Dancing Yeti Crabs, Morphing Cuttlefish, Other Stories From The Deep Sea

Short Wave

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4.7 • 6K Ratings

🗓️ 24 July 2024

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

As a kid, Sabrina Imbler loved the ocean. They'd swim and snorkel, following around parrotfish in the water. Later, they tried to learn everything they could about the brightly-colored tropical fish – how some create a mucus cocoon at night to protect it from parasites, or how they help keep coral reefs healthy.

As they got older, their fascination with sea creatures only grew. Imbler released a collection of essays in 2022 called How Far The Light Reaches: A Life In Ten Sea Creatures. Each chapter focuses on a different marine species – from yeti crabs near hydrothermal vents in the deep sea to the morphing abilities of cuttlefish. Often, these creatures act as a mirror for Imbler to explore parts of their own identity.

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Transcript

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0:20.0	As a kid, Sabrina Imbler loved being in the ocean and snorkeling following around all kinds of parrotfish.
0:29.0	They're big, they don't swim that fast, and I was just like obsessed with them.
0:35.0	This brightly colored family of tropical fish who can be heard
0:39.2	munching on coral and reefs around the world
0:41.7	with their super strong beaks.
0:44.0	Sabrina quickly learned everything they could about them, filling their mind with parrotfish
0:49.2	facts.
0:50.2	At night they, you know, produce this mucous bubble that they can sleep in.
0:57.0	They are responsible for like most of the sand on the reef because of you know their jaws that crunch down on coral and disintegrated.
1:08.1	And this was the first time Sabrina realized wait fish do more than just swim around all day?
1:14.0	I felt like I was getting this little portal into like,
1:17.0	what does the parrot fish do when I'm not around?
1:20.8	How does it shape its environment? I was like I you know I'm a fish person now like this is these are the creatures that I love
1:29.7	Later in life, Sabrina had a writing job which allowed them to share their fascination with marine organisms.
1:35.3	Occasionally I would come across a story that really like moved me emotionally.
1:39.5	Like Gran Aledany, Borneo, Pascifica, the Deep sea octopus, an octopus that made headlines in 2014
	...

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