Colossal squid birthday special

03/07/25 • 70 min

1 Listener

Coming to you from an Airbnb, above a ski hire shop, next to a construction site in Ushuia, Argentina... It’s a very special episode as we continue to pester Antarctica.

Alan checks in from Barcelona for mysterious reasons. We’ll have to get the truth our of him in the future...

Lots is going on in the news; deep-sea fish keep turning up, including a little Melanocetus anglerfish - sometimes called a black seadevil. This has had a real impact on people. The media tried to call it a monster, but the people fell for this little fish. An orfish, the doomsday fish, also turns up, but is that really a sign of doom?

There’s a new giant isopod, and it’s named after Darth Vader - Bathy-normouse! We get excited about Beryllium-10 and ponder neutrinos.

But what we are here for today is a very special birthday. Our favorite and most elusive colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, has been described for 100 years but never seen in its natural environment! We are having a birthday bash for the big girl.

Joined by Kat Bolstad of the Auckland University of Technology, Squid Squad, we learn what we do and don’t know, as well as the project Thom and Kat came up with to try to find it.

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining, so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us:

Luz, Caro Mclaren, Tadhg, Austin Horenkamp, Thora, Lindsey and Harrison

Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:

[email protected]

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

We are also on

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:

Alan - @Hadalbloke

Thom - @ThomLinley

Instagram:

Thom - @thom.linley

BlueSky:

Thom - @deepseapod.com

Follow Kat on

Bluesky: @autsquidsquad.bsky.social

Twitter: @ALCESonline

Reference list News

Anglerfish

Orfish

Interview

Original colossal squid description

Pure Ocean Fund

Intrepid Travel

Auckland Aquarium - SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium

Us testing the camera in the aquarium

Mantis Sub underwater housings

https://www.mantis-sub.com/

Otago University and the NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust

Importance in sperm whale diet

Coming to you from an Airbnb, above a ski hire shop, next to a construction site in Ushuia, Argentina... It’s a very special episode as we continue to pester Antarctica.

Alan checks in from Barcelona for mysterious reasons. We’ll have to get the truth our of him in the future...

There’s a new giant isopod, and it’s named after Darth Vader - Bathy-normouse! We get excited about Beryllium-10 and ponder neutrinos.

Joined by Kat Bolstad of the Auckland University of Technology, Squid Squad, we learn what we do and don’t know, as well as the project Thom and Kat came up with to try to find it.

Luz, Caro Mclaren, Tadhg, Austin Horenkamp, Thora, Lindsey and Harrison

Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:

[email protected]

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

We are also on

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:

Alan - @Hadalbloke

Thom - @ThomLinley

Instagram:

Thom - @thom.linley

BlueSky:

Thom - @deepseapod.com

Follow Kat on

Bluesky: @autsquidsquad.bsky.social

Twitter: @ALCESonline

Reference list News

Anglerfish

Orfish

Interview

Original colossal squid description

Pure Ocean Fund

Intrepid Travel

Auckland Aquarium - SEA LIFE Kelly Tarlton's Aquarium

Us testing the camera in the aquarium

Mantis Sub underwater housings

https://www.mantis-sub.com/

Otago University and the NZ Whale and Dolphin Trust

Importance in sperm whale diet

Previous Episode

PRESSURISED: 055 - Antarctic Fishes

Our short and to the point PRESSURISED version of episode 55. If you don't have time for the full episode and want to get right to the science without any of our waffle, this is the place to be!

Read the show notes and find the full episode here:

https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast/055-antarcticfishes

Now it’s Thom’s turn to hit Antarctica. He’s out with the Schmidt Ocean Institute on the Antarctic Climate Connections expedition to the Bellinghousen Sea, to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula.

He will record, edit and upload a podcast from there... somehow. This episode may sound a little rougher as a result, but the content is gold as ever... Underrated belter alert.

We talk to Antarctic fishes expert Thomas Desvignes about the fishes that are only found there and their amazing adaptations. Of course, we also have a remote coffee with Andrew.

We’re really trying to make this project self-sustaining so we have started looking for ways to support the podcast. Here’s a link to our page on how to support us, from the free options to becoming a patron of the show. We want to say a huge thank you to those patrons who have already pledged to support us:

Thanks again for tuning in, we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:

[email protected]

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

We are also on

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast,

Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:

Alan - @Hadalbloke

Thom - @ThomLinley

Instagram:

Thom - @thom.linley

BlueSky:

Thom - @deepseapod.com

Reference list Guest

Antifreeze in fish: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.94.8.3811

Supercooling and heating processes: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1410256111

Cod antifreeze: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.1817138116

X-cell disease paper: https://www.cell.com/iscience/fulltext/S2589-0042(22)00860-4

Hemoglobin paper:

Next Episode

PRESSURISED: 056 - Colossal squid

Coming to you from an Airbnb, above a ski hire shop, next to a construction site in Ushuia, Argentina... It’s a very special episode as we continue to pester Antarctica.

We are here for today is a very special birthday. Our favorite and most elusive colossal squid, Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, has been described for 100 years but never seen in its natural environment! We are having a birthday bash for the big girl.

Joined by Kat Bolstad of the Auckland University of Technology, Squid Squad, we learn what we do and don’t know, as well as the project Thom and Kat came up with to try to find it.

Luz, Caro Mclaren, Tadhg, Austin Horenkamp, Thora, Lindsey and Harrison

Thanks again for tuning in; we’ll deep-see you next time!

Check out our podcast merch here! Which now includes Alan’s beloved apron and a much anticipated new design...

Feel free to get in touch with us with questions or your own tales from the high seas on:

[email protected]

We’d love to actually play your voice so feel free to record a short audio note!

We are also on

Twitter: @DeepSeaPod

Facebook: DeepSeaPodcast

Instagram: @deepsea_podcast

Keep up with the team on social media Twitter:

Alan - @Hadalbloke