Tiny Critter Week Finale: Nudibranchs Do It Better

Short Wave

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🗓️ 8 July 2022

⏱️ 14 minutes

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Summary

We're wrapping up Tiny Critter Week with a reprise of one of our favorite episodes — nudibranchs. In this episode, Maddie and Emily got super nerdy, diving into the incredible world of nudibranchs. These sea slugs eye-catching for their colors, and some of them have evolved to "steal" abilities from other organisms — from the power of photosynthesis to the stinging cells of their venomous predators.

We'd love to hear which tiny critters you love — and which leave you puzzled. Reach us by sending an email to [email protected].

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, you shortwave cuties. Emily Quang here. Tiny critter week is coming to an end. A celebration
0:05.7	of all things miniature within the animal kingdom. And in this last episode to usher you into your
0:11.2	weekend, Maddie Sophia and I dive into the colorful world of superpowered sea slugs,
0:17.3	Newtabrinks. Some Newties harness the power of photosynthesis from plants,
0:21.6	others steal the stinging cells from other animals. Basically, they're the Earth's equivalent
0:25.8	of the Uno reverse card. So keep listening to hear how the cheeky Newtabrinks learn to adapt
0:32.0	and thrive. Speaking of thriving, shortwave is looking for our next intern. We've worked with
0:38.3	some incredible students and recent grads. And the next one could be you. Check out the
0:44.1	guidelines at npier.org and come make beautiful, nerdy, Newtabrinky audio with us. The deadline is
0:49.8	midnight on July 17th. You're listening to shortwave from NPR. Hey everyone, Emily Quang here with
0:59.4	Maddie Sophia. What's up, Deuterino? Hey, so if you all haven't heard, it's Maddie's last week
1:05.2	on shortwave. And we have been sharing some of her favorite episodes and the little memories we
1:10.4	had making them. Yes, I have been crying and laughing all week. It's been a journey, Emily.
1:16.0	Hmm. But today I've got a brand Newtie one for you. My last reported episode on some of the
1:23.8	most magical invertebrates in the animal kingdom. Can you guess? With you, it could be anything.
1:29.5	It just needs to be maximally slimy and gross. My clothes? Wow, yeah. Closer than I want you to be.
1:36.0	Honestly, I don't want that. But yes, we are talking about sea slugs. Specifically, one big
1:42.2	group of sea slugs called Newtobranx or Newties, if you will. I didn't make it up. If you haven't
1:47.8	seen one before, Emily, Google Newtobranx. These will actually blow your mind. Here's one of the
1:54.0	scientists I talked to, Ryan Hewlett, straight up nerding out about them. Like when I think of
1:59.4	these colorations and these patterns, like you have polka dots, you have stripes, you have,
2:05.0	you know, all shades of colors that I just like don't see that often in other animals.
	...

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