From starfish and sea slugs to jellyfish and sponges, the ocean's invertebrates are some of the most ancient and diverse critters on Earth. And so are their superpowers, as marine biologist Drew Harvell calls their unique abilities. In her new book, The Ocean's Menagerie, she chronicles the amazing abilities of some of these spineless creatures and showcases how they've inspired our science and medicine. Listen to our past episode on nudibranchs — the potent slugs of the sea — HERE.Want to hear more stories about underwater marvels? Email us and 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.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
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When it comes to the ocean, some species get more attention than others.
There's a lot of interest and excitement, including for me, of whales.
Sharks and dolphins also tend to get a lot of love. But marine biologist Drew Harvell fell in love with a different group in the ocean.
Really, it's the invertebrates that make the gears turn round in terms of function and how the ocean works.
These unsung icons of the sea have no backbones. And there's a lot of them.
There are over 34 phyla of marine invertebrates, from sponges to corals to... Octopus to sea stars. And as such a big group, they're pretty versatile. Invertebrates live everywhere, from the bottom to the top, from shallow water to deep water, from attached to the bottom and in the plankton. So they're everywhere in the ocean.
Drew was so fascinated with spineless creatures that she wrote a whole book about these ancient critters and how their long evolutionary histories have led to some interesting biology.
I think of them as kind of biological impossibilities, sort of like, you know, Superman flying or having invulnerable skin, right? For an animal to photosynthesize, that's legitimately a superpower.
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