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Short Wave

The Giants Lurking In The Deep Sea

Short Wave

NPR

Daily News, Nature, Life Sciences, Astronomy, Science, News

4.76K Ratings

🗓️ 4 August 2025

⏱️ 14 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The bathypelagic zone of the ocean is 1,000 to 4,000 meters below the surface. Sometimes it's called the midnight zone, because it's too deep for sunlight to reach. Most animals here are much smaller than their shallow-water counterparts. But occasionally, researchers find the rare deep sea giant: giant isopods, giant squids, colossal squids, sea spiders.

While these giants sound like the subjects of some people's nightmares, deep sea biologist Craig McClain dreams about them. And today on the show, he helps unravel the mystery and research behind these creatures.

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Transcript

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0:00.0

Support for NPR and the following message comes from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

0:05.4

RWJF is a national philanthropy working toward a future where health is no longer a privilege but a right.

0:12.1

Learn more at RWJF.org.

0:15.3

Before we start, I want to encourage you to sign up for our Seacamp newsletter, where we go deeper with all the cool

0:20.8

science we learn each week. There's extra research, animals, and even fun games. Sign up at npr.org

0:26.7

slash Seacamp. You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.

0:34.4

Hey, shortwaver is Regina Barbara here with another installment of Seacamp, our special summer series, all about the ocean, and the depths within it.

0:42.7

And this week, we're diving into the Bathy Pelagic Zone, which is 1,000 to 4,000 meters below the surface, also called the Midnight Zone, because it's too deep for sunlight to reach.

0:55.0

This is the first zone we get to from the surface that has no light.

0:58.6

That's Noel Bolin, shortwaves go-to marine biologists at the National Oceanic and

1:03.3

Atmospheric Administration. And she says sometimes this is where we hit the bottom.

1:08.6

If we take all of the oceans around the world, 4,000 meters is the average depth.

1:13.8

Joining me for this journey to the Midnight Zone is producer Hannah Chin, who's going to tell us

1:18.2

about the giants of the deep.

1:21.0

Yeah, Gina.

1:22.0

I'm so excited.

1:22.5

And just to start, these giants are famous, not only because, well, the deep ocean is a very

1:27.2

dark and very hostile place,

1:29.0

but because most animals get smaller, not larger, in these conditions.

1:36.5

Overwhelmingly, most deep sea animals are much smaller than their shallow water counterparts.

1:42.5

In fact, deep sea miniaturization is by far the more

1:45.6

normal thing, and gigantism is a very rare thing that occurs in the deep ocean.

...

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