1 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:10,880 Speaker 1: Welcome to Creature Future production of iHeartRadio. I'm your host 2 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:16,079 Speaker 1: of Many Parasites, Katie Golden. I studied psychology and evolutionary biology, 3 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:20,720 Speaker 1: and today on the show fresh watt as in what 4 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: the heck is in fresh water? Because folks, sometimes it's weird. 5 00:00:25,000 --> 00:00:27,480 Speaker 1: We are talking about some of the weirdest things that 6 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,400 Speaker 1: you would not expect to find in bodies of fresh water. 7 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: We all know the ocean is crazy in full of aliens, 8 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:39,080 Speaker 1: but in your local pond, in your marshlands, I don't 9 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,480 Speaker 1: think I would expect to find an alien, and yet 10 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:46,520 Speaker 1: there they are. Joining me today is my friend co 11 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:51,800 Speaker 1: founder of Small Beans, podcaster filmmaker abe E Person. Welcome. 12 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: We're gonna talk about weird stuff today. 13 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 2: Hey, Katie, thanks for bringing me on to your bog episode. 14 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 3: I know that it's the bog, you know, Like, I'm 15 00:01:03,040 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 3: just glad that. 16 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 2: We've gotten to this point in our relationship where you're 17 00:01:06,280 --> 00:01:12,720 Speaker 2: like still water, fresh water, ponds of scum. 18 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:16,479 Speaker 3: You know, that's a real kind of deal. I'm real 19 00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 3: excited right here. 20 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,120 Speaker 1: You bring a real stagnant energy that I need for 21 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: my bog episode. 22 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, you got it, and I'm here for it. Yeah, 23 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 2: because I'm a I'm a bog animal myself, you know. 24 00:01:29,120 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: I think that we should all be more appreciative of bogs. 25 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: They give us cool things like peat, moss and mummies, yes, 26 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:44,160 Speaker 1: and weird fish and weird animals. But yeah, we are 27 00:01:44,200 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: talking about because you know what, there is something like 28 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: primely spooky about water that is not it's it's fresh water, 29 00:01:53,040 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: but it's not so fast, right, It's like kind of 30 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: slow moving fresh water, like in marshes because there could 31 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: be anything in there, and it's usually slimy, and it's 32 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,600 Speaker 1: like it's got it's got kind of a witch vibe. 33 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: Witch talk. Are you listening, there's a witch talk. Yeah. 34 00:02:11,280 --> 00:02:14,760 Speaker 2: And it's also like the place in which we sometimes 35 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 2: get our water, which is necessary for our life and 36 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:23,040 Speaker 2: also produces one of the things that kills us the most, 37 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 2: like in mosquitoes, you know. So it's so it's this 38 00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,240 Speaker 2: thing that we just keep coming back to. I know 39 00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,920 Speaker 2: we're probably destined as everything on the earth is from 40 00:02:35,000 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 2: salt water. But it's like a it's it's it's a hoax. Really, 41 00:02:41,000 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 2: fresh water is a hoax. 42 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: Fresh Water is there's nothing fresh about it, folks. It's 43 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: full of little tiny pieces. 44 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:54,520 Speaker 2: Of Hey, is that an ocean? No, it's way tinier 45 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:56,440 Speaker 2: and doesn't taste like salt. 46 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 1: Yeah. So yeah, we are going to talk about some weird, wild, 47 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:06,280 Speaker 1: slimy stuff you can find in your very own body 48 00:03:06,280 --> 00:03:11,200 Speaker 1: of fresh water. So, if you've ever been, I don't know, 49 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: to a lake, maybe a lagoon, perhaps you have had 50 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:20,399 Speaker 1: the luck of seeing a lumpy, bloated alien looking mass. No, 51 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:25,320 Speaker 1: it's not me after eating chili. This is called a 52 00:03:25,520 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 1: fresh water briozoan. So have you ever seen? Aby sent 53 00:03:31,320 --> 00:03:33,519 Speaker 1: you some photos I'm looking. I hope you like it. 54 00:03:33,800 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 2: Thank you so much for sending these to me. 55 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:39,960 Speaker 1: You're You're welcome this. The first one is what I 56 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: would like you to draw your attention to. What are 57 00:03:41,760 --> 00:03:42,360 Speaker 1: you looking at? 58 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 2: Well, I'm looking in an egg from the movie Alien 59 00:03:46,840 --> 00:03:49,520 Speaker 2: that just a guy is holding in front of what 60 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 2: looks like a series of lily pads. That there's no 61 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 2: way that there isn't treasure inside that I want to 62 00:03:56,960 --> 00:03:57,520 Speaker 2: get in there. 63 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:01,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, crack it open, slurp. 64 00:04:01,280 --> 00:04:02,400 Speaker 3: It up, slurp it up. 65 00:04:02,400 --> 00:04:05,560 Speaker 2: It's probably full of goo and slime and stuff that's 66 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 2: just good for like nutrients, you know, stuff that's good for. 67 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: Me, Probably nutrients Okay. You know what's funny, abe is 68 00:04:13,040 --> 00:04:19,280 Speaker 1: that I have been struggling with a disease known as GIRD. 69 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:24,240 Speaker 1: Have you heard of Are you familiar with the calamity? 70 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,160 Speaker 1: That is god, not the specifics, but it is gastro 71 00:04:29,800 --> 00:04:40,279 Speaker 1: intestinal reflux wait, gastro gastro reflex esophageal disease. Anyways, it 72 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:43,680 Speaker 1: means I get heartburn like a lot and it sucks. 73 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: So I I asked, asked around to pharmacists give me 74 00:04:50,800 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: something for this, and I tried some some pills and 75 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 1: it didn't really do anything. So then a pharmacist is like, look, 76 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: what you gotta do is take this, take this box 77 00:05:00,880 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: of mysterious little packages of liquid and just you know, 78 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 1: just gunshot these. Shotgun just shotgun these. Every time you 79 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:17,680 Speaker 1: eat anything. It's like, okay, great. It is apparently sodium 80 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 1: alginate and it is a kind of goop that I 81 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 1: guess it is algae based, and they have sweetened it 82 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:27,960 Speaker 1: to make it kind of taste like cream soda, but 83 00:05:28,040 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: not quite because it mostly tastes like slime. And so 84 00:05:33,080 --> 00:05:39,359 Speaker 1: I have been learning how to imbibe this like almost 85 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:45,440 Speaker 1: cream soda tasting, but mostly like algae pond scum tasting thing. 86 00:05:47,839 --> 00:05:49,800 Speaker 1: I've got a little shot glass because at first I 87 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:51,640 Speaker 1: tried to just like go gurt it, you know, like 88 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 1: it came in a little package and she's like just 89 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: like put it direct, like squirt it directly in your mouth, 90 00:05:56,839 --> 00:05:59,599 Speaker 1: and it was obscene and I didn't like it. So 91 00:06:00,440 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 1: now I have a little shot glass full of my 92 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: pond scum and it is actually helping my tummy feel better. 93 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,200 Speaker 2: So so you got your little slimy peptobysmo that you take. 94 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, I've got I've got my little bog brow, my 95 00:06:12,839 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: little my little goblin drink that I drink every day. 96 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 2: Little packets of somehow I assume related to stories is 97 00:06:22,680 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 2: related to this organism. 98 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:28,880 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, it's it's not really other than it's gowy 99 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: and sliming. And you were reminding me of this because 100 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 1: we were talking about slurping this. 101 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,360 Speaker 2: Up up Nature's gusher. 102 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:40,039 Speaker 1: You know. It's it is like Nature's gusher. And you 103 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,080 Speaker 1: know the thing that I worry about is that now 104 00:06:42,120 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: I'm going to form this positive association with this pond scum, 105 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,760 Speaker 1: medical pond scum that I'm drinking because it makes my 106 00:06:49,800 --> 00:06:51,599 Speaker 1: tummy feel a lot better. So now I'm starting to 107 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:55,280 Speaker 1: look at slimy stuff from ponds and going like, maybe 108 00:06:55,279 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: I should just slurp that up. That is that might 109 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:57,880 Speaker 1: make me feel better. 110 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:01,680 Speaker 2: What a wonderful little caress. So what a cavalcade of 111 00:07:01,800 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 2: chaos life is? 112 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:07,880 Speaker 1: You know? Here we go from marinera sauce making my 113 00:07:07,920 --> 00:07:10,800 Speaker 1: tummy hurt to me wanting to eat a fresh water 114 00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: breazon and and. 115 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,160 Speaker 2: Now you're just a zombie. 116 00:07:15,360 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 1: I'm just now just gonna be a bog monster. So 117 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:20,800 Speaker 1: I was in Minnesota. Actually, I was walking with my 118 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: aunt in law and we saw this thing that looked 119 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: like an eggsack. I thought maybe it was like some 120 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:32,320 Speaker 1: kind of bloated dead frog, and so I went over 121 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,040 Speaker 1: and I poked it with a stick, and it was 122 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,920 Speaker 1: just like an orb, a lumpy orb. And I was like, well, 123 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: I mean, I didn't like try to poke it open 124 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,080 Speaker 1: in case an alien did come out and did like 125 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:49,440 Speaker 1: hump my face. I didn't want that to happen. So 126 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 1: I just like it seemed more or less hollow though, 127 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:54,360 Speaker 1: like a floating. 128 00:07:53,960 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 3: Balloon, like so Spongy had some kids. 129 00:07:58,000 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: I mean, it's yeah, it was like it was. It 130 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,400 Speaker 1: looked exactly like this this picture, and it it is 131 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:12,520 Speaker 1: like a brownish green, very lumpy texture. Uh and it yeah, 132 00:08:12,560 --> 00:08:15,400 Speaker 1: it's like a I don't know, it's like a flesh balloon, 133 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:20,000 Speaker 1: as slimy flesh balloon. And I was like, what, I'd 134 00:08:20,120 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: never seen anything like this before, So I started trying 135 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: to like googling things like like a slimy ball in 136 00:08:29,960 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: pont flush balloon. Most of these searches did not bring 137 00:08:34,040 --> 00:08:38,120 Speaker 1: me what I needed, but finally I found I found 138 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,599 Speaker 1: that this is Yeah, this is fresh water, a freshwater browzone, 139 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:46,640 Speaker 1: which is really really interesting because this is an animal, abe, right, Like. 140 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 2: This is organism. This isn't like the byproduct that like detaches. Yeah, 141 00:08:52,920 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 2: this is wonderful, Like this is this is so alien that, 142 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:03,839 Speaker 2: like I sometimes I look at Mother Nature and I go, 143 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:10,120 Speaker 2: what what great jokes you have? You know, I. 144 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: Will I will smoke what she's smoking exactly exact. 145 00:09:15,320 --> 00:09:18,000 Speaker 2: So what does it do? Like, I mean, I guess 146 00:09:18,040 --> 00:09:20,760 Speaker 2: that's a stupid question to ask for animals, what do 147 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 2: you do? 148 00:09:21,920 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: What do you do? 149 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:24,320 Speaker 2: But like, what's your deal? 150 00:09:24,600 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: What's what you're doing? 151 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:29,440 Speaker 2: What scammer? Are you running? 152 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:35,559 Speaker 1: I mean it passively sits there and absorbs nutrients and 153 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:39,480 Speaker 1: then that's pretty much it. Yeah, so it is actually 154 00:09:39,559 --> 00:09:43,400 Speaker 1: so what this is is actually a colony organism. So 155 00:09:43,559 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: I did say it's an animal, but maybe more accurate 156 00:09:47,080 --> 00:09:50,439 Speaker 1: it is to say that it is animals. This is animals. 157 00:09:51,320 --> 00:09:55,720 Speaker 1: It's a lot of tiny, uh like microscopic animals. It 158 00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:02,320 Speaker 1: is a it is a colony organism. So Briozoans actually 159 00:10:02,440 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 1: are a large phylum of colony invertebrates. So there's a 160 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: whole philum full of families and species of briozoans, and 161 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:14,760 Speaker 1: most of them actually live in marine environments and they 162 00:10:14,760 --> 00:10:16,880 Speaker 1: can look very different. They can actually be really pretty, 163 00:10:16,960 --> 00:10:20,800 Speaker 1: kind of have like this lacey, coral like appearance. But 164 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:26,080 Speaker 1: freshwater briozoans is bringing big bog energy because none of 165 00:10:26,080 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: them are really pretty. They are all just like big, bulbous, 166 00:10:30,960 --> 00:10:36,920 Speaker 1: gouey green slimeball, which I actually love. So the freshwater brizones, 167 00:10:36,920 --> 00:10:43,840 Speaker 1: also called phylactoalamatta, are found in lakes, ponds, lagoons, marshes, 168 00:10:43,880 --> 00:10:46,480 Speaker 1: and slow moving streams, and they are made up of 169 00:10:46,600 --> 00:10:50,520 Speaker 1: a bunch of zooids. So zooids are tiny animals that 170 00:10:50,640 --> 00:10:55,920 Speaker 1: form a larger organism. And so there is a specific 171 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:01,840 Speaker 1: species of freshwater briozone called the magnet eficent briozoon that 172 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:05,439 Speaker 1: you probably if you live in North America, you might 173 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: have actually seen in some of your fresh water areas 174 00:11:09,760 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: if you if you like me, enjoy a good a 175 00:11:13,280 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: good lake or a good bog. 176 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:25,079 Speaker 2: You just hanging around, Yeah, get a little hat, make 177 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:25,800 Speaker 2: a little hut. 178 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:29,280 Speaker 1: You know, this would make a fine hat. 179 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:35,200 Speaker 2: This is I did not know this existed. This is awesome. 180 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 3: I love that I didn't know. 181 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:38,880 Speaker 1: I you know, I have to admit I didn't know 182 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: this existed until like a few months ago when I 183 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:43,000 Speaker 1: saw it for the first time in my life. 184 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:44,679 Speaker 3: This is fascinating. 185 00:11:44,880 --> 00:11:48,439 Speaker 2: Not only does it look awesome, I mean like, if 186 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:52,199 Speaker 2: you're into which I assume your audience, there are a 187 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:54,199 Speaker 2: bunch of freaks who are just into. 188 00:11:53,960 --> 00:11:56,520 Speaker 3: Whatever animals you compliment. 189 00:11:56,679 --> 00:12:00,520 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, for sure, for sure, I love freaks. But 190 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:03,720 Speaker 2: I assume that they're just like, you know, like slip 191 00:12:03,800 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 2: down whatever you know. You're selling in terms of like 192 00:12:06,960 --> 00:12:09,559 Speaker 2: I got some animals, you know. 193 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:12,440 Speaker 1: My weird goo that makes you tell me feel better? 194 00:12:12,559 --> 00:12:14,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, ya, you're selling your wares. 195 00:12:14,720 --> 00:12:18,520 Speaker 2: And this is like this is not only unique in 196 00:12:18,679 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 2: like from in terms of like I I've never seen 197 00:12:21,520 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 2: anything like this, but also like it's just this passive animal. 198 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 2: Let me ask a question, and it's it's a part 199 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:35,400 Speaker 2: of what I was asking before of like what's what's 200 00:12:35,440 --> 00:12:41,280 Speaker 2: your deal? Do any does anything eat this naturally? Like 201 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:45,280 Speaker 2: how does this work in the larger eco system, because 202 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 2: like this is fascinating to just passively kind of develop 203 00:12:49,520 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 2: almost like a bacterium, you know, or something like that, 204 00:12:54,080 --> 00:12:55,880 Speaker 2: where it's just kind of like a part of the 205 00:12:55,960 --> 00:12:59,120 Speaker 2: scum that just you know, from our perspective when we 206 00:12:59,160 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 2: look at like stuck water, you know, like animals, we're 207 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 2: just like, well, that's just gonna exist and that that's 208 00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:10,040 Speaker 2: that's a good story for that, good for that, you know. Yeah, 209 00:13:10,080 --> 00:13:12,800 Speaker 2: but like this has got to be a vital part 210 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:15,320 Speaker 2: of someone's life, right, yeah. 211 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:19,079 Speaker 1: I mean it's interesting because the purpose of this kind 212 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,080 Speaker 1: of colony structures it makes it less likely that they're 213 00:13:22,120 --> 00:13:24,960 Speaker 1: going to get eaten when they are individual zooids and 214 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:28,120 Speaker 1: they do actually have like a free swimming stage where 215 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 1: there can be like this little individual very very tiny 216 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:35,959 Speaker 1: almost like a zooplankton, and it can swim around and 217 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:39,120 Speaker 1: that is like ripe for the picken for like eating. 218 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:41,960 Speaker 1: And so what happens with that is it will start 219 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: to reproduce, so they can do both sexual and asexual reproduction. 220 00:13:48,320 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 2: Nailing it. 221 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, So like the sexual reproduction they do every so 222 00:13:52,520 --> 00:13:55,560 Speaker 1: often and that allows them to you know, kind of 223 00:13:56,000 --> 00:14:00,400 Speaker 1: judge up their gene pool and then like but often 224 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:04,160 Speaker 1: most most of the time, they do asexual reproduction by buttings, 225 00:14:04,200 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: so they just like make duplicates of themselves. So you'll 226 00:14:06,920 --> 00:14:09,000 Speaker 1: have this like free floating zooid, and then it starts 227 00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:12,160 Speaker 1: to reproduce by butting, and it creates like these like 228 00:14:12,240 --> 00:14:15,280 Speaker 1: little clusters, and then you get you reach sort of 229 00:14:15,280 --> 00:14:17,480 Speaker 1: a point in which these little clusters are able to 230 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:22,160 Speaker 1: start forming a larger and larger, more stable sphere. Sometimes 231 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:24,360 Speaker 1: it's not like a perfect sphere. Sometimes it's kind of 232 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 1: like slug shaped. But usually they form these like balls. 233 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: And each ball, like each of those like lumps on 234 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,880 Speaker 1: the ball is like it's called a rosette, which is 235 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: a much prettier name for what it looks like. Yeah, 236 00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:41,080 Speaker 1: but each of those like contains a bunch of these zuoids, 237 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,280 Speaker 1: and what they basically what each zuoid is is like 238 00:14:44,760 --> 00:14:47,640 Speaker 1: it has it's like kind of like a doughnut shape 239 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 1: or oval shape with like a single opening that is 240 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,480 Speaker 1: its mouth butt it's both the mouth and the butt, 241 00:14:56,280 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: like yeah, like a chloaca, but for yeah, yeah, it's 242 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,800 Speaker 1: one hole that does it all. And then it like 243 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 1: is surrounded and cilia, which are like these kind of 244 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:12,000 Speaker 1: like eyelash like hairs that will help push food into 245 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: the mouth butt, and then on the other end of 246 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,280 Speaker 1: the zooid, it actually excretes kind of a gelatinous goo 247 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:22,880 Speaker 1: like inwards, which helps strengthen the blob. And so at 248 00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:26,840 Speaker 1: a certain point the texture of this blob. I'm sure 249 00:15:26,880 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 1: there are some animals that do try to eat it, 250 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: but I think once it reaches a certain size, it's 251 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:34,160 Speaker 1: just too gooey and slimy to really be that palatable. 252 00:15:34,840 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 1: And so it's just floating there with all of these 253 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:44,120 Speaker 1: individual zooids, just like passively slurping stuff up, and it 254 00:15:44,240 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 1: just lives its best blob life. That is. 255 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 2: So wonderful, just this mucous ridden blob that just kind 256 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:58,800 Speaker 2: of sits there, and that's its life. 257 00:15:58,480 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: To me when I have it, That's that's exactly my life. 258 00:16:01,280 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 1: When I have allergies, I'm just a mucus blob that 259 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: sits there. 260 00:16:04,720 --> 00:16:06,160 Speaker 3: That's me when I'm angry. 261 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:11,200 Speaker 2: Am I right? No, It's like geez, what a what 262 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 2: a fun little I I am in awe of this, 263 00:16:15,840 --> 00:16:19,880 Speaker 2: like this is I have a great amount of compassion 264 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 2: for dumb like configurations of animals, Like it's it's always 265 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 2: brought me joy in my. 266 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:29,760 Speaker 1: Life, Like that's why you're friends with me. 267 00:16:30,080 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, no, yeah, I've like as soon as I saw 268 00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:38,080 Speaker 2: you the first time in the writer's room, I was like, hey, 269 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 2: look at that dumb animal. Me and her are gonna 270 00:16:42,280 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 2: have a great time talking about blobs. Thank you for 271 00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:51,600 Speaker 2: bringing this blob to me. I am so I'm so fascinated. 272 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:55,040 Speaker 2: I mean, I'm not going to really research this later. 273 00:16:55,200 --> 00:16:58,960 Speaker 2: Like this does like I love that. My engagement with 274 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,640 Speaker 2: this is like happy to know it exists, but also 275 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,520 Speaker 2: just like its own life, where it's like kind of 276 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 2: worthless and just there for the ride of you know, life. 277 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 2: It's just like, hey, we're. 278 00:17:12,359 --> 00:17:16,520 Speaker 1: All soo here because it's filter feeding. It is actually 279 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:19,879 Speaker 1: good for the aquatic environment, Like it does help with 280 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:23,600 Speaker 1: the ecosystem because it's like filtering stuff out right the water. 281 00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:26,000 Speaker 1: It helps you know there, it is helps clean, helps 282 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 1: filter things, and it is like I there's actually not 283 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:34,119 Speaker 1: like a huge plethora of like information on this thing, 284 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,360 Speaker 1: which I find even more intriguing. I love that it's 285 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:39,119 Speaker 1: like a mysterious blob, but I've also read. 286 00:17:41,119 --> 00:17:45,360 Speaker 2: No grad student is like this is my sorry, I'm 287 00:17:45,359 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 2: not sure if it. 288 00:17:46,240 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: Should that's okay, but like it's uh, it's I I 289 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:54,800 Speaker 1: really think it is. It is cool, though there should 290 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: be more research on it, but it is also fun 291 00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:58,480 Speaker 1: for it just to be kind of a mystery blob 292 00:17:58,520 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: of like I don't just kind of there, but you know, 293 00:18:01,320 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 1: it does. It does serve a purpose and apparently also 294 00:18:05,400 --> 00:18:07,600 Speaker 1: like if you see them in your pond or something, 295 00:18:07,600 --> 00:18:10,240 Speaker 1: it's a sign of a healthy ecosystem to have these. 296 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,119 Speaker 1: So this is like a good thing. Yeah, I kind 297 00:18:12,119 --> 00:18:14,440 Speaker 1: of look like tumors, but they are actually a good 298 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:18,399 Speaker 1: thing to have in your water system. 299 00:18:18,600 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 2: Yeah, the bulbous mass, the fact, the idea that there's 300 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:28,679 Speaker 2: like there's a lot of bumps, you know, that's what 301 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,560 Speaker 2: That's why I reacted initially of like this is an 302 00:18:31,560 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 2: alien egg and there's gonna be a face. It really 303 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 2: does get out of it and you know, infects me 304 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:44,919 Speaker 2: with xena zeno phobes or whatever they're called xenomorphs that 305 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:50,960 Speaker 2: are going to destroy my digestive tract. But but it's 306 00:18:51,080 --> 00:18:55,719 Speaker 2: just really it's just really there, isn't it? And like 307 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:56,919 Speaker 2: what if? So? 308 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 3: I know it's full of goo more or less, it's squishy. 309 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:04,680 Speaker 1: Somewhat hollow, but also there's goo in there. 310 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:09,080 Speaker 2: Yeah. I do feel like there's a part of me, 311 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:13,080 Speaker 2: like a caveman brain that like wants to pop it 312 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:16,359 Speaker 2: and then throw it on a stove and see like 313 00:19:16,760 --> 00:19:18,879 Speaker 2: what it tastes like. Is that wrong? 314 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:19,320 Speaker 1: Yeah? 315 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:19,960 Speaker 2: Is that bad? 316 00:19:20,040 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 1: No, it's not wrong. I don't know that it would, 317 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,640 Speaker 1: you know. I did not like try to find out 318 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:28,959 Speaker 1: what it tastes like, either in real life or on 319 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:31,840 Speaker 1: the internet. I don't know that anyone else has tried 320 00:19:31,880 --> 00:19:34,040 Speaker 1: to eat it. I would not suggest it, given that 321 00:19:34,119 --> 00:19:36,400 Speaker 1: it probably is not good for you. But it does 322 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:38,880 Speaker 1: make me, you know, I also have that curiosity because 323 00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:41,800 Speaker 1: it's like, is this gonna cure my tummy problems? 324 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,760 Speaker 2: Is it flesh? Because it's like flesh? Yeah, you know, 325 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,280 Speaker 2: it's not like a fish. I get that it's pond 326 00:19:48,359 --> 00:19:53,520 Speaker 2: scum that has organized in a slightly more complex, you know, man. 327 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:54,760 Speaker 1: Immunized pond scum. 328 00:19:54,840 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 2: Yes, but like it's actually got like some turgid aspect 329 00:19:58,480 --> 00:19:59,280 Speaker 2: to it. 330 00:19:59,280 --> 00:20:01,320 Speaker 1: It kind of looks it's like a weird avocado. 331 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 3: So that's kind of skin. And if skin's in the game, 332 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 3: I might want to put it in my mind. 333 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:12,520 Speaker 1: Yeah maybe, Well, you know, I just get out there, 334 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,679 Speaker 1: find one of these things and give it a little nibble. 335 00:20:16,160 --> 00:20:20,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, like don't hurt it, but just like no, 336 00:20:21,080 --> 00:20:24,680 Speaker 2: you know, tell that you're around and I see you 337 00:20:25,840 --> 00:20:29,640 Speaker 2: as uh, I see. 338 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:32,680 Speaker 1: You, I hear you, and maybe I taste you. Don't 339 00:20:32,680 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 1: taste these. I don't know if it'll kill you. 340 00:20:35,680 --> 00:20:38,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, I doubt it won't. 341 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:42,040 Speaker 1: I suspect you could just get sick in the same 342 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: way that you would get sick if you drink pond water. 343 00:20:44,480 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 2: Right, It's it's just sopping with whatever bacteria it exists. 344 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:56,160 Speaker 1: Yeah, there's, yes, exactly. But we are going to take 345 00:20:56,200 --> 00:20:59,919 Speaker 1: a brief break while I, uh, you know, drink so 346 00:21:00,119 --> 00:21:05,040 Speaker 1: more of my your go, and when we get back, 347 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:08,480 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about another amazing couple of freshwater 348 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 1: finds who are regal and incredible and definitely not done 349 00:21:15,359 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: looking at all. The beer back all right, So we 350 00:21:22,359 --> 00:21:26,080 Speaker 1: are back, and now we're going to talk about something 351 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:34,439 Speaker 1: called the meatcong giant catfish. Oh yeah, I shared some 352 00:21:34,480 --> 00:21:35,320 Speaker 1: photos of it with you. 353 00:21:36,119 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 2: I did not. 354 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:38,480 Speaker 3: I didn't exist in the South. 355 00:21:38,640 --> 00:21:43,959 Speaker 2: I'm a Californian boy, so I don't know anything about catfish. 356 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:48,199 Speaker 2: I've never really eaten catfish, which is most of my 357 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 2: relation to this podcast is eating Have I eaten? 358 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 3: Have I eaten it? And what does it taste like? 359 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:56,440 Speaker 3: But tell me about this catfish. 360 00:21:56,520 --> 00:21:57,280 Speaker 2: I'm excited. 361 00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:02,000 Speaker 1: So this is a one of the biggest freshwater fish 362 00:22:02,320 --> 00:22:05,160 Speaker 1: UH in the world and also one of the weirdest 363 00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: looking ones uh. It is found in the mid Kong 364 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:13,040 Speaker 1: Basin in Southeast Asia, and they can grow to be 365 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 1: nearly ten feet long, which is three meters, and they 366 00:22:18,040 --> 00:22:21,640 Speaker 1: can weigh up to six hundred and fifty pounds around 367 00:22:21,720 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 1: two hundred kilograms. So it sounds terrifying, right, like giant 368 00:22:26,640 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: catfish taller than a full grown man. But then look 369 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:32,639 Speaker 1: at its face. Abe, I want you to look at 370 00:22:32,680 --> 00:22:33,160 Speaker 1: its face. 371 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:36,720 Speaker 2: It's such a pudgy little like. Ah, it looks like 372 00:22:36,760 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 2: you got smushed. It's like this is the boxer of fishes. 373 00:22:41,720 --> 00:22:44,119 Speaker 1: He's like a little ding dong. Yeah, like the dog. 374 00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:46,240 Speaker 1: It's like a pug or a boxer. Yeah. 375 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:48,440 Speaker 2: Like yeah, it's like face has been squashed. 376 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:52,680 Speaker 1: Its face is a little dinga space. I love it. 377 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:56,680 Speaker 3: And its eyes are so low it's are wild. 378 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,440 Speaker 1: So his eyes are first of all, very wide set 379 00:23:00,480 --> 00:23:03,280 Speaker 1: eyes on the opposite ends of its head, but then 380 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:07,120 Speaker 1: also very low set, so they're almost like underneath it. 381 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:12,360 Speaker 1: They're like yeah, And so it looks it does look 382 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:18,359 Speaker 1: like a droopy a droopy dog, like the wire exactly. 383 00:23:18,640 --> 00:23:22,320 Speaker 2: I'm this is one of the cutest things I've ever seen. 384 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:26,440 Speaker 2: It's I love you, I love you. 385 00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:30,840 Speaker 1: And it's like kind of big but also downturned. It's 386 00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:34,360 Speaker 1: just like, yeah, it's like the droopiest looking like. 387 00:23:36,760 --> 00:23:42,520 Speaker 2: Dog. You O, man, imagine if imagine if this is 388 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 2: your predator, imagine you're hitting by this. That's just a 389 00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:49,639 Speaker 2: reality check for whatever you know is. 390 00:23:51,359 --> 00:23:54,719 Speaker 1: I assume I know. This is the thing that is 391 00:23:54,760 --> 00:23:58,679 Speaker 1: really cute about them is that they don't have any teeth, 392 00:23:59,000 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: so they. 393 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:03,920 Speaker 2: Are they got all their teeth knocked out from all 394 00:24:03,960 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 2: the fox that they do. 395 00:24:07,600 --> 00:24:11,919 Speaker 1: Like gum. 396 00:24:12,680 --> 00:24:17,080 Speaker 2: So these are also like you in that they they 397 00:24:17,160 --> 00:24:18,640 Speaker 2: have to eat go gurt tubes. 398 00:24:18,800 --> 00:24:21,879 Speaker 1: They do have to slurp up algae. It keeps coming 399 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:27,600 Speaker 1: back to my my, my new sodium alginate go GURTs. 400 00:24:28,720 --> 00:24:33,160 Speaker 1: They slurp algae from rocks and other surfaces with their big, dumb, 401 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:38,199 Speaker 1: toothless mouths uh. And that's how it's just they're so 402 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:46,320 Speaker 1: what an existence, right, You're huge problem, possibly the largest 403 00:24:46,359 --> 00:24:50,560 Speaker 1: fresh water fish out there, and you're just slurping up 404 00:24:50,600 --> 00:24:54,479 Speaker 1: pond scum with your dumb mouth and your eyes that 405 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:56,439 Speaker 1: are like sagging down. 406 00:24:57,520 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 2: Like I love it's so much you might think, yeah, 407 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:08,760 Speaker 2: and you and you become giant. Yeah, that's that's the 408 00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,640 Speaker 2: best part too, is that, like I want I want 409 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 2: to get a bunch of them and put them in 410 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:17,560 Speaker 2: my bed and to sleep on them. 411 00:25:17,840 --> 00:25:18,320 Speaker 1: I know. 412 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:20,359 Speaker 3: It's they're very cute. 413 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:23,120 Speaker 1: They would make a cute like body pillow. 414 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:28,040 Speaker 3: You know exactly. And they're enormous. They're I love that, 415 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,240 Speaker 3: Like just like the pond. 416 00:25:31,400 --> 00:25:34,560 Speaker 2: There's one photo that you sent me of a bunch 417 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:38,919 Speaker 2: of gentlemen holding it and the pond that. 418 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:43,320 Speaker 3: There's in is like waist high. Yeah. 419 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:46,679 Speaker 2: So if I'm to understand exactly what's going on in 420 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:54,120 Speaker 2: this photo, they assumably found that thing that shark inside 421 00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:57,400 Speaker 2: whatever body of water they're in. Yeah, I'm sure it's 422 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,040 Speaker 2: a lake or something like that, and I'm obscured, but 423 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:04,000 Speaker 2: it just feels wrong, like it feels like something that 424 00:26:04,200 --> 00:26:08,359 Speaker 2: large should not exist in a body of water that 425 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:13,320 Speaker 2: is only like you waist high, right, Yeah, like that's 426 00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:17,479 Speaker 2: what's like. Big fishes like whales and sharks exist in 427 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:20,640 Speaker 2: you know, the. 428 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:23,520 Speaker 1: Totality of depths of the ocean. Yeah, but this is 429 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:28,760 Speaker 1: just in sort of like slow moving rivers, lakes, you. 430 00:26:28,640 --> 00:26:31,600 Speaker 3: Know, so it just gets tired. It doesn't like to 431 00:26:31,680 --> 00:26:32,359 Speaker 3: move a lot. 432 00:26:32,840 --> 00:26:33,439 Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what. 433 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,719 Speaker 2: That's another thing I love about it is it's just 434 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,240 Speaker 2: like I'm just what's that I'm going to suck on 435 00:26:40,359 --> 00:26:40,920 Speaker 2: that rock? 436 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:45,480 Speaker 1: Yeah? Right, it was around sucking on rocks and getting 437 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:48,760 Speaker 1: picked up by people trying to take photos. They grow 438 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:52,960 Speaker 1: really fast though. They actually can grow over seventy pounds 439 00:26:53,080 --> 00:26:57,360 Speaker 1: or thirty kilograms per year. Whoa, and they can live 440 00:26:57,440 --> 00:26:59,399 Speaker 1: to be over fifty years old. 441 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 2: Ash so awesome. 442 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: It's really sad though, because they are critically endangered because 443 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 1: of the habitat loss overfishing. It's illegal now to fish them. 444 00:27:10,080 --> 00:27:14,000 Speaker 1: But also just look like I can't imagine. Maybe I 445 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,320 Speaker 1: guess like if I have to feed my family, but 446 00:27:16,359 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 1: I'd feel so bad looking at that face, being like 447 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:21,480 Speaker 1: all right, I gotta kill you know me? 448 00:27:22,240 --> 00:27:22,680 Speaker 2: You're good? 449 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:27,680 Speaker 1: You can feel me. You just like so sad. 450 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 2: It's just, you know, the boon of lazy fishermen everywhere. 451 00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:36,480 Speaker 2: I know you could probably just like it feels like 452 00:27:36,480 --> 00:27:39,840 Speaker 2: a fish that is moving so slowly that you can 453 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:42,919 Speaker 2: just grab it, Like you don't need a tool to 454 00:27:43,160 --> 00:27:47,200 Speaker 2: kill this thing, which that makes that makes some sense 455 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:51,600 Speaker 2: of why it's endangered. It saddens me greatly because I 456 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,600 Speaker 2: wonder what a wonderful existence just kind of slurping around 457 00:27:56,920 --> 00:28:01,120 Speaker 2: like a big dumb dumb dummy. I love you. I'm 458 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 2: in love with this little low eyed it's just drag. 459 00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:09,879 Speaker 1: Its face is incredible. I do have it in this 460 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:12,920 Speaker 1: show notes it's face or if you want to google 461 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:18,480 Speaker 1: a may Kung giant catfish. The face is. It's very photogenic. 462 00:28:18,840 --> 00:28:21,600 Speaker 2: It's like what if what if your forehead was a mouth? 463 00:28:23,320 --> 00:28:25,960 Speaker 1: The thing is if you flip the face. Actually, it 464 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:29,879 Speaker 1: makes more sense if you like rote. I'm actually gonna 465 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:32,639 Speaker 1: do that for myself. I'm going to rotate it. If 466 00:28:32,680 --> 00:28:38,400 Speaker 1: I can't, d oh, it looks like it's smiling upside down. 467 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:41,760 Speaker 1: Wait in your document. I'm going to rotate this for you. 468 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:44,840 Speaker 1: Hang on, please, it's the bottom one with the like 469 00:28:45,280 --> 00:28:48,480 Speaker 1: National Geographic logo on it. Don't tell me. I just 470 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 1: flipped that around, like look at it. 471 00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:51,280 Speaker 2: Hit me. 472 00:28:52,880 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 1: It looks like it makes more sense now. It's like 473 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: like the eye looks more normally play. 474 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:04,840 Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, exactly. Like I know we're not here to 475 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:09,400 Speaker 2: pass judgment on Mother Nature and her concoctions, but like 476 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:15,120 Speaker 2: I'm in between, like you really screwed up Mother Nature. 477 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 2: And also no notes, you know, like I love the 478 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 2: diversity that you create, but like you really fumbled this one. 479 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 2: You really got it backward for no reason I love. 480 00:29:29,760 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: I couldn't find like a specific reason why it's eyes 481 00:29:32,840 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: are like that. I would assume though, because it just 482 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:38,920 Speaker 1: slurps the algae that it's just like look down for 483 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:39,480 Speaker 1: the algae. 484 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:40,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, that makes sense. 485 00:29:41,480 --> 00:29:45,160 Speaker 2: It's like almost all stimulaly, you know, like eyes and 486 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 2: you know, like silly as you mentioned earlier, and just 487 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:53,680 Speaker 2: like it's always just reaching like trees reach for the sun. 488 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:55,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's always just. 489 00:29:57,720 --> 00:30:00,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, nutrition, nutritive goo. 490 00:30:01,880 --> 00:30:02,880 Speaker 2: It's fascinating. 491 00:30:03,120 --> 00:30:05,240 Speaker 1: Now on to our other big boy. Like this is 492 00:30:05,280 --> 00:30:11,400 Speaker 1: the other largest freshwater fish. It is the giant freshwater stingray. 493 00:30:12,640 --> 00:30:15,680 Speaker 1: It is actually the largest stingray in the world. And 494 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:18,880 Speaker 1: it's just like hanging out and hiding around in fresh water. 495 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:22,760 Speaker 1: It is It certainly has the largest diameter of any 496 00:30:22,800 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: freshwater fish. It is found in Southeast Asia. They are 497 00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:31,160 Speaker 1: related to marine rays. But yeah, these are huge. They 498 00:30:31,200 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: grow over seven feet in diameter, which is over two meters, 499 00:30:36,040 --> 00:30:38,960 Speaker 1: and they can weigh over six hundred and fifty pounds, 500 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 1: which is around three hundred kilograms. Yeah, it's huge. 501 00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 3: Get out, Get out of fresh water. Yeah, get in 502 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:47,680 Speaker 3: the ocean. 503 00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:52,560 Speaker 2: What are you doing like to me like that, this 504 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 2: is way too big to exist, Like like this is 505 00:30:56,720 --> 00:31:00,120 Speaker 2: in rivers, I assume, yeah, yeah, this is like and 506 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:04,040 Speaker 2: fresh Amazon or you know this is actually so this 507 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:07,040 Speaker 2: is found in Southeast Asia, so not in them, yeah, 508 00:31:07,080 --> 00:31:08,280 Speaker 2: but in like in. 509 00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:12,200 Speaker 1: Like rivers, slow moving rivers and like lakes. Uh, and 510 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:16,200 Speaker 1: so yeah it is uh. It actually looks like like 511 00:31:16,240 --> 00:31:18,080 Speaker 1: it's kind of brown, so it kind of looks like 512 00:31:18,120 --> 00:31:19,960 Speaker 1: a giant alien pancake. 513 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:26,680 Speaker 2: It's the the photo that you have is terrifying because like, so, 514 00:31:27,240 --> 00:31:31,160 Speaker 2: you know, let's break down the biology. I understand exactly 515 00:31:31,160 --> 00:31:33,800 Speaker 2: what's going on in every part of this organism. It's 516 00:31:33,840 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 2: got the fan part, you know, like sting ray, you know, 517 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:42,040 Speaker 2: get the floppy bits but then there's a center mass 518 00:31:42,640 --> 00:31:49,680 Speaker 2: that is basically a torso like a human torso it 519 00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:51,400 Speaker 2: looks like kind of ribsolved. 520 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:54,880 Speaker 1: It does kind of look like a pancake, a monster pancake, 521 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 1: like eight a human and like digested it. And then 522 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,160 Speaker 1: there's just like a human like rib cage in there 523 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:06,840 Speaker 1: that's like actually the top part of the the the array, 524 00:32:07,160 --> 00:32:10,240 Speaker 1: and it's like there that may those like lines may 525 00:32:10,280 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 1: actually be some bones because these are bony fish and uh, 526 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,480 Speaker 1: but yeah, the underside is where you would find like 527 00:32:19,520 --> 00:32:24,200 Speaker 1: its mouth and stuff like it's it actually has like 528 00:32:24,280 --> 00:32:28,600 Speaker 1: near its mouth and electroreceptor kind of area where it 529 00:32:28,640 --> 00:32:33,080 Speaker 1: can detect the electrical signals of its prey, which would 530 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:37,640 Speaker 1: be like fresh water crustaceans and stuff. So it is 531 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:41,840 Speaker 1: it is very strange, very very strange animal. It's covered 532 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:46,280 Speaker 1: in mucous so we've got another slime boy on our hands. 533 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:50,320 Speaker 1: This is a very slimy episode. And they also have 534 00:32:50,520 --> 00:32:53,640 Speaker 1: they are a sting ray, so they do have a 535 00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:58,040 Speaker 1: fifteen inch toxic stinger that is strong enough and media 536 00:32:58,160 --> 00:33:03,880 Speaker 1: enough to punch through human bone, human bone, human bone. 537 00:33:03,920 --> 00:33:05,640 Speaker 1: It can pierce your bones. 538 00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,640 Speaker 3: What is that for? What are you taken down? 539 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:09,360 Speaker 2: Buddy. 540 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:13,640 Speaker 1: It is defensive, but also to take down it's prey 541 00:33:13,960 --> 00:33:18,280 Speaker 1: like freshwater crabs, and it is it seems. 542 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:22,400 Speaker 2: Like overkill for freshwater crabs. I'm sorry, perhaps a little bit. 543 00:33:22,680 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 1: But you know what is interesting is that apparently they 544 00:33:26,800 --> 00:33:29,400 Speaker 1: are not very aggressive. So even though they have a 545 00:33:29,440 --> 00:33:33,680 Speaker 1: stinger that could probably just skewer us, right, I think 546 00:33:33,720 --> 00:33:36,960 Speaker 1: it could just impale a person. I don't think. I 547 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,200 Speaker 1: don't think they're known to really do that because they're 548 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:42,760 Speaker 1: pretty chill. They don't really want to mess with us. 549 00:33:42,840 --> 00:33:49,160 Speaker 1: They're like politely inquisitive apparently, which is really cute. They are. 550 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:52,520 Speaker 1: Sometimes fishermen do go after them, and if they do, 551 00:33:52,680 --> 00:33:54,920 Speaker 1: like hook one of these, then they will fight back. 552 00:33:55,080 --> 00:33:58,360 Speaker 1: And it's wild because they're so big they can pull 553 00:33:58,440 --> 00:34:03,440 Speaker 1: like a small fishing boat under water, which just sounds like, 554 00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:08,239 Speaker 1: why would you tussle with this giant murder pancake that 555 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:12,600 Speaker 1: can like drag you into this murkt absolutely like sediment 556 00:34:12,680 --> 00:34:15,200 Speaker 1: filled water. That is like my worst nightmare. 557 00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:20,680 Speaker 2: I I am like in awe that a part of 558 00:34:20,680 --> 00:34:23,960 Speaker 2: its process isn't to just envelope you like a bruto 559 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:27,960 Speaker 2: and just be like and that's it. 560 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:29,799 Speaker 1: Kind of yeah, it does look kind of like the 561 00:34:29,840 --> 00:34:33,040 Speaker 1: alien from Nope, right, like just like a big murder 562 00:34:33,080 --> 00:34:34,960 Speaker 1: pancake sky whale. 563 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:41,319 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's like this flat. It's again amazing way to 564 00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,080 Speaker 2: go fresh water. I did not think that you packed 565 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:49,759 Speaker 2: so many, you know, like demons. Yeah, frankly, this is 566 00:34:49,840 --> 00:34:50,320 Speaker 2: a demon. 567 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:52,439 Speaker 1: I do kind of want to like lie on top 568 00:34:52,480 --> 00:34:54,480 Speaker 1: of it, like use it as sort of just like 569 00:34:54,520 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 1: a cushion. 570 00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:59,600 Speaker 2: I mean, yeah, it's another body pillow. 571 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:00,640 Speaker 1: Little Yeah. 572 00:35:00,719 --> 00:35:00,919 Speaker 2: Right. 573 00:35:01,320 --> 00:35:04,040 Speaker 1: We have a lot of like nap friendly animals on 574 00:35:04,080 --> 00:35:07,840 Speaker 1: this episode, like the giant catfish that's like a body pillow, 575 00:35:08,440 --> 00:35:11,920 Speaker 1: the Brozone Briozon, which is kind of like I feel 576 00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:13,880 Speaker 1: like I could rest my head on that. It's like 577 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:18,080 Speaker 1: an air airplane. Nice airplane pillow. This one like sort 578 00:35:18,120 --> 00:35:20,120 Speaker 1: of a yoga around Matt. 579 00:35:20,480 --> 00:35:23,279 Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like I wrap myself in it as 580 00:35:23,280 --> 00:35:26,480 Speaker 2: long as I had control, because it feels too muscly. 581 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:28,359 Speaker 2: I mean, obviously it's a fish. 582 00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:30,800 Speaker 1: Yeah. I think it would defend itself if it felt 583 00:35:30,840 --> 00:35:34,440 Speaker 1: like you were like doing something and didn't like And 584 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,160 Speaker 1: it does have that fifteen inch long toxic stinger that 585 00:35:38,239 --> 00:35:41,280 Speaker 1: I did mention that can punch through bones. So maybe 586 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:44,520 Speaker 1: not a great idea. Maybe not a great idea. 587 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:46,880 Speaker 2: But I feel like this is like you said that, 588 00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 2: they're not really that uh you know, aggressive aggressive, So 589 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:54,960 Speaker 2: like I feel like this is a familiar in a 590 00:35:55,040 --> 00:35:56,160 Speaker 2: D and D campaign. 591 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:58,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe we could be friends. 592 00:35:58,360 --> 00:36:01,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, I feel like I'm like me and you. I'll 593 00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:07,080 Speaker 2: feed you some something. And you're obviously a spawn from Satan, 594 00:36:07,560 --> 00:36:10,080 Speaker 2: but that's fine. You and me are going to be 595 00:36:10,080 --> 00:36:13,120 Speaker 2: best pals, and I'm gonna use you as a blanket 596 00:36:13,440 --> 00:36:17,000 Speaker 2: and also hug you in your terrifying rib cage. 597 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:20,480 Speaker 1: That's so sweet. We're going to take a quick break 598 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:22,440 Speaker 1: and when we get back, we're going to talk about 599 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:25,799 Speaker 1: one more very weird animal that you can find in 600 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:26,640 Speaker 1: fresh water. 601 00:36:27,280 --> 00:36:28,200 Speaker 2: So you'll be right back. 602 00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:33,360 Speaker 1: So now we're talking about toe biters biting them toes. 603 00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:38,720 Speaker 1: Uh oh yeah. So these are giant water bugs. Hooray. 604 00:36:39,719 --> 00:36:43,560 Speaker 1: So giant water bugs are giant bugs that you find 605 00:36:43,800 --> 00:36:48,839 Speaker 1: in water. They usually grow around an inch to two 606 00:36:48,920 --> 00:36:51,680 Speaker 1: inches long. There are some species that can grow up 607 00:36:51,760 --> 00:36:54,160 Speaker 1: to four and a half inches long, which is eleven 608 00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:57,480 Speaker 1: and a half centimeters. They are found all over the 609 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:03,080 Speaker 1: world in fresh water habitats, and there are many species 610 00:37:03,239 --> 00:37:08,360 Speaker 1: in this family. The family is called bellow stone Matidae, 611 00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:12,920 Speaker 1: and most of them are these like flat, brown, oval 612 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:17,120 Speaker 1: shaped bugs. They're just like these kind of beatly looking 613 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:21,280 Speaker 1: bugs with their flat and they've got really meaty legs. 614 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:26,520 Speaker 1: So all of them are weird and kind of scary looking. 615 00:37:26,960 --> 00:37:31,000 Speaker 1: But let's just talk about the absolute most weirdo ones, 616 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:35,840 Speaker 1: like the most upsetting thing that you could find brushing 617 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:44,080 Speaker 1: against your foot. So sorry, So yes, yeah, I'm. 618 00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:47,440 Speaker 2: Looking at a photo that you've sent me, and you 619 00:37:47,520 --> 00:37:52,120 Speaker 2: mentioned the meaty legs like that was the you know, 620 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:55,600 Speaker 2: that was the headliner. Yes, and I'm not going to 621 00:37:55,680 --> 00:38:00,319 Speaker 2: disagree with you, but like, let's talk about what is 622 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:01,800 Speaker 2: its body? 623 00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:05,200 Speaker 1: It's it's the bulblessness of it, right, the pustules that 624 00:38:05,239 --> 00:38:05,960 Speaker 1: you're worried. 625 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:12,200 Speaker 2: About, the pustules like you're you're you're gonna you're gonna 626 00:38:12,200 --> 00:38:16,320 Speaker 2: sit there and act like that's not full of spiders, 627 00:38:18,080 --> 00:38:20,880 Speaker 2: because like I I won't allow you to do that. 628 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:24,440 Speaker 1: Can you get can you guess what these like? Uh? 629 00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:28,319 Speaker 1: What he's looking at is like these many protrusions like 630 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:33,000 Speaker 1: almost like the like the like the inside of a pomegranate, 631 00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:37,800 Speaker 1: but it's on this bugs back and they're kind of oblong. 632 00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:42,680 Speaker 1: Uh so what what do you think those are? 633 00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:51,160 Speaker 2: So they obviously detach and invade the earth in a row. 634 00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:56,880 Speaker 2: In emeric film, they shoot themselves into the White House 635 00:38:57,560 --> 00:39:03,600 Speaker 2: and take over with duplicates of the President. I have 636 00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:06,439 Speaker 2: no clue what those things do. I assume that there's 637 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:10,040 Speaker 2: some because they're running in a series. Because it's like, 638 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:14,520 Speaker 2: you know, much like the you know, shell of a 639 00:39:14,560 --> 00:39:19,359 Speaker 2: turtle or the scales of an armadillo. I assume it's 640 00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:25,920 Speaker 2: some kind of protection. Maybe there's a sensory involvement in there. 641 00:39:26,040 --> 00:39:28,960 Speaker 2: Are you like you tell me you're the expert. 642 00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:32,120 Speaker 1: You're much closer with the like they'll like go into 643 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:36,040 Speaker 1: the President and I don't know what they launched, like 644 00:39:36,160 --> 00:39:38,120 Speaker 1: give birth to a bunch of little presidents like they 645 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:41,759 Speaker 1: are these are eggs. These are eggs stuck to the 646 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:42,359 Speaker 1: back of this thing. 647 00:39:42,400 --> 00:39:44,040 Speaker 3: They're just taking a ride exactly. 648 00:39:44,080 --> 00:39:47,239 Speaker 1: And when you say therefore protection, it's actually the inverse. 649 00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:50,480 Speaker 1: The beetle or the not beetle, the giant water bug 650 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:56,080 Speaker 1: is the one protecting the egg. So uh, the so 651 00:39:56,160 --> 00:39:59,120 Speaker 1: the way this works, I love this. This is some 652 00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:03,640 Speaker 1: great parental care from these giant water bugs. And also 653 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:08,319 Speaker 1: we love a society where both the sexes take care 654 00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:10,720 Speaker 1: of the young because the female will lay her eggs 655 00:40:11,120 --> 00:40:14,000 Speaker 1: on top of the male's back, and actually she has 656 00:40:14,040 --> 00:40:17,200 Speaker 1: like a secretion that glues these eggs to his back, 657 00:40:17,480 --> 00:40:21,240 Speaker 1: and he'll litter do that, and so the male carries 658 00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:24,680 Speaker 1: these eggs on his back and then he's able to 659 00:40:24,800 --> 00:40:28,439 Speaker 1: protect them from predators who would otherwise just like get 660 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:30,880 Speaker 1: a free lunch by slurping up these eggs. But now 661 00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:35,080 Speaker 1: you've got this giant water bug going around with his 662 00:40:35,160 --> 00:40:37,279 Speaker 1: eggs on his back. And if you're gonna try to 663 00:40:37,320 --> 00:40:39,440 Speaker 1: pluck one of these eggs off of them like a grape, 664 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:42,760 Speaker 1: he's gonna bite you. And they can bite really hard 665 00:40:42,800 --> 00:40:44,920 Speaker 1: and it hurts apparently really bad. 666 00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:50,799 Speaker 2: Okay, good, good for it. Yeah, you know I love that. 667 00:40:51,760 --> 00:40:53,920 Speaker 2: So mom just kind of packs off. 668 00:40:54,320 --> 00:40:57,360 Speaker 1: Hell yeah, we love to see it. We love to 669 00:40:57,400 --> 00:40:57,799 Speaker 1: see it. 670 00:40:58,360 --> 00:40:59,160 Speaker 2: Love to see it. 671 00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:01,400 Speaker 3: Man, I wish flip the patriarchal. 672 00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:04,000 Speaker 1: I mean, that's more or less my plan. If I 673 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:06,000 Speaker 1: have a kid, I'm just gonna stick that baby on 674 00:41:06,040 --> 00:41:09,200 Speaker 1: a baby bjorn, put it on my husband and be 675 00:41:09,239 --> 00:41:11,960 Speaker 1: like all right, good luck, bye bye. 676 00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:15,200 Speaker 2: I'm gonna see the world. And by the world, I 677 00:41:15,280 --> 00:41:18,840 Speaker 2: mean like yeah, four to eight feet that is our palm. 678 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:21,960 Speaker 1: Yeah, but just imagine that with like fifty babies and 679 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:25,400 Speaker 1: fifty baby bjorns and you're just covered in babies and 680 00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:27,239 Speaker 1: it's like, all right, you see ya. 681 00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:31,160 Speaker 2: I love that, Like the organism doesn't like I know 682 00:41:31,239 --> 00:41:34,239 Speaker 2: that we're talking about invertebrates, so like we're not like 683 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:38,520 Speaker 2: it's not like a you know, pregnancy, but usually, like 684 00:41:39,920 --> 00:41:43,080 Speaker 2: I don't know, like usually animals have some form of 685 00:41:43,160 --> 00:41:47,040 Speaker 2: like protect the baby. This one is just like I 686 00:41:47,080 --> 00:41:50,600 Speaker 2: know you said, the males will bite, you know, if 687 00:41:50,760 --> 00:41:54,040 Speaker 2: like someone is trying to pluck these eggs out, but 688 00:41:54,160 --> 00:41:59,800 Speaker 2: they're so exposed. It's almost like, take my children before 689 00:41:59,840 --> 00:42:04,080 Speaker 2: you attack me. I will form a shield of my children. 690 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:07,480 Speaker 2: It really does feel like because that's where the predators 691 00:42:07,520 --> 00:42:09,960 Speaker 2: are coming from, is the top right, This is a 692 00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:16,040 Speaker 2: bottom dweller. Yeah, it's low to ground, even I assume underwater. 693 00:42:16,239 --> 00:42:18,560 Speaker 1: When I explain this other species, I think you'll get 694 00:42:18,560 --> 00:42:23,640 Speaker 1: a better understanding of why animals might avoid trying to 695 00:42:23,680 --> 00:42:27,319 Speaker 1: do that. So, like I said, a lot of these 696 00:42:27,320 --> 00:42:29,759 Speaker 1: species are known as toe biters because they will bite 697 00:42:29,840 --> 00:42:36,120 Speaker 1: you really hard, which can be incredibly painful. It's not 698 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:42,439 Speaker 1: necessarily dangerous unless you happen to be a little little 699 00:42:42,520 --> 00:42:47,720 Speaker 1: fish or turtle, because these bugs actually can eat fish 700 00:42:48,120 --> 00:42:53,560 Speaker 1: and small turtles and snakes, because they're so so good 701 00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:56,080 Speaker 1: at biting in a way that is really disturbing. So 702 00:42:56,400 --> 00:43:01,160 Speaker 1: many awesome, many species of giant water bugs are oracious predators. 703 00:43:01,640 --> 00:43:09,239 Speaker 1: So kirk Kirkaldia dei roli, found in freshwater habitats and 704 00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:12,440 Speaker 1: rice fields in Asia, have been documented to hunt and 705 00:43:12,480 --> 00:43:17,960 Speaker 1: eat fish, small turtles, snakes. I saw some things about 706 00:43:17,960 --> 00:43:22,440 Speaker 1: like maybe even eating like baby birds, like baby ducklings, 707 00:43:23,239 --> 00:43:26,120 Speaker 1: but I think it's probably God, I don't know that. 708 00:43:26,200 --> 00:43:29,160 Speaker 1: I think that it's probably like they are in the water, 709 00:43:29,280 --> 00:43:31,799 Speaker 1: so it's anything that they can grab that happens to 710 00:43:31,880 --> 00:43:36,160 Speaker 1: be in the water. So their front legs are very beefy, 711 00:43:36,719 --> 00:43:39,080 Speaker 1: and they basically like put their prey in like a 712 00:43:39,120 --> 00:43:44,080 Speaker 1: half nelson, uh, And then they have this hard proboscus 713 00:43:44,520 --> 00:43:49,160 Speaker 1: that they stab into their prey. And the proboscis is 714 00:43:49,200 --> 00:43:52,080 Speaker 1: like it's like this mouth, this sharp mouth. 715 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:53,440 Speaker 2: Tube mouth spears. 716 00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:57,239 Speaker 1: It's a mouth spear, perfect, thank you, And it injects 717 00:43:57,400 --> 00:44:01,279 Speaker 1: enzymes that break down the flesh of their prey. And 718 00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:06,399 Speaker 1: apparently it also has like a paralytic paralytic compound that 719 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:13,080 Speaker 1: is apparently incredibly painful. Like it's not, like I said, 720 00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:16,600 Speaker 1: it's not generally harmful to humans in terms of it's 721 00:44:16,600 --> 00:44:19,640 Speaker 1: not gonna like put you in the hospital. But this 722 00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:24,520 Speaker 1: venom and this bite is like super super painful. But 723 00:44:24,800 --> 00:44:27,240 Speaker 1: what it does for its smaller prey like a fish, 724 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:31,080 Speaker 1: is it renders them immobile and then they're just pumping 725 00:44:31,120 --> 00:44:34,799 Speaker 1: it full of digestive juices that like turns it into 726 00:44:34,840 --> 00:44:37,359 Speaker 1: a slurpe, and then the beatle just sucks it up. 727 00:44:37,920 --> 00:44:42,719 Speaker 1: So you know, I think that might be why having 728 00:44:42,800 --> 00:44:46,440 Speaker 1: the babies on its back is a good strategy, because 729 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:49,680 Speaker 1: most animals are probably gonna learn, like to avoid this 730 00:44:49,880 --> 00:44:51,240 Speaker 1: horrifying thing. 731 00:44:52,480 --> 00:44:59,240 Speaker 2: That way to go again, mother nature. You just little 732 00:45:00,160 --> 00:45:07,040 Speaker 2: bite sized, candy sized versions of brutality running around the pond. 733 00:45:08,560 --> 00:45:11,600 Speaker 2: Don't even care about predators. They're like, yeah, eat me. 734 00:45:11,719 --> 00:45:15,080 Speaker 2: I'm gonna put the most attractive part of my animal 735 00:45:15,640 --> 00:45:19,520 Speaker 2: right on my back because I am a murder toad. 736 00:45:20,480 --> 00:45:24,040 Speaker 2: That is what a fascinating little organism. 737 00:45:24,239 --> 00:45:29,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a it's pretty creepy, but also like great, 738 00:45:29,280 --> 00:45:31,640 Speaker 1: it's a great dad. It's dad of the month. 739 00:45:31,840 --> 00:45:32,719 Speaker 2: It's a great dad. 740 00:45:32,880 --> 00:45:35,879 Speaker 3: Yeah, I guess is number one. 741 00:45:36,000 --> 00:45:40,440 Speaker 2: Dad got got a little spear there to protect the 742 00:45:40,520 --> 00:45:43,799 Speaker 2: children's Yeah, yeah, I love that. It also puts you 743 00:45:43,840 --> 00:45:45,719 Speaker 2: in a half Nelson, you. 744 00:45:45,680 --> 00:45:47,160 Speaker 1: Know, it really does. 745 00:45:47,400 --> 00:45:49,920 Speaker 2: It wants you, It wants you to tap out, yeah, 746 00:45:50,239 --> 00:45:52,120 Speaker 2: before it destroys. 747 00:45:52,200 --> 00:45:58,200 Speaker 1: And yeah, good, good, good for these little guys. Love 748 00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:01,000 Speaker 1: them not so little. Actually some of them grow over 749 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:02,160 Speaker 1: four inches long. 750 00:46:02,239 --> 00:46:07,200 Speaker 2: So you know if I saw that that, like, if 751 00:46:07,200 --> 00:46:09,719 Speaker 2: I saw that in my house, like a four inch 752 00:46:09,880 --> 00:46:14,600 Speaker 2: size one of these, I would not try to save it. 753 00:46:14,760 --> 00:46:17,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, I mean, if you live in a bog, I 754 00:46:17,200 --> 00:46:20,239 Speaker 1: feel like you kind of because like that's probably the 755 00:46:20,239 --> 00:46:22,319 Speaker 1: only time you'd see it in your house. Of if 756 00:46:22,360 --> 00:46:25,680 Speaker 1: you live in a pond, like your house is just 757 00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:28,439 Speaker 1: inside of the pond. Uh. 758 00:46:29,200 --> 00:46:31,640 Speaker 3: But yeah, I live in la Am I right. 759 00:46:33,760 --> 00:46:36,800 Speaker 2: I don't know why I'm making like, yeah, Heathcliff jokes 760 00:46:36,840 --> 00:46:37,560 Speaker 2: on your podcast. 761 00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:41,520 Speaker 1: It's fine. There's some kind of political joke there to 762 00:46:41,600 --> 00:46:43,640 Speaker 1: be made about the swamp. 763 00:46:45,360 --> 00:46:47,800 Speaker 3: And draining it, meaning it for the toe biters. 764 00:46:48,440 --> 00:46:50,640 Speaker 1: But then the toe biters are going to come get you, 765 00:46:50,719 --> 00:46:56,120 Speaker 1: and something about medicare. I don't know. I'm so tired. Listen, 766 00:46:56,320 --> 00:46:59,320 Speaker 1: let's do a little game. I like to call gets 767 00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:02,480 Speaker 1: to squawk on the Mystery Animal sound game. Every week 768 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:04,239 Speaker 1: I play mister Animal Saund and you the listener, and 769 00:47:04,320 --> 00:47:07,400 Speaker 1: you the guests, try to guess who is making that sound. 770 00:47:07,560 --> 00:47:11,000 Speaker 1: It can be any animal in the world. And just 771 00:47:11,520 --> 00:47:26,000 Speaker 1: to remind you, animals include everything folks like insects, spiders, birds, bugs, frogs, cats, dogs, donkeys, uh, snakes, everything, 772 00:47:26,200 --> 00:47:28,520 Speaker 1: So it could be any of those things. I keep 773 00:47:28,560 --> 00:47:31,839 Speaker 1: going monkeys, squirrels. 774 00:47:31,920 --> 00:47:32,640 Speaker 2: You're killing it. 775 00:47:32,760 --> 00:47:35,759 Speaker 1: Okay, I named every animal that exists, so you're a 776 00:47:36,480 --> 00:47:41,000 Speaker 1: thank you. I'm so glad someone recognizes it. 777 00:47:41,320 --> 00:47:44,160 Speaker 2: I'm yeah, I am amazed. 778 00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:47,839 Speaker 1: Yeah. The hint for last well, actually the week before 779 00:47:47,920 --> 00:47:51,600 Speaker 1: last week, mister animal Sam is this. Uh these little 780 00:47:51,640 --> 00:47:58,800 Speaker 1: guys are free living exterminators. All right, Abe, did you 781 00:47:58,840 --> 00:47:59,759 Speaker 1: hear that little like kick? 782 00:48:01,120 --> 00:48:08,600 Speaker 2: Yep, the cackle, Nature's little cackle, like try to defy me? 783 00:48:09,080 --> 00:48:13,560 Speaker 2: Is like, what that organism? So you're saying to the cackle, 784 00:48:16,320 --> 00:48:21,920 Speaker 2: I mean it honestly sounds mammalian, like it's doesn't sound 785 00:48:22,040 --> 00:48:24,960 Speaker 2: like a bug to me. I feel like I'm gonna 786 00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:29,279 Speaker 2: get dunked on in a second, because like I don't 787 00:48:29,400 --> 00:48:32,960 Speaker 2: like pride myself on knowing you know, like sounds of 788 00:48:33,080 --> 00:48:35,799 Speaker 2: organisms and being like to play this game. I don't 789 00:48:35,840 --> 00:48:39,360 Speaker 2: think I'm particularly good at this game, but like, that 790 00:48:39,560 --> 00:48:41,600 Speaker 2: sounds like a rodent to me. 791 00:48:42,760 --> 00:48:46,480 Speaker 1: Maybe you know, this game is designed not for education, 792 00:48:47,160 --> 00:48:50,080 Speaker 1: not for fun, but just to make you feel bad, 793 00:48:50,520 --> 00:48:51,360 Speaker 1: to make you feel. 794 00:48:51,120 --> 00:48:54,520 Speaker 2: Bad, just for you to feel superior on your guests 795 00:48:54,560 --> 00:48:57,880 Speaker 2: for just a brief second of happiness. 796 00:48:57,960 --> 00:49:02,640 Speaker 1: Actually, no, fool, this is not a rodent. No, I 797 00:49:02,640 --> 00:49:05,640 Speaker 1: mean it does really sound like it sounds like a chipmunk, right, 798 00:49:06,200 --> 00:49:08,520 Speaker 1: it sounds like like some kind of rodent, maybe a chipmunk, 799 00:49:08,560 --> 00:49:11,600 Speaker 1: maybe a squirrel. But no, this is actually the call 800 00:49:11,800 --> 00:49:16,160 Speaker 1: of the common house gecko. This is a gecko making 801 00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:16,879 Speaker 1: this little call. 802 00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:17,359 Speaker 2: Wow. 803 00:49:17,440 --> 00:49:21,680 Speaker 1: Yeah. There are a small brown, kind of pale brown 804 00:49:21,760 --> 00:49:24,760 Speaker 1: gecko found in Asia and Oceania. 805 00:49:24,880 --> 00:49:25,000 Speaker 2: Uh. 806 00:49:25,200 --> 00:49:28,839 Speaker 1: They like to hang around human homes, thus the name 807 00:49:29,000 --> 00:49:33,000 Speaker 1: house gecko. And they eat have bugs for you, bell 808 00:49:33,080 --> 00:49:39,440 Speaker 1: eat cockroaches, termites, wasps, moths, flies, crickets. So honestly, seems 809 00:49:39,480 --> 00:49:43,000 Speaker 1: like a mutually beneficial situation. I would much rather have 810 00:49:43,080 --> 00:49:45,160 Speaker 1: one of these little cute guys there. They're just a 811 00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:47,560 Speaker 1: cute little gecko, and I'd much rather have one of 812 00:49:47,600 --> 00:49:52,279 Speaker 1: those going around than like termites and cockroaches. So hey, 813 00:49:52,400 --> 00:49:55,560 Speaker 1: oh yeah, for sure, they're like the best roommate that 814 00:49:55,600 --> 00:49:58,200 Speaker 1: you could have, Like they're killing bugs. 815 00:49:57,840 --> 00:50:01,680 Speaker 2: For you and the las fun all the time, Like yeah, 816 00:50:01,680 --> 00:50:05,959 Speaker 2: they're the court jesture and like I feel like it's 817 00:50:06,000 --> 00:50:09,359 Speaker 2: the cat. Yeah, they're like. 818 00:50:10,400 --> 00:50:13,319 Speaker 1: This episode is like I think this episode is like 819 00:50:13,640 --> 00:50:17,839 Speaker 1: just tailor made for bog witches. So I hope you've 820 00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:20,200 Speaker 1: all all all my witches out there. I hope you've 821 00:50:20,239 --> 00:50:24,360 Speaker 1: enjoyed this. H onto this week's mystery animal. Sound. The 822 00:50:24,440 --> 00:50:27,759 Speaker 1: hint is this you're not gonna find this hen on 823 00:50:27,840 --> 00:50:30,960 Speaker 1: a farm. Uh, and it'll make this call till it's 824 00:50:31,000 --> 00:50:47,520 Speaker 1: red in the face. All right, any guesses abe? 825 00:50:47,880 --> 00:50:51,799 Speaker 3: So at the end there was that like multiple of them. 826 00:50:52,120 --> 00:50:53,319 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, it was. 827 00:50:53,320 --> 00:50:57,040 Speaker 2: Because there was like a like a paused chirp that 828 00:50:57,120 --> 00:50:57,800 Speaker 2: was kind of happened. 829 00:50:57,840 --> 00:50:59,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think there was more. I think there was 830 00:50:59,560 --> 00:51:00,200 Speaker 1: more than one. 831 00:51:00,480 --> 00:51:02,720 Speaker 2: And the second part and then it found it sounded 832 00:51:02,760 --> 00:51:04,160 Speaker 2: like it found a friend. 833 00:51:04,960 --> 00:51:07,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, gosh, I mean that does sound like. 834 00:51:07,560 --> 00:51:14,479 Speaker 2: A bird because the repetition, but like I also want 835 00:51:14,480 --> 00:51:15,000 Speaker 2: to say. 836 00:51:14,960 --> 00:51:19,440 Speaker 1: Frog, yeah heard or a frog. I'll give you, I'll 837 00:51:19,440 --> 00:51:19,640 Speaker 1: give it. 838 00:51:19,840 --> 00:51:22,080 Speaker 2: Uh, I'll go frog Frog. 839 00:51:22,120 --> 00:51:25,680 Speaker 1: All right, very interesting gifts. I will another little hint, 840 00:51:25,840 --> 00:51:28,840 Speaker 1: just a freebel throw, and is that since this episode 841 00:51:28,880 --> 00:51:32,920 Speaker 1: has been very very swampy, uh, that is that it 842 00:51:33,000 --> 00:51:36,440 Speaker 1: is on theme, on brand with the rest of this episode. Well, 843 00:51:36,640 --> 00:51:39,920 Speaker 1: I but I will reveal the answer on next week's 844 00:51:39,960 --> 00:51:43,319 Speaker 1: episode of Creature Feature. Abe, thank you so much for 845 00:51:43,440 --> 00:51:48,319 Speaker 1: joining me today and marchhen it up with me this. 846 00:51:48,600 --> 00:51:53,040 Speaker 1: I really I just love weird stuff you find in water. 847 00:51:54,280 --> 00:52:00,160 Speaker 2: Me too. I love Mother Nature and the ability that 848 00:52:00,239 --> 00:52:04,600 Speaker 2: she has to, you know, just blow my mind with 849 00:52:04,920 --> 00:52:08,360 Speaker 2: dumb animals that I want to apparently put in my 850 00:52:08,440 --> 00:52:11,520 Speaker 2: bed and sleep with. Yeah, that seemed to be both 851 00:52:11,520 --> 00:52:13,880 Speaker 2: of our ten throughout this episode. 852 00:52:14,120 --> 00:52:16,759 Speaker 1: Super cute. If there was like a plush version of it, 853 00:52:16,840 --> 00:52:19,880 Speaker 1: I would buy that. It probably costs like five hundred dollars. 854 00:52:19,840 --> 00:52:24,759 Speaker 1: I buy it though. Where can people find you? 855 00:52:24,760 --> 00:52:29,600 Speaker 2: You know, if you like, you know, just my conversational 856 00:52:29,680 --> 00:52:35,000 Speaker 2: stylings and you can go over to patreon dot com 857 00:52:35,040 --> 00:52:39,319 Speaker 2: slash small means I co founded this little tiny I 858 00:52:39,360 --> 00:52:46,200 Speaker 2: guess you call it a network of podcasting. Yeah, they are, 859 00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:51,040 Speaker 2: and we talk about more or less pop culture, movies, 860 00:52:51,280 --> 00:52:54,319 Speaker 2: video games and such like that. I'm there with my 861 00:52:54,440 --> 00:52:59,880 Speaker 2: friends Michael Swam and Adam Ganzer, who are you know 862 00:53:00,200 --> 00:53:06,399 Speaker 2: if you remember all of us from Cracked Fame which Katie, Yeah, 863 00:53:06,440 --> 00:53:11,800 Speaker 2: who knows. But that's where I reside. And we're also 864 00:53:11,880 --> 00:53:15,160 Speaker 2: making a movie. We're filmmakers, and we've been making a 865 00:53:15,200 --> 00:53:18,120 Speaker 2: movie for a long time now. We're still in the 866 00:53:18,280 --> 00:53:22,880 Speaker 2: you know, pre production phases. And it's a movie about 867 00:53:24,000 --> 00:53:28,319 Speaker 2: a coming of age film where a teenager finds out 868 00:53:28,440 --> 00:53:34,200 Speaker 2: that his dad is a gay furry and it's semi 869 00:53:34,280 --> 00:53:39,240 Speaker 2: autobiographical based off Michael's life. It's a movie that we've 870 00:53:39,560 --> 00:53:41,920 Speaker 2: wanted to make for a long time because we find 871 00:53:42,480 --> 00:53:48,400 Speaker 2: the topic fascinating and how communities and fandoms are influential 872 00:53:48,440 --> 00:53:50,120 Speaker 2: and positive in people's life. 873 00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:52,319 Speaker 3: And so that's kind of like what we're up to. 874 00:53:52,680 --> 00:53:56,000 Speaker 2: And that's kind of the vibes if you go over there. 875 00:53:56,320 --> 00:53:58,440 Speaker 2: But please check us out at small Beans. 876 00:53:58,800 --> 00:54:01,600 Speaker 1: That sounds excellent. I'm a I'm extremely excited for this movie. 877 00:54:01,640 --> 00:54:05,160 Speaker 1: I've heard about it and I think it sounds super interesting. 878 00:54:05,400 --> 00:54:08,360 Speaker 1: And I know movie making is a long process, but 879 00:54:08,600 --> 00:54:10,759 Speaker 1: come on, guys, yeah it get it. 880 00:54:10,960 --> 00:54:15,520 Speaker 2: I know, I know it's we have had a series 881 00:54:15,640 --> 00:54:19,160 Speaker 2: of strikes and yeah. 882 00:54:18,520 --> 00:54:22,160 Speaker 1: I'm not going I'm not criticizing you. I'm just impatient 883 00:54:22,200 --> 00:54:22,920 Speaker 1: because I want to. 884 00:54:22,840 --> 00:54:27,360 Speaker 2: See it, you and me both. Yeah, but that's but 885 00:54:27,520 --> 00:54:28,520 Speaker 2: thank you for being a fan. 886 00:54:29,280 --> 00:54:32,879 Speaker 1: I will remain steadfast and patient and when it comes out, 887 00:54:32,960 --> 00:54:35,880 Speaker 1: I'm definitely watching it. Thank you so much, thank you 888 00:54:35,920 --> 00:54:38,359 Speaker 1: so much for joining me, and thank you so much 889 00:54:38,640 --> 00:54:41,520 Speaker 1: for you guys out there, the ones listening to this 890 00:54:41,719 --> 00:54:45,840 Speaker 1: right now. For listening, if you leave a rating review 891 00:54:46,080 --> 00:54:49,560 Speaker 1: helps me a lot. Just listening helps me, and I 892 00:54:49,600 --> 00:54:55,160 Speaker 1: appreciate you guys enjoying listening about bogs and like gross 893 00:54:55,440 --> 00:55:00,359 Speaker 1: water muck because that's great and you're great. And thanks 894 00:55:00,360 --> 00:55:03,400 Speaker 1: to the Space Classics for their super awesome song. Ex Alumina. 895 00:55:03,480 --> 00:55:06,200 Speaker 1: Creature features a production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts 896 00:55:06,200 --> 00:55:08,080 Speaker 1: like the one you has heard, visit the iHeartRadio app 897 00:55:08,080 --> 00:55:11,000 Speaker 1: Apple podcast. All right, guess what or if you listen 898 00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:13,120 Speaker 1: to your favorite shows. I'm not your mother, and I 899 00:55:13,160 --> 00:55:15,399 Speaker 1: can't tell you what to do, but I can tell 900 00:55:15,440 --> 00:55:20,799 Speaker 1: you this one thing. Having sodium alginate goo shots does 901 00:55:20,960 --> 00:55:27,560 Speaker 1: sometimes help you tummy with its problems. See you next Wednesday,