Show Notes
What kind of animal can see light we cannot and strike with enough force to crack a crab’s shell? In this classic episode from 2022, Chris and Angie meet the mantis shrimp: a small marine predator with extraordinary eyes and one of the most powerful hunting strikes in the animal world. Some species smash hard-shelled prey, while others use sharp, spear-like limbs to catch fish.
“Mantis shrimp” refers to hundreds of species, so there is no single conservation status for them all. Some face pressure from fishing and the loss of the reefs and seabed habitats they call home. Join us for one of our favorite classic episodes and discover why this remarkable creature deserves attention far beyond its famous punch.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More from All Creatures Podcast
Imagine a shark swimming through the Arctic today that was already alive before the United States existed. Greenland sharks are thought to be the longest-lived vertebrates on Earth, with research suggesting they can live for around 400 years—and potentially longer. Even more astonishing, females may take approximately 150 years to reach reproductive maturity. These slow-growing inhabitants of the cold North Atlantic and Arctic oceans live on a timescale that is almost impossible to comprehend.
From the archives of All Creatures Podcast, we're revisiting our inspiring 2021 conversation with Dr. Paula Kahumbu, one of Africa's most influential wildlife conservationists, a National Geographic Explorer, and recipient of the prestigious Whitley Gold Award.
Chris recounts the recovery of New Zealand’s Chatham black robin (karure/keruru), an island species devastated by habitat clearing and introduced predators like rats and cats, until its range shrank to tiny Mangere Island.
In this classic episode from 2019, Chris and Angie explore the cheetah’s incredible speed, from its flexible spine and gripping claws to the long tail that helps it turn during a chase. But there is much more to this remarkable cat than its sprint.
Chris speaks with Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Drew Kann about Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp and its new status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.