1 00:00:03,800 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,680 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to stuff to Blow your Mind. 3 00:00:14,120 --> 00:00:16,560 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb and I'm Julie Douglas. Julie, 4 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: How tall are you? That's pretty good, Lady Hyde right 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 1: for Lady Hid. Yeah, I'm a giant. No, it's I mean, yeah, 6 00:00:24,720 --> 00:00:27,440 Speaker 1: it's on the brand, but not so much. I mean, yeah, 7 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: well I'm I'm six three, which is like a good 8 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:33,400 Speaker 1: a good level of height, Like I think of that 9 00:00:33,479 --> 00:00:35,760 Speaker 1: as pretty tall. Actually well, I mean it's it's tall, 10 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,839 Speaker 1: but it's it's not. I mean, it's a little inconvenient. 11 00:00:39,080 --> 00:00:41,519 Speaker 1: I do bump my head a lot and forget a 12 00:00:41,520 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 1: lot of things as a result. But but it's it's not. 13 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:47,000 Speaker 1: It was a little more than I would just I 14 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,360 Speaker 1: would just have terminal brain injuries from running into things. Yeah. 15 00:00:50,440 --> 00:00:51,919 Speaker 1: Is My family would say, it looks like you got 16 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:56,320 Speaker 1: some Dutch in you, Dutch because the Dutch are tall. Well, 17 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: there you go. But some people are taller than others, 18 00:01:00,280 --> 00:01:03,760 Speaker 1: for some people and for many things. Uh, we're really 19 00:01:03,800 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 1: getting into the area of gigantism. We're getting into areas 20 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:10,120 Speaker 1: where it's amazing, into areas where it's it's kind of sad, 21 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: but well, And keep in mind too that humans are 22 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:18,559 Speaker 1: already considered megafauna to some degree, right, Like we're pretty 23 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: much dominating the mammal um species here, So when you 24 00:01:22,959 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: think of the ability to grow even larger, it seems 25 00:01:26,360 --> 00:01:29,119 Speaker 1: a bit odd, but it does happen. Um. This is 26 00:01:29,240 --> 00:01:34,240 Speaker 1: known as acromegaly and uh. It is usually a disorder 27 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: of the tuitary gland. Usually there's a tumor that grows 28 00:01:37,640 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: there and it causes UM the body just to continue growing, 29 00:01:41,040 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: particularly in puberty when you are growing anyway, so your 30 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: bones get very very large, a lot of human growth 31 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 1: hormone pumping out, increasing the bone sizes, which of course 32 00:01:51,040 --> 00:01:53,880 Speaker 1: makes the body bigger. This isn't corrected, which we're gonna 33 00:01:53,880 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: talk about in a minute. Again, you actually end up 34 00:01:56,240 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: having or or organ omegaly, wit which case you have 35 00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:04,160 Speaker 1: the organs getting bigger in size too. And yes, you 36 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: end up with an individual that's very tall or can 37 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,160 Speaker 1: be very tall. Not everyone with this condition ends up 38 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: becoming a legit giant, right, particularly if you get this 39 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 1: condition as an adult already. So which you find is that, like, 40 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: for instance, your tongue starts to swall get very large, 41 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: and that can lead to a host of problems, problems 42 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:28,480 Speaker 1: like hypertension, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep atna, breathing and 43 00:02:28,639 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: stops during sleep, carpal tunnel syndrome UM and then and 44 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: then again as as organ omegaly, hits sets in even 45 00:02:37,440 --> 00:02:41,400 Speaker 1: more problems, you know, especially a higher incidence of heart disease. 46 00:02:41,639 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: So sadly you see these a lot of these individuals, 47 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:48,399 Speaker 1: they they they are giants. They become they reach these 48 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,920 Speaker 1: this great stature and uh and especially with with the 49 00:02:51,919 --> 00:02:56,040 Speaker 1: individuals that have have a gigantism that involved themselves and 50 00:02:56,080 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: in the entertainment industry, we end up getting this, uh, 51 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: this grandiose vision of them as just superman, you know, 52 00:03:02,360 --> 00:03:05,600 Speaker 1: strong men. And in many cases they are very strong individuals. 53 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: But but later in life, uh, it often takes a 54 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 1: real toll on them, right, because you think about all 55 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:13,160 Speaker 1: of that blood that needs to be pumping to all 56 00:03:13,240 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: those now oversized organs. It is very streshful in the body. 57 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: And when you talk about superhero component of that, I 58 00:03:19,840 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: instantly think of Andre the Giant. Yes, uh, Andre Rusumov, 59 00:03:24,560 --> 00:03:29,480 Speaker 1: the wrestler actor Frenchman. Uh. Yeah, he only lived to 60 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: the age of forty six, but he was seven ft 61 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:38,080 Speaker 1: seven ft tall uh and five pounds at the end 62 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,400 Speaker 1: he was he chose not to be treated uh and 63 00:03:41,480 --> 00:03:45,120 Speaker 1: died of cardiac complications from the disease. But he's definitely 64 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:49,400 Speaker 1: a legend as far as modern day TV and film 65 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:52,240 Speaker 1: era giants goes. Oh yeah, I always think of him 66 00:03:52,240 --> 00:03:54,880 Speaker 1: in The Princess Pride. Yeah, because he's a wonderful movie. Yeah, 67 00:03:55,040 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: wonderful movie. He was great in that he was He 68 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,800 Speaker 1: was a larger than life character both on the screen 69 00:04:00,840 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: and inside the ring and outside where he he allegedly 70 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:09,320 Speaker 1: had just an amazing um ability to drink alcohol. Could 71 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: just I'm sure he want most of those contests out 72 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: of style. And you still have individuals with gigantism that 73 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:20,600 Speaker 1: are involved in um entertainment and pro wrestling today. Pro 74 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:25,160 Speaker 1: wrestling alone, you have you have Paul White who wrestles 75 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 1: as his big show. You have this guy, there's an 76 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:31,880 Speaker 1: Indian gentleman by the name of of Dolph singh Arana 77 00:04:31,960 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: who wrestles as the Great Kaleigue, various other individuals. So 78 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: because you have stature like that, inevitably some guy with 79 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:41,599 Speaker 1: a few bucks is gonna come up to and be like, hey, 80 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: have you ever considered being an entertainment? Um? And then 81 00:04:44,480 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: you have. There are other characters of note as well. 82 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:50,680 Speaker 1: There's a there was a man by the name of 83 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:55,320 Speaker 1: Maurice Killett who was who was a Russian born French 84 00:04:55,400 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: professional wrestler who wrestled under the name the French Angel. 85 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:00,760 Speaker 1: And he died back in again in fifty four. Um. 86 00:05:00,800 --> 00:05:02,600 Speaker 1: There's a man by the name of Rondo Hatton who 87 00:05:02,600 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: was an American actor. He died in six but he 88 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,320 Speaker 1: became really iconic is playing these uh, these grotesque thug 89 00:05:09,360 --> 00:05:12,160 Speaker 1: type characters and a lot of old B movies and 90 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: and he was he was rather iconic. In fact. Um, 91 00:05:15,320 --> 00:05:17,599 Speaker 1: I believe the character of Shrek is actually based on 92 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: his general physical appearance, because he had a very brutish 93 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,960 Speaker 1: look to her, you know. Um. And then of course 94 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,000 Speaker 1: there's Richard Kyle who played Jaws, and then James Bond movies, 95 00:05:27,040 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: the old James. Yeah, he's he's still with us um 96 00:05:31,200 --> 00:05:33,560 Speaker 1: um over seven ft tall. I think he's he's shrunk 97 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 1: a little, just with age, you know, you kind of 98 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:39,560 Speaker 1: end up stooping over a bit. But but the list 99 00:05:39,560 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 1: of other individuals who've who've who've had at least treated 100 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: acromegay is pretty interesting because it includes some surprises. For instance, 101 00:05:50,440 --> 00:05:53,960 Speaker 1: you were surprised at Tony Robbins. Yes, actually yeah, I 102 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 1: said that. I thought I just thought it was his 103 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:58,360 Speaker 1: oversized ego that I was perceiving. Yeah, you just thought 104 00:05:58,400 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 1: it who was larger than life? And because he is, 105 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: and he is he's six ft seven um poet Walls Stevens. 106 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: This surprised me. He was only six three So it 107 00:06:08,360 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: wasn't you know, as an as noticeable a case of gigantism. 108 00:06:13,520 --> 00:06:15,280 Speaker 1: But it was a pretty tall individual. This is a 109 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,320 Speaker 1: guy who wrote the poem The Emperor of ice Cream. 110 00:06:17,760 --> 00:06:24,480 Speaker 1: Another works um the the Roman emperor um maxim Maximinus, 111 00:06:24,560 --> 00:06:28,159 Speaker 1: the first who reigned from two thirty five to thirty eight. 112 00:06:28,880 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: According to um Um Herodians Historia Augusta, he was eight 113 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:38,360 Speaker 1: foot six inches in height. But that's somewhat doubtful that 114 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 1: he was actually that tall. But but still, um, there 115 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: was a giant from from the the history books. And 116 00:06:45,080 --> 00:06:47,080 Speaker 1: uh and and really you can it look like a 117 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:49,520 Speaker 1: whole list of individuals you can you can find out. Yeah, 118 00:06:49,640 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: I wanted to mention Sandy Allen. She was the world's 119 00:06:53,080 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: largest or tallest woman at seven seven and one quarter inch. 120 00:06:57,680 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: And she actually was a wonderful educator and and um 121 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 1: a lot of her education materials centered around differences she was. 122 00:07:05,720 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: She was definitely trying to promote that with other kids 123 00:07:08,279 --> 00:07:11,360 Speaker 1: and respecting other differences. So um, So, a lot of 124 00:07:11,360 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 1: these individuals may have made a buck or two off 125 00:07:14,240 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: of their stature, or it may have provided them with 126 00:07:17,520 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 1: opportunities that they wouldn't have otherwise had. But but a 127 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:24,080 Speaker 1: lot of them were really fascinating and successful individuals in 128 00:07:24,120 --> 00:07:27,119 Speaker 1: their own right that had nothing to do with their height. 129 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: Maybe Wall of Stevens um poetic gifts were you know, 130 00:07:30,760 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: if he was a shorter man, he would have had them. 131 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: But but I think that's a difficult argument. It's hard 132 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,280 Speaker 1: to say that's right. But as you mentioned, there is 133 00:07:37,360 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 1: treatment for this. One of it is one of the 134 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: treatments is surgical removal of the actually get in there 135 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: and remove the thing that is causing all of this 136 00:07:46,960 --> 00:07:49,600 Speaker 1: and checked growth. Right, And Sandy Allen actually had that 137 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: when she was twenty years old, but nonetheless, at the 138 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:54,440 Speaker 1: age of fifty three, she still passed away because again 139 00:07:54,840 --> 00:07:56,720 Speaker 1: at that point, you know, she had reached such a 140 00:07:56,760 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: height and her organs were so large that it did 141 00:07:59,080 --> 00:08:01,600 Speaker 1: attack her body. And then there are other methods of 142 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: treating it um that you can also use medication to 143 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:10,000 Speaker 1: halt the hormone and and then also some individuals undergo 144 00:08:11,000 --> 00:08:14,040 Speaker 1: radiation treatments as well. Yeah, and we should probably I 145 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:15,680 Speaker 1: don't know if we mentioned that before, but because of 146 00:08:15,680 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: the tumor on the tutary gland, what is happening is 147 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 1: you're getting an excess amount of growth hormones that are 148 00:08:20,200 --> 00:08:22,600 Speaker 1: shooting out, so that that is the root cause, right, So, 149 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,760 Speaker 1: and so you can't take medication to to check that, 150 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:29,120 Speaker 1: but but in many cases they often just go for 151 00:08:29,520 --> 00:08:34,120 Speaker 1: the more you know, certain cure. I guess um. But 152 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: we're not just here to talk about humans that are large. 153 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: We're we're also here to talk about animals that became 154 00:08:42,280 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 1: true giants. And of course, when you're talking about gigantic animals, 155 00:08:46,040 --> 00:08:50,679 Speaker 1: you can't help but to think of our friends, the dinosaurs, Yeah, immediately, right, 156 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: And most of the reason for that is because we 157 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:58,880 Speaker 1: don't really um get to see small bones of dinosaurs 158 00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:01,480 Speaker 1: because they don't preserve the well, so the bones that 159 00:09:01,559 --> 00:09:05,400 Speaker 1: we see exhibited in museums usually belong to the behemoth, 160 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:09,719 Speaker 1: So immediately we think about these guys um which they 161 00:09:09,840 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 1: definitely had gigantism um or I guess you could say 162 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:17,319 Speaker 1: in the natural world at that time. For the composition 163 00:09:17,559 --> 00:09:19,880 Speaker 1: of the elements in the world that they were living in, 164 00:09:20,040 --> 00:09:23,360 Speaker 1: this made most sense for them, some some animals depending 165 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: on their resources and energy. Yeah, and there's a theory 166 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:28,840 Speaker 1: too that it was basically an arms race of size, 167 00:09:29,080 --> 00:09:33,120 Speaker 1: because the larger the organism is, the fewer predators it has. 168 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:37,240 Speaker 1: Because you're, you know, this gigantic, hulking beast, uh not 169 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:39,000 Speaker 1: everything is going to be able to really eat you 170 00:09:39,840 --> 00:09:41,560 Speaker 1: or stand a chance of even taking you down. It's 171 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:43,040 Speaker 1: gonna come and like pulling your leg and you need 172 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 1: to stop on it. So there's an evolutionary advantage to 173 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: uh to to having a larger body and a larger statue, 174 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,600 Speaker 1: even if it comes with with certain negatives as well, 175 00:09:53,640 --> 00:09:56,200 Speaker 1: such as obviously you have to eat more food, and 176 00:09:56,200 --> 00:10:01,120 Speaker 1: then that also affects uh the rate at which young developed, 177 00:10:01,200 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: and in various other approcreative necessities. Yeah, and it said 178 00:10:06,080 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 1: that sura pods were particularly um at an advantage for 179 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:13,960 Speaker 1: this because they could have you know, a decent size 180 00:10:14,080 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: of of of young uns, and they could protect them 181 00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,080 Speaker 1: all and then they could pretty much rapidly grow to 182 00:10:20,200 --> 00:10:23,680 Speaker 1: these very huge sizes. And again another advantage of that 183 00:10:23,800 --> 00:10:27,120 Speaker 1: is you can stomp out the competition literally literally. Yeah, 184 00:10:27,400 --> 00:10:31,240 Speaker 1: they're actually um. From a Scientific American article called is 185 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:35,040 Speaker 1: there any evolutionary advantage to gigantism um, They these sore 186 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:38,000 Speaker 1: pods are actually called the first true giants of the land. 187 00:10:38,080 --> 00:10:40,520 Speaker 1: And they were small headed, long necked, that's probably what 188 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:42,400 Speaker 1: you're thinking of when you think about a sore pod. 189 00:10:43,120 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: And they appeared at the beginning of that time, about 190 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:50,680 Speaker 1: two hundred million years ago UM and uh, some of 191 00:10:50,679 --> 00:10:54,080 Speaker 1: these predatory dinosaurs exceeded one ton. Towards the end of 192 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:57,840 Speaker 1: the Jurassic ministre pods reached ten to twenty tons, and 193 00:10:57,960 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: some weighed as much as twenty or excuse me, fifty tons, 194 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:05,040 Speaker 1: and a few may have exceeded a hundred tons and 195 00:11:05,040 --> 00:11:08,600 Speaker 1: a hundred and fifty feet in length, which is actually 196 00:11:08,720 --> 00:11:13,560 Speaker 1: rivaling um, some of our largest modern whales because because 197 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:15,319 Speaker 1: as we've mentioned before, the blue whale is still the 198 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:21,040 Speaker 1: largest organism um the large certainly. Yeah, that's tricky too, Yeah, 199 00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:25,320 Speaker 1: because we discussed in our Largest Organism episode. Um, depending 200 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:27,400 Speaker 1: on how you defined organism, you can actually get into 201 00:11:27,440 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 1: some even larger things that are not vertebrates, but but 202 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:37,000 Speaker 1: certainly the largest vertebrate that has ever lived, the blue whale. Um. So, 203 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:41,200 Speaker 1: and of course you think about tyrannosaurs dominant meat eaters 204 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 1: of the late cretitious area, or scavengers whatever, the hot 205 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: theory of the moment happens to be exactly. They grew 206 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:50,880 Speaker 1: slowly until they were teenagers and they were marauding in 207 00:11:51,280 --> 00:11:53,880 Speaker 1: moby um, and then they went through a growth spurt, 208 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 1: becoming five times larger in just seven years. So again 209 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,040 Speaker 1: we're talking about I mean, the period of growth of 210 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:03,679 Speaker 1: here is is pretty amazing. Um, when you become five 211 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:06,280 Speaker 1: times larger. If you think about a teenager right now, 212 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: they maybe have a couple more inches that they're gonna 213 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: lop on, but they're certainly not going to become twenty 214 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,400 Speaker 1: ft tall. Yeah, it's it's just crazy to think about 215 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:16,720 Speaker 1: the amount of Like in the Milk podcast we mentioned 216 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 1: about about baby blue whales taking on like three pounds 217 00:12:20,280 --> 00:12:22,880 Speaker 1: of body weight a day as they feed off their 218 00:12:22,880 --> 00:12:27,040 Speaker 1: mother's milk. So um, Yeah, the amount of growth taking 219 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 1: place with these gigantic organisms is just incredible. Yeah, and 220 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:33,720 Speaker 1: I wanted to to mention a couple of other advantages 221 00:12:33,880 --> 00:12:37,679 Speaker 1: to being so large before we talk about disadvantages. Your 222 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:42,240 Speaker 1: metabolic rate decreases with increasing size, so for instance, um, 223 00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:44,960 Speaker 1: you only need to take in five percent of if 224 00:12:45,040 --> 00:12:47,320 Speaker 1: you're an elephant, for instance, you only need to take 225 00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:50,160 Speaker 1: in five percent of your own weight, whereas a shrew 226 00:12:50,240 --> 00:12:52,280 Speaker 1: or a mousee needs to eat more than its weight 227 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:57,120 Speaker 1: each day to survive. Yeah, there's a there's actually you'll 228 00:12:57,120 --> 00:12:59,679 Speaker 1: hear that that that stat There are out a lot 229 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:01,440 Speaker 1: to when people make that make the point that the 230 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:04,600 Speaker 1: shrew is the most ravenous creature on the planet because 231 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: it's just it has to eat so much as he 232 00:13:06,400 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: constantly to survive. And they actually made a movie ages 233 00:13:10,640 --> 00:13:14,160 Speaker 1: that really horrible be movie that they they lampooda mystery 234 00:13:14,200 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: signs the thousand called the Giant Shrews or was it 235 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:20,880 Speaker 1: the Killer Shrews, I can't remember, but the basic thing 236 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:22,959 Speaker 1: was that they had these giant shrews who were running 237 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,200 Speaker 1: around there were the size of dogs that of course 238 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: we're dogs with really bad costumes, breaped over them. And 239 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 1: then the idea was that the shrew is just incredibly 240 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:33,480 Speaker 1: dangerous and if we're ever ever able to reach the 241 00:13:33,520 --> 00:13:35,120 Speaker 1: side of like a dog, then they would be the 242 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,280 Speaker 1: most dangerous things ever. But of course this we've just 243 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:41,439 Speaker 1: mentioned here, the appetite really plays into their size. That 244 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:44,839 Speaker 1: the shrew became larger, they would be playing the violin 245 00:13:44,960 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 1: under our tree, having a couple of grapes and being like, 246 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:50,920 Speaker 1: hey guys, totally chilled out. Um, was this made in 247 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:55,119 Speaker 1: the fifties. Yes, there seems to be a real obsession 248 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:57,839 Speaker 1: with gigantism during that time period. Oh yeah, you saw 249 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,920 Speaker 1: they were giant scorpions, giant spiders, giant ants them what 250 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:04,120 Speaker 1: was the movie ants? There was a lot of fun 251 00:14:04,120 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: these to show that on on the on the the 252 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,120 Speaker 1: cable channels back in the day when they were like 253 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: think grandpap Monster hosted a Saturday morning Monster movie show 254 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:15,640 Speaker 1: and remember that, and they would play that, They would 255 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 1: play Islanded Dr Moreau, these studies type of films. But 256 00:14:18,760 --> 00:14:21,640 Speaker 1: the giant ants, all all these things. Yeah, well these 257 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:25,280 Speaker 1: were also easy animals to implement in a B movie 258 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:29,040 Speaker 1: because if you have a giant ant, all you needed 259 00:14:29,080 --> 00:14:31,760 Speaker 1: to just just get some ants in there. Uh, do 260 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,720 Speaker 1: some you know, mess with perspective, uh dubby on an 261 00:14:34,760 --> 00:14:39,080 Speaker 1: actual ant and just make it look larger, although inevitably 262 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:42,440 Speaker 1: they always have a puppet of whatever animal. Yeah, you 263 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,400 Speaker 1: need the head which is with the pincher so it 264 00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: can grab a lady and picture exactly better than that, 265 00:14:47,320 --> 00:14:49,480 Speaker 1: just throw in the ants and have some people react 266 00:14:49,520 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: to it. It's like early c g I. Alright, So, 267 00:14:53,680 --> 00:14:56,640 Speaker 1: so other than being featured in b phones, why might 268 00:14:56,720 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: you not want to be a giant? H Really, if 269 00:15:00,520 --> 00:15:03,640 Speaker 1: you are a dinosaur, for starters, all that mass that 270 00:15:03,640 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 1: that allows you to stomp others out actually kind of 271 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,080 Speaker 1: hems you in because you can't fly, you can't run, 272 00:15:08,560 --> 00:15:11,440 Speaker 1: you can't climb or burrow into the ground to take cover. 273 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:14,640 Speaker 1: So your your whole defensive tactic is, hey, I'm this 274 00:15:14,720 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: hulking thing and you can't take me down. But then 275 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:19,800 Speaker 1: say you have a pack of velociraptors that come around 276 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:22,320 Speaker 1: and they're like, actually we can because we can work 277 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: together and we're patient, and you're not going anywhere exactly exactly. 278 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:28,960 Speaker 1: You're a very large target force, and because they're at 279 00:15:29,000 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: the top of the food chain, there are less of them, 280 00:15:30,560 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 1: and the chances for extinction actually become greater as well. Right, 281 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:37,960 Speaker 1: large organism having to depend on a lot of other 282 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,040 Speaker 1: organisms underneath it, even if most of them are just grass. Uh, 283 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:44,920 Speaker 1: and then you wipe that out and there you go. Yeah. Um. 284 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,960 Speaker 1: And this was really interesting to Sarah de Charred, Doctoral 285 00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: Canada at North Carolina State has studied the plants available 286 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 1: during the age of dinosaurs, and she thinks that during 287 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 1: the Jurassic, when vegetation with fibrous and low nutrient, it 288 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 1: would make sense to have a lot bigger bell eas 289 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:02,000 Speaker 1: really what we're talking about here, because they acted a 290 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:06,800 Speaker 1: huge vat for fermentation. But she says that when flowering 291 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: plants with high nutrient contents came along, it was actually 292 00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:13,240 Speaker 1: a boon too smaller dinos because I gave them an 293 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:17,400 Speaker 1: evolutionary advantage because that was just the hit that they needed. Um. 294 00:16:17,440 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: So it's kind of interesting to look at it that way. 295 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 1: And I also wanted to mention too, although not dinosaurs, 296 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 1: there is a tale of Paleozoic dragonflies that may have 297 00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:32,120 Speaker 1: existed three million years ago. And how big were these things, uh, 298 00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:36,520 Speaker 1: wingspan of two and a half feet. And they think 299 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:38,960 Speaker 1: this is still a bit of a theory, but this 300 00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,400 Speaker 1: is owing to the planets. Then oxygen makeup of more 301 00:16:41,400 --> 00:16:45,440 Speaker 1: than so it was these auction levels that actually spawned 302 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 1: this dragonfly. Wow. Well that's interesting to imagine, especially during 303 00:16:49,960 --> 00:16:52,800 Speaker 1: mating season when they do their thing, you know. Yeah, 304 00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:55,720 Speaker 1: I mean, can you imagine it would be debauchery if 305 00:16:55,760 --> 00:16:57,720 Speaker 1: today we looked at the window and saw in such 306 00:16:57,800 --> 00:17:02,440 Speaker 1: great detail and such largeness the mating. Yeah, dragonflies are great. 307 00:17:02,480 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 1: I love him. But you know what I love even 308 00:17:04,359 --> 00:17:06,760 Speaker 1: more in this Uh. And we're moving forward a bit 309 00:17:06,800 --> 00:17:10,080 Speaker 1: here from from dinosaurs. I love dinosaurs. I love them 310 00:17:10,080 --> 00:17:12,239 Speaker 1: as a kid, but you kind of get I kind 311 00:17:12,280 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: of got used to it at an early age. It's 312 00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:18,840 Speaker 1: the idea that it used to be giant lizards, even 313 00:17:18,880 --> 00:17:21,200 Speaker 1: though just as a tangent, I had to I was 314 00:17:21,200 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: trying to convince, um, um, I have a kid that, 315 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,000 Speaker 1: like a four year old that I watched and over 316 00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:30,640 Speaker 1: a babysitting Uh. He had some toy dinosaurs and I'm 317 00:17:30,680 --> 00:17:32,000 Speaker 1: and I and I told him it's like, you know 318 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 1: those are real, right, And he's like, no, it's just 319 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:38,440 Speaker 1: a toy. It was like that's heartbreaking. Um, he'll learn. 320 00:17:38,760 --> 00:17:41,000 Speaker 1: But but but I got used to the idea pretty 321 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 1: early on. Yes, there were giant dinosaurs at one point 322 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:46,480 Speaker 1: or another, and for some reason, giant mammals that and 323 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:50,639 Speaker 1: and giant birds that was always a much more exciting 324 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,640 Speaker 1: idea to me, Like it it felt newer, I guess 325 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,879 Speaker 1: you know, it wasn't as um as uh as covered 326 00:17:57,040 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 1: in the childhood science literature. So so anytime, even today, 327 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 1: when I see like a like a picture of a 328 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 1: giant sloth or or or certainly these giant birds, I'm 329 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 1: I'm really impressed. The giant birds are really kind of 330 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 1: heartbreaking though, because so many of these where we're not 331 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,280 Speaker 1: even prehistoric creatures, they lived until very recent time. Yeah, 332 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:18,760 Speaker 1: I was gonna say, let's talk about these more modern 333 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:23,400 Speaker 1: terrestrial animals, which gigientis um. Yeah, there was a species 334 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:27,679 Speaker 1: of bird called the host eagle um that reached a 335 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:30,800 Speaker 1: height of eight point five feet. It was a fierce 336 00:18:30,840 --> 00:18:34,840 Speaker 1: predator that lived in New Zealand and U Sadly, it 337 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:37,439 Speaker 1: went to extinct about five hundred years ago due to 338 00:18:37,920 --> 00:18:41,800 Speaker 1: human hunting and habitat encroachment, which again is just kind 339 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:43,680 Speaker 1: of sad because it's like, oh, we almost reached the 340 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:46,840 Speaker 1: point where we could have seen these and and photographed 341 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:50,560 Speaker 1: them and maybe conserve them, but they they blinked out 342 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: just a little too soon. And then there are others. 343 00:18:52,560 --> 00:18:55,720 Speaker 1: There's the the elephant bird, which was ten feet tall 344 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:59,560 Speaker 1: that lived on Madagascar and it uh it went on 345 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:04,160 Speaker 1: sometime in seventeenth century and they think. Uh. There's also 346 00:19:04,280 --> 00:19:07,920 Speaker 1: of course the moa, which was the great flightless bird 347 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:11,400 Speaker 1: of New Zealand. Uh and it probably went away about 348 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:14,679 Speaker 1: seven hundred years ago when the may always wiped them 349 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:17,400 Speaker 1: out because they're just they're these big birds. They've evolved 350 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:20,160 Speaker 1: to to to pretty much do whatever they want within 351 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:24,080 Speaker 1: a limited environment. But then suddenly you have an invasive 352 00:19:24,200 --> 00:19:28,040 Speaker 1: organism around. You have humans who are like the velociraptors 353 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,480 Speaker 1: we mentioned earlier. They're smart, they're patient, they're cunning, and 354 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 1: they know that they can work together to take this 355 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:35,399 Speaker 1: animal down and eat it. And then since it's a 356 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:38,360 Speaker 1: larger organism, um that you know, they're fewer of them. 357 00:19:38,640 --> 00:19:41,920 Speaker 1: Uh reproduction time plays into this as well. They're much 358 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,679 Speaker 1: more easily wiped out. So everyone feasts on moa for 359 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:46,880 Speaker 1: a little bit and then there's no more. Yeah. I mean, 360 00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:50,000 Speaker 1: it is mind boggling to think the amount in different 361 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:53,119 Speaker 1: types of animals that have gone extinct um, not just 362 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:56,480 Speaker 1: because of manning causes, but even something that I believe 363 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 1: it was during the Order of Vicinian period. They're supposed 364 00:19:59,240 --> 00:20:02,960 Speaker 1: to be like a just a proliferation of different species 365 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 1: that were then wiped out at the end of that period. 366 00:20:05,280 --> 00:20:08,400 Speaker 1: But anyway, it just doesn't boggle the mind to try 367 00:20:08,440 --> 00:20:11,439 Speaker 1: to imagine all different types of flora and fauna. But 368 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:14,000 Speaker 1: not all the giants went away. We stall some rather 369 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:18,399 Speaker 1: gigantic animals around today. They're worth mentioning. Oh yes, the 370 00:20:18,480 --> 00:20:23,080 Speaker 1: colossal squid. Yes, and we're we're doing another podcast on 371 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:27,239 Speaker 1: intelligence of cephalopods um, so there's gonna be even more 372 00:20:27,240 --> 00:20:31,119 Speaker 1: squid content there. But the colossal squid reaches some pretty 373 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: phenomenal links. Yep. Actually, the squid was accidentally caught by 374 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,440 Speaker 1: New Zealand fisherman in two thousand and seven, weighing in 375 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:45,520 Speaker 1: at one thousand pounds and spanning fourteen ft. Here's something 376 00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: that really, um, kind of rattles me a bit. It's 377 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:54,000 Speaker 1: i uh, nearly ten inches in diameter, so imagine nearly 378 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:58,440 Speaker 1: a foot long eye staring back at you. Uh So 379 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:02,960 Speaker 1: that I think, particularly rattling from squid. Eyes are amazing, um, 380 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:05,439 Speaker 1: especially when you're talking about something that big and the 381 00:21:05,440 --> 00:21:09,000 Speaker 1: biggest eye of any animal really very similar to our 382 00:21:09,119 --> 00:21:11,040 Speaker 1: I actually um, and we'll talk more about that in 383 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 1: our gigant or excuse me, in our cephalopod podcast. So 384 00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:16,840 Speaker 1: when we're talking about things like like the colossal squid 385 00:21:16,880 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: and and also various other giant animals that live in 386 00:21:19,840 --> 00:21:21,600 Speaker 1: the deep, we're getting into the area of deep siege 387 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:26,440 Speaker 1: gigantism um. Particularly you see this uh in invertebrates, crustaceans, 388 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:31,560 Speaker 1: uh and other creatures where they'll they're they'll have cousins 389 00:21:31,600 --> 00:21:33,920 Speaker 1: that live in fresh water or shallow or not fresh 390 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:37,200 Speaker 1: water but shallower waters and uh, and they'll be much smaller. 391 00:21:37,240 --> 00:21:39,159 Speaker 1: But in the deep and the cold, cold deep, they 392 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,679 Speaker 1: grow toal enormous size. And part of it is the cold. 393 00:21:43,640 --> 00:21:47,680 Speaker 1: Scientists think they say that you look at the at 394 00:21:47,680 --> 00:21:51,439 Speaker 1: the temperature and body body size, and the bigger animals 395 00:21:51,480 --> 00:21:55,199 Speaker 1: have smaller surface to volume ratio, so they can more 396 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:58,160 Speaker 1: effectively conserve body heat in those cold environments. So would 397 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: be to their advantage to grow bigger. Yeah, it's kind 398 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:04,120 Speaker 1: of like having a fur coat undersea fur couch. Yeah, 399 00:22:04,160 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 1: it's just and there's more of me. So I got 400 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: that way. I can I can go down into these lightless, 401 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:10,880 Speaker 1: chilly depths and it doesn't really affect me that much. 402 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:13,720 Speaker 1: Where if I were this splender little creature than you know, 403 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 1: not so much. There's this idea too, that we haven't 404 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: quite even gotten a grasp of how large some of 405 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:21,800 Speaker 1: these creatures are. This is from Discovering News. Um It 406 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:24,240 Speaker 1: says that squid beaks found in the stomachs of sperm 407 00:22:24,280 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 1: whales have actually dwarfed the beak on the Colossal Squid 408 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:30,440 Speaker 1: Museum specimen that we just spoke of, suggesting that even 409 00:22:30,520 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 1: more colossal squids work in the cold, dark deep. Yeah, 410 00:22:34,600 --> 00:22:36,439 Speaker 1: we just haven't seen them yet. I mean, for the 411 00:22:36,480 --> 00:22:40,560 Speaker 1: longest we had, we had never managed to capture footage 412 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:43,880 Speaker 1: of a live giant squid. And I remember the day 413 00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 1: that they that we actually had had that footage when 414 00:22:47,720 --> 00:22:50,119 Speaker 1: a few years back and suddenly was on YouTube everywhere, 415 00:22:50,160 --> 00:22:52,159 Speaker 1: and it wasn't really even that impressive of footage, but 416 00:22:52,200 --> 00:22:54,600 Speaker 1: it felt kind of heartbreaking because you're like, oh, you know, 417 00:22:54,640 --> 00:22:58,000 Speaker 1: there's a mystery that we can check off the list. Yeah. Yeah, 418 00:22:58,080 --> 00:23:01,680 Speaker 1: although I mean incredibly cooled be able to verify right. 419 00:23:02,359 --> 00:23:05,640 Speaker 1: Um From the same Discovery News article by Jennifer Viegas. 420 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:07,680 Speaker 1: They were actually talking about, or she was actually talking 421 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: about how these creatures may have grown to such a 422 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: large size too because of the lengths that they have 423 00:23:13,160 --> 00:23:16,720 Speaker 1: to go to, UM to find food. When you're a 424 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: small creature, UM, even if you're eating a lot that 425 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:24,160 Speaker 1: your kingdom, um, your your domain in which you hunt 426 00:23:24,160 --> 00:23:27,280 Speaker 1: for prey is relatively small. But when you receive larger size, 427 00:23:27,320 --> 00:23:31,320 Speaker 1: you're having to really really go out there and hunt. 428 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:35,359 Speaker 1: You're covering a vast underwater territory, which may be why 429 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:39,040 Speaker 1: the Humboldt squid have have shown up Monterey Bay and 430 00:23:39,080 --> 00:23:41,520 Speaker 1: in various different places. They're still trying to figure out why. 431 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:45,080 Speaker 1: What's the explanation for that? But um, but it does 432 00:23:45,440 --> 00:23:48,880 Speaker 1: play into morphology for for sure. All Right, and we're 433 00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 1: gonna take a quick break. But when we get back, 434 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:53,639 Speaker 1: we're going to talk about, um what what could be 435 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:57,959 Speaker 1: horrific to some people something called a hissing cockroach. Um 436 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:01,080 Speaker 1: if the madagas art hissing cock roach and it's quite large, 437 00:24:01,760 --> 00:24:09,520 Speaker 1: talk about that some other insects. All Right, we're back, UM, 438 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:14,560 Speaker 1: We're headed to the Madagascar for correct is Madagascar is 439 00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:16,760 Speaker 1: one of places that you you see a lot in 440 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:20,880 Speaker 1: and UH in dealing with unique organisms, because you're talking 441 00:24:20,920 --> 00:24:24,800 Speaker 1: about an island that is uh that is that is 442 00:24:24,800 --> 00:24:28,160 Speaker 1: set aside from from the rest of the continent. And 443 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:30,400 Speaker 1: of course this is where you encounter lemurs, the only 444 00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:33,800 Speaker 1: place you encounter lemurs outside of a zoo. Uh and 445 00:24:34,160 --> 00:24:37,240 Speaker 1: the lemur would not necessarily be able to survive elsewhere, 446 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 1: but here they have evolved and uh and and fill 447 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:44,160 Speaker 1: the niche rather nicely that doesn't exist elsewhere. Yeah, let's 448 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:46,920 Speaker 1: talk about that. That's that lack of predators and competition 449 00:24:47,040 --> 00:24:50,159 Speaker 1: that drives some the size of these creatures. And this 450 00:24:50,240 --> 00:24:54,560 Speaker 1: is called island gigantism. It is a biological phenomenon um 451 00:24:54,600 --> 00:24:58,280 Speaker 1: that that is present for animals that live on isolated islands, 452 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:00,200 Speaker 1: and they tend to grow bigger and bigger again because 453 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,639 Speaker 1: they don't have anything running after it um and because 454 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 1: everything is pretty plentiful, right, it's like a corny copia 455 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:07,560 Speaker 1: of food out fair for them. Yeah, I mean it's 456 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,359 Speaker 1: I mean it really, it comes down a lot of 457 00:25:10,359 --> 00:25:13,280 Speaker 1: it comes down to them living in a protected environment. 458 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:16,720 Speaker 1: In many of these cases, you have an ecosystem that 459 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:19,000 Speaker 1: is set aside from the rest that whatever, what other 460 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:21,800 Speaker 1: kind of predators are roaming around on the continent at large, 461 00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: they're not necessarily here, or that the predators that are here, um, 462 00:25:26,760 --> 00:25:28,480 Speaker 1: they don't have access to the same prey. So you 463 00:25:28,560 --> 00:25:33,640 Speaker 1: end up with a kind of microcosm into itself where 464 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:37,480 Speaker 1: different rules end up applying. Yeah, and according to Pilliontologes 465 00:25:37,600 --> 00:25:42,040 Speaker 1: for ginny million, uh, island species evolved faster than mainland species, 466 00:25:42,320 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: particularly over shorter time intervals of years to thousands of years, 467 00:25:46,040 --> 00:25:47,960 Speaker 1: So you really do get to see that the proof 468 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:52,080 Speaker 1: of the putting much faster in these environments. One example 469 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,000 Speaker 1: of an older island giant that I ran across in 470 00:25:56,000 --> 00:26:01,480 Speaker 1: this to Discovery News article. Um but uh, five to 471 00:26:01,560 --> 00:26:05,040 Speaker 1: three million years ago, you had a creature um known 472 00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:11,120 Speaker 1: as the Miraculous Rex, which lived on the small island 473 00:26:11,280 --> 00:26:15,080 Speaker 1: of Minorca, and it weighed about twenty six point four pounds. 474 00:26:15,080 --> 00:26:17,840 Speaker 1: It had no enemies, and it was essentially a giant 475 00:26:17,880 --> 00:26:20,800 Speaker 1: bunny rabbit. Oh, I've seen pictures of this kind of 476 00:26:20,800 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 1: like Night of the Leapist, except the other the other thing. 477 00:26:24,040 --> 00:26:26,159 Speaker 1: Not only did it grow larger, but it grows larger 478 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,400 Speaker 1: and has no need of predors. It doesn't need a hop, 479 00:26:28,520 --> 00:26:31,280 Speaker 1: it doesn't need ginormous ears with which to hear everything. 480 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:33,480 Speaker 1: It doesn't need big eyes with which to see everything, 481 00:26:33,840 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 1: So it kind of loses those features. Just kind of 482 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:37,959 Speaker 1: like an aging prize fighter or something, you know, just 483 00:26:38,040 --> 00:26:40,760 Speaker 1: lets it the gut go and it no longer has 484 00:26:40,800 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 1: the reflexes it needs to fight because it doesn't need them. 485 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:47,360 Speaker 1: But still it's a pretty impressive creature that you had. Essentially, 486 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:49,679 Speaker 1: rabbits I will I will say that the photo I 487 00:26:49,720 --> 00:26:51,919 Speaker 1: saw it did it did kind of look puggy. It 488 00:26:51,960 --> 00:26:54,119 Speaker 1: didn't look like it had been, you know, screwing around 489 00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:57,760 Speaker 1: that much because it did one like from an evolutionary 490 00:26:57,760 --> 00:26:59,800 Speaker 1: point of view, it's like I don't need you know, 491 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:02,440 Speaker 1: if you if you're not working out, you don't keep 492 00:27:02,440 --> 00:27:04,679 Speaker 1: the muscles. And it's kind of the similar thing as 493 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:07,879 Speaker 1: evolution rolls out, you know, uh, if you don't need 494 00:27:07,920 --> 00:27:10,000 Speaker 1: those ears and then eventually you're gonna lose them. Yeah, 495 00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:14,120 Speaker 1: you can tell that it abandoned its bofe uh Managus 496 00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:18,120 Speaker 1: scar hissing cockroach, as I mentioned before, found in at 497 00:27:18,119 --> 00:27:21,080 Speaker 1: a guess car office of Face coast of Africa, the 498 00:27:21,280 --> 00:27:24,760 Speaker 1: largest living cockroach and the only known insight capable of 499 00:27:24,840 --> 00:27:28,040 Speaker 1: hissing by forcing air through its spiricles. These are breathing 500 00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:31,520 Speaker 1: holes rather than rubbing their appendages together. And happy do 501 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:35,720 Speaker 1: these guys good? About three inches long by one inch, 502 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:40,240 Speaker 1: which doesn't seem entirely huge until you actually see one 503 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:44,920 Speaker 1: in person. Yeah, I've heard of people traveling there. And uh, 504 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:47,520 Speaker 1: you know, you're you're you're sleeping through the night and 505 00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 1: then your cell phone rings and you pick it up 506 00:27:50,160 --> 00:27:53,840 Speaker 1: and you're actually picking up a hissing cockroach answering it. 507 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:55,840 Speaker 1: And since you're in a you're not really all that awake. 508 00:27:55,920 --> 00:27:58,720 Speaker 1: You're not having like a five minute conversation with the 509 00:27:58,800 --> 00:28:01,199 Speaker 1: abdomen of a cock right, and little do you know 510 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:06,080 Speaker 1: that hissing sound is actually mating calls, so you're being wooed? Yeah? Yeah, um, 511 00:28:06,200 --> 00:28:10,880 Speaker 1: actually do. Atlanta has some hitsing cockroaches that they'll bring 512 00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:14,720 Speaker 1: out every once in a while. It's a frequent a 513 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 1: frequent exhibited zoos. I don't know if they're easy to 514 00:28:17,240 --> 00:28:19,640 Speaker 1: shift or easy to keep or he's gonna handle. They're 515 00:28:19,640 --> 00:28:21,680 Speaker 1: not gonna bite you, and they're huge and grows. Some 516 00:28:21,720 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 1: little boys just good guy got yeah yeah, and the 517 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,480 Speaker 1: girls they love them too, um and uh yeah, the 518 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,960 Speaker 1: males have horns too, so it makes them look really interesting. Now, 519 00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:33,679 Speaker 1: if they flew, that would be that would be my night. 520 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:35,240 Speaker 1: But that's another thing. You get big like that, you 521 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:37,479 Speaker 1: don't need wings, right. Well, that's the other thing too. 522 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:41,239 Speaker 1: There's the limits to morphology here and that. Um, you know, 523 00:28:41,320 --> 00:28:43,720 Speaker 1: if it's to your advantage to get larger and larger, great, 524 00:28:43,720 --> 00:28:47,160 Speaker 1: you're going to do it. But once it inhibits your ability. 525 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:50,720 Speaker 1: So if if the cockroach was a creature that flew 526 00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:52,800 Speaker 1: in the first place, um, and I know there are 527 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:56,560 Speaker 1: some but mainly cockroaches do not fly. But let's say, 528 00:28:56,920 --> 00:29:00,239 Speaker 1: for instance, a bird, if it became so large it 529 00:29:00,280 --> 00:29:03,120 Speaker 1: was on the precipice of not being able to fly 530 00:29:03,200 --> 00:29:06,280 Speaker 1: anymore than it would. That's that's where the constraint comes. 531 00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,800 Speaker 1: That's where the morphology of the outer limits of it 532 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:11,760 Speaker 1: just end. Yeah. We mentioned some of this in our 533 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:15,360 Speaker 1: Godzilla Barbie King Calling episode where we talk about giant 534 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:18,960 Speaker 1: organisms and uh and certainly the larger it's it's worth 535 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: remembering that. Say, take take a beetle. You know, even 536 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: like a fairly large beetle, it's a in a sense, 537 00:29:27,600 --> 00:29:30,680 Speaker 1: it's a physically perfect thing. Like everything about its proportions 538 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:34,040 Speaker 1: and its size is perfect for the size at which 539 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 1: it exists. If you were to to somehow magically in 540 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,080 Speaker 1: large beetle, it wouldn't be able to function at a 541 00:29:41,160 --> 00:29:45,360 Speaker 1: larger size because it's exoskeleton, right. This is more than 542 00:29:45,400 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 1: just armoring. It's more than just a tough, shiny jacket 543 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 1: that the beetle wears like this is a structural skeleton 544 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:56,000 Speaker 1: that that holds in its insect guts and uh and 545 00:29:56,120 --> 00:29:58,200 Speaker 1: uh and and and protects it from the outside world. 546 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:00,440 Speaker 1: And if you were to increase the size of a beetle, 547 00:30:00,480 --> 00:30:03,200 Speaker 1: then you also have to really increase the thickness of 548 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:07,120 Speaker 1: the exoskeleton, and it just becomes an impossible equation rather quickly. 549 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:10,160 Speaker 1: It's just amazing, which whine you don't see really large 550 00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 1: organisms outside of the dark crystal that have a large, 551 00:30:13,640 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 1: you know, armor like exo skeletons. Well, and to me though, 552 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,200 Speaker 1: it's just so such a testament to nature and how 553 00:30:19,200 --> 00:30:20,880 Speaker 1: cool it is that it can adapt to that in 554 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:25,000 Speaker 1: the first place. Um that dwarfism or gigantism can take place, 555 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 1: the shrinking or the increasing like that. Um I also 556 00:30:29,040 --> 00:30:33,200 Speaker 1: wanted to mention the giant Wetta of New Zealand Uh. 557 00:30:33,280 --> 00:30:36,760 Speaker 1: It's genus name is dina Krita and it's Greek for 558 00:30:37,000 --> 00:30:40,440 Speaker 1: terrible grasshopper because they look at the size of your 559 00:30:40,480 --> 00:30:44,840 Speaker 1: hand right now, that is how large this little booger is. Um. 560 00:30:44,880 --> 00:30:47,800 Speaker 1: It is among the heaviest insects on Earth, winging three 561 00:30:47,840 --> 00:30:51,840 Speaker 1: times more than a mouse, and apparently in captivity, if 562 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:53,960 Speaker 1: you offer it a carrot, it will eat it. I 563 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,120 Speaker 1: think I've seen pictures of that. Yeah, Allison, actually are 564 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 1: the science editor Alson Ladermilk sent us a photo of 565 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:04,640 Speaker 1: That's that's where I had seen that. It was pretty funny. 566 00:31:06,200 --> 00:31:08,400 Speaker 1: I thought she kept it could be. I don't know 567 00:31:08,440 --> 00:31:10,720 Speaker 1: if she said, I'm assuming that this little guy could 568 00:31:10,720 --> 00:31:13,240 Speaker 1: actually have a conversation with you, And remember thinking, yes, indeed, 569 00:31:13,280 --> 00:31:17,320 Speaker 1: I think he could. Yeah. Um, we mentioned New Zealand again, 570 00:31:17,520 --> 00:31:20,960 Speaker 1: the giant birds. It was very much a bird world 571 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:23,800 Speaker 1: for for the longest. So again, you get into situations 572 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:27,400 Speaker 1: where you have an island or or a large body 573 00:31:27,480 --> 00:31:29,600 Speaker 1: body of land that is set aside from the rest 574 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:33,600 Speaker 1: of the world, and you see a certain amount of 575 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:36,520 Speaker 1: competition fall on the wayside, and and then you can 576 00:31:36,560 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: see some very unique organisms, very large organisms grow to 577 00:31:40,720 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 1: dominance and it is this Wonderland effect. Actually, there's there's 578 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:47,200 Speaker 1: something called the Wonderland effect um in which is alluding 579 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:50,680 Speaker 1: to Alice and one pill makes you larger, one pill 580 00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:53,120 Speaker 1: makes you smaller. Well, now I'm thinking of the song 581 00:31:53,320 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 1: one Pitt. It is a great truck. But yeah, Alison Wonderland, 582 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 1: she she shrinks, she increases um. In nineteen sixty four, 583 00:32:02,200 --> 00:32:06,120 Speaker 1: biologists J. Bristol Foster studied insular gigantism in dwarfism, and 584 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:08,920 Speaker 1: he came to the conclusion that rodents, for instance, tend 585 00:32:08,960 --> 00:32:14,040 Speaker 1: towards gigantism, while carnivores uh legama forests like rabbits and 586 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:18,480 Speaker 1: hairs and rto dactyls, deers, hippos and other even towed 587 00:32:18,720 --> 00:32:23,160 Speaker 1: ungulates are more likely to become dwarfed um. And overall, 588 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:26,960 Speaker 1: amongst mammal species that colonized islands, big ones have a 589 00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:31,080 Speaker 1: tendency to shrink, while small ones are able to get larger. 590 00:32:31,680 --> 00:32:34,360 Speaker 1: So again it's like it's a new world and the 591 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:36,800 Speaker 1: occupants of this new world have to change their ways. 592 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,560 Speaker 1: And again I'm sort of personifying evolution here to a 593 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:41,640 Speaker 1: certain extent, and which for which I to some of 594 00:32:41,720 --> 00:32:45,000 Speaker 1: you do apologize. But but yeah, they find themselves in 595 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:47,760 Speaker 1: this new world and they realize they're gonna have to 596 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:49,960 Speaker 1: change their ways to survive. They're gonna have to cut 597 00:32:49,960 --> 00:32:53,920 Speaker 1: the budget or they're gonna have to ramp up their activity. 598 00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:56,720 Speaker 1: And uh, and so you see the smaller animals becoming bigger, 599 00:32:56,760 --> 00:33:00,280 Speaker 1: the bigger animals having to really cut down and become smaller. Yeah, 600 00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:03,080 Speaker 1: and it really they really haven't quite figured out what 601 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 1: drives um some species becoming larger and some remaining the same, 602 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 1: or some becoming smaller on these islands, because they don't 603 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:14,200 Speaker 1: know if it's because the species arrived um there and 604 00:33:14,240 --> 00:33:17,800 Speaker 1: there was already another species quite similar to it, a snake, 605 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: for instance, and uh, it decided, okay, it's best here 606 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:23,280 Speaker 1: if I just shrink or I stayed the same. One 607 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:25,600 Speaker 1: of the things that really surprised me when we were 608 00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:28,840 Speaker 1: researching this was the situation with the Komodo dragon, which 609 00:33:28,840 --> 00:33:31,920 Speaker 1: we generally think of as an example of island gigantism. 610 00:33:31,960 --> 00:33:34,680 Speaker 1: It's the largest lizard we have. It's a ten ft 611 00:33:34,720 --> 00:33:38,360 Speaker 1: long way three pounds. Back when the show was with 612 00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:41,760 Speaker 1: that stuff to blow your mind or stuff in the 613 00:33:41,760 --> 00:33:44,280 Speaker 1: science claud that did the Komodo dragon episode that may 614 00:33:44,280 --> 00:33:46,040 Speaker 1: have been I think from I think it was from 615 00:33:46,040 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 1: the last Yeah, it may have been a lad episode. 616 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:51,760 Speaker 1: But at the time I remember reading all these amazing 617 00:33:51,760 --> 00:33:53,720 Speaker 1: things with the Kumodo dragon. You just keep thinking, oh, 618 00:33:53,720 --> 00:33:56,680 Speaker 1: it's a giant, it's a dragon. But there's the theory 619 00:33:56,760 --> 00:33:59,760 Speaker 1: that this is actually a case of the island dwarfism 620 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 1: because Komodo dragons they live on the Isle of Komodo 621 00:34:03,400 --> 00:34:05,959 Speaker 1: U in Indonesia, but they also live on the on 622 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:09,440 Speaker 1: this other island called Flores, And on Flora's they have 623 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:13,880 Speaker 1: they've found fossil evidence of a much larger um dragon, 624 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,160 Speaker 1: if you will, that would have been twenty three ft 625 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:19,520 Speaker 1: long and would have weighed third over thirteen hundred pounds. 626 00:34:20,200 --> 00:34:23,080 Speaker 1: And so the idea is that the Komodo is the 627 00:34:23,080 --> 00:34:27,200 Speaker 1: the island dwarf of this amazing creature, which just turns 628 00:34:27,320 --> 00:34:31,560 Speaker 1: everybody's thinking on it. Right, it's very interesting. It doesn't 629 00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:34,000 Speaker 1: make the Komodo dragon anything less awesome or any less 630 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:37,239 Speaker 1: they living uh dinosaur in a sense, it's still a 631 00:34:37,280 --> 00:34:40,239 Speaker 1: giant wizard. Yeah, yeah, you can't take that away from it. 632 00:34:40,360 --> 00:34:42,480 Speaker 1: You never try and take anything away from Komodo track, 633 00:34:42,840 --> 00:34:45,279 Speaker 1: that's right. It'll take your toe all right, So there's 634 00:34:45,320 --> 00:34:48,680 Speaker 1: just a nice second introduction to the world of gigantics. 635 00:34:48,719 --> 00:34:51,000 Speaker 1: I'm certainly we could sit here all day and and 636 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:53,760 Speaker 1: and talk about other well known or less well known 637 00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:58,320 Speaker 1: giant animals. Certainly we didn't say anything about gallops, tortoise 638 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:01,759 Speaker 1: or Japanese spider TRAbs. These are all wonderful animals in 639 00:35:01,760 --> 00:35:05,479 Speaker 1: their own right and worth looking into. Definitely worth looking 640 00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:08,040 Speaker 1: at a couple of pictures, especially that Japanese spider crab. 641 00:35:08,480 --> 00:35:12,080 Speaker 1: It's all legs. Um. Yeah. So, and we will talk 642 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 1: about dwarfism another time. Dwarf is ms. That is certainly 643 00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,759 Speaker 1: a podcast topic onto itself, is and especially if you 644 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:21,080 Speaker 1: talk about that human beings and when why are some 645 00:35:21,160 --> 00:35:26,720 Speaker 1: people smaller in stature in cases of actual dwarfism among 646 00:35:26,800 --> 00:35:30,040 Speaker 1: humans and other similar situations. So like that this old 647 00:35:30,040 --> 00:35:34,840 Speaker 1: podcast and human morphology throughout the ages from and what 648 00:35:34,960 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 1: extent is being tall? Uh, you know, not all that 649 00:35:37,760 --> 00:35:40,600 Speaker 1: ideal anyway, Maybe we should be shorter. I don't know. 650 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:44,000 Speaker 1: You can pick the apples really easily, so like, I mean, 651 00:35:44,040 --> 00:35:46,160 Speaker 1: you have that advantage over me. Yeah, but I'm not 652 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:48,800 Speaker 1: that good at climbing the tree if I was smaller, 653 00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:50,360 Speaker 1: you know, I would be a little lower to the 654 00:35:50,360 --> 00:35:52,319 Speaker 1: ground that are able to climb out there and get 655 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:56,000 Speaker 1: them anyway. True, yeah, all right, well let's call the 656 00:35:56,080 --> 00:36:00,719 Speaker 1: robot over here and listen to some male all right, 657 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:03,640 Speaker 1: we have a couple of bits of listener mail here 658 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:07,360 Speaker 1: that come to us from fans on Facebook. So so 659 00:36:07,440 --> 00:36:10,040 Speaker 1: I guess it wasn't really email. It was more fan 660 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:15,200 Speaker 1: messaging through the Facebook. It was communication communication. Um, this 661 00:36:15,280 --> 00:36:17,640 Speaker 1: is apparently how the young kids are communicating now. Anyway, 662 00:36:17,680 --> 00:36:19,960 Speaker 1: they're not using their email accounts, right, this is what 663 00:36:20,080 --> 00:36:24,600 Speaker 1: I hear on the street. This st I heard this morning. Well, anyway, 664 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:27,880 Speaker 1: Abigail rights and says, I laughed when I saw your 665 00:36:27,920 --> 00:36:30,480 Speaker 1: screen podcast because I put your podcast on in the 666 00:36:30,520 --> 00:36:32,640 Speaker 1: car on the way home from daycare to keep my 667 00:36:32,719 --> 00:36:36,320 Speaker 1: infant from screaming. I think it might be Robert's voice 668 00:36:36,360 --> 00:36:38,520 Speaker 1: because it also worked when he did a voice for 669 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:41,799 Speaker 1: the Stuff you Should Know Shark Week Special, which just 670 00:36:42,040 --> 00:36:44,879 Speaker 1: published a couple of weeks ago, and go check that out. 671 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:48,160 Speaker 1: Was Josh and Shuck. Anyway, I digress. When I was 672 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 1: in girl Scout camp, we used to play a game 673 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:52,560 Speaker 1: called roller Coaster. They line us up at the edge 674 00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:54,879 Speaker 1: of the field and when the council yelled go, we'd 675 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:56,880 Speaker 1: take a deep breath and start running and screaming at 676 00:36:56,880 --> 00:36:59,960 Speaker 1: the same time. You kept running until you couldn't scream anymore. 677 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:02,520 Speaker 1: The point of the game was to get the furthest 678 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:04,840 Speaker 1: As a kid, it was such a joy to be 679 00:37:04,840 --> 00:37:07,799 Speaker 1: given the freedom to unleash the screen. But the true 680 00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:10,400 Speaker 1: value of the game became apparent when I became a counselor. 681 00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:12,680 Speaker 1: Not only was it an amazing way to get out 682 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:16,360 Speaker 1: the frustration of managing pen kids seven, but it also 683 00:37:16,480 --> 00:37:19,359 Speaker 1: tired them out, making them easier to manage. It wasn't 684 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:22,280 Speaker 1: until then that I realized one of the counselors always 685 00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:25,520 Speaker 1: won the game. New listener and always enjoy your podcast. 686 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:29,040 Speaker 1: Thank you for helping me make my ride home more peaceful. 687 00:37:29,719 --> 00:37:31,560 Speaker 1: That's awesome. So that's kind of like a form of 688 00:37:31,600 --> 00:37:35,440 Speaker 1: primal screen therapy. And I'm I'm glad that my voice 689 00:37:35,600 --> 00:37:40,080 Speaker 1: has this effect on this job. Yeah, just maybe we'll 690 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,560 Speaker 1: record a track of me just uh, you know, saying 691 00:37:42,640 --> 00:37:44,799 Speaker 1: nursery rhymes. I was going to say, you could you 692 00:37:44,840 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 1: could do that. It could be like Jack and Jill 693 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:51,359 Speaker 1: went up the Hill or not necessarily like that, but yeah, yeah, 694 00:37:51,360 --> 00:37:53,080 Speaker 1: I saw a YouTube video where a kid had the 695 00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:57,600 Speaker 1: same reaction but to but to uh to rap lyrics 696 00:37:57,600 --> 00:38:01,960 Speaker 1: by Piggy where seen that. It's pretty pretty amazing because 697 00:38:02,000 --> 00:38:03,600 Speaker 1: it's like hillbe screaming his head off and then they 698 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:05,880 Speaker 1: start playing some biggie and it just just chills that 699 00:38:05,960 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: look so um but again, probably not good for the 700 00:38:09,280 --> 00:38:16,120 Speaker 1: kids u um vocabulary. Later on, maybe that's what he's 701 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:18,040 Speaker 1: going to there his nuance, So it depends what he's 702 00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:20,440 Speaker 1: aiming to do in life, I guess. We also heard 703 00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:23,040 Speaker 1: from Nathan on Facebook Nathan Ryton and says, I have 704 00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:25,440 Speaker 1: really been enjoying your podcast. I just listened to the 705 00:38:25,520 --> 00:38:29,399 Speaker 1: horror episode. I too saw the Google VHS cover art 706 00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:31,920 Speaker 1: at an age when those movies uh were out of 707 00:38:31,960 --> 00:38:34,400 Speaker 1: my reach. Maybe it was my age or personal phobia, 708 00:38:34,520 --> 00:38:36,120 Speaker 1: but I couldn't get out of get it out of 709 00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:37,799 Speaker 1: my head. And again, for those of you were just 710 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:42,680 Speaker 1: tuning in, this was a nineties video cover that showed 711 00:38:42,680 --> 00:38:45,400 Speaker 1: out grotesque little grimlin monster coming out of a toilet 712 00:38:45,800 --> 00:38:49,480 Speaker 1: with like razor teeth and fancy suspenders. It was really 713 00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:53,000 Speaker 1: stupid but but kind of mortifying anyway. Nathan that the 714 00:38:53,040 --> 00:38:55,600 Speaker 1: fancy suspenders, well yeah, that's what makes it so ridiculous 715 00:38:55,600 --> 00:38:57,359 Speaker 1: why we were in suspenders and why are they so clean? 716 00:38:57,360 --> 00:39:01,680 Speaker 1: You just came out of the toilet. Um Anyway, Nathan continues, 717 00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:03,799 Speaker 1: I went through a stage in my life where I 718 00:39:03,880 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 1: always brought some sort of weapon into the bathroom with me. 719 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:08,799 Speaker 1: I think it also has to do with the fact 720 00:39:08,800 --> 00:39:11,480 Speaker 1: that everyone feels vulnerable with their pants around her ankles. 721 00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:14,480 Speaker 1: Makes for a slow getaway. I've told friends about it, 722 00:39:14,480 --> 00:39:17,120 Speaker 1: but usually get the you're alone there, look keep up 723 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:21,280 Speaker 1: the great work. So indeed, I when I brought up googlies, 724 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:23,560 Speaker 1: it was because it did kind of traumatize me and 725 00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:25,760 Speaker 1: did make me think twice about sitting on a toilet 726 00:39:26,120 --> 00:39:29,080 Speaker 1: for fear that a suspended monster would come out of 727 00:39:29,080 --> 00:39:33,279 Speaker 1: the whole and and eat me. And uh, I never 728 00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:35,160 Speaker 1: even thought to bring a weapon to the toilet with me. 729 00:39:35,200 --> 00:39:38,120 Speaker 1: I'm glad I didn't fall into that pattern. But you know, 730 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:40,799 Speaker 1: there's actually, uh there, there's a lot of research about 731 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:45,799 Speaker 1: this pinker effect and evolution about how you have to 732 00:39:45,840 --> 00:39:48,120 Speaker 1: feel safe. Obviously, I mean, it makes a lot of 733 00:39:48,120 --> 00:39:51,680 Speaker 1: sense if you're going to avoid your bowels. Yeah, it's 734 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:53,680 Speaker 1: not something we can do on the move, really, I 735 00:39:53,680 --> 00:39:56,239 Speaker 1: mean maybe you can train yourself to it, but to 736 00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:59,120 Speaker 1: do it, but but generally not so much. That's right. 737 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:01,640 Speaker 1: You never knew when when a saber tooth tiger is 738 00:40:02,120 --> 00:40:06,960 Speaker 1: around the corner of Google's and your toilet. Yeah, all right, Well, hey, 739 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:08,560 Speaker 1: if you guys have something to share with us, if 740 00:40:08,560 --> 00:40:11,840 Speaker 1: you have a particularly favorite example of gigantis um, be 741 00:40:11,920 --> 00:40:16,239 Speaker 1: it an amazing prehistoric animal, an amazing living animal, or 742 00:40:16,560 --> 00:40:21,480 Speaker 1: some individual out of wrestling or entertainment, or or just 743 00:40:21,480 --> 00:40:23,520 Speaker 1: just general history, but we'd love to hear about them. 744 00:40:23,640 --> 00:40:25,719 Speaker 1: I can think of one or two famous giants off 745 00:40:25,760 --> 00:40:28,560 Speaker 1: hand for history that we didn't mention, but I'll leave 746 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:32,960 Speaker 1: our listeners to come up with those, guys challenge. Yeah, 747 00:40:33,000 --> 00:40:36,239 Speaker 1: you can find us on Facebook again, where we are 748 00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:37,840 Speaker 1: stuff to blow your mind. You can also find us 749 00:40:37,880 --> 00:40:40,319 Speaker 1: on Twitter, where our handle is blow the Mind, and 750 00:40:40,480 --> 00:40:42,319 Speaker 1: you can always drop us a line at blew the 751 00:40:42,360 --> 00:40:51,040 Speaker 1: Mind at discovery dot com for more on this and 752 00:40:51,120 --> 00:40:53,680 Speaker 1: thousands of other topics. Is it how Stuff Works dot 753 00:40:53,719 --> 00:40:58,520 Speaker 1: com