whale fall

Radiolab is one of my favorite shows on NPR. It all started with their episode "Animal Minds," in which they talk about if animals have feelings - or at least feelings like humans. The last part of this episode was my favorite. They talk with Paul Nicklen, a contributing photographer for National Geographic, about his encounter with a female leopard seal. They're vicious predators but I also think they're beautiful and, having never met one in the wild, very cute. Anyway, he talks about how this female leopard seal seemed to have fallen a little bit in love with him and tried to woo and feed him for several days. His story struck a chord within me and I haven't been able to forget it since.

(image via National Geographic)

Which finally brings me around to the point of this post: the fanciful video below about what happens to a whale after it dies. The video was inspired by the Loops episode of Radiolab that included a section on the after life of a whale. I have not yet listened to the show, but I am sure it is just as informative and fun as this video. On a side note, Radiolab does not exclusively do shows about sea life, though this post sure makes it seem that way. I've also listened to shows about cities, games and so much more. I just happen to have a soft spot for sea life. 

Whale Fall (after life of a whale) from Sharon Shattuck on Vimeo.

I love everything about this video: the combination of the artistic and the scientific, the music, the storytelling, the fact that a whale's body can sustain a community of organisms for 50-75 years! Thanks to Sweet Fern Productions for their inspirational creativity.

(still from Whale Fall)