That Sea Pod

Join us for our last spooky themed episode of October while we discuss thalassaphobia.

Have a question? Email us: thatseapod@gmail.com

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Intro/Outro Music by: ihsandincer

References:

• https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-people-who-suffer-from-thalassophobia-or-fear-of-the-sea
• Jamieson, A. J., Singleman, G., Linley, T. D., & Casey, S. (2021). Fear and loathing of the deep ocean: why don't people care about the deep sea?. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 78(3), 797-809.
• Pascuzzi, F., & Waters, S. (2020). The spaces and places of horror. Vernon Press.

Zombie worms, vampire squids, goblin sharks...oh my! This week we are learning about the goblin shark.

Have a question? Email us: thatseapod@gmail.com

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Intro/Outro Music by: ihsandincer

References:

• https://australian.museum/learn/animals/fishes/goblin-shark-mitsukurina-owstoni/
• Castro, J.H. (2011). The Sharks of North America. Oxford University Press. pp. 202–205.ISBN 978-0-19-539294-4
• https://www.fws.gov/story/goblin-sharks
• https://oceana.org/marine-life/goblin-shark/
• https://oceanconservancy.org/blog/2024/02/08/all-about-goblin-sharks/
• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/goblin-shark-seen-alive-natural-habitat-first-time/

This episode we sail into the mysteries of the ocean...literally. Join us to learn about ghost ships!

Have a question? Email us: thatseapod@gmail.com

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Intro/Outro Music by: ihsandincer

References:

• Dixon, Paul (26 May 2023)."Deceptive Shipping Practices in Sanctions Evasion". sanctions.io. Retrieved 22 September 2024.
• https://www.history.com/articles/what-happened-to-the-mary-celeste
• Kingshill, S. (2012). The Fabled Coast: Legends & traditions from around the shores of Britain & Ireland. Random House.
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6574547.stm
• Reamer, D. (2023, October 29). The mysterious fate of the Baychimo, the ghost ship that haunted the Arctic for decades. Anchorage Daily News. https://www.adn.com/alaska-life/2023/10/29/the-mysterious-fate-of-the-baychimo-the-ghost-ship-that-haunted-the-arctic-for-decades/
• https://www.sailworldcruising.com/n/The-Unsolved-Mystery-of-the-Kaz-II/-45859?source=google
• Schuster, F. M. (2022). In search of the origin of an Antarctic ghost ship: The legend of the Jenny re-evaluated. Polar Record, 58, e13.
• https://shipwrecklog.com/log/2025/08/ghost-ship-karolee/
• Talman, C. F. (1912). The Real Fata Morgana. Scientific American, 106(15), 335-349.
• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/aug/09/australia
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Celeste
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Naronic

Hey Salty Dogs! This week we are continuing with our spooky themes and learning about the Vampire Squid.

Have a question? Email us: thatseapod@gmail.com

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Intro/Outro Music by: ihsandincer

References:

• Hoving, H. J., & Robison, B. H. (2012). Vampire squid: detritivores in the oxygen minimum zone. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279(1747), 4559.
• https://www.mbari.org/animal/vampire-squid/
• https://oceana.org/marine-life/vampire-squid/
• https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/vampire-squid-fish.html
• https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals-the-ocean/animals-a-to-z/vampire-squid
• https://study.com/academy/lesson/vampire-squid-overview-facts.html
• https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/vampire_squid

Welcome to That Sea Pod in October! Join us for our first creepy month feature about Zombie Bone Worms.

Have a question? Email us: thatseapod@gmail.com

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Intro/Outro Music by: ihsandincer

References:

• https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/63596-Osedax
• https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=265008
• https://ocean.si.edu/ocean-life/invertebrates/zombie-worms-crave-bone
• Palumbi, S. R., & Palumbi, A. R. (2014). The extreme life of the sea. In Princeton University Press eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400849932

Dolphins are notorious for some pretty scandalous behavior. This episode, Justine and Shelby tackle a listener question about whether dolphins really are bullies and, if so, why are they so popular.

Have a question? Email us: thatseapod@gmail.com

Follow us on Instagram: @thatseapod

Intro/Outro Music by: Gentle Jammers (AudioJungle)

References:

• Barney, E. C., Mintzes, J. J., & Yen, C. F. (2005). Assessing knowledge, attitudes, and behavior toward charismatic megafauna: The case of dolphins. The Journal of Environmental Education, 36(2), 41-55.
• Connor, R. C., Smolker, R. A., & Richards, A. F. (1992). Two levels of alliance formation among male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.). Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 89(3), 987-990.
• Cotter, M. P., Maldini, D., & Jefferson, T. A. (2012). “Porpicide” in California: Killing of harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) by coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). Marine Mammal Science, 28(1), E1-E15.
• East, M. L., Thierer, D., Benhaiem, S., Metzger, S., & Hofer, H. (2022). Infanticide by Adult Females Causes Sexual Conflict in a Female-Dominated Social Mammal. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 10, 860854.
• Ebensperger, L. A. (1998). Strategies and counterstrategies to infanticide in mammals. Biological Reviews, 73(3), 321-346.
• Fordahl, C. (2024). Beyond animal charisma: A sociological approach to charismatic species. Conservation and Society, 22(1), 14-24.
• Gehrke, C. (2026). Animal Celebrities—Then and now: Exploring oceanic imaginaries through celebrity marine mammals. Ocean and Society, 3.
• Gehrke, C., & Menzel, A. (2026). Ocean Pop: Marine Imaginaries in the Age of Global Polycrisis.
• Le Boeuf, B. J., & Briggs, K. T. (1977). The cost of living in a seal harem. Mammalia, 41(2), 167-196.
• Maglieri, V., Vantaggio, F., Pilenga, C., Böye, M., Lemasson, A., Favaro, L., & Palagi, E. (2024). Smiling underwater: Exploring playful signals and rapid mimicry in bottlenose dolphins. Iscience, 27(10).
• Pal, S. K. (2001). Population ecology of free-ranging urban dogs in West Bengal, India. Acta Theriologica, 46(1), 69-78.
• Pusey, A. E., & Packer, C. (1994). Infanticide in lions: consequences and counterstrategies. Infanticide and parental care, 277-299.
• Ramos, E. A., Szczepaniak, I. D., Kaplan, J. D., & Reiss, D. (2022). Short Note Potential Infanticide Attempt of Common Bottlenose Dolphins. Aquatic Mammals, 48(2), 132-141.
• Reiss, D., Sickler, J., Gruber, S., Boyle, P., Elliott, E., Lemcke, K., ... & Newman, B. (2006). Dolphins in popular literature and media. Society & animals, 14(4), 321-349.
• Ronje, E., Piwetz, S., Whitehead, H., & Mullin, K. D. (2020). Intraspecific aggression towards common bottlenose dolphin calves, Northern Gulf of Mexico.
• Spitz, J., Rousseau, Y., & Ridoux, V. (2006). Diet overlap between harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphin: an argument in favour of interference competition for food?. Estuarine, Coastal and shelf science, 70(1-2), 259-270.
• Vanderheyden, M., Chaignon, B., Car, C., Pilot, M., El Berbri, I., Marshall‐Pescini, S., ... & Berghänel, A. (2025). A Direct Observation of Infanticide by a Female Free‐Ranging Dog (Canis familiaris) Supports the Resource Competition Hypothesis. Ecology and Evolution, 15(12), e72727.
• Volker, C. L., & Herzing, D. L. (2021). Aggressive behaviors of adult male Atlantic spotted dolphins: Making signals count during intraspecific and interspecific conflicts. Animal Behavior and Cognition, 8(1), 36-51.
• https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/wildlife/dolphins

What are the differences between the ocean and the sea? Tune in this week to find out!

Have a question? Email us: thatseapod@gmail.com

Follow us on Instagram: @thatseapod

Intro/Outro Music by: Gentle Jammers (AudioJungle)

References:

• https://www.britannica.com/science/Ocean-vs-Sea-Whats-the-Difference
• https://deadsea.com/dead-sea-salinity/
• https://www.diffen.com/difference/Ocean_vs_Sea
• https://www.oceanclock.com/en/blogs/journal/what-is-the-difference-between-sea-and-ocean
• https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/oceanorsea.html
• https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/sargassosea.html
• https://www.surfinghandbook.com/sea-vs-ocean-differences/
• https://www.whoi.edu/ocean-learning-hub/ocean-topics/how-the-ocean-works/seafloor-below/ocean-trenches/

Hey Salty Dogs...wait, what is a Salty Dog anyway? Justine and Shelby discuss the history behind the term 'Salty Dog' and how it relates to That Sea Pod.

Have a question? Email us: thatseapod@gmail.com

Follow us on Instagram: @thatseapod

Intro/Outro Music by: Gentle Jammers (AudioJungle)

References:

• https://www.dictionary.com/browse/sea-dog
• https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/old%20salt
• https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/salty_dog
• https://cats.com/can-cats-drink-saltwater

Do fish feel pain, actually? This episode Shelby and Justine dive into the research that shares findings on both fish feeling and not feeling pain.

Have a question? Email us: thatseapod@gmail.com

Intro/Outro Music by: Gentle Jammers (AudioJungle)

References:

Ashley PJ, Sneddon LU, McCrohan CR. 2007. Nociception in fish: stimulus–response properties of receptors on the head of trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Brain research, 1166: 47-54

Ashley PJ, Ringrose S, Edwards KL, McCrohan CR, Sneddon LU. 2009. Effect of noxious stimulation upon antipredator responses and dominance status in rainbow trout. Anim. Behav. 77(2): 403–410. (doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.10.015)

Key B. 2016. Why fish do not feel pain. Animal Sentience 1(3): 1.

Maximino C. 2011. Modulation of nociceptive-like behavior in zebrafish (Danio rerio) by environmental stressors. Psychology & Neuroscience 4(1): 149-155.

Miriam-Webster Dictionary: September 1st, 2026 Consciousness. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consciousness. Accessed September 2026

Miriam-Webster Dictionary. August 27th, 2026. Pain. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pain. Accessed September 2026.

Newby NC, Stevens ED. 2008. The effects of the acetic acid ‘‘pain’’ test on feeding, swimming, and respiratory responses of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 114(1-2): 260–269

Rose JD, Arlinghaus R, Cooke SJ, Diggles BK, Sawynok W, Stevens ED, Wynne CD. 2014. Can fish really feel pain?. Fish and Fisheries 15(1): 97-133.

Schmidt RF. 1986. Nociception and Pain. In: Schmidt, R.F. (eds) Fundamentals of Sensory Physiology. Springer Study Edition. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-82598-9_4

Sneddon LU. 2003. The evidence for pain in fish: the use of morphine as an analgesic. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 83(2): 153-162.

Sneddon LU, Braithwaite VA, Gentle MJ. 2003. Do Fishes Have Nociceptors? Evidence for the Evolution of a Vertebrate Sensory System. Proceedings: Biological Sciences 270(1520): 1115–1121. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3558836

Sneddon LU. 2009. The effects of the acetic acid “pain” test on feeding, swimming, and respiratory responses of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): a critique on Newby and Stevens (2008). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 116(1): 96-97.

Tracey WD. 2017. Nociception. Current Biology 27(4): R129-R133.

Welcome to That Sea Pod! Meet Justine and Shelby – Hosts of That Sea Pod, a brand new podcast about all things ocean! Each episode we answer a listener submitted question in a comprehensive but entertaining way.

Have a question about the ocean? Email us here: thatseapod@gmail.com

Instagram: @thatseapod