WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.439 --> 00:00:06.559 It's Maria's MutS and Stuff. What a great idea. On iHeartRadio, 2 00:00:09.880 --> 00:00:12.439 Welcome to Maria's Mutts and Stuff. And with me is 3 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:17.039 naturalist and adventurer Charles Hood with his new beautiful book 4 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:21.280 Nature at Night, Discover the hidden world that comes alive 5 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:24.719 after dark. So, Charles, thank you for taking some time out. 6 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:27.760 Thank you for writing this amazing book. I love it. 7 00:00:27.839 --> 00:00:29.600 Well, I'm so happy to be with you today. And 8 00:00:29.640 --> 00:00:32.399 I appreciate those kind words. And I'll just alert your 9 00:00:32.399 --> 00:00:35.840 listeners if I sound distracted. My dogs may hear my voice. 10 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:40.479 He sounds like there's somebody in the room to see. Yeah, someone, 11 00:00:40.600 --> 00:00:42.640 What does he bring over? Friends? Do they have to write? 12 00:00:42.960 --> 00:00:45.039 Oh? I love that. Oh that's good. And if they 13 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:47.840 bark in the background, that's even better. I don't mind 14 00:00:47.840 --> 00:00:51.520 that at all. It's very dog right now. 15 00:00:51.679 --> 00:00:53.240 Okay, so I'm hoping they'll leave me. 16 00:00:53.840 --> 00:00:56.399 Oh my goodness, that's so cute. What are your dog's names? 17 00:00:56.520 --> 00:00:59.759 I have two rescue dogs, and one is Fo she's 18 00:00:59.799 --> 00:01:02.600 a a sort of a Siberian husky kind of thing. 19 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:07.159 And then we have sam Wise, who is a Shepherd 20 00:01:07.400 --> 00:01:11.159 husky mix. And they have different personalities, but they both 21 00:01:11.200 --> 00:01:13.040 are interested in, you know, if they hear my voice 22 00:01:13.079 --> 00:01:15.280 sound together, animated, like, what's going on? 23 00:01:15.319 --> 00:01:16.959 What's going on? We want to be part of it. 24 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:20.680 Of course, what's Dad doing? I get it exactly, I 25 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:22.439 get it. I get it. Ah, I love it. That's 26 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:24.519 so cool. I know it's funny too, because in your 27 00:01:24.519 --> 00:01:26.959 bio that comes in your book. I love that it 28 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:30.799 says that you're the proud caretaker of two dogs, two kayaks, 29 00:01:31.079 --> 00:01:34.680 and two mountain bikes. I love it. It's our unique description. 30 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:35.480 But it's perfect. 31 00:01:35.840 --> 00:01:39.319 Well, and you mentioned there's also five thousand books mentioned 32 00:01:39.319 --> 00:01:39.599 in there. 33 00:01:39.599 --> 00:01:42.560 Oh, I forgot about that part. That part, Yeah, that's. 34 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:43.599 The bibe these others. 35 00:01:43.799 --> 00:01:46.439 Yes, it's true, the five thousand books. So okay. So 36 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:48.959 I just have to tell you. You know, way back 37 00:01:48.959 --> 00:01:51.480 when when I first started radio, and I did an 38 00:01:51.560 --> 00:01:55.200 overnight show, and I did overnights for years, and there's 39 00:01:55.239 --> 00:01:57.920 a whole nother world out there in the middle of 40 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:03.040 the night, and your book just supports that, right, things 41 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:06.799 come out only at night. And so tell me, so, 42 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:08.639 why did you write this book? 43 00:02:08.879 --> 00:02:10.400 You know, for those of us who are sort of 44 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:14.360 outdoorsy or kind of nature affiliated, we're trained by society 45 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:17.240 to mistrust the night. This is true for most people. 46 00:02:17.240 --> 00:02:19.800 I suppose, like you have to have security security lights 47 00:02:19.800 --> 00:02:21.960 and a ring camera and when you open your car door, 48 00:02:22.000 --> 00:02:24.280 all the lights go on, and that's just you know, 49 00:02:24.759 --> 00:02:28.120 that's that's a false shouldn't be a scared afraid of 50 00:02:28.120 --> 00:02:30.400 the dark. But of course if you like nature, then 51 00:02:30.599 --> 00:02:34.360 nature didn't turn itself off on nature, right, and so 52 00:02:34.680 --> 00:02:39.039 twenty four hours of nature would include understanding, appreciating, celebrating 53 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:40.319 what's happening after dark. 54 00:02:40.639 --> 00:02:43.039 Sure, and I mean there's a whole another world at 55 00:02:43.120 --> 00:02:46.000 night when it comes to nature, which I think probably 56 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.159 many people don't realize, or not that they don't care 57 00:02:49.159 --> 00:02:52.080 about it, but they don't realize because they're probably sleeping 58 00:02:52.360 --> 00:02:54.319 or I think it's what you said, it's almost like 59 00:02:54.360 --> 00:02:56.479 that fear. You know, I'm not going to go out 60 00:02:56.479 --> 00:02:58.680 at night. But if you do go out night, go 61 00:02:58.759 --> 00:03:01.199 out at night. I mean, I love the fact your 62 00:03:01.199 --> 00:03:04.759 big four words is have fun, be safe. Let's talk 63 00:03:04.800 --> 00:03:07.960 about that. Why is that a good good advice for 64 00:03:08.039 --> 00:03:10.199 people who go out and explore nature at night. 65 00:03:10.400 --> 00:03:12.759 Well, it's important for us to protect our night vision. 66 00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:16.240 And actually as humans, we actually anybody can see fine 67 00:03:16.319 --> 00:03:18.879 at night if we couldn't see at night, our ancestors 68 00:03:18.919 --> 00:03:21.280 would have never walked home from the farm or you know, 69 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:24.759 just gathered in the crops. But where we lose our 70 00:03:24.879 --> 00:03:26.960 night vision when the headlights go on and the porch 71 00:03:27.039 --> 00:03:28.800 light goes on. So if we're going to go out 72 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:31.280 at night, when I say be safe, not really thinking 73 00:03:31.280 --> 00:03:33.919 about bad people assaulting us so much as protect your 74 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:38.080 night vision. Have a backup flashlight. Everyone's lost their keys 75 00:03:38.159 --> 00:03:40.800 or dropped something, and so what if you've got at night, 76 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:43.159 have a second flashlight in case you break the first one. 77 00:03:43.599 --> 00:03:46.360 And so that's also tied into the idea of it's fun, 78 00:03:46.479 --> 00:03:50.520 it's easy, but take normal precautions right right, you go, 79 00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:51.960 if you're going to go on your first night hike, 80 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.199 maybe go during the day, kind of learn the routine 81 00:03:54.240 --> 00:03:56.319 a little bit, and then come back after dark. 82 00:03:56.879 --> 00:03:59.840 Right yeah, which is just kind of common sense advice 83 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:02.240 which I think sometimes a lot of people don't have anymore. 84 00:04:02.439 --> 00:04:03.919 Well, I don't know if it's just because I grew 85 00:04:03.960 --> 00:04:06.039 up in an older generation, but that's sort of idea 86 00:04:06.080 --> 00:04:09.039 that you're responsible for yourself, you know, So it's not 87 00:04:09.080 --> 00:04:11.560 like I, you know, I'm so old, I don't have 88 00:04:11.599 --> 00:04:14.319 a cell phone in my childhood, you know, so right, no, right, 89 00:04:14.439 --> 00:04:16.920 be responsible, ride your bike, don't get it stolen, don't 90 00:04:16.959 --> 00:04:17.720 get you know, don't. 91 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:22.160 Get arrested, right exactly. Yeah, it's true. That's the stuff 92 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:24.040 I grew up with too. I didn't have a cell 93 00:04:24.040 --> 00:04:26.279 phone growing up as well. So yeah, it's a it's 94 00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:29.920 a whole nother world. It's true. It's actually just very 95 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:33.319 simple common sense. So let's talk about a little bit 96 00:04:33.480 --> 00:04:36.759 about what happens at night. Like I love the fact 97 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:39.600 that you talk about that animals, like, how do they 98 00:04:39.639 --> 00:04:41.879 know what time it is? So let's talk a little 99 00:04:41.920 --> 00:04:42.480 bit about that. 100 00:04:42.759 --> 00:04:46.560 We know from various scientific studies that there are circadian rhythms. 101 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:48.399 I mean, all of all of your listeners know that 102 00:04:48.560 --> 00:04:50.879 for themselves, and they so you know that our that 103 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:53.759 our pets in our house, household, you know know what 104 00:04:53.839 --> 00:04:56.079 time it is. That my wife has fish and they 105 00:04:56.079 --> 00:04:57.759 know what time it is. Of course we didn't have 106 00:04:57.800 --> 00:04:59.399 life on the tank. They would know what morning is 107 00:04:59.439 --> 00:05:02.680 because it's time to get fed. Those circadium rhythms apply 108 00:05:02.800 --> 00:05:06.600 across the entire spectrum of animals and some you know, 109 00:05:06.639 --> 00:05:08.639 including plants, and you know why else they should say 110 00:05:08.680 --> 00:05:11.399 in the natural world. But for some things, they realize 111 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:14.879 I can exploit the world in a more efficient way 112 00:05:14.920 --> 00:05:17.639 if I just switch my orientation. So if we think 113 00:05:17.639 --> 00:05:19.879 about the typical flower, it's used to kind of in 114 00:05:19.920 --> 00:05:22.720 our minds, we're picturing something yellow or red and the 115 00:05:22.759 --> 00:05:26.720 sun is shining and the pollinators like hummingbirds, are buzzing around. 116 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:30.600 But everybody else is a red flower all around us, 117 00:05:30.839 --> 00:05:33.079 or a yellow flower whatever. So some flowers thought, you 118 00:05:33.160 --> 00:05:36.279 know what, what if we switch over, it will be 119 00:05:36.360 --> 00:05:39.240 the nighttime flowers. And yeah, we're gonna have maths instead 120 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:40.879 of butterflies. So we don't care, you know what the 121 00:05:40.959 --> 00:05:43.360 name is as long as of things. So these are 122 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:47.079 often white flowers or in the case of like suarrow 123 00:05:47.160 --> 00:05:51.160 cacti in the desert southwest, they like bats. So this 124 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:55.360 cacti that are that have these big, showy white flowers, tubular, 125 00:05:55.639 --> 00:05:58.279 they're producing nectar, same as anything that would attract a hummingbird, 126 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:02.639 but they're attracting these long nosed bats in the desert 127 00:06:02.680 --> 00:06:06.720 southwest and in northern Mexico, same thing pollinating tequila plants, 128 00:06:06.759 --> 00:06:09.639 by the way, to call it yegatti for tequila, and 129 00:06:09.720 --> 00:06:13.839 so they're getting pollinated, but they are able to get 130 00:06:13.839 --> 00:06:18.439 a really great pollinator because bats are big long distance flyers, 131 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:20.959 and so you can get your genetic material way the 132 00:06:21.040 --> 00:06:24.040 heck out the one hundreds of miles away. The bats 133 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:26.600 can do that in part because they're digesting the nectar, 134 00:06:26.879 --> 00:06:30.480 but they can also digest pollen a hummingbird can't do. 135 00:06:30.519 --> 00:06:33.920 Hummingbirds actually have to catch insects to round out their diet. 136 00:06:34.839 --> 00:06:37.600 You know, they're not just drinking from our hummingbird feeders exclusively. 137 00:06:38.240 --> 00:06:42.079 But bats can actually make do the you know, the 138 00:06:42.120 --> 00:06:44.319 pollinating bats can make do just simply off of nectar 139 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:47.720 and pollen, and that's a satisfactory diet for them. So 140 00:06:47.759 --> 00:06:50.560 they've focused on that instead of doing things that other 141 00:06:50.600 --> 00:06:53.399 bats are doing, catching frogs or catching mosquitoes. 142 00:06:54.240 --> 00:06:58.839 Right, yeah, yeah, so and it's funny too because people 143 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:01.279 are scared of bats. Bats come out at night. So 144 00:07:01.399 --> 00:07:03.399 it goes full circle to what you said at the beginning, 145 00:07:03.560 --> 00:07:07.160 which you know, human nature just being odd, being weird, 146 00:07:07.720 --> 00:07:09.800 or just the way they're we're wired. 147 00:07:11.279 --> 00:07:13.160 Well, of course we want to be cautious. If I'm 148 00:07:13.160 --> 00:07:15.120 at night and I see something on the trail, is 149 00:07:15.160 --> 00:07:16.879 it a snake or is it a stick? That's a 150 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:20.079 very healthy response way to respond to the world, but 151 00:07:20.519 --> 00:07:22.759 it's been made about a thousand times worse by this 152 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:26.639 sort of cultural idea that the darkness is inherently menacing. 153 00:07:26.720 --> 00:07:30.319 That's where the horror films are, that where wolves are, 154 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:32.240 and almost I don't want to get political, but it 155 00:07:32.279 --> 00:07:35.240 almost extends kind of our racial profiling of you know, 156 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:38.920 darker things in general should be are the menacing things, 157 00:07:38.920 --> 00:07:41.519 and the whiter, more brightly lit things are kind of this. 158 00:07:41.600 --> 00:07:43.720 You know, Heaven is brightly, that hell is dark. Right 159 00:07:44.040 --> 00:07:46.800 if we think about these sort of extensions, and that's 160 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:49.360 just robbing us of our heritage. We have every reason 161 00:07:49.399 --> 00:07:52.560 to be happy all the long. First of all, exactly 162 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:55.720 no reason not to enjoy the nocturnal moth, right, No. 163 00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:57.800 No, I mean it's funny. I just had this conversation 164 00:07:57.839 --> 00:08:01.240 with somebody about black dog syndrome. Black dogs black cats 165 00:08:01.319 --> 00:08:03.959 are scary. Why they're not scary at all, but people 166 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:06.399 think they are because the movies. You know, the mean 167 00:08:06.480 --> 00:08:09.000 dog is always the black dog, which is a Rottweiler 168 00:08:09.160 --> 00:08:12.600 or a Doberman. Black cats, Oh, it's bad luck, not true, 169 00:08:13.120 --> 00:08:16.360 so I think it goes. It's all it's all with 170 00:08:16.399 --> 00:08:18.240 the same theme. You know what I mean, it goes 171 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:19.439 along with what you just said. 172 00:08:19.720 --> 00:08:22.120 You are so right about that. And in terms of 173 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:23.800 like you know, I mentioned I have two dogs, and 174 00:08:24.480 --> 00:08:26.920 the husky happens to be what they call sable. I 175 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:29.759 just call it the white dog. And then my shepherd 176 00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:34.159 mix is pure black. And even when people come over 177 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:35.519 to my house and they trust me and they know 178 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:37.360 I'm not going to stick the dog off them, they 179 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:39.799 like the white dog. You know, the husky is somehow 180 00:08:39.840 --> 00:08:43.639 known or friendly or perceived to be a better product. 181 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:48.240 Isn't that crazy? It's just so bizarre to me. I mean, 182 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:52.000 it's just crazy. I just had this conversation and that 183 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:54.559 we're having it as well. It's just so crazy. But 184 00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:59.159 I think it's also it's gotten drummed into people's heads 185 00:08:59.240 --> 00:09:02.919 from what they see on TV, in the movies, you know, 186 00:09:03.080 --> 00:09:06.600 fantasy stuff, but you know, with a whole like black dog, 187 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:09.720 black cat syndrome and that. And you're right. And I 188 00:09:09.799 --> 00:09:11.720 was just having this conversation and the person said, yeah, 189 00:09:11.799 --> 00:09:14.799 people are more afraid of black animals than they are 190 00:09:14.919 --> 00:09:17.360 and I was like, but it doesn't make sense. But 191 00:09:17.480 --> 00:09:19.399 like you just said, yeah. 192 00:09:19.360 --> 00:09:21.159 I love what you're bringing up because I never thought 193 00:09:21.159 --> 00:09:23.639 about this, but now every were wolf I've ever seen 194 00:09:23.720 --> 00:09:27.639 is always dark brown or black like, even though real 195 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:31.559 wolves can be pure white nature, right, lots of wolves 196 00:09:31.559 --> 00:09:33.879 are sort of gray with even a tan undercoat. So 197 00:09:34.519 --> 00:09:36.639 black wolves are the rare ones, but were wolves are 198 00:09:36.679 --> 00:09:41.960 not never can never variegated, right, and I mean not 199 00:09:41.960 --> 00:09:44.600 having their wolf imaginations broad It's true. 200 00:09:45.519 --> 00:09:47.639 Well, it's true. I mean, and think about it. That 201 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:49.679 were really going off tangent because I want to get 202 00:09:49.679 --> 00:09:51.879 back to your book, but it's just funny, not off 203 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:56.000 off off the subject. But I'm just that you just 204 00:09:56.000 --> 00:09:57.879 popped in my head talking about wolves. I'm thinking of 205 00:09:57.960 --> 00:10:01.919 member Game of Thrones and the you know, John Snow's 206 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:05.000 wolves were pure white wolves and they were like the 207 00:10:05.000 --> 00:10:09.919 friendly helper wolves, right right, Yes, you know. 208 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:12.960 And that goes into you know, racial relations and how 209 00:10:13.080 --> 00:10:17.000 people even from Southern Europe were devalued historically in North 210 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:21.279 America compared to Northern Europeans. Yeah, you know, it's all interconnected. 211 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:22.639 And I don't try to make a big deal out 212 00:10:22.639 --> 00:10:24.720 of this in the book because that gets into sort 213 00:10:24.759 --> 00:10:27.120 of some messy politics. Of course, that is the reality 214 00:10:27.120 --> 00:10:29.039 that we're just as scared of that we're praying to 215 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:31.080 be afraid of the dark more than. 216 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:33.039 Is reasonable, right, which is true. 217 00:10:33.080 --> 00:10:34.600 So we don't want our listeners to go out stepping 218 00:10:34.600 --> 00:10:36.399 on snakes, bad for the snake, for. 219 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:38.279 You, bad for you, right exactly. 220 00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:40.679 But use your flashlights your. 221 00:10:40.600 --> 00:10:44.559 Flash light, yes, and go out and actually to get 222 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:45.399 you exactly. 223 00:10:45.399 --> 00:10:46.879 The animals that didn't have with the night or not, 224 00:10:46.960 --> 00:10:48.320 you know, the bats or not. They don't want to 225 00:10:48.320 --> 00:10:50.360 get in your hair. They're not going to give you rabies. 226 00:10:50.200 --> 00:10:52.200 They're not going to bother you. They just want to 227 00:10:52.240 --> 00:10:54.879 be themselves, right, And that's why your book is so perfect, 228 00:10:54.919 --> 00:10:58.000 discover the hidden world that comes alive after dark. How 229 00:10:58.039 --> 00:10:59.720 long did it take you to put all the research 230 00:10:59.759 --> 00:11:01.679 together for the book? Like, how long did it take 231 00:11:01.720 --> 00:11:02.360 you to write it? 232 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:07.320 Once I get my notes together, I can usually work quickly. 233 00:11:07.360 --> 00:11:09.240 I'm kind of different than some of the other writers, 234 00:11:09.320 --> 00:11:13.320 So it might only be a year. So those those 235 00:11:13.320 --> 00:11:15.559 of our listeners who don't earn in the trade, then 236 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:18.480 it's another two years of production, you know, they have 237 00:11:18.559 --> 00:11:20.519 we have to go through all the photo editing and 238 00:11:21.080 --> 00:11:23.360 copy editing, and then the production. The books are on 239 00:11:23.480 --> 00:11:25.360 you know, on boats coming from China, and you know, 240 00:11:25.519 --> 00:11:28.519 sure and that's good to a warehouse. So I was 241 00:11:28.519 --> 00:11:31.000 working on this years ago, plural, but my writing is 242 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:31.879 relatively swift. 243 00:11:32.120 --> 00:11:35.320 Mm hmmm. Oh that's pretty good actually. And what number 244 00:11:35.360 --> 00:11:36.639 book is this for you to have written? 245 00:11:36.679 --> 00:11:39.600 You've written a lot of books I have, I think, 246 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:42.639 depending how we count a lot of the poetry publications, 247 00:11:42.679 --> 00:11:45.240 this will be a round book. Twenty two ish. 248 00:11:45.320 --> 00:11:46.120 Yeah, that's a lot. 249 00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:49.360 Yeah, that's yeah. It's like anything in life. If you 250 00:11:49.399 --> 00:11:52.519 do it all your life, it'll your resume will accumulate 251 00:11:52.559 --> 00:11:53.360 by the end of your life. 252 00:11:53.480 --> 00:11:55.440 Well that's true, that's true. And you are not at 253 00:11:55.440 --> 00:11:57.000 the end of your life, so you have plenty more 254 00:11:57.039 --> 00:12:00.200 books in you. I know, when you were doing of 255 00:12:00.200 --> 00:12:03.080 putting this book together, doing the research, was there anything 256 00:12:04.559 --> 00:12:09.039 that you learn that surprised you, something that you didn't realize? 257 00:12:10.039 --> 00:12:12.759 You know? And again, I'm used to the daytime, I'm 258 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:15.480 used to listen to the land, and I hadn't appreciated 259 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:18.480 the largest migration on Earth is actually in the ocean. 260 00:12:19.039 --> 00:12:20.759 So it's not the caribou in Alaska, and it's not 261 00:12:20.799 --> 00:12:23.679 the serengetti will the beast, but trillions and trillions and 262 00:12:23.720 --> 00:12:26.320 trillions of organisms are rising up out of the depths 263 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:29.000 during the night time to come up to the surface 264 00:12:29.320 --> 00:12:32.960 where the phytoplankton are the little planty things that need 265 00:12:33.000 --> 00:12:35.919 sunlight or a surface. But that's where the predators are. 266 00:12:36.720 --> 00:12:40.279 So during the day, the lesser animals, the zol plankton 267 00:12:40.279 --> 00:12:42.399 and other things, they're down there a thousand feet to 268 00:12:42.519 --> 00:12:44.840 house feet buol the surface and a nice safe darkness. 269 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:47.480 The light kind of ends around three hundred feet roughly speaking, 270 00:12:47.840 --> 00:12:49.679 and they make a vertical migration to come up to 271 00:12:49.720 --> 00:12:52.159 the surface to feed. Well, that stand means things are 272 00:12:52.159 --> 00:12:54.600 following them, so like squid are coming up to the surface, 273 00:12:54.919 --> 00:12:58.240 and that then means the dolphins are feeding at night. 274 00:12:58.320 --> 00:12:59.759 When we go on a whale watching trip and we 275 00:12:59.799 --> 00:13:03.200 see the happy, splashy dolphins, they're happy and they're splashy, 276 00:13:03.480 --> 00:13:06.399 probably because they've already fad. They're feeding all night long 277 00:13:06.440 --> 00:13:08.799 because they have like a location they don't need daylight 278 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.879 to eat a fish, sure catch a squid, and so 279 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:15.440 they're up as a surface during the daytime socializing because 280 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:17.960 that's there. That's their day off, so to speak. Right, 281 00:13:18.000 --> 00:13:21.000 I didn't really appreciate the scale of this is global 282 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:23.840 in scale, and you know, it's not even seasonal. It 283 00:13:23.879 --> 00:13:26.399 is depending on where we are. Obviously the artic is 284 00:13:26.399 --> 00:13:29.080 a little bit different. But everything is moving up and 285 00:13:29.120 --> 00:13:31.919 down vertically every day of the year. I just found 286 00:13:31.960 --> 00:13:32.679 that fascinating. 287 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:34.879 It is no, it is. It's like it's like the 288 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:37.759 food chain is happening, but it's happening at night because 289 00:13:37.759 --> 00:13:39.240 the blanks about it. 290 00:13:39.279 --> 00:13:41.200 I have a picture of a dolphin during the day 291 00:13:41.240 --> 00:13:44.440 and it's got these little rosettes of whiteness on its flanks. 292 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:47.080 This was in Indonesia, and I realized, oh, those are 293 00:13:47.120 --> 00:13:51.200 scars from cookie cutter sharks. So as the animals are 294 00:13:51.240 --> 00:13:53.879 going up and down, there's some sharks hanging around, pretty small, 295 00:13:53.879 --> 00:13:56.080 like a foot and a half long. They've got a circular, 296 00:13:56.200 --> 00:13:59.279 round mouth and they latch onto things quickly, do a 297 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.120 little spin, take a little divid of skin out, and 298 00:14:02.200 --> 00:14:05.720 peel away. These are called cookie cutter sharks, right, And 299 00:14:05.840 --> 00:14:09.279 you can see the scars on dolphins and whales. And 300 00:14:09.320 --> 00:14:11.240 I happened to see a dolphin that was breaching out 301 00:14:11.279 --> 00:14:12.759 of the water and I got a picture like, what 302 00:14:12.879 --> 00:14:15.279 of that? What's this long series of white circles on 303 00:14:15.320 --> 00:14:18.000 this poor animal's flanks? Right? And that's when I realized 304 00:14:18.000 --> 00:14:21.000 oh at night, it's been it's been predated itself as 305 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:23.559 it was chasing the squid by these sharks. 306 00:14:23.799 --> 00:14:27.639 Wow, and that's fascinating because most people wouldn't know that, right, 307 00:14:27.679 --> 00:14:29.360 How would we know that? They didn't teach us that 308 00:14:29.360 --> 00:14:29.840 in school. 309 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:31.720 Yeah, I got a pretty good picture, you know, for 310 00:14:31.759 --> 00:14:34.039 those of those of you who like to learn through imagery, 311 00:14:34.039 --> 00:14:36.320 which includes me, you know, I like pretty pictures. So 312 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:38.960 there's actually a pretty good picture of that in the book. 313 00:14:40.600 --> 00:14:42.399 One of the two and forty pictures is of this 314 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:46.240 leaping dolphin that shows very clearly the shark bites along 315 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:46.759 its flank. 316 00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:48.840 The pictures in your book are stunning. 317 00:14:49.159 --> 00:14:51.639 Just so you know, well, you're very kind. I appreciate that. 318 00:14:51.720 --> 00:14:53.919 I'll hear I hold a copy up to the microphone 319 00:14:53.960 --> 00:14:55.720 so that your reader's compete a little bit better. 320 00:14:56.639 --> 00:14:58.679 Well, you know, when I when I make this live, 321 00:14:58.840 --> 00:15:01.000 I will post some of the phone from it because 322 00:15:01.039 --> 00:15:04.000 it's really I really the photos are just they really 323 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:06.960 are stunning. I mean, I'm right now, I'm looking at 324 00:15:07.000 --> 00:15:10.120 the owl and it starts owls and night jars, Moonlight's 325 00:15:10.279 --> 00:15:13.840 mystery birds. So let's let's talk a little bit. Why 326 00:15:13.879 --> 00:15:17.159 are owls there? The mystery birds at night with the 327 00:15:17.200 --> 00:15:18.519 moonlight especially. 328 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:21.559 Yeah, and again there's a long cultural history, particularly in 329 00:15:21.600 --> 00:15:24.080 North America. You know, the idea if you see an owl, 330 00:15:24.120 --> 00:15:26.720 then someone's going to die, and that sort of thing. 331 00:15:27.279 --> 00:15:29.519 And you know what, can we say, Folklore can give 332 00:15:29.559 --> 00:15:31.879 us great wisdom but also a lot of boulder dash. 333 00:15:32.080 --> 00:15:35.000 Yeah, that's a great word, by the way, boulder dash. 334 00:15:35.080 --> 00:15:36.679 I haven't heard that in a long time. I love it. 335 00:15:36.720 --> 00:15:38.759 Well, we're trying to we keep this show g rated. 336 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:40.080 We want everybody to feel. 337 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:43.960 Coming, right, that's true, but we don't have to trail. Yes, 338 00:15:44.000 --> 00:15:45.559 if you find a word you want, you can just 339 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:48.240 say it. It's okay, but yes, so I'm sorry to 340 00:15:48.279 --> 00:15:49.799 mean to interrupt you. I just love that word, but 341 00:15:49.840 --> 00:15:50.320 go ahead. 342 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:53.480 So you know, there are hundreds of species of owls 343 00:15:53.519 --> 00:15:55.559 all the way down to the elf owl that lives 344 00:15:55.559 --> 00:15:58.840 in woodpecker holes and smirow cacti up to the eagle owls, 345 00:15:59.159 --> 00:16:01.559 and they are finding lots and lots of ways to 346 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:04.480 exploit their environment or fit into their environment. And I 347 00:16:04.519 --> 00:16:06.600 just thought it'd be interesting to show those but also 348 00:16:06.679 --> 00:16:09.679 to have photography that wasn't deer in the headlights. If 349 00:16:09.720 --> 00:16:13.720 we know that express expression. Tell your listeners there ain't 350 00:16:13.759 --> 00:16:16.000 a single deer in a single headlight in that book, 351 00:16:16.440 --> 00:16:19.080 simply because I refuse to allow that kind of photography 352 00:16:19.159 --> 00:16:21.360 to happen. It harasses the animals and it makes a 353 00:16:21.440 --> 00:16:25.480 very garish, lured kind of photograph. So on average, the 354 00:16:25.559 --> 00:16:28.720 flash or the flash units we're using or turned to 355 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:33.639 a very low setting and often diffused with fashion fashion 356 00:16:33.720 --> 00:16:36.279 model lighting, if that makes sense to do a fashion shoot, 357 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:39.559 they have these diffusers they use so that wraps the 358 00:16:39.639 --> 00:16:43.759 light around the model. And we brought those same lights 359 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:47.600 into the rainforest in Nicaragua, for example, and in Peru 360 00:16:48.039 --> 00:16:51.519 in order to photograph owls and bats in a more 361 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:56.440 i'll say encouraging way or a more welcoming way to 362 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:59.519 make them seem less fearsome. And that's just a matter 363 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:01.440 of you know, how do we want to manipulate the 364 00:17:01.480 --> 00:17:04.519 image and try to move the camera around and maybe 365 00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:07.119 move the lighting and say, hey, here's a flattering angle. 366 00:17:07.279 --> 00:17:08.559 This is actually a nice portrait. 367 00:17:08.759 --> 00:17:10.880 I just found everything amazing, and in fact I just 368 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:13.880 found the photo on page two fifty, two hundred and 369 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:18.200 fifty of the rough tooth Dolphin. Yeah, well there you go, 370 00:17:18.359 --> 00:17:19.920 there you go. Yeah, and you can see all the 371 00:17:19.920 --> 00:17:22.000 marks on it. It's it's pretty incredible. 372 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:25.039 And that's the tropical species that normally we wouldn't see 373 00:17:25.039 --> 00:17:27.799 in North America. There are a few records for southern California. 374 00:17:27.839 --> 00:17:30.079 But yeah, that picture was in Indonesia on a boat. 375 00:17:30.200 --> 00:17:31.640 Gosh darn it. I had to go to the flight 376 00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:34.799 of Bali and get on a boat. Oh, oh my goodness. 377 00:17:35.079 --> 00:17:36.400 Started this book was so much. 378 00:17:37.240 --> 00:17:39.039 It was Oh my goodness, you poor thing. Had to 379 00:17:39.039 --> 00:17:40.680 go to Bali. Oh my god. 380 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:43.200 I go to Bali and they upgraded my room and 381 00:17:43.240 --> 00:17:44.640 I had to have to stay in a private suite 382 00:17:44.640 --> 00:17:45.599 with my own swimming pool. 383 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:48.400 Oh my no, poor poor things. 384 00:17:48.839 --> 00:17:51.160 They kept bringing them to me. It was dreadful being 385 00:17:51.160 --> 00:17:53.200 a naturalists. I just can't believe it. 386 00:17:53.359 --> 00:17:56.319 Oh my god, that's so funny. So yeah, So obviously 387 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:59.119 this book took you all around the world, right, and 388 00:17:59.440 --> 00:18:02.039 I I mean, I assume you've already been all around 389 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:05.359 the world, because this is book number twenty two. Was 390 00:18:05.400 --> 00:18:08.039 there any place that you went to for this book 391 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:09.039 that was the first time. 392 00:18:09.359 --> 00:18:11.759 Sure, Metagascar. Oh my goodness. I've been waiting to go 393 00:18:11.839 --> 00:18:14.599 to Madagascar all my life and I hadn't really appreciated. 394 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:16.519 You know, we see the daytime lemurs if you've been 395 00:18:16.559 --> 00:18:19.039 to a zoo, if you ringtail lemurs or something, but 396 00:18:19.559 --> 00:18:22.640 most lemurs are actually nocturnal. Many are quite small and 397 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:23.240 quite cute. 398 00:18:23.519 --> 00:18:25.400 Uh huh, yeah, so I hadn't really. 399 00:18:25.319 --> 00:18:28.720 Again, you know, there's oh now I think we're up 400 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:31.920 to is our eighty species of but there been le's. 401 00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:33.920