Why Do Deep Sea Creatures Evolve Into Giants?

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Published 2022-07-16
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Credits:
Narrator/Producer: Stephanie Sammann
Editor: Dylan Hennessy (www.behance.net/dylanhennessy1)
Editor: David O'Sullivan
Illustrator/Animator: Kirtan Patel (kpatart.com/illustrations)
Illustrator: Elfy Chiang (www.elfylandstudios.com/)
Animator: Mike Ridolfi (www.moboxgraphics.com/)
Animator: Eli Prenten (www.instagram.com/twistereli/)
Sound: Graham Haerther (haerther.net/)
Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster (twitter.com/forgottentowel)
Producer: Brian McManus (youtube.com/c/realengineering)

Imagery courtesy of Getty Images

References:
[1] www.britannica.com/science/abyssal-zone
[2] ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/vampire-squi…
[3] oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/marinesnow.html#:~:tex….
[4] royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2005.3…
[5] ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/giant-squid#….
[6] www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch…
[7] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kleiber%27s_law
[8] www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-the-mar…
[9] www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/animals-and-tempe…
[10] sci-hub.se/https://link.springer.com/article/10.10…
[11] oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/greenland-shark.html
[12] www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaf1703
[13] www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-76371-0#:~:text….
[14] www.aaas.org/supergiant-amphipods-deep-sea
[15] oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/facts/isopod.html
[16] www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2014/02/22/280249001…
[17] besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/13…
[18] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22905166/

All Comments (21)
  • “Hey man you hungry?” “Nah, I ate a piece of dry wood 3 years ago.”
  • @BlooCollaGal
    "Gravity" is somewhat of an abstract concept when you can maintain neutral buoyancy in your "atmosphere" (in this case: the ocean). It's easy to weigh a lot when you don't actually have to support all that weight with your body.
  • @Chronx100
    13:45 "Relatably, when giant isopods find a significant food source, they gorge themselves to the point of compromising their locomotive ability." Damn, ive never felt so similar to isopods in my life. Thank you narrator.
  • @joemama-gi6ju
    "Detecting multiple leviathan class organisms in this area are you sure whatever your doing is worth it?"
  • @GuagoFruit
    I always wonder, if these deep sea creatures still have functioning eyes at these depths they must be ridiculously sensitive right? So would the intensity of the lights on the rovers be as bright for them as us staring at the sun?
  • @AkaMisori
    Interesting thing is that in so low temperatures many chemical reactions are slower or non existing. That would suggest that those creatures not only live longer but they are living slower. I bet that such a gigantic pressure also adds to this effect.
  • From the Greenlands Shark's point of view, it had been swimming around in the deep ocean for a couple of centuries when suddenly, the water started getting warmer. Then plastic appeared everywhere. Finally, on a single day, it felt thousands of shockwaves coming from everywhere. After that, the plastic gradually went away and the water went back to normal temperature, and the greenland shark swam around for a couple of centuries more, wondering what the hell that was.
  • You forgot to mention the fact that the crustacean that digs into the Greenland sharks eyes acts as a lure so that the Greenland shark gets easier meals even though it makes them completely blind it truly doesn’t change much because the zone they live in receives so little light it doesn’t change really anything for the shark
  • When I was a child, my parents took me with them on a family vacation to Tahiti. In the airport, my dad got me a book from a newsstand that was an illustrated dictionary of sea creatures. Surprisingly, despite being a book meant for kids, that dictionary contained a vast array of ocean animals that most people have never even heard of. Both the Greenland shark and the vampire squid were in that book, and I still remember them from reading it all those years ago.
  • @tamatebako_yt
    I had no idea there were vertebrates that could live up to 500 years. That is incredible! Definitely need to look into the Greenland shark now.
  • @specialt3701
    "The thought of swimming around in pitch black with crustaceans in my eyes for 500 years gives me heebie jeebies of the highest order." Quote of the year for sure
  • Hey new viewer here and don't comment much but just wanted to say this video is spectacular, grabbed my attention from the moment it started from the in depth descriptions to great narrative of the subject. WITHOUT constantly repeating what has been said before to simply increase the video duration. This was a spectacular job in editing and information delivery.
  • @thelonefedora
    This is the exact topic I wanted this channel to cover ever since I discovered it a year and a half ago, thank you for covering some of my favorite creatures that swim this planet with us. Keep up the wonderful work!
  • The Colossal Squid somehow feels even more terrifying when you know it's not hunting. Just a huge pair of jagged tentacles lunging out of the darkness, grabbing something, followed by complete silence for several months.
  • Having the advertisement at the end of the video is great it’s not intruding on the educational aspect. Earned my sub.
  • @paxdriver
    This YouTube video is better than most documentaries I've seen anywhere over the last few years. So well done, thanks for uploading 👍
  • The thing with the Greenland Shark is that they swim into freshwater to shake off the crustaceans - they've been found in the rivers of Quebec, having swam up the seaway to get there, and have been found in the lochs of Scotland. The freshwater lets them shake off the crustaceans, and then they swim back into the sea. They're really, really strange.
  • @poo4879
    Imagine if the Sea Creatures had their own city and language and we are basically aliens to them making them tell stories of mysterious objects that had blinding lights go down and observe them for hours
  • @ClazziquaiR
    That was amazingly well done and super informative, loved it
  • @AikiraBeats
    It's pretty cool seeing how big these animals can get. I've always wondered how these sea creatures thrive in such harsh conditions.