Episode: Weird Fish, with Special Guest Tricia Meredith PhD, a shark scientist

What weird fish is making you happy today? You’ll hear Laura and Robert pick what weird fish are making them happy, a song about a colorful fish that poops out sand, awesome animal clues from 7 year old Finley, plus an interview with shark scientist Tricia Meredith, who studies shark noses. What animal is making Tricia happy today? Here are some clues: It has feathers, it is very common, it is smart, and when it’s in a flock, there is a pecking order.

(Animals include the parrotfish, ocean sunfish or mola mola, shark, chicken)

Here is a full transcript of the episode (partly done by AI, so please forgive typos).

And now for an animal joke. Who grants fishes wishes? Who grants fishes wishes? The answer is going to be revealed at the end of the episode. But first, get your ears ready. Because it's the Happiest Animal Show on Planet Earth. The Happiest Animal Show on Planet Earth. You want to be sad? No1 Do you want to glad? No. Wait. Yes. Well, it's the Happiest Animal Show on Planet Earth.

Hello and welcome to the Happiest Animal Show on Planet Earth, the podcast that asks the very important question. What animal is making you happy today? Not yesterday, not even last night, but today. I'm Rob and I'm Laura. And we are a sister brother pair of zoologists, filmmakers and songwriters. We are here to explore the wonderful world of wildlife and discover why animals make us happy.

Today we have a song about an animal that poops out San. Yes, you heard that right. And we'll be speaking with shark scientist Doctor Tricia Meredith, who has a surprising thing to say about shark noses. Here we go. What animal is making you happy today? I want to know. The theme we gave ourselves today is Weird Fish. Laura, what weird fish is making you happy today?

Okay, you're totally going to get it. But it's very colorful. Maybe even different kinds of rainbow colors. Nice. It lives on coral reefs. It has some of the strongest teeth in the world. Yeah, apparently a scientist figured out that if you had a one inch cube of its teeth, a little cube like that, that 80 elephants could stand on top of that cube and it would not break.

Oh, wow. Yeah. I am going to venture a guess that you are talking about fish. Yay, parrot fish! Hey! Which fish? Yes, I'm talking about the parrot fish. It's a kind of fish that lives on the coral reef. They swim around. They're awesome looking. They have beaks that kind of look like parrot beaks, but they're really colorful fish.

And why are they making you happy? The reason they make me happy is because parrotfish do an amazing thing. They're eating algae on a coral all the time, and they crunch. You can actually hear them crunching when you're scuba diving underwater. It's crunch, crunch, crunch. And then they eat the coral, and then they poop it out. And when it comes out of their bodies, it comes out as sand.

So a lot of the white sand on the sandy beaches that you sit on is actually parrotfish poop. And that I think is hilarious. Yeah, it really is funny that we love to vacation in parrotfish poop. So that was just thinking about that. And Rob and I spent a long time also filming parrotfish underwater trying to film them pooping, and it was harder than we thought it was going to be.

Yeah. Do you remember Rob? What you Rob finally figured out to tell? Yeah. We seemed like if you watched through their back fins that they would kind of shimmy their fins a little bit. And if you looked for their little wiggle, then it seemed like they were about to poop sand. So we spent a lot of time just following parrotfish around looking for their little thin wiggle, and we waiting for them to poop.

Yeah. So, parrotfish, they poop out sand, and that sand ends up on the beach and we sit on it. Okay, so a parrotfish is making Laura happy. We'll find out what I picked right after this. And now enjoy ten relaxing seconds of nature before your uncle sneezes way too loudly.

Oh, you, wasn't that relaxing? Hey, come check out this parrotfish poop castle. I just made. And we are back. So, Rob, what weird fish is making you happy today? Well, I'm worried that you're going to get it right away because you know me really well. It's okay. But, this is an animal that has always been on my bucket list for life of animals that I want to see.

Okay, this is an animal that can grow much bigger than me. Is it flat? Pretty flat. In the scheme of things. Yeah, yeah, it's pretty flat in the scheme of things. Does this animal look like it's just sort of a swimming head? Yeah, yeah. This is an animal that looks like a giant, flattened swimming head with weirdo fins.

Is it a Mola Mola? Yes, it's the Mola Mola, also known as the ocean sunfish. Look on the lab. There are several different types of Mola species out there, but they are all weird looking. But what is it? Why does it make you happy? Well, I think it makes me happy. Because it makes you think about just how wacko the planet is, that things like that exist.

Okay, so it's the mola mola, but it's also called the ocean sunfish. Is that right? Yeah. And that's because these fish will sometimes be found swimming up right at the surface, and they kind of flatten their bodies out. And so it looks like they're sunning themselves up on the ocean surface. I've actually talked to other wildlife filmmakers who have seen them right up at the surface of the water, and then a seagull has landed on them, and it's just eating parasites off of them

Oh, wouldn't that be? Wouldn't that be awesome? These are fish that can weigh up to 5,000 pounds. I mean, they weigh as much as a car. Okay, wait. Have you seen them all a model before? I have, yeah, I saw one once when I was filming down in Monterey Bay, California, and it was a baby. It was really small and it was adorable, and I was so excited to see it, because it's the only one I'd ever seen in my life.

But I think the idea of just being in the water with a true behemoth, a huge mola that is bigger than I am, that is something that I really want to see someday. It's fun to see big things. Yeah, a parrot fish. A mola mola. I feel happier already. In just a moment, we'll be talking with today's special guest, Tricia.

But first, a song about parrotfish. I wrote this song on a train while I was thinking about how funny it is that parrotfish poop out sand and joy. I got a little song about parrotfish. Here it goes. What parrotfish eat, they also excrete in a curtain of limestone sand. They eat some coral and they poop it out and it washes up on land.

It covers the floor and they eat some more, almost countless times each day. So thank you parrotfish friends for making the sand in which we play. Delightful. Let's sing it again. What parrotfish eat, they also excrete in a curtain of limestone sand, They eat some coral and they poop it out and it washes up on land. It covers the floor and they eat some more, almost countless times each day. So thank you parrotfish friends for making the sand in which we play.

So thank your parrotfish friends for making the sand in which we play. Thank you, parrotfish for pooping out sandy beaches.

Before we get on with the show. Here's a quick message for the grownups

And we are back. It's that time in the show for the Happiest Fanimal, where a fan like you gives us clues for what animals. Making them happy. Today's submission is from seven year old Finley from Portland, Oregon. Clue number one. This animal climbs trees. Clue number two. This animal is black and white. Clue number three. This animal has a long tail.

Clue number four. This animal rubs fruit on itself to keep mosquitoes away. Oh! Tough one. And the answer is the capuchin monkey. Capuchin monkeys make Finley happy because they are good at climbing trees, just like Finley is. Thank you for your submission, Finley and Grown-Ups. If you or your family would like to submit a happiest animal, visit our website at Happiest Animal show.com.

Now it's time for our special guest, doctor Tricia Meredith. She is a shark scientist who studies shark noses. Well, welcome to the Happiest Animal show. Thank you. We're so excited that you're chatting with us. This is. Yeah. Me too. So for you, what's your favorite thing that you've learned during your research about shark noses? I think it's that sharks aren't these super smelling swimming noses that we once thought.

So, like, I grew up in Ohio. I learned a lot about sharks through watching Shark Week, and I was like, that's the truth. And I was memorizing these facts like it was a textbook. And then come to find later, we actually don't know that much about their basic biology because they're hard to study. And then through our studies and like the work I got to be a part of, I got to be one of the people to discover like oh this is how sensitive they are to odors.

Now we know. Let's compare it to other fish in the ocean. Are they super similar? Turns out they're not. They're about as sensitive as other fish. So kind of like that myth busting thing was really cool. That's awesome. That's so cool. People are obsessed with sharks being, like, sniffing out blood to find humans and eat them. And, like, there's just so many flaws to even consider that as a thing to investigate.

But sometimes when we would, you know, when I was a baby grad student, we would have documentary film crews come in for, you know, shark documentaries. And we would try to show them the science of, like, let's deliver prey related odors, odors that actually make sense and test that and see how sensitive they are. And they're like, but what about human blood?

And we're like, but that's not relevant to the animal like, but should we try it? Like, what if I don't know? I guess you go in there like let's try it. So we did. And did anything happen? Now what? Well, it makes sense. I mean, humans are not in a shark's food chain, right? Like, we wouldn't smell like food to them.

So sharks are not attracted to human blood. Boom. Science. My blood even. Oh, okay. Wow. You put your own blood in the water to see if a shark would be attracted to it. And it was not. Yeah, I know, so sharks are not attracted to human blood. And we have this verified by a shark scientist today. If you learn nothing else, that's pretty cool.

It's good to know. Totally. Oh, well, next time I have a gaping wound, I'll feel more comfortable when I go for a swim in the ocean. Good. Okay, now it's time to find out what animal is making Tricia happy. But first this. It's time to play everybody's favorite game show. What did Tricia just say? We've got a yes or no question for you.

Are sharks attracted to human blood? Yes or no?

The answer is no. They're not attracted to human blood. Thanks for playing everybody's favorite game show. What did Tricia just say? And we're back. Tricia, here is the important question. What animal is making you happy today? I love this question. And I have to say, it's chickens. Yes. The shark scientist fixed chickens for today. I love it.

Chicken. I have chickens as pets. And I think. I think I've never been able to really watch, like, group behavior of an animal. Over time, the way I have with my flock of chickens. Like, I know some people have a bunch of dogs or cats in their house, but you, like you don't often have a whole group of animals that has their own like hierarchy and group behavior.

And it is hilarious and bonkers. They're, they, like, are free ranging in my backyard. So it's like these little mini feathered dinosaurs. Like, they look like little velociraptors running around the yard, being fierce and fighting over food and, like, doing really silly stuff. Like, they like, jump really high to try to reach flowers that they want to eat and look goofy doing that.

And then like, you can see their pecking order. So literally ooh, like the order of importance in the chicken community. Yeah. Who's the top chicken? My chicken named. Hey, hey. Yeah, I'm top one. Hey, hey. And Groot's is at the very bottom. It's so sad for her, but Groot just watching, like, when I put treats down and watching the pecking order play out is fascinating because, like, Groot's tactic, being at the bottom of the pecking order is she comes in as fast as possible before anybody even knows her streets grab something takes off, or she's not getting anything because they'll kind of block her with their body movements.

They don't even have to peck her to, like, keep her out of the, like, circle where the food is. They decide who goes into the coop first at night. They, like, line up at a certain time, you know, I have to teach them. They're just like preprogramed to go inside at night and just. Hey, hey, go in first.

She goes, unless she goes, actually. So the top chicken goes in last. Interesting. Yes, but the way they play, like, it's almost like they look at their watches and they're like, okay, everybody line up. And then you like, you look outside and you're like, what are they doing? And they're like, standing like one foot apart waiting to go in.

And they like take turns. Did you raise them as chicks or hatch them from an egg? Would you? No. We got day old chicks. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. You have chickens, too? We did. And we had to to say goodbye to our chickens. We took them to a farm that, this is just down the street from our house, but we can still visit them.

And one time, Rob saw a coyote in the yard trying to go after the chickens. Yeah, I was, so I was in the house one time, and I heard a fast Eddie was her name. Fast Eddie was out making a lot of noise, and I looked out the window and she was doing. She was pulling football moves on a coyote, just like.

And, like, zigzagging. And. Yeah, she was darting back and forth in the coyote. It was amazing. Kylie was having trouble keeping up, and I banged on the window. And then I ran outside and I watched that coyote run and jump over a six foot fence to get out of the well, and it made me realize how incredibly athletic a coyote is.

We've had a couple of predator situations, too, and it's funny because the chickens will, like, call to you. Like, we had a situation at two in the morning with a raccoon, and they woke us up and I came out and she was like, standing outside, like, squawking at me like, hello, let's go. And then like, I followed her over to where the situation was unfolding.

But they like very clearly communicated to me to like come deal with this. Yeah. Which chicken was yelling at you. Hey hey hey hey hey. Yeah. Protecting her flock into the top. Chicken came and got you to be. Yeah. To say hey come out just screaming like you said. They like their. The pitch changes when they're having a situation.

Yeah. So it's like hey he's kind of like classy in that way. Just like coming to get help. Timmy's down the well. Yeah. And they make you breakfast like. Yeah. Well can you say that for most pets. No you definitely can't. It's quite the opposite for my other pets. Right. These ones are productive members of the family

And we have, like, bluish green eggs and some brown eggs. Ooh, awesome. I think it's really cool that chickens have different colored eggs. Yeah, it's really fun. I like so because we had different size chickens, we used to get different sized eggs and we had like a big a medium and a small. And every now and then you'd get like a chicken would lay just a weird egg.

And I was like those when you get just weird. Oh yeah. Crazy small crazy huge. Yeah. You got like a super small one one time. It was tiny. It was so tiny and it was funny. And then we had one that was huge. Then, you know, we frequently got double yoked eggs, too. Oh, cool. Yeah. So it's fun whatever's going on inside those chickens to make that happen.

But it's fun. Yeah. Well, Tricia, thank you so much for joining us on the Happiest Animal Show. It has been a pleasure. Thank you. Now it's time. It's the time you have all been waiting for. To find out the answer to our animal joke of the day. Who grants fishes wishes? Do you have a guess? The answer is.

A fairy codmother.

And before we go, remember, we live on a beautiful planet. So go out and find what makes you happy today.

Hey, grown ups, we know you're busy, but if you like our show, we'd love for you to tell your friends and family about it. It's the best way for our podcast to grow and grown ups. You can also follow us on social media at Happiest Animal Show, or check out other fun things on our website, like how to submit an animal and how to get merch.

Visit Happiest Animal Show.com. The Happiest Animal Show is created by Laura Sams, Robert Sams and Dave Cain. Produced by Sisbro Studios, hosted and directed by Laura Sams and Robert Sams, and written by Laura Sams. Robert Sams with story editor Dave Cain, and with only a little help from our cat walking across the keyboard. Now let's talk music.

Original music is written and performed by zero time Grammy Award winning songwriters Laura Sams and Robert Sams, except for the end credits music, which was written by Laura and Robert's grandma Max and the Joke answer suspense music written by David Schultz. The theme song was written and performed by Laura and Rob and mixed by Jason Wells of Audiowells.

Wells. Thanks for listening. You're the best.