WEBVTT - Animalia Stupendium Omnibus 1

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>Hi everyone, this is a special omnibus episode of Animalia's Stupendium.

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<v Speaker 2>We're going to be hearing from the wizard Argomandanese here

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<v Speaker 2>as he applies his fantasy world enthusiasm for biological wonder,

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<v Speaker 2>but not to dragons and ogres and so forth, but

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<v Speaker 2>rather to the creatures of our world. So first up,

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<v Speaker 2>let's hear about the mantis shrimp.

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<v Speaker 3>Welcome to animalias Stupendium. My name is Agromandanese, Wizard to

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<v Speaker 3>the Five Crowns. Who is it for now? Inventor of

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<v Speaker 3>the magic missile and tireless creature chronicler. However, mere monsters

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<v Speaker 3>hold no mystery for me these days. Dragons are drab,

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<v Speaker 3>mantic cores are me. Instead, I turn my attention once

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<v Speaker 3>more to the strange fauna of a land called Earth.

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<v Speaker 3>Travel with me, gentle reader, as we consider the mighty mantis.

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<v Speaker 2>Shrimp common name mantis shrimp. Scientific classification various species of

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<v Speaker 2>the order Stomatopod, frequency and range, Indian and Pacific ocean size,

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<v Speaker 2>small diet, various gastroparts, crabs and mosques, treasure work, eggs, challenge, rading, eleven.

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<v Speaker 2>How might I describe these tiny aquatic wonders so unlike

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<v Speaker 2>the boring mervfork and hippocampi i'd study previously, Most specimens

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<v Speaker 2>are no longer than ten centimeters three point nine inches,

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<v Speaker 2>or roughly two lengths of a wizard's finger. It is,

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<v Speaker 2>of course, a burrow dwelling crustation, with an elongated body,

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<v Speaker 2>stopped eyes, slender legs, and long antennae. Its appearance compares

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<v Speaker 2>favorably to other shrimp, though their front appendages resemble the

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<v Speaker 2>raptorial legs of the also excellent terrestrial insect predator, the

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<v Speaker 2>preying mantis its namesake, ah, But the colors. The so

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<v Speaker 2>called peacock mantishrimp, for example, is so named because it

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<v Speaker 2>features bright shades of red, green, orange, and blue. Such

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<v Speaker 2>a creature would not seem out of place in the

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<v Speaker 2>chromatic realm, But its eyes are even more curious what

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<v Speaker 2>colors do they see? While human eyes have only three

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<v Speaker 2>types of photoreceptor cells to process colors, mantis shrimp both

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<v Speaker 2>between twelve and sixteen. This has led to much speculation

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<v Speaker 2>on exactly what a mantishrimp sees when it beholds its

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<v Speaker 2>aquatic world. Might it in fact, glimpse colors beyond the

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<v Speaker 2>realm of human senses. It's entirely possible, but researchers increasingly

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<v Speaker 2>urge caution on grand generalizations about how and what these

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<v Speaker 2>curious creatures see. Without access to a good polymorphs spell,

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<v Speaker 2>human scientists are largely in the dark. Many mysteries remain. Certainly,

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<v Speaker 2>manti shrimp may very well recognize subtle coloration differences in

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<v Speaker 2>other mantis shrimp predators or choral environments. It's also possible

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<v Speaker 2>that color perception is just one part of an elaborate

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<v Speaker 2>sensory network, and we do it a vast disservice to

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<v Speaker 2>put too much emphasis on vision, though this, of course

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<v Speaker 2>is an understandable mistake given that we are such sight

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<v Speaker 2>dependent creatures. Researchers point out that in experiments, some manti

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<v Speaker 2>shrimp seem to depend more on shape than colorization in

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<v Speaker 2>judging various targets in their environment. Still, what are those

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<v Speaker 2>eyes capable of sea? And how might we claim these

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<v Speaker 2>powers for our own I have a notion in mind

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<v Speaker 2>for a pair of magical goggles, but scientists have explored

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<v Speaker 2>ways they might technologically mimic mantis shrimp eyes to create

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<v Speaker 2>improved optical senses to do everything from improved cell phone

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<v Speaker 2>cameras to aid doctors in the detection and removal of tumors.

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<v Speaker 3>But let us consider the weaponry of the mantis shrimp.

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<v Speaker 3>The mantis shrimp makes use of two attacks via its

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<v Speaker 3>raptorial front appendages, but the type of damage depends on

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<v Speaker 3>the species. Some mantis shrimp, including the peacock mantis shrimp,

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<v Speaker 3>pack a pair of dactile clubs which strike with bullet

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<v Speaker 3>like speeds to kill or stung enemies by impact and

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<v Speaker 3>or shock wave bludgeoning damage. This punch is actually fast

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<v Speaker 3>enough to do superheated vapor bubbles in the surrounding waters,

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<v Speaker 3>and these cavitation forces may apply additional damage. The majority

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<v Speaker 3>of mantis shrimp, however, have barbed frontal appendages to pierce

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<v Speaker 3>their prey at lower attack speeds, while the clubbing mantis

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<v Speaker 3>shrimp depend on a spring loaded mechanism. Spearing mantis shrimp

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<v Speaker 3>are divided between spring loaded stabbers and active muscle movement stabbers.

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<v Speaker 3>In either case, the stab happy mantis shrimp varieties ambush

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<v Speaker 3>their prey from cover, while clubbers launch more of a

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<v Speaker 3>full frontal assault.

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<v Speaker 2>Sources for this episode included the National Aquarium, the Great

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<v Speaker 2>Barrier Re Foundation, Michael Irvings How the deadly mantis shrimp

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<v Speaker 2>keeps cracks in its club in Czech published on New

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<v Speaker 2>Atlas in twenty eighteen. Jessica Morrison's mantis shrimp supercolour vision

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<v Speaker 2>debunked published in Nature twenty four, Kroninetl's color vision in

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<v Speaker 2>stomatopod crustaceans published in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society

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<v Speaker 2>b twenty twenty two. And patel at All's mantis shrimp

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<v Speaker 2>identify an object by its shape rather than its color

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<v Speaker 2>during visual recognition, published in the Journal of Experimental Biology

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<v Speaker 2>twenty twenty one. Okay, let's move on to the next selection,

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<v Speaker 2>the anglerfish. Travel with me, gentle reader, as we consider

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<v Speaker 2>the amazing courtship of the deep sea anglerfish common name anglerfish.

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<v Speaker 2>Scientific classification multiple species of the teleost order lopoformes, frequency

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<v Speaker 2>and range, deep sea environments worldwide and tropical to temperate latitudes.

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<v Speaker 2>Size up to four feet or one point two meters,

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<v Speaker 2>diet crustaceans and small fish treasure Hoarde Male Breeding Partners

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<v Speaker 2>Challenge rating three.

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<v Speaker 3>To be sure, there is no singular deep sea angler

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<v Speaker 3>fish in fact, there are more than two hundred known species.

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<v Speaker 3>This includes the sea toads or coffin fish, as well

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<v Speaker 3>as the black sea devils, among many others. These outrageous names,

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<v Speaker 3>of course, dim from the sometimes froglike and sometimes frightening

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<v Speaker 3>appearance of these bony fish. Meals can be scarce in

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<v Speaker 3>the deep ocean, and so many species boast adaptations to

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<v Speaker 3>help them eat any suitable prey they might encounter. This

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<v Speaker 3>includes large mouths, large stomachs, and long needlelike translucent teeth

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<v Speaker 3>piercing damage. The anglerfish can also depress its long teeth

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<v Speaker 3>at will to allow unobstructed travel down the predator's throat,

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<v Speaker 3>and can likewise be raised again like the bars of

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<v Speaker 3>a cage, to prevent engulfed prey from escaping. Anglerfish are

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<v Speaker 3>ambush predators, and their name comes from the bioluminescent lure appendage,

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<v Speaker 3>a modified ray fin that they can unsheath to lure

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<v Speaker 3>prey into gobbling range, so much like a glowing wizard's

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<v Speaker 3>wand the lure is actually powered by symbiant photobacteria, which

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<v Speaker 3>reside in the lure by the millions. How they first

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<v Speaker 3>acquire the bacteria long remained an open question. With scientists

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<v Speaker 3>unsure if developing anglerfish encounter them in the open ocean

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<v Speaker 3>or are inoculated with them by apparent during spawning, but

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<v Speaker 3>some recent recent search points more toward the former. Either way,

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<v Speaker 3>it would appear to be a mutually beneficial relationship, as

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<v Speaker 3>the bacteria benefit from protection and nutrients as the angler

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<v Speaker 3>moves throughout its environment. But today or today is Valentine's Day,

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<v Speaker 3>so we must speak the love language of the anglerfish,

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<v Speaker 3>making check again. There are numerous anglerfish species to consider,

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<v Speaker 3>but many species boast extreme sexual dimorphism. The female is

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<v Speaker 3>larger and fiercer by a considerable margin, and the male's

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<v Speaker 3>main purpose is to provide sperm for sexual reproduction. For

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<v Speaker 3>black sea devils, the male is free swimming but doesn't

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<v Speaker 3>even feed as an adult. In other species, the small

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<v Speaker 3>male is parasitic in nature, attaching to the female's body

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<v Speaker 3>and fusing with her. See. Just as prey encounters in

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<v Speaker 3>the deep ocean are rare, so two are mating matches.

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<v Speaker 3>The miniature males put all their effort into seeking out

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<v Speaker 3>and finding a potential mate, and then in some species

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<v Speaker 3>attach themselves initially via a byte and eventually become a

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<v Speaker 3>grafted on reproductive organ such devotion. In some species, a

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<v Speaker 3>female may acquire multiple parasitic males. These males continue to live,

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<v Speaker 3>but become entirely dependent on the females for nutrients and blood.

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<v Speaker 3>The upside for her is they don't take up much space,

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<v Speaker 3>They require comparably little nourishment, and are ready to provide

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<v Speaker 3>sperm whenever she is ready to reproduce. Their reproduction and

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<v Speaker 3>by the way, is carried out externally via spawmen. The

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<v Speaker 3>female releases her eggs, the males release their sperm, and

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<v Speaker 3>the fertilized eggs drift off in the water column. The

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<v Speaker 3>males remain and are ready to help out the next

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<v Speaker 3>time around as well.

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<v Speaker 2>Sources for this episode included Osceania dot org, the Monterey

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<v Speaker 2>Bay Aquarium, Emily Osterroloft's The Bizarre love Life of the Anglerfish,

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<v Speaker 2>published on the website of the Natural History Museum London, lk.

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<v Speaker 2>Wards meet the tiny bacteria they give anglerfishes their spooky glow,

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<v Speaker 2>published twenty sixteen on Smithsonian's Ocean and Krishna Ramanaja's study

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<v Speaker 2>Eliminates link between anglerfish bacteria published twenty nineteen on the

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<v Speaker 2>Cornell Chronicle. All Right, let's move on to the next selection,

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<v Speaker 2>the glass frog.

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<v Speaker 3>Travel with me, gentle reader, as we consider the glorious glass.

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<v Speaker 2>Frog common name glass frog, scientific classification some one hundred

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<v Speaker 2>and forty seven species of the family central Linidae, frequency

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<v Speaker 2>and range Central and South America. Size small, generally two

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<v Speaker 2>inches or five centimeters in length. Diet various small arthropods

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<v Speaker 2>and smaller frogs. Treasure horde, egg clutches laid on leaves

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<v Speaker 2>or branches overhanging small bodies of water Challenge rating three.

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<v Speaker 3>Through my travels in magical realms, I even countered no

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<v Speaker 3>shortage of invisible creatures. Various spirits, demons, and fay that

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<v Speaker 3>lurk in the shadows, become the shadows and creep upon

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<v Speaker 3>unsuspecting adventurers. So too, I have met many a rogue

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<v Speaker 3>who survived encounters due to their ability to blend into

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<v Speaker 3>their environment and remain unseen. And yet never have I

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<v Speaker 3>seen a wondrous treasure, not even in a dragon's splendid

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<v Speaker 3>horde as precious as the glass frog. Most of these

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<v Speaker 3>are arboreal denizens of the cloud forest, boast a semi

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<v Speaker 3>translucent skin, thus their name, and through their glass like

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<v Speaker 3>skin one may glimpse their very organs and the coursing

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<v Speaker 3>of red blood through their veins. Indeed, did I not

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<v Speaker 3>know better, I might assume that some careless apprentice had

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<v Speaker 3>dripp'd the very ink of animation upon the pages of

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<v Speaker 3>an anatomy text book. But I assure you these frogs

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<v Speaker 3>are quite real. And since glass frogs are products of

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<v Speaker 3>evolution and not accidental wizardry, you might ponder why they

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<v Speaker 3>acquired translucent skin and visible organs, because surely it is

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<v Speaker 3>a careless adventure who strolls into an enemy's stronghold with

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<v Speaker 3>invisible flesh but visible viscera. It might shock and confuse

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<v Speaker 3>your adversaries in the short term, but they'll certainly know

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<v Speaker 3>where you are. They'll wise up, and you might not

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<v Speaker 3>like where they aim their arrows. I am somewhat reminded

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<v Speaker 3>of the crystal flesh Ghuls of Nuan in this as well,

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<v Speaker 3>but that is beside the point. Indeed, scientists long pondered

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<v Speaker 3>the nature and effectiveness of the glass frog's camouflage. There

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<v Speaker 3>are two amazing factors we must consider here. First of all,

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<v Speaker 3>while their central bodies reveal therein eternal organs, their legs

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<v Speaker 3>are generally a great deal more translucent as are the

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<v Speaker 3>edges of their bodies. Thus, when the frog bunches itself

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<v Speaker 3>up on a leaf, the edges of its balk blend

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<v Speaker 3>into its surroundings, be it dark or light. This is

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<v Speaker 3>called edge diffusion, the softening of line separation between the

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<v Speaker 3>creature and its background. Think of it as a blurring

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<v Speaker 3>of the visible boundary between the individual and the surroundings.

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<v Speaker 3>Stealth check, and there's more. Quite recently, scientists discovered something

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<v Speaker 3>very exciting about the glass frog's blood. Yes, when the

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<v Speaker 3>frog is active, the visible veins of coursing red certainly

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<v Speaker 3>mark the frog for potential sighted predators. But when the

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<v Speaker 3>frog is asleep, most of its red blood cells pool

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<v Speaker 3>within the creature's live swelling the organ by some forty

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<v Speaker 3>percent and amassing an estimated eighty nine percent of the

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<v Speaker 3>creature's red blood cells a virtual liver of holding. As

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<v Speaker 3>a result, the frog's overall translucency increases by as much

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<v Speaker 3>as half or even more. Success It's an extreme adaptation,

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<v Speaker 3>and scientists ponder how they might learn from it in

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<v Speaker 3>the treatment and prevention of blood clots. For the frogs

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<v Speaker 3>carry out this daily feet without suffering clots of their own.

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<v Speaker 3>Further study may lead to the development of new ante coagulants.

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<v Speaker 3>Glass Frog coloration and translucency varies from species to species,

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<v Speaker 3>as do some of their other adaptations. At least one

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<v Speaker 3>species produces bright red tadpoles that bury themselves in mud

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<v Speaker 3>and leaf litter for completing their metamorphosis.

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<v Speaker 2>Thanks to my son Sebastian for suggesting the topic of

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<v Speaker 2>glass frogs, which he read about in the twenty twenty

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<v Speaker 2>two Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia, which also served as a source

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<v Speaker 2>for this episode. Other sources include Imperfect Transparency and Camouflage

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<v Speaker 2>in glass Frogs by Ryan at All, published in the

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<v Speaker 2>Journal Biological Sciences twenty twenty and glass Frogs Concealed blood

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<v Speaker 2>in their liver to maintain transparency by Kaboada at All,

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<v Speaker 2>published in the Journal Science twenty twenty two. All Right

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<v Speaker 2>one final selection for this episode, and it's the common Kingfisher.

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<v Speaker 2>Travel with me, gentle reader, as we consider the common

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<v Speaker 2>kingfisher common name Eurasian kingfisher, common kingfisher, or river kingfisher.

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<v Speaker 2>Scientific classification alcedo Athys, frequency and range Europe, Northern Africa,

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<v Speaker 2>Central and Southern Asia. Size up to six inches or

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<v Speaker 2>fifteen centimeters long, diet small fish, along with some aquatic insects,

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<v Speaker 2>treasure horde, bone littered burrows and eggs challenge rating one.

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<v Speaker 3>Some ninety two kingfisher species populate the Earth and are

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<v Speaker 3>found on every continent except for Antarctica. Of these, a

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<v Speaker 3>good half prey upon lizards and other small land animals

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<v Speaker 3>and their kin. The beaters, as their name suggests, snatch

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<v Speaker 3>bees and wasps right out of the air, then smack

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<v Speaker 3>them against a branch to dislodge the venom before gobbling

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<v Speaker 3>them down. But I digress. A good half of known

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<v Speaker 3>kingfisher species do what they are most famous for, and

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<v Speaker 3>that is catch and eat fish. Such is the case

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<v Speaker 3>of the European kingfisher, a beautiful bird with an almost

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<v Speaker 3>comically large head, long bill, short legs, and a stubby tail.

0:19:10.960 --> 0:19:16.600
<v Speaker 3>Its plumage is absolutely resplendent, an orange belly the color

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<v Speaker 3>of a brilliant sunset, and turquoise wings and head. Such

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<v Speaker 3>a splendid little avian gym, you will find it not

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<v Speaker 3>in treasure chess, but on branches overhanging, clear, slow moving

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<v Speaker 3>streams and rivers. Their vision is superb highly adapted to

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<v Speaker 3>watch for fish under the surface of the water, adjusting

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<v Speaker 3>for refraction and making out prey a good one hundred

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<v Speaker 3>yards or ninety meters away perception check success, the kingfisher

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<v Speaker 3>dives into the water, snatches its prey in its beak,

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<v Speaker 3>and then flies back to its perch, where it stuns

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<v Speaker 3>the fish against a branch before swallowing it head first,

0:20:07.320 --> 0:20:12.520
<v Speaker 3>bludgeoning damage. Now it's easy to dismiss this hunting spectacle,

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<v Speaker 3>at least until you try to do it for yourself. No,

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<v Speaker 3>I don't refer to any of my polymorph duels with

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<v Speaker 3>various witches, but rather to the kingfisher's place in the

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<v Speaker 3>human science of biomimicry. This is, of course, the discipline

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<v Speaker 3>of solving complex human problems by looking at the way

0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:39.200
<v Speaker 3>nature has solved similar problems over the course of evolutionary time.

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<v Speaker 3>The human design problem here has nothing to do with

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<v Speaker 3>catching fish or diving into the water, but rather with

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<v Speaker 3>maximizing the design of Japanese bullet trains. See Early in

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<v Speaker 3>their use, the high speed trains generated a pressure boom

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<v Speaker 3>when exiting tunnels due to build up and compressed air

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<v Speaker 3>at the front of the speeding train, an effect that

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<v Speaker 3>also served to slow the trains down at least this

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<v Speaker 3>was the case until engineers studied the head and beak

0:21:14.119 --> 0:21:18.639
<v Speaker 3>structure of the common kingfisher, which in turn has evolved

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<v Speaker 3>for maximal stream lined entry into the water. The scientists

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<v Speaker 3>were able to apply these design principles to the front

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<v Speaker 3>of the train, and presto, no more boom. Finally, I

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<v Speaker 3>would like to mention the layer or burrow of the

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<v Speaker 3>common kingfisher. It is assumed that this species does not

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<v Speaker 3>collect and use nesting materials, but rather digs nest burrows

0:21:44.040 --> 0:21:48.000
<v Speaker 3>in the banks of streams or rivers, the entryway sloping

0:21:48.280 --> 0:21:52.159
<v Speaker 3>to prevent rain and floodwaters from flowing into it. And

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<v Speaker 3>here inside, certainly you may find the birds and their eggs,

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<v Speaker 3>but you will also find a great midden of fish

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<v Speaker 3>bones see. The common kingfisher will frequently cough up indigestible

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<v Speaker 3>bits of bone and scale which accumulate in the burrow.

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<v Speaker 3>Other varieties of fish eating kingfisher, however, may make more

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<v Speaker 3>active use of the bones in their burrow.

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<v Speaker 2>Construction sources for this one included David Bernie's Kingfisher Animal

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<v Speaker 2>Encyclopedia twenty twenty two, San Diego Zoo dot Org, BBC's

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<v Speaker 2>how a Kingfisher helped reshape Japan's Bullet Train, a video

0:22:32.240 --> 0:22:36.240
<v Speaker 2>produced by Jennifer Green and Anadobal and animated by Jules

0:22:36.240 --> 0:22:42.280
<v Speaker 2>Bartell twenty nineteen. And Sorry vs. Sarah McGarry's BioMedics Applications

0:22:42.280 --> 0:22:45.920
<v Speaker 2>in Structural Design, published in the International Journal of Innovative

0:22:45.920 --> 0:22:49.800
<v Speaker 2>Research and Science, Engineering and Technology, twenty twenty one.

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<v Speaker 3>For now I must retire my wizard's quill and allow

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<v Speaker 3>my familiars some respite. But I shall return with even

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<v Speaker 3>more wonders of the natural world.

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<v Speaker 2>Indeed, the Wizard shall return for more animal profiles in

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<v Speaker 2>the future. And you can certainly write in with suggestions

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<v Speaker 2>and we will forward them to him. You can email

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<v Speaker 2>us as always at contact at stuff to Blow your

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<v Speaker 2>Mind dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff to Blow Your Mind is production of iHeartRadio. For

0:23:26.840 --> 0:23:29.640
<v Speaker 1>more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app,

0:23:29.800 --> 0:23:32.560
<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.