The MeatEater Podcast - Ep. 580 : MeatEater Kids V

Episode Date: August 2, 2024

Welcome to our brand new podcast, MeatEater Kids! It's a fun, educational, and engaging podcast for all of you outdoor kids. Learn about science and history from Steve's "Why It's the Way It Is" segment and impress your friends with your newfound knowledge, develop your ear for animal vocalizations with our "Guess that Critter" segment brought to you by Katie Rinella, and play long during "Kids Trivia" with host Spencer Neuharth. Connect with Steve, Spencer, MeatEater, and The MeatEater Podcast Network MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YoutubeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

on today's why it's the way it is we're going to talk about something called predator swamping. You might hear that in picture of a wolf running through a swamp. That's not what this is, though predator swamping can involve wolves. Predator swamping is a strategy. It's a technique or a way in which prey animals, meaning animals you know, animals that are consumed by other animals, in which prey animals can produce their babies in a way that reduces, okay, or diminishes the chance that their babies are going to be killed by predators. Now, to do this, let's picture ourselves up in the Arctic, okay, up in the far north. So let's say we're going to go up to the top end of Alaska, where the northern border of Alaska

comes up against the Arctic Ocean. There aren't any trees up there. It's a type of low brush called tundra. It's a lot of water, a lot of mosquitoes. There's a consistent wind that comes off the ocean, okay? And it's just a big, broad, wide, open landscape. And in some of these areas of northern Alaska along the coast, huge congregations of caribou will gather during the spring calving season. When I say huge congregations of caribou will gather during the spring calving season. When I say huge congregations of caribou, I mean it could be thousands. It could be tens of thousands of caribou will all gather on this landscape in the spring to have their babies.

Why do they do this? It could be a bunch of reasons why they go up there. Mosquitoes, like I said, are terrible, but there's a breeze off the ocean that can keep the mosquitoes down. And that can be helpful to them because the mosquitoes up there can get so bad, they'll kill a baby caribou. They'll draw so much blood that a baby caribou can literally die from blood loss. But there's another reason they go up there. Caribou have a lot of predators. Their primary predators in that area are wolves and grizzly bears.

Okay. When all these caribou gather up, thousands of caribou gather up, they draw in some predators, okay? Packs of wolves are going to show up. Grizzly bears are going to show up and they're there and they know what's going to happen. They know that all those caribou are going to start having babies. And they know that those babies are going to be very vulnerable for a few hours, for a couple days. Because once they're a couple days old, they can get up and run with their mom.

But when they're being born, and in the first few hours of their life, they can be vulnerable. Meaning wolves can just run up and grab them. So, back to these huge groups. Now picture that over the course of a couple days, over the course of a few days, every single mama caribou,

all of a sudden sudden has her baby. Okay. They swamp, let's say they swamp the landscape with babies and they're all being born at the same time. Now, what are those predators going to do? They're going to get some shirt, right? Each of those wolves is going to get one or going to get two. But then after a couple of days, all those baby caribou were able to run around and the wolves had their chance, right? They had their chance to prey on baby caribou, but the chance was super short. It was a period of just a few days and it's over. But now let's imagine a difference. So keep that idea in mind, where they swamp the landscape with babies.

Way more babies on the ground at any given time. Way more babies on the ground than those wolves would ever have a chance of picking up. But picture if caribou did it differently. Picture if they trickled in over the course of months. Okay? They come in over the course of months. And every day, a few of those caribou mommies have their babies. What's going to happen then?

Well, every day, all summer, those wolves are going to be nabbing up whatever baby caribou hit the ground. It's just going to keep happening, and they're going to keep eating them. It's going to keep happening, and they're going to keep eating them. In the end, that caribou herd would probably lose way, way more caribou calves than they would have had they just all done it at once. It created so much food on the ground, so many fawns on the ground all at once, that it kept the predators busy long enough for everybody else to get up and get ready to go. That strategy is predator swamping. You're producing so many babies

that the predators don't have a chance of eating them all. You know some are going to survive. There's another really famous case or often mentioned case of predator swamping, which is baby sea turtles that synchronize their hatch. Okay, so mama turtles come up on a beach, they all lay their babies. Now, if every night some of those babies popped out of the hole and made a break for the ocean, they're just going to get picked off.

But picture on some perfect night, thousands of those little babies all of a sudden, miraculously, in a synchronized way, all at once. Thousands of those babies come out of their holes and run to the ocean. What's going to happen? Maybe there's a few birds around. There's a few crabs around. They don't have a chance to get them all. They can get a couple, but they're not going to get them all because they all came at once. That is predator swamping. And that is one of the reasons why some animals synchronize the birth of their young or synchronize the hatching of their young as a way to make sure that some are going to get lost, but most are going to make it. Part two, guess that critter. It's time for Guess That Critter, where we play animal sounds and you've got to guess what animal is making those sounds.

You'll learn some neat facts about these animals and develop your ear to better identify their sounds in the wild. Or in this case, maybe in your attic, too. And don't worry, we'll throw in some clues along the way. Now, listen closely. These are the cries from a whole flock flying overhead. Groups of hundreds, if not thousands, will fill the sky during their spring and fall migrations, and their calls can be heard from miles away. These critters prefer open areas such as meadows, agricultural fields, and the edges and shorelines of marshes and lakes. In the mountains, you might occasionally find them feeding in high-altitude alpine zones,

or even open avalanche shoots where sliding snow has scrubbed away all the trees. They're omnivorous, meaning they'll eat just about anything with their long, sharp beak. Berries, roots, forbs, agricultural crops such as wheat, alfalfa, and corn, plus all manner of insects and even small vertebrates. That's a critter with a backbone, such as rodents, lizards, frogs, and baby birds. They can grow nearly four feet tall and weigh over 10 pounds. They're gray in color with a bright crimson-red patch on their heads. So, they're easy to see and also easy to hear. Their calls can sound like rattling, bugling, hissing, and honking. Here's what a male can sound like. These animals sure can dance.

During courtship, they twirl and jump, pump their heads, stretch their wings, and bow. You may hear them making these duetting sounds while dancing. These animals lay eggs and raise one brood, or family of young, per year. Juveniles stay close to their parents for nine to ten months after hatching, before they go off on their own. The babies of this bird species are known as colts. Here's what one sounds like. And here are what slightly older juveniles sound like. Okay, it's time for the reveal.

It's a sandhill crane! Their name comes from habitats that they use in and around the Sandhills region of Nebraska. Although they can be encountered throughout much of North America as they migrate back and forth from northern breeding grounds and southern wintering grounds, thousands and thousands of birds gather every year in the Texas panhandle. They can live for a very long time. The oldest one on record was at least 37 years old. Mating pairs of males and females will stay together for years so long as they're able to successfully reproduce together. When one of them dies, the other will seek out a new mate.

You can legally hunt sandhill cranes in 17 states. Their meat is thought to be so tasty and so similar to beef that they've earned the nickname, Rib-Eye of the Sky. Part 3. Trivia! And now, it's time for Meat Eater Kids Trivia, the other only game show where conservation always wins. This is a quiz show for kids who love the outdoors. Take it away, Spencer.

Today I'm joined by Jimmy, Rosie, Matthew, Ina, Mabel, Hayden, and Conley. Each player will earn $10 for conservation with every question they get right. Today, there's a potential for this room to earn up to $210. This week, that donation is going to the Land Access Initiative, which provides more access to public lands for hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, swimming, and whatever else you like doing outdoors. Let's see how much money our players can raise. Question one.

Which of these states does not touch the Appalachian Mountains? Is it Kentucky, Pennsylvania, or California? Which of these states does not touch the Appalachian Mountains? Kentucky, Pennsylvania, California. Rosie, with the quickest answer. Rosie, do you have this one right? Um, I think. You think, okay. Is anybody else in your confidence?

Hayden, your marker's already down. Do you know this one? I know. Which of these states does not touch the Appalachian Mountains? Process of elimination. Okay, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, or California. Two of those states touch the Appalachian Mountains? Process of elimination. Okay. Kentucky, Pennsylvania, or California. Two of those states touch the Appalachian Mountains. One of them does not.

Does everybody have an answer? Yes. Yeah. Go ahead and reveal your answers. Rosie. Pennsylvania. Mabel. California. Ina.

California. Hayden. California. Conley. California. Matthew. California. Jimmy. California. Ina. California. Hayden. California. Conley. California. Matthew. California. Jimmy.

California. The correct answer is California. Almost everybody got that one right. The 13 Appalachian Mountain states are Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. California is about 2,000 miles from the Appalachian Mountains, which would be about a 30-hour drive.

How many of you have been to a state with the Appalachian Mountains? I have. Yeah? Me and Conley have. Okay. Jimmy, what state were you in with the Appalachian Mountains? I don't actually know. Okay.

I just remember getting told. Conley, what state have you been in with the Appalachian Mountains? We went to Alabama. Really? Did you see the Appalachian Mountains there? I don't think so. Don't think so. How about over here, Maybelline?

North Carolina every year. Every single year. But we've never actually seen the Appalachians. We've never gone and seen them. We're just on the beach. Okay. You might be able to see them from there. How do the Appalachians, how are they different than the Rockies that you guys live by here?

Do they look different? Yeah, what do you think? They're older. So they're... Older? Wait, that's the right... Am I thinking about the right amount of range? Yes, I am.

They're older, so they're more flat and not as crooked because of the land. I'm going to get too sciencey. I'm going to have a little mini lecture. Good stuff. Question two. What word is defined as a smaller river that flows into a bigger river? Is it tributary, savanna, or tide? The what?

What word is defined as a smaller river that flows into a bigger river? Tributary, savanna, or tide? Jimmy, you know this one? I think so. Jimmy, it looked like you didn't even need the choices. You are that confident. Wait, what's the thingy again? The definition is a small river that flows into a bigger river.

Your choices are tributary, Savannah, or Tide? A very confident room. Matthew is still thinking. Tributary, Savannah, or Tide? Is everybody ready? Yep. Go ahead and reveal your answers. Rosie.

Tributary. Mabel. Tributary. Ina. Tributary. Hayden. Tributary. Conley.

Tributary. Matthew. Tide. Jimmy. Tributary. The correct answer is tributary. Almost everybody got that one right. The definition of a savanna is a type of grassland with scattered trees.

The definition of tide is the periodic rise and fall of waters in the ocean. And a tributary is a small body of water that flows into a big body of water. Can you guys name some tributaries for the Missouri River? Jefferson. There you go. There's three of water. Can you guys name some tributaries for the Missouri River? Jefferson. There you go. There's three of them. We literally went to the place where they all go in. Conley, did she take yours? Yeah, but I got another one. Oh, what's the other one? Madison.

There you go, Madison. There's a lot of choices. Wait, is it Missouri? You've got the Yellowstone, the Jefferson, the Madison, the Gallatin. Basically, any of the creeks and rivers that you guys live by are a direct or indirect tributary to the Missouri River. Question three. Which of these animals has the most teeth? Is it a tiger, a great white shark, or a beaver?

Which of these animals Which of these animals Has the most teeth Tiger Great white shark Or a beaver Beaver all the way You think that's it No

I feel like it's supposed to be A trick question So we're gonna like Think of something And then we're gonna be like Wait is this actually it And then it's gonna be like We're all gonna say something

And it's not gonna be any of No one's gonna get it right Or something like that Mediator trivia twist Or we're just gonna all say something and it's not going to be any of, no one's going to get it right or something like that. I know this. Or we're just going to all be. I know it real well. Which one has the most teeth, tiger, great white shark, or beaver?

Is everybody ready? Yeah. Go ahead and reveal your answers. Rosie. Great white shark. Mabel. Shark. Ina.

Great white shark. Hayden. Great white. Conley. Great white shark. Matthew. Great white. Jimmy. Great white shark. Mabel. Shark. Ina. Great white shark. Hayden. Great white. Conley. Great white shark. Matthew. Great white. Jimmy.

A great white shark. The correct answer is a great white shark. This was not a trick question. You all knew it 100% right. Beavers have 20 teeth. Tigers have 30 teeth. And great white sharks have 20 teeth, tigers have 30 teeth, and great white sharks have 300 teeth. The animal with the most teeth in the world is a snail, which has 20,000 teeth. Humans, on the other hand, have 32 teeth, which take about two minutes to brush.

That means if a snail were to brush their teeth at the same pace, it would take over 20 hours to complete the job. Wait, how do snails have so much teeth when they're tiny? They're so tiny. It's like sandpaper. You know what sandpaper is? Yeah. That's what their teeth look like. They got 20,000 of those. But how? You're asking the wrong person. I feel like I know a lot of things for you,

Matthew, but I don't know how they have 20,000 teeth. Now I got a question for the room. So snails have thousands of teeth and dragonflies have thousands of compound eyes. Would you guys rather be a dentist for a snail or an eye doctor for a dragonfly? Eye doctor for a dragonfly. Why?

You sound very confident. It's like you've thought about that question all your life, Matthew. Because it would be very, very, very difficult in the first place. And I don't think I'm going to want to clean the snail's teeth. Okay. That's a good reason. Oh, Rosie. Rosie has, she's going to bring us the devil's teeth. Okay. See, but if you're an eye doctor... Oh, Rosie has... She's going to bring us

the devil's advocate here. Why do you think it should be a snail teeth instead? So being an eye doctor for dragonfly, like, what if they need glasses? Then what are you supposed to do? Just make 20,000 of them?

That's a good point. What if that snail needs braces, though? Well, they're... You're not an orthodontist. You're a dentist, not an orthodontist. They're also probably really tiny,

so that'd be easier. That's the correct answer. You're right. orthodontist, you're a dentist. They're also probably really tiny, so that'd be easier. That's the correct answer. You're right. How about Phil? Phil, what would you rather do? Eye doctor, obviously. Yes, definitely. I'm doing the bin.

How dare you? I'm doing eye doctor. That's it for today's round of trivia. Phil the Engineer, how much money did we raise? They raised $190. $190 going to the Land Access Initiative. Well done, kids. Join us next time for more Meat Eater Kids trivia,

the only other game show where conservation always wins. Thank you so much for listening to Meat Eater Kids. We hope you enjoyed listening to the show as much as we enjoyed making it. If you'd like to hear more, have your parents leave the show a review, write us an email, and tell your friends about it. Until then, get outside and don't stop being...

Meat Eater Kids!