1 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: Welcome to Creature Feature production of iHeartRadio. I'm your host 2 00:00:10,960 --> 00:00:16,600 Speaker 1: of Many Parasites, Katie Golden. I studied psychology and evolutionary biology, 3 00:00:16,640 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: and today on the show, it's a listener Questions episode. 4 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:27,160 Speaker 1: Happy New Year, guys. It is twenty twenty five. Staying 5 00:00:27,200 --> 00:00:32,520 Speaker 1: alive in twenty twenty five. I'm gonna answer some questions 6 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:34,680 Speaker 1: I have. I've got a bit of a backlog, so 7 00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna keep doing some of these. I think next 8 00:00:37,840 --> 00:00:41,280 Speaker 1: week will probably be a normal episode, but I might 9 00:00:41,400 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: have yet another listener Questions episode to do in the future. 10 00:00:45,920 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: Do keep sending them to me, though, I will keep 11 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: answering them. If you have your very own questions you 12 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: would like me to answer, either through email or on 13 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,840 Speaker 1: the show, you can write to me at Creature Feature 14 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 1: Pod at gmail dot com. So let's get right into it. 15 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:06,720 Speaker 1: I had some really really interesting questions this time, so 16 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:11,240 Speaker 1: I'm super excited. Hi, Katie. I came across this Reddit 17 00:01:11,280 --> 00:01:15,120 Speaker 1: thread on dinosaur ants. I find this fascinating and have 18 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:17,960 Speaker 1: the mental imagery of an ant in their finery being 19 00:01:18,000 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: stripped down, thrown in a sackcloth smock, then tossed in 20 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,040 Speaker 1: the dungeon. I thought you might enjoy it too. Hope 21 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,480 Speaker 1: you're all in good health. Give Cookie a treat for 22 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: me or regards Ronnie. So thank you so much for 23 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,600 Speaker 1: sharing this with me. The reddit post says, today I 24 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:37,919 Speaker 1: learned a high ranking dinosaur ant who challenges her queen 25 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:43,279 Speaker 1: but fails will be immobilized, publicly chastised for several days, 26 00:01:44,160 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: join the working class, and lose all hope of ever 27 00:01:46,959 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 1: ruling or reproducing. So this is really interesting. I believe 28 00:01:51,400 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 1: that this probably comes from the study with the catchy 29 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: title functional Morphology of the dufour gland and the queenless 30 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: Ant Dinopone Nara quadriceps. Dinosaur Ants are a queenless species, 31 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:09,160 Speaker 1: meaning that they technically don't have a specific morphological queen 32 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 1: that is born to be queen. However, there is a 33 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 1: dominant alpha female who essentially acts as the queen of 34 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 1: the small colony. She's the only one officially permitted to reproduce. 35 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,600 Speaker 1: The ants immediately ranked under her will sometimes be able 36 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: to become the dominant female and reproduce themselves. It's actually 37 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: quite similar to the social structure of say a meerkat colony, 38 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:38,520 Speaker 1: where you have sort of this quasi usocial situation so 39 00:02:38,720 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 1: the worker ants can reproduce and are really only kept 40 00:02:42,840 --> 00:02:47,399 Speaker 1: in line by the alpha females enforcers. Worker ants who 41 00:02:47,639 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 1: can reproduce are called gammer gates, not to be confused 42 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:55,359 Speaker 1: with gamergate, the stupidest controversy to ever happen. So yeah, 43 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,359 Speaker 1: these are gammer gates. The dinosaur ant colonies are pretty 44 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:04,119 Speaker 1: small to other ant species, having tens instead of hundreds 45 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: of individuals, so some of these individuals will try to 46 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 1: reor surp the dominant female. Sometimes this is successful, like 47 00:03:13,320 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: the female's ranks just below the alpha might stage a 48 00:03:17,000 --> 00:03:20,680 Speaker 1: successful coup or take over her duties when she gets older. 49 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:24,519 Speaker 1: But occasionally the female's rank just below the alpha will 50 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:28,400 Speaker 1: try to lay an unfertilized egg that will hatch and 51 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: become a male, and typically enforce her aunts will try 52 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: to find these eggs and remove them before they hatch. 53 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:41,240 Speaker 1: If the alpha detects this behavior or encounters a challenger directly, 54 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: she will mark the cheater with a pheromone sort of 55 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:49,960 Speaker 1: like an APB on this female who is trying to 56 00:03:50,080 --> 00:03:55,880 Speaker 1: lay eggs, which triggers the female enforcers to immobilize the culprit. 57 00:03:56,480 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: So it's interesting because she's kind of acting like a 58 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:02,480 Speaker 1: mob boss. The alpha does not need to directly engage 59 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:06,040 Speaker 1: in violence, but has her mobster like enforcers do the 60 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 1: dirty work for her. So she's got a bunch of 61 00:04:08,840 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: goons who goes and they will yeah, as the posts 62 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: suggests that they'll physically restrain the female and discourage this behavior. 63 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:25,000 Speaker 1: So it is really interesting to see these dinosaur ants 64 00:04:25,080 --> 00:04:29,839 Speaker 1: kind of behaving like an organized crime family. It's very fun. 65 00:04:30,360 --> 00:04:34,200 Speaker 1: I would definitely watch a version of A Bugs Life 66 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:40,120 Speaker 1: where we see mob ants. I please make that happen. 67 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: Next listener question, Hey Katie, I am training to become 68 00:04:45,360 --> 00:04:50,040 Speaker 1: a groomer of dogs and right now I'm studying hard 69 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:53,840 Speaker 1: for my written exam. Well not right now, because I'm 70 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:57,200 Speaker 1: writing this email. And the chapter about parasites on dogs, 71 00:04:57,240 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: there was a casual mention of a veterinarian who infected 72 00:05:00,600 --> 00:05:04,479 Speaker 1: himself with Odecti's cinotus, or spider like ear mites. I 73 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: tried to find his original journal on the subject, but 74 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:09,200 Speaker 1: unfortunately I don't have access to it. I think his 75 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: name is R. A. Lopez and the title of the 76 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 1: article is hilariously of mites and men. I thought the 77 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:22,479 Speaker 1: story might interest you. The host of many parasites. This 78 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: is true. I would love to learn more about mites 79 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: if you're ever interested to do an episode on them. 80 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: I'm also hearing about dog's coats going through visible changes 81 00:05:30,440 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: after neutering. I have seen cases of it in real 82 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 1: life too. I know that it has something to do 83 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:37,760 Speaker 1: with hormonal changes, but I don't understand what the exact 84 00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:40,640 Speaker 1: cause is. Is there any chance you could explain it 85 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: a little. Thanks. I love your show and I recommend 86 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:45,159 Speaker 1: it to others all the time. Oh well, thank you, 87 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:49,680 Speaker 1: and this is from Meryl also shared a silly photo 88 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:53,479 Speaker 1: of their dog Candy for my enjoyment, and I did 89 00:05:53,600 --> 00:05:55,839 Speaker 1: enjoy it, so thank you. Thank you so much for 90 00:05:55,839 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: sharing this with me. Of Mites and Men was an 91 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:02,360 Speaker 1: article written for the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical 92 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,640 Speaker 1: Association in nineteen ninety three by Ari Lopez and documents 93 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 1: his incredible dedication to first hand research on spider like 94 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:15,080 Speaker 1: ear mites. So he was a veterinarian who intentionally infected 95 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: himself with ear mites from a cat to see if 96 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:22,040 Speaker 1: they would take to a human ear He was inspired 97 00:06:22,040 --> 00:06:23,960 Speaker 1: to do this when one of his clients brought in 98 00:06:24,000 --> 00:06:27,920 Speaker 1: their ear mite infected cats that had very severe MTE infection, 99 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 1: and the daughter of this family complained of feeling itchy, 100 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:37,720 Speaker 1: which went away after the cats were treated. So these 101 00:06:37,760 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: are direct quotes from Ari Lopez about what he did 102 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: to himself. So quote, I decided to be a human 103 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:50,279 Speaker 1: guinea pig. Immediately I heard scratching sounds, then moving sounds 104 00:06:50,320 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 1: as the mites began to explore my ear canal. Itching 105 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:58,880 Speaker 1: sensations then started, and all three sensations merged into a 106 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:02,919 Speaker 1: weird cacophony of sound and pain that intensified from that 107 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: moment on and on. At first, I thought this wouldn't 108 00:07:06,800 --> 00:07:10,640 Speaker 1: and couldn't last very long. However, as the day and 109 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: evening wore on, I began to worry the paritis, which 110 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: means itching, was increasing. The sounds in my ear, fortunately 111 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:23,280 Speaker 1: I had chosen only one ear were becoming louder as 112 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:27,400 Speaker 1: the mites traveled deeper towards my ear trump So that's 113 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: quite a colorful description. He apparently repeated the experiment three times, 114 00:07:36,120 --> 00:07:41,880 Speaker 1: and for his forays into the field of very masochistic entomology, 115 00:07:42,320 --> 00:07:46,320 Speaker 1: he received an Ignoble Prize, which is sort of a 116 00:07:46,440 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 1: joke award for not necessarily bad studies, but very weird studies. 117 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:57,320 Speaker 1: And so he apparently read a poem about ear mites 118 00:07:58,040 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 1: at the ceremony and then passed around dead bug samples 119 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 1: to the audience. I was not able to find the 120 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,440 Speaker 1: poem about ear mites. If anyone knows where I can 121 00:08:09,440 --> 00:08:11,880 Speaker 1: get a copy of that, please do send it to me. 122 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: Would love that. His of mites and man paper has 123 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:20,880 Speaker 1: been cited numerous times in the entomology literature, so he 124 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 1: is a true hero of entomology. He has since passed away, 125 00:08:27,240 --> 00:08:31,360 Speaker 1: so otherwise I would definitely have him on the show, 126 00:08:31,560 --> 00:08:36,720 Speaker 1: because man, what a fantastic idea. Just put some cat 127 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:39,640 Speaker 1: ear mites in your ear because you're brave and you're 128 00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:44,680 Speaker 1: doing it for veterinary science. Incredible. All right, onto your 129 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:49,960 Speaker 1: next question about why dog coats might change after neutering. 130 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 1: So dog coats going through changes due to hormone levels 131 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 1: post neutering. Hormones also have a huge effect on hair 132 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:02,720 Speaker 1: and humans. Actually, so testosterone can both help grow body 133 00:09:02,720 --> 00:09:07,360 Speaker 1: hair but also cause you to lose hair on your head. Likewise, 134 00:09:07,559 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 1: androgen and estrogen levels can affect hair growth or cause 135 00:09:11,160 --> 00:09:15,080 Speaker 1: disorders such as hair loss or alopecious. So it's really 136 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 1: interesting because you can't necessarily say, like a hormone causes 137 00:09:18,679 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 1: hair loss or causes hair growth. It's the levels of 138 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:28,480 Speaker 1: these hormones and the amount the hormonal cycles that can 139 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: cause both hair gain and hair loss. And of course 140 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:36,679 Speaker 1: it also depends on the type of hormone determines where 141 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:40,200 Speaker 1: on the body you'll also get hair growth. So for dogs, 142 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:44,200 Speaker 1: what does the evidence tell us regarding neutering. It's a 143 00:09:44,240 --> 00:09:48,000 Speaker 1: bit unclear actually, so that doesn't mean it's not a 144 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:51,840 Speaker 1: real phenomenon, but just that there's a lack of strong research. 145 00:09:53,000 --> 00:09:59,480 Speaker 1: So coat changes, Okay, I did read this, which is 146 00:10:00,080 --> 00:10:03,200 Speaker 1: coat changes in Castrated Bitches, a review of the literature, 147 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,000 Speaker 1: which is what it's actually called, because a bitch is 148 00:10:06,040 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: a female dog. This is an actual term. I'm not 149 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:17,200 Speaker 1: being naughty here, So this is this review of literature 150 00:10:17,400 --> 00:10:23,720 Speaker 1: failed to find strong evidence of coat changes following spaying 151 00:10:24,160 --> 00:10:26,880 Speaker 1: due to a lack of research. However, there is a 152 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 1: great deal of anecdotal accounts about coat changes following spaying 153 00:10:31,280 --> 00:10:34,120 Speaker 1: or neutering, so vets that were surveyed in the UK 154 00:10:34,440 --> 00:10:38,600 Speaker 1: do report coat changes to be a potential negative consequence 155 00:10:38,679 --> 00:10:42,559 Speaker 1: to neutering. I still think neutering and spaying is worth it, 156 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:49,199 Speaker 1: because controlling the dog population is way more humane than 157 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:55,439 Speaker 1: trying to preserve coate integrity. I would say that I 158 00:10:55,640 --> 00:11:00,839 Speaker 1: can't really find great research documenting this change, though. My 159 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:03,599 Speaker 1: guess is the reason it's really hard to find a 160 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:07,360 Speaker 1: pattern in dogs in terms of coat changes following neutering 161 00:11:07,480 --> 00:11:10,760 Speaker 1: or spang is that breed and genetics means that the 162 00:11:10,880 --> 00:11:15,959 Speaker 1: dog's response to neutering or spain is highly heterogeneous. Uh so, 163 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:19,880 Speaker 1: meaning that there are probably plenty of dogs who do 164 00:11:20,120 --> 00:11:24,480 Speaker 1: not encounter cooat changes and plenty who do, depending on 165 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:28,520 Speaker 1: their breed, depending on their specific genetic makeup, maybe even 166 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 1: depending on when the spang or neutering is done, what 167 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:34,839 Speaker 1: point in their life it's done. So, and the type 168 00:11:34,840 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: of coat change may be different, so it's really hard 169 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 1: to document a clear pattern. Like some dogs may experience 170 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:44,040 Speaker 1: some coat thinning, some might experience like a change in 171 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,400 Speaker 1: the code of change in the texture of their fur. Yeah, 172 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,199 Speaker 1: so like being able to document a clear pattern is 173 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:55,160 Speaker 1: probably quite difficult. But given the role that hormones play 174 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,560 Speaker 1: in hair growth in humans and other mammals, I think 175 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 1: it is reasonable to assume that neutering or spain may 176 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 1: have an effect on coat depending on the individual, and 177 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:09,000 Speaker 1: that it's likely due to the change in hormone production. 178 00:12:09,720 --> 00:12:13,920 Speaker 1: Just as some individual humans may go bald, or have alopecia, 179 00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 1: or have thicker or thinner hair, or go gray earlier 180 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:21,559 Speaker 1: or later, which can all be affected by hormones, So 181 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:25,880 Speaker 1: hormones can have an effect on hair follicle size, and 182 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:30,320 Speaker 1: hair follicles can become smaller due to say, if there's 183 00:12:31,320 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: like a high level of androgens or in men, or 184 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 1: lower levels of estrogen and higher androgens in women, and 185 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:45,199 Speaker 1: those smaller hair follicles can then cause eventual thinning and 186 00:12:45,240 --> 00:12:50,680 Speaker 1: then total loss of hair and some individuals. So yeah, 187 00:12:50,800 --> 00:12:54,080 Speaker 1: it's I think it's definitely possible. Like if you notice 188 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: a pattern of dogs coats changing after neutering, I think 189 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:01,160 Speaker 1: that that there really might be something there. But it's 190 00:13:01,160 --> 00:13:05,679 Speaker 1: also kind of difficult because it could just be a 191 00:13:05,960 --> 00:13:08,720 Speaker 1: change that would happen as the dog matures anyways, which 192 00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:11,960 Speaker 1: you know, like it's sort of a timing thing, right, 193 00:13:12,040 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: like you notter the dog and then later you notice 194 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,400 Speaker 1: this hair change. Maybe that was inevitable, but yeah, that's 195 00:13:17,440 --> 00:13:20,640 Speaker 1: one of the difficulties of being able to prove that causality. 196 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 1: But maybe there will be more studies in the future. 197 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:27,240 Speaker 1: I'll keep my eyes open for them. But yeah, I 198 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 1: mean and certainly, like there's a lot of things you 199 00:13:29,679 --> 00:13:32,679 Speaker 1: can do for your dog's coat if you want, if 200 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:35,800 Speaker 1: you're concerned about it. There's a lot of like nice 201 00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:40,559 Speaker 1: sort of treats and things like fish skin and oils 202 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: that you can give your dog that can improve coat quality, 203 00:13:44,760 --> 00:13:47,520 Speaker 1: help reduce shedding, things like that. But again, it's going 204 00:13:47,559 --> 00:13:51,800 Speaker 1: to be highly individualized, like some dogs respond differently. It's 205 00:13:51,880 --> 00:13:54,839 Speaker 1: just you know, we have such a huge variety of 206 00:13:55,120 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: types of dog coats that it's really hard to predict 207 00:13:57,880 --> 00:14:01,040 Speaker 1: what's going to go on with your dog's coat. But yeah, 208 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: you could always always look up resources for your specific breeder. 209 00:14:04,559 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: If you've got a mutt like I do, just try 210 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:10,080 Speaker 1: in different treats, trying different diets and stuff and seeing 211 00:14:10,120 --> 00:14:12,600 Speaker 1: what they like best and what makes them the softest 212 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:18,480 Speaker 1: and the happy. Hi Katie. Not a huge question. But 213 00:14:18,640 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: on today's episode, you played the sound of a frigatebird 214 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 1: and it sounded like one of those giant corrugated plastic 215 00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:27,200 Speaker 1: tubes that they had in the eighties that you'd spin 216 00:14:27,280 --> 00:14:29,960 Speaker 1: and they'd whistle. Worly tubes. I didn't know that's what 217 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:32,360 Speaker 1: they were called, but I remember them. But if you 218 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,120 Speaker 1: bent them, they had that hollow popping sound. Man, I 219 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: loved those so much. I'm someone who likes to crack 220 00:14:37,800 --> 00:14:40,880 Speaker 1: my knuckles, so like those little tubes, like bending and 221 00:14:40,920 --> 00:14:44,640 Speaker 1: around cracking. Ugh, so good, now I want one. Anyways, Once, 222 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,800 Speaker 1: while paddleboarding on the Washington Coast, I saw a bunch 223 00:14:48,880 --> 00:14:52,000 Speaker 1: of cormorants on a big booie. I could hear a 224 00:14:52,160 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: very similar noise to the frigatebird, but only saw cormorants. 225 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: Do cormorants always make also make that noise? It's very cool? 226 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: Love the sh Anna, Thank you so much for this email. Anna, 227 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,400 Speaker 1: first of all, reminding me of that thing from the 228 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:08,680 Speaker 1: eighties and nineties, I used to play with those two. 229 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 1: And also I love cormorants. They are one of my 230 00:15:13,360 --> 00:15:18,720 Speaker 1: favorite birds to see all bird watching. Their names are 231 00:15:18,840 --> 00:15:22,240 Speaker 1: really cool because they come from a Latin portmanteau for 232 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,400 Speaker 1: sea raven, which is just the coolest thing. They look 233 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 1: really cool, they sound really cool. As you've observed, they 234 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:32,680 Speaker 1: do that wonderful behavior where they hold their wings out 235 00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:36,360 Speaker 1: so to me, they look like goth ducks kind of 236 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,360 Speaker 1: combined with penguins, with long necks and those nice, long, 237 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:44,680 Speaker 1: slightly hooked beaks. They're usually sort of a either a 238 00:15:44,840 --> 00:15:48,960 Speaker 1: dark brown or black. Sometimes they have like a white belly. 239 00:15:49,680 --> 00:15:54,200 Speaker 1: They look really prehistoric to me, especially the great cormorant, 240 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,120 Speaker 1: which I highly encourage you to google a picture of. 241 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:01,200 Speaker 1: They're absolutely gorgeous. They look like these mohas wearing dinosaurs. 242 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 1: I really love them. And they do that lovely basking behavior. 243 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:09,800 Speaker 1: They spread out their wings and the sun. Most likely 244 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:13,640 Speaker 1: it's to help them dry their feathers after diving, and 245 00:16:13,960 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 1: it's really beautiful. It's one of those things like often 246 00:16:16,960 --> 00:16:19,680 Speaker 1: when I'm bird watching aquatic birds, they may be quite 247 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:21,840 Speaker 1: far away and it's kind of hard to identify them, 248 00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:24,200 Speaker 1: But when I see a bunch of sort of prehistoric 249 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: birds out there with their wings unfurled, just kind of 250 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 1: basking in the sun, then I know it's probably a cormorant, 251 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,880 Speaker 1: all right. So on to the sound. So, given that 252 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:38,720 Speaker 1: you're on the Washington coast, you probably ran into a 253 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: branch cormorant who developed these beautiful blue goler pouches. That's 254 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:48,640 Speaker 1: the pouch right below their beaks during mating season only, 255 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:50,920 Speaker 1: so if it's not their mating season, they won't have 256 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:53,760 Speaker 1: these pouches. But during their mating season they do have 257 00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:58,120 Speaker 1: those blue pouches, and they do indeed sound a bit 258 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:01,920 Speaker 1: like one of those corrugated plass stick tubes. So here 259 00:17:02,200 --> 00:17:10,720 Speaker 1: is what they sound like. So yeah, a plus plus identification. Anna, 260 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: I think you're you're spot on. Those are cormorants. You 261 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:18,679 Speaker 1: heard their calls. Uh. I. I don't know necessarily if 262 00:17:18,720 --> 00:17:21,160 Speaker 1: they're brands cormorants. I would need a little more information, 263 00:17:21,320 --> 00:17:24,239 Speaker 1: but very likely there's there might be a few other 264 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:27,960 Speaker 1: species on the Washington coast. But yeah, that fantastic find. 265 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,159 Speaker 1: If there are any other bird watchers out there and 266 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: you are curious about what you have seen or heard, 267 00:17:35,600 --> 00:17:37,760 Speaker 1: maybe I can help. Just send me an email at 268 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:40,560 Speaker 1: Creature feature Pod at gmail dot com and I'll try 269 00:17:40,600 --> 00:17:44,000 Speaker 1: to help you identify your birds, solve you solve your 270 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 1: bird mysteries if you have them. Onto The next listener 271 00:17:48,920 --> 00:17:54,560 Speaker 1: question starts with this, dendarro gastridians. Have you seen this? 272 00:17:54,760 --> 00:17:57,560 Speaker 1: This doesn't seem real. I have heard of the parasitic 273 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,320 Speaker 1: bartacles that take over crabs, but have you've heard of 274 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: crabs that are parasites of starfish and look like corals. 275 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:07,280 Speaker 1: This blew my mind best Asher, and they linked to 276 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:16,880 Speaker 1: a YouTube video about the dendro Gestrata parasites. So thank 277 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:19,240 Speaker 1: you so much for this question. It is a really 278 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:23,240 Speaker 1: fascinating topic. I love parasites, as you all probably know 279 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:27,840 Speaker 1: quite well at this point. So dendro Gstrata is indeed real, 280 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:32,560 Speaker 1: so let's talk about it. It is an order of crustaceans, 281 00:18:32,640 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: so it is in the same subphylum as crabs, but 282 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:44,840 Speaker 1: also lobsters, shrimps, woodlouses, so those are actually terrestrial isopods, copapods, 283 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:50,600 Speaker 1: and barnacles. That's right, So barnacles are also crustaceans, and 284 00:18:51,160 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 1: Asher refers to the barnacle that is a parasite to crabs. 285 00:18:55,320 --> 00:19:00,840 Speaker 1: This is sacculina. These are barnacles that parasitize crab altalia 286 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:04,880 Speaker 1: and cause males to start showing female behavior. So yeah, 287 00:19:04,920 --> 00:19:08,959 Speaker 1: the bartacles are also crustaceans. They're very very distant cousins 288 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:13,680 Speaker 1: to the crabs that they target. Being cousins in the 289 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:17,600 Speaker 1: animal kingdom does not always get you special treatment. So 290 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:22,520 Speaker 1: dendro Gastrita are an order of animals remember it goes 291 00:19:22,960 --> 00:19:27,600 Speaker 1: kingdom phylum class order, family, genus species. You can remember 292 00:19:27,680 --> 00:19:32,400 Speaker 1: this as King phil came over for good soup. That's 293 00:19:32,760 --> 00:19:35,359 Speaker 1: it's kind of a bad pneumonic but that's what I learned. 294 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 1: I don't know why dendro Gaster is a genus of 295 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:44,359 Speaker 1: this order of parasitic crustaceans that have a branch like 296 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: symmetrical structure and use c stars as hosts, so they 297 00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 1: take over the main body cavity of the sea star. 298 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,680 Speaker 1: If you dissected an infected c star, you might just 299 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:00,240 Speaker 1: assume that the structure was a weird organ or vein 300 00:20:00,320 --> 00:20:04,000 Speaker 1: structure because it looks it does not look really like 301 00:20:04,040 --> 00:20:08,639 Speaker 1: an animal. It looks like maybe a starfish's veins or something. 302 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: But it's actually another animal taking advantage of the seastar 303 00:20:13,880 --> 00:20:17,639 Speaker 1: as a home and feeding off of its nutrient supply. 304 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:23,119 Speaker 1: So yes, it's a very real animal. It's understudied, but 305 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: it is really interesting. I would not say that dendro 306 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:30,800 Speaker 1: gasters are crabs, given that they are just as related 307 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,080 Speaker 1: to barnacles and copapods. Actually, when you look at some 308 00:20:34,200 --> 00:20:37,920 Speaker 1: of the weirder copapod anatomy, who you know, these like 309 00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:41,000 Speaker 1: a lot of copapods are also parasites. It makes a 310 00:20:41,040 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: lot more sense that dendro gasters are also crustaceans. But yeah, still, 311 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,440 Speaker 1: dendro gasters are super, super weird. They do not look 312 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:53,800 Speaker 1: like animals. They look like some kind of weird organ 313 00:20:54,480 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: and it's creepy to me how little we actually know 314 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:02,080 Speaker 1: about them. It's just really hard to study aquatic parasites, 315 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: especially those who are hiding inside of starfish like little 316 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 1: prizes inside living pinatas. Isn't that Isn't that fun? Good 317 00:21:11,000 --> 00:21:15,720 Speaker 1: image there? Anyways, Guys, I really appreciate all these questions. 318 00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 1: They're fantastic. They force me to do research and look 319 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: into things that even I might not know all that 320 00:21:22,520 --> 00:21:25,960 Speaker 1: much about. So I really appreciate that helps me learn. 321 00:21:26,080 --> 00:21:29,760 Speaker 1: I hope I've helped you learn. So yeah, send any 322 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:33,360 Speaker 1: question about evolutionary biology and animals to me at Creature 323 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: Featurepod at gmail dot com. And I believe next week 324 00:21:38,119 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 1: will be a regular episode. If not, it'll just be 325 00:21:40,800 --> 00:21:44,000 Speaker 1: another listener questions episode while I do a little bit 326 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:47,680 Speaker 1: of twenty twenty five catch up here. But yeah, welcome 327 00:21:47,760 --> 00:21:51,760 Speaker 1: to the new year, everyone, New year, New Critters, got 328 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,720 Speaker 1: to keep going on exploring the Natural World with you 329 00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 1: guys getting infected with ear mites. Maybe don't do that. 330 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 1: As cool as that guy was, I cannot end good 331 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:09,200 Speaker 1: conscience tell you to pour cat ear mites down your ear. 332 00:22:09,960 --> 00:22:14,240 Speaker 1: It's not a great idea. We've already got that contribution 333 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,120 Speaker 1: to science. So pour something else down your ear, don't. 334 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,960 Speaker 1: I'm please. Your ears are so delicate and sensitive. Don't 335 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,199 Speaker 1: put anything in there except for this podcast. This podcast 336 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 1: is very healthy to put in your ears, so keep 337 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:31,000 Speaker 1: doing that. Send me your questions to Creature Feature Pod 338 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:34,600 Speaker 1: at gmail dot com. I will be back next Wednesday 339 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,560 Speaker 1: with more show on. Thank you guys so much for listening. 340 00:22:38,840 --> 00:22:41,160 Speaker 1: If you're enjoying the show, you leave a radio review. 341 00:22:41,440 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 1: I appreciate every single one of them. They truly do 342 00:22:44,359 --> 00:22:47,200 Speaker 1: health the show. And thanks to the Space Classics for 343 00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,800 Speaker 1: their super awesome song x so Lumina. Create Your Features 344 00:22:50,800 --> 00:22:53,040 Speaker 1: a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts like the ones 345 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:56,399 Speaker 1: you just heard, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 346 00:22:56,440 --> 00:22:59,760 Speaker 1: I Guess what where you you listen to your favorite shows. 347 00:22:59,840 --> 00:23:01,920 Speaker 1: I don't judge you. I'm not your mother. I can't 348 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,080 Speaker 1: tell you what to do, except please don't put ear 349 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:12,560 Speaker 1: mites down your ear. It's gonna have a very predictable effect. Yeah. Anyways, 350 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:13,879 Speaker 1: see you next Wednesday.