1 00:00:06,519 --> 00:00:10,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Creature Feature Production of My Heart Radio. I'm 2 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: your host of Many Parasites, Katie Golden. I studied psychology 3 00:00:14,440 --> 00:00:18,119 Speaker 1: and evolutionary biology, and today on the show, guess what, 4 00:00:18,880 --> 00:00:24,000 Speaker 1: it's just you me, some recording equipment and a document 5 00:00:24,040 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: I've got open where I wrote my notes because we 6 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: are doing listener questions today. That's right. You write me 7 00:00:31,720 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: your questions and I answer them. I sure do. And 8 00:00:36,440 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 1: if you think you have some questions or know you 9 00:00:40,040 --> 00:00:42,120 Speaker 1: have questions that you want to ask me, you can 10 00:00:42,159 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: always email me at Creature Feature Pod at gmail dot com. 11 00:00:47,880 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 1: Can also send me in your pet pictures, your thoughts, 12 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: your hopes and dreams. I try to respond to as 13 00:00:55,840 --> 00:01:00,320 Speaker 1: many as I can in as good amount of time 14 00:01:00,440 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: as I can, and sometimes I will answer them on 15 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: the show like I'm doing right now. I've got some 16 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:13,039 Speaker 1: really exciting questions that I am so pumped, so hyped 17 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:15,920 Speaker 1: to talk about today. Let's start out with this one. 18 00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: Why don't we? This is from A B M. Hi, Katie, 19 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:21,720 Speaker 1: I really enjoy listening to your podcast, and I was 20 00:01:21,760 --> 00:01:24,320 Speaker 1: wondering if you had ever heard of the side Blotched 21 00:01:24,440 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 1: Lizard and their Rock paper scissors mating strategy. I heard 22 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:32,080 Speaker 1: about this in another podcast about Rock Paper Scissors, but 23 00:01:32,280 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 1: I was curious to know more and to know your 24 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,679 Speaker 1: thoughts on it. P s. As a side note, you 25 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: should invite Josh and Chuck from stuff you should know 26 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: on your podcast. So thank you Abby M for the 27 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: wonderful question. First of all, I love Josh and Chuck. 28 00:01:49,400 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: They were my entry into listening to podcasts. Uh what 29 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,080 Speaker 1: feels like a really long time ago, which probably is 30 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: a long time ago, because that's that's how time works. 31 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: But yeah, no, I love them. Um, maybe maybe I'll 32 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:04,120 Speaker 1: work up the courage to try and invite them on. 33 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: I don't know, but it would. It would be one 34 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,239 Speaker 1: of those things where I'd just be like, Hey, you're 35 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:11,640 Speaker 1: Josh and Chuck. What the heck, What the heck are 36 00:02:11,639 --> 00:02:14,600 Speaker 1: you doing talking to me? But maybe maybe I'll try 37 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: so on to blotch lizards, so side Blotched lizards are 38 00:02:20,440 --> 00:02:25,920 Speaker 1: very interesting. They do indeed have a rock paper scissors 39 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:30,040 Speaker 1: mating strategies. So these little guys are found in the 40 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:35,560 Speaker 1: western United States and in Mexico in desert regions. They're 41 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:39,799 Speaker 1: only about six inches or fifteen centimeters long including the tail, 42 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: so they make for a nice tasty snack for larger 43 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:48,960 Speaker 1: lizards roadrunners, and so they have a modeled brown coloration 44 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: to make them blend in with their sandy territory, and 45 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:55,160 Speaker 1: they must breed at a high rate to make up 46 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: for the loss in their numbers due to predation. So 47 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: the one colorful spot on these lizards is their throats. 48 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:11,640 Speaker 1: Males come in three delicious delectable flavors orange, blue, and yellow. 49 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: Females also have some coloration on their throats and they 50 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:21,400 Speaker 1: come in two colors, orange and yellow. So orange throated 51 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: males are large and aggressive. Blue throated males are not 52 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:31,040 Speaker 1: quite as large or aggressive, and they will actually cooperate 53 00:03:31,120 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: with other blue throated males. Meanwhile, yellow throated males are small, 54 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:42,400 Speaker 1: non aggressive, and can easily be mistaken for a female lizard. 55 00:03:43,080 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: The male orange throated blotched lizards have the following mating strategy. 56 00:03:48,600 --> 00:03:53,000 Speaker 1: They use their aggression and their size to stake out 57 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:56,760 Speaker 1: a large territory and this access to a good number 58 00:03:56,800 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: of females. They're easily able to fight off the smaller 59 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:06,920 Speaker 1: blue throated males. However, with such a large territory, it's 60 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: easy for the yellow throated males who are small in 61 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: share coloration with the females to sneak in the edges 62 00:04:15,480 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: of the male's territory and mate with some of the females. 63 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,640 Speaker 1: The orange throated males finds it difficult to keep track 64 00:04:23,760 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: of these sneaker males and they can't really prevent the 65 00:04:27,880 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 1: yellow throated males from having some reproductive success. The blue 66 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:37,760 Speaker 1: throated males have a different mating strategy, so they have 67 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,479 Speaker 1: smaller territories, but they cooperate with each other to defend 68 00:04:42,560 --> 00:04:46,760 Speaker 1: them so while they are easily overpowered by the hooking 69 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:51,200 Speaker 1: orange throated males. Because the blue throated males have a 70 00:04:51,320 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: smaller area to keep track of and additionally have a 71 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:59,039 Speaker 1: network of other blue throats that they're friends with that 72 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:03,400 Speaker 1: will help them keep watch, those sneaky yellow throated males 73 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:07,560 Speaker 1: find it harder to infiltrate their territory to seek a 74 00:05:07,640 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: sexual tryst with a female. So this is why it's 75 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: called the rock paper scissors mating strategy. Because each of 76 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:21,360 Speaker 1: these types of males has a strategy that defeats one 77 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: other type of male while they are easily defeated by 78 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:29,599 Speaker 1: the other type of male. So imagine the orange throated 79 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:34,479 Speaker 1: mail as the rock. He's big, tough, and strong. The 80 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: blue throats are the scissors. They're more fragile than the rock, 81 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,400 Speaker 1: and they can be smashed by the rock. The yellow 82 00:05:41,440 --> 00:05:46,240 Speaker 1: throats are the paper. They're lightweight and seemingly harmless, but 83 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:50,479 Speaker 1: they can surround the rocks defenses and sneak in. Meanwhile, 84 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: the blue throats, which are the scissors, can work together 85 00:05:54,040 --> 00:05:59,840 Speaker 1: to cut through the sneaky paper. Yellow throated males subterfuge. 86 00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: So I guess the problem with this metaphor is that 87 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:07,320 Speaker 1: rock Paper scissors is a game. Doesn't make that much 88 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:10,760 Speaker 1: since in the first place, I've never quite understood why 89 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:15,159 Speaker 1: paper defeats rock. It just surrounds it. How does that 90 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: I don't really understand why that means it defeats rock. 91 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:23,560 Speaker 1: But nevertheless, maybe we should change the game to orange lizard, 92 00:06:23,600 --> 00:06:26,080 Speaker 1: blue lizard, yellow lizard. Maybe that doesn't roll off the 93 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: tongue as well. Regardless, Abby m also asked if there's 94 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: anything else that there is to know about the story, 95 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:40,320 Speaker 1: and indeed there is so whenever you have competitive interactions 96 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:45,640 Speaker 1: between animals, you get some really interesting game theory dynamics 97 00:06:45,680 --> 00:06:50,640 Speaker 1: that make mathematicians salivate. In the case of these lizards. 98 00:06:50,760 --> 00:06:55,480 Speaker 1: The population composition changes every few years in a sort 99 00:06:55,520 --> 00:07:01,479 Speaker 1: of ballet of mating success. Think of what would happen 100 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:05,680 Speaker 1: if you have a bunch of orange throated males successfully 101 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,760 Speaker 1: bullying the blue throated males away. So you've got this 102 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: large population of orange throated males, so great, more orange throats, 103 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:17,320 Speaker 1: fewer blue throats. But what does that mean. You have 104 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: that third player, the yellow throats. And remember orange throats 105 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:26,280 Speaker 1: are basically the rock and yellow throats are the paper. 106 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: So now the yellow throats can easily sneak into the 107 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: big buff but not to observant. Orange throat males territories 108 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 1: mate with a lot of females, and then what happens. 109 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 1: You have an explosion of population of yellow throated males 110 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 1: and fewer orange throated males. So then what happens, Well, 111 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: the blue throated males now have an advantage because they 112 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: have fewer orange throated broots to contend with, and they 113 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:01,040 Speaker 1: are uniquely able to defeat the yellow strategy. So imagine 114 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,360 Speaker 1: this as a cycle over the years where you'll have 115 00:08:04,760 --> 00:08:08,000 Speaker 1: an increase in the orange population, and then an increase 116 00:08:08,040 --> 00:08:10,480 Speaker 1: in the yellow population, and then an increase in the 117 00:08:10,520 --> 00:08:13,720 Speaker 1: blue population, and so on and so forth for millions 118 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:18,320 Speaker 1: of years. So this system can in some cases be 119 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:23,320 Speaker 1: relatively stable, like I said, going on for millions of years, 120 00:08:23,360 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 1: but sometimes it actually changes, so some populations will end 121 00:08:29,160 --> 00:08:33,600 Speaker 1: up losing one of the color variations, destabilizing the game. 122 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:37,080 Speaker 1: Interesting it seems like typically the pattern is that the 123 00:08:37,160 --> 00:08:42,120 Speaker 1: yellow throated males are the ones who go first. But 124 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:47,080 Speaker 1: when this happens, you no longer have this stable game 125 00:08:47,160 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: going on. You can't continue the rock paper scissors game 126 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,560 Speaker 1: because it's just rock scissors and that's not really a 127 00:08:53,640 --> 00:08:58,559 Speaker 1: viable game. So the lizards will actually start to rapidly 128 00:08:58,840 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 1: evolve in their theology changes in a very quick and 129 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:08,240 Speaker 1: pretty pronounced way, so their body size changes rapidly, and 130 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 1: then this game is no longer stable, and that would 131 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:16,959 Speaker 1: indicate that these lizards could become a new species once 132 00:09:17,040 --> 00:09:20,319 Speaker 1: this rock paper scissors game is destabilized and if they 133 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:26,280 Speaker 1: undergo enough of an evolution in terms of their biology. 134 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 1: So that is the fascinating story of the rock paper 135 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:39,079 Speaker 1: scissors lizards. Uh, the side blotched lizards and uh funny 136 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:43,800 Speaker 1: side story relating to rock paper scissors and meeting strategies. 137 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:46,319 Speaker 1: So I'm actually living in Italy. Now, as you may 138 00:09:46,320 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 1: have heard on the podcast before, and I'm learning Italian 139 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 1: because they speak a lot of Italian and Italy. Go figure. 140 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: So in one of my Italian classes, our teacher taught 141 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 1: us the Italian for rock paper scissors, and I tried 142 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: to remember it. And in another class session, we were 143 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:08,640 Speaker 1: trying to decide who should read aloud the daily reading 144 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:13,960 Speaker 1: an Italian and I helpfully suggested maybe a game of 145 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,560 Speaker 1: rock paper scissors. But I said this in Italian, So 146 00:10:17,679 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 1: what I said was for se un joco di sesso 147 00:10:21,520 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: carta fbici. But the Italian word for rock is actually sasso, 148 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:32,880 Speaker 1: not sesso. What sesso means is sex. So what I 149 00:10:32,920 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 1: announced to the class is that we should play a 150 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:40,080 Speaker 1: game of sex, paper and scissors, which, fortunately we found 151 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 1: another way to decide who should do the reading. But 152 00:10:43,440 --> 00:10:46,880 Speaker 1: I thought you might enjoy that little anecdote about how 153 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:51,840 Speaker 1: I accidentally tried to invent sex paper scissors in the 154 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:56,200 Speaker 1: human population and not in the lizard population. So when 155 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,839 Speaker 1: we get back, I will go over another list of 156 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:06,600 Speaker 1: are questions, So stay tuned. Welcome back, Welcome, welcome back. 157 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:11,760 Speaker 1: So the TikTok's the click clocks the clippity clops, the 158 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,760 Speaker 1: dippity dot, the dipping dots. Is that what kids are 159 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,240 Speaker 1: doing today at the TikTok's. I've got a question about TikTok. 160 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:22,560 Speaker 1: So this is from Will and they say hello. I 161 00:11:22,679 --> 00:11:27,719 Speaker 1: recently discovered that my degree from TikTok University is worthless, 162 00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:30,360 Speaker 1: so that means I have to do some fact checking 163 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:34,839 Speaker 1: at podcast University. I recently saw a TikTok that said 164 00:11:35,080 --> 00:11:39,040 Speaker 1: that we don't know how eels make. They said, we 165 00:11:39,120 --> 00:11:41,880 Speaker 1: can't find their genitals, and every so often eel swim 166 00:11:41,960 --> 00:11:45,880 Speaker 1: to the Bermuda triangle and then more eels come back. So, 167 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,280 Speaker 1: Professor Katie, does this stand up to scrutiny? Aren't there 168 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 1: more than one kind of eel? Is it all eels 169 00:11:51,640 --> 00:11:54,199 Speaker 1: or just a specific eel? Can you help me understand 170 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:57,559 Speaker 1: the more's of more eels? A more? A thanks. I'm 171 00:11:57,559 --> 00:12:00,839 Speaker 1: always happy when I see a new creature feature drop ps. 172 00:12:00,880 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: My wife and I use the app podcast Addict, and 173 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:05,760 Speaker 1: often when you do your look Who's Squawking segment, we 174 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: can't hear the sound. It's clear that other people here 175 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:11,480 Speaker 1: who is squawking, but neither of us can't. I don't 176 00:12:11,520 --> 00:12:14,440 Speaker 1: know why this could possibly be. So, first of all, 177 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: to address the audio thing. Actually got this comment from 178 00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:20,360 Speaker 1: a few people, and I think it may have something 179 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:23,200 Speaker 1: to do with the audio being in stereo and certain 180 00:12:23,200 --> 00:12:26,800 Speaker 1: podcast platforms not being able to deal with that. So 181 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: I've been converting it into mono tracks and I'm hoping 182 00:12:30,600 --> 00:12:33,760 Speaker 1: that's solved the problem. Just to make sure, why don't 183 00:12:33,760 --> 00:12:36,000 Speaker 1: we do a little audio test right now, see if 184 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:39,360 Speaker 1: you can hear this goat screaming, and if not, please 185 00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,360 Speaker 1: write to me at Creature Feature Product gmail dot com, 186 00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: or you can write to me if you do hear 187 00:12:43,880 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 1: the goat screaming, just to share anyways, here it is, 188 00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,400 Speaker 1: So did you hear the goat scream? Hopefully it did? 189 00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:57,080 Speaker 1: Now onto the question. So TikTok University, as acclaimed and 190 00:12:57,120 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: accredited as it is, is not quite right about this one. 191 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 1: But I can actually see where this myth is coming 192 00:13:04,679 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 1: from because the truth is really weird, and there are 193 00:13:09,400 --> 00:13:13,720 Speaker 1: elements of truth in this TikTok meme. But as usual, 194 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:18,240 Speaker 1: knowing the facts is actually way more fascinating than the 195 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:23,640 Speaker 1: urban legend. So the mystery of eel gonads and mating 196 00:13:23,760 --> 00:13:30,560 Speaker 1: goes back very far so. In fact, German biologist Max 197 00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:36,160 Speaker 1: Schultze reportedly claimed that all the major biology questions had 198 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:40,360 Speaker 1: been answered aside from the eel question, on his deathbed 199 00:13:40,480 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy four. Of course, he was wrong. All 200 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:47,720 Speaker 1: the major questions in biology had not been answered and 201 00:13:47,760 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: still have not been answered. Actually, Sigmund Freud, famed father 202 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:58,080 Speaker 1: of psychoanalysis and sexualizer of pipes, started out with an 203 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:01,679 Speaker 1: interest in theology, which is study of fish, and as 204 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:05,640 Speaker 1: part of his studies he would dissect eels, getting risk 205 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 1: deep in their guts trying to find their gonads. So 206 00:14:10,960 --> 00:14:14,920 Speaker 1: the eel at the center of this mating gonad mystery 207 00:14:15,240 --> 00:14:20,800 Speaker 1: is Anguilla Anguilla, the European eel. It's a species of 208 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:24,480 Speaker 1: true eel, which is a type of ray fin fish 209 00:14:24,560 --> 00:14:29,080 Speaker 1: that have evolved into a snakelike elongated form, and they 210 00:14:29,120 --> 00:14:33,480 Speaker 1: often lack a pelvic and pectoral fin. The European eel 211 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:36,360 Speaker 1: can grow up to a little under three feet or 212 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:41,880 Speaker 1: one meter long. Even the Greek philosophers wondered how these 213 00:14:41,960 --> 00:14:47,600 Speaker 1: eels reproduced. Aristotle supposed that they were spawned from beneath 214 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: the surface of the Earth just spontaneously. Of course, this 215 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:56,040 Speaker 1: is incorrect. They also do not come into spontaneous existence 216 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: due to the reality bending magic of the Bermuda triangle, although, 217 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:04,400 Speaker 1: as we'll soon discuss, they do migrate towards that area 218 00:15:04,480 --> 00:15:08,360 Speaker 1: to mate. So the mystery of the missing eel sex 219 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:12,480 Speaker 1: parts and how they mate was solved in nine by 220 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: Danish marine biologist Earnst Johannes Schmidt, no relation to Front 221 00:15:17,280 --> 00:15:20,800 Speaker 1: of the show Alan Schmidt. Schmidt led a long and 222 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: painstaking expedition to track the mating location of the European eel. 223 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: One of the reasons the eel's life cycle has so 224 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 1: long alluded early biologists is how different it looks at 225 00:15:34,400 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: each stage of its life. So the eel goes through 226 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,880 Speaker 1: a metamorphosis, starting out as eggs than a small, flat, 227 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,560 Speaker 1: transparent larva that looks more like a giant amba than 228 00:15:45,600 --> 00:15:49,080 Speaker 1: an eel. Then it grows into a glass eel, a 229 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: transparent little thing that looks like a glass noodle. Then 230 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:56,160 Speaker 1: it starts to mature into an elv, which looks more 231 00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:59,680 Speaker 1: like its adult form and that it's pigmented and no 232 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:03,120 Speaker 1: longer are transparent, but it's still pretty miniature. Then it 233 00:16:03,160 --> 00:16:06,360 Speaker 1: grows into a yellow eel, named such because it's belly 234 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:11,040 Speaker 1: is a yellowish color and it's nearly adult sized. Finally 235 00:16:11,080 --> 00:16:15,360 Speaker 1: comes the fully matured, sexually mature adult version called the 236 00:16:15,480 --> 00:16:19,040 Speaker 1: silver eel, which grows larger eyes, a white belly, and 237 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: silver flanks. So the gonads wive biologists had so much 238 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 1: trouble finding those things. So the reason is that the 239 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,280 Speaker 1: gonads only develop when the eel is at its final 240 00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: stage of metamorphosis, the silver eel stage, and this final 241 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 1: eel form develops as the eel goes on a long 242 00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:45,480 Speaker 1: migration to the Sargasso Sea. So notably, the Sargasso Sea 243 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: does share a corner with the Bermuda Triangle. It's a 244 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 1: sea located in a sea, so it's found in the 245 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: Atlantic Ocean, and it's formed not by land mass but 246 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: a border of currents. So the Sargasso Sea is an 247 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: area of calmber waters within the Atlantic. So Ernst Johannes Schmidt, 248 00:17:08,320 --> 00:17:13,080 Speaker 1: that Dutch biologist had to follow the eel during its 249 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: different stages of life, following the elver's, the glass eels, 250 00:17:17,600 --> 00:17:20,960 Speaker 1: and the larva, and he determined that the eels were 251 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: spotting somewhere in the Sargasso Sea. So in tween there 252 00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:30,399 Speaker 1: was actually a study using radio transmitters affixed to eels, 253 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 1: but this time it was too American eels, and the 254 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,560 Speaker 1: researchers found that the American eels actually were also mating 255 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 1: in the Sargasso Sea. So people didn't find these gonads 256 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:47,760 Speaker 1: on eels because at earlier stages in the eel's life 257 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: they didn't have the gonads. They only developed when they 258 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:55,600 Speaker 1: went on this migration to the Sargasso Sea. Also, weirdly enough, 259 00:17:55,920 --> 00:18:00,239 Speaker 1: the eel stomachs dissolves as they make this migration, and 260 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:04,240 Speaker 1: they live only on their body fat for thousands of miles, 261 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:09,320 Speaker 1: and after mating, the eel dies. So do we actually 262 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:13,919 Speaker 1: know how they mate, like the actual mechanics and process 263 00:18:14,080 --> 00:18:18,160 Speaker 1: of the mating itself. So despite the lack of direct 264 00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:22,040 Speaker 1: observations in the Sargasso Sea, we actually do to an 265 00:18:22,040 --> 00:18:25,680 Speaker 1: extent understand how they make. Researchers are able to observe 266 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 1: European eels mating in captivity by inducing sexual maturity in 267 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: them with hormone treatments, and it appears, at least in 268 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 1: captivity that the females release eggs and the males release 269 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 1: sperm over the eggs. External fertilization, such as is found 270 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:48,119 Speaker 1: in many other species of fish, but breeding European eels 271 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:52,360 Speaker 1: in captivity and actually successfully raising the offspring is still 272 00:18:52,520 --> 00:18:56,720 Speaker 1: in the early stages of research, and the European eels 273 00:18:56,720 --> 00:19:00,800 Speaker 1: exact mating grounds in the Sargasso Sea have not yet 274 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:04,880 Speaker 1: been found or observed, so there are still many mysteries 275 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:09,280 Speaker 1: of eel sex to discover. There are other species of 276 00:19:09,320 --> 00:19:13,160 Speaker 1: eel who's mating locations and behaviors are easier to observe 277 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,840 Speaker 1: and are better understood. So while there are still mysteries 278 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:19,720 Speaker 1: around the mating habits of European eels as well as 279 00:19:19,760 --> 00:19:23,800 Speaker 1: some other eel species. Yes, we do know generally how 280 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:27,720 Speaker 1: eels made. Yes, we know that they have gonads, and 281 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:30,840 Speaker 1: we know that when they reach sexual maturity, that's when 282 00:19:30,880 --> 00:19:34,199 Speaker 1: they develop these gonads and they migrate to a mating 283 00:19:34,280 --> 00:19:38,200 Speaker 1: area somewhere in the Sargasso Sea, then returned to Europe 284 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:40,919 Speaker 1: as they go through a number of different life stages. 285 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:46,479 Speaker 1: So skip that degree from TikTok University and accept this 286 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:51,119 Speaker 1: diploma in eel sexology from Creature Feature you home of 287 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:55,560 Speaker 1: the Fighting Parasitoids, So enjoy that diploma. We're going to 288 00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:57,760 Speaker 1: take a quick break and when we get back, we're 289 00:19:57,760 --> 00:20:00,840 Speaker 1: gonna answer one more listener question and then play a 290 00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:06,280 Speaker 1: game of gifts. Who's squawking? So this question is from 291 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:11,480 Speaker 1: Twitter from Mystic mo Hi Katie. I know that dogs 292 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,280 Speaker 1: can sense when people are going to have seizures, but 293 00:20:14,359 --> 00:20:17,960 Speaker 1: I just recently learned that they can also detect diabetic levels. 294 00:20:18,359 --> 00:20:21,400 Speaker 1: I was just curious how humans learned that dogs could 295 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:25,080 Speaker 1: smell these problems out in humans. Thanks for the podcast. 296 00:20:25,520 --> 00:20:29,640 Speaker 1: So this is a really interesting question, and I am 297 00:20:29,760 --> 00:20:35,200 Speaker 1: not necessarily an expert on doctor dogs, but I looked 298 00:20:35,200 --> 00:20:40,199 Speaker 1: into this. So we've probably known a long time about 299 00:20:40,359 --> 00:20:43,480 Speaker 1: dogs accurate sense of smell due to how they can 300 00:20:43,480 --> 00:20:48,520 Speaker 1: track down prey, pests, and even humans. We've taken advantage 301 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:52,919 Speaker 1: of their sense of smell probably far back in our 302 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:58,520 Speaker 1: coevolution with dogs in terms of using them as guard dogs, 303 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:03,200 Speaker 1: as hunting dogs to be able to ferret out and 304 00:21:03,400 --> 00:21:08,520 Speaker 1: get rid of pests and agriculture, and so we've probably 305 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:11,440 Speaker 1: for a long time understood that they have amazing noses, 306 00:21:11,520 --> 00:21:16,600 Speaker 1: and they really do. So in more modern times, we've 307 00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,520 Speaker 1: been able to use dogs to do more precise detection, 308 00:21:20,640 --> 00:21:26,760 Speaker 1: like detecting bombs or controversially detecting drugs. So, in my opinion, 309 00:21:26,920 --> 00:21:31,479 Speaker 1: the use of drug sniffing dogs is very troubling, especially 310 00:21:31,520 --> 00:21:34,520 Speaker 1: when it's used as a justification to do a search. 311 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:40,320 Speaker 1: So dog noses are indeed legendary, but what's also legendary 312 00:21:40,359 --> 00:21:44,440 Speaker 1: is their desire to please their human. A dog's nose 313 00:21:44,640 --> 00:21:48,000 Speaker 1: might be harder to trick than a dog's psychology, so 314 00:21:48,080 --> 00:21:50,800 Speaker 1: a dog who knows it's human trainer wants it to 315 00:21:50,920 --> 00:21:53,680 Speaker 1: signal on a drug will do so even if the 316 00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:57,359 Speaker 1: drug is not there. So I am very skeptical of 317 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:01,719 Speaker 1: dogs being used to justify police searches, but that doesn't 318 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:06,080 Speaker 1: mean that dogs noses aren't truly spectacular. So the earliest 319 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:09,240 Speaker 1: use of dogs in a modern medical context I could 320 00:22:09,280 --> 00:22:12,359 Speaker 1: find was during World War One, when dogs were trained 321 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:17,119 Speaker 1: to be able to sniff out and find wounded soldiers. 322 00:22:17,160 --> 00:22:20,800 Speaker 1: But in modern times, we're finding that dogs have a 323 00:22:21,400 --> 00:22:24,679 Speaker 1: uncanny ability to pick up on the sense of things 324 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: that lie below the surface. So dogs can be trained 325 00:22:29,359 --> 00:22:33,520 Speaker 1: to alert if they smell something like an increase in 326 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:36,919 Speaker 1: isoprene in their owner's breath, which is a sign of 327 00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:41,600 Speaker 1: blood sugar dipping. So interestingly, we can sometimes make the 328 00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:45,359 Speaker 1: connection that a dog can smell or send something without 329 00:22:45,359 --> 00:22:49,800 Speaker 1: even knowing what they're smelling until later. So we've observed 330 00:22:49,880 --> 00:22:53,720 Speaker 1: that dogs can learn to alert to a hypoglycemic state, 331 00:22:54,040 --> 00:22:56,760 Speaker 1: which is a drop in blood sugar. But it wasn't 332 00:22:56,840 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 1: until twenty sixteen when researchers I and if I the 333 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:03,960 Speaker 1: possible signal the dogs were getting, which was the smell 334 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,879 Speaker 1: of the chemical isoprene on the breath of the person 335 00:23:07,960 --> 00:23:13,919 Speaker 1: experiencing the hypoglycemic state. So it seems that our history 336 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 1: of using dogs senses start with our observations that dogs 337 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 1: seem to have an uncanny ability to detect something happening, 338 00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:26,720 Speaker 1: and then we learned to how to cultivate that ability 339 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:30,280 Speaker 1: before we fully understand exactly what it is these dogs 340 00:23:30,320 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: are sensing. So there are studies on dogs who spontaneously 341 00:23:35,119 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: show awareness of an oncoming seizure in their owner. So 342 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: they'll show things like hovering around their owner and staring 343 00:23:43,320 --> 00:23:46,880 Speaker 1: at them before the seizure happens. So the dog may 344 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:50,640 Speaker 1: not know exactly what is happening, may not have any 345 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 1: idea that its owner is in danger, but there maybe 346 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:58,160 Speaker 1: picking up on ascent and perhaps they've learned to associate 347 00:23:58,240 --> 00:24:01,520 Speaker 1: that scent with what will come a disturbance in their 348 00:24:01,600 --> 00:24:05,440 Speaker 1: owner's behavior. So imagine being a dog and you see 349 00:24:05,440 --> 00:24:08,439 Speaker 1: your owner going through a seizure. That may be really 350 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:12,680 Speaker 1: distressing because you may sense that something's wrong, something's off, 351 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:16,359 Speaker 1: This is not your owner's typical behavior, and maybe it 352 00:24:16,440 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 1: even picks up the distress on the distress that the 353 00:24:20,000 --> 00:24:23,760 Speaker 1: owner is showing. So researchers are still trying to figure 354 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:27,760 Speaker 1: out exactly that what sent dogs pick up on when 355 00:24:27,800 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 1: they detect a seizure and how they're picking up on 356 00:24:30,720 --> 00:24:33,200 Speaker 1: it with respect to seizures. But we know they seem 357 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:35,160 Speaker 1: to be able to do this and they can be 358 00:24:35,240 --> 00:24:40,639 Speaker 1: trained to really hone in on that skill. So a 359 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:44,000 Speaker 1: question that comes to mind is if dogs can pick 360 00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:48,240 Speaker 1: up on the smells of cancers and seizures, why don't 361 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:51,919 Speaker 1: we just replace doctors with dogs. Why do we have 362 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 1: to have biopsies when a dog could sniff out cancer. 363 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:59,800 Speaker 1: Why not have dogs constantly patrolling to catch cancer early. 364 00:25:00,280 --> 00:25:03,600 Speaker 1: So the issue is, yet again not the accuracy of 365 00:25:03,640 --> 00:25:07,399 Speaker 1: their noses, but the psychology of the dog. Just because 366 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:11,320 Speaker 1: the dog's nose is capable of sniffing something, the dog 367 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: needs to be able to accurately alert when it does 368 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: pick up the smell and not alert at a false 369 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:22,639 Speaker 1: alarm for it to really be useful as a diagnostic tool. 370 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 1: But this may not always be in the dog's interest 371 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,000 Speaker 1: because the dog is not actually a medical device. It's 372 00:25:29,000 --> 00:25:31,959 Speaker 1: a living creature with a mind of its own. So 373 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:36,960 Speaker 1: the dog wants praise, rewards and positive feedback from its trainer. 374 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:40,560 Speaker 1: And just like the problem with dogs alerting to drugs, 375 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:45,480 Speaker 1: the dog may basically want to alert even if there's 376 00:25:45,520 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: nothing there because it craves that positive attention. So how 377 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:52,560 Speaker 1: do you prevent the dog from making false alerts to 378 00:25:52,600 --> 00:25:56,960 Speaker 1: get praise. It's not really easy. You need basically to 379 00:25:57,119 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 1: have a bunch of intermittent positive signals, so basically, people 380 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:07,080 Speaker 1: or things you know has the scent of this disease 381 00:26:07,119 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 1: you're trying to find so that the dog can get 382 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:14,480 Speaker 1: this intermittent reward. But again, it's really difficult to basically 383 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:20,280 Speaker 1: set up the situation where the dog will always alert 384 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:25,399 Speaker 1: only when it is detecting the actual scent, especially in 385 00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:28,159 Speaker 1: a real life scenario. So that is why we do 386 00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:32,200 Speaker 1: not have doggie howser m D quite yet, but maybe 387 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:36,880 Speaker 1: we'll get there. So before we go, we have got 388 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:41,640 Speaker 1: to answer the mystery animal sound from last week. So 389 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: the hint that I gave was don't be alarmed by 390 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:52,360 Speaker 1: this animal's name. It's called is purely platonic, warning you 391 00:26:52,480 --> 00:27:01,640 Speaker 1: about an approaching leopard. So did you hear those wheezy squeaks? 392 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:07,080 Speaker 1: Can you guess who it is? Well? Congratulations to Jodie 393 00:27:07,880 --> 00:27:12,760 Speaker 1: and Auntie B who guessed the dick Dick. So the 394 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:18,200 Speaker 1: dick Dick is a tiny antelope found in southern Africa. 395 00:27:18,760 --> 00:27:23,320 Speaker 1: They act only way about eight pounds or about four ms. 396 00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:26,320 Speaker 1: They are tiny, they are cute, and they're named the 397 00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:31,200 Speaker 1: dick Dick because it is automatopeia for that squeaking alarm 398 00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:34,720 Speaker 1: call you just heard. So they issue that sound through 399 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:39,439 Speaker 1: a long tubular snout, and that snout also works as 400 00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:43,240 Speaker 1: an air conditioner, cooling blood as it circulates through the 401 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 1: blood vessels surrounding the nasal cavity. So cute fact. When 402 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:53,480 Speaker 1: males try to defend their territory, they will dash at 403 00:27:53,520 --> 00:27:58,000 Speaker 1: each other, stop and shake their heads before colliding, which 404 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:00,920 Speaker 1: is the world's cutest game of chick in. They will 405 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:04,120 Speaker 1: do this until one male gives up the game and 406 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 1: goes home, just probably with an adorable look of dejection 407 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:13,920 Speaker 1: on its face. So onto this week's mystery animal call 408 00:28:14,080 --> 00:28:17,760 Speaker 1: or so we just heard the alarm call of the 409 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,640 Speaker 1: dick Dick, But what is she so alarmed about? Well, 410 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,640 Speaker 1: it may be this critter, or at least once he's 411 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:32,680 Speaker 1: all grown up. So what is that some kind of alien? 412 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:36,200 Speaker 1: A robot? Well, if you think you know the answer, 413 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:40,920 Speaker 1: you can write into Creature feature Pot at gmail dot com. 414 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 1: I am also on the internet at Creature feature Pot 415 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:47,160 Speaker 1: on Instagram at Creature feet Pot on Twitter. That's f 416 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:49,240 Speaker 1: e e T, not f e e T. That is 417 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:53,840 Speaker 1: something very different. And thank you guys so much for 418 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:56,240 Speaker 1: listening to the show. Again. You can reach out to 419 00:28:56,320 --> 00:28:59,440 Speaker 1: me if you have questions and I will try to 420 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:04,160 Speaker 1: answer them either by email or when I do these 421 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 1: listener question episodes. And hey, you know, let me know 422 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:11,280 Speaker 1: what you think of the show if you if you 423 00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:14,080 Speaker 1: write a rating and a review, I read them all, 424 00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:17,440 Speaker 1: give me some feedback. I hope it's positive, but even 425 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:21,120 Speaker 1: if you have constructive feedback, I am very appreciative of that. 426 00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:24,520 Speaker 1: So thank you guys again so much for listening. And 427 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:27,480 Speaker 1: thanks to the Space Colassics for their super awesome song 428 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: Exo Alumina. Creature features a production of I Heart Radio. 429 00:29:31,480 --> 00:29:34,080 Speaker 1: For more podcasts like the one you just heard, Visit 430 00:29:34,120 --> 00:29:36,440 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app Apple podcast, or Hey guess 431 00:29:36,480 --> 00:29:39,160 Speaker 1: what wh you listen to your favorite shows. See you 432 00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: next Wednesday.