1 00:00:07,120 --> 00:00:10,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to Creature feature production of I Heart Radio. I'm 2 00:00:10,240 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: your host of Many Parasites, Katie Golden. I studied psychology 3 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,600 Speaker 1: and evolutionary biology, and today on the show, it's listener 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:20,759 Speaker 1: questions again. This time I'm going on a deep dive 5 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:23,800 Speaker 1: on a few questions that I think Marrital longer discussion 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:30,600 Speaker 1: from killer Kangaroos, two pesky parasites, do evolutionary copycats? Discover 7 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 1: this and more as we answer the angel question why 8 00:00:33,080 --> 00:00:37,320 Speaker 1: is Australia joining me today? To answer your questions? Is 9 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: point guard of the podcast Lour After Hours, Christi Yamagucci Mane. Hello, Katie, 10 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: thank you so much for having me. I'm thrilled to 11 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: be here, of course. Yeah, I have wanted to have 12 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: you on the show. I think you are an awesome 13 00:00:52,400 --> 00:00:55,440 Speaker 1: person and I figured this would be this would be 14 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: good because we're just like a corny copeia of animal topics. 15 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,760 Speaker 1: I I'm thrilled. I I did not know if we 16 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,480 Speaker 1: were going to focus solely on the killer kangaroos when 17 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,759 Speaker 1: I when I got the email earlier, UM, I absolutely 18 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,320 Speaker 1: am excited for that topic. On Hour after Hours, we 19 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:18,360 Speaker 1: actually have a foreign correspondent, Morgan from Australia who keeps 20 00:01:18,480 --> 00:01:22,160 Speaker 1: us informed on all of the the weird wildlife that 21 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: happens around her. Although she has told me that she's 22 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:30,920 Speaker 1: never seen a kangaroo? What is she even really from Australia. 23 00:01:31,440 --> 00:01:37,360 Speaker 1: It's either either she is from Australia and and has 24 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: just never never seen a kangaroo, or it's the greatest 25 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:44,800 Speaker 1: single accent work I have ever ever come across, ever witnessed. 26 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: Not even a wallaby. You know, I've never I don't 27 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: think I've ever asked her about a wallaby? A wallaby? Okay, okay, 28 00:01:53,360 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: I will absolutely and keep like going down in size 29 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:58,720 Speaker 1: in terms of like marsupial, like have you seen a wallaby? 30 00:01:58,920 --> 00:02:02,320 Speaker 1: What about a koala? Uh? What about a nikidna? And 31 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:05,160 Speaker 1: if it's like no to any of those, I think 32 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,760 Speaker 1: he got catfished? She uh? I know she is a 33 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 1: super fan of Australian What is I'm going to butcher this? 34 00:02:12,720 --> 00:02:16,840 Speaker 1: It's like Australian rules football or something like that. I 35 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 1: just whatever I just said. People are yelling at your 36 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:24,119 Speaker 1: podcast because I absolutely just butchered it. Because even though 37 00:02:24,120 --> 00:02:28,679 Speaker 1: our our podcast kind of vaguely tangentially touches sports, I'm 38 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:34,400 Speaker 1: terrible at everything about them. So well, maybe it's a 39 00:02:34,400 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 1: wallaball wallaby ball. I don't know. Yeah, yeah, yeah maybe 40 00:02:39,120 --> 00:02:41,919 Speaker 1: maybe uh similar to the way I think soccer developed 41 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,960 Speaker 1: originally from like and I could be making this up 42 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 1: to using like a goat head the original soccer ball 43 00:02:49,280 --> 00:02:54,200 Speaker 1: to kick. I think that's true. Either I just made 44 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: that up and it's completely awful that I I came 45 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:00,360 Speaker 1: up with that based on absolutely nothing, or that's a 46 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: completely true fact. I mean it's it is awful, but 47 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:09,440 Speaker 1: it's also pretty metal, so trade off. But we are 48 00:03:09,639 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: talking about kangaroos at least for this first question from 49 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:19,480 Speaker 1: Leeds who showed me this tweet and Leads writes, this 50 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: is a picture warning that kangaroos in water will try 51 00:03:23,240 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: to drown you. Is this really true? And there is 52 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: a tweet? Okay, so this is from Cormack Ferrell on 53 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: Twitter who writes that fun kangaroo fact. This kangaroo is 54 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: waiting for pursuers to come into the water with him, 55 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: where he will try to drown them. They are extremely 56 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 1: good at it. Never ever go into water with a kangaroo. 57 00:03:49,400 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: Everything has lots of innovative ways to kill you here, 58 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: So Australia. You're a beautiful country and I love you. 59 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,960 Speaker 1: But it's true that from everything from like your box 60 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: jellyfish to your adorable but deadly blue ring octopus. Uh, 61 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:12,480 Speaker 1: just like everything is trying to kill you. Guys. What's 62 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:18,000 Speaker 1: up with that? The the great I know, the great 63 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,800 Speaker 1: white sharks are are very common on the reefs down there. 64 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: And uh even yeah, yeah, even the platypus. Doesn't the 65 00:04:28,120 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: platypus have some kind of poisonous element to it? It does. 66 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 1: It has a venomous spine the on its behind legs 67 00:04:35,640 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: that it can use to give you a dose of 68 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:45,480 Speaker 1: venom So so even something as doofy and looks like 69 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: it was put together by a four year old after 70 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: learning what a a beaver and a duck and a 71 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 1: and a sea otter was, you know, and combined those, 72 00:04:54,640 --> 00:04:58,680 Speaker 1: it looks like a pokemon, right, except it's still venomous, 73 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:03,000 Speaker 1: still venomous. So yeah, yeah, it's it's it's absolutely wild 74 00:05:03,839 --> 00:05:07,159 Speaker 1: water in Australia. Well, speaking of something in the water, 75 00:05:07,400 --> 00:05:10,120 Speaker 1: is this kangaroo? Yeah kangaroos? Is this thing going to 76 00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: kill me? Well? Here's the thing is this isn't interesting. 77 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: I think I actually have heard about this. I read 78 00:05:18,600 --> 00:05:25,040 Speaker 1: or saw something about a kangaroo almost drowning someone's dog. Uh, 79 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 1: And I think from what I've read, and I'm I'm 80 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:32,080 Speaker 1: not actually a kangaroo expert, although I do know that 81 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:35,279 Speaker 1: they have a female. Kangaroos do have too vaginas. It's cool, 82 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:41,520 Speaker 1: but they do. It's not necessarily that they're not predators, right, 83 00:05:41,560 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: They're not trying to drown you. They're not like, oh, 84 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:48,320 Speaker 1: I'm doing this for I'm doing this for all life. 85 00:05:48,360 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: Oh no, I I don't know. I can't do an 86 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:55,320 Speaker 1: Australian accent. It's probably a defensive behavior. So from what 87 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 1: I can tell, they aren't trying to bait you into 88 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: drowning you. But they are putting distance between you and themselves. 89 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:08,839 Speaker 1: And they're strong swimmers. They may very well understand that 90 00:06:08,920 --> 00:06:10,839 Speaker 1: they have a bit of an upper hand if they're 91 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:12,520 Speaker 1: in a body of waters. So if they're in a 92 00:06:12,560 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 1: body of water, some kind of predator may be less 93 00:06:15,320 --> 00:06:17,400 Speaker 1: likely to be able to get at them, and then 94 00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:20,360 Speaker 1: if they do try to get at them, uh, then 95 00:06:20,440 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: they can drown them there. They have very very powerful 96 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: hind legs. They can kick you, pull you down there. 97 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:30,560 Speaker 1: They're very strong and so they may have this advantage 98 00:06:30,600 --> 00:06:34,760 Speaker 1: in the water where a predator may be less agile, 99 00:06:34,880 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: less mobile. Uh. And then they can literally like just 100 00:06:38,839 --> 00:06:41,360 Speaker 1: hold you under and drown you if you're trying to 101 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:45,719 Speaker 1: pursue them. It's not that they're murderous per se, but 102 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: they are definitely going to defend themselves from you. So 103 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: I think with the case with the dog, probably this 104 00:06:53,200 --> 00:06:56,400 Speaker 1: kangaroo thought like, oh, the dog is trying to attack me, 105 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,240 Speaker 1: so I'm gonna, you know, hold this little sucker under 106 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:02,279 Speaker 1: the water. Uh. And so I think that yeah, maybe 107 00:07:02,320 --> 00:07:05,000 Speaker 1: they seek They might be seeking out the water because 108 00:07:05,400 --> 00:07:09,560 Speaker 1: they uh see it. It's like basically like instinctively like, hey, 109 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:12,560 Speaker 1: I need to escape. This is a probably a good 110 00:07:12,560 --> 00:07:15,520 Speaker 1: spot for me to to escape too. And then if 111 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:18,120 Speaker 1: you still go in and pursue them, then they're like, 112 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 1: all right, no, it's on now. It's on now, buddy. 113 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:25,320 Speaker 1: So I I raised three boys, Um, I know that 114 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 1: when I'm in a swimming pool, I can launch them 115 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: over my head and feel like a pro wrestler. Right, 116 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 1: I can't. I don't have the same leverage whenever we're 117 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: you know, whenever they were younger and I was in 118 00:07:35,920 --> 00:07:38,800 Speaker 1: the backyard and we'd wrestle on like the trampoline or something. 119 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:42,040 Speaker 1: But yeah, you you immediately become stronger in the water 120 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: because a buoyancy and and and you don't you know, 121 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: you don't have your own body weight to fight against um. 122 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: But one of my favorite things that I see every 123 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: usually happens like once a year or or you know whatever. 124 00:07:56,440 --> 00:07:58,960 Speaker 1: The social media cycle is as soon as it's out 125 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:02,320 Speaker 1: of everybody's consciousness. But somebody will post a picture of 126 00:08:02,440 --> 00:08:06,679 Speaker 1: a I'm assuming a male kangaroo up close, and people 127 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: do not realize how jacked these things are. They look 128 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,840 Speaker 1: like they're on steroids. Like if you Google search jacked kangaroo, 129 00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:17,160 Speaker 1: it looks like it's photoshopped. It looks like they took 130 00:08:17,160 --> 00:08:20,840 Speaker 1: a nineties baseball player on steroids and put a kangaroo's 131 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: head and and arms on it. It is absolutely wild. 132 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,120 Speaker 1: If if you're listening and you have not seen one 133 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:33,160 Speaker 1: of these photos, just Google search jacked kangaroo. Absolutely wild. Yeah, 134 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:37,719 Speaker 1: because they are. It's there. They need these really powerful 135 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:42,600 Speaker 1: muscles to be able to jump and move. Uh, and 136 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:45,079 Speaker 1: you know, it's it's sort of like if you look 137 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:48,439 Speaker 1: at a rabbit, which they're not related to kangaroos. I'm 138 00:08:48,440 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: not implying that, but they have those really powerful hind legs, 139 00:08:53,120 --> 00:08:55,560 Speaker 1: and especially if you look at a wild hair which 140 00:08:55,559 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: we actually talked about in our episode recently about bunnies, 141 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: which is they they actually look quite muscular and and 142 00:09:03,720 --> 00:09:06,280 Speaker 1: lena and there behind legs can actually do some damage. 143 00:09:06,360 --> 00:09:08,600 Speaker 1: So you scale that up to the size of a 144 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:14,360 Speaker 1: big kangaroo. Absolutely, they are just covered in muscles. Yeah. 145 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: So there's this quote by Graham Coulson of the University 146 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:22,199 Speaker 1: of Melbourne, Melbourne, Melbourne. Is it Melbourne or is it 147 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 1: Melbourne Melbourne? Yeah, this, yes, this sounds right Melbourne, who's 148 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: a kangaroo ecologist. Uh says that quote. There's a very 149 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: strong instinct kangaroos will go to water if they're threatened 150 00:09:36,679 --> 00:09:41,400 Speaker 1: by a predator. Uh So, I think it's it's questionable 151 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: whether it's their intent to drown you once you go 152 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 1: out there, but basically they're like, I can swim, well, 153 00:09:47,400 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 1: I'll go in this water. This should be enough to 154 00:09:49,400 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: deter the predator. And then if you still go in 155 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:54,400 Speaker 1: after it, even if you're going in to get a selfie, 156 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:59,360 Speaker 1: the kangaroo is like, oh my own, isn't it it's yeah, 157 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:03,839 Speaker 1: look at this picture. I hope folks can can see 158 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,200 Speaker 1: this this tweet. At some point, I'll have it in 159 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:10,040 Speaker 1: the show notes. It is. It is so spooky. It 160 00:10:10,440 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: is like there's no ripples in the water, There's no 161 00:10:13,880 --> 00:10:16,960 Speaker 1: there's nothing else around it. Just if if I came 162 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:22,240 Speaker 1: across this kangaroo ever, I would not in a million 163 00:10:22,320 --> 00:10:27,079 Speaker 1: years damned Like I might take a selfie at a distance. Um, 164 00:10:27,160 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: but it's probably gonna be far enough away that you 165 00:10:29,360 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: can't even tell what's what's actually in the water behind you. Um, 166 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:35,720 Speaker 1: but yeah, it is. It is one of the creepier 167 00:10:36,360 --> 00:10:39,920 Speaker 1: what are the creepier photos I've seen? There is no 168 00:10:40,040 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: way I'm getting in the water with this thing. It's 169 00:10:42,360 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: giving me a death stare. I can just I can 170 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,280 Speaker 1: just hear it, you know, like you want to get molded? 171 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 1: Is that what you want? Did I get to die? 172 00:10:52,200 --> 00:10:57,120 Speaker 1: You want to die to die? Do you? It's uh yeah, 173 00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:02,200 Speaker 1: No kangaroos I don't don't think of as a friendly animal. 174 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 1: Maybe a wallaby, sure, uh Koala no, they a little 175 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:11,520 Speaker 1: scared of Koala's kangaroo. No way, they will kick my 176 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:16,720 Speaker 1: whole entire face off going to swim with a kangaroo. 177 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:21,640 Speaker 1: Oh no, Rather, I'd rather swim with a shark. I 178 00:11:21,720 --> 00:11:24,640 Speaker 1: think I'd be safe for swimming with a shark. And 179 00:11:24,720 --> 00:11:27,680 Speaker 1: I love, I don't, I love. I love going swimming. 180 00:11:27,679 --> 00:11:30,000 Speaker 1: I'm not I'm not freaked out by by swimming in 181 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:33,960 Speaker 1: the ocean or anything like that. But there is no 182 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,439 Speaker 1: way in hell I would ever. Uh, you've got to 183 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,880 Speaker 1: be very hungry as a predator to to go into 184 00:11:40,960 --> 00:11:44,839 Speaker 1: the water after one of these things. And I've seen 185 00:11:45,040 --> 00:11:48,320 Speaker 1: those videos of I think there was one circulating not 186 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,560 Speaker 1: too long ago where this kangaroo came up to this 187 00:11:51,559 --> 00:11:55,000 Speaker 1: this dude's sliding glass door and was just throwing himself 188 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:59,040 Speaker 1: against the glass, like very aggressively. It was like a 189 00:11:59,160 --> 00:12:03,440 Speaker 1: zombie Kane Garu was was trying to invade his home. 190 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: And if you've ever seen it, they use those tails. 191 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:09,600 Speaker 1: Those tails are absolutely incredible where they lean back on 192 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:13,160 Speaker 1: the tail and it launches them forward. It's like having 193 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:18,760 Speaker 1: a third leg. Uh that It's it's incredible, Well fourth leg. 194 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:23,760 Speaker 1: For no, I wasn't. I wasn't going to go there, Katie. 195 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: But okay, I'm sorry, No, no, no, don't apologize, but yeah, no, 196 00:12:31,480 --> 00:12:37,840 Speaker 1: it is. They are They're powerful animals. They absolutely are intimidating. 197 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:42,320 Speaker 1: There's this video of someone on a parachute gliding down 198 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,920 Speaker 1: to the landing spot and as he lands, this kangaroo 199 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 1: comes up to him. He's like, oh, I skip, and 200 00:12:47,520 --> 00:12:51,360 Speaker 1: then the kangaroo swings at him and punches him. That's 201 00:12:51,400 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: that's what's so unnerving about a kangaroo. It's like we 202 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:59,000 Speaker 1: we have from what I understand, even though our foreign correspondent, 203 00:12:59,080 --> 00:13:03,599 Speaker 1: Morgan as An ever seeing a kangaroo before, allegedly, Uh, 204 00:13:03,679 --> 00:13:06,560 Speaker 1: they're they're as common as like deer over there. They're 205 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 1: they're super common there. They they seem to be. This 206 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,840 Speaker 1: is from my very myopic American perspective. It seems like 207 00:13:13,880 --> 00:13:17,200 Speaker 1: they're everywhere except they're they're as tall as a human being. 208 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:23,160 Speaker 1: They have like they they have like deer like snouts, 209 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:29,360 Speaker 1: kind of this this absurd tale, these huge claws like there. 210 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 1: Their talents are are significant, but it's the it's the 211 00:13:35,559 --> 00:13:39,560 Speaker 1: physiology of almost being human like with their biceps and 212 00:13:39,679 --> 00:13:43,280 Speaker 1: their their their triceps. I don't know the muscle groups 213 00:13:43,360 --> 00:13:45,920 Speaker 1: or anything. I'm terrible at that as well, but but 214 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:49,920 Speaker 1: there's it's like a blend between like a deer and 215 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:54,280 Speaker 1: a human and like a velociraptor and a velocoraptor exactly. 216 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:58,240 Speaker 1: That's perfect, that's perfect. Yeah, No, they're they're they're jacked, 217 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:00,800 Speaker 1: they're small, and they kind to have that a little 218 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:03,640 Speaker 1: bit of that like velociraptor. Look, I don't want to 219 00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:07,840 Speaker 1: mess with them at all. What's interesting is this whole 220 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,760 Speaker 1: thing of like an animal luring you into the water 221 00:14:10,920 --> 00:14:15,839 Speaker 1: to drown you, is it has this precedent of mythology. 222 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: So like, have you ever heard of the kelpie in 223 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:22,520 Speaker 1: Scottish folklore? I have not. I do not think I'm 224 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:24,280 Speaker 1: familiar with that. Yeah, it's one of the kind of 225 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:29,360 Speaker 1: lesser known mythological creatures. But a kelpie is a horse 226 00:14:29,640 --> 00:14:34,040 Speaker 1: spirit from Scotland that lives in rivers and other bodies 227 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: of water that lures people in and then pulls them 228 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:42,080 Speaker 1: into the river and drowns them. Oh okay, all right, 229 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:45,080 Speaker 1: that's terrifying. Yeah. So there are a lot of versions 230 00:14:45,360 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 1: of the magical kelpie. Sometimes the kelpie will turn into 231 00:14:49,400 --> 00:14:52,320 Speaker 1: a beautiful woman, either fully into a woman or a 232 00:14:52,360 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 1: woman with horse hoofs uh. Sometimes it's a spectral horse 233 00:14:56,800 --> 00:15:01,600 Speaker 1: with backwards hooves. Sometimes it had a mane of serpents. 234 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 1: It's very variable, like what these kelpies take the form of, 235 00:15:06,040 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 1: but typically horse like. Okay, well, men are completely idiots, 236 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:13,160 Speaker 1: so if you give it the vague shape of a woman, 237 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:18,440 Speaker 1: we will we will, you know, completely be lord to 238 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:22,120 Speaker 1: to anywhere you know. Allegedly that basically what I'm saying 239 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:25,440 Speaker 1: is that's a great excuse for men doing stupid shit anyway, 240 00:15:25,760 --> 00:15:27,400 Speaker 1: just to say, oh, yeah, there was a beautiful woman 241 00:15:27,440 --> 00:15:29,520 Speaker 1: that that lured him into the into the bog and 242 00:15:29,520 --> 00:15:33,160 Speaker 1: he was never party with me in this river. I'm 243 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:42,600 Speaker 1: a human woman. He check out my bodacious boobies. Whoa 244 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:50,080 Speaker 1: I love how quickly you find the voices of these characters, instantly, instantly, 245 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:53,280 Speaker 1: You're so good at this. I've got I've got. Everyone's 246 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: got a little horse inside them. But yeah, so, why 247 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:00,840 Speaker 1: does the kelpie want to drown you? Some say it's 248 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:04,800 Speaker 1: for companionship, which is strange to me. The more reasonable 249 00:16:04,840 --> 00:16:10,400 Speaker 1: explanation is eating your entrails um. In some myths, the 250 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: kelpie can extend its back to see many riders, so 251 00:16:14,200 --> 00:16:17,720 Speaker 1: like become a long horse, like a stretched limo of horses, 252 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:21,720 Speaker 1: and then it gallops into the river and brings everyone 253 00:16:21,760 --> 00:16:26,280 Speaker 1: to their watery grave. Wow. Okay, so so is there 254 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:29,960 Speaker 1: is this? You know how myths sometimes are formed, well 255 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:33,560 Speaker 1: not sometimes quite often are formed to explain away something 256 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 1: that that you know, like the thunderbolts, you know, thor 257 00:16:37,720 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: or Zeus or or whoever. Um. Uh. We create these 258 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:45,520 Speaker 1: these mythologies to explain natural phenomena. Is that what this 259 00:16:46,000 --> 00:16:49,720 Speaker 1: developed out of? It's a really good question. I think 260 00:16:49,720 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: there are a lot of myths and this is a trend. 261 00:16:52,320 --> 00:16:55,680 Speaker 1: I've noticed a lot of myths about uh some kind 262 00:16:55,680 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: of mythical creature in or near water, uh worring people 263 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:04,600 Speaker 1: to drown. And I think it is in general way 264 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 1: to explain uh sudden drownings of people who you would think, oh, 265 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:12,199 Speaker 1: well they wouldn't they know not to mess around in 266 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,560 Speaker 1: the river, Like why would they drown? And I think 267 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:19,200 Speaker 1: it's kind of a this idea that like some kind 268 00:17:19,200 --> 00:17:22,600 Speaker 1: of ramp like someone couldn't you know, my my dear 269 00:17:22,720 --> 00:17:25,159 Speaker 1: cousin wouldn't have just like slipped on a rock, hit 270 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,480 Speaker 1: his head and drowned. Like that's too dumb of a 271 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:29,879 Speaker 1: death for him, Like no, it must have been like 272 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:34,160 Speaker 1: a horse demon luring him with its horse boobies. Uh, 273 00:17:34,200 --> 00:17:37,440 Speaker 1: like it's I think it's an explanation for like we've 274 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: seen that with um at sea, you know, sirens or mermaids, 275 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: which some speculate may have been manatees, with the idea 276 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:47,480 Speaker 1: of like, well, they couldn't have just run aground, like 277 00:17:47,560 --> 00:17:51,480 Speaker 1: they must have been lured to land by some uh 278 00:17:51,800 --> 00:17:58,200 Speaker 1: bodacious mermaids and uh right fish boobies. And but I mean, 279 00:17:58,240 --> 00:18:01,400 Speaker 1: like I think there's an another one, like the river 280 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: dolphins in the Amazon. These boato river dolphins are said 281 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:10,400 Speaker 1: to like like transform into handsome men when they come 282 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: out of the water to like lure women. Uh and 283 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:16,720 Speaker 1: they like cover their blowhole with like a fancy hat 284 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: or something. And it's like again like well, how could 285 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,520 Speaker 1: she have just drowned like in the room, Like, no, 286 00:18:21,680 --> 00:18:24,080 Speaker 1: she must have been lured there by a sexy dolphin man. 287 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:27,160 Speaker 1: Uh So so yeah, I think I think it's like 288 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:32,399 Speaker 1: rivers are strangely dangerous sometimes, like you don't know, like 289 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:35,040 Speaker 1: you'll see you part of the river that looks calm 290 00:18:35,080 --> 00:18:36,960 Speaker 1: and you think, well, I can wait across that, and 291 00:18:37,040 --> 00:18:40,440 Speaker 1: you step in and it's much faster. Uh. Sometimes there 292 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:44,440 Speaker 1: are like these these rivers that look narrow but are 293 00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:46,840 Speaker 1: very deep and fast moving, so if you try to 294 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: wait across, it's like instant drowning. Uh So it's yeah, 295 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:54,639 Speaker 1: rivers are very very dangerous. Uh They you have to 296 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:57,800 Speaker 1: be very careful navigating them. And I think a lot 297 00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:01,080 Speaker 1: of people just accidentally die around rivers, especially you know 298 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,399 Speaker 1: back in the oldie Scotland, so like you had to 299 00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:07,040 Speaker 1: have some way of like, you know, well, I I 300 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:09,920 Speaker 1: he was going across the river and he disappeared or drowned. 301 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,200 Speaker 1: It must have been a horse lady, a magical horse lady. 302 00:19:14,480 --> 00:19:17,520 Speaker 1: It's it's incredible to me what we will come up 303 00:19:17,560 --> 00:19:22,080 Speaker 1: with instead of just facing the occam's razor of a situation, 304 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 1: which is probably these rocks are covered in moss. Uh 305 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:28,760 Speaker 1: it rained last night. He probably slipped and fell. Nope, 306 00:19:28,920 --> 00:19:34,439 Speaker 1: it was a blow hole covered handsome dolphin person. I 307 00:19:34,560 --> 00:19:38,760 Speaker 1: live actually probably a tenth of a mile from the 308 00:19:38,800 --> 00:19:41,600 Speaker 1: Cape Fear River, which is a real place. It's not 309 00:19:41,680 --> 00:19:45,080 Speaker 1: just a movie starring Robert de Niro and remake of 310 00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:49,520 Speaker 1: with Robert DeNiro and Nicknolty. And yeah, the the river 311 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,840 Speaker 1: can absolutely be a a treacherous thing. There are drownings 312 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:55,520 Speaker 1: around here all the time, and it looks fairly calm, 313 00:19:56,080 --> 00:19:58,919 Speaker 1: and it's not a fast moving river very you know, 314 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,440 Speaker 1: not a not a super moving river compared to some 315 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:05,880 Speaker 1: but it is where Blackbeard used to navigate his ship 316 00:20:05,960 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: the Queensland revenge and escape, you know, the British Navy 317 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: at the time, whenever, whenever he was up to up 318 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:18,760 Speaker 1: to his Shenanigans, so his old Shenanigans yet to put 319 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:23,000 Speaker 1: it mildly right, uh So, So basically it's it's a 320 00:20:23,119 --> 00:20:26,479 Speaker 1: very tricky place to navigate, and you know, if if 321 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:28,399 Speaker 1: you're on a small boat or something, you can you 322 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:33,160 Speaker 1: can very easily you know, drown out there. But I I, uh, 323 00:20:33,160 --> 00:20:37,200 Speaker 1: that's that's still that's way less cooler than coming up 324 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:40,680 Speaker 1: with some mythological creature than than just having an accident. 325 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:43,199 Speaker 1: It kind of makes me think of like, you know 326 00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:48,200 Speaker 1: check Tingle, uh, the Tinglers, the like, you know, like 327 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 1: seduced by a handsome t rex who is my boss books, 328 00:20:52,280 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: Like I feel like we've been doing check Tingle things 329 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:59,880 Speaker 1: for for decades, for four centuries, Like these Scottish people 330 00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:02,320 Speaker 1: are was like seduced to my death and a fast 331 00:21:02,359 --> 00:21:07,200 Speaker 1: moving river by a handsome horse lady. It's I love 332 00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:10,959 Speaker 1: it though they yeah, usually his ends up with some 333 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: phrase of pounded in the at the end of his 334 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:18,600 Speaker 1: book titles. I did not think this, uh, this episode 335 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:22,199 Speaker 1: was going to veer into Chuck Tingle territory. Well, I do. 336 00:21:22,800 --> 00:21:25,720 Speaker 1: I love Chuck Tingle. I think he's a he's a 337 00:21:25,720 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 1: cool guy who has got some cool ideas. I I 338 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:34,440 Speaker 1: completely agree. I wholeheartedly endorsed Chuck Tingle. And we won't 339 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:36,800 Speaker 1: get into the discussion. Yeah, we won't get into too 340 00:21:36,880 --> 00:21:40,480 Speaker 1: much detail about Chuck Tingle, I think, but you know, yeah, 341 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:43,119 Speaker 1: he's he's he writes some he writes some funny books, 342 00:21:43,240 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 1: and but he seems like a cool person. So I 343 00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:48,760 Speaker 1: was wondering, like, oh, like, I wonder if there's any 344 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:52,600 Speaker 1: like kelpie myths with kangaroos and like, so I looked 345 00:21:52,600 --> 00:21:56,919 Speaker 1: for Australian kelpie and there is an Australian kelpie, but 346 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,960 Speaker 1: it has nothing to do with kangaroos. Well, the all Strillian. Yeah, 347 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:05,520 Speaker 1: the Australian kelpie is a breed of dog that is 348 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:09,159 Speaker 1: a sheep dog. It's a very cute little peppo. Uh. 349 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 1: It's a chocolate brown, medium haired sheep dog and it's 350 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:17,760 Speaker 1: a working dog often still used to this day. Uh 351 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:21,840 Speaker 1: on sheep farms, and so I was like, well, what 352 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:25,160 Speaker 1: why is this dog? Why is this dog called a kelpie? 353 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:28,119 Speaker 1: I mean, is this this dog luring sheep into a 354 00:22:28,240 --> 00:22:31,760 Speaker 1: river by the sheep? Are we about to talk about 355 00:22:31,760 --> 00:22:38,280 Speaker 1: dog boobies? No? No, luckily not. So. This breed of 356 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:41,639 Speaker 1: dog was actually named after the Scottish kelpie that we 357 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:47,280 Speaker 1: just discussed, because the first dog of this breed was 358 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:51,719 Speaker 1: owned by a Scottish man living in Australia. And I mean, 359 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:55,360 Speaker 1: I don't know why he named the dog Kelpie. Uh, 360 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:59,040 Speaker 1: he just did because he's Scottish and he's like, man, 361 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:03,719 Speaker 1: I keep thinking about those sexy horse demons. Anyways, your 362 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:08,879 Speaker 1: name is kelpie um and so yeah, and so it is. 363 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:15,240 Speaker 1: It's a highly competent sheep herding dog. So that that's Uh, 364 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:18,919 Speaker 1: if you look for Australian kelpie, that's what you're gonna find. 365 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:21,800 Speaker 1: I'm looking at this photo here. It's kind of got 366 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,919 Speaker 1: the the coloration of like a chocolate Doberman a little 367 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,760 Speaker 1: bit with the lighter color around the muzzle. It is 368 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:32,600 Speaker 1: beautiful looking dog. And he he or she is surfing 369 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: on the back of some sheeping, yeah, sheep surfing, which 370 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: honestly looks super fun. Yeah. Actually, a lot of sheep 371 00:23:40,560 --> 00:23:45,280 Speaker 1: dogs do this where they kind of like moh orum 372 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: crowd surf the sheep because if they are trying to 373 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 1: get from the back to the front of the sheep 374 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:55,600 Speaker 1: or or organize the sheep from the middle of the sheep, 375 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: crowd like, they need to be able to crouch surf 376 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:04,880 Speaker 1: the sheep. So yeah, I I love I absolutely love 377 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,879 Speaker 1: working dogs, watching dogs that have been trained and bred 378 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:14,399 Speaker 1: with specific personalities to to do very specific tasks. It 379 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:17,200 Speaker 1: is so much fun to watch a good farm dog 380 00:24:17,440 --> 00:24:20,520 Speaker 1: or a sheep dog do its thing because there is 381 00:24:20,880 --> 00:24:24,520 Speaker 1: no animal in the entire world that is more tickled 382 00:24:24,560 --> 00:24:27,920 Speaker 1: and thrilled to be doing something than one of these dogs. 383 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 1: It's so much fun. I'm like I in general, I 384 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:35,400 Speaker 1: feel uneasy about dog breeding because often it's this superficial 385 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:37,640 Speaker 1: thing of like I want a dog that looks like 386 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:44,880 Speaker 1: a freaking bear with a pixie face and weird wrinkles everywhere, 387 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:47,920 Speaker 1: and it's like, I don't think that's good for the 388 00:24:48,040 --> 00:24:52,439 Speaker 1: dogs to just breed them for a specific, uh superficial appearance, 389 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:55,040 Speaker 1: Like I want my dog to look to be pink 390 00:24:55,080 --> 00:24:58,280 Speaker 1: and not have a butt hole or something like, obviously 391 00:24:58,320 --> 00:25:01,359 Speaker 1: that's not good for the and then it doesn't fact 392 00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:05,239 Speaker 1: when Okay, to be fair, if you could, I don't know, 393 00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:08,879 Speaker 1: I would just be impressed, uh, purely for the difficulty 394 00:25:08,960 --> 00:25:11,919 Speaker 1: of breeding a dog without a butthole. I don't I 395 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:16,000 Speaker 1: don't know. Uh, I don't think that's possible. So I would, 396 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:18,399 Speaker 1: I would, I would. I would feel very bad for 397 00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:20,760 Speaker 1: the animal and it should not know, the genes should 398 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:23,120 Speaker 1: not carry on. But if you did manage to breed 399 00:25:23,160 --> 00:25:25,080 Speaker 1: a dog without a butth hole, like I would have 400 00:25:25,119 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: to give you a very short applause for just a 401 00:25:27,800 --> 00:25:33,800 Speaker 1: genius and either but nonetheless absolutely right, yeah, I mean, 402 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 1: but yeah, but with working dogs, if they're bred in 403 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:40,080 Speaker 1: a healthy way both for their physical health and for 404 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,600 Speaker 1: their mental health, where they are happy dogs, you know, 405 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:45,960 Speaker 1: with with you know, then you know, I think that's 406 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:48,240 Speaker 1: kind of like the ideal thing, because you're you're breeding 407 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:52,160 Speaker 1: them to be physically healthy and then mentally healthy. As 408 00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: long as like people will sometimes get sheep dogs like 409 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: for their tiny apartment or something like, that's not good 410 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:00,440 Speaker 1: because they're not gonna be happy there. They gotta actually 411 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:03,119 Speaker 1: have be able to have the space to do to 412 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:05,240 Speaker 1: do these things because it's like it's fun for them 413 00:26:05,240 --> 00:26:07,760 Speaker 1: to be active and feel, you know, like they're they're 414 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 1: doing something. Um much like people, you know, people like 415 00:26:10,920 --> 00:26:13,800 Speaker 1: to have a purpose or or to have to be 416 00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:16,520 Speaker 1: able to have exercise and go out and do fun things. 417 00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:22,320 Speaker 1: So it's all about that environmental stimuli. It creates more 418 00:26:22,359 --> 00:26:27,480 Speaker 1: neurons as the dog develops. Um. That's why. Uh, enrichment 419 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 1: and enclosures at zoos that are you know, and I 420 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:33,680 Speaker 1: not a huge fan of zoo. I love a good 421 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:37,600 Speaker 1: zoo that is all about conservation and education and stuff, 422 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:41,639 Speaker 1: but enrichment that creates more neurons and the brain is 423 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:44,919 Speaker 1: crucial to these animals that are that are you know, 424 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:51,560 Speaker 1: bred for for our companionship. Yeah, absolutely, yeah, yeah, no, 425 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:54,280 Speaker 1: I agree to with with the zoos thing. It's you 426 00:26:54,359 --> 00:26:58,000 Speaker 1: have to it's it really does affect a brain development 427 00:26:58,080 --> 00:27:02,200 Speaker 1: for animals bred in captivity. If don't have enough and 428 00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:05,360 Speaker 1: real quick on the zoo topic, North Carolina, to any 429 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,680 Speaker 1: listeners out there, is home to the largest walk through 430 00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:12,720 Speaker 1: zoo in the world. It is in Asheboro, North Carolina, 431 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,239 Speaker 1: and there's two ends to it. There's an African end 432 00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:17,840 Speaker 1: to it and a North American end to it. And 433 00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:23,439 Speaker 1: it is incredible, Like they have these huge, huge environments 434 00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:27,240 Speaker 1: for the animals to to uh roam around in and 435 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:29,680 Speaker 1: it's a super fun place. And it's only like seventeen 436 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:31,879 Speaker 1: bucks to get in the door, so it's not expensive 437 00:27:32,200 --> 00:27:35,040 Speaker 1: in any way. And they're all about conservations. So if 438 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: you ever, it's about two and a half hours away 439 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:38,800 Speaker 1: from me. So that's the zoo that I grew up 440 00:27:38,840 --> 00:27:41,960 Speaker 1: going to primarily. Uh And if you ever are passing 441 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:44,720 Speaker 1: through North Carolina and want to spend a day uh 442 00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:47,960 Speaker 1: getting to to see these animals up close and in 443 00:27:47,960 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: in you know, approximations of environments, that's that's a very 444 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:54,080 Speaker 1: cool place to go to. Oh that's awesome. I love that. 445 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,399 Speaker 1: But uh yeah, I mean it's so interesting though, like 446 00:27:57,440 --> 00:28:01,480 Speaker 1: how you can one topic like from kangaroos pulling people 447 00:28:01,520 --> 00:28:04,439 Speaker 1: into the water to kelpies and it's like there's an 448 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,280 Speaker 1: Australian kelpie but it's a cool dog. That's quite the 449 00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: connection there that you you even thought to to look 450 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:13,520 Speaker 1: this up and it turns out that there was something 451 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:16,960 Speaker 1: even called in Australia. I know, I was amazed. It's incredible. 452 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:20,480 Speaker 1: So we're gonna take a quick break and then we'll 453 00:28:20,480 --> 00:28:24,280 Speaker 1: be back with a whole new question from another listener email, 454 00:28:24,880 --> 00:28:36,600 Speaker 1: where we're going to talk about one of my favorite topics, parasites. So, Christie, 455 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:44,320 Speaker 1: what is your feelings about parasites? What is my feelings 456 00:28:44,360 --> 00:28:53,640 Speaker 1: about parasites human or the rest of the the animal kingdom? Um? 457 00:28:53,680 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 1: All of them? Any of them? So human parasites, I've 458 00:28:57,200 --> 00:28:59,200 Speaker 1: known a few, I've been friends with a few that 459 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:03,040 Speaker 1: haven't cut off throughout the years, um. But the the 460 00:29:03,080 --> 00:29:06,120 Speaker 1: rest of the parasites, I know, I've kind of had 461 00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 1: to you know, the more I learned about the the 462 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: animal kingdom, I think, the more I've had to come 463 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:13,760 Speaker 1: around on the concept of parasites. I realized that there 464 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:17,400 Speaker 1: are a lot of beneficial parasites primarily you know, I 465 00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:20,400 Speaker 1: don't want to say primarily beneficial parasites, but it kind 466 00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:22,320 Speaker 1: of depends on what the parasite is doing to me, 467 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 1: right It kind of it's kind of you know, it's 468 00:29:25,920 --> 00:29:28,120 Speaker 1: like everything, it's it's what am I getting out of 469 00:29:28,120 --> 00:29:31,440 Speaker 1: this deal type of response. I mean to be to 470 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:35,560 Speaker 1: be very pedantic about it. Anything that's a parasite on 471 00:29:35,680 --> 00:29:39,440 Speaker 1: your body is going to be harmful to you. So like, uh, 472 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:47,080 Speaker 1: a parasites. UM specifically means like something that basically takes 473 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:51,240 Speaker 1: from you and it's harmful to you and it benefits itself. 474 00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 1: There are a lot of symbiotic relationships, different one types 475 00:29:54,760 --> 00:29:57,719 Speaker 1: of symbiotic relationships, So you can have a symbiote in 476 00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:00,960 Speaker 1: your body and it can be either good or bad. UM. 477 00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:05,120 Speaker 1: So like there's mutualism, which is like you both benefit 478 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 1: uh from the relationship. There's commence allism where it's benefiting 479 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 1: and you're not but it doesn't really hurt you at all. 480 00:30:13,520 --> 00:30:16,880 Speaker 1: And then there's a parasitism, which is that it's benefiting 481 00:30:17,560 --> 00:30:20,480 Speaker 1: from your from your sweet body juices, and it's hurting 482 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:23,800 Speaker 1: you so real quick. Is a leech, depending on the 483 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:28,080 Speaker 1: use of the leech, a symbia and a parasite. Like 484 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: if I was wading through a river and it latched 485 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: onto me, it would be a parasite, but if a 486 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,720 Speaker 1: doctor uses it, it's a symbiate. That is so interesting. 487 00:30:36,840 --> 00:30:39,600 Speaker 1: I've never thought of it that way, but you're absolutely right. 488 00:30:39,760 --> 00:30:43,040 Speaker 1: So like in its natural environment, a leech is a 489 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:46,520 Speaker 1: parasite because it's sucking your blood and that's not good 490 00:30:46,560 --> 00:30:50,080 Speaker 1: for you. But then if you take it, it's like 491 00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:54,080 Speaker 1: a man made symbiotic relationship. That's so interesting. Yeah, if 492 00:30:54,120 --> 00:30:57,640 Speaker 1: you actually have it in a medical setting, like let's 493 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:01,120 Speaker 1: say a current day medical setting, because like leeches used 494 00:31:01,120 --> 00:31:03,960 Speaker 1: to be used in ways that they thought it was beneficial, 495 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:06,480 Speaker 1: but it wasn't. But now like we actually do have 496 00:31:07,240 --> 00:31:11,720 Speaker 1: say like um, maggots, their medical magic maggots, their medical 497 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:16,240 Speaker 1: leeches that are used in very specific circumstances with like uh, 498 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:20,720 Speaker 1: debriding tissue or like with leeches, Like I think it's 499 00:31:20,760 --> 00:31:23,640 Speaker 1: something to do with like getting circulation back in a 500 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,480 Speaker 1: like getting blood flow into a part of the body 501 00:31:26,520 --> 00:31:30,080 Speaker 1: that's not getting blood flow again. They it's very rarely used, 502 00:31:30,120 --> 00:31:34,160 Speaker 1: but like they do use them occasionally and um, but yeah, 503 00:31:34,200 --> 00:31:38,680 Speaker 1: in those circumstances they do, it transforms from a parasitic 504 00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:43,320 Speaker 1: relationship to a mutualistic symbiotic relationship. That is such an 505 00:31:43,320 --> 00:31:46,400 Speaker 1: interesting point. I've just never thought of it that way. 506 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:52,200 Speaker 1: And some people have pet leeches adorable, I believe one 507 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:54,480 Speaker 1: Jamie Loftus. I don't know if she's been a guest 508 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 1: before she had she has, she has, and and I 509 00:31:57,520 --> 00:31:59,520 Speaker 1: believe we talked a little bit about her pet leach. 510 00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:04,160 Speaker 1: I listened to her story of her pet leach and 511 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:10,400 Speaker 1: I thought it was heartwarming. Uh. But yeah, so they're 512 00:32:10,400 --> 00:32:13,320 Speaker 1: in bloss that like, parasites can be many different things, 513 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:16,080 Speaker 1: So can be anything from a leech to a tape 514 00:32:16,080 --> 00:32:20,360 Speaker 1: worm can also be birds can be parasites. There can 515 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:24,600 Speaker 1: be brood parasites. So a cuckoo bird is a brood parasite. 516 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:29,080 Speaker 1: It benefits from other birds nests and it lays its 517 00:32:29,120 --> 00:32:32,239 Speaker 1: egg in the nest. Uh. And it it's bad for 518 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,680 Speaker 1: the other bird species, but it's good for the cuckoo. 519 00:32:34,720 --> 00:32:37,800 Speaker 1: So even a cute little baby bird can be a parasite. 520 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:40,280 Speaker 1: So the idea of a parasite is not just like 521 00:32:40,320 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 1: a worm thing with like teeth. Uh. It's many different, 522 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:47,200 Speaker 1: many different things. But we are fortunately going to talk 523 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:51,240 Speaker 1: about some of the grosser parasites with this question, Lucky Day. 524 00:32:51,840 --> 00:32:56,000 Speaker 1: So here is the question. Um, Hi, Katie, My now 525 00:32:56,080 --> 00:32:58,440 Speaker 1: thirteen year old son introduced me to your show a 526 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:01,160 Speaker 1: few years ago while he was deep into a bird phase, 527 00:33:01,480 --> 00:33:04,160 Speaker 1: and I've been a fan of the pot ever since. 528 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:06,920 Speaker 1: I'm not a creationist by any means, but I do 529 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:10,160 Speaker 1: have a few questions about the mechanics of evolution. Uh. 530 00:33:10,200 --> 00:33:13,520 Speaker 1: There is one specifically that I'm hoping someone can help answer, 531 00:33:13,840 --> 00:33:18,719 Speaker 1: how the heck do parasites do anything? Evolutionarily speaking, evolution 532 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:21,880 Speaker 1: is commonly explained as a series of adaptations over time 533 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:25,120 Speaker 1: that are passed on from generation to generation. I get 534 00:33:25,200 --> 00:33:28,520 Speaker 1: Darwin's finches for example. That makes sense, But how did 535 00:33:28,600 --> 00:33:32,000 Speaker 1: parasites pass on their parasitic behavior from one generation to 536 00:33:32,040 --> 00:33:37,000 Speaker 1: the next. Take zombie snails for example. Evolutionarily speaking, how 537 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:40,360 Speaker 1: did that flat worm discover to get into a snail? 538 00:33:40,720 --> 00:33:43,520 Speaker 1: Drive the snail to a prime location for a bird 539 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,960 Speaker 1: to see it, learned to pulsate in the snail's eyestalks 540 00:33:47,280 --> 00:33:50,640 Speaker 1: in order to advertise itself to birds, survive being eaten 541 00:33:50,680 --> 00:33:53,200 Speaker 1: by the bird, then release its eggs into the birds 542 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:56,320 Speaker 1: so that the bird's droppings lead to the continuation of 543 00:33:56,360 --> 00:34:01,840 Speaker 1: that species. And almost all parasites have equally improbable life cycles. 544 00:34:02,280 --> 00:34:04,120 Speaker 1: I don't understand how this came to be within the 545 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:06,560 Speaker 1: framework of evolution, and I'm wondering if you've heard of 546 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:09,920 Speaker 1: any evolutionary biologists discuss or write about this. How are 547 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:13,239 Speaker 1: parasitic behaviors created and passed on? Thank you for your 548 00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:15,160 Speaker 1: great job on the pot and this is from limb 549 00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:19,560 Speaker 1: Uh and thank you. This is an excellent question. You're 550 00:34:19,560 --> 00:34:22,480 Speaker 1: not alone. A lot of people, a lot of scientists, 551 00:34:22,480 --> 00:34:26,960 Speaker 1: a lot of evolutionary biologists, find this very fascinating, very interesting, 552 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,800 Speaker 1: because it is so surprising when you see such a 553 00:34:31,080 --> 00:34:36,640 Speaker 1: specific evolutionary behavior, like you explained with the zombie snail 554 00:34:37,760 --> 00:34:40,840 Speaker 1: or the it's a it's a flat worm that causes 555 00:34:40,920 --> 00:34:45,719 Speaker 1: this like zombie snail to happen. It's actually called lucochloridium flatworm. 556 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:48,080 Speaker 1: And it will talk a little bit more about the 557 00:34:48,080 --> 00:34:51,560 Speaker 1: details of that later, but yeah, no, you're you are 558 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:54,160 Speaker 1: you are that That description that you gave Limb is 559 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:58,040 Speaker 1: pretty accurate. Uh, and it is. It's mind blowing. But 560 00:34:58,239 --> 00:35:01,400 Speaker 1: first I kind of want to talk about evolution in 561 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:04,320 Speaker 1: general because I think sometimes when you talk about evolution, 562 00:35:04,360 --> 00:35:07,240 Speaker 1: there's a sense of like there's a long term intentionality, 563 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:10,920 Speaker 1: so like an animal wants to evolve in a certain 564 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:12,880 Speaker 1: way or something. I know. I know, like you don't 565 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:17,759 Speaker 1: necessarily literally believe that, but as humans are, our psychology 566 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:22,799 Speaker 1: is so attuned to intention because we're intentional creatures, Like 567 00:35:22,840 --> 00:35:25,000 Speaker 1: we can plan for the future and say like when 568 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:27,640 Speaker 1: I grow up, I want to be on a podcast 569 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:30,400 Speaker 1: and talk about parasites, Like we we can think about 570 00:35:30,440 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: the future. Um. But an animal who's evolving can't think 571 00:35:37,719 --> 00:35:40,439 Speaker 1: about the future of evolutions like I'm It doesn't think 572 00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:44,759 Speaker 1: like I'm going to evolve a certain way, and not 573 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:51,160 Speaker 1: even evolution, like evolution itself has no desires or intention 574 00:35:51,239 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 1: Like evolution isn't like I'm going to make a weird 575 00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:59,400 Speaker 1: uh snail parasite. It's all based on just a few 576 00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:04,960 Speaker 1: very simple rules, and those simple rules creates this uh 577 00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:10,719 Speaker 1: exponential complexity. There's only direction in hindsight, right, you can 578 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:13,600 Speaker 1: only see the direction that it came from in hindsight. 579 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:17,719 Speaker 1: The rest of it is just uh is. Honestly, it's 580 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,680 Speaker 1: like blind luck is to whatever allowed it to pass 581 00:36:21,719 --> 00:36:26,080 Speaker 1: its genes on. So what you have to look at, 582 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:28,479 Speaker 1: I think with with something like the zombie snail, which 583 00:36:28,520 --> 00:36:32,120 Speaker 1: I cannot stop staring at the gift that you sent 584 00:36:32,200 --> 00:36:35,560 Speaker 1: me in this Google file, because it is it is 585 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:41,760 Speaker 1: like the hypnotade from from from Futurama. I believe the 586 00:36:41,760 --> 00:36:45,280 Speaker 1: the snail. It's so fascinating looking. It does not look 587 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:50,280 Speaker 1: like real. It looks like a toy almost, right. Yeah, 588 00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:52,480 Speaker 1: So you have in its ice stocks, you know how, 589 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:56,160 Speaker 1: like snails normally have these little ice stocks. Ye, cutie 590 00:36:56,160 --> 00:37:03,960 Speaker 1: little snails. The these paris citic flatworms. Um, those pulsating 591 00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:09,520 Speaker 1: things are actually brood sacks, so they're full of a 592 00:37:09,560 --> 00:37:15,600 Speaker 1: bunch of these parasites and they are they they grow 593 00:37:15,920 --> 00:37:19,440 Speaker 1: into the snail like through the snails like becomes longer 594 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 1: and longer and actually grow into their eyes talks, and 595 00:37:22,719 --> 00:37:27,160 Speaker 1: these things are pulsating and it looks like and there 596 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:30,640 Speaker 1: are these different colors like green and sort of this 597 00:37:30,719 --> 00:37:36,120 Speaker 1: reddish brown, and it makes the snail look like a 598 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:40,600 Speaker 1: weird techno party snail in the grossest way. And this 599 00:37:40,680 --> 00:37:43,680 Speaker 1: is very attractive to birds who will then eat the snail. 600 00:37:44,120 --> 00:37:48,000 Speaker 1: The flatworm completes its life cycle inside the bird mates 601 00:37:48,520 --> 00:37:51,279 Speaker 1: and then lays more brood sacks that comes out in 602 00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:55,000 Speaker 1: the bird's feces and it's poop. And then the snail 603 00:37:55,360 --> 00:37:57,880 Speaker 1: will eat some leaves that has this bird poop on it, 604 00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:01,600 Speaker 1: and then they unintentionally ingest this parasite and this horrible 605 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:06,799 Speaker 1: cycle starts again. Amazing are these now, these these eyes stalks? 606 00:38:06,840 --> 00:38:09,879 Speaker 1: Are they mimicking a certain type of caterpillar that these 607 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:13,440 Speaker 1: birds might might appreciate. Yeah, I don't know if it's 608 00:38:13,440 --> 00:38:18,279 Speaker 1: a specific caterpillar, but it's definitely got the look of 609 00:38:18,760 --> 00:38:22,680 Speaker 1: a caterpillar or some some kind of undulating grub that 610 00:38:22,840 --> 00:38:27,160 Speaker 1: the bird would be interested in eating. So yeah, it's 611 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:32,759 Speaker 1: it's really interesting. Um And normally I think these snails 612 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:37,160 Speaker 1: would avoid light, but the flatworms makes them less avoidance 613 00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:41,000 Speaker 1: of light, so which is great for for the flatworms 614 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:43,560 Speaker 1: because then that makes it more likely that they're going 615 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:47,080 Speaker 1: to get eaten by a bird. But the idea that like, well, 616 00:38:47,120 --> 00:38:52,840 Speaker 1: how okay, so so evolution basically has two basic rules 617 00:38:52,880 --> 00:38:54,880 Speaker 1: that you have to follow in order to pass on 618 00:38:54,920 --> 00:39:01,000 Speaker 1: your jeans, like don't die and uh mate, or pass 619 00:39:01,080 --> 00:39:04,920 Speaker 1: on your genes like reproduce. You can reproduce asexually. You 620 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:08,160 Speaker 1: can clone yourself and pass on a full copy of yourself, 621 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:11,799 Speaker 1: or you can reproduce by sex and pass on a 622 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:15,920 Speaker 1: partial copy of yourself. And you know, if you pass 623 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:18,759 Speaker 1: on your genes and you don't die before you pass 624 00:39:18,840 --> 00:39:22,759 Speaker 1: on your genes, you're the winner, uh like, And then 625 00:39:22,880 --> 00:39:25,239 Speaker 1: your genes get passed on. And the reason that's those 626 00:39:25,239 --> 00:39:27,680 Speaker 1: are the rules. It's just genes that get passed on 627 00:39:27,960 --> 00:39:30,520 Speaker 1: get passed on. It's as simple as that, which is, 628 00:39:30,719 --> 00:39:33,319 Speaker 1: you know, it's it's sort of a weird kind of 629 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:36,760 Speaker 1: circular logic. But that's how it works. So if if 630 00:39:36,800 --> 00:39:40,040 Speaker 1: the genes make the animal live in a way that 631 00:39:40,120 --> 00:39:42,640 Speaker 1: gets the genes passed on, the genes get passed on, 632 00:39:42,719 --> 00:39:45,840 Speaker 1: it makes more of that animal. So I think in 633 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:48,399 Speaker 1: terms of like, well, how can something so simple, such 634 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:52,600 Speaker 1: a simple kind of binary rule, like you're either dead 635 00:39:52,719 --> 00:39:54,719 Speaker 1: or you're alive, and you pass on your genes, Like, 636 00:39:54,719 --> 00:39:59,720 Speaker 1: how can that create such complexity. There's a old computer 637 00:39:59,800 --> 00:40:03,880 Speaker 1: game called John Conway's Game of Life. Have you ever 638 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:07,399 Speaker 1: heard of that? I have not, No, it's it's an 639 00:40:07,400 --> 00:40:10,640 Speaker 1: old one. It's uh, it's I think kind of before 640 00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:14,759 Speaker 1: our time. But it was a very simple computer game 641 00:40:14,840 --> 00:40:18,000 Speaker 1: where you would have these cells, which are these like 642 00:40:18,080 --> 00:40:23,920 Speaker 1: pixelated squares, interact with each other based on only three rules. 643 00:40:23,960 --> 00:40:26,400 Speaker 1: And this was like one of a really early computer 644 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:29,360 Speaker 1: game because this is like right when computers were starting. 645 00:40:31,120 --> 00:40:33,560 Speaker 1: He programmed in just these three rules, which was any 646 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:37,000 Speaker 1: live cell with two or three live neighbors will survive. 647 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:41,080 Speaker 1: Any dead cell with three live neighbors will become a 648 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:45,799 Speaker 1: live cell, and any other live cells, uh, like all 649 00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:49,680 Speaker 1: other live cells will die in the next generation. Um, 650 00:40:50,239 --> 00:40:54,360 Speaker 1: so all other dead cells will stay dead. So basically 651 00:40:54,400 --> 00:40:56,040 Speaker 1: if you have a if you have one of these 652 00:40:56,040 --> 00:41:02,000 Speaker 1: little pixels and it's surrounded by uh, two three living pixels, 653 00:41:02,120 --> 00:41:05,640 Speaker 1: it'll become alive or stay alive, otherwise it dies. And 654 00:41:05,680 --> 00:41:12,680 Speaker 1: that's simple, simple rule. Uh creates incredible complexity in this game, 655 00:41:12,719 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 1: like these these beautiful patterns will emerge. You'll have things 656 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:20,560 Speaker 1: like gliders, which are like these little like they almost 657 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:23,920 Speaker 1: look like little tiny birds that like fly across the screen. 658 00:41:24,320 --> 00:41:27,600 Speaker 1: And there's no intentionality behind it. The pixels don't know 659 00:41:27,640 --> 00:41:30,560 Speaker 1: what they're doing. The programmer all he did was program 660 00:41:30,640 --> 00:41:33,880 Speaker 1: these rules and he doesn't have any designs on like 661 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:36,880 Speaker 1: I want to create these things. It's just from those 662 00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:40,760 Speaker 1: rules creates such incredible complexity that I think, like computer 663 00:41:40,840 --> 00:41:44,560 Speaker 1: scientists and mathematicians are still like studying this stuff, like 664 00:41:44,640 --> 00:41:48,319 Speaker 1: to this day. I certainly don't understand it that well. 665 00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:51,080 Speaker 1: It's it's it's that's how complex it becomes. It's just 666 00:41:51,480 --> 00:41:54,719 Speaker 1: it's mind blowing. One of my favorite, one of my 667 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:57,680 Speaker 1: favorite animals I know on I believe your last episode. 668 00:41:58,120 --> 00:42:01,960 Speaker 1: I believe it was with Maura Wilson Rude. You talked 669 00:42:01,960 --> 00:42:05,920 Speaker 1: about just the sheer volume like for like turtles Sea Turtles, 670 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:09,800 Speaker 1: right you you have to have a large number of 671 00:42:09,800 --> 00:42:15,239 Speaker 1: of offspring because the mortality rate is something like. One 672 00:42:15,239 --> 00:42:19,360 Speaker 1: of my favorite animals is the Mola mola, the sunfish, 673 00:42:19,480 --> 00:42:22,480 Speaker 1: and it's the largest bony fish in the world. And 674 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:25,759 Speaker 1: one of my favorite facts about it is at one 675 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:30,440 Speaker 1: time they will lay three hundred million eggs. And that 676 00:42:30,640 --> 00:42:35,520 Speaker 1: is yeah, and and and the this thing barely can swim. 677 00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:39,799 Speaker 1: It loves the sunbathe that it allows. You know, seagulls 678 00:42:39,800 --> 00:42:41,600 Speaker 1: out at sea will land on this thing and pick 679 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:44,239 Speaker 1: off parasites on the side of it. It eats jellyfish 680 00:42:44,520 --> 00:42:47,440 Speaker 1: by all. It's it's and I hate to say this 681 00:42:47,640 --> 00:42:51,160 Speaker 1: because this is me anthropomorphasizing it. I think I got 682 00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:55,640 Speaker 1: that word right. It's a dumb anthropomorphizing thank you. It's 683 00:42:55,719 --> 00:42:59,440 Speaker 1: kind of a dumb looking fish. Like it doesn't it 684 00:42:59,480 --> 00:43:02,560 Speaker 1: looks like it's not all the way made yet, right, 685 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:05,359 Speaker 1: It's just like kind of cuts off at one point. Uh. 686 00:43:05,600 --> 00:43:07,920 Speaker 1: It looks like you like took a fish and just 687 00:43:07,960 --> 00:43:11,200 Speaker 1: like flattened it into a fish pancake and then exactly 688 00:43:11,239 --> 00:43:14,319 Speaker 1: ocean It's like, I guess I'm a living pancake exactly. 689 00:43:14,360 --> 00:43:17,040 Speaker 1: That's it's basically what it is. It's a giant, swimming, 690 00:43:17,239 --> 00:43:21,360 Speaker 1: very peaceful, living pancake. I love the thing though, and 691 00:43:21,360 --> 00:43:22,759 Speaker 1: and that's one of them. Again, that's one of my 692 00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:25,279 Speaker 1: favorite facts about it is just the sheer. One of 693 00:43:25,320 --> 00:43:29,360 Speaker 1: the reasons this thing has has uh is still around 694 00:43:29,360 --> 00:43:32,319 Speaker 1: to this day is because of the sheer volume of 695 00:43:32,400 --> 00:43:35,040 Speaker 1: eggs that it lays at any given time, and it's 696 00:43:35,160 --> 00:43:38,560 Speaker 1: young that hatch from those are teeny tiny. They go 697 00:43:38,760 --> 00:43:44,080 Speaker 1: from being like almost plankton sized to being this huge fish. 698 00:43:44,120 --> 00:43:46,880 Speaker 1: In fact, a lot of the zooplankton in the ocean 699 00:43:47,520 --> 00:43:51,160 Speaker 1: uh is larva or or the babies of a lot 700 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:55,400 Speaker 1: of bigger of like fish, of other of other sea creatures. 701 00:43:55,440 --> 00:43:57,759 Speaker 1: And it's just like you wouldn't realize that this like 702 00:43:57,880 --> 00:44:02,000 Speaker 1: almost like microscopic like thing is like a baby, and 703 00:44:02,160 --> 00:44:06,359 Speaker 1: like there's massive amounts of zooplankton in the ocean. Yeah, 704 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:08,719 Speaker 1: I love that fact. It's funny you bring that up 705 00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:11,640 Speaker 1: because I was actually thinking about talking about the sunfish 706 00:44:11,760 --> 00:44:15,359 Speaker 1: on on the brood thing just because they have so 707 00:44:15,400 --> 00:44:19,680 Speaker 1: many babies at once. But yeah, and so what's interesting 708 00:44:19,719 --> 00:44:22,319 Speaker 1: about that is that kind of is one of the 709 00:44:22,360 --> 00:44:28,359 Speaker 1: reasons that evolution can produce such incredible complexity is the 710 00:44:28,360 --> 00:44:33,760 Speaker 1: sheer amount of time and scale of animals being born 711 00:44:34,200 --> 00:44:39,160 Speaker 1: is hard to comprehend. So for something like a flat worm, 712 00:44:39,200 --> 00:44:42,359 Speaker 1: it's not just evolving over millions of years, but there 713 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:46,440 Speaker 1: are billions and billions of generations of these flatworms because 714 00:44:46,520 --> 00:44:50,480 Speaker 1: they breed it very fast rates. So you know, something 715 00:44:50,560 --> 00:44:54,439 Speaker 1: like this, this luco Chloridium flatworm. It's like I said, 716 00:44:54,520 --> 00:44:57,600 Speaker 1: like those things you see inside of the snail pulsating, 717 00:44:57,680 --> 00:45:00,600 Speaker 1: that's not just one flatworm, that's a whole rude sack 718 00:45:00,719 --> 00:45:03,959 Speaker 1: of a bunch of flow worms. And so in each 719 00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:07,640 Speaker 1: generation you have like like each flatworm creates like hundreds 720 00:45:07,719 --> 00:45:10,560 Speaker 1: of more flat worms, and they do that, you know, 721 00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:14,680 Speaker 1: multiple times, uh and a year, and then like you 722 00:45:14,800 --> 00:45:17,760 Speaker 1: just you're you have an incomprehensible number of these horrible 723 00:45:17,800 --> 00:45:23,239 Speaker 1: little flatworms reducing over millions of years. And like you know, 724 00:45:23,520 --> 00:45:25,840 Speaker 1: you run a simple program like the game of Life 725 00:45:25,880 --> 00:45:29,480 Speaker 1: just for a few hours, you get these incredibly complex patterns. 726 00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:34,000 Speaker 1: You run this computer program of just like you, if 727 00:45:34,040 --> 00:45:36,040 Speaker 1: you can pass on your genes, you can pass on 728 00:45:36,080 --> 00:45:38,759 Speaker 1: your genes and you make more of yourself you are. 729 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:43,480 Speaker 1: I think it's kind of inevitable that you're gonna get complexity. 730 00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:46,600 Speaker 1: It's kind of like the the universe, where it's like 731 00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:50,080 Speaker 1: you have some simple rules for atoms interacting with each other, 732 00:45:50,200 --> 00:45:53,719 Speaker 1: and from that you just inevitably get like galaxies and 733 00:45:53,920 --> 00:45:59,200 Speaker 1: planets and these incredibly complex things in the universe, which 734 00:45:59,239 --> 00:46:03,040 Speaker 1: is what gave rise to the idea UM And you know, 735 00:46:03,120 --> 00:46:05,640 Speaker 1: not to get too in depth into this topic, but 736 00:46:05,719 --> 00:46:08,640 Speaker 1: intelligent design, right, it's it's why we we look at 737 00:46:08,680 --> 00:46:12,040 Speaker 1: something this specific and we say, Okay, there's no way 738 00:46:12,080 --> 00:46:15,640 Speaker 1: somebody didn't design this. Uh, you know, there wasn't There 739 00:46:15,680 --> 00:46:19,799 Speaker 1: wasn't a creator. But like you said, the sheer incomprehensible 740 00:46:19,880 --> 00:46:25,400 Speaker 1: volume of genetic lines that are happening at any given 741 00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:28,360 Speaker 1: time is something that we can't we can't fathom, we 742 00:46:28,400 --> 00:46:34,280 Speaker 1: cannot understand, and the complex situations that allows. Okay, because 743 00:46:34,280 --> 00:46:37,520 Speaker 1: of the slight variation and color of these genes, this 744 00:46:37,600 --> 00:46:42,440 Speaker 1: gene mutation, this offers uh an advantage that past generation 745 00:46:42,480 --> 00:46:46,920 Speaker 1: has never had. And now suddenly the population explodes because 746 00:46:46,960 --> 00:46:51,759 Speaker 1: of that one tiny, tiny genetic mutation. Yeah. And I 747 00:46:52,080 --> 00:46:56,840 Speaker 1: it's like, I'm sympathetic to people who can like believe 748 00:46:56,880 --> 00:47:01,760 Speaker 1: in intelligent design. Obviously, I I think that's right, copletely wrong. Uh. 749 00:47:01,760 --> 00:47:05,200 Speaker 1: And but I do understand why you would think that way, 750 00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:07,520 Speaker 1: because even I, like, even though I've been like thinking 751 00:47:07,520 --> 00:47:13,320 Speaker 1: about parasites for many years, like and in appreciating parasites 752 00:47:13,360 --> 00:47:16,400 Speaker 1: for many years and letting them use my body as 753 00:47:16,440 --> 00:47:20,040 Speaker 1: a hotel now, but like I still when I read 754 00:47:20,040 --> 00:47:22,920 Speaker 1: about like, well, you know, here's the orb weaver spider 755 00:47:23,239 --> 00:47:26,480 Speaker 1: parasitoid wasp that lays its larva on the spider and 756 00:47:26,480 --> 00:47:29,240 Speaker 1: it controls its brain. It makes it. We've a little 757 00:47:29,680 --> 00:47:32,719 Speaker 1: little nursery for the baby larva, and and then it 758 00:47:32,880 --> 00:47:35,400 Speaker 1: eats it. And it's like, how this is diabolical? Like 759 00:47:35,400 --> 00:47:39,160 Speaker 1: this is how did they? Uh? Yeah, it's incredible, and 760 00:47:39,280 --> 00:47:41,840 Speaker 1: especially these ones that have these complex life cycles of 761 00:47:41,960 --> 00:47:45,520 Speaker 1: like well, the toxoplasmosis Gandhia, I like, goes inside the rat, 762 00:47:45,600 --> 00:47:47,760 Speaker 1: makes the rat like I think a cat is cool 763 00:47:47,800 --> 00:47:50,200 Speaker 1: and fun and sexually attracted to the cat, and goes 764 00:47:50,280 --> 00:47:52,240 Speaker 1: up to the cat and cats like cool, free lunch. 765 00:47:52,280 --> 00:47:54,480 Speaker 1: That's horny for me. And then it eats the rat 766 00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:58,480 Speaker 1: and then this and then the taxoplasmosis Gonda breathes inside 767 00:47:58,480 --> 00:48:00,359 Speaker 1: the cat and comes out and cap whop, and then 768 00:48:00,680 --> 00:48:02,720 Speaker 1: and then in fix her outs again and it happens 769 00:48:02,719 --> 00:48:05,399 Speaker 1: against like how like how did it know to do this? Well, 770 00:48:05,440 --> 00:48:09,319 Speaker 1: it didn't. It's uh yeah, it just you know, these 771 00:48:09,440 --> 00:48:13,880 Speaker 1: random mutations that happen will produce a slightly slight alteration 772 00:48:13,960 --> 00:48:17,560 Speaker 1: in its behavior that uh. Sometimes you know, there's both 773 00:48:17,600 --> 00:48:20,560 Speaker 1: like these very minor steps and evolution. Sometimes they are 774 00:48:20,600 --> 00:48:23,560 Speaker 1: like larger steps. I think they're both you know, involved 775 00:48:23,560 --> 00:48:28,399 Speaker 1: in evolutionary processes. Um. But for instance, so like let's 776 00:48:28,400 --> 00:48:31,120 Speaker 1: talk about like what and there's obviously there there is 777 00:48:31,160 --> 00:48:34,279 Speaker 1: a lot of research into specific parasites, like I know 778 00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:38,640 Speaker 1: with the orb weaver parasite, the parasitoid wasp larva, which 779 00:48:38,680 --> 00:48:40,279 Speaker 1: is like a little maggot that will turn into a 780 00:48:40,320 --> 00:48:44,040 Speaker 1: wasp um but it it lashes onto the orb weaver spider, 781 00:48:44,400 --> 00:48:46,319 Speaker 1: and they were trying to figure out, well, how does 782 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:50,719 Speaker 1: it make the spider uh stop weaving this beautiful web 783 00:48:50,760 --> 00:48:54,239 Speaker 1: and start weaving a cocoon for the larva to live 784 00:48:54,280 --> 00:48:57,840 Speaker 1: in while the spider dies. Like it's it's just awful, 785 00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:02,400 Speaker 1: very diabolical. But uh, the and the it's like because like, 786 00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:05,040 Speaker 1: how can it make such a complex behavior of the spider. 787 00:49:05,080 --> 00:49:07,080 Speaker 1: How does it? Well, it turns out the spider does 788 00:49:07,400 --> 00:49:11,640 Speaker 1: do this behavior when it is molting. So the spider 789 00:49:11,680 --> 00:49:14,480 Speaker 1: goes through these molding phases where it's like very vulnerable 790 00:49:14,520 --> 00:49:18,520 Speaker 1: while it's molting, and so it will weave itself a 791 00:49:18,800 --> 00:49:24,239 Speaker 1: strong web to protect it. UH. That will and it's 792 00:49:24,280 --> 00:49:28,160 Speaker 1: also more visible to like uh, birds and stuff because 793 00:49:28,680 --> 00:49:31,200 Speaker 1: it doesn't want to like with its web it does. 794 00:49:31,920 --> 00:49:33,960 Speaker 1: It doesn't want it to be too visible so that 795 00:49:34,000 --> 00:49:36,600 Speaker 1: it like catches things before it's cocoon. It wants it 796 00:49:36,640 --> 00:49:39,200 Speaker 1: to be more visible so that things don't run into 797 00:49:39,280 --> 00:49:42,280 Speaker 1: it and knock it down while it's in this vulnerable state. 798 00:49:42,600 --> 00:49:47,120 Speaker 1: So the larva, the parasitoid larva UH, some kind of 799 00:49:47,239 --> 00:49:52,880 Speaker 1: chemical that it excretes triggers the hormones in the spider 800 00:49:52,960 --> 00:49:56,400 Speaker 1: to to make it think that it's molting. And obviously 801 00:49:56,440 --> 00:49:59,359 Speaker 1: this is something that the larva has no idea it's doing, 802 00:49:59,480 --> 00:50:03,280 Speaker 1: but it just so happens that like probably it started 803 00:50:03,280 --> 00:50:06,840 Speaker 1: out just being happy enough to eat the spiders slowly 804 00:50:06,840 --> 00:50:09,719 Speaker 1: eat it. But maybe some kind of digestive enzyme or 805 00:50:09,800 --> 00:50:15,759 Speaker 1: something also triggers that that spider's hormonal response. And that's 806 00:50:15,800 --> 00:50:19,960 Speaker 1: like that specific chemical or is something that researchers are 807 00:50:20,719 --> 00:50:23,719 Speaker 1: looking into. And so like when people are interested in 808 00:50:23,800 --> 00:50:27,480 Speaker 1: the evolutionary history of parasites. Researchers look into like, Okay, 809 00:50:27,520 --> 00:50:30,400 Speaker 1: how does this actually work? We don't even know necessarily, 810 00:50:30,440 --> 00:50:33,080 Speaker 1: like what this chemical is, how it works exactly, but 811 00:50:33,120 --> 00:50:36,520 Speaker 1: like their look, they're researching it like right now. And 812 00:50:36,560 --> 00:50:41,200 Speaker 1: the thing that most folks and understandably kind of out 813 00:50:41,200 --> 00:50:45,480 Speaker 1: of sight, out of mind situation, you don't see all 814 00:50:45,520 --> 00:50:48,640 Speaker 1: the times this failed throughout the court. You know, the 815 00:50:48,840 --> 00:50:52,400 Speaker 1: hundreds of millions, if not hundreds of billions of times 816 00:50:52,680 --> 00:50:56,880 Speaker 1: where the wrong chemical got secreted which caused a behavior 817 00:50:57,120 --> 00:51:01,080 Speaker 1: where the the parasite was not able to pass on. 818 00:51:01,840 --> 00:51:05,759 Speaker 1: It's it's genetics. So that that's another thing too, is 819 00:51:05,960 --> 00:51:10,840 Speaker 1: when we see again it's a matter of comprehension and 820 00:51:10,880 --> 00:51:14,840 Speaker 1: our peon little minds not able to uh to to 821 00:51:15,440 --> 00:51:21,520 Speaker 1: wrap wrap around the sheer volume of attempts, of of 822 00:51:21,640 --> 00:51:25,040 Speaker 1: failed attempts here to where it got to the point 823 00:51:25,400 --> 00:51:32,480 Speaker 1: whatever you're looking at, whatever form of incredible evolutionary biology 824 00:51:32,560 --> 00:51:36,120 Speaker 1: you're looking at, is the result of so many failed 825 00:51:36,160 --> 00:51:39,600 Speaker 1: attempts that you'll you'll it's a it's a number that's 826 00:51:39,600 --> 00:51:42,840 Speaker 1: impossible to to probably even I don't know if I 827 00:51:42,840 --> 00:51:46,879 Speaker 1: don't know if science can even count that high. It's 828 00:51:46,920 --> 00:51:50,719 Speaker 1: it's amazing I can count that high. I can do it. Yeah, No, 829 00:51:51,360 --> 00:51:56,040 Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, no, absolutely, that's absolutely correct. It's our brand. 830 00:51:56,120 --> 00:51:58,319 Speaker 1: It's not even that we're dumb. It's just that our 831 00:51:58,360 --> 00:52:00,879 Speaker 1: brains don't work on that scale. Like we don't live. 832 00:52:01,640 --> 00:52:04,720 Speaker 1: We don't live millions of years, so our brains only work, 833 00:52:04,960 --> 00:52:07,240 Speaker 1: you know, on the scale of maybe like a hundred years. 834 00:52:07,280 --> 00:52:10,960 Speaker 1: Is you know where we where we generally cap off at. 835 00:52:11,440 --> 00:52:13,480 Speaker 1: And so yeah, I mean it's kind of like one 836 00:52:13,520 --> 00:52:15,319 Speaker 1: of those you know, like those like learn to draw 837 00:52:15,360 --> 00:52:18,239 Speaker 1: things and it's like draw two ovals. Now you've got 838 00:52:18,239 --> 00:52:20,879 Speaker 1: a bunny, and it's like this detailed bunny. You're like, what, 839 00:52:21,040 --> 00:52:23,400 Speaker 1: I don't know how we got from the two ovals 840 00:52:23,400 --> 00:52:26,840 Speaker 1: and a few scratch marks to the whole freaking bunny. Uh. 841 00:52:26,880 --> 00:52:28,880 Speaker 1: And that's kind of like what evolution is, Like, we 842 00:52:28,920 --> 00:52:31,360 Speaker 1: don't it's hard to see all the steps that you 843 00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:33,640 Speaker 1: get to to get the to get the bunny or 844 00:52:34,120 --> 00:52:38,400 Speaker 1: snail parasite. But yeah, in terms of specifically this, uh, 845 00:52:38,480 --> 00:52:43,839 Speaker 1: the louco chloridium flat warm. I wonder with a lot 846 00:52:43,880 --> 00:52:46,480 Speaker 1: of these parasites where they have their life cycle, like 847 00:52:46,560 --> 00:52:48,640 Speaker 1: you start out in a bird and then you get 848 00:52:48,680 --> 00:52:50,640 Speaker 1: pooped out and you get eaten by snail and that 849 00:52:50,680 --> 00:52:53,920 Speaker 1: gets eaten by a bird. Blah blah blah. I wonder 850 00:52:53,960 --> 00:53:00,080 Speaker 1: if it's like these like an accidental case of um 851 00:53:00,080 --> 00:53:04,200 Speaker 1: my assis, which is where you actually it's not necessarily 852 00:53:04,200 --> 00:53:08,319 Speaker 1: a parasite, but you eat something and then it's like, oh, 853 00:53:08,360 --> 00:53:10,880 Speaker 1: well I wasn't a parasite, but now I'm in this 854 00:53:11,040 --> 00:53:13,880 Speaker 1: environment where the only way to keep living is like 855 00:53:14,120 --> 00:53:17,160 Speaker 1: to feed off of where I am right now. And 856 00:53:17,280 --> 00:53:21,560 Speaker 1: so like uh accent told my my a sis uh 857 00:53:21,719 --> 00:53:24,240 Speaker 1: is like you you eat something like a larva or something, 858 00:53:24,239 --> 00:53:26,800 Speaker 1: and it's typically not a parasite, but now it's inside 859 00:53:26,840 --> 00:53:29,319 Speaker 1: your body and it's like, well, I'm gonna eat where 860 00:53:29,360 --> 00:53:32,879 Speaker 1: I am uh, and then you can like poop it out. 861 00:53:33,520 --> 00:53:36,560 Speaker 1: And so if this happens, like say you have this 862 00:53:36,680 --> 00:53:39,680 Speaker 1: flat worm saying it's eaten by a bird on accident, 863 00:53:39,760 --> 00:53:42,640 Speaker 1: it's not a parasite yet it's like hey, like I'm 864 00:53:42,680 --> 00:53:44,520 Speaker 1: just trying to live my life and now I'm inside 865 00:53:44,520 --> 00:53:47,520 Speaker 1: a bird. Well, hey, I see another one that got eaten, 866 00:53:47,600 --> 00:53:50,760 Speaker 1: Like we're gonna mate. That's great. Then it gets pooped 867 00:53:50,760 --> 00:53:54,080 Speaker 1: out and then it's like, well, our our eggs got 868 00:53:54,080 --> 00:53:57,560 Speaker 1: pooped out, okay, and then that gets eaten by chance 869 00:53:57,640 --> 00:54:01,000 Speaker 1: by a snail and then they're like in side the snail, like, well, 870 00:54:01,040 --> 00:54:04,680 Speaker 1: I guess now we're here, like we're gonna you know, 871 00:54:04,760 --> 00:54:08,400 Speaker 1: like be be in the snail and like continue to develop, 872 00:54:08,640 --> 00:54:10,080 Speaker 1: and then that gets eaten by aber and it's like, 873 00:54:10,200 --> 00:54:12,800 Speaker 1: well this worked out well. Like now we're back in 874 00:54:12,880 --> 00:54:14,960 Speaker 1: the bird and we're in a single spar again, and 875 00:54:14,960 --> 00:54:17,120 Speaker 1: we'll mate and make more of us. And then you 876 00:54:17,120 --> 00:54:20,920 Speaker 1: start to get mutations and again, like you said, most 877 00:54:21,000 --> 00:54:25,799 Speaker 1: mutations are bad, Like most mutations like are a game over, 878 00:54:26,320 --> 00:54:27,919 Speaker 1: but once in a while they're go. It's like, why 879 00:54:28,080 --> 00:54:32,760 Speaker 1: viruses don't just like uh, immediately turn into just world 880 00:54:32,880 --> 00:54:36,480 Speaker 1: ending deadly killer viruses. Most mutations on a virus is 881 00:54:36,520 --> 00:54:39,839 Speaker 1: going to be bad for the virus. So mutating virus, yeah, 882 00:54:39,880 --> 00:54:41,879 Speaker 1: it's not necessarily a good thing for the virus. It's 883 00:54:41,920 --> 00:54:44,200 Speaker 1: just once in a while it's good. And that's why 884 00:54:44,520 --> 00:54:48,200 Speaker 1: it's important everyone gets vaccinated because the more chances we 885 00:54:48,320 --> 00:54:50,600 Speaker 1: give something to mutate them more likely it's going to 886 00:54:50,760 --> 00:54:54,720 Speaker 1: turn into a mutation that benefits that organism. In this case, 887 00:54:54,960 --> 00:55:00,000 Speaker 1: for viruses. That's bad for us. We don't want everybody 888 00:55:00,080 --> 00:55:03,080 Speaker 1: get their their vaccine as soon as possible. Yeah that Uh, 889 00:55:03,200 --> 00:55:07,560 Speaker 1: let's let's put a stop to opportunistic parasitism. Like you're 890 00:55:07,600 --> 00:55:10,080 Speaker 1: like you're talking about where you know, these things just 891 00:55:10,160 --> 00:55:13,279 Speaker 1: find themselves in a uh well damn, this environment is 892 00:55:13,320 --> 00:55:15,759 Speaker 1: a lot cozier than my last one. And uh and 893 00:55:15,840 --> 00:55:18,040 Speaker 1: I got no choice but to hang out and here, 894 00:55:18,520 --> 00:55:21,040 Speaker 1: you know, longer than this host is gonna want me to. 895 00:55:21,280 --> 00:55:24,359 Speaker 1: So uh yeah, that's that's a bad news. So yeah, 896 00:55:24,520 --> 00:55:26,200 Speaker 1: we gotta we gotta put a stop to this. If 897 00:55:26,239 --> 00:55:30,560 Speaker 1: there's any position your podcast takes, uh, it is to 898 00:55:30,840 --> 00:55:35,520 Speaker 1: stop opportunistic parasitism, you know, plant plant your flag in 899 00:55:35,560 --> 00:55:39,719 Speaker 1: that take Katie, if I feel like some parasites are 900 00:55:39,800 --> 00:55:44,480 Speaker 1: cool as as not in my body, yes, exactly exactly 901 00:55:44,560 --> 00:55:50,879 Speaker 1: like like again, uh, situational symbiotic paris no not, I'm 902 00:55:50,920 --> 00:55:55,879 Speaker 1: gonna is the general term for anything you're living with 903 00:55:55,920 --> 00:55:59,880 Speaker 1: in some way. So so uh if if if you 904 00:56:00,120 --> 00:56:03,680 Speaker 1: can take a parasite and make it a symbiot, a symbiote, 905 00:56:04,040 --> 00:56:08,319 Speaker 1: a mutualistic symbiote, I own a mutualistic symbiote. I only 906 00:56:08,360 --> 00:56:12,800 Speaker 1: know that word, by the way, from Spider Man, because venom, venom, 907 00:56:12,800 --> 00:56:16,640 Speaker 1: and carnage. We're we're, we're. I love that. I love 908 00:56:16,800 --> 00:56:19,920 Speaker 1: learning about science from comics. Yeah, it's it's the best. 909 00:56:20,120 --> 00:56:23,520 Speaker 1: So uh yeah, that's primarily where I know that word from. 910 00:56:23,560 --> 00:56:25,640 Speaker 1: And then of course the famous example of like the 911 00:56:25,640 --> 00:56:31,200 Speaker 1: c an enemy and the clown fish, the mutual mutual relationship. Yeah, 912 00:56:31,360 --> 00:56:35,959 Speaker 1: so uh yeah, yeah, yeah, but no, I mean yeah, 913 00:56:36,120 --> 00:56:38,680 Speaker 1: and so, like you can imagine with a flatworm, it's 914 00:56:38,719 --> 00:56:41,960 Speaker 1: like it's already getting eaten by snails and birds on accident, 915 00:56:42,040 --> 00:56:44,799 Speaker 1: and then it starts to get these little mutations that 916 00:56:44,880 --> 00:56:47,759 Speaker 1: maybe makes it a little better, like at getting in 917 00:56:47,840 --> 00:56:50,200 Speaker 1: in the one and so you just start and now 918 00:56:50,440 --> 00:56:52,799 Speaker 1: it's to the point where it's like, man, this devious 919 00:56:52,800 --> 00:56:56,600 Speaker 1: flatworm has this whole plan about how to make the 920 00:56:56,680 --> 00:57:02,560 Speaker 1: snail this like uh psychotropic looking thing that's really heapetizing 921 00:57:02,640 --> 00:57:04,560 Speaker 1: to the bird. And it's like it had no idea. 922 00:57:04,640 --> 00:57:07,759 Speaker 1: It was just like I'm inside this now. I if 923 00:57:07,800 --> 00:57:11,359 Speaker 1: I can stay alive, I'm gonna stay alive. I mean, 924 00:57:11,400 --> 00:57:13,759 Speaker 1: flatworms don't have brains. They don't think thoughts, I don't 925 00:57:13,760 --> 00:57:16,960 Speaker 1: think exactly. Well they actually that's not true flatworms have 926 00:57:17,320 --> 00:57:20,800 Speaker 1: I believe, well, it might not necessarily be a brain. 927 00:57:20,840 --> 00:57:24,920 Speaker 1: It might be like a neural bundle ganglia. Yeah, like 928 00:57:24,920 --> 00:57:27,680 Speaker 1: a ganglia. I'd have to look it up whether or 929 00:57:27,680 --> 00:57:30,520 Speaker 1: not it's actually classified as a brain or not. It's 930 00:57:30,720 --> 00:57:33,960 Speaker 1: very basic, you know, they only have a few neurons 931 00:57:34,000 --> 00:57:37,360 Speaker 1: to rub together. Really grasping at some of the some 932 00:57:37,440 --> 00:57:40,360 Speaker 1: of this vocabulary. I took marine technology. I have a 933 00:57:40,400 --> 00:57:44,160 Speaker 1: degree on marine technology back when I was college age. 934 00:57:44,240 --> 00:57:46,960 Speaker 1: So we studied flat worms and and you know, like 935 00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:50,280 Speaker 1: sea creatures and stuff and and very simple organisms you 936 00:57:50,280 --> 00:57:54,680 Speaker 1: know on up until the you know, uh, mammals, marine 937 00:57:54,720 --> 00:57:57,760 Speaker 1: mammals and stuff. So um, some of this is scratching, 938 00:57:57,920 --> 00:58:00,280 Speaker 1: scratching those it's yeah, I have that scratched in all 939 00:58:00,640 --> 00:58:04,520 Speaker 1: very long time. So I'm loving all of these these topics. 940 00:58:04,920 --> 00:58:08,520 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, the like the color of the snail, Like again, 941 00:58:09,120 --> 00:58:13,960 Speaker 1: if you can find this gift of this, yes, So 942 00:58:14,680 --> 00:58:18,840 Speaker 1: the color that this thing is it looks like you said, 943 00:58:18,880 --> 00:58:21,200 Speaker 1: a snail out of rave, right, it looks like it's 944 00:58:21,200 --> 00:58:23,920 Speaker 1: skits and ties or something. Yeah, exactly. It's doing that 945 00:58:23,960 --> 00:58:27,720 Speaker 1: pulsating thing to like like there's a like like a 946 00:58:27,840 --> 00:58:31,160 Speaker 1: DJ Daniel is DJing the party that that this thing 947 00:58:31,240 --> 00:58:33,960 Speaker 1: is at right, you should suggest this to him, give 948 00:58:34,040 --> 00:58:35,760 Speaker 1: him a hey, you ever try one of these in 949 00:58:35,800 --> 00:58:39,680 Speaker 1: your sets? He would probably put that on the screen 950 00:58:39,680 --> 00:58:43,760 Speaker 1: behind him when he does a zoom set or something. Um. So, 951 00:58:43,960 --> 00:58:48,560 Speaker 1: these colors, the number of times that this flatworm reproduced 952 00:58:49,040 --> 00:58:52,600 Speaker 1: in this snail and it wasn't those colors is like 953 00:58:52,680 --> 00:58:56,640 Speaker 1: billions of times. Except and then there was one accidental 954 00:58:56,720 --> 00:59:00,200 Speaker 1: mutation of the genetic code to where it add did 955 00:59:00,240 --> 00:59:02,640 Speaker 1: like a ring of orange or a ring of purple 956 00:59:02,800 --> 00:59:06,480 Speaker 1: to these eye stalks, and the birds started being attracted 957 00:59:07,120 --> 00:59:10,360 Speaker 1: exactly what wild for it. And then by accident. It's 958 00:59:10,400 --> 00:59:12,960 Speaker 1: not like they got that response and thought, oh ship, 959 00:59:13,000 --> 00:59:15,040 Speaker 1: we need to change another genetic No, no, no, no 960 00:59:15,080 --> 00:59:18,560 Speaker 1: brain power here you're thinking about it. It's just just survived. Yeah. 961 00:59:18,600 --> 00:59:23,080 Speaker 1: They just ended up exactly living longer. Exactly if you live, 962 00:59:23,120 --> 00:59:25,360 Speaker 1: you live, is just kind of like the whole thing 963 00:59:25,400 --> 00:59:29,200 Speaker 1: with if you live and and pop out some progeny, 964 00:59:29,400 --> 00:59:32,560 Speaker 1: that's it. That's all you gotta do. Um. But yeah, 965 00:59:33,000 --> 00:59:36,720 Speaker 1: I hope that kind of like puts things into perspective, 966 00:59:36,760 --> 00:59:41,320 Speaker 1: like how you can get such incredible, complex, devious little 967 00:59:41,320 --> 00:59:44,240 Speaker 1: parasites from such a simple rule like if you ran 968 00:59:44,440 --> 00:59:47,280 Speaker 1: if you ran a computer program for billions of years, 969 00:59:47,360 --> 00:59:51,080 Speaker 1: who knows what kind of Wait a minute, what if 970 00:59:51,080 --> 00:59:55,919 Speaker 1: for the computer program? No? No, what if for the simulation? 971 00:59:55,960 --> 01:00:01,480 Speaker 1: The whole time blowing my mind, Katie. It's honestly, I 972 01:00:01,520 --> 01:00:04,560 Speaker 1: don't like if we're a simulation. I don't care. It's fine. 973 01:00:04,600 --> 01:00:07,120 Speaker 1: It's like the same thing, right, yea me either. I 974 01:00:07,200 --> 01:00:09,520 Speaker 1: still got I still got bills to pay. I still 975 01:00:09,560 --> 01:00:16,040 Speaker 1: like to exactly. Wow, if there was ever a response 976 01:00:16,120 --> 01:00:20,439 Speaker 1: to the we're living in a simulation theory, that that's 977 01:00:20,440 --> 01:00:23,360 Speaker 1: it right there, and I don't care. Peza still tastes 978 01:00:23,400 --> 01:00:32,400 Speaker 1: good that that's all that matters. Christie, have you heard of, uh, 979 01:00:33,400 --> 01:00:36,880 Speaker 1: the way that everything is becoming crabs, that all things 980 01:00:36,960 --> 01:00:43,080 Speaker 1: become crabs, eventually all things crabs, Eventually we all become crabs. 981 01:00:43,960 --> 01:00:47,280 Speaker 1: I don't think i've heard now. I am familiar with 982 01:00:47,320 --> 01:00:51,720 Speaker 1: a certain gift that gets circulated whenever, maybe like somebody 983 01:00:51,800 --> 01:00:55,880 Speaker 1: who's of of you know, not maybe not very liked 984 01:00:56,000 --> 01:01:01,960 Speaker 1: online or something, people start dropping a certain advancing crabs 985 01:01:01,280 --> 01:01:06,520 Speaker 1: celebrating Yeah, someone you know, maybe maybe like an awful 986 01:01:06,640 --> 01:01:11,720 Speaker 1: politician or just terrible person, right, yeah, when when someone 987 01:01:11,920 --> 01:01:15,600 Speaker 1: when someone loses at something, uh, and they're a bad person, 988 01:01:15,680 --> 01:01:20,000 Speaker 1: the dancing crab gift definitely comes into play. Um, Well, 989 01:01:20,040 --> 01:01:25,280 Speaker 1: it's that's very relevant because so carsonization is this the 990 01:01:25,440 --> 01:01:30,360 Speaker 1: thing that happens amongst crustaceans and other arthropods, which is, 991 01:01:30,440 --> 01:01:34,920 Speaker 1: like you know, Arthur prods includes things like spiders and um, 992 01:01:34,960 --> 01:01:39,040 Speaker 1: but like it's mostly with crustaceans, is that they keep 993 01:01:39,120 --> 01:01:44,480 Speaker 1: independently evolving into crab shape. Like you have the true crabs, 994 01:01:44,880 --> 01:01:48,560 Speaker 1: but then you have something like more related to a 995 01:01:48,600 --> 01:01:53,960 Speaker 1: lobster that just independently starts to evolve into a crab shape. 996 01:01:54,240 --> 01:01:56,960 Speaker 1: And you even have spiders that will evolve into a 997 01:01:57,000 --> 01:02:00,840 Speaker 1: crab shape. And so it's so common that there's actually 998 01:02:00,880 --> 01:02:04,680 Speaker 1: a term for it called carsonization, which is when something 999 01:02:04,760 --> 01:02:08,600 Speaker 1: just starts to go into crab shape because apparently crab 1000 01:02:08,720 --> 01:02:11,320 Speaker 1: shape is really good. And we actually had an episode 1001 01:02:11,400 --> 01:02:14,360 Speaker 1: on this if you want to hear more about carsonization. 1002 01:02:14,640 --> 01:02:16,800 Speaker 1: But I bring it up because I've got this great 1003 01:02:16,840 --> 01:02:20,680 Speaker 1: listener question. Um who writes Hi, Katie, I love listening 1004 01:02:20,680 --> 01:02:22,720 Speaker 1: to the podcast because I love animals and all the 1005 01:02:22,760 --> 01:02:25,040 Speaker 1: gifts you have on the show. Uh, And I have 1006 01:02:25,120 --> 01:02:28,000 Speaker 1: a question for you. Are there different forms of evolution 1007 01:02:28,120 --> 01:02:32,080 Speaker 1: that are similar to carsonization where there are multiple versions 1008 01:02:32,080 --> 01:02:34,720 Speaker 1: of the same body type, Like if a reptile moves 1009 01:02:34,840 --> 01:02:37,400 Speaker 1: to a body of water, it'll evolve into a croc 1010 01:02:37,520 --> 01:02:40,520 Speaker 1: or a bird will become flightless if X and Y happens. 1011 01:02:40,840 --> 01:02:43,320 Speaker 1: Or could it be that crabs are the ultimate life 1012 01:02:43,400 --> 01:02:46,960 Speaker 1: form and humans will inevitably evolve into them? L O L. 1013 01:02:47,360 --> 01:02:50,480 Speaker 1: Thank you, Enrique, Thank you so much, Enrique. This is 1014 01:02:50,520 --> 01:02:54,240 Speaker 1: a great question. I love it, it is and you're 1015 01:02:54,360 --> 01:02:58,840 Speaker 1: absolutely right. Yes, this happens a lot actually, where there 1016 01:02:58,960 --> 01:03:04,720 Speaker 1: is just some kind of animal form that multiple animals 1017 01:03:04,840 --> 01:03:08,560 Speaker 1: related or unrelated, decide this is this is it. I 1018 01:03:08,600 --> 01:03:11,360 Speaker 1: love this. I love this shape. Of course, when I 1019 01:03:11,400 --> 01:03:15,480 Speaker 1: say decide, obviously I'm speaking facetiously. They don't decide anything. 1020 01:03:16,000 --> 01:03:20,840 Speaker 1: But you know, nature loves certain forms of animal uh. 1021 01:03:20,880 --> 01:03:27,040 Speaker 1: And this is called both. This is called either convergent evolution, 1022 01:03:27,520 --> 01:03:31,640 Speaker 1: so these are like animals who are unrelated developing similar 1023 01:03:31,680 --> 01:03:37,720 Speaker 1: forms or parallel evolution, so animals share a relatively recent 1024 01:03:37,920 --> 01:03:44,960 Speaker 1: common ancestor, but then they independently evolve the same characteristics. Uh. 1025 01:03:45,000 --> 01:03:49,600 Speaker 1: And it's so fascinating whenever this happens the first one. 1026 01:03:49,800 --> 01:04:00,000 Speaker 1: I feel like our mammalian version of crabs carsonization is moles. Molarization, Uh, 1027 01:04:00,200 --> 01:04:03,640 Speaker 1: nothing to do with teeth. Also, I completely thought when 1028 01:04:03,680 --> 01:04:07,200 Speaker 1: you were saying carsonization, I was thinking, like Johnny Carson's 1029 01:04:07,280 --> 01:04:10,160 Speaker 1: last name. So I have no idea how any of 1030 01:04:10,200 --> 01:04:13,480 Speaker 1: this stuff is spelled. But molar ization. I love that 1031 01:04:13,600 --> 01:04:18,520 Speaker 1: name already. It's probably like linguists don't like me saying 1032 01:04:18,560 --> 01:04:21,240 Speaker 1: that because I don't think a Mueller and well, maybe 1033 01:04:21,320 --> 01:04:23,960 Speaker 1: they share a root. I don't know. They certainly don't 1034 01:04:23,960 --> 01:04:31,840 Speaker 1: share a root in my mouth. Dent we're bringing dental 1035 01:04:31,960 --> 01:04:36,360 Speaker 1: humor back. God, I can't wait to go to the dentist, Like, 1036 01:04:36,400 --> 01:04:42,960 Speaker 1: once I'm fully vaccinated, get those suckers clean. I I 1037 01:04:43,040 --> 01:04:45,800 Speaker 1: kind of this is so weird and I feel like 1038 01:04:45,840 --> 01:04:49,720 Speaker 1: it makes me, I don't know, unnerving for people to 1039 01:04:49,760 --> 01:04:52,840 Speaker 1: hear this. I like going to the dentist me too. Okay, 1040 01:04:52,920 --> 01:04:54,919 Speaker 1: you do enjoy that, I do. I mean I don't 1041 01:04:54,920 --> 01:04:57,240 Speaker 1: obviously don't want to get a cavity filled or a 1042 01:04:57,280 --> 01:05:01,320 Speaker 1: procedure done, but just the teeth cleaning. I like that smooth, 1043 01:05:01,320 --> 01:05:04,000 Speaker 1: smooth feeling on my teeth. You want to hear something 1044 01:05:04,040 --> 01:05:07,080 Speaker 1: even weirder. I actually have a home dental kit with 1045 01:05:07,120 --> 01:05:09,840 Speaker 1: like the little picks and stuff. Okay, I have that too, 1046 01:05:10,080 --> 01:05:13,960 Speaker 1: do you really? Yes? I bought it for the pandemic 1047 01:05:14,200 --> 01:05:16,760 Speaker 1: because it's like, well, I need to I need to 1048 01:05:16,760 --> 01:05:19,480 Speaker 1: clean my teeth, like I'm going a hold over a 1049 01:05:19,600 --> 01:05:23,160 Speaker 1: year without getting my teeth professionally clean. Uh. And so 1050 01:05:23,240 --> 01:05:25,000 Speaker 1: yeah I got. I got like with a little rubber 1051 01:05:25,040 --> 01:05:28,000 Speaker 1: thingy and the little scrapy doodog, and like a mirror 1052 01:05:28,040 --> 01:05:30,520 Speaker 1: that I never used because I can't with my two hands. 1053 01:05:30,720 --> 01:05:37,280 Speaker 1: Yeah I can't. I the visual like this spatial ability 1054 01:05:37,360 --> 01:05:40,000 Speaker 1: to know which direction to go while looking into two 1055 01:05:40,040 --> 01:05:42,160 Speaker 1: mirrors is something I can't wrap my brain around. Because 1056 01:05:42,200 --> 01:05:45,040 Speaker 1: I love I love getting the plaque. The with the 1057 01:05:45,080 --> 01:05:48,280 Speaker 1: build up is called calculus. When it turns hard um 1058 01:05:48,480 --> 01:05:51,600 Speaker 1: on you, it's because of a Is it because it's 1059 01:05:51,600 --> 01:05:54,200 Speaker 1: like calcium build up or no? I think it's because 1060 01:05:54,240 --> 01:05:56,280 Speaker 1: it's as hard as the math that it's named after. 1061 01:05:59,200 --> 01:06:03,560 Speaker 1: Hum baby, we're bringing it back, bringing it back. And 1062 01:06:03,560 --> 01:06:06,560 Speaker 1: and speaking of of of teeth, some of these moles 1063 01:06:07,320 --> 01:06:09,840 Speaker 1: are incredible looking. Oh we're going to talk about these 1064 01:06:09,920 --> 01:06:14,360 Speaker 1: moles teeth. You better believe it. So moles keep evolving 1065 01:06:14,400 --> 01:06:17,960 Speaker 1: and they're not even necessarily moles. So uh, there are 1066 01:06:18,800 --> 01:06:22,760 Speaker 1: a family of animals that are moles, like true moles, 1067 01:06:22,960 --> 01:06:26,240 Speaker 1: um like things like the Eastern mole found in eastern 1068 01:06:26,280 --> 01:06:30,000 Speaker 1: North America. Uh. And this is the only one we're 1069 01:06:30,040 --> 01:06:33,080 Speaker 1: talking about that is actually a member of the mole family. 1070 01:06:33,560 --> 01:06:36,600 Speaker 1: And this is like, this is, you know, like the 1071 01:06:36,640 --> 01:06:42,080 Speaker 1: mole from what's it called Wind and the Willows. I'm 1072 01:06:42,200 --> 01:06:45,200 Speaker 1: struggling to think of other popular media where you have 1073 01:06:45,320 --> 01:06:48,880 Speaker 1: a mole in it. You have a mole, I'm not familiar. 1074 01:06:48,920 --> 01:06:51,080 Speaker 1: I know the name that you just said, but I 1075 01:06:51,120 --> 01:06:53,959 Speaker 1: don't know anything about that as it's the one where, 1076 01:06:54,000 --> 01:06:58,680 Speaker 1: like it's where Mr. Toad's Wild Ride comes from. I think, oh, yeah, okay, 1077 01:06:58,720 --> 01:07:01,400 Speaker 1: so the mole is wearing like a little outfit, Yeah, 1078 01:07:01,480 --> 01:07:06,840 Speaker 1: a little waistcout waistcoat, vest things. I can picture it 1079 01:07:06,880 --> 01:07:10,880 Speaker 1: in my mind. But they're those little they're those little 1080 01:07:11,040 --> 01:07:17,040 Speaker 1: fuzzy grayish black, blind mostly blind mammal. And it's found 1081 01:07:17,280 --> 01:07:19,840 Speaker 1: all over the world, but like in in North America. 1082 01:07:20,440 --> 01:07:23,520 Speaker 1: I think there are some European moles as well, Old 1083 01:07:23,560 --> 01:07:26,960 Speaker 1: World moles as they're called, uh, and New World moles. 1084 01:07:27,400 --> 01:07:30,440 Speaker 1: They have like a gray coat. They burrow into soft 1085 01:07:30,480 --> 01:07:33,959 Speaker 1: earth and they eat insects for the either the old 1086 01:07:34,000 --> 01:07:38,400 Speaker 1: ones the Old World ones are Italian. Correct? Is that 1087 01:07:38,600 --> 01:07:40,959 Speaker 1: is that the difference between the two. They live Old 1088 01:07:41,000 --> 01:07:45,400 Speaker 1: world is like they live anywhere in uh Eurasia basically 1089 01:07:45,400 --> 01:07:50,760 Speaker 1: okay okay uh. And then uh they their eyes are 1090 01:07:50,760 --> 01:07:54,320 Speaker 1: mostly nonfunctional. They're kind of like grown over skin. Maybe 1091 01:07:54,360 --> 01:07:57,000 Speaker 1: they can detect a little bit of light some species 1092 01:07:57,080 --> 01:08:02,280 Speaker 1: of moles uh. And they have small sharp teeth with 1093 01:08:02,520 --> 01:08:06,360 Speaker 1: slightly enlarged incisors, so those front teeth, but not not 1094 01:08:06,440 --> 01:08:09,120 Speaker 1: really they're all these like little pointy teeth. But they 1095 01:08:09,120 --> 01:08:13,240 Speaker 1: do have huge digging claws for digging through the earth. Yeah, 1096 01:08:13,280 --> 01:08:18,160 Speaker 1: they're they're their hands for claws, I guess. I don't know, 1097 01:08:18,160 --> 01:08:21,440 Speaker 1: but they look kind of like hands though there there's 1098 01:08:21,479 --> 01:08:24,479 Speaker 1: no hair on them or anything. They're they're very pink, 1099 01:08:24,479 --> 01:08:28,320 Speaker 1: which I imagine. Uh. And that the claws are are 1100 01:08:28,479 --> 01:08:32,760 Speaker 1: huge on these things. There, man, there their borderline. They're 1101 01:08:32,760 --> 01:08:36,720 Speaker 1: they're in this uncanny valley of being super cute and 1102 01:08:37,040 --> 01:08:43,719 Speaker 1: really freaky looking, straddling that that bridge. Perfectly. Star nosed 1103 01:08:43,760 --> 01:08:46,559 Speaker 1: moles are freaky because they have that they have a 1104 01:08:46,600 --> 01:08:49,960 Speaker 1: nose that has like tendrils on it, and it actually 1105 01:08:50,000 --> 01:08:54,559 Speaker 1: helps them since vibrations in the earth because they don't 1106 01:08:54,640 --> 01:08:57,719 Speaker 1: rely too much on their eyesight. The only thing any 1107 01:08:57,720 --> 01:09:00,920 Speaker 1: mold species really uses their eyesight forested, hecked light and 1108 01:09:01,000 --> 01:09:04,640 Speaker 1: dark uh. And then they will rely on vibrations in 1109 01:09:04,680 --> 01:09:08,320 Speaker 1: the earth to sense their prey or to sense threats. 1110 01:09:09,040 --> 01:09:12,760 Speaker 1: And having like the that star knows uh both like 1111 01:09:12,960 --> 01:09:15,000 Speaker 1: you know, it's both for the sense of smell but 1112 01:09:15,120 --> 01:09:19,919 Speaker 1: also to sense more vibrations uh. And so it's really sensitive. 1113 01:09:19,920 --> 01:09:22,960 Speaker 1: But it looks like like their face exploded. It's very 1114 01:09:23,120 --> 01:09:28,040 Speaker 1: weird looking. But there are a number of other animals 1115 01:09:28,080 --> 01:09:31,880 Speaker 1: that look like their moles. They're not technically related. They 1116 01:09:31,880 --> 01:09:37,200 Speaker 1: are not in the mole family. Um. There is the 1117 01:09:37,400 --> 01:09:40,959 Speaker 1: golden mole, which is found in the deserts of South Africa, 1118 01:09:41,000 --> 01:09:43,639 Speaker 1: and despite its name, it is not a mole at all. 1119 01:09:44,479 --> 01:09:49,679 Speaker 1: It evolved independently. Uh. It is very cute. It's got 1120 01:09:49,720 --> 01:09:54,360 Speaker 1: a light golden coat. Uh. It burrows in sand instead 1121 01:09:54,400 --> 01:09:59,040 Speaker 1: of earth, and it eats insects much like the eastern 1122 01:09:59,080 --> 01:10:03,160 Speaker 1: mole uh. And it doesn't form permanent burrows, but it 1123 01:10:03,320 --> 01:10:09,519 Speaker 1: swims through the sand like a little sand shark. It 1124 01:10:09,640 --> 01:10:12,160 Speaker 1: is really fun. They look it's like a bugs Bunny 1125 01:10:12,200 --> 01:10:15,200 Speaker 1: cartoon where bugs Bunny is like exactly like that but 1126 01:10:15,280 --> 01:10:19,960 Speaker 1: in sand. Uh and it is eyelis. Its skin has 1127 01:10:20,000 --> 01:10:24,280 Speaker 1: grown over its non functional eyes, and it uses vibrations 1128 01:10:24,479 --> 01:10:27,880 Speaker 1: entirely to see under under the earth, and it's sense 1129 01:10:27,920 --> 01:10:30,960 Speaker 1: of smells, so just very similar to the mole. It 1130 01:10:31,120 --> 01:10:35,400 Speaker 1: also has big digging claws that it uses, and and 1131 01:10:35,400 --> 01:10:37,599 Speaker 1: and hind legs as well that that it can use 1132 01:10:37,640 --> 01:10:41,559 Speaker 1: to like uh, to travel through the sand. So again, 1133 01:10:41,760 --> 01:10:45,320 Speaker 1: very similar to to the eastern mole. And its teeth 1134 01:10:45,360 --> 01:10:47,559 Speaker 1: are very similar as well. So it's got small sharp 1135 01:10:47,640 --> 01:10:51,400 Speaker 1: teeth with slightly enlarged incisors but just a little like 1136 01:10:51,960 --> 01:10:55,000 Speaker 1: needle like teeth that it can snatch an insect with. 1137 01:10:56,160 --> 01:11:00,000 Speaker 1: And it's got no external ears like like the eastern moles. 1138 01:11:00,439 --> 01:11:03,160 Speaker 1: Um just kind of it's got ear holes, but it's 1139 01:11:03,200 --> 01:11:05,719 Speaker 1: just like there's fur over it. There's no little mouse 1140 01:11:05,760 --> 01:11:09,640 Speaker 1: ears or anything on it. So are these mole and 1141 01:11:09,760 --> 01:11:13,120 Speaker 1: mole like creatures are they using basically their entire body 1142 01:11:13,200 --> 01:11:17,760 Speaker 1: to pick up on vibrations like uh is kind of 1143 01:11:17,800 --> 01:11:21,040 Speaker 1: are they? For lack of a better way of explaining, 1144 01:11:21,040 --> 01:11:24,439 Speaker 1: are they one giant ear drum. I mean, it's interesting. 1145 01:11:24,479 --> 01:11:26,479 Speaker 1: I don't know if they use every part of their 1146 01:11:26,520 --> 01:11:29,439 Speaker 1: body to pick up on vibrations, but certainly more than 1147 01:11:29,520 --> 01:11:31,920 Speaker 1: just like their feet or their nose. Like I think 1148 01:11:31,920 --> 01:11:34,320 Speaker 1: that they've got like whiskers and hairs that they can 1149 01:11:34,400 --> 01:11:36,840 Speaker 1: use to pick up on vibrations. I think they get 1150 01:11:36,840 --> 01:11:39,120 Speaker 1: it through their nose and through their feet as well, 1151 01:11:39,280 --> 01:11:42,160 Speaker 1: So I think multiple part of their bodies they can 1152 01:11:42,320 --> 01:11:46,320 Speaker 1: use to sense vibration. Uh so, yeah, yeah, they are. 1153 01:11:46,360 --> 01:11:49,200 Speaker 1: They are kind of like even though it seems like 1154 01:11:49,240 --> 01:11:51,960 Speaker 1: they lack sensory organs in terms of their eyes, like 1155 01:11:52,040 --> 01:11:54,800 Speaker 1: they are making up for it for converting other body 1156 01:11:54,880 --> 01:12:00,960 Speaker 1: parts into sensory organs. They're the daredevil of the animal exactly. 1157 01:12:01,280 --> 01:12:04,559 Speaker 1: He should be called Moleman. He really should. I feel 1158 01:12:04,600 --> 01:12:08,439 Speaker 1: like there is a Moman comic book character, maybe not 1159 01:12:08,520 --> 01:12:13,280 Speaker 1: in the Marvel or DC units, the Simpsons guy his Moleman. Yeah, 1160 01:12:13,320 --> 01:12:17,040 Speaker 1: maybe that's what I'm thinking. Maybe that that actually probably 1161 01:12:17,160 --> 01:12:21,840 Speaker 1: is exactly exactly what I'm thinking of. There's another mole 1162 01:12:22,400 --> 01:12:25,040 Speaker 1: which is not really a mole, called the marsupial mole, 1163 01:12:25,160 --> 01:12:29,200 Speaker 1: who is not a mole. Uh it is uh found 1164 01:12:29,240 --> 01:12:33,439 Speaker 1: in Australia. It looks uncannily similar to the golden mole, 1165 01:12:33,520 --> 01:12:37,760 Speaker 1: who again looks pretty similar to uh the Eastern mole. 1166 01:12:38,240 --> 01:12:41,840 Speaker 1: It also has golden fur like the golden mole. It 1167 01:12:41,920 --> 01:12:46,120 Speaker 1: also has pink little nose, little claws. UH. It also 1168 01:12:46,439 --> 01:12:50,120 Speaker 1: burrows in sand. It also swims through the sand just 1169 01:12:50,240 --> 01:12:53,880 Speaker 1: like the golden mole. UH. It's eyes are also nonfunctional 1170 01:12:54,000 --> 01:12:57,960 Speaker 1: and covered in skin. It also has large digging claws. 1171 01:12:58,000 --> 01:13:01,639 Speaker 1: It also has small, pointy teeth, although their their teeth 1172 01:13:01,640 --> 01:13:04,840 Speaker 1: are a little blunter than the golden mole and the 1173 01:13:04,840 --> 01:13:08,240 Speaker 1: Eastern mole UH, and their claws are a little more 1174 01:13:08,320 --> 01:13:11,439 Speaker 1: side like, so they're a little longer, a little sharper looking. 1175 01:13:12,400 --> 01:13:16,320 Speaker 1: They also has no external ears. They are very similar 1176 01:13:16,360 --> 01:13:20,120 Speaker 1: to the golden mole. They're not even on the same continent. 1177 01:13:20,280 --> 01:13:23,360 Speaker 1: Golden moles are found in the deserts of South Africa 1178 01:13:23,360 --> 01:13:26,320 Speaker 1: and marsupial moles are found in Australia. And they did 1179 01:13:26,360 --> 01:13:29,720 Speaker 1: not like. They didn't like get split like when you 1180 01:13:29,720 --> 01:13:33,280 Speaker 1: know Pangaea split or something. They they evolved independently of 1181 01:13:33,280 --> 01:13:37,720 Speaker 1: each other, complet completely independently. I am looking up additional 1182 01:13:37,760 --> 01:13:43,120 Speaker 1: photos because the photo in the Google doc it's it's eating. Uh, 1183 01:13:43,160 --> 01:13:45,559 Speaker 1: it's got like half of a lizard in its mouth, 1184 01:13:46,560 --> 01:13:50,479 Speaker 1: and it's hard to really get a grasp on where 1185 01:13:50,680 --> 01:13:56,400 Speaker 1: even the quote unquote face is this thing. It's it's 1186 01:13:56,479 --> 01:14:01,439 Speaker 1: literally it. There's like a pink hub on the front, 1187 01:14:01,479 --> 01:14:04,360 Speaker 1: which is as the approximation of like the nose where 1188 01:14:04,360 --> 01:14:08,559 Speaker 1: the noses, but that's basically it. It's the rest of 1189 01:14:08,600 --> 01:14:12,000 Speaker 1: it is covered in almost like polar bear like light 1190 01:14:12,120 --> 01:14:16,800 Speaker 1: colored fur. Um. How big? And I just lost the 1191 01:14:16,840 --> 01:14:18,840 Speaker 1: Google doc for a second, but how big are we 1192 01:14:18,880 --> 01:14:22,040 Speaker 1: talking about? Your not very big? Like that's a small lizard, 1193 01:14:22,120 --> 01:14:25,400 Speaker 1: so probably like about the size of your, well, maybe 1194 01:14:25,400 --> 01:14:28,360 Speaker 1: my hand, like uh, you know, just like it it 1195 01:14:28,720 --> 01:14:30,960 Speaker 1: fit in your hand. It's it's okay, a big thing. 1196 01:14:31,280 --> 01:14:34,439 Speaker 1: So so this one then and similar to the golden mole, 1197 01:14:34,560 --> 01:14:38,639 Speaker 1: than uh, I'm gonna go on the cute spectrum for 1198 01:14:38,640 --> 01:14:42,240 Speaker 1: for these guys because of their tininess. Um, if these 1199 01:14:42,280 --> 01:14:48,320 Speaker 1: things were had any significant size to them, terrifying silently 1200 01:14:48,400 --> 01:14:52,080 Speaker 1: moved through the sand and like and tremors emerged from 1201 01:14:52,080 --> 01:14:55,680 Speaker 1: the sand like the sandworms. Yeah yeah, I know they 1202 01:14:55,680 --> 01:14:59,040 Speaker 1: would be terrifying if they were any bigger. Wow. Okay, 1203 01:14:59,200 --> 01:15:01,800 Speaker 1: and then the last one we're going to talk about 1204 01:15:01,880 --> 01:15:06,000 Speaker 1: is the mole rat. Again not an actual mole uh. 1205 01:15:06,040 --> 01:15:09,280 Speaker 1: There are lots of different species of mole rats. You 1206 01:15:09,320 --> 01:15:13,080 Speaker 1: may be familiar with the naked mole rat, which is 1207 01:15:13,120 --> 01:15:17,000 Speaker 1: that lovely little mole rat that is totally nude, lives 1208 01:15:17,120 --> 01:15:22,000 Speaker 1: the nude lifestyle and is proud of it. It's very progressive. 1209 01:15:22,240 --> 01:15:26,400 Speaker 1: But most mole rat species actually have fur uh and 1210 01:15:26,520 --> 01:15:31,080 Speaker 1: so they can be. As we've talked about before, naked 1211 01:15:31,120 --> 01:15:34,080 Speaker 1: mole rats live in a colony much like a beehive 1212 01:15:34,680 --> 01:15:39,200 Speaker 1: and our youth social um. But there are some furry 1213 01:15:39,320 --> 01:15:42,120 Speaker 1: mole rat species that also have some form of youth 1214 01:15:42,120 --> 01:15:46,080 Speaker 1: sociality UM. But some of them don't so, so they're 1215 01:15:46,240 --> 01:15:49,519 Speaker 1: different species of mole rat. But they look like moles 1216 01:15:49,880 --> 01:15:54,519 Speaker 1: uh and they uh. Their eyesight again is like limited 1217 01:15:55,160 --> 01:15:59,320 Speaker 1: ranges from being very very poor to being completely blind um. 1218 01:15:59,520 --> 01:16:03,599 Speaker 1: And they burrow in the earth uh so like all 1219 01:16:03,600 --> 01:16:07,559 Speaker 1: of these these are are called phosporal animals because they 1220 01:16:07,600 --> 01:16:12,240 Speaker 1: spend most of their time underground uh and they have 1221 01:16:12,439 --> 01:16:16,680 Speaker 1: large claws for burrowing no external ears. The big difference 1222 01:16:16,760 --> 01:16:19,640 Speaker 1: between mole rats and the rest of these mole like 1223 01:16:19,800 --> 01:16:22,799 Speaker 1: animals and moles is that they actually have these really 1224 01:16:22,920 --> 01:16:28,280 Speaker 1: large front teeth, so more like a beaver or a rabbit. 1225 01:16:28,320 --> 01:16:31,200 Speaker 1: They have these huge front teeth that they use to 1226 01:16:31,920 --> 01:16:36,200 Speaker 1: like tunnel through roots and and make these these big burrows. 1227 01:16:36,240 --> 01:16:39,519 Speaker 1: And it probably serves them well in making these big 1228 01:16:40,160 --> 01:16:44,040 Speaker 1: colonies of like permanent burrows for them to live in, 1229 01:16:45,320 --> 01:16:48,479 Speaker 1: uh and to chew through like hard roots and things. 1230 01:16:48,520 --> 01:16:51,680 Speaker 1: So so it's it's if you see like something you 1231 01:16:51,720 --> 01:16:54,240 Speaker 1: think is a mole, but it has big like beaver teeth, 1232 01:16:54,320 --> 01:16:58,000 Speaker 1: It's not a mole, it's a it's a mole rat. 1233 01:16:58,040 --> 01:17:02,960 Speaker 1: These teeth just look comical like and I know with 1234 01:17:02,960 --> 01:17:06,160 Speaker 1: with these types of of rodents, when with these types 1235 01:17:06,200 --> 01:17:09,200 Speaker 1: of animals that they basically if if they don't find 1236 01:17:09,280 --> 01:17:11,640 Speaker 1: things to chew on, then their teeth will actually like 1237 01:17:11,680 --> 01:17:15,479 Speaker 1: grow through their upper and lower lips sometimes. Um, so 1238 01:17:15,720 --> 01:17:19,000 Speaker 1: these these teeth are InCred This photo is so funny. 1239 01:17:19,040 --> 01:17:21,320 Speaker 1: I cannot stop looking at it because it does not 1240 01:17:21,520 --> 01:17:25,320 Speaker 1: look real at all. The the between the teeth and 1241 01:17:25,360 --> 01:17:29,719 Speaker 1: the it's almost like it has a shocked expression on space. 1242 01:17:30,840 --> 01:17:36,360 Speaker 1: It's so yeah, look they look like Jim Henson creations. 1243 01:17:36,439 --> 01:17:38,960 Speaker 1: Yes they do. Yes, like like a dark crystal or 1244 01:17:39,520 --> 01:17:42,360 Speaker 1: one of those movies with the the Henson Henson, Mommy, 1245 01:17:42,520 --> 01:17:46,200 Speaker 1: that's exactly what it looks like. And yeah, so so 1246 01:17:46,600 --> 01:17:49,040 Speaker 1: moles are not or mole like animals are not the 1247 01:17:49,080 --> 01:17:54,000 Speaker 1: only ones that have these uncanny parallel or convergent evolution. 1248 01:17:54,120 --> 01:17:59,479 Speaker 1: So so these would whether this is convergent or parallel, um, 1249 01:17:59,520 --> 01:18:02,280 Speaker 1: I think it it's it kind of differs based on 1250 01:18:02,360 --> 01:18:04,640 Speaker 1: your opinion as a biologist. Like some would say this 1251 01:18:04,720 --> 01:18:11,160 Speaker 1: is convergent evolution because they are, you know, not related 1252 01:18:11,320 --> 01:18:14,160 Speaker 1: enough to each other for it to be parallel evolutions. 1253 01:18:14,160 --> 01:18:16,760 Speaker 1: Some might say, like, well they there, they share a 1254 01:18:16,840 --> 01:18:19,680 Speaker 1: close enough common ancestor that this would count, or some 1255 01:18:19,760 --> 01:18:22,360 Speaker 1: cases of this would count as parallel evolution. I don't know. 1256 01:18:22,400 --> 01:18:24,479 Speaker 1: I think it's kind of borderline because they are pretty 1257 01:18:24,520 --> 01:18:29,760 Speaker 1: distantly related. Um. But a definite example of parallel evolution 1258 01:18:30,360 --> 01:18:37,040 Speaker 1: or sorry, a definite example of convergent evolution is ichthyosaurs 1259 01:18:37,360 --> 01:18:43,080 Speaker 1: and dolphins. So ich theo uh sores are extinct aquatic 1260 01:18:43,160 --> 01:18:49,400 Speaker 1: reptiles back in dinosaur times early Triassic too late Cretaceous 1261 01:18:49,439 --> 01:18:54,760 Speaker 1: that these mini species of saurs lived and the species 1262 01:18:54,880 --> 01:18:58,760 Speaker 1: ranged from being only one m to sixteen meters long, 1263 01:18:58,880 --> 01:19:02,600 Speaker 1: So that's three to fifty feet long. So good. Some 1264 01:19:03,479 --> 01:19:07,559 Speaker 1: species were gigantic and some are cute and widow wow. 1265 01:19:08,000 --> 01:19:11,519 Speaker 1: But yeah, they look kind of like weird dolphins. So 1266 01:19:11,920 --> 01:19:15,559 Speaker 1: they're dolphins shape. They have the long snout. Uh, they're 1267 01:19:15,640 --> 01:19:19,200 Speaker 1: often obviously, their anatomy is not completely the same as dolphins. 1268 01:19:19,200 --> 01:19:24,400 Speaker 1: They have that um vertical tail rather than the horizontal table. 1269 01:19:24,600 --> 01:19:27,599 Speaker 1: And that has to do with the evolution of dolphins, 1270 01:19:27,600 --> 01:19:33,840 Speaker 1: where they uh evolved from terrestrial animals. Um. Whereas atheosaurs 1271 01:19:34,400 --> 01:19:37,439 Speaker 1: you know, well they I guess they also may have 1272 01:19:37,479 --> 01:19:41,719 Speaker 1: evolved from terrestrial animals. Huh. But I guess it depends 1273 01:19:41,840 --> 01:19:46,799 Speaker 1: on the pelvic shape of the reptiles that they evolved 1274 01:19:46,840 --> 01:19:49,680 Speaker 1: from must have been different from the pelvic shape of 1275 01:19:49,720 --> 01:19:53,320 Speaker 1: the terrestrial animals that dolphins evolved from. And so it's interesting. 1276 01:19:53,680 --> 01:19:57,920 Speaker 1: I always wondered if if the the finn shape had 1277 01:19:57,960 --> 01:20:01,200 Speaker 1: anything to do with the body eas of water. I guess, 1278 01:20:01,600 --> 01:20:04,800 Speaker 1: like the currents, Like what was more efficient as far 1279 01:20:04,840 --> 01:20:08,439 Speaker 1: as swimming against or with the currents? Uh, the kind 1280 01:20:08,479 --> 01:20:12,800 Speaker 1: of kind of the you know, that's the primary one 1281 01:20:12,840 --> 01:20:15,519 Speaker 1: of the primary things as far as the what the 1282 01:20:15,560 --> 01:20:20,720 Speaker 1: tail does is is locomotion. So how how efficient it 1283 01:20:20,840 --> 01:20:23,720 Speaker 1: was for them to to have either a vertical or 1284 01:20:23,720 --> 01:20:27,200 Speaker 1: horizontal one depending on their environment and body of water. 1285 01:20:27,760 --> 01:20:31,639 Speaker 1: It really actually has more to do with the way 1286 01:20:31,680 --> 01:20:36,440 Speaker 1: that their pelvis and spine evolved. So with with terrestrial 1287 01:20:36,560 --> 01:20:39,960 Speaker 1: four legged animals, they're walking was like an up and 1288 01:20:40,040 --> 01:20:43,320 Speaker 1: down undulation. So like you see you see like a 1289 01:20:43,360 --> 01:20:45,840 Speaker 1: horse walking or a dog walking, there's a sort of 1290 01:20:45,880 --> 01:20:48,799 Speaker 1: like they don't like do too much of the sachet 1291 01:20:48,840 --> 01:20:50,880 Speaker 1: from side to side. If you see like a lizard 1292 01:20:50,920 --> 01:20:53,720 Speaker 1: walking and it's doing that side to side thingy, it's 1293 01:20:53,760 --> 01:20:55,760 Speaker 1: got more of a side to side motion with its 1294 01:20:55,760 --> 01:20:59,080 Speaker 1: spine and pelvis and its locomotion, whereas a dog you 1295 01:20:59,120 --> 01:21:01,400 Speaker 1: see a dog or hyote eloping, it kind of has 1296 01:21:01,400 --> 01:21:03,040 Speaker 1: this up and down. You sit on a horse, you're 1297 01:21:03,040 --> 01:21:05,439 Speaker 1: gonna bounce up and down and up and down because 1298 01:21:05,439 --> 01:21:08,400 Speaker 1: it's fine and it's pelvis has more of this undulating. 1299 01:21:08,600 --> 01:21:10,439 Speaker 1: The way that his legs work is more of an 1300 01:21:10,520 --> 01:21:15,120 Speaker 1: up and down motion. Where's the way reptiles pelvic girl 1301 01:21:15,200 --> 01:21:16,880 Speaker 1: kind of works as more of a side to side 1302 01:21:17,160 --> 01:21:22,760 Speaker 1: just a snake, yeah, which originally snakes had legs and 1303 01:21:22,760 --> 01:21:25,400 Speaker 1: then they eventually dropped their legs, but they kept that 1304 01:21:25,479 --> 01:21:29,000 Speaker 1: side to side locomotion. Um so the same thing with 1305 01:21:29,080 --> 01:21:32,719 Speaker 1: the ichthyosaur and the dolphin. The ichthyosaur has that side 1306 01:21:32,720 --> 01:21:35,880 Speaker 1: to side motion with the vertical tail like fish do, 1307 01:21:36,439 --> 01:21:40,280 Speaker 1: and dolphins instead of have that flat, horizontal tail because 1308 01:21:40,280 --> 01:21:43,400 Speaker 1: they evolved from like little deer like terrestrial animals that 1309 01:21:43,479 --> 01:21:46,560 Speaker 1: had that up and down pelvic girdle motion, and so 1310 01:21:46,840 --> 01:21:49,720 Speaker 1: they still have that up and down motion of the 1311 01:21:49,760 --> 01:21:55,400 Speaker 1: spine and the pelvis. So what what what kind of tail? Eventually, 1312 01:21:55,520 --> 01:22:01,160 Speaker 1: billions of years from now, kangaroos have stayed in the water, 1313 01:22:02,160 --> 01:22:05,840 Speaker 1: mean mugging the rest of the animal kingdom, you know, saying, 1314 01:22:05,920 --> 01:22:11,879 Speaker 1: come on, they're gonna look like terrifying dolphins. Okay, okay, man, okay, 1315 01:22:11,920 --> 01:22:15,679 Speaker 1: now kangaroo dolphins. Oh man, that's a that's a visual 1316 01:22:16,080 --> 01:22:18,760 Speaker 1: uh that that is scary as hell. Well, if you 1317 01:22:18,800 --> 01:22:21,840 Speaker 1: want to think, if you want to see approximately what 1318 01:22:21,920 --> 01:22:25,840 Speaker 1: a kangaroo dolphin looks like, just scrolled down in this document. 1319 01:22:25,880 --> 01:22:30,360 Speaker 1: Because the Ambula stas, which is an extinct semi aquatic mammal, 1320 01:22:30,800 --> 01:22:35,839 Speaker 1: is actually the ancestor of all cetaceans like dolphins, whales, 1321 01:22:36,520 --> 01:22:40,800 Speaker 1: and it looks like a cross between a kangaroo and 1322 01:22:40,840 --> 01:22:45,720 Speaker 1: a crocodile. Wow. Yes, it does. Holy cow, I've never 1323 01:22:45,760 --> 01:22:48,840 Speaker 1: seen one of these things before, not just I just 1324 01:22:48,880 --> 01:22:51,760 Speaker 1: meant like, obviously, I've never actually seen any of these 1325 01:22:51,800 --> 01:22:55,880 Speaker 1: things before. Nobody has got a pet ambula cetis. Yeah, 1326 01:22:55,880 --> 01:22:59,880 Speaker 1: oh man, that is wild looking. Yeah, it looks, you know, 1327 01:23:00,080 --> 01:23:02,280 Speaker 1: like the the hands and feet have kind of like 1328 01:23:02,320 --> 01:23:05,880 Speaker 1: an otter um, like a river otter type of vibe 1329 01:23:05,880 --> 01:23:09,960 Speaker 1: to them. But that tail is absolutely it's all kangaroo tail. 1330 01:23:10,160 --> 01:23:12,800 Speaker 1: And that that head, the teeth very much like the 1331 01:23:13,280 --> 01:23:15,920 Speaker 1: crocodile that you've got a photo next to it of. Man, 1332 01:23:16,000 --> 01:23:18,640 Speaker 1: that's wild looking. Yeah, it looks like you gave a 1333 01:23:18,720 --> 01:23:24,439 Speaker 1: crocodile fur and yes, and it's oddly horrifying, but yeah, 1334 01:23:24,479 --> 01:23:27,920 Speaker 1: that's that's uh again, here's I mean, that is another 1335 01:23:27,960 --> 01:23:34,160 Speaker 1: example of um convergent evolution. You have completely unrelated crocodile, 1336 01:23:34,240 --> 01:23:38,720 Speaker 1: completely unrelated mammal just having this similar body shape, and 1337 01:23:38,800 --> 01:23:43,519 Speaker 1: then the ambulo seati goes on to evolve into the dolphin, 1338 01:23:43,840 --> 01:23:46,599 Speaker 1: which has a very similar body shape to the ichtheo 1339 01:23:46,680 --> 01:23:50,719 Speaker 1: store So it happens all the day time, a bunch 1340 01:23:50,760 --> 01:23:54,880 Speaker 1: of hacks. Really, yeah, it's it's uh, it's it's back 1341 01:23:54,920 --> 01:24:00,160 Speaker 1: to that molarization thing. There's certain environmental pressures that if 1342 01:24:00,200 --> 01:24:03,439 Speaker 1: you let the computer program go on long enough, it's 1343 01:24:03,479 --> 01:24:06,519 Speaker 1: going to revert back to the most efficient one. It's like, 1344 01:24:06,560 --> 01:24:09,439 Speaker 1: I mean, humans do it in car design all the time, right, 1345 01:24:09,840 --> 01:24:13,120 Speaker 1: Like there's there's there's a reason most cars have a 1346 01:24:13,200 --> 01:24:16,960 Speaker 1: similar body shape to them because we've you know, had 1347 01:24:17,040 --> 01:24:20,320 Speaker 1: enough people attempt this and and and experiment with it. 1348 01:24:20,560 --> 01:24:22,800 Speaker 1: When it's like a three wheeled car that's sort of 1349 01:24:22,840 --> 01:24:27,520 Speaker 1: a wedge shaped, it just keeps falling over exactly exactly. 1350 01:24:27,560 --> 01:24:31,400 Speaker 1: There's certain certain environmental factors that just make it all 1351 01:24:31,439 --> 01:24:35,000 Speaker 1: all come back to a similar, similar type vibe. Man. 1352 01:24:35,080 --> 01:24:40,240 Speaker 1: That is, if I that's a new horror. If you 1353 01:24:40,280 --> 01:24:42,040 Speaker 1: are swimming in like a river or a lake and 1354 01:24:42,120 --> 01:24:45,000 Speaker 1: you imagine and and say the word for me again 1355 01:24:45,080 --> 01:24:50,080 Speaker 1: and bets and bulla SETAs, that is a new that's 1356 01:24:50,160 --> 01:24:55,920 Speaker 1: nightmare fuel right there, Absolute nightmare fuel. Yeah, it's Uh. 1357 01:24:55,960 --> 01:24:57,400 Speaker 1: I wouldn't want to be in the water with one 1358 01:24:57,439 --> 01:25:01,040 Speaker 1: of these guys or a kangaroo. No, no, not at all. 1359 01:25:01,160 --> 01:25:03,080 Speaker 1: I don't I don't want to, UH don't want to 1360 01:25:03,080 --> 01:25:06,519 Speaker 1: get drowned by kangaroo or torn to shreds by the 1361 01:25:06,520 --> 01:25:12,360 Speaker 1: teeth of this thing. God, Okay, that's scary. Yeah, yeah, 1362 01:25:12,479 --> 01:25:14,320 Speaker 1: I mean it's like one of those things where it's like, well, 1363 01:25:14,320 --> 01:25:19,320 Speaker 1: what if a crocodile was fluffy, would it be cuter? No, 1364 01:25:20,000 --> 01:25:23,080 Speaker 1: I'd rather spend time with the crocodile than this thing. 1365 01:25:23,320 --> 01:25:27,599 Speaker 1: God no, I uh not a crocodile, but I did. 1366 01:25:28,000 --> 01:25:33,679 Speaker 1: Um uh. This is probably very illegal for me to say, 1367 01:25:33,720 --> 01:25:37,759 Speaker 1: but a friend of mine was re homing a baby 1368 01:25:37,800 --> 01:25:40,919 Speaker 1: alligator that I got to I got to sit babysit 1369 01:25:41,040 --> 01:25:43,040 Speaker 1: for the weekend until he had to go out of town. 1370 01:25:43,240 --> 01:25:45,080 Speaker 1: But it was like in the pond next to his house, 1371 01:25:45,120 --> 01:25:48,720 Speaker 1: and he wanted to rehome it to another uh like 1372 01:25:48,840 --> 01:25:51,519 Speaker 1: body of water because you know, he didn't want it 1373 01:25:51,560 --> 01:25:53,720 Speaker 1: to There's lots of dogs in the neighborhoods, you know 1374 01:25:53,960 --> 01:25:56,360 Speaker 1: we were talking about, and we have lots of alligators 1375 01:25:56,400 --> 01:25:58,920 Speaker 1: around here, so there's so this is like a this 1376 01:25:59,000 --> 01:26:02,439 Speaker 1: is like a natural alligator. This is not a pet. Yeah, 1377 01:26:02,479 --> 01:26:05,439 Speaker 1: exactly exactly. This was just he was Yeah, I said 1378 01:26:05,479 --> 01:26:09,120 Speaker 1: re homing. I meant like, actually gonna be like like 1379 01:26:09,160 --> 01:26:11,600 Speaker 1: an alligator with a little collar on, and I'd have 1380 01:26:11,680 --> 01:26:15,639 Speaker 1: to have a conversation about alligators as pets do not 1381 01:26:15,840 --> 01:26:19,559 Speaker 1: keep alligators as pets. But I we he was kept 1382 01:26:19,600 --> 01:26:22,559 Speaker 1: in an aquarium for like two days, um, and then 1383 01:26:22,600 --> 01:26:25,080 Speaker 1: we re homed him to a larger body of water 1384 01:26:25,200 --> 01:26:27,680 Speaker 1: that he could he could flourish in and thrive. But 1385 01:26:27,920 --> 01:26:32,719 Speaker 1: they're adorable when they're cute, so so adorable and uh 1386 01:26:33,000 --> 01:26:35,400 Speaker 1: but but yeah, add for to it and that would 1387 01:26:35,439 --> 01:26:38,960 Speaker 1: be that would cross that uncanny valley into just terrifying. 1388 01:26:39,320 --> 01:26:42,720 Speaker 1: I don't know, like a baby, a baby, I mean 1389 01:26:42,720 --> 01:26:45,920 Speaker 1: baby alligators are so cute, and the little sounds they make, 1390 01:26:45,960 --> 01:26:50,160 Speaker 1: they make this little like air a sound because they 1391 01:26:50,280 --> 01:26:53,839 Speaker 1: call out to their mommy's too. It's so pathetic sounding. 1392 01:26:54,160 --> 01:26:57,280 Speaker 1: It's just like it's like listening to a tiger cub 1393 01:26:57,360 --> 01:27:00,880 Speaker 1: trying to roar for the first time. It's so cute. 1394 01:27:00,920 --> 01:27:03,840 Speaker 1: They are so adorable. Um, but yeah, they grow up 1395 01:27:03,880 --> 01:27:08,720 Speaker 1: into big alligators and those are not good pets. Uh 1396 01:27:08,760 --> 01:27:12,479 Speaker 1: and uh yeah. The but if you covered a baby 1397 01:27:12,520 --> 01:27:15,320 Speaker 1: alligator and for a little cute, but then when it 1398 01:27:15,360 --> 01:27:19,880 Speaker 1: grows up, no, no longer cute, very scary exactly. I 1399 01:27:19,880 --> 01:27:21,600 Speaker 1: feel like it would be like kind of have like 1400 01:27:21,640 --> 01:27:24,840 Speaker 1: a ferret vibe yeah, with a big mat like a 1401 01:27:24,880 --> 01:27:30,519 Speaker 1: longer mouth, longer mouth way way bigger eyes. Yeah, Gary, 1402 01:27:33,560 --> 01:27:35,960 Speaker 1: we really came full circle, right. We got the we 1403 01:27:36,040 --> 01:27:40,200 Speaker 1: got the aquatic crocodile kangaroo that would definitely probably try 1404 01:27:40,200 --> 01:27:43,920 Speaker 1: to drown you, because crocodiles do actually use uh they 1405 01:27:43,960 --> 01:27:46,840 Speaker 1: will drown, try to drown prey in the water. Still 1406 01:27:46,880 --> 01:27:49,400 Speaker 1: grab something, yeah, death, roll it, bring it, bring it 1407 01:27:49,439 --> 01:27:52,200 Speaker 1: down into the water. So at least we'll know that 1408 01:27:52,240 --> 01:27:56,120 Speaker 1: there used to be the ambulacidas, which was looked like 1409 01:27:56,160 --> 01:27:59,240 Speaker 1: the cross between a crocodile and kangaroo and probably wanted 1410 01:27:59,280 --> 01:28:02,599 Speaker 1: to drown me. I. Uh So the the only other 1411 01:28:02,640 --> 01:28:05,439 Speaker 1: experiences that I've had with alligators growing up, we did 1412 01:28:05,479 --> 01:28:08,479 Speaker 1: a lot of crabbing around here where we just tie 1413 01:28:08,520 --> 01:28:10,200 Speaker 1: a piece of chicken on the end of a string 1414 01:28:10,600 --> 01:28:12,519 Speaker 1: and you know, hanging off the end of a pier 1415 01:28:12,600 --> 01:28:17,840 Speaker 1: or stuff and uh and and catch blue crab with it. Um. Yeah, 1416 01:28:17,880 --> 01:28:19,479 Speaker 1: it was. It was. It was a quick way to 1417 01:28:19,680 --> 01:28:23,280 Speaker 1: uh to to bring home some blue crab um. And 1418 01:28:23,479 --> 01:28:25,400 Speaker 1: we a couple of times when we did it in 1419 01:28:25,400 --> 01:28:27,679 Speaker 1: the Cape Fear River because it's it's very brackish water. 1420 01:28:27,680 --> 01:28:29,960 Speaker 1: Because we're also I've got the inter coastal on one 1421 01:28:30,000 --> 01:28:32,839 Speaker 1: side of the Cape Fear on the other, and uh, 1422 01:28:32,880 --> 01:28:35,960 Speaker 1: there's lots of alligators in in that river, and the 1423 01:28:36,000 --> 01:28:37,800 Speaker 1: alligator every once in a while would come up and 1424 01:28:37,800 --> 01:28:40,240 Speaker 1: grab the chicken and we would play tug of war 1425 01:28:40,320 --> 01:28:44,400 Speaker 1: with the alligator. And on my drive home from work, 1426 01:28:44,640 --> 01:28:48,200 Speaker 1: I drive a road called River Road that runs parallel 1427 01:28:48,240 --> 01:28:50,240 Speaker 1: to the Cape Fear and there was just like a 1428 01:28:50,360 --> 01:28:52,920 Speaker 1: six and a half foot or just chilling in the 1429 01:28:52,920 --> 01:28:56,639 Speaker 1: middle of the road and brought traffic to a screeching halt. 1430 01:28:56,840 --> 01:28:59,639 Speaker 1: So I very stupidly, and I do not recommend anybody 1431 01:28:59,760 --> 01:29:03,879 Speaker 1: do this. Don't do this, don't, but I was afraid 1432 01:29:03,960 --> 01:29:07,080 Speaker 1: somebody was gonna was gonna hit this thing. And there's 1433 01:29:07,080 --> 01:29:09,280 Speaker 1: a golf course on the other side of the road 1434 01:29:09,479 --> 01:29:12,000 Speaker 1: with ponds on it. So these alligators will come up 1435 01:29:12,000 --> 01:29:14,320 Speaker 1: out of the river and go chill in the golf course. 1436 01:29:14,840 --> 01:29:18,919 Speaker 1: Uh for for you know, however long. And so I grabbed. 1437 01:29:19,080 --> 01:29:22,360 Speaker 1: I had a pair of like bolt cutters or something 1438 01:29:22,360 --> 01:29:24,720 Speaker 1: in the back of my my pickup truck, and so 1439 01:29:24,840 --> 01:29:27,479 Speaker 1: I I stretched them out, I extend them, and I 1440 01:29:27,520 --> 01:29:29,680 Speaker 1: put on a pair of gloves, these leather gloves that 1441 01:29:29,720 --> 01:29:34,400 Speaker 1: I had, and I dangle one end of the bolt 1442 01:29:34,439 --> 01:29:36,559 Speaker 1: cutters in front of like the mouth the head of 1443 01:29:36,640 --> 01:29:39,479 Speaker 1: him to get his attention, and then I just grabbed 1444 01:29:39,479 --> 01:29:42,120 Speaker 1: his tail and slung him like as hard, you know, 1445 01:29:42,200 --> 01:29:46,120 Speaker 1: not not violently or anything, but just it is still 1446 01:29:46,160 --> 01:29:48,720 Speaker 1: to this day, I still get the tingly sensation when 1447 01:29:48,720 --> 01:29:51,200 Speaker 1: I think about doing that, because it was the stupidest 1448 01:29:51,200 --> 01:29:53,280 Speaker 1: thing I could have done, but it was just a 1449 01:29:53,280 --> 01:29:55,080 Speaker 1: spur of the moment. I'm gonna try this and I 1450 01:29:55,120 --> 01:29:57,000 Speaker 1: hope it works out. And then he just waddled off 1451 01:29:57,000 --> 01:29:59,960 Speaker 1: and seemed completely fine headed, headed down towards the river. 1452 01:30:00,360 --> 01:30:04,880 Speaker 1: That's so yeah, don't don't do that. You're not never 1453 01:30:04,960 --> 01:30:08,040 Speaker 1: do that. It's so funny though, because it's like yesterday 1454 01:30:08,040 --> 01:30:09,920 Speaker 1: I was like, oh, there was a there was a 1455 01:30:09,960 --> 01:30:12,320 Speaker 1: fledgling bird in the middle of a sidewalk, and it 1456 01:30:12,400 --> 01:30:16,080 Speaker 1: was like relocated it to a hedge, and I felt like, wow, 1457 01:30:16,120 --> 01:30:18,680 Speaker 1: I'm interacting with nature, and you're like, yeah, one time 1458 01:30:18,720 --> 01:30:21,000 Speaker 1: I grabbed an alligator and just like yeted it right 1459 01:30:21,040 --> 01:30:26,559 Speaker 1: into a golf course. Honestly, I like the unpredicted, like 1460 01:30:26,880 --> 01:30:29,559 Speaker 1: the alligator is long enough that like grabbing its pale 1461 01:30:29,640 --> 01:30:32,080 Speaker 1: is still a good you know, six ft away from it, 1462 01:30:32,640 --> 01:30:36,880 Speaker 1: and I know alligators are extremely fast when they whipped 1463 01:30:36,920 --> 01:30:39,760 Speaker 1: that head around, but I I as soon as I 1464 01:30:39,800 --> 01:30:43,080 Speaker 1: grabbed the tail, I also started moving, so like the 1465 01:30:43,560 --> 01:30:46,759 Speaker 1: momentum the inertia kept him from like really doing anything. 1466 01:30:47,200 --> 01:30:51,840 Speaker 1: But handling a bird is more stressful to me than 1467 01:30:52,240 --> 01:30:55,720 Speaker 1: than probably what I did with the alligator, because they 1468 01:30:55,760 --> 01:30:59,400 Speaker 1: are able to uh, their their talents and their beaks 1469 01:30:59,439 --> 01:31:02,679 Speaker 1: are so quit and so close to your hands. Yeah, 1470 01:31:04,439 --> 01:31:07,080 Speaker 1: I was in so much danger. You were, You were 1471 01:31:07,280 --> 01:31:11,240 Speaker 1: baby sparrow. Yeah, baby sparrows have right and I'm glad 1472 01:31:11,280 --> 01:31:15,240 Speaker 1: that you were that you have right. Well, thank you 1473 01:31:15,360 --> 01:31:18,800 Speaker 1: so much for being on the show. You're a wonderful gift. 1474 01:31:19,400 --> 01:31:25,360 Speaker 1: Although I know he's a very charismatic gift. Don't handle alligators, don't, please, 1475 01:31:25,400 --> 01:31:27,880 Speaker 1: do not. Don't don't. It was very stupid of me. 1476 01:31:28,280 --> 01:31:31,439 Speaker 1: I I still think about it to this every once 1477 01:31:31,479 --> 01:31:33,519 Speaker 1: in a while, I'll think about doing that and just like, 1478 01:31:33,600 --> 01:31:36,040 Speaker 1: what the hell? And that's why we call him all 1479 01:31:36,200 --> 01:31:42,320 Speaker 1: one arm Christie. Ye, Well, hey, where can people find you? 1480 01:31:42,960 --> 01:31:46,960 Speaker 1: So you can find me at on Twitter at wopple 1481 01:31:47,000 --> 01:31:49,439 Speaker 1: House w A P P L E h O U 1482 01:31:49,560 --> 01:31:53,439 Speaker 1: s e UM and I host, as you said at 1483 01:31:53,479 --> 01:31:56,320 Speaker 1: the top of the show, lour after Hours, which if 1484 01:31:56,320 --> 01:31:59,200 Speaker 1: you're a fan of the Dan Lebottard Show, this might 1485 01:31:59,240 --> 01:32:01,400 Speaker 1: be in your wheelhouse or something you might want to 1486 01:32:01,439 --> 01:32:03,240 Speaker 1: check out. If you're not a fan of the Dan 1487 01:32:03,320 --> 01:32:07,360 Speaker 1: Lebottard Show, honestly you're it's it's gonna be a tough listen. 1488 01:32:07,680 --> 01:32:12,040 Speaker 1: So if if that's not your thing, I completely understand. 1489 01:32:12,840 --> 01:32:16,960 Speaker 1: You can find me at George Center Pod on Twitter 1490 01:32:17,040 --> 01:32:19,799 Speaker 1: as well. That's another podcast I do with some friends 1491 01:32:19,800 --> 01:32:22,759 Speaker 1: of mine because the world doesn't have enough dude sitting 1492 01:32:22,800 --> 01:32:27,000 Speaker 1: around talking about stupid stuff. So that's that's George Center, 1493 01:32:27,080 --> 01:32:33,080 Speaker 1: like Gene Shorts and yes, George Center Pod, and uh, 1494 01:32:33,120 --> 01:32:36,559 Speaker 1: it's not about sports, so it's also like George's not 1495 01:32:36,640 --> 01:32:38,920 Speaker 1: sports exactly, it's a bunch of dudes sitting around in 1496 01:32:38,920 --> 01:32:42,599 Speaker 1: George's uh laughing. So uh that that's where you can 1497 01:32:42,600 --> 01:32:46,600 Speaker 1: find me. And you can find the podcast on the 1498 01:32:46,640 --> 01:32:50,240 Speaker 1: internet at Creature creature Pot on Instagram, at Creature feak 1499 01:32:50,280 --> 01:32:52,479 Speaker 1: pot on Twitter. That's f E A T, not f 1500 01:32:52,640 --> 01:32:56,000 Speaker 1: E T. That's it's very different. Uh. And if you 1501 01:32:56,160 --> 01:32:59,599 Speaker 1: want to send me in your email questions, you can 1502 01:32:59,600 --> 01:33:03,400 Speaker 1: send it to Creature Feature Pod at gmail dot com 1503 01:33:03,479 --> 01:33:07,240 Speaker 1: and I'll try to answer questions. Sometimes I'm a little slow, 1504 01:33:07,360 --> 01:33:09,599 Speaker 1: like I get I get kind of behind on stuff, 1505 01:33:09,640 --> 01:33:12,760 Speaker 1: but I am working through the emails. So if you 1506 01:33:12,840 --> 01:33:15,160 Speaker 1: sent in a question, I haven't answered it yet, Like, 1507 01:33:15,360 --> 01:33:18,360 Speaker 1: don't worry, I am. I am working on it. Um. 1508 01:33:18,400 --> 01:33:20,640 Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, keep sending those into me because I 1509 01:33:20,680 --> 01:33:23,719 Speaker 1: love to hear him and if yeah, sometimes I will 1510 01:33:23,840 --> 01:33:27,800 Speaker 1: answer them on the show. Uh and uh, you can 1511 01:33:27,840 --> 01:33:31,280 Speaker 1: find me at Katie Golden. That's just where I put 1512 01:33:31,280 --> 01:33:35,320 Speaker 1: my Katie thoughts. And as always, I am pro bird right. 1513 01:33:35,840 --> 01:33:39,320 Speaker 1: I'm a human, not a skin suit full of a 1514 01:33:39,439 --> 01:33:43,519 Speaker 1: flock of birds trying to trick humanity and into giving 1515 01:33:43,600 --> 01:33:48,519 Speaker 1: us more power for bread. Certainly not. Uh, thank you 1516 01:33:48,640 --> 01:33:51,639 Speaker 1: so much for listening. If you enjoy the show, please 1517 01:33:51,720 --> 01:33:54,559 Speaker 1: leave a rating and review that actually does tangibly help 1518 01:33:54,640 --> 01:33:59,560 Speaker 1: the podcast. It tells tells the iTunes and web webpoons 1519 01:33:59,600 --> 01:34:03,719 Speaker 1: and pod pod place at Internet that we're a good show, 1520 01:34:04,000 --> 01:34:06,639 Speaker 1: and it tricks the robots into you giving us attention. 1521 01:34:07,320 --> 01:34:10,679 Speaker 1: Uh and uh. Thanks to the Space Classics for their 1522 01:34:10,720 --> 01:34:14,680 Speaker 1: super awesome song Exo Lumina. Creature features a production of 1523 01:34:14,760 --> 01:34:17,479 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio. For more podcasts like the one you 1524 01:34:17,560 --> 01:34:19,799 Speaker 1: just heard, visit the I Heard Radio app Apple podcast 1525 01:34:19,920 --> 01:34:21,519 Speaker 1: or Hey guess what. Why have you listen to your 1526 01:34:21,520 --> 01:34:24,280 Speaker 1: favorite shows? I don't care, I don't judge. See you 1527 01:34:24,360 --> 01:34:28,840 Speaker 1: next Wednesday.