The Giants Lurking In The Deep Sea episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 4, 2025 · 13 MIN

The Giants Lurking In The Deep Sea

from Short Wave

The bathypelagic zone of the ocean is 1,000 to 4,000 meters below the surface. Sometimes it's called the midnight zone, because it's too deep for sunlight to reach. Most animals here are much smaller than their shallow-water counterparts. But occasionally, researchers find the rare deep sea giant: giant isopods, giant squids, colossal squids, sea spiders. While these giants sound like the subjects of some people's nightmares, deep sea biologist Craig McClain dreams about them. And today on the show, he helps unravel the mystery and research behind these creatures. SIGN UP FOR OUR SEA CAMP NEWSLETTER! WE WORKED SO HARD ON IT!Interested in more ocean mysteries? Let us know at [email protected] to every episode of Short Wave sponsor-free and support our work at NPR by signing up for Short Wave+ at plus.npr.org/shortwave.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 4, 2025

Embed this episode

NOW PLAYING

The Giants Lurking In The Deep Sea

0:00 13:20

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Short Wave?

This episode is 13 minutes long.

When was this Short Wave episode published?

This episode was published on August 4, 2025.

Can I download this Short Wave episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!