 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:53,160 Speaker 1: salmon and other anadroumas fish employ is drinking. You may 354 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 1: not think that fish need to drink, but ocean fish 355 00:24:56,720 --> 00:24:59,359 Speaker 1: that live in saltwater actually do drink because they need 356 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:04,240 Speaker 1: the hydration freshwater fish actually don't really need to drink. 357 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 1: They get enough water passively as it kind of infiltrates 358 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:13,040 Speaker 1: their body and it's they live in a low salinity environment, 359 00:25:13,119 --> 00:25:17,240 Speaker 1: so they don't need extra hydration through like drinking water 360 00:25:17,320 --> 00:25:21,200 Speaker 1: and then trying to process out the extra salt. So 361 00:25:21,680 --> 00:25:25,800 Speaker 1: um a salmon or another anadromas fish will drink water 362 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:28,880 Speaker 1: when they're in the ocean, but then they stopped drinking 363 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:32,360 Speaker 1: as soon as they go into freshwater environments because if 364 00:25:32,359 --> 00:25:35,280 Speaker 1: they start, if they continue to drink the water, if 365 00:25:35,320 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: they were in freshwater, they would have that problem of 366 00:25:37,880 --> 00:25:42,159 Speaker 1: there being too much of that sailing free water in 367 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:46,439 Speaker 1: their system trying to rush into their salty cells. So 368 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,800 Speaker 1: this is not sufficient though to prevent them from becoming 369 00:25:50,880 --> 00:25:54,920 Speaker 1: victims of this uh osmos has gone wrong, So they 370 00:25:54,960 --> 00:26:00,160 Speaker 1: have some very clever adaptations At the cellular level. Their 371 00:26:00,359 --> 00:26:06,119 Speaker 1: gills actually produce an enzyme that creates energized molecules that 372 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:11,040 Speaker 1: will transport salt against the rules of osmosis, so they 373 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:17,240 Speaker 1: use energy to pump salt out of the salmon's bloodstream. 374 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:21,479 Speaker 1: Another thing working in the anadromist fish is favor is 375 00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:25,560 Speaker 1: the gradient of salinity as freshwater river meets the ocean. 376 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: Remember how I said it's kind of nice that when 377 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 1: a river meets the ocean, it's not just like freshwater 378 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:34,560 Speaker 1: than saltwater. You have this gradient as you go further 379 00:26:34,680 --> 00:26:39,760 Speaker 1: into the freshwater area, and this maybe helps facilitate evolution, 380 00:26:39,800 --> 00:26:42,800 Speaker 1: but it also helps with the life cycle of something 381 00:26:42,840 --> 00:26:46,680 Speaker 1: like a salmon, because the salmon, as it travels from 382 00:26:46,720 --> 00:26:50,200 Speaker 1: fresh water to the ocean, it is going in a 383 00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:53,520 Speaker 1: kind of gradient, so his body is adjusting to this 384 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:57,479 Speaker 1: higher salinity and vice versa. So there you go. That 385 00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,199 Speaker 1: is it's such a like short question in such a 386 00:27:01,240 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 1: big answer. But Charlie has got another couple of questions 387 00:27:04,920 --> 00:27:06,439 Speaker 1: and I want to get to those two because they 388 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,920 Speaker 1: are also very interesting. So question number four is how 389 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,960 Speaker 1: do the animals around deep sea vents survive? This is 390 00:27:15,000 --> 00:27:18,520 Speaker 1: a great question. Deep sea vents are hot, and they 391 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:23,680 Speaker 1: produce sulfur and hydrogen. It's basically these many volcanoes that 392 00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:29,000 Speaker 1: are churning out this heat and and um chemicals in 393 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:32,320 Speaker 1: the same way that like a like a volcano would 394 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:37,080 Speaker 1: and so they actually are producing sulfur and hydrogen. And 395 00:27:37,119 --> 00:27:41,719 Speaker 1: there are a special kind of bacteria that can feed 396 00:27:42,200 --> 00:27:46,240 Speaker 1: on sulfur and hydrogen, so bacteria will feed on this 397 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 1: stuff that it's something like an animal cannot eat. In fact, 398 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:53,479 Speaker 1: it can be very toxic. But these bacteria converted into 399 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:57,800 Speaker 1: organic matter that an animal could actually use for energy. 400 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:02,399 Speaker 1: So clams and giant tube worms are actually in a 401 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:05,480 Speaker 1: symbiotic relationship with these bacteria. Now you know what a 402 00:28:05,520 --> 00:28:08,119 Speaker 1: clam looks like, but a giant tube warm is this 403 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:11,199 Speaker 1: really interesting thing. It looks like the pipe of a 404 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: pipe organ this huge tube, but it's an animal, and uh, 405 00:28:16,080 --> 00:28:20,159 Speaker 1: they are in a symbiotic relationship with these sulfur and 406 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:25,000 Speaker 1: hydrogen eating bacteria. The bacteria creates organic compounds as a 407 00:28:25,040 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 1: byproduct that the clams and tube worms can get energy from, 408 00:28:29,480 --> 00:28:34,240 Speaker 1: while the clams and tube worms provide shelter for the bacteria. 409 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:37,800 Speaker 1: It's like you and your hat, Like you feed your house, 410 00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:40,720 Speaker 1: and your house houses you, except your house is a 411 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:44,840 Speaker 1: clam or a tube worm. It's perfect, it's beautiful. So 412 00:28:44,920 --> 00:28:47,360 Speaker 1: now you've got a stew going because now that you 413 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,840 Speaker 1: have clams and tube worms able to survive down here, 414 00:28:51,160 --> 00:28:54,600 Speaker 1: other animals can then eat the clams and tube worms, 415 00:28:54,640 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: and then you've got larger animals eating on those guys, 416 00:28:57,960 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: and so on and so forth until you guys nice, nice, 417 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:05,960 Speaker 1: big old like big old gumbo, big old pottiest in 418 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:09,880 Speaker 1: the ocean. Alright. The last question from Charlie is why 419 00:29:09,920 --> 00:29:14,040 Speaker 1: do you male lions except the one in Savo have manes. 420 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:18,960 Speaker 1: So it's because they look cool, Seriously, that is the 421 00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:24,800 Speaker 1: reason lionesses think they look attractive. So basically, manes are 422 00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:27,920 Speaker 1: something of a drawback for male lions because they add 423 00:29:27,960 --> 00:29:31,960 Speaker 1: weight and are hot temperature wise, they don't really provide 424 00:29:32,040 --> 00:29:36,960 Speaker 1: much benefit to them. So only the strong and healthy 425 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:42,040 Speaker 1: lions can maintain a large, luxurious mane, and the lionesses 426 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:45,520 Speaker 1: think that is totally dreamy. You actually see this in 427 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:49,320 Speaker 1: birds as well. Male birds of paradise will sometimes have 428 00:29:49,480 --> 00:29:55,080 Speaker 1: these incredibly elaborate long tails, which makes it harder to fly. 429 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:58,680 Speaker 1: It makes it harder to ward off parasites because you've 430 00:29:58,680 --> 00:30:01,600 Speaker 1: got more surf this area that parasies can get on. 431 00:30:01,680 --> 00:30:07,239 Speaker 1: And but if the male bird of paradise is really healthy, 432 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:12,600 Speaker 1: then it can actually maintain this long tail, you know, 433 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:17,160 Speaker 1: and it will look splendid, and these female birds are like, wow, 434 00:30:17,400 --> 00:30:21,320 Speaker 1: that's a beautiful tail. And anyone who has such a beautiful, 435 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 1: ungainly inconvenient tail must be pretty healthy to be able 436 00:30:28,600 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 1: to have such a thing. It's a flex they're flexing. 437 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 1: Lions with manes are flexing. So with that, we're going 438 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:39,600 Speaker 1: to take a quick break and when we return, another question, 439 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,520 Speaker 1: and we're back in it's time for questions about whales. 440 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 1: That's a that's my number one top hit of the day. 441 00:30:50,720 --> 00:30:53,360 Speaker 1: Question about whales is what I called that song. So 442 00:30:53,480 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 1: here's the question. Hello, Katie, I have some dumb questions 443 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:00,280 Speaker 1: about sperm whales. No, stop it. None of your sans 444 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 1: are ever dumb. Don't you don't you do that. Don't 445 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:06,280 Speaker 1: you ever say your questions are dumb because they're not. 446 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:08,560 Speaker 1: I don't want to hear it. I don't want any 447 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: of you tell them your questions are dumb because they're not. 448 00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:15,560 Speaker 1: They're never dumb, no dumb questions unless you're like, Hi, Katie, 449 00:31:15,600 --> 00:31:18,360 Speaker 1: should I continue to breathe air? Yeah, that would be 450 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:20,800 Speaker 1: a little bit dumb, And do please do that because 451 00:31:20,840 --> 00:31:23,960 Speaker 1: without air you can't live no more, So keep breathing air. 452 00:31:24,560 --> 00:31:27,120 Speaker 1: But otherwise, all your questions are not dumb. They're very 453 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:30,880 Speaker 1: good and I love them, so shut up. Okay, here's 454 00:31:30,880 --> 00:31:34,240 Speaker 1: the question. Why are sperm whales the largest thing deep 455 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:37,200 Speaker 1: in the ocean. I feel like, wouldn't fish inherently have 456 00:31:37,360 --> 00:31:40,080 Speaker 1: an advantage because they don't have to breathe? There is 457 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:42,800 Speaker 1: there something about mammals that makes them better at deep 458 00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:45,880 Speaker 1: sea stuff. Also, do you think that whales will eventually 459 00:31:45,880 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 1: evolve gills? When sperm whales come up for air, I 460 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:52,000 Speaker 1: assume it takes a few minutes. So when they decide 461 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:53,600 Speaker 1: to go up for air, are they timing it so 462 00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:56,080 Speaker 1: they can barely make it with enough air or are 463 00:31:56,120 --> 00:31:58,320 Speaker 1: they going whenever they have time? And this is from 464 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:01,720 Speaker 1: Frank W. This is a good question, Frank, not not 465 00:32:01,840 --> 00:32:03,760 Speaker 1: a dumb one. It's very good. I had to do 466 00:32:03,800 --> 00:32:07,560 Speaker 1: some research about it, so here we go. So, first 467 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:10,680 Speaker 1: of all, some fish do grow to be pretty big. 468 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: Not as big as a sperm whale, but pretty big. 469 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 1: Uh So, for example, the whale shark um. And what 470 00:32:19,000 --> 00:32:21,480 Speaker 1: you'll notice with the whale shark is it is not 471 00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:26,440 Speaker 1: an ambush predator like great whites or other predatory predatory sharks. 472 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:30,920 Speaker 1: Whale sharks feed on large amounts of small fish, filter feeding, 473 00:32:31,040 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 1: kind of like a baling whale. Despite the fact that 474 00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:38,600 Speaker 1: whale sharks and baling whales are completely different animals. Whale 475 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:43,520 Speaker 1: sharks are fish, uh, baling whales are mammals, but they 476 00:32:43,640 --> 00:32:48,600 Speaker 1: both filter feed. So in order to maintain a large size, 477 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:51,960 Speaker 1: I mean an incredibly large size, you need to have 478 00:32:52,080 --> 00:32:55,320 Speaker 1: plenty of nutrition and you need to outcompete other animals 479 00:32:55,360 --> 00:32:58,640 Speaker 1: who want that same food. So whale sharks have these 480 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,680 Speaker 1: huge mounts and they in a bunch of tiny fish 481 00:33:01,760 --> 00:33:05,520 Speaker 1: or plankton and filter out the water through specialized teeth. 482 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker 1: And in fact, the largest whales in the world are 483 00:33:08,960 --> 00:33:12,400 Speaker 1: actually not a toothed whale like the sperm whale, but 484 00:33:12,560 --> 00:33:16,760 Speaker 1: a baling whale like the blue whale, who also filter feeds. 485 00:33:16,800 --> 00:33:20,080 Speaker 1: So this feeding method is good for sucking in huge 486 00:33:20,120 --> 00:33:24,600 Speaker 1: amounts of nutrition. Even though each individual praise very tiny, 487 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:28,640 Speaker 1: they're taking advantage of a huge amount of nutrition that 488 00:33:28,680 --> 00:33:30,840 Speaker 1: exists in the ocean in the form of these little 489 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:35,600 Speaker 1: individual animals that have huge populations. So, but this does 490 00:33:35,640 --> 00:33:39,720 Speaker 1: not answer why whales generally speaking, uh tend to be 491 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,120 Speaker 1: larger than fish. And so it is actually the fact 492 00:33:43,120 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 1: that they're mammals because it is the fact that they 493 00:33:45,760 --> 00:33:49,520 Speaker 1: do breathe oxygen. So to explain we have to go 494 00:33:49,600 --> 00:33:52,760 Speaker 1: back to the Paleozoic a time when the earth was 495 00:33:52,960 --> 00:33:56,800 Speaker 1: covered in far more oxygen than it is today, dragon 496 00:33:56,880 --> 00:33:59,560 Speaker 1: flies could be the size of hawks. We had these 497 00:33:59,680 --> 00:34:02,920 Speaker 1: huge g insects that we don't have today. But as 498 00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:07,480 Speaker 1: oxygen in the atmosphere fell, insects got smaller because it 499 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:10,640 Speaker 1: was really hard for them to actually breathe and get 500 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:14,040 Speaker 1: in enough oxygen to maintain their bodies based on the 501 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:18,400 Speaker 1: way that they're breathing works through these like weird little spiricles. 502 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:22,960 Speaker 1: Birds also helped the existence of birds seemed to cut 503 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,920 Speaker 1: down on some of the larger, more slow, less agile insects, 504 00:34:26,960 --> 00:34:30,799 Speaker 1: but so did the lack of oxygen. So getting enough 505 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 1: oxygen to keep a large body alive is a limiting 506 00:34:34,640 --> 00:34:41,040 Speaker 1: factor to growth. So it's may seem that fish should 507 00:34:41,080 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 1: have an advantage, right they have guilts, they can breathe 508 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:45,680 Speaker 1: whenever they want in the water, but this is not 509 00:34:45,760 --> 00:34:51,880 Speaker 1: necessarily true. Extracting oxygen from water is harder than getting 510 00:34:51,880 --> 00:34:56,320 Speaker 1: oxygen from air. Even though whales need to surface every 511 00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,719 Speaker 1: so often to get oxygen, what they do suck in 512 00:34:59,760 --> 00:35:04,480 Speaker 1: every time, with their massive respiratory system and massive circulatory 513 00:35:04,520 --> 00:35:08,560 Speaker 1: system that can store that oxygen, is much more significant 514 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:11,600 Speaker 1: and much more efficient than what fish can get through 515 00:35:11,640 --> 00:35:16,680 Speaker 1: their gills. Basically, getting a deep breath of air every 516 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:21,240 Speaker 1: so often gets you more oxygen than constantly breathing with gills, 517 00:35:21,320 --> 00:35:24,960 Speaker 1: because breathing with gills is less efficient, and so whales 518 00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:28,880 Speaker 1: are able to get enough oxygen to grow to be gigantic. 519 00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:33,200 Speaker 1: And why would they want to get to be so 520 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 1: big if it means that they need more food and oxygen. 521 00:35:36,680 --> 00:35:40,960 Speaker 1: One of the reason is that whales are mammals. They 522 00:35:41,160 --> 00:35:46,000 Speaker 1: have to thermoregulate, and so they need to stay warm, 523 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:51,000 Speaker 1: and staying warm means more blubber and bigger sizes. Being 524 00:35:51,080 --> 00:35:54,239 Speaker 1: bigger also gives you a huge advantage of not being 525 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:58,080 Speaker 1: a victim to predators and for whales, being able to 526 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:01,080 Speaker 1: store a lot of oxygen in their bloodstream and not 527 00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:04,480 Speaker 1: having to surface as often. So dolphins are smaller, they 528 00:36:04,520 --> 00:36:07,000 Speaker 1: have to surface a lot more frequently than something like 529 00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:09,680 Speaker 1: a sperm whale or a blue whale, who can go 530 00:36:11,080 --> 00:36:16,640 Speaker 1: long periods of time underwater without having to surface. So 531 00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,759 Speaker 1: um as to whether they're sort of rushing back to 532 00:36:20,840 --> 00:36:23,120 Speaker 1: the surface whenever it's like, oh, I need I need 533 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:25,640 Speaker 1: to breathe, I better go up. I don't really know 534 00:36:25,880 --> 00:36:29,239 Speaker 1: the answer to this, but I looked into it, and 535 00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:33,520 Speaker 1: I think there's probably some wiggle room. Unlike our breathing, 536 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:37,440 Speaker 1: they have a much slower countdown clock, right, they have 537 00:36:37,680 --> 00:36:41,279 Speaker 1: so much blood carrying oxygen in their massive bodies. It 538 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:46,120 Speaker 1: provides them so much oxygen. So they usually surface at 539 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:51,600 Speaker 1: a rate of about ninety minutes between breath, so over 540 00:36:51,680 --> 00:36:56,279 Speaker 1: an hour of just chilling out in the ocean. This 541 00:36:56,400 --> 00:37:00,200 Speaker 1: is sperm whales. But some sperm whales have been voted 542 00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:04,600 Speaker 1: to last for almost a hundred and twenty minutes, so 543 00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:07,879 Speaker 1: I think that seems to indicate that they may have 544 00:37:07,920 --> 00:37:11,560 Speaker 1: an urge to come up and breathe well before they're 545 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:15,560 Speaker 1: going to run out of oxygen and die of oxygen deprivation, 546 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:18,480 Speaker 1: which would make sense because you know, if you run 547 00:37:18,520 --> 00:37:20,799 Speaker 1: into some obstacle. I don't know what would be an 548 00:37:20,800 --> 00:37:24,400 Speaker 1: obstacle for sperm whale. I don't know a tenacious giant squid. 549 00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:27,480 Speaker 1: That Well, here's the thing, giant squid don't actually attack 550 00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:30,919 Speaker 1: sperm whales. Sperm whales eat giant squid, and the only 551 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:33,279 Speaker 1: time they get attacked by giant squid is when giant 552 00:37:33,280 --> 00:37:38,680 Speaker 1: squid are defending themselves. So anyways, I uh. And as 553 00:37:38,680 --> 00:37:41,719 Speaker 1: to whether whales are ever gonna evolve gills. No, I 554 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:46,000 Speaker 1: don't think so unless there is some huge change in 555 00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:50,440 Speaker 1: the composition of the atmosphere, as if that will ever happen. Um. 556 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:53,759 Speaker 1: Because the thing is, gills are just less efficient than 557 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:58,240 Speaker 1: the whales ability to respire with air into their lungs 558 00:37:58,480 --> 00:38:01,839 Speaker 1: much more efficient. I don't think that they would be 559 00:38:01,840 --> 00:38:06,399 Speaker 1: better suited with gills. All right, So before we go, 560 00:38:07,360 --> 00:38:11,440 Speaker 1: one more listener question. Dear Katie. On a trip to 561 00:38:11,480 --> 00:38:14,840 Speaker 1: the Austrian Alps last month, I saw a diving beetle. 562 00:38:15,320 --> 00:38:18,040 Speaker 1: I had never seen it before outside of animal crossing, 563 00:38:18,280 --> 00:38:20,759 Speaker 1: so I was shocked to encounter this slightly creepy bath 564 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,640 Speaker 1: toy of a beetle in real life. I'm curious how 565 00:38:23,680 --> 00:38:26,080 Speaker 1: it breathes, Does it come up for air? How about 566 00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:29,359 Speaker 1: its larva? Do different insects have different respiratory systems? How 567 00:38:29,360 --> 00:38:33,239 Speaker 1: did diving beetles evolved to become paddling danger submarines. This 568 00:38:33,320 --> 00:38:36,799 Speaker 1: is from Meryl in the Netherlands, so yeah, this is 569 00:38:36,880 --> 00:38:38,799 Speaker 1: I'm just gonna do a real quick answer to this one, 570 00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:43,880 Speaker 1: but it's real interesting. Before they dive, diving beetles will 571 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:48,319 Speaker 1: get air bubbles trapped in their wing cases, so they 572 00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:52,440 Speaker 1: have a portable air system. It's especially interesting when you 573 00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:56,359 Speaker 1: consider that there is a theory that insect wings originally 574 00:38:56,400 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 1: evolved from gills from their ancestors. So maybe in the 575 00:39:01,040 --> 00:39:03,919 Speaker 1: case of the diving beetle, it could be that its 576 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:07,960 Speaker 1: wings were once skills and then they re evolved into 577 00:39:08,080 --> 00:39:11,920 Speaker 1: scuba gear. Evolution is crazy like that, you know, just 578 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:19,239 Speaker 1: likes to screw around, go on loop deloops. So, um, 579 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:23,160 Speaker 1: I think I might in terms of the mystery animal sound, 580 00:39:23,560 --> 00:39:28,759 Speaker 1: I might be kind of mean and replay you last 581 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:31,880 Speaker 1: week's mystery sound because nobody has gifts the right answer, 582 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:34,200 Speaker 1: So I kind of wanted to give you another chance 583 00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:37,080 Speaker 1: because this one, to me, it's one of my my 584 00:39:37,200 --> 00:39:41,600 Speaker 1: favorites because it's so shocking. Um. And so I'm going 585 00:39:41,640 --> 00:39:44,640 Speaker 1: to replay the sound and I'll give you an even 586 00:39:44,640 --> 00:39:48,960 Speaker 1: more detailed hint. First of all, kind of matching the 587 00:39:48,960 --> 00:39:52,000 Speaker 1: theme of these last two questions. The hint is, this 588 00:39:52,080 --> 00:39:58,760 Speaker 1: is under the water, and it is potentially someone trying 589 00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:02,600 Speaker 1: to find his damn Emazel in distress. So it's underwater 590 00:40:03,320 --> 00:40:07,080 Speaker 1: and he's trying to find his damsel and distress. Here 591 00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:14,279 Speaker 1: is the sound, all right, So it's not one shield wipers. 592 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 1: I'll give you that one a freebee. Um. But yeah, 593 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:20,440 Speaker 1: if you think you know the answer to it or 594 00:40:20,520 --> 00:40:24,280 Speaker 1: want to guess, uh, send me an email at Creature 595 00:40:24,320 --> 00:40:28,840 Speaker 1: Feature Pot at gmail dot com. Uh. You can also 596 00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:32,799 Speaker 1: write to me on Twitter at Creature feat Pod. That's 597 00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:39,560 Speaker 1: not feet. I'm also on instagramp. I'm also on Instagram 598 00:40:39,640 --> 00:40:43,560 Speaker 1: at Creature feature Pod. Uh. I am not as good 599 00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:46,520 Speaker 1: as checking the messages on Instagram, but I do try. 600 00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:50,440 Speaker 1: I try it, but the most reliable one is the 601 00:40:50,520 --> 00:40:53,279 Speaker 1: Gmail Creature Feature Pod at gmail dot com. But I 602 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:57,879 Speaker 1: will endeavor to check my Instagram more. Um. But thank 603 00:40:57,880 --> 00:41:00,839 Speaker 1: you guys so much for listening. Feel free to send 604 00:41:00,840 --> 00:41:03,360 Speaker 1: me in your questions. And the next time I do 605 00:41:03,440 --> 00:41:06,240 Speaker 1: one of these listener questions, hey, maybe I'll answer yours. 606 00:41:06,360 --> 00:41:09,440 Speaker 1: Maybe I'll answer it over email. Who knows? Who knows? 607 00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:13,160 Speaker 1: What will happen in this crazy world? Uh. If you're 608 00:41:13,239 --> 00:41:15,600 Speaker 1: liking this show and you leave a review, I'll read 609 00:41:15,680 --> 00:41:19,080 Speaker 1: it and the little it'll make my day. Um and 610 00:41:19,200 --> 00:41:22,280 Speaker 1: thanks so much to the Space Classics for their super 611 00:41:22,320 --> 00:41:25,560 Speaker 1: awesome song x Aluminate. Creature features a production of I 612 00:41:25,719 --> 00:41:29,279 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. For more podcasts like the one you just 613 00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:32,480 Speaker 1: heard is the I Heart Radio app Apple podcast? Or 614 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:35,480 Speaker 1: Hey guess what? Where have you listen to your favorite shows? 615 00:41:35,880 --> 00:41:39,080 Speaker 1: I don't judge you. See you next Wednesday.