1 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,639 Speaker 1: Welcome to Creature feature production of I Heart Radio. I'm 2 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:15,560 Speaker 1: your host of Many Parasites, Katie Golden. I studied psychology 3 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:19,440 Speaker 1: and evolutionary biology, and someone gave me a microphone, and well, 4 00:00:19,600 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: here I am in your years. Today on the show, 5 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: we're talking about dank animal memes. Kids. Did you know 6 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: humans aren't the only one spreading sweet memes? That's right, 7 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: We're talking about viral bird song that's getting retweeted like 8 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:39,640 Speaker 1: crazy otto, tupperware parties, and dolphins engaging in the hottest 9 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:43,519 Speaker 1: new trend shelling discover this more as we answer the 10 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 1: angel question how do fireflies synchronize their butts? Joining me 11 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:57,800 Speaker 1: today is podcaster, comedian, Jeopardy champ and bison connoisseur Alex Schmidt, Like, 12 00:00:58,040 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: I just need to get all of that on one 13 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 1: business card as soon as I can. Now, I'm gonna 14 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:04,080 Speaker 1: I'm gonna run to Vista Print or something. You get 15 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:07,160 Speaker 1: it done. Why am I plugging Vista Print? I don't know. 16 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: It's the one that jumped to mind. Back to you, Katie's. 17 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: So today, much like business cards, we're going to talk 18 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 1: about memes, which is basically, so what a meme is? Here? 19 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:27,360 Speaker 1: I am Okay, old Grandma Katie is going to explain 20 00:01:27,440 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: to you kids what memes are. Just pull up a seat. 21 00:01:31,319 --> 00:01:35,200 Speaker 1: Imagine me in a backwards baseball hat. I'm sitting backwards 22 00:01:35,240 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: in a chair and it's like, hey, hey, kids, how's 23 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 1: it going. Let's talk about memes today. But at its essence, 24 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:48,200 Speaker 1: a meme is the spreading of information at a rapid 25 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:52,520 Speaker 1: rate and using obviously we use these fun little image 26 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: formats or funny joke formats. You're basically spreading this unit 27 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,240 Speaker 1: of information and then everyone takes it in all turns 28 00:02:00,280 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: it slightly. But hey, kids, did you know that animals 29 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: can meme to They can meme with the best of them. 30 00:02:08,720 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: I do. I have like the backwards in a chair 31 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 1: talking to the kids. Thing makes me think of the 32 00:02:13,480 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: actual science teacher who tried to tell us that meme 33 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:19,000 Speaker 1: is like a scientific term that Richard Dawkins and other 34 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,680 Speaker 1: people were using. And I was like, oh, buzz off, 35 00:02:21,760 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: I want advice animals and other memes of this era 36 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:28,560 Speaker 1: that this happened. And yeah, because it's it's meant to 37 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:33,760 Speaker 1: sound like gene. You know, meme gene basically the spreading 38 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: of information. That is, it's from the Greek mimima, which 39 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:43,040 Speaker 1: means to imitate, and then it's patterned after gene, So 40 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:47,360 Speaker 1: meme gene you know now you know. Now I've ruined 41 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: it for you all. It's been ruined by knowledge. Now 42 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,760 Speaker 1: it's no longer cool, it's no longer funny. Ripped memes 43 00:02:54,160 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: from whatever two thousand and five to I'm actually now 44 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: I'm imagining the American chopper meme. But they're arguing about 45 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,799 Speaker 1: whether this knowledge ruins memes or enriches them, because I 46 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,919 Speaker 1: think it enriches them. I like knowing this stuff. Meta 47 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: memes the best memes of all, certainly not tires. So 48 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:18,959 Speaker 1: meme kids, We're going to talk about animals and how 49 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:21,440 Speaker 1: they spread information with each other, and we're going to 50 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:26,679 Speaker 1: start with otter tupperware parties. So again, Grandma Katie is 51 00:03:26,720 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: going to explain to you what a tupperware party. So 52 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: tupperware parties were these things that happened, I think in 53 00:03:35,400 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: the fifties and sixties where women would get together and 54 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: sell tupperware, which was this cool new thing where you 55 00:03:43,880 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: stored food in these little plastic containers. And the premise 56 00:03:49,680 --> 00:03:53,560 Speaker 1: of the tupperware party is, hey, women are entrepreneurs. Now, 57 00:03:53,800 --> 00:03:57,600 Speaker 1: but only for things that are domestic related, and only 58 00:03:57,640 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: if we presented as these fun tupper where parties where 59 00:04:01,040 --> 00:04:04,920 Speaker 1: ladies get together and have some tea and cookies and 60 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:07,480 Speaker 1: sell tupperware. So it's kind of this. It was this 61 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: interesting phenomena of Hey, women, you can be entrepreneurs too, 62 00:04:12,520 --> 00:04:17,240 Speaker 1: but only with tupperwars. Women love that stuff, right, don't worry. 63 00:04:17,240 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 1: You can also sell lipstick and tips on child rering probably, 64 00:04:22,279 --> 00:04:28,560 Speaker 1: and you know whatever women like. Yes, the couzy teacuzies 65 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:33,320 Speaker 1: never quite understood. That is quite understood. Wouldn't a teacuzy 66 00:04:33,440 --> 00:04:36,039 Speaker 1: be like that foam beer cover but for a cup 67 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:40,359 Speaker 1: of tea like that? Yeah, but there's also it's around 68 00:04:40,360 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: a teapot. Is it a cozy? I think it's like, 69 00:04:43,279 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: then what's a couzy? This is all extremely on topic. Anyways, 70 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,280 Speaker 1: when I'm when I'm smashing teas with the boys on Saturdays, 71 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:54,800 Speaker 1: I always throw a couzy on it, keep it warm. 72 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 1: When you're pounded back to with the bros, always get 73 00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:03,120 Speaker 1: a couzy on there. Yeah. So scientists are throwing Otter's 74 00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:11,960 Speaker 1: tupperware parties because it is for research. So I for 75 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,520 Speaker 1: this show, I want to I've I've done a fun 76 00:05:15,600 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 1: little Okay, I'm getting really dumb and nerdy with this 77 00:05:20,760 --> 00:05:25,039 Speaker 1: whole episode, because, first of all, I've written titles for 78 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: each of the sections. Usually I don't share them, they're 79 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:30,559 Speaker 1: just for my reference, but I titled this section There's 80 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: no Meme and Teamwork, and I thought I should share 81 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: that I did. I was quietly appreciating the pun. I 82 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 1: didn't know if I could tell the listener. I'm so 83 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:44,599 Speaker 1: glad we could. And I'm also starting off with I've 84 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:47,919 Speaker 1: written a fake news headline for you know how, they're 85 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: always these headlines that come out and there's a new trend, 86 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:55,880 Speaker 1: like kids are out there eating tide pods at massive rates, 87 00:05:56,040 --> 00:06:00,480 Speaker 1: or they're rubbing bird's bees chapstick on their balls and 88 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:06,279 Speaker 1: it's called bees in, and these very hysterical news headlines 89 00:06:06,480 --> 00:06:09,040 Speaker 1: that make it sound like these new trends are going 90 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 1: to be the downfall and turn all the kids into Satanists. 91 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:15,960 Speaker 1: So I've written some of these to introduce what's happening 92 00:06:16,000 --> 00:06:20,000 Speaker 1: with these animals. So here is this one. Scientists are 93 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:24,279 Speaker 1: giving otters tupperware parties, a new trend that is surpassing 94 00:06:24,320 --> 00:06:30,279 Speaker 1: TikTok's and k pops, where will the madness end? So 95 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,919 Speaker 1: researchers are interested in otter tool use and how they learned. 96 00:06:35,120 --> 00:06:38,560 Speaker 1: So sea otters famously use rocks on their tommies to 97 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: crack open shellfish. So you know the little sea otters, 98 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: they have their food on their tommies. They use the 99 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 1: little rocks and smack open some shellfish to have a 100 00:06:47,200 --> 00:06:51,800 Speaker 1: nice meal. The problem is it's harder to research sea otters, 101 00:06:51,880 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 1: especially for these UK researchers, because they couldn't get a 102 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:59,839 Speaker 1: captive population of them in zoos. So they looked at 103 00:07:00,080 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: smooth coated otters and Asian small clawed otters which were 104 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:09,039 Speaker 1: chosen for the Tupperware party study. So the smooth coated 105 00:07:09,040 --> 00:07:12,480 Speaker 1: otter is found in the wetlands of Iraq, the Indian 106 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: subcontinent in Southeast Asia. They weigh up to about twenty 107 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,280 Speaker 1: four pounds, which is eleven kill grams and they're about 108 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: the size of a medium dog. But a noodle dog, 109 00:07:23,360 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: I guess, a long dog. Yeah, the most aerodynamic but 110 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:31,160 Speaker 1: for water dog possible, Like if a dog was a 111 00:07:31,160 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: plane but in a river, does that make sense? Probably not, 112 00:07:33,680 --> 00:07:37,920 Speaker 1: but no, no, it totally does. Plane river river river 113 00:07:38,000 --> 00:07:41,440 Speaker 1: plane dogs. If if dogs were airplanes that went through 114 00:07:41,440 --> 00:07:43,800 Speaker 1: the river and they were covered in hair and they 115 00:07:43,960 --> 00:07:46,400 Speaker 1: bit the heads off of fish like this photo. I 116 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 1: shared a photo with you, Alex. It's an otter biting 117 00:07:49,680 --> 00:07:51,360 Speaker 1: the head off of a fish. Do you like it? 118 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,160 Speaker 1: He looks, He looks like me when a pistachio shell 119 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 1: is weird. Try like and like. Fingers cannot do this job. 120 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: It's time for teeth. But carefully that's what you used. 121 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: Do it now? Onto the small cloud otter. The small 122 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:09,800 Speaker 1: cloud otter is found in South and Southeast Asia in 123 00:08:09,920 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 1: freshwater wetlands. It's a bit smaller than the smooth coated otter. 124 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:16,920 Speaker 1: It weighs up to about eight pounds, which is three 125 00:08:16,960 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 1: point five kg. So it's the size of a little dog, 126 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:24,720 Speaker 1: like a chihuahua, but long elongated chihuahua. Yeah. So again, 127 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,200 Speaker 1: a smaller aircraft in a river and it's a dog. 128 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: This is like a like a Cessna in a in 129 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:32,959 Speaker 1: a river. I don't know planes? Did I do? Did 130 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:34,800 Speaker 1: I do? Get on? That? Is that? What is that 131 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:36,640 Speaker 1: a plane? You know? As someone that a small plane, 132 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:40,960 Speaker 1: as someone who has played Microsoft Flight Simulator, Yes, that's correct. 133 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 1: Not to throw around by Enorva's expertise, but so so. 134 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:55,880 Speaker 1: These two species of otters can be found in uk 135 00:08:56,080 --> 00:09:01,079 Speaker 1: zoos where the study took place, and they have. One 136 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:04,319 Speaker 1: of the other benefits of choosing these otters, the smooth 137 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:06,600 Speaker 1: coated otter and the small clod otter is they both 138 00:09:06,679 --> 00:09:10,760 Speaker 1: have They're both very social in the wild, but they 139 00:09:10,800 --> 00:09:15,679 Speaker 1: have slightly different habits. So the smooth coated otters hunt 140 00:09:15,760 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: together cooperatively, whereas the small clod otters, though their friends 141 00:09:20,440 --> 00:09:23,160 Speaker 1: with each other and they hang out, they hunt independently. 142 00:09:23,760 --> 00:09:28,680 Speaker 1: So the researchers gave the otters tupperware filled with treats 143 00:09:28,760 --> 00:09:31,080 Speaker 1: and watched to see if the otters would figure out 144 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:33,520 Speaker 1: how to open them on their own or with the 145 00:09:33,520 --> 00:09:36,320 Speaker 1: help of their friends. So they put a whole bunch 146 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:40,319 Speaker 1: of great wonderful snacks inside of these tupperware containers. They 147 00:09:40,360 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 1: put fish heads, peanuts, meal worms, chick legs, and shrimp. 148 00:09:45,120 --> 00:09:47,960 Speaker 1: Which is actually exactly what my fridge looks like right now. 149 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,360 Speaker 1: It is one of those things chick legs. What's like 150 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:59,320 Speaker 1: like the legs of a baby chicken. I believe so, yes, yes, 151 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: that is like on the one hand, horrifying and on 152 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 1: the other hand, I could imagine learning that some restaurant 153 00:10:04,760 --> 00:10:07,800 Speaker 1: is doing that and everybody's going crazy, Like I feel 154 00:10:07,840 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: both ways about it. Yeah, the auto restaurant called Chic 155 00:10:10,520 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 1: Chic and its chick legs. So the smooth coated otters, 156 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:23,240 Speaker 1: which are the larger otters who hunt together, as the 157 00:10:23,280 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: researchers predicted, were much better at copying each other and 158 00:10:26,880 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 1: working together to solve these tupperware puzzles, the mystery of 159 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: the tupperware, and especially the young otters, who were six 160 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:38,640 Speaker 1: times faster at learning how to open up the tupperware 161 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: than their elders. So basically, it's as if these otters 162 00:10:42,679 --> 00:10:46,560 Speaker 1: are the tupperware is the smartphones, and the otter. The 163 00:10:46,640 --> 00:10:51,080 Speaker 1: older otters are saying things such as, oh, I can't 164 00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 1: how do I get on the Twitters? And then young 165 00:10:55,120 --> 00:10:59,400 Speaker 1: otter is going, uh duh, you just click these buttons, 166 00:10:59,400 --> 00:11:03,239 Speaker 1: and the older otters are just baffled. But it's tupperware. 167 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,120 Speaker 1: That's also I'm just realizing, because you're talking about otters 168 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:10,640 Speaker 1: doing that cute thing where they have the food on 169 00:11:10,679 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: their belly and they eat it that way, that is 170 00:11:12,679 --> 00:11:15,960 Speaker 1: like precisely the smartphone pose they already are. They are 171 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:18,600 Speaker 1: very prepared for that situation if we ever took them up. 172 00:11:18,679 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 1: We have not tried to give otters smartphones yet, and 173 00:11:23,400 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: I think it's because we're afraid of what we'll find, 174 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:28,760 Speaker 1: which is that they will take to it like a 175 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: duck to water, or like an otter to water, and 176 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:36,280 Speaker 1: basically outpace us some all the social media's. Can you 177 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: imagine otter TikTok and otter Twitter? It would be amazing. 178 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:42,800 Speaker 1: We stand no chance. Yeah, I only want to see 179 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:45,679 Speaker 1: animals on TikTok at this point anyway. Yeah, so, like 180 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:50,440 Speaker 1: otter influencers would be the death of all human and 181 00:11:50,600 --> 00:11:54,120 Speaker 1: not literally but figuratively the death of all human influencers. 182 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:58,840 Speaker 1: Although I don't know. Otters are eating baby chicken legs 183 00:11:58,920 --> 00:12:02,160 Speaker 1: all the time, so they are a little bit scary soul. 184 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:04,000 Speaker 1: It could be that thing you know when you like 185 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:07,160 Speaker 1: accidentally switch the way your camera's facing and it's like 186 00:12:07,280 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 1: mostly your chin doing a bunch of like folds somehow, 187 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 1: and it's very surprising, Like what if otters like look 188 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: cute from every angle except that one smartphone one from 189 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,880 Speaker 1: their belly, and then we're like, oh, forget it, just 190 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:25,440 Speaker 1: just a bunch of half eaten shellfish and they're stuff 191 00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: like shrimp cotton their chin and yeah, it's discussing, but 192 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:31,600 Speaker 1: I don't know, I still want to see it. So 193 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:36,640 Speaker 1: the short the short clod otters, So those smaller otters 194 00:12:37,120 --> 00:12:40,680 Speaker 1: didn't seem to understand that there is no I otter 195 00:12:40,880 --> 00:12:45,560 Speaker 1: in team otter because they didn't seem to learn from 196 00:12:45,559 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: each other to work together to open these tupperware. So 197 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,680 Speaker 1: they were working independently. They weren't learning from each other. 198 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: And what's interesting about that is that seems to mirror 199 00:12:55,760 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: their hunting behavior. So even though both of these species 200 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 1: of otters are social with each other, the fact that 201 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:09,600 Speaker 1: one of them, the smooth coated otters, actually hunt together, 202 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 1: made all the difference in how they were able to 203 00:13:13,120 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: cooperate and share information on how to open this tupperware. Yeah, 204 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: and I never think of outer species having different approaches 205 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 1: to be in social that that's just fascinating. I just 206 00:13:24,200 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: figured they all kind of do the same thing because 207 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:29,080 Speaker 1: because I see otters left, apparently, yeah, different strokes for 208 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: different utter folks. But the this, these findings are actually 209 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:38,480 Speaker 1: really important for conservation to see if captive otters, when released, 210 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: would learn from their wild counterfarts counterfarts would learn from 211 00:13:43,800 --> 00:13:48,599 Speaker 1: their wild counterparts and survive, or conversely, if wild counterparts 212 00:13:48,679 --> 00:13:52,000 Speaker 1: might be influenced by captive otters released into the environment 213 00:13:52,480 --> 00:13:55,360 Speaker 1: and learn from them. So yeah, it's it's really important 214 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: to know how animals spread information, not just because it's 215 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,320 Speaker 1: interesting in it teaches us about the world, but it 216 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,120 Speaker 1: also helps us approach conservation correctly. Yeah, that's isn't that 217 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:07,440 Speaker 1: Isn't that a whole thing with almost all kind of 218 00:14:07,440 --> 00:14:10,480 Speaker 1: animals where they'll just sort of be culturally different from 219 00:14:10,480 --> 00:14:12,400 Speaker 1: the culture is not the right word, but they'll they'll 220 00:14:12,440 --> 00:14:15,520 Speaker 1: behave very differently from their fellow animals. Is it not 221 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:18,080 Speaker 1: the right word? You know? I think it's it's actually 222 00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:20,440 Speaker 1: there's a question of whether we could call it culture 223 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 1: or not, because if it's something that I mean, if 224 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: it's something that they learn and if it evolves over time, 225 00:14:30,440 --> 00:14:33,320 Speaker 1: I don't know why we can't necessarily call it culture. 226 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:36,440 Speaker 1: I don't know why we can't call otters cultured. I 227 00:14:36,480 --> 00:14:43,040 Speaker 1: think it's snobbery. Well, I'll never let those odds into 228 00:14:43,040 --> 00:14:44,960 Speaker 1: this school or some snob thing. I don't know what 229 00:14:45,040 --> 00:14:50,280 Speaker 1: my character is, but you get it. No shirt, no shoes, otters, 230 00:14:50,280 --> 00:14:58,440 Speaker 1: no service So now moving on to another water dwelling 231 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: mammal dolphins. So, I think most people are well aware 232 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:07,880 Speaker 1: of how intelligent dolphins are, but it is sometimes spooky 233 00:15:07,920 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: how smart they are and how they learn from each other, 234 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:16,360 Speaker 1: like sleek, terrifying robots that swim in the ocean and 235 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: use their brains to echolocate. Anyways, so here's a here's 236 00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:27,480 Speaker 1: my headline about dolphins. Dolphins across the world are engaging 237 00:15:27,480 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: in a viral trend known as quote shelling. What do you, 238 00:15:32,080 --> 00:15:35,200 Speaker 1: as a dolphin parent need to know about this dangerous 239 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:41,680 Speaker 1: new trend? I love I love trend headlines in general. 240 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:43,360 Speaker 1: I love that. I love that you're doing this framing. 241 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: It's the best. They're they're always they're always just like 242 00:15:46,120 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: here's a term, are you scared or not? It's the best. 243 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:56,080 Speaker 1: Like kids are doing waffling where they eat for waffles 244 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: at once. Yeah, yeah, they always they take like a 245 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 1: regular there now and then turn it into a verb 246 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 1: and you're like, oh, I guess, I guess that's frightening now, 247 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:08,000 Speaker 1: Like like you just look at you look at something 248 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:12,120 Speaker 1: in the room. What's here a coat? Teens are coding? 249 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: Like you know, like that's just how these things get written. 250 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:19,000 Speaker 1: It's great. They're putting socks on their ears and they're 251 00:16:19,040 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 1: calling it socking it. But yeah, dolphins do engage in shelling, 252 00:16:26,320 --> 00:16:29,320 Speaker 1: and this is the actual term used by marine biologists 253 00:16:29,280 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 1: who describe this behavior. So in Shark Bay, Western Australia, 254 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:39,640 Speaker 1: dolphins are teaching each other shelling. Danta done so they 255 00:16:39,760 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 1: will chase fish into an empty she shall I fail 256 00:16:45,560 --> 00:16:50,400 Speaker 1: at the tongue twisters obviously into an empty seashell. Carry this. 257 00:16:52,440 --> 00:16:55,520 Speaker 1: Biologists must have to limber up to do any speaking 258 00:16:55,560 --> 00:17:00,880 Speaker 1: about their work. Do mouth exercises exactly. They chase all right, 259 00:17:01,040 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: I'm gonna do this. She sells seashells by the seashore. Okay, 260 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:08,520 Speaker 1: there we go. They chase fish into an empty seashell, 261 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:11,760 Speaker 1: carrying the shell to the surface of the water, and 262 00:17:11,800 --> 00:17:15,080 Speaker 1: then they emptied the fish into their mouths like it's 263 00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:21,600 Speaker 1: a package of fish skittles. That rules. That's very good. Yeah, 264 00:17:21,800 --> 00:17:24,520 Speaker 1: Like we need more animals to do snacking behaviors just 265 00:17:24,600 --> 00:17:27,159 Speaker 1: in general. I want to feel normal. Yeah, it's akin 266 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:31,320 Speaker 1: to us chasing pringles into a pringle package and then 267 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:35,280 Speaker 1: dumping it into our mouths. If pringles were sentient animals, 268 00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:39,720 Speaker 1: I guess, but yeah, it's incredibly intelligent behavior and very 269 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 1: funny too. In some circles this behavior is known as 270 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:49,600 Speaker 1: conching because they often use conscience. I think, how how 271 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,440 Speaker 1: is ten times funnier than shelling. I don't know why. 272 00:17:52,800 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: I don't know. I think it's because. I think it's 273 00:17:55,160 --> 00:17:59,000 Speaker 1: because conscience is such a cumbersome word that you could use. 274 00:17:59,160 --> 00:18:02,199 Speaker 1: Shelling makes a lot of sense, it's simple, but to 275 00:18:02,200 --> 00:18:06,040 Speaker 1: specify consci and and say conscient, trying to turn that 276 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:13,400 Speaker 1: into a verb is very funny. So Dr Sonya Wild, 277 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:18,160 Speaker 1: behavioral ecologists at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior 278 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: in Germany, and her colleagues studied the dolphin behavior and 279 00:18:22,320 --> 00:18:25,080 Speaker 1: found that instead of being good dolphins and learning from 280 00:18:25,119 --> 00:18:28,720 Speaker 1: their parents, they're a bunch of delinquent dolphins learning shelling 281 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:33,560 Speaker 1: from their peers just to be trendy. So is this 282 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 1: doctor Wild? Yeah, Dr Sonya Wild, that's a person. Yeah, 283 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:41,880 Speaker 1: that's a person and behavioral ecologists that's like a that's 284 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:45,000 Speaker 1: like a Da Vinci code book. But about marine biologist's 285 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:49,320 Speaker 1: character name, that's amazing. It is me, Dr Wild, Welcome 286 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:54,800 Speaker 1: to my chamber of mysteries. I imagine her having a 287 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:59,399 Speaker 1: comp oh, flooded compound filled with super intelligent dolphins with 288 00:18:59,440 --> 00:19:02,120 Speaker 1: a little dollers that allow them to speak to humans. 289 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:09,200 Speaker 1: And it's Dr Wilde's dolphin Emporium that I'm meant to 290 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:12,240 Speaker 1: it because also we we breeze past like these dolphins 291 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:15,840 Speaker 1: are in Shark Bay of Western Australia, right like Dr 292 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: Sonja wild goes to Shark Bay is the thriller that 293 00:19:18,600 --> 00:19:21,480 Speaker 1: I would like to see as a film. She's definitely 294 00:19:21,600 --> 00:19:24,720 Speaker 1: got a secret layer. No offense. I think it's cool, 295 00:19:25,359 --> 00:19:28,520 Speaker 1: but yes, she definitely has a secret layer. Proved me wrong. 296 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:31,920 Speaker 1: So Dr Wilde said, quote, you never know when it's 297 00:19:31,960 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 1: going to happen. She's referring to shelling. It's really remarkable 298 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:38,040 Speaker 1: when all of a sudden there's a giant shell popping 299 00:19:38,119 --> 00:19:43,280 Speaker 1: up by the boat being shaken by a dolphin. One 300 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:45,480 Speaker 1: of two things is about to happen. You're going to 301 00:19:45,600 --> 00:19:48,920 Speaker 1: make an animal behavioral discovery, or a bunch of fish 302 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:51,159 Speaker 1: are going to break out into song and the dolphin 303 00:19:51,240 --> 00:19:54,200 Speaker 1: is playing with the shells, and everyone's going to start 304 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,360 Speaker 1: singing and convincing you to come to a new conclusion 305 00:19:57,359 --> 00:20:03,399 Speaker 1: about your life and all of that. So, so the 306 00:20:03,480 --> 00:20:07,040 Speaker 1: important thing about this discovery is that it shows dolphins 307 00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:11,399 Speaker 1: don't just learn from their own family, but from unrelated peers. 308 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: And I think that is very important in terms of 309 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:21,080 Speaker 1: understanding how information is passed amongst animals, especially one as 310 00:20:21,119 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 1: intelligent as dolphins, because it shows, like we were talking 311 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:28,400 Speaker 1: about earlier Alex, this idea of culture. What is culture? 312 00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:32,680 Speaker 1: Is it passing information and habits amongst a group? And 313 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 1: if these are their peers and not just they're not 314 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:39,960 Speaker 1: just their mothers or their own families, it means they're 315 00:20:40,320 --> 00:20:49,480 Speaker 1: kind of creating, you know, a society. How soon did 316 00:20:49,480 --> 00:20:52,720 Speaker 1: you get excited to say the word society? Was it? Like? 317 00:20:52,760 --> 00:20:55,800 Speaker 1: It was about halfway into that sentence and I started 318 00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:05,880 Speaker 1: my I started to tingle all over. It's great, I do. Yeah. 319 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:08,639 Speaker 1: I think I always think of the overall concept of 320 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:10,880 Speaker 1: calling it a school of fish when you talk about 321 00:21:10,880 --> 00:21:12,600 Speaker 1: a group of fish, and then that leads to like 322 00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:15,240 Speaker 1: finding Nemo, it's actually a school ha ha. I think 323 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:18,320 Speaker 1: I'm the most ready to think of marine life learning 324 00:21:18,359 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 1: things from each other like teenagers like this. So it's 325 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: amazing that it's real. It's not just like from our 326 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:25,600 Speaker 1: goofy terms and pick our movies. I used to watch 327 00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:29,679 Speaker 1: those old I think those were the Max Fleischer cartoons. 328 00:21:29,760 --> 00:21:31,600 Speaker 1: Is that is that the guy who did Betty Boop 329 00:21:31,640 --> 00:21:34,960 Speaker 1: and stuff, And he had these ones that were my 330 00:21:35,080 --> 00:21:37,640 Speaker 1: favorite were the ones where you'd go underwater and you'd 331 00:21:37,640 --> 00:21:41,280 Speaker 1: watch fish in their fish society. And there was one 332 00:21:41,359 --> 00:21:43,960 Speaker 1: with this naughty fish that didn't want to go to school, 333 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:46,439 Speaker 1: so he went out and hung out with all the 334 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:50,920 Speaker 1: bad fish and the mean octopuses, and it was there's 335 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:54,440 Speaker 1: something so charming about He would have a gag where 336 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:57,400 Speaker 1: uh fish would pick up a phone off the hook, 337 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: you know, one of those old timey phones where what 338 00:22:00,480 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: were they called the old yeah, the old timey rotary 339 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: phones and pick it up and and the fish would 340 00:22:07,520 --> 00:22:09,240 Speaker 1: leave and then the phone would just be floating in 341 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,639 Speaker 1: the water, and just the the fun the idea of 342 00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:16,560 Speaker 1: having a society underwater always tickles me. It's always very funny. 343 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:22,119 Speaker 1: Top comedy, top tier comedy. Right, All our gravity based 344 00:22:22,119 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 1: things are are foolish there. But that's what's so interesting 345 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:29,240 Speaker 1: about dolphin tool use is they have to be really 346 00:22:29,680 --> 00:22:34,399 Speaker 1: really ingenious about how they use these tools because they 347 00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:38,080 Speaker 1: have to drive a fish into a shell, which is 348 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:42,040 Speaker 1: probably a fit natural fish behavior. They take refuge in 349 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:45,680 Speaker 1: any little crevice they find, but they make sure it's 350 00:22:45,720 --> 00:22:48,960 Speaker 1: something that is movable, a container they can carry, and 351 00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 1: then when they carry it to the surface, they can 352 00:22:52,080 --> 00:22:54,800 Speaker 1: toss the fish out of air where the fish can't 353 00:22:54,840 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: really maneuver very easily. So it's all just every step 354 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:01,000 Speaker 1: of this process of I scared the fish, it goes 355 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 1: into the shell, I pick up the shell, I take 356 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:04,760 Speaker 1: it out of the water to the surface of the 357 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:09,159 Speaker 1: water and toss it back like Alex does with his 358 00:23:09,320 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 1: buds on the weekend, drinking tea out of tea coozies, 359 00:23:14,600 --> 00:23:18,159 Speaker 1: crushing tease, thank you, crushing teas, slamming them back. Just 360 00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:21,000 Speaker 1: you gotta slam some fish back out of a nice shell, 361 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,679 Speaker 1: is what I'm saying to be cool in the dolphin world. 362 00:23:24,920 --> 00:23:27,880 Speaker 1: So I really I realized fish or maybe the one 363 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 1: thing that would be grosser to slam than hot tea. 364 00:23:31,840 --> 00:23:35,119 Speaker 1: We'll remember. Remember. I think there was a thing back 365 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:39,080 Speaker 1: in what was it, like the sixties or seventies where 366 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:44,920 Speaker 1: teenagers were doing goldfishing or something where they would swallow 367 00:23:45,000 --> 00:23:49,760 Speaker 1: live goldfish and have these stupid frat guys would have 368 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:53,560 Speaker 1: competitions to see how many live goldfish they could swallow, 369 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:59,040 Speaker 1: which is just mean to goldfish. Guys, don't don't be 370 00:23:59,119 --> 00:24:04,679 Speaker 1: mean to goldfish. Yeah, yeah, let him live. So, in 371 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:06,880 Speaker 1: case you were wondering, and I know you all were, 372 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 1: it's not just vertebrates who help each other learn how 373 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:14,400 Speaker 1: to get food. So here's my headline about ants. Actually, Alex, 374 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:18,480 Speaker 1: you want to read this headline from UH the from 375 00:24:18,760 --> 00:24:24,439 Speaker 1: the New New Ant Times. Yes, of course, UH officials 376 00:24:24,480 --> 00:24:29,239 Speaker 1: found that ants are practicing something called tandem recruitment, and 377 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:31,280 Speaker 1: I can only hope to God that these ants don't 378 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:36,200 Speaker 1: start recruiting our children more at eleven you have to watch. 379 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:44,360 Speaker 1: So these are timno thorax albe penace ants or rock 380 00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 1: ants are found in Europe and like to build their 381 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:52,159 Speaker 1: colonies in the crevices of rocks. So they do tandem 382 00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:56,680 Speaker 1: recruitment or tandem running, where one ant who knows where 383 00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:00,520 Speaker 1: there's a tasty, hot new restaurant called old Discard banana 384 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: peal will move side by side with another aunt who 385 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:07,479 Speaker 1: doesn't know where this hot new dining spot is, and 386 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:11,000 Speaker 1: the savvy ant will slow down and pause at useful 387 00:25:11,080 --> 00:25:14,280 Speaker 1: landmarks to help its partner learn the path to food. 388 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:16,959 Speaker 1: So the follower will make sure they're going the right 389 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,520 Speaker 1: way by continually patting the leader on the abdomen, but 390 00:25:20,840 --> 00:25:24,000 Speaker 1: really it's the caboose part of the admin, so it 391 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,760 Speaker 1: looks like it's just a bunch of encouraging butt paths, 392 00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:29,520 Speaker 1: which I think is really cute. Here's a video of 393 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 1: two sisters but padding their way to teamwork if you 394 00:25:34,520 --> 00:25:36,080 Speaker 1: want to see it, you know, Yeah, I'm gonna fright 395 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 1: this up. Okay, So I've observed the padding, and it 396 00:25:43,480 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: really looks a lot like tickling. I'm pretty do it 397 00:25:46,080 --> 00:25:48,880 Speaker 1: as a thing to think of ants doing to each 398 00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:53,000 Speaker 1: other while they're working, like yeah, and she's using her 399 00:25:53,040 --> 00:25:57,240 Speaker 1: antenna to pat the leader on the butt and yeah, 400 00:25:57,280 --> 00:26:01,560 Speaker 1: it's it's really interesting because the leader will also show 401 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,760 Speaker 1: the follower these landmarks, so they'll pause in front of landmarks, 402 00:26:05,880 --> 00:26:09,840 Speaker 1: so you know, saying, hey, when you pass the old 403 00:26:10,119 --> 00:26:13,439 Speaker 1: lemon rind and the wadded up tissue, then you get 404 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:18,920 Speaker 1: to the banana peel, take a left at the discarded 405 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:21,400 Speaker 1: A O L C D case and then you're there. 406 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: That's another topical thing, isn't it old trial c ds? Hey? Kids, 407 00:26:28,480 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 1: I'm hip. It's it's it's old Katie here being hip 408 00:26:31,760 --> 00:26:34,359 Speaker 1: and teaching you about memes and a O L trial 409 00:26:34,440 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 1: C D discs, well, well, trash in particular, it's like 410 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:41,400 Speaker 1: a layered history of culture, right, Like it's a geological 411 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:45,359 Speaker 1: you know, like there's there's Eisenhower tupper ware down below it, 412 00:26:45,480 --> 00:26:48,639 Speaker 1: you know, and you'll find stuff. Yeah, exactly. It's going 413 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:52,480 Speaker 1: to be fascinating for future generations to go through landfills 414 00:26:52,880 --> 00:27:05,120 Speaker 1: and wonder what we're street sharks, what POGs? Uh? Uh? 415 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 1: Have you ever been subjected to the strange corporate ritual 416 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: known as team building? Well, it may comfort you to 417 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:16,399 Speaker 1: know that you're not alone. Many animals who work together 418 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 1: as teams need to learn how to communicate and synergize, 419 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,240 Speaker 1: and they do so in the form of play. Wolf 420 00:27:23,280 --> 00:27:27,360 Speaker 1: families work together to ensure their survival, and play amongst 421 00:27:27,440 --> 00:27:32,159 Speaker 1: a wolfpack helps establish relationships between the wolves and also 422 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:36,200 Speaker 1: helps the wolves blow off steam and reduces conflict. So 423 00:27:36,359 --> 00:27:39,639 Speaker 1: in the future, in post COVID times, when we're forced 424 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:42,840 Speaker 1: to do team building exercises again, take a cue from 425 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:45,960 Speaker 1: wolves and start wrestling over a chunk of raw caribou 426 00:27:46,040 --> 00:27:50,719 Speaker 1: to build those healthy interpersonal relationships. When we return, we're 427 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: going to talk about more animal memes, specifically the way 428 00:27:54,080 --> 00:27:58,040 Speaker 1: animals use their voices or their butts to communicate. And 429 00:27:58,080 --> 00:28:01,080 Speaker 1: then we'll be talking about some viru real tweets from 430 00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:11,400 Speaker 1: literal birds. Birds may lack social media, but they do 431 00:28:11,520 --> 00:28:16,760 Speaker 1: have social tweetia. Birds have an extremely complex method of 432 00:28:16,840 --> 00:28:22,080 Speaker 1: vocal communication, including mating calls, territorial calls, and alarms meant 433 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: to protect flocks from predators. But birds don't come pre 434 00:28:26,119 --> 00:28:29,640 Speaker 1: programmed with a static repertoire. They have to learn as 435 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:33,080 Speaker 1: young birds by listening to adults and sometimes a new 436 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:39,240 Speaker 1: innovation and birdsong takes bird kind by storm. So, Alex, 437 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:43,720 Speaker 1: this is a headline from Bird's Song bi Weekly. Would 438 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:49,760 Speaker 1: you like to read? I want to subscribe to Birdsong 439 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:54,560 Speaker 1: bi weekly, but I surely um. In Canada, a new 440 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: song has taken white throated sparrows by storm. These sparrows 441 00:28:58,440 --> 00:29:01,840 Speaker 1: are bucking traditional songs in favor of this hot new tune. 442 00:29:02,240 --> 00:29:04,960 Speaker 1: Some older sparrows take umbradge at the change. What was 443 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:08,480 Speaker 1: wrong with the old song? Says Manitoba bird resident Peepers 444 00:29:08,560 --> 00:29:13,600 Speaker 1: mc cheapers. I didn't I didn't read very fast with 445 00:29:13,640 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 1: my eyes and peeper's mike Cheapers really hit me in 446 00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:20,640 Speaker 1: a good bay that felt great, oh that all peepers 447 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,640 Speaker 1: make cheaper. Is always telling young birds to get off 448 00:29:23,680 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: his front twig, stay away from the mic cheeper's place. Oh, 449 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:31,320 Speaker 1: come on, other kid birds, and then oh man papers 450 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: mc cheapers, you can't you can't do do ring and 451 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:37,080 Speaker 1: ditch on his nest. I mean, we don't even have doors. 452 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:44,520 Speaker 1: So white throated sparrows in Canada have been observed changing 453 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: their signature song over a relatively short period of time. 454 00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:52,760 Speaker 1: In just twenty years, birds from two thousand miles around 455 00:29:52,800 --> 00:29:55,960 Speaker 1: have adopted the new song, which is an unusually rapid 456 00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:59,920 Speaker 1: change in bird's song behavior. So often bird's song laugh 457 00:30:00,720 --> 00:30:03,880 Speaker 1: a really long time, hundreds of years, maybe even thousands 458 00:30:03,880 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 1: of years. But in this case, these birds are changing 459 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:10,120 Speaker 1: their song really rapidly. I know, twenty years seems like 460 00:30:10,120 --> 00:30:14,080 Speaker 1: a long time, but in terms of evolutionary history and 461 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:18,080 Speaker 1: in terms of behavioral changes in huge groups of animals, 462 00:30:18,120 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 1: that is really fast. That's that's viral in terms of 463 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,640 Speaker 1: when it comes from other nature, twenty years is viral. 464 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:32,080 Speaker 1: So birds learned songs while young by listening to their elders. 465 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:36,240 Speaker 1: So usually songs remain stagnant over many years because they're 466 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:39,360 Speaker 1: picking up on the main song and they're repeating it. 467 00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 1: But these birds shifted their song from a characteristic three 468 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:48,000 Speaker 1: note ditty to a new two notes song, which really 469 00:30:48,040 --> 00:30:50,800 Speaker 1: speaks to how they just don't write bird songs like 470 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:55,320 Speaker 1: they used to. You know, right in my in my day, 471 00:30:55,320 --> 00:30:57,560 Speaker 1: you needed to know three notes to play birds song. 472 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:00,320 Speaker 1: Now it's all these punks do it to It's as 473 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:04,120 Speaker 1: if that's even music. It's really fun to me. It's 474 00:31:04,160 --> 00:31:09,520 Speaker 1: just noise. It just sounds. I've been I've been getting 475 00:31:09,560 --> 00:31:12,320 Speaker 1: into country music last few years, and like there's an 476 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:14,840 Speaker 1: old saying about country music is that it's three chords 477 00:31:14,840 --> 00:31:17,240 Speaker 1: and the truth. Like I like the idea that the 478 00:31:17,280 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: old birds are like it was three notes in the 479 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:25,280 Speaker 1: truth man, that was it. And now well even even 480 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:30,560 Speaker 1: animal behavioral experts are have an interesting perspective on it. 481 00:31:30,720 --> 00:31:35,160 Speaker 1: So Dr ken Otter, who surprisingly studies birds and not otters, 482 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:39,760 Speaker 1: Come on, scientists, con do we do we know that 483 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:42,880 Speaker 1: Ken Otter is. It's not like, oh, Dr Ken who 484 00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:45,560 Speaker 1: is an otter? You know, like, is this a person? Oh, 485 00:31:45,600 --> 00:31:50,200 Speaker 1: he is probably an otter. It's probably haven't your study on. 486 00:31:50,520 --> 00:31:53,920 Speaker 1: I am writing a grant proposal for a study on 487 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,320 Speaker 1: bird song. Now, if only I can get this dang 488 00:31:56,440 --> 00:32:00,840 Speaker 1: tupperware open. Dang it. It's follow the tastiest fish heads 489 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:07,160 Speaker 1: and chick legs. So Dr kin Otter, the lead author 490 00:32:07,240 --> 00:32:10,680 Speaker 1: of a study examining this shift in bird song, said, quote, 491 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:15,160 Speaker 1: white throated sparrows have this classic song that's supposed to 492 00:32:15,200 --> 00:32:19,520 Speaker 1: sound like it goes quote oh my sweet Canada, Canada, Canada, 493 00:32:20,040 --> 00:32:23,360 Speaker 1: he explains, and then he says, and our birds they 494 00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 1: sound like they're going, oh my sweet Cannon Canuck, Canuck, Canada, 495 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:34,520 Speaker 1: which is really funny to me how it sounds like 496 00:32:34,640 --> 00:32:38,239 Speaker 1: he's criticizing them for being unpatriotic in Canada. It's like, 497 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 1: these goddamn young sparrows are unpatriotic little ingrates. I first 498 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,400 Speaker 1: of all, Canada, I'm sorry, I said, you're an actual adder. 499 00:32:48,480 --> 00:32:52,840 Speaker 1: But second you're probably Canadian. And as Katie said, he's 500 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:56,400 Speaker 1: adorable that you are so patriotic and your your friends 501 00:32:56,440 --> 00:33:01,719 Speaker 1: long research can Otter from Canada, h who's an honor. Sorry, 502 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:08,880 Speaker 1: it all makes sense. So here is the historic song 503 00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:17,560 Speaker 1: of the white throated sparrows. Oh okay, yeah, that's oh 504 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:22,040 Speaker 1: my Canada, Canada, Canada. Yeah. And then and here is 505 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:30,080 Speaker 1: the new pop song that all these birds are singing. Yeah, 506 00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,640 Speaker 1: so you hear the difference. It's kind of subtle, but yeah, 507 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:36,960 Speaker 1: they're they're definitely dropping a syllable there. Yeah, they're just 508 00:33:37,160 --> 00:33:41,080 Speaker 1: it's more concise. It's yeah, I like. I like the 509 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:45,640 Speaker 1: bird music is like like how we humans innovate all culture, 510 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:48,080 Speaker 1: which is, among other things, just making it shorter and tighter, 511 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:53,280 Speaker 1: usually making it shorter, making it tweetable, clickable content. It's 512 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,400 Speaker 1: just all it's all about making it concise, these short 513 00:33:56,440 --> 00:34:01,240 Speaker 1: attention spans. Sorry, it's not just humans, it's bird too. Yeah, 514 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,320 Speaker 1: you you play me that first bird song. I'm leaving 515 00:34:03,320 --> 00:34:05,240 Speaker 1: that intermission, all right. I don't have time for this. 516 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:11,920 Speaker 1: I need it tight. So. Dr Jeffrey Potos, who studies birdsong, 517 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:15,960 Speaker 1: says that most alterations to songs don't actually catch on 518 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:19,719 Speaker 1: amongst birds, but quote, for some reason, some birds just 519 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:25,960 Speaker 1: went deviant, which again sounds awfully judgmental. Yeah, does the 520 00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:28,400 Speaker 1: does the report say how much stank he put on 521 00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:36,000 Speaker 1: that quote? Come up? Jeffrey, very judging. So the new 522 00:34:36,120 --> 00:34:39,080 Speaker 1: song doesn't seem to have any effect on their survival 523 00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:42,839 Speaker 1: or even their desirability to mates. So it's a real 524 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:46,000 Speaker 1: mystery why the birds seem to prefer it. It's it 525 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:50,080 Speaker 1: really does seem to be as if the birds feel 526 00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:54,879 Speaker 1: that this is shorter and easier to tweet out, they 527 00:34:54,920 --> 00:34:57,400 Speaker 1: want Twitter to go back to the old character limit. 528 00:34:57,480 --> 00:35:00,239 Speaker 1: Gosh darn it, remember when it was a hundred worthy 529 00:35:00,360 --> 00:35:06,839 Speaker 1: characters back my day. We had to be concise. Yeah, 530 00:35:06,880 --> 00:35:09,920 Speaker 1: I guess because birdsong, well, I guess I wonder if 531 00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:12,200 Speaker 1: it varies a cross species. But it's like just for 532 00:35:12,239 --> 00:35:15,120 Speaker 1: a mating right, Like, there's not there's not also some 533 00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:17,960 Speaker 1: communication thing of like all the seeds over here, or 534 00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:20,920 Speaker 1: it's going to rain or something like. Well, bird calls. 535 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:24,360 Speaker 1: Bird calls can be about communication, absolutely, it can be 536 00:35:25,280 --> 00:35:30,120 Speaker 1: warning other birds of predators. It can be basically saying 537 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:32,680 Speaker 1: this is my territory, stay out. There's all sorts of 538 00:35:32,719 --> 00:35:36,000 Speaker 1: things that can communicate using bird song and bird calls. 539 00:35:36,360 --> 00:35:39,680 Speaker 1: But yeah, it is also used for mating, so I 540 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:44,040 Speaker 1: think this one this might be specifically a mating song, 541 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:48,040 Speaker 1: but it is. Yeah, it's just really interesting because again 542 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 1: they're not really sure why this is preferable other than 543 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:57,200 Speaker 1: it maybe being more concise. It's it's uh, yeah, yeah, 544 00:35:57,239 --> 00:36:00,239 Speaker 1: it's the it's the birdsong version of I'm an ad 545 00:36:00,360 --> 00:36:03,640 Speaker 1: and you get it like, rather than explaining the whole thing, like, well, 546 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,479 Speaker 1: we're very polite, we like hockey. And it's the bird 547 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:11,960 Speaker 1: version of sup instead of what's up or o MG 548 00:36:12,600 --> 00:36:17,120 Speaker 1: instead of oh my gosh, oh MG sounds up before 549 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:22,279 Speaker 1: oh my gosh. Right, Oh yeah, I think so, oh 550 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:29,880 Speaker 1: my gosh, oh my gosh. So another animal that has 551 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:34,720 Speaker 1: an interesting way of spreading communication and keeping up the memes. 552 00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:36,719 Speaker 1: They don't even have to make any sound at all. 553 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:41,399 Speaker 1: And these are synchronized fireflies. So, Alex, do you want 554 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:44,080 Speaker 1: want to hit me with this headline that I found 555 00:36:44,120 --> 00:36:53,080 Speaker 1: from the Firefly Bugle? Yes, here we go. Do you 556 00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:55,160 Speaker 1: know where your children are? Do you know if they're 557 00:36:55,200 --> 00:36:59,680 Speaker 1: doing the flashy hot fad snappy sinks. I'm not going 558 00:36:59,719 --> 00:37:02,760 Speaker 1: to read Firefly Bugle anymore that that's just making me scaped. 559 00:37:02,920 --> 00:37:07,279 Speaker 1: I don't want an alarmist firefly publication. I thought this 560 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:09,200 Speaker 1: was about the television show. That's why I bought it 561 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:15,200 Speaker 1: in the first place. Yeah, the fire Firefly Bugle is 562 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:18,319 Speaker 1: in a long, long lawsuit with the makers of the 563 00:37:18,360 --> 00:37:22,720 Speaker 1: TV show Firefly because like, we've been fireflies for hundreds 564 00:37:22,760 --> 00:37:25,760 Speaker 1: of millions of years. Oh yeah, it's like when wrestling 565 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:28,439 Speaker 1: had to change the acronym and not the environmental group, 566 00:37:28,680 --> 00:37:33,680 Speaker 1: like yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry. But also if you put 567 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:36,840 Speaker 1: I bet they decided that by actually putting a panda 568 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:39,160 Speaker 1: in the ring with one of the wrestlers, and the 569 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:42,480 Speaker 1: panda just wiped the floor with their butt. Because pandas 570 00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:46,360 Speaker 1: look pandas look really sweet and innocent, but they're still bears, 571 00:37:46,520 --> 00:37:53,680 Speaker 1: you know, they're still pretty powerful animals. Just heaving ceno 572 00:37:53,800 --> 00:37:57,520 Speaker 1: over the ropes just to do it. You can't see me, 573 00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:03,520 Speaker 1: and the pants like I can see snaps them in 574 00:38:03,560 --> 00:38:08,040 Speaker 1: half like a big piece of bamboo. So fireflies like 575 00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:12,680 Speaker 1: to communicate with their bioluminescent lower abdomens, or as I 576 00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:16,880 Speaker 1: like to say, they're bioluminescent butts. It's not really a butt. 577 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:20,759 Speaker 1: Insect anatomy is different, so they don't really have a 578 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,719 Speaker 1: butt in the way that a human does. But it 579 00:38:23,840 --> 00:38:27,800 Speaker 1: looks like the butt area. It's the lower abdomen. Okay, 580 00:38:27,840 --> 00:38:30,680 Speaker 1: I'm going to call it a butt. Maybe it's not scientific, 581 00:38:31,120 --> 00:38:35,919 Speaker 1: but hey, it's a firefly. But what are you gonna do? So, yeah, 582 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:38,239 Speaker 1: if you're if you're pro abdomen, give us a call 583 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:42,040 Speaker 1: it one to three cares or whatever the number is right, 584 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:50,239 Speaker 1: forget it. So voterists front Talus a k Ace. The 585 00:38:50,400 --> 00:38:54,520 Speaker 1: snappy sink firefly are a species of firefly who like 586 00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:59,959 Speaker 1: to synchronize their blinking. And I like their names snappy sing. 587 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:03,880 Speaker 1: It just sounds it sounds like an old person trying 588 00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:08,120 Speaker 1: to name a social media platform and getting it wrong. 589 00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:12,960 Speaker 1: Do you know what I mean? People getting on the 590 00:39:14,200 --> 00:39:18,239 Speaker 1: snapchats or the snappy sinks or the eye talks or 591 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:22,720 Speaker 1: whatever to a tweet book. Yeah, it's one of those. Yeah, 592 00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:26,560 Speaker 1: then gosh darn snappy sinks. So they're found in North 593 00:39:26,600 --> 00:39:31,239 Speaker 1: America and they're synchronized. Light shows are often a celebrated spectacle, 594 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:35,680 Speaker 1: so males of this species offer up a spectacular light 595 00:39:35,719 --> 00:39:40,359 Speaker 1: show of synchronized flashing to attract females. And research are 596 00:39:40,360 --> 00:39:44,520 Speaker 1: trying to figure out how they synchronize so exactly when, 597 00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:48,560 Speaker 1: So the fireflies really can only see when they're flashing, Like, 598 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:51,520 Speaker 1: you know, to be able to synchronize with so many 599 00:39:51,560 --> 00:39:55,279 Speaker 1: fireflies simultaneously when you could only see just a few 600 00:39:55,320 --> 00:39:58,759 Speaker 1: fireflies in your line of sight, it's pretty incredible thinking 601 00:39:58,800 --> 00:40:00,960 Speaker 1: about how they are a able to synchronize it where 602 00:40:01,000 --> 00:40:03,040 Speaker 1: they go on and off at the same time, like 603 00:40:03,360 --> 00:40:07,200 Speaker 1: gosh darn string lights. Which actually, when I mentioned string lights, 604 00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:12,080 Speaker 1: the researchers used some string lights to try to imitate 605 00:40:12,560 --> 00:40:15,920 Speaker 1: the firefly blinking to be able to study the response 606 00:40:15,960 --> 00:40:20,799 Speaker 1: of other fireflis. So that is really funny. Just so 607 00:40:20,840 --> 00:40:23,279 Speaker 1: they were like research. They were like, we need an 608 00:40:23,360 --> 00:40:27,000 Speaker 1: artificial version of this group of fireflies. Get the box 609 00:40:27,080 --> 00:40:30,800 Speaker 1: labeled Christmas out of the attic and exactly exactly, dust 610 00:40:30,800 --> 00:40:34,720 Speaker 1: and off the Christmas lights. So is it Christmas yet, Daddy? Nope, 611 00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:43,399 Speaker 1: researching fireflies. So you know, it's hot out right, sun 612 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:48,919 Speaker 1: like come on, so right now. Planned gatherings to see 613 00:40:48,920 --> 00:40:52,040 Speaker 1: the firefly light shows have been canceled due to COVID, 614 00:40:52,320 --> 00:40:55,400 Speaker 1: but this has given researchers an opportunity to study the 615 00:40:55,440 --> 00:41:00,760 Speaker 1: fireflies with lower levels of light pollution and commotion. And actually, Alex, 616 00:41:00,800 --> 00:41:04,120 Speaker 1: there's research going on in South Carolina right now studying 617 00:41:04,200 --> 00:41:08,719 Speaker 1: these fireflies. Yeah. Research, not shows I can go see, 618 00:41:08,760 --> 00:41:11,440 Speaker 1: huh because I would drive down it sounds good. Yeah, 619 00:41:11,719 --> 00:41:14,319 Speaker 1: I think those are closed unfortunately, but hey, in the 620 00:41:14,360 --> 00:41:18,120 Speaker 1: future there are shows you can go see. Yeah, I mean, 621 00:41:18,160 --> 00:41:21,960 Speaker 1: I'm it seems like like animal communication is when they 622 00:41:22,160 --> 00:41:23,960 Speaker 1: jump out to us the most, like with the bird 623 00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:26,960 Speaker 1: songs or with this these fireflies doing lights to tell 624 00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:29,560 Speaker 1: each other stuff like it sounds like we're most interested 625 00:41:29,600 --> 00:41:32,040 Speaker 1: in animals when they're chatting like this. So that's good. 626 00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:36,920 Speaker 1: Keep keep talking about animals want to go. Maybe fireflies 627 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:39,000 Speaker 1: are using some kind of Morse code and we could 628 00:41:39,000 --> 00:41:41,680 Speaker 1: decode it and become friends with the fireflies. That's all 629 00:41:41,719 --> 00:41:44,680 Speaker 1: I'm saying. I have. I've been watching a lot of 630 00:41:44,719 --> 00:41:47,160 Speaker 1: the Office, and when you said they synchronized their blinking, 631 00:41:47,280 --> 00:41:49,319 Speaker 1: I thought of the office cold Open where Jim and 632 00:41:49,320 --> 00:41:51,840 Speaker 1: Pam taught each other Morse code to mess with DWIGHTE. 633 00:41:52,000 --> 00:41:54,480 Speaker 1: And they just blinked their eyes and Morse code of 634 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:58,319 Speaker 1: each other at their desks. Yeah, much like the fireflies. 635 00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:00,319 Speaker 1: They were using it in their mating. Rich you old 636 00:42:00,400 --> 00:42:03,719 Speaker 1: Jim that we had to watch over the course of 637 00:42:03,760 --> 00:42:11,640 Speaker 1: I don't know, ten freaking seasons, goddamn it. So even 638 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:16,160 Speaker 1: though researchers aren't exactly sure how they're synchronizing exactly, they 639 00:42:16,280 --> 00:42:20,840 Speaker 1: think that the fireflies have some kind of internal clock 640 00:42:21,160 --> 00:42:24,480 Speaker 1: or stop watch that they are synchronizing with other fireflies. 641 00:42:24,520 --> 00:42:29,680 Speaker 1: So basically, they start to sync with the fireflies near them, 642 00:42:29,680 --> 00:42:32,960 Speaker 1: who sink with other fireflies, and there setting these these 643 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:36,240 Speaker 1: internal clocks to start like I blink now and then 644 00:42:36,360 --> 00:42:39,960 Speaker 1: this X amount of time, which maybe they're calibrating based 645 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:42,600 Speaker 1: on the behavior of other fireflies. So it seems like 646 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:47,160 Speaker 1: there's some really incredibly complex math going on inside these 647 00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:49,920 Speaker 1: little fireflies as they're sinking up, which is why it's 648 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:54,120 Speaker 1: so fascinating to researchers. But it doesn't amuse me thinking 649 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:58,799 Speaker 1: about all these dozens and dozens of fireflies all trying 650 00:42:58,800 --> 00:43:02,120 Speaker 1: to synchronize, and how frustrating that might be as a podcaster. 651 00:43:02,280 --> 00:43:05,239 Speaker 1: I know how that is, trying to synchronize our our 652 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:08,600 Speaker 1: zoom meeting. But all these fireflies with little internal stopwatches 653 00:43:08,640 --> 00:43:12,120 Speaker 1: going like okay ready, no, no, no, no no, Jim, 654 00:43:12,239 --> 00:43:17,080 Speaker 1: Jim now go now now God built stop hey, okay, 655 00:43:17,080 --> 00:43:20,800 Speaker 1: everyone just stop. Don't stop? Everyone stopped? Right? Okay? Ready? 656 00:43:20,840 --> 00:43:27,440 Speaker 1: Oh my god? Kevin? No? Yeah? That well? Also, I 657 00:43:28,200 --> 00:43:30,480 Speaker 1: were you ever in marching band? This whole thing sounds 658 00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:34,320 Speaker 1: like marching practice to me. I played the French horn 659 00:43:34,400 --> 00:43:41,600 Speaker 1: in marching band, so but like, right, you didn't care, No, 660 00:43:41,719 --> 00:43:45,040 Speaker 1: I carried a French horn. That sounds hard, ye, yes 661 00:43:45,120 --> 00:43:48,440 Speaker 1: it was. It was horrible. Yeah, I played trumpet. We 662 00:43:48,440 --> 00:43:50,920 Speaker 1: were kind of designed for it. It was like Marshall, 663 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:55,080 Speaker 1: you know, yeah, yeah, no, French horn is not really 664 00:43:55,360 --> 00:43:59,680 Speaker 1: designed for marching. And it was super annoying and I 665 00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:04,040 Speaker 1: just kept getting condensed spit all over my hand because 666 00:44:04,040 --> 00:44:05,799 Speaker 1: I have you with the french horn. You have to 667 00:44:05,840 --> 00:44:09,520 Speaker 1: shove your hand up the horn and shape your palm 668 00:44:09,600 --> 00:44:11,799 Speaker 1: to shape the sound as it comes out. But then 669 00:44:12,120 --> 00:44:14,600 Speaker 1: all of this condensation gets all over your hand as 670 00:44:14,640 --> 00:44:18,279 Speaker 1: you're marching, and it's really heavy and awkward. And I 671 00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:21,879 Speaker 1: was this really tiny kid, so basically a stiff wind 672 00:44:21,920 --> 00:44:24,200 Speaker 1: could have knocked me over in my French horn to 673 00:44:24,239 --> 00:44:28,000 Speaker 1: the ground. And it was yeah, it was trying to 674 00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:32,879 Speaker 1: do that and synchronize everything. It was the worst experience ever. 675 00:44:33,040 --> 00:44:35,040 Speaker 1: Now it was not that bad, but it was pretty bad. 676 00:44:36,280 --> 00:44:38,759 Speaker 1: Must have been hilarious for people watching, just this this 677 00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:43,560 Speaker 1: tiny like imp of a person trying to carry this 678 00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:47,439 Speaker 1: french horn and stumbling and tripping and face going red 679 00:44:47,480 --> 00:44:50,880 Speaker 1: as I try to get a note out. Yeah, pretty great. 680 00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:54,680 Speaker 1: I hope those words were being spoken in the crowd, 681 00:44:54,719 --> 00:44:57,319 Speaker 1: like look at that imp, Look at the imp down there. 682 00:44:57,440 --> 00:45:03,880 Speaker 1: It's look at that amp with that weird confused tangled 683 00:45:03,920 --> 00:45:12,600 Speaker 1: up horn. So in terms of communicating language, sometimes so 684 00:45:12,600 --> 00:45:16,879 Speaker 1: so some animals go through a process of learning where 685 00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:19,920 Speaker 1: their parents actually teach them, and we're going to get 686 00:45:19,960 --> 00:45:22,120 Speaker 1: into that a little bit more with our next section, 687 00:45:22,160 --> 00:45:25,160 Speaker 1: but right now I want to talk about the ways 688 00:45:25,480 --> 00:45:29,480 Speaker 1: that whales communicate and how they're young seem to just 689 00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:33,280 Speaker 1: kind of osmos this, which is similar to how human 690 00:45:33,360 --> 00:45:36,719 Speaker 1: children learn language. Obviously we do teach them, and we 691 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:39,400 Speaker 1: try to teach them how to read and write and speak, 692 00:45:39,560 --> 00:45:43,719 Speaker 1: but really children do a lot of learning just by 693 00:45:43,719 --> 00:45:48,000 Speaker 1: taking it in and osmos thing this information, which I 694 00:45:48,040 --> 00:45:52,920 Speaker 1: think is really fascinating. So, sperm whales, which are the 695 00:45:53,000 --> 00:45:57,440 Speaker 1: bus sized mammals that roam the world's oceans, have complex 696 00:45:57,480 --> 00:46:01,640 Speaker 1: clicks that are used to communicate with each other. And 697 00:46:01,760 --> 00:46:06,040 Speaker 1: what's interesting is each family and regional group has their 698 00:46:06,080 --> 00:46:12,120 Speaker 1: own specific dialect of cliques. So it's a sequence of 699 00:46:12,120 --> 00:46:15,800 Speaker 1: clicks that is unique to their group, and it shows 700 00:46:16,040 --> 00:46:21,200 Speaker 1: that whale communication is in essence cultural. They learn from 701 00:46:21,200 --> 00:46:23,759 Speaker 1: their group, they learn from the group of whales that 702 00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:27,760 Speaker 1: they socialize with, and they each have their own twang 703 00:46:27,880 --> 00:46:33,239 Speaker 1: on it, which I think is fascinating. Yeah, very into it. 704 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:38,000 Speaker 1: Yeah you got some whales. It's gonna howdy, it's me 705 00:46:38,360 --> 00:46:42,759 Speaker 1: almost sperm whale. Know when you laugh at my name, 706 00:46:42,840 --> 00:46:50,480 Speaker 1: it's scientific, it's scientific lack. So whale calves will naturally 707 00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:53,400 Speaker 1: pick up on this unique lingo from their mothers and 708 00:46:53,480 --> 00:46:57,279 Speaker 1: their elders, and when they grow up they'll have that 709 00:46:57,520 --> 00:47:01,200 Speaker 1: unique dialect as well. So again and little baby whales 710 00:47:01,400 --> 00:47:05,000 Speaker 1: had a neighbor having their their own twing on on 711 00:47:05,239 --> 00:47:09,760 Speaker 1: whale clicks. So this language can be used by sperm 712 00:47:09,760 --> 00:47:13,880 Speaker 1: whales to communicate information, such as when a calf is 713 00:47:13,920 --> 00:47:16,799 Speaker 1: in peril, or when it's time for the group to 714 00:47:16,840 --> 00:47:23,759 Speaker 1: hang out together socialize. Pound back some tea, pound go 715 00:47:24,120 --> 00:47:27,320 Speaker 1: watch watch some dolphins as they as they go shelling, 716 00:47:27,400 --> 00:47:30,680 Speaker 1: and and comment on it. King like now, on my day, 717 00:47:30,719 --> 00:47:35,440 Speaker 1: we never had dolphins doing this shelling or whatever. I 718 00:47:35,440 --> 00:47:38,720 Speaker 1: don't know why I imagine all all all sperm whales 719 00:47:38,719 --> 00:47:40,879 Speaker 1: as having a Southern accent, But now that I do, 720 00:47:40,960 --> 00:47:44,239 Speaker 1: it's completely stuck and I can't imagine it another way. Yeah, 721 00:47:44,360 --> 00:47:46,120 Speaker 1: well I don't. I don't you pick the excent for fun. 722 00:47:46,120 --> 00:47:47,560 Speaker 1: But I was hoping it was a thing where you 723 00:47:47,600 --> 00:47:50,640 Speaker 1: like like that Canadian bird researcher said, well, oh, well, 724 00:47:50,680 --> 00:47:52,920 Speaker 1: they're all saying Canada, like I hope it's a Southern 725 00:47:52,960 --> 00:47:55,799 Speaker 1: whale researcher who's like, you know, the whales have many 726 00:47:55,800 --> 00:48:01,719 Speaker 1: ways of saying y'all or or going to bow j 727 00:48:01,719 --> 00:48:06,840 Speaker 1: Angles specifically for chicken, or you know, yeah, yeah, exactly. 728 00:48:07,160 --> 00:48:10,920 Speaker 1: California researchers just all they can see is whales saying 729 00:48:11,000 --> 00:48:14,160 Speaker 1: dude all the time. It's it's got forty seven ways 730 00:48:14,200 --> 00:48:20,880 Speaker 1: of saying doe. Yeah. This whale group's dialect knows the 731 00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:24,399 Speaker 1: in and out secret menu and refers to highways as 732 00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:31,080 Speaker 1: the five instead of I five. And so you can 733 00:48:31,080 --> 00:48:34,680 Speaker 1: play some of these clicking sounds of sperm whales, which 734 00:48:34,880 --> 00:48:37,040 Speaker 1: is it kind of sounds a little bit like underwater 735 00:48:37,080 --> 00:48:47,000 Speaker 1: popcorn to me. But oh wow, it's a lot more 736 00:48:47,080 --> 00:48:50,880 Speaker 1: rapid than I expected. M hmm. Yeah, because when you 737 00:48:50,880 --> 00:48:53,839 Speaker 1: think of whale song, you think of the the sort 738 00:48:53,840 --> 00:48:59,440 Speaker 1: of like oh, but yeah, the sperm whales use clicking, 739 00:49:00,080 --> 00:49:06,760 Speaker 1: which is that rapid kind of like like nick and they Again, 740 00:49:06,800 --> 00:49:09,239 Speaker 1: it's hard for it's really funny to me to think 741 00:49:09,239 --> 00:49:12,560 Speaker 1: about how that has an accent or has a dialect, 742 00:49:12,719 --> 00:49:17,840 Speaker 1: and how like, how do you distinguish the dialects with 743 00:49:17,840 --> 00:49:20,560 Speaker 1: with these clicking sounds. But it is interesting. It really 744 00:49:20,600 --> 00:49:24,200 Speaker 1: does kind of decontextualize the idea of having a dialect 745 00:49:24,200 --> 00:49:28,920 Speaker 1: where it is it's just it's just a pattern of sounds. 746 00:49:29,120 --> 00:49:31,920 Speaker 1: And so if it's a pattern of clicks to these whales, 747 00:49:32,320 --> 00:49:34,919 Speaker 1: they're meeting other whales and they're they're picking up on Wow, 748 00:49:34,960 --> 00:49:38,400 Speaker 1: this is a completely different dialect from mine. Yeah, because 749 00:49:38,440 --> 00:49:40,920 Speaker 1: also it's I feel like it's like those little rapid 750 00:49:40,960 --> 00:49:44,000 Speaker 1: clicks and then also like a stepping on an old 751 00:49:44,160 --> 00:49:47,880 Speaker 1: stare kind of quick, you know, like a weird squeezing sound. 752 00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:49,719 Speaker 1: I didn't say it right at all, but I don't 753 00:49:49,760 --> 00:49:53,680 Speaker 1: speak whale, but but but it's very interesting. Yeah, I 754 00:49:53,680 --> 00:49:57,080 Speaker 1: guess I could see the creek, especially having some kind 755 00:49:57,120 --> 00:49:59,719 Speaker 1: of accent on it where you like, you hear it 756 00:50:00,239 --> 00:50:02,120 Speaker 1: from another whale and you're like, what are you French? 757 00:50:02,280 --> 00:50:08,800 Speaker 1: You know or something? You know whatever? The lake like 758 00:50:09,000 --> 00:50:17,000 Speaker 1: click click click. Human language is by far the most 759 00:50:17,040 --> 00:50:20,760 Speaker 1: complex form of communication on Earth. One of the theories 760 00:50:20,760 --> 00:50:23,800 Speaker 1: as to why humans are so uniquely good at communications, 761 00:50:23,840 --> 00:50:28,080 Speaker 1: surpassing our close cousins, the Neanderthals, is that we're capable 762 00:50:28,120 --> 00:50:32,719 Speaker 1: of nesting concepts and cultural constructions. Our language in the 763 00:50:32,719 --> 00:50:36,279 Speaker 1: way our brains work allow for a concept to be 764 00:50:36,400 --> 00:50:40,400 Speaker 1: housed inside a convenient container to be easily accessed and 765 00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:44,400 Speaker 1: used in a larger concept. For instance, the word orange 766 00:50:44,560 --> 00:50:47,480 Speaker 1: is a container for a whole bunch of different ideas 767 00:50:47,520 --> 00:50:51,440 Speaker 1: such as orange, the fruit, orange, the color orange, the flavor. 768 00:50:51,840 --> 00:50:54,040 Speaker 1: And there are all sorts of variations on each of 769 00:50:54,080 --> 00:50:56,840 Speaker 1: these things. But we can collapse all of these ideas 770 00:50:56,880 --> 00:50:59,839 Speaker 1: into a single word orange, and then we can nest 771 00:51:00,040 --> 00:51:03,160 Speaker 1: that word inside another word, like a barrel of oranges, 772 00:51:03,280 --> 00:51:06,520 Speaker 1: or orange juice or orange. You glad I didn't say banana. 773 00:51:06,719 --> 00:51:09,760 Speaker 1: I'm sorry you walked right into that one. When we return, 774 00:51:09,840 --> 00:51:12,080 Speaker 1: we're going to talk a bit about how some animal 775 00:51:12,160 --> 00:51:21,120 Speaker 1: memes spread mainly through parental supervision. That's pretty cool. Parents, 776 00:51:21,120 --> 00:51:24,640 Speaker 1: Have you taught your children any memes lately? You probably 777 00:51:24,719 --> 00:51:27,759 Speaker 1: have without knowing it. The original definition of meme is 778 00:51:27,800 --> 00:51:31,359 Speaker 1: just a behavior, idea, or style that is transferred from 779 00:51:31,360 --> 00:51:34,879 Speaker 1: one person to the other through imitation, and kids first 780 00:51:34,880 --> 00:51:38,640 Speaker 1: start to learn by imitating their parents. So, parents, I 781 00:51:38,640 --> 00:51:40,400 Speaker 1: hate to break it to you, but your kids are 782 00:51:40,480 --> 00:51:43,279 Speaker 1: learning all of your personal memes, whether it's the way 783 00:51:43,280 --> 00:51:45,120 Speaker 1: you like to brush your teeth, the way you talk, 784 00:51:45,480 --> 00:51:48,439 Speaker 1: or those stale Star Wars prequel memes you love so much. 785 00:51:49,719 --> 00:51:53,360 Speaker 1: So now I want to talk about how young animals 786 00:51:53,480 --> 00:51:56,160 Speaker 1: learn information. So, Alex, would you like to read this 787 00:51:56,280 --> 00:52:00,160 Speaker 1: headline from mere cap Monthly. Yes, of course, let me 788 00:52:00,239 --> 00:52:03,799 Speaker 1: just open my copy. Flip flip, flip, flip flip. Mere 789 00:52:03,840 --> 00:52:07,120 Speaker 1: Cats have been found to take hits of a substance 790 00:52:07,200 --> 00:52:11,840 Speaker 1: known as scorpion. Experts say that scorpion is the street 791 00:52:11,920 --> 00:52:15,359 Speaker 1: name for dead scorpions, and mere cats are teaching their 792 00:52:15,360 --> 00:52:20,600 Speaker 1: own children to get their sick kicks from this dangerous high. 793 00:52:20,880 --> 00:52:25,320 Speaker 1: So mere cats are a small mongoose found in southern Africa. 794 00:52:25,840 --> 00:52:28,640 Speaker 1: You know, they're tamons, A bunch of little tamons running 795 00:52:28,640 --> 00:52:32,480 Speaker 1: around in scorpions. I wish Toman was like the baby 796 00:52:32,560 --> 00:52:34,799 Speaker 1: mere cat in this picture that I'm looking at. Let's 797 00:52:34,880 --> 00:52:40,880 Speaker 1: just savagely destroying a scorpion. I have shown Alex a 798 00:52:40,960 --> 00:52:47,239 Speaker 1: picture of an adorable baby mere cat tearing a scorpion too, 799 00:52:47,320 --> 00:52:49,400 Speaker 1: shreds in a way that makes you feel sorry for 800 00:52:49,440 --> 00:52:54,960 Speaker 1: the scorpion. So mere cats are highly social animals who 801 00:52:55,000 --> 00:52:59,480 Speaker 1: live in communal colonies. They're actually you social, so you 802 00:52:59,640 --> 00:53:03,560 Speaker 1: social reality is the thing that is more commonly associated 803 00:53:03,600 --> 00:53:08,160 Speaker 1: with bees and ants and also naked mole rats, but basically, 804 00:53:08,200 --> 00:53:11,440 Speaker 1: youth sociality is a type of social structure marked by 805 00:53:11,600 --> 00:53:16,440 Speaker 1: cooperative care of young, overlapping generations within the colony, and 806 00:53:16,680 --> 00:53:20,600 Speaker 1: division of labor such as a division of reproductive and 807 00:53:21,000 --> 00:53:25,520 Speaker 1: non reproductive members. Often you'll have a queen or dominant 808 00:53:25,640 --> 00:53:29,960 Speaker 1: members that basically rule over the other subjects in this 809 00:53:30,560 --> 00:53:35,520 Speaker 1: use social group. So you social mammals are actually quite 810 00:53:35,600 --> 00:53:39,000 Speaker 1: interesting and they're very different from you social insects. So 811 00:53:39,360 --> 00:53:46,920 Speaker 1: youse social insects have this complex genetic reproductive organization that 812 00:53:47,000 --> 00:53:51,480 Speaker 1: actually makes it makes sense for why they're you social. 813 00:53:51,640 --> 00:53:57,080 Speaker 1: So insects like bees and ants are actually haploid diploid, 814 00:53:57,239 --> 00:54:02,680 Speaker 1: which is a term meaning that the females are deployed, 815 00:54:02,920 --> 00:54:05,799 Speaker 1: meaning that they have gam meets from their mother and 816 00:54:05,840 --> 00:54:10,040 Speaker 1: their father, and males are haploid, meaning that they only 817 00:54:10,080 --> 00:54:13,160 Speaker 1: have gammets from their mother. So when you think about 818 00:54:13,200 --> 00:54:16,040 Speaker 1: you know, you, you think about chromosomes getting you get 819 00:54:16,080 --> 00:54:18,919 Speaker 1: one As humans, we get one set from our mother, 820 00:54:19,000 --> 00:54:22,799 Speaker 1: we get one set from our father, and so with 821 00:54:22,920 --> 00:54:28,760 Speaker 1: these insects, they actually get if you're female, you get 822 00:54:30,560 --> 00:54:34,720 Speaker 1: two sets from your mother and one set from your father. 823 00:54:35,239 --> 00:54:40,759 Speaker 1: If your male, you only get your chromosomes from your mother. So, 824 00:54:41,040 --> 00:54:44,960 Speaker 1: sisters and these colonies and all worker ants worker bees 825 00:54:44,960 --> 00:54:48,640 Speaker 1: are all sisters. They're all female, are actually three four 826 00:54:49,360 --> 00:54:54,080 Speaker 1: related to each other, unlike human or mammalian siblings that 827 00:54:54,120 --> 00:54:57,560 Speaker 1: are only half related to each other. And they're actually 828 00:54:57,560 --> 00:55:00,520 Speaker 1: more related to their sisters than they are to their 829 00:55:00,560 --> 00:55:05,760 Speaker 1: own offspring. So what this means is that by having 830 00:55:05,920 --> 00:55:10,440 Speaker 1: these you social behaviors where they help the colonies survive, 831 00:55:10,840 --> 00:55:15,120 Speaker 1: copies of that gene that is responsible for making them 832 00:55:15,320 --> 00:55:19,279 Speaker 1: you social is more likely to be passed on when 833 00:55:19,320 --> 00:55:23,640 Speaker 1: they are all working together. Does that make sense? I 834 00:55:23,680 --> 00:55:26,120 Speaker 1: think so? Yeah? I always, I always. I've always just 835 00:55:26,200 --> 00:55:31,080 Speaker 1: kind of thought of insects as uh like like when 836 00:55:31,120 --> 00:55:33,560 Speaker 1: I say think of insects and mostly thinking of watching 837 00:55:33,840 --> 00:55:36,520 Speaker 1: animated films involved againsects like a Bug's life and aunts 838 00:55:36,560 --> 00:55:39,800 Speaker 1: with a Z and B movie movie, but all those movies, 839 00:55:39,840 --> 00:55:42,239 Speaker 1: it's always like, oh, a regular aunt or B who 840 00:55:42,239 --> 00:55:45,720 Speaker 1: wants to rise in society, and as virum always like nope, 841 00:55:45,960 --> 00:55:47,960 Speaker 1: like only some of you have all the genes and 842 00:55:48,040 --> 00:55:50,560 Speaker 1: some of you don't, and it's just like fundamental to 843 00:55:50,600 --> 00:55:53,080 Speaker 1: your weird insects species and it's not like mammal life 844 00:55:53,080 --> 00:55:57,960 Speaker 1: at all. First of all, I'm always frustrated with insect 845 00:55:58,080 --> 00:56:03,440 Speaker 1: based movies because they rarely depict it realistically where most 846 00:56:03,560 --> 00:56:09,320 Speaker 1: of actually all of the workers are females and the males. Basically, 847 00:56:09,320 --> 00:56:12,399 Speaker 1: the male's jobs are to live, be fed, and then 848 00:56:12,440 --> 00:56:15,480 Speaker 1: go and reproduce, which is a pretty cushy life when 849 00:56:15,520 --> 00:56:20,200 Speaker 1: you think about it. But yeah, flick in a bug's life. 850 00:56:20,239 --> 00:56:23,400 Speaker 1: But yeah, that they would not be males, they would 851 00:56:23,400 --> 00:56:30,719 Speaker 1: be females, and so essentially they get so they're more 852 00:56:30,760 --> 00:56:33,839 Speaker 1: related to their sisters, and so that is why it 853 00:56:33,960 --> 00:56:36,600 Speaker 1: makes more sense for them to be you social, and 854 00:56:37,080 --> 00:56:41,120 Speaker 1: give up that that freedom of having their own offspring, 855 00:56:41,160 --> 00:56:44,560 Speaker 1: which they can still technically do. They can have a 856 00:56:44,640 --> 00:56:48,520 Speaker 1: male offspring by having an unfertilized offspring, but then they're 857 00:56:48,560 --> 00:56:56,719 Speaker 1: really only half related or they really only share some 858 00:56:56,800 --> 00:57:00,720 Speaker 1: of their jeans with that offspring, and then they share 859 00:57:00,760 --> 00:57:06,040 Speaker 1: more genes with their sisters, and so it's it just 860 00:57:06,160 --> 00:57:09,840 Speaker 1: isn't very advantageous for the genes to be passed on 861 00:57:10,040 --> 00:57:12,759 Speaker 1: if all of these ants or bees are trying to 862 00:57:13,120 --> 00:57:16,680 Speaker 1: reproduce on their own rather than follow the use social structure. 863 00:57:17,000 --> 00:57:20,040 Speaker 1: So mammals are diploid, meaning you get it's half and 864 00:57:20,080 --> 00:57:24,560 Speaker 1: half with the mother and father, and so with mere cats, 865 00:57:24,600 --> 00:57:27,320 Speaker 1: they don't have this thing where they're more related to 866 00:57:27,440 --> 00:57:30,880 Speaker 1: their sisters than they are to their own offspring. So 867 00:57:31,040 --> 00:57:35,160 Speaker 1: how does being used social make any sense? So the 868 00:57:35,480 --> 00:57:40,840 Speaker 1: reproductive group are basically just bullies, so mere cats will 869 00:57:40,880 --> 00:57:43,840 Speaker 1: bully their way to the top in terms of reproduction. 870 00:57:44,520 --> 00:57:48,000 Speaker 1: And the reason that this system works for mere cats 871 00:57:48,040 --> 00:57:51,160 Speaker 1: is that the environment they live in is such this niche, 872 00:57:51,400 --> 00:57:58,160 Speaker 1: harsh environment that by having this really tighten knit social 873 00:57:58,240 --> 00:58:01,360 Speaker 1: group that all help each other, it makes them more 874 00:58:01,480 --> 00:58:05,040 Speaker 1: likely to survive. Even though some of them are just 875 00:58:05,280 --> 00:58:07,680 Speaker 1: bullying their way to the top and becoming the ones 876 00:58:07,760 --> 00:58:11,520 Speaker 1: that reproduce, and some of them lose out, but it actually, 877 00:58:11,880 --> 00:58:16,040 Speaker 1: in totality makes it more likely that these mere cats 878 00:58:16,080 --> 00:58:20,200 Speaker 1: are going to survive. So the the genes that code 879 00:58:20,240 --> 00:58:24,920 Speaker 1: for these these youth social behaviors actually do survive because 880 00:58:25,360 --> 00:58:28,760 Speaker 1: these groups of you social mere cats are more likely 881 00:58:28,840 --> 00:58:31,000 Speaker 1: to survive. Of course, there's there's a lot of debate 882 00:58:31,040 --> 00:58:33,800 Speaker 1: on how exactly this works, but that's that's one theory, 883 00:58:33,800 --> 00:58:37,160 Speaker 1: and that's sort of a general theory of it and also, uh, 884 00:58:37,360 --> 00:58:41,720 Speaker 1: the it's not entirely use social because the there are 885 00:58:41,840 --> 00:58:45,200 Speaker 1: definitely cheaters in the system. So the mere cats that 886 00:58:45,240 --> 00:58:49,520 Speaker 1: are not dominant will try to sneakily mate, and they 887 00:58:50,040 --> 00:58:52,760 Speaker 1: they will. There's all sorts of shenanigans that go on 888 00:58:52,920 --> 00:58:57,160 Speaker 1: with these mere cats, like the the subordinate females will 889 00:58:57,240 --> 00:59:00,840 Speaker 1: will have affairs and try to sneakly made or sneak 890 00:59:00,880 --> 00:59:03,560 Speaker 1: off and start their own colony or go mate with 891 00:59:03,640 --> 00:59:09,840 Speaker 1: another colony. They will sometimes murder each other's offspring. There's 892 00:59:09,920 --> 00:59:14,200 Speaker 1: just all sorts of of entrigue with these these mere cats, 893 00:59:14,200 --> 00:59:16,640 Speaker 1: which is why I think they mere cats had their 894 00:59:16,680 --> 00:59:21,080 Speaker 1: own soap opera. Basically, it was a documentary series called 895 00:59:21,160 --> 00:59:24,080 Speaker 1: mere Cat Manner, and it was basically a mere cat 896 00:59:24,200 --> 00:59:29,000 Speaker 1: soap opera. But they are extremely extremely drama driven animals, 897 00:59:29,520 --> 00:59:33,920 Speaker 1: so that's a little rundown on how mere cat society works. 898 00:59:34,440 --> 00:59:39,160 Speaker 1: But when we're not talking about you know, murder and 899 00:59:39,160 --> 00:59:43,880 Speaker 1: and and uh murder and deception, they are actually pretty 900 00:59:43,880 --> 00:59:46,280 Speaker 1: adorable in terms of how they work together. So they 901 00:59:46,280 --> 00:59:50,800 Speaker 1: cooperatively raise their offspring. They all have each other's back 902 00:59:50,840 --> 00:59:55,960 Speaker 1: in terms of protecting the colony from predators and the 903 00:59:56,000 --> 01:00:00,680 Speaker 1: adult mere cats will teach their young how to eat scorpions, 904 01:00:00,800 --> 01:00:04,760 Speaker 1: one of their favorite food, and they will bring babies 905 01:00:04,960 --> 01:00:10,080 Speaker 1: dead scorpions to learn how to d sting and eat them. 906 01:00:10,200 --> 01:00:12,800 Speaker 1: So it is it looks horrifying where you have this 907 01:00:12,880 --> 01:00:15,880 Speaker 1: adult take this big dead scorpion and drop it in 908 01:00:15,920 --> 01:00:18,520 Speaker 1: this little baby, cute baby merecat's lap and be like, 909 01:00:18,560 --> 01:00:21,800 Speaker 1: here's a present. It's a dead scorpion. But then they 910 01:00:21,880 --> 01:00:25,440 Speaker 1: learn how to eat them. So for really young mere 911 01:00:25,520 --> 01:00:29,200 Speaker 1: cat pups, the adults are really soft on them. They 912 01:00:29,240 --> 01:00:33,640 Speaker 1: bring them scorpions that have already been d stingred, so 913 01:00:33,680 --> 01:00:35,920 Speaker 1: they ripped the stinger off so that they're not getting 914 01:00:35,960 --> 01:00:39,960 Speaker 1: that those nasty stings from it. And once the pups 915 01:00:39,960 --> 01:00:43,480 Speaker 1: get a little bit older, the adults will be like, okay, 916 01:00:43,560 --> 01:00:47,040 Speaker 1: we're done coddling you. Here's just a whole as scorpion. 917 01:00:47,160 --> 01:00:50,680 Speaker 1: Figure it out. But that's to teach them how to 918 01:00:50,840 --> 01:00:53,760 Speaker 1: survive once they're adults. How how do you deal with 919 01:00:53,800 --> 01:00:56,200 Speaker 1: this scorpion and get rid of the bad parts and 920 01:00:56,240 --> 01:01:00,240 Speaker 1: only get the nice, juicy, delicious parts of the scorpion? Right? 921 01:01:00,280 --> 01:01:02,760 Speaker 1: You've You've had your scorpion lessons, Now get to it. 922 01:01:03,000 --> 01:01:06,160 Speaker 1: I'm not I'm not paying for any more scorpion lessons. Okay, 923 01:01:06,400 --> 01:01:09,120 Speaker 1: you're just moving the scorpion around on your plate. I 924 01:01:09,160 --> 01:01:12,000 Speaker 1: see what you're doing. Eat your whole scorpion, or you 925 01:01:12,040 --> 01:01:19,920 Speaker 1: get no dessert of more scorpion. There's also I'm glad, 926 01:01:20,000 --> 01:01:22,400 Speaker 1: I'm glad your headline at the top or like or 927 01:01:22,480 --> 01:01:24,560 Speaker 1: like news story at the top had like just the 928 01:01:24,600 --> 01:01:27,560 Speaker 1: word scorpion. I don't know. It's very fun in every context. 929 01:01:27,600 --> 01:01:30,760 Speaker 1: Every time scorpions as a as a drug name or 930 01:01:30,840 --> 01:01:33,920 Speaker 1: just a funny animal to be eating, or Ryan Goslings 931 01:01:33,960 --> 01:01:36,280 Speaker 1: jacket in that one driving movie. I don't know, they're 932 01:01:36,320 --> 01:01:40,840 Speaker 1: just they're just funny. It's also my zodiac sign. That's right, 933 01:01:41,080 --> 01:01:44,800 Speaker 1: I'm a scorpio. I always thought that was so lame. 934 01:01:44,800 --> 01:01:47,520 Speaker 1: When I was a little kid. I wanted something cool, 935 01:01:47,720 --> 01:01:51,720 Speaker 1: like Libra or one of the cute ones like Leo. 936 01:01:51,920 --> 01:01:53,880 Speaker 1: I want to be a line. But no, I'm a 937 01:01:53,960 --> 01:01:56,840 Speaker 1: gross scorpion. No, I think it's cool. I was about 938 01:01:56,840 --> 01:02:02,640 Speaker 1: to say, you got the scorpion one. Whoa. I just 939 01:02:02,680 --> 01:02:04,640 Speaker 1: thought it was a weird. I thought it was just 940 01:02:04,680 --> 01:02:06,760 Speaker 1: a weird gross insect, And now I know better. It's 941 01:02:06,800 --> 01:02:10,480 Speaker 1: actually an Arthur pod. But it's still weird and gross. Yeah, 942 01:02:10,520 --> 01:02:13,440 Speaker 1: it's just all like segments and pointy stuff like it's 943 01:02:13,520 --> 01:02:19,800 Speaker 1: it's characterisly aggressive, much like my personality. The zodiac called 944 01:02:19,840 --> 01:02:25,640 Speaker 1: it again, Well, don't get eaten by mere cats. I 945 01:02:25,680 --> 01:02:28,200 Speaker 1: guess that's true. That's true. They're always they're always looking 946 01:02:28,240 --> 01:02:31,640 Speaker 1: at me, ripping off my stinger with their eyes. I 947 01:02:31,640 --> 01:02:37,080 Speaker 1: see what you're up to, mer cats. So so now 948 01:02:37,120 --> 01:02:40,720 Speaker 1: I want to talk about another animal that teaches its 949 01:02:40,800 --> 01:02:44,040 Speaker 1: young in a really really intelligent way, in a really 950 01:02:44,080 --> 01:02:47,800 Speaker 1: fascinating way. How they pass on this information from generation 951 01:02:47,840 --> 01:02:50,960 Speaker 1: to generation. Well that was that rhymed? Sounds like I'm 952 01:02:51,360 --> 01:02:54,760 Speaker 1: got a good, good learning song going on. Having these 953 01:02:54,800 --> 01:02:59,600 Speaker 1: are ringing tans pass on information from generation to generation. 954 01:03:01,320 --> 01:03:07,880 Speaker 1: It's like the magic school bus for orangatans. I love it. So. 955 01:03:08,080 --> 01:03:14,440 Speaker 1: Orangutans are big orange apes found in Indonesia and Malaysia. 956 01:03:15,000 --> 01:03:19,880 Speaker 1: They are, in my opinion, extremely cute. They're those big, big, 957 01:03:19,880 --> 01:03:25,440 Speaker 1: goal hairy redheads. I I relate as a red to orangutans. 958 01:03:27,400 --> 01:03:33,280 Speaker 1: So they are highly intelligent. They use tools and like 959 01:03:33,360 --> 01:03:36,600 Speaker 1: we're talking about earlier Alex, different groups of orangutans seem 960 01:03:36,680 --> 01:03:39,560 Speaker 1: to have their own culture. When it comes to habits 961 01:03:39,600 --> 01:03:43,000 Speaker 1: and tool use these nuances and how they use tools, 962 01:03:43,040 --> 01:03:45,920 Speaker 1: how they it differs from group to group, and it 963 01:03:46,120 --> 01:03:49,160 Speaker 1: makes sense because they're highly social. They learn a lot 964 01:03:49,240 --> 01:03:53,880 Speaker 1: from each other and from their their mothers. So you 965 01:03:54,040 --> 01:03:58,640 Speaker 1: have different basically different orangutan culture, which is really interesting. 966 01:03:59,520 --> 01:04:03,240 Speaker 1: That's awesome. Yeah, and I love it. Used to be 967 01:04:03,280 --> 01:04:04,960 Speaker 1: a zoo tour guide. I don't know if everybody knows 968 01:04:04,960 --> 01:04:08,120 Speaker 1: that about me, but when I was, like, I do now. 969 01:04:08,200 --> 01:04:12,320 Speaker 1: I learned about that on your Bison podcast. Uh, And 970 01:04:12,400 --> 01:04:14,440 Speaker 1: I like when I was on the clock, I was 971 01:04:14,440 --> 01:04:16,480 Speaker 1: on a tram, so I would mostly see the outdoor 972 01:04:16,520 --> 01:04:18,760 Speaker 1: exhibits of large animals, and then whenever I had like 973 01:04:19,120 --> 01:04:21,360 Speaker 1: time off, I would go look at the primates indoors 974 01:04:21,440 --> 01:04:24,720 Speaker 1: because it's just like very fun to watch them socialize. 975 01:04:25,280 --> 01:04:28,600 Speaker 1: Mainly the guerrillas because they, to me, had faces that 976 01:04:28,640 --> 01:04:31,000 Speaker 1: would do human things a lot, but the orangutans as well. 977 01:04:31,120 --> 01:04:33,200 Speaker 1: It was it was a lot of like hanging out 978 01:04:33,240 --> 01:04:36,800 Speaker 1: in a way I found relatable. Yeah, whenever I go 979 01:04:37,000 --> 01:04:42,520 Speaker 1: to U zoo or wildlife area and I make eye 980 01:04:42,600 --> 01:04:48,439 Speaker 1: contact with a primate, I want to cry. It's like uh, 981 01:04:48,480 --> 01:04:52,439 Speaker 1: and they glance at me, and I feel as if 982 01:04:52,600 --> 01:04:54,960 Speaker 1: I have now connected to all of nature, which is 983 01:04:55,040 --> 01:04:58,200 Speaker 1: kind of silly, but yeah, I want a Whenever I 984 01:04:58,280 --> 01:05:03,200 Speaker 1: go to the San Diego Zoo and a gorilla just 985 01:05:03,320 --> 01:05:06,840 Speaker 1: glances at me, I feel like the most special girl 986 01:05:06,880 --> 01:05:12,520 Speaker 1: in the world. Yeah it's cool. Yeah, but yeah, so 987 01:05:12,640 --> 01:05:16,080 Speaker 1: it it is. It does give me chills. How intelligent 988 01:05:16,240 --> 01:05:20,440 Speaker 1: these animals are. So one of the orangutans more interesting 989 01:05:20,480 --> 01:05:25,000 Speaker 1: behaviors is their nest building. So to keep themselves safe 990 01:05:25,000 --> 01:05:29,200 Speaker 1: and sheltered, orangutans build nests in tree tops like they 991 01:05:29,200 --> 01:05:34,040 Speaker 1: think they're birds or something. So they build these nests 992 01:05:34,080 --> 01:05:39,560 Speaker 1: out of foliage, branches and vegetation. And you can't imagine 993 01:05:39,600 --> 01:05:42,560 Speaker 1: it's a bit tricky to build a nest big enough 994 01:05:42,600 --> 01:05:45,960 Speaker 1: and strong enough for an orangutan to sleep peacefully in 995 01:05:46,040 --> 01:05:48,439 Speaker 1: a tree top. You think about tree tops, you don't 996 01:05:48,440 --> 01:05:52,240 Speaker 1: think about a huge orangutan just snoozing up there. So 997 01:05:52,280 --> 01:05:56,720 Speaker 1: they actually have to have some construction know how, and 998 01:05:57,080 --> 01:06:01,040 Speaker 1: young orangutans must learn from their mothers how to become 999 01:06:01,240 --> 01:06:06,480 Speaker 1: nest engineers. So nest building for orangutans goes beyond just 1000 01:06:06,600 --> 01:06:09,200 Speaker 1: piling a bunch of leaves together in a tree they 1001 01:06:09,280 --> 01:06:14,440 Speaker 1: create a woven foundation by bending live tree branches and 1002 01:06:14,880 --> 01:06:18,800 Speaker 1: in order to create a support for the nest. And 1003 01:06:18,880 --> 01:06:22,440 Speaker 1: then they will weave a mattress out of smaller branches 1004 01:06:23,040 --> 01:06:26,400 Speaker 1: and this creates a strong base for them to sleep in. 1005 01:06:27,480 --> 01:06:29,680 Speaker 1: Once they've done all of that, they can get kind 1006 01:06:29,680 --> 01:06:34,640 Speaker 1: of fancy with it. Sometimes they'll create a blanket out 1007 01:06:34,680 --> 01:06:39,080 Speaker 1: of leafy branches or pillows made out of piles of vegetation. 1008 01:06:39,120 --> 01:06:41,120 Speaker 1: They can get as fancy as they want with it. 1009 01:06:41,520 --> 01:06:46,000 Speaker 1: You know, just a recliner. They press a little a 1010 01:06:46,040 --> 01:06:48,959 Speaker 1: little button made out of twigs, and the bed goes 1011 01:06:49,040 --> 01:06:53,080 Speaker 1: up and down, you know how it is. I mean, 1012 01:06:53,360 --> 01:06:56,400 Speaker 1: I have seen house hunter type shows once in a while, 1013 01:06:56,480 --> 01:06:59,920 Speaker 1: So I'm just imagining one orangutan telling another orangutan it's 1014 01:07:00,080 --> 01:07:02,480 Speaker 1: vision and it's budget, you know, and then going from there, 1015 01:07:05,800 --> 01:07:10,320 Speaker 1: My new sleep number branch nest allows me to sleep 1016 01:07:10,360 --> 01:07:13,280 Speaker 1: on one side, whereas my my other orang a tan 1017 01:07:13,560 --> 01:07:22,240 Speaker 1: likes to sleep with more firmness. Imagining orangutan mattress sales 1018 01:07:22,320 --> 01:07:26,640 Speaker 1: people going around or sales orangutan's going around trying to 1019 01:07:26,760 --> 01:07:29,120 Speaker 1: trying to sell, like you'll get a bunch of zse 1020 01:07:29,200 --> 01:07:30,920 Speaker 1: on this baby, and they pat it and it falls 1021 01:07:30,920 --> 01:07:36,840 Speaker 1: out of the tree. It's supposed to do that. Yeah, 1022 01:07:36,880 --> 01:07:39,680 Speaker 1: they are just large, like it has to it have to. 1023 01:07:39,720 --> 01:07:42,120 Speaker 1: You'd have to pick a really salad branch and then 1024 01:07:42,160 --> 01:07:45,520 Speaker 1: do a lot of really impressive building to hold up 1025 01:07:45,560 --> 01:07:49,240 Speaker 1: an orangutan in a handmade nest made out of just 1026 01:07:49,280 --> 01:07:52,960 Speaker 1: what they can grab. That's amazing, exactly. Yeah, So it 1027 01:07:53,280 --> 01:07:55,360 Speaker 1: there's a lot of thought that's put into it, and 1028 01:07:55,360 --> 01:07:59,280 Speaker 1: they actually have to learn it from their mothers. They 1029 01:07:59,320 --> 01:08:01,880 Speaker 1: watch them do what they start to participate when they're 1030 01:08:01,960 --> 01:08:06,040 Speaker 1: very young, because you have to build up this skill otherwise, 1031 01:08:06,080 --> 01:08:08,560 Speaker 1: if you create a shoddy nest, you're gonna fall out 1032 01:08:08,560 --> 01:08:11,920 Speaker 1: of the tree and that's not good. So also they 1033 01:08:11,960 --> 01:08:15,240 Speaker 1: do it all the time, so they typically construct new 1034 01:08:15,320 --> 01:08:20,240 Speaker 1: nests almost every day, and so you have to not 1035 01:08:20,320 --> 01:08:22,120 Speaker 1: only know how to do it in a way that 1036 01:08:22,200 --> 01:08:27,240 Speaker 1: makes it secure and stable, but also relatively quickly because 1037 01:08:27,280 --> 01:08:31,840 Speaker 1: you're doing this every day, and it's it's really it 1038 01:08:32,000 --> 01:08:36,920 Speaker 1: takes I think it. It's kind of it's not maybe 1039 01:08:36,920 --> 01:08:39,880 Speaker 1: apparent when you first think about it, how much intelligence 1040 01:08:39,960 --> 01:08:42,800 Speaker 1: that takes. But when you really think about, well, could 1041 01:08:42,840 --> 01:08:45,320 Speaker 1: I just build a nest that would support my body weight? 1042 01:08:45,360 --> 01:08:49,439 Speaker 1: In a tree every day. It's hard. It would be 1043 01:08:49,479 --> 01:08:52,719 Speaker 1: hard to do. I mean, obviously as humans we are 1044 01:08:52,800 --> 01:08:56,479 Speaker 1: quite good at construction, but just figuring that out when 1045 01:08:56,520 --> 01:08:58,240 Speaker 1: you're in the middle of a forest and you don't 1046 01:08:58,240 --> 01:09:04,760 Speaker 1: have any bricks or galvanized nails or whatever. People using construction, 1047 01:09:04,960 --> 01:09:08,080 Speaker 1: I know how to construct things, you know, two by 1048 01:09:08,120 --> 01:09:12,720 Speaker 1: fours to create a sturdy nest out of just what 1049 01:09:12,800 --> 01:09:15,920 Speaker 1: you find. It's very incredible. Yea, and yeah, I have 1050 01:09:15,960 --> 01:09:19,439 Speaker 1: nothing else to like. It rains a lot where they live, 1051 01:09:19,800 --> 01:09:22,080 Speaker 1: so like you're you're constantly That's probably part of why 1052 01:09:22,080 --> 01:09:24,000 Speaker 1: they have to keep redoing it. Like there's rain all 1053 01:09:24,040 --> 01:09:27,400 Speaker 1: the time, and you know it's it's it sounds like 1054 01:09:27,800 --> 01:09:29,960 Speaker 1: just a horrible process. I don't want to be an 1055 01:09:29,960 --> 01:09:34,400 Speaker 1: orangutan now I changed my mind. They will. They'll also 1056 01:09:35,200 --> 01:09:39,360 Speaker 1: create sort of impromptu umbrellas out of leaves and leafy 1057 01:09:39,360 --> 01:09:41,800 Speaker 1: branches and hold it up over their heads. And that's 1058 01:09:41,800 --> 01:09:44,000 Speaker 1: another thing that the babies learn how to do. It's 1059 01:09:44,040 --> 01:09:47,759 Speaker 1: really cute. We like like a like a running around 1060 01:09:47,760 --> 01:09:50,400 Speaker 1: New York City guy with a newspaper when it's suddenly raining, 1061 01:09:50,439 --> 01:09:59,400 Speaker 1: like a copy of the Orangutan Tribune. I've had to 1062 01:09:59,400 --> 01:10:05,080 Speaker 1: come up with how many fake animal news publications this episode? 1063 01:10:05,840 --> 01:10:08,160 Speaker 1: And now I'm subscribed to all of them and I 1064 01:10:08,200 --> 01:10:13,799 Speaker 1: can't cancel. No, looks like you've subscribed to rat Facts. 1065 01:10:14,000 --> 01:10:16,760 Speaker 1: Do you want to unsubscribe? And you press unsubscribe, you've 1066 01:10:16,840 --> 01:10:22,720 Speaker 1: been subscribed to double rat facts. Speaking of rat facts, 1067 01:10:22,760 --> 01:10:28,120 Speaker 1: here's some So fetal rats actually start learning before they're 1068 01:10:28,200 --> 01:10:32,800 Speaker 1: even born, which is really really interesting. So there have 1069 01:10:32,960 --> 01:10:37,320 Speaker 1: been studies on rats in utero that shows that they 1070 01:10:37,360 --> 01:10:41,400 Speaker 1: can learn about food and smell before they've been born. 1071 01:10:41,800 --> 01:10:46,200 Speaker 1: So fetal rats can detect odor particles from their mother's 1072 01:10:46,280 --> 01:10:50,559 Speaker 1: food that they absorb through the placenta, and when the 1073 01:10:50,680 --> 01:10:54,200 Speaker 1: rats are born, they actually show a positive response to 1074 01:10:54,280 --> 01:10:58,439 Speaker 1: these foods. So they're learning from their mothers what food 1075 01:10:58,560 --> 01:11:02,160 Speaker 1: she prefers and so to aid in their survival. They 1076 01:11:02,240 --> 01:11:07,120 Speaker 1: also prefer those foods because it's it's teaching them basically, Hey, 1077 01:11:07,320 --> 01:11:13,639 Speaker 1: pizza is great, go and eat it. I feel if 1078 01:11:14,840 --> 01:11:19,280 Speaker 1: pizza rat would probably be really if Pizza Rat was pregnant, 1079 01:11:19,720 --> 01:11:23,000 Speaker 1: she'd be super judged, like, oh, you're teaching your baby 1080 01:11:23,040 --> 01:11:28,000 Speaker 1: that pizza is a healthy food. But you know, all 1081 01:11:28,080 --> 01:11:31,120 Speaker 1: the all the judgments that are put on new rat mothers. 1082 01:11:31,160 --> 01:11:35,760 Speaker 1: I think it's really unfair personally, I really like the 1083 01:11:35,840 --> 01:11:39,040 Speaker 1: idea of a pickie high status rat, like I only 1084 01:11:39,080 --> 01:11:43,439 Speaker 1: have water from medium gross puddles and stuff like really 1085 01:11:43,760 --> 01:11:51,519 Speaker 1: really good. I only eat half rotten tomatoes for my baby, 1086 01:11:53,840 --> 01:12:00,040 Speaker 1: like a rattitui rattitui rat just going around trying to 1087 01:12:00,080 --> 01:12:06,360 Speaker 1: convinced rat mothers to eat fancy French food. Yeah. I 1088 01:12:06,400 --> 01:12:09,080 Speaker 1: guess this does add to the lore of Ratatui, right, 1089 01:12:09,120 --> 01:12:12,599 Speaker 1: because we don't know who Remy's mother is the rat 1090 01:12:12,640 --> 01:12:14,840 Speaker 1: and Rattatui. We don't know what happened to his mother, 1091 01:12:15,400 --> 01:12:18,479 Speaker 1: and so his mother must have eaten fancy food, which 1092 01:12:18,560 --> 01:12:21,719 Speaker 1: made little Remy like fancy food, And so that whole 1093 01:12:21,800 --> 01:12:24,719 Speaker 1: dynamic with his father and his brother makes it even deeper. 1094 01:12:25,320 --> 01:12:28,320 Speaker 1: You see how biology makes it more fun to watch 1095 01:12:28,400 --> 01:12:33,439 Speaker 1: picks our movie kids. That's like, that's legitimately a pretty 1096 01:12:33,439 --> 01:12:36,160 Speaker 1: good pitch for Rattitui two. Like the start of the movie, 1097 01:12:36,200 --> 01:12:39,360 Speaker 1: he finds out that for generations his his ancestors have 1098 01:12:39,439 --> 01:12:42,080 Speaker 1: been with restaurants and chefs and stuff. I'm pretty into it. 1099 01:12:42,640 --> 01:12:47,479 Speaker 1: Rattatui to Rata two, Oh of course, yep, that's the 1100 01:12:47,479 --> 01:12:50,720 Speaker 1: correct title, Alice, Yeah, I'll accept my praise now, thank you. 1101 01:12:50,760 --> 01:12:55,280 Speaker 1: I'll accept my job at PISAR now, thank you. Also, 1102 01:12:56,080 --> 01:12:59,639 Speaker 1: researchers have also shown that fetal rats can be taught 1103 01:12:59,720 --> 01:13:03,800 Speaker 1: next of reactions to foods as well. So there was this. 1104 01:13:03,960 --> 01:13:07,960 Speaker 1: If you actually look into the study, it's pretty crazy 1105 01:13:08,000 --> 01:13:12,960 Speaker 1: because researchers took these twenty day old fetal rats out 1106 01:13:13,000 --> 01:13:18,720 Speaker 1: of the mother and they would describe it things like, oh, 1107 01:13:18,840 --> 01:13:24,080 Speaker 1: we put these rats on somewhat these these basically orbs 1108 01:13:24,120 --> 01:13:27,880 Speaker 1: of fetal rats covered in this amniotic sack, on these 1109 01:13:28,120 --> 01:13:34,160 Speaker 1: moist paper towels to keep them point and safe. But yeah, 1110 01:13:34,160 --> 01:13:36,600 Speaker 1: they took them out there, just these these orbs with 1111 01:13:36,760 --> 01:13:42,360 Speaker 1: developing rats in pretty pretty I guess sort of matrix 1112 01:13:42,640 --> 01:13:48,000 Speaker 1: matrix esque the rat matrix. But they injected them with 1113 01:13:49,200 --> 01:13:53,840 Speaker 1: a food stimulus, which was apple juice. So they took 1114 01:13:53,880 --> 01:13:57,360 Speaker 1: these very fine needles, injected the amniotic sack with apple 1115 01:13:57,400 --> 01:14:01,600 Speaker 1: juice and then with and they it was lithium chloride, 1116 01:14:01,600 --> 01:14:05,000 Speaker 1: which is an unpleasant salt that the fetus doesn't I 1117 01:14:05,000 --> 01:14:07,680 Speaker 1: guess fetuses don't like lithium chloride. I don't know that 1118 01:14:07,760 --> 01:14:12,360 Speaker 1: much of chemistry. But after so basically they were training 1119 01:14:12,360 --> 01:14:16,280 Speaker 1: these rats that after apple juice comes this unpleasant stimulus. 1120 01:14:16,760 --> 01:14:20,400 Speaker 1: And when the rats were born, they showed an aversion 1121 01:14:20,400 --> 01:14:24,800 Speaker 1: to apple juice, which just seems kind of cruel, you know, 1122 01:14:25,240 --> 01:14:28,599 Speaker 1: to offer these baby rats to juice box and you've 1123 01:14:28,600 --> 01:14:32,559 Speaker 1: given them this trauma from when they were fetal fetal rats, 1124 01:14:32,560 --> 01:14:35,920 Speaker 1: Like you want this juice box and the baby ros No, 1125 01:14:36,160 --> 01:14:43,880 Speaker 1: excuse me, I remember, I remember from before I was born. Yeah, 1126 01:14:43,880 --> 01:14:45,400 Speaker 1: it might I don't know, I don't even know if 1127 01:14:45,400 --> 01:14:47,640 Speaker 1: it's a taste thing. It might be. This reminds me 1128 01:14:47,680 --> 01:14:50,639 Speaker 1: of when I was like a matrix person, like being 1129 01:14:50,760 --> 01:14:55,280 Speaker 1: dragged into a gooey machine world. Like I would not 1130 01:14:55,320 --> 01:14:57,280 Speaker 1: want to have foods from that time, even if they're 1131 01:14:57,320 --> 01:15:05,240 Speaker 1: great with the advanced technology of moist paper towels. Yeah yeah, 1132 01:15:05,600 --> 01:15:08,479 Speaker 1: but yeah. So basically what I'm trying to say is 1133 01:15:08,560 --> 01:15:11,639 Speaker 1: we could be delivering memes to fetuses in the womb 1134 01:15:11,640 --> 01:15:14,840 Speaker 1: if we play our cards, right. Yeah, well we gotta 1135 01:15:14,920 --> 01:15:17,400 Speaker 1: you know, American children are falling behind the rats, you know, 1136 01:15:17,520 --> 01:15:22,400 Speaker 1: and so if we can teach them about impact font 1137 01:15:23,040 --> 01:15:26,519 Speaker 1: and hard luck or old and what are some money 1138 01:15:26,560 --> 01:15:29,400 Speaker 1: people who are pregnant right now, you need to work 1139 01:15:29,479 --> 01:15:36,960 Speaker 1: harder at introducing memes to your unborn child. Yeah. Did 1140 01:15:37,000 --> 01:15:39,280 Speaker 1: you know if you hold a meme up to a 1141 01:15:39,400 --> 01:15:48,880 Speaker 1: pregnant belly, the fetus actually absorbs the dank meme. Oh man, 1142 01:15:49,240 --> 01:15:54,559 Speaker 1: I've never felt older doing an episode, more ancient and 1143 01:15:54,640 --> 01:16:01,400 Speaker 1: out of it because our memes are old, is that it? Ah? Yes, yes, 1144 01:16:01,840 --> 01:16:05,280 Speaker 1: stale memes, I think so. But when this comes out 1145 01:16:05,320 --> 01:16:07,519 Speaker 1: in a week, means will be over they we won't 1146 01:16:07,560 --> 01:16:15,000 Speaker 1: have memes anymore. In a week, this will seem very dated. Well, Alex, 1147 01:16:15,120 --> 01:16:18,639 Speaker 1: thank you so much for going on this learning journey 1148 01:16:18,640 --> 01:16:22,200 Speaker 1: with me into the world of dank animal memes. Do 1149 01:16:22,439 --> 01:16:28,720 Speaker 1: you have any memes of your own? To bug? I 1150 01:16:28,880 --> 01:16:31,559 Speaker 1: just hold up like an advice wolf for whatever it was. 1151 01:16:31,640 --> 01:16:40,280 Speaker 1: That's my book, um, Alex Alex Memes dot Geo Cities. No. 1152 01:16:40,479 --> 01:16:44,320 Speaker 1: I it's been great being here. I'm between podcasts right now, 1153 01:16:44,360 --> 01:16:46,920 Speaker 1: but starting something soon. If you go to tiny letter 1154 01:16:46,960 --> 01:16:50,040 Speaker 1: dot com slash Alex smitty Next Show, or you can 1155 01:16:50,080 --> 01:16:52,599 Speaker 1: find that on my social media at Alex Remitty on Twitter, 1156 01:16:53,240 --> 01:16:56,559 Speaker 1: you'll get a little email newsletter one time when I 1157 01:16:56,600 --> 01:16:59,200 Speaker 1: have something new to share. That'll be very exciting. And 1158 01:16:59,240 --> 01:17:02,439 Speaker 1: also and and I have a podcast mini series out now. 1159 01:17:02,479 --> 01:17:06,200 Speaker 1: At Bison Emoji podcast dot com about creating the Bison 1160 01:17:06,240 --> 01:17:08,720 Speaker 1: emoji and it features great guests like Katie Golden, So 1161 01:17:08,800 --> 01:17:15,800 Speaker 1: check that out. Who is she? Uh yeah, Definitely subscribe 1162 01:17:15,840 --> 01:17:18,800 Speaker 1: to the Alex tri Weekly news letter. I think it's 1163 01:17:18,800 --> 01:17:20,920 Speaker 1: a great read. I don't know if it's tri weekly 1164 01:17:21,040 --> 01:17:23,760 Speaker 1: or not. I just like saying that, but because I 1165 01:17:23,760 --> 01:17:25,559 Speaker 1: have to, I have one email newsletter that I've been 1166 01:17:25,560 --> 01:17:27,679 Speaker 1: doing for a long time that's just free, fun internet 1167 01:17:27,720 --> 01:17:29,840 Speaker 1: stuff that I like the ship. But then there's also 1168 01:17:29,960 --> 01:17:33,080 Speaker 1: like a one off newsletter alex Modi Next Show that 1169 01:17:33,160 --> 01:17:35,000 Speaker 1: will just give you, like an update when I have 1170 01:17:35,080 --> 01:17:39,640 Speaker 1: a new podcast on. Subscribe to The Alex Enquired, the 1171 01:17:39,760 --> 01:17:47,920 Speaker 1: Alex Tribune, the Alex the the the Alexidvaminer. There's so 1172 01:17:47,960 --> 01:17:52,400 Speaker 1: many Alex based publications that one can subscribe to. Subscribe 1173 01:17:52,400 --> 01:17:56,080 Speaker 1: to them all right by rat Ketis Publication by hire 1174 01:17:56,080 --> 01:18:02,439 Speaker 1: Fly Publication, Orangutan Song It stream on SoundCloud. You get 1175 01:18:02,479 --> 01:18:06,720 Speaker 1: it rap rap Feta is fair magazine to keep up 1176 01:18:06,760 --> 01:18:09,160 Speaker 1: on all the rat Petis news. So if you want 1177 01:18:09,200 --> 01:18:13,120 Speaker 1: to keep up with the Creature Feature news, you can 1178 01:18:13,200 --> 01:18:18,080 Speaker 1: subscribe to Creature Feature Pod on Instagram, Creature Feet Pod 1179 01:18:18,200 --> 01:18:20,799 Speaker 1: on Twitter, that's f e a T, not f et. 1180 01:18:20,960 --> 01:18:23,960 Speaker 1: That's something very different. And to keep up with the 1181 01:18:24,360 --> 01:18:28,120 Speaker 1: Katie Times, you can follow me on Twitter at Katie 1182 01:18:28,120 --> 01:18:31,360 Speaker 1: Cole and where I just talk about it's basically Katie opinions, 1183 01:18:31,439 --> 01:18:34,200 Speaker 1: so you know my opinions on stuff. It's not necessarily 1184 01:18:34,360 --> 01:18:36,400 Speaker 1: really into the show. But if you're curious about on 1185 01:18:36,439 --> 01:18:39,920 Speaker 1: all of my basically unasked for opinions on other stuff, 1186 01:18:40,160 --> 01:18:43,719 Speaker 1: that's where you go. Also jokes, also fun jokes, and memes, 1187 01:18:43,800 --> 01:18:48,559 Speaker 1: so many memes, and you also as always, perhaps the 1188 01:18:48,600 --> 01:18:51,880 Speaker 1: original meme in the world is pro bird rights, the 1189 01:18:51,960 --> 01:18:55,000 Speaker 1: first meme. Now I don't know that, but on pro 1190 01:18:55,080 --> 01:18:59,000 Speaker 1: bird Rights on Twitter dot com the website, I explain 1191 01:18:59,120 --> 01:19:02,320 Speaker 1: why birds are are basically the best animal and we 1192 01:19:02,360 --> 01:19:05,519 Speaker 1: should allow them to rule us on Earth. You know, 1193 01:19:06,360 --> 01:19:09,599 Speaker 1: just basic facts. Yeah, people listeners know that. The Audubon 1194 01:19:09,720 --> 01:19:13,000 Speaker 1: people officially said that Katie coined burb as like a 1195 01:19:13,080 --> 01:19:17,599 Speaker 1: meme about small birds. Right, like you're high ranking meme creator, 1196 01:19:18,000 --> 01:19:20,720 Speaker 1: you would be on the amount rushmore of it or 1197 01:19:20,760 --> 01:19:24,200 Speaker 1: a good good get it. They sent me a tin 1198 01:19:24,280 --> 01:19:29,240 Speaker 1: foot tall burb statue made cast out of solid bronze. 1199 01:19:30,880 --> 01:19:33,559 Speaker 1: It's in the center of my apartment, there's no space 1200 01:19:33,640 --> 01:19:35,559 Speaker 1: for a fridge anymore. I had to dump the fridge 1201 01:19:35,640 --> 01:19:38,879 Speaker 1: to make make room for my giant bourb bronze statue 1202 01:19:39,240 --> 01:19:43,719 Speaker 1: commemorating my burb meme that I coined. And since it's indoors, 1203 01:19:43,800 --> 01:19:45,600 Speaker 1: birds can't land on it, which is ironic. You know, 1204 01:19:45,640 --> 01:19:47,599 Speaker 1: it sucks for them, That's right, it is ironic. They 1205 01:19:47,640 --> 01:19:51,400 Speaker 1: look out from outside wistfully wishing they could poop on it. 1206 01:19:51,960 --> 01:19:55,479 Speaker 1: But you know, that's that's how the meme crumbs. That's 1207 01:19:55,479 --> 01:19:59,840 Speaker 1: how the meme crumbles. If you're enjoying this ridiculous show 1208 01:20:00,000 --> 01:20:03,000 Speaker 1: where I give you animal facts and and dad jokes 1209 01:20:03,040 --> 01:20:06,479 Speaker 1: and memes all all in one setting, just if you 1210 01:20:06,640 --> 01:20:11,160 Speaker 1: leave a review, subscribe, download all of those things, write 1211 01:20:11,160 --> 01:20:14,599 Speaker 1: a review. Especially, all of those things actually really help 1212 01:20:14,960 --> 01:20:18,559 Speaker 1: with the algorithms. So I really appreciate you guys listening, 1213 01:20:18,600 --> 01:20:20,519 Speaker 1: and if you want to want to press any of 1214 01:20:20,560 --> 01:20:24,400 Speaker 1: those podcasts related buttons, that would be so so much appreciated. 1215 01:20:25,040 --> 01:20:28,320 Speaker 1: And thanks to the space Colassics for their super awesome song. 1216 01:20:28,479 --> 01:20:32,719 Speaker 1: Ex Alumina Creature feature is a production of I Heart Radio. 1217 01:20:32,840 --> 01:20:35,439 Speaker 1: For more podcasts like the one you just heard, visit 1218 01:20:35,520 --> 01:20:38,200 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio app Apple podcasts, or hey guess what 1219 01:20:38,240 --> 01:20:40,600 Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows. To see you 1220 01:20:40,640 --> 01:20:48,720 Speaker 1: next Wednesday,