Devon: 0:59

Happy New Year, it's Kingdom Animalia.

Chet: 1:02

Chicka We're back!

Devon: 1:03

Indeed we are. And we're doing something a little different this episode—since the April Fools' special was running a little bit behind, we're combining the April Fools' and Halloween specials into one. I know it's a little late for Halloween, too, but I like Halloween episodes, and we missed Halloween in 2024. So, anyway, introducing, Trick or Treat 2026. The rules are the same as April Fools' (though we are downsizing animals), there are four crazy animals, three real, one I just made up, and you have to guess which one is just a trick. If by some sort of witchcraft you get it right and send in your guess by the end of Friday, January 16th, you can win a special prize. Stick around until the end to hear what it is and how to send in your guesses. And before we begin, just a reminder not to go around telling people about the facts from this episode until I release the reveal because one quarter of them aren't true. So without much further ado, I'm your host Devon…

Chet: 1:53

Chicka We're your co-hosts, Chicka Chet…

Cap: 1:55

Chicka And Cap…

Devon: 1:56

And today on Kingdom Animalia - A Zoology Podcast for Kids, we're talking about the Leapfrog Crab, Almakavori ranax; the arthropod that uses a kids' game to fight over territory; the Chinese Muntjac, Muntiacus reevesi, the deer with fangs and giant scent glands; the Red-lipped Batfish, Ogcocephalus darwini, the four-legged fish with clown lips; and the Emerald Cockroach Wasp, Ampulex compressa, the wasp that turns cockroaches into fearless zombies. Enjoy and pay attention. Let's start off with animal number one. The Leapfrog Crab. First, let me get a few things out of the way. This animal is not a frog. It is also not a crab. It is also not a children's game in which one child jumps over another. Very misleading. The animal kingdom is home to many a misleadingly named animal. This is one of them. The Leapfrog Crab is a member of the scientific family Pycnogonidae. This family is in the class Pycnogonida, commonly known as sea spiders, which are not spiders—but they do look a lot like spiders. The Leapfrog Crab, ehhh, not so much. Like all sea spiders, they have five pairs of legs, four pairs of longer legs for walking—walking legs—and one pair of smaller legs for manipulating food—"ovigerous legs" or "ovigers" for short. The sea spiders that are more true to their name have extremely long and thin walking legs, like daddy longlegses. Leapfrog Crabs' walking legs, however, are shorter and thicker—more like those of crabs. The hindmost pair of legs is longer than the others, which will come into play later. Surrounding their mouth, they have a pair of appendages called chelicerae. Chelicerae are the things on true spiders' faces that might be called fangs or jaws and are used for injecting venom. Leapfrog Crabs' chelicerae are what are called three-segmented chelate chelicerae. That probably sounds like word salad, so suffice it to say that they look like crab pincers, which is why Leapfrog Crabs are called crabs. Unlike crabs, their body is narrower, and lacks a shell. They look kind of like a hermit crab without their shell, just minus the tail. Leapfrog Crabs grow to about one inch or two-and-a-half centimeters long, with a leg span of about 2.8 inches or seven centimeters, with the females tending to be larger than the males. Their coloration is a pale yellow. They're mostly solitary… except in the breeding season, when they do come into contact with each other, whether they like it or not.

Chet: 4:26

Chicka Is this when leapfrog comes in?

Devon: 4:28

It is indeed, Chet.

Chet: 4:30

Chicka Oh, boy.

Devon: 4:32

Most of the year Leapfrog Crabs are nomadic, wandering the ocean floors in search of food. But things change when summer rolls around. Or, should I say things heat up. Or should I say things heat up.

Chet: 4:47

Chicka Fine, fine.<Rimshot>

Devon: 4:50

Thank you, Chet. Now cue the music. When the temperature of the water starts to rise, Leapfrog Crabs begin to settle down. The females congregate in small groups (called harems), defended by a single male. But sometimes a bold male—or perhaps just a lazy one—comes across a male and his group of females and decides he is much more deserving. He approaches the original male at distance, waving his ovigers around, almost teasing his opponent. If neither backs down, the game is on. The males take turns… jumping over each other.

Cap: 5:28

Chicka Seriously? Chicka That's the climax?

Devon: 5:32

They're called Leapfrog Crabs.

Cap: 5:34

Chicka I know– Chicka But the music made it sound much more dramatic—like, Chicka he approaches the original male at a distance, waving his ovigers around, almost teasing his Chicka opponent. Chicka If neither backs down, the game is on! Chicka The males take turns hurling cap after cap after cap, each trying to in-cap-acitate his Chicka opponent. Chicka Fling! Fling! Fling!<Music slows to a stop> Chicka Hey! Chicka Don't come back to me when I have a highly lucrative career as a Chicka narrator of old timey westerns.

Devon: 6:05

I don't think I would, but okay. The males take turns jumping over each other. This serves two purposes- initially, this is to size each other up, but if they appear evenly matched, it becomes a test of strength and endurance. The last crab– I mean spider– I mean sea spider– hopping wins, and they don't play nice. Each male uses his pincers to toss sand and rocks at his opponent with each leap. When one is too tired to continue, he relents and walks away, leaving the victor to mate with the females, secure the eggs to his belly, and brood them until they hatch, which can take up to three weeks. Leapfrog Crabs are carnivorous, their diet mainly consisting of sea anemones. Juveniles typically eat smaller cnidarians (Cnidaria is a phylum that includes sea  anemones, sea jellies, coral, and others). They feed by—warning, this is a little disturbing—they feed by piercing their prey with their legs and then sucking out all the tasty, nutritious juices.

Chet: 7:18

Chicka Tasty…

Devon: 7:21

Leapfrog Crabs dwell on the sea floor throughout the Atlantic Ocean. They're found at relatively shallow depths, as is typical for sea spiders. The larger species of sea spider, however, can be found in the deep. And now, who's ready for some fun facts? Anyone? Well, too bad because we're doing them anyway.

Chet: 7:45

Chicka Fact number Chicka one.

Devon: 7:51

Their genus name, Almakavori, is Greek for"jumping crab," and their species name, ranax, is Latin for "frog like."

Chet: 7:59

Chicka Fact number Chicka two.

Devon: 8:01

The Leapfrog Crab's breeding strategy is very unique among sea spiders. While Leapfrog Crabs are polygamous (meaning that one individual, in this case the male has multiple mates), most other species of sea spider are monogamous(meaning that one individual only has one mate at a time). I guess this unique trait is one of the many mysteries of the deep sea… unless I just made it up.

Chet: 8:22

Chicka Ugh.

Devon: 8:35

And now onto animal two. The Chinese Muntjac. As I mentioned in the intro, the Chinese Muntjac is a species of deer. The plural of muntjac is muntjacs, and the word for a group of muntjacs is a munt-jacket. Okay, no, I just made that part up. Though it's possible that I'm making all of this up…

Chet: 8:54

Chicka Devon…

Devon: 8:58

Chinese Muntjacs have chestnut brown fur and a short tail that has black on top and white on the bottom. Chinese Muntjacs, like Leapfrog Crabs, are sexually dimorphic(in the other direction though). They're 2.3 to 3.7 feet or 0.7 to 1.1 meters long and about 1.4 feet or 0.4 meters tall at the shoulder. Why are quadrupeds(four-legged animals) measured up to the shoulder? Something about how horses move their necks relative to the ground. Not as helpful when talking about animals like this one where you don't have a mental image of their proportions. Anyway, Chinese Muntjacs weigh– Uh, the at-the-shoulder measurement is called withers, by the way. Okay, I'm getting off topic. Chinese Muntjacs weigh 24.2 to 62.7 pounds, or 11 to 28 kilograms. The males are bulkier than the females and sport five-and-a-half-inch- or 14-centimeter-long antlers and long, sharp, tusk-like canines that can be up to two inches or two-and-a-half to five centimeters long. Both the males and females–

Cap: 9:52

Chicka Whoa, whoa, Chicka hold up, Devon!

Devon: 9:54

What?

Cap: 9:55

Chicka Are you just going to breeze over that?! Chicka That this deer has fangs?!

Devon: 10:00

Yeah, they use them for fighting. It's not like that's the weirdest thing about muntjacs. Chinese Muntjacs and muntjacs in general aren't even the only species of deer with fangs

Cap: 10:09

Chicka Of course.

Devon: 10:11

Didn't you hear my brief overview in the intro? I said that–

Cap: 10:14

Chicka I wasn't listening! Chicka I was scrolling through Chicka FlipFlap while you were talking! Chicka So what? Chicka It's not like I do that in all of our Chicka recording sessions! Chicka Just keep talking so I can listen intently and definitely not Chicka scroll through Chicka human memes.

Devon: 10:29

Okay, uh… Both the males and females have two bony ridges going down their forehead lined with black hair that end in the antlers in males or tufts of more black hair in females. On their faces, Chinese Muntjacs have two pairs of scent glands—the preorbital glands, which are on their cheeks, right in front of their eyes, and the frontal glands which are on their forehead. When these glands are closed, they look like simple folds of skin. But things change when they open up. When it's time for a muntjac to mark their territory, the frontal glands open up to small, almost oval-shaped pink patches, and the preorbital glands open up into large teardrops surrounded by flaps of skin. They look a lot like ears that were glued onto the muntjac's cheeks. They look like something straight out of a sci-fi film.

Chet: 11:18

Chicka Ears?!

Devon: 11:20

Sort of. And only in appearance. Oh, and they can also turn their preorbital glands inside-out.

Chet: 11:24

Chicka Whoa, whoa, whoa…

Devon: 11:25

They're the only dear with frontal glands, but several other species have smaller, subtler preorbital glands. Muntjacs mostly use their frontal gland for scent marking, and thus they keep them closed most of the time. They use their preorbital glands, on the other hoof, for real-time chemical communication. These glands produce a creamy liquid and they'll open their glands around other deer to communicate by smell.<Oozing sound> Mmm… Oh so creamy.

Cap: 11:52

Chicka Devon!

Devon: 11:54

Sorry, sorry, couldn't resist. Males will occasionally open their preorbital glands to show off. Muntjacs will also flare their glands, seemingly unintentionally, when doing other things such as eating and using the restroom. Moving on, Chinese Muntjacs are mostly solitary. They're crepuscular, meaning they're active primarily during twilight (the periods of time just before sunrise and just after sunset). The males use their antlers and fang-like canines for defending territory and fighting over females. One of their signature moves is using their antlers to shove their opponent off balance before going in with their canines. In addition to chemical cues sent via their scent glands,<Oozing sound>

Cap: 12:33

Chicka Devon…

Devon: 12:35

Sorry! In addition to chemical cues, muntjacs also communicate through sound. They bark very much like a dog when in stressful situations, such as when a predator or a more dominant muntjac is nearby. However, studies have shown that this is most likely an expression of stress as opposed to warning to other deer. They also will use other non-bark sounds, such as buzzing and whining, which are believed to be for communication purposes. Unlike most deer, Chinese Muntjacs are omnivorous, eating eggs, carrion (dead things), small mammals, and even birds that nest on the ground, in addition to fruit, seeds, bark, foliage, fungi, and bamboo. They're native to the subtropical forest of southeastern China and Taiwan, and they've been introduced to England, where they've become established. And now, who's ready for some fun facts?

Cap: 13:23

Chicka Ugh. Chicka Fact number Chicka one.

Devon: 13:27

The word "muntjac" comes from the Sudanese word "mēncēk," which means small deer.

Cap: 13:32

Chicka Fact number Chicka two.

Devon: 13:34

Muntjacs evolved around 15 to 35 million years ago, making them possibly the first kind of deer and the oldest still alive. And now, animal number three. The Red-lipped Batfish. The Red-lipped Batfish is, let's say, a very unique looking fish. How about we begin with a mental image? Start off by imagining a samosa.

Cap: 14:19

Chicka What?!

Chet: 14:21

Chicka A samosa?!

Devon: 14:22

Bear with me here guys.

Cap: 14:24

Chicka Okay…

Devon: 14:26

So imagine a samosa. Then, on the long edge, stick on a set of big, red lips. Above those lips, add a long Pinocchio nose surrounded by two beady, black eyes. Finally, attach two thin strips of paper as the front legs, two collapsed paper fans as the hind legs, and another fan as the tail. And now you have yourself a Red-lipped Batfish.

Chet: 14:47

Chicka I have absolutely no idea what you just Chicka talked us through.

Devon: 14:51

Uh-huh. So the Red-lipped Bat-samosa– uh, I mean the Red-lipped Batfish– measures around 9.84 inches or 25 centimeters long and weighs around 2.2 pounds or one kilogram. Their body is, more or less, shaped like a samosa with a fish tail. They have a white stomach and a light brown or gray back, which usually has a stripe made up of dark brown spots going down it. Their face is also a dark brown. Their scales are modified to form structures known as bucklers, which serve as armor. Their four quote, unquote,"legs" are actually modified pectoral fins (the paper strips) and pelvic fins (the fans). Their preferred mode of transportation is walking on the sea floor, though they can swim by tucking in their pectoral fins and pumping their tail and pelvic fins, which can unfold, like fans, for this purpose. Their gills, which are just tiny holes, are hidden behind their pectoral fin-legs. When a batfish matures, their dorsal fin grows into their nose-like projection, known as an illicium, that they can extend and retract, which, now that I think about it, matches up pretty well with the Pinocchio analogy. It's topped off by a light emitting structure known as the esca. Some individuals also have little white hairs around their face like a stubbly beard to help them sense their environment and look even grumpier. Their most prominent feature is, of course, their lips. Their big, red lips that are permanently in a pout. I really cannot overstate how red and pouty they are. Scientists believe that these lips help them tell each other apart and attract mates. When it comes to reproduction, not much is known about this species. Like many fish, they breed through spawning, wherein the males and females release their sperm and eggs respectively into the water, in the hopes that some of them will meet and become fish. Red-lipped Batfish can live for around 12 years. Red-lipped Batfish eat a wide variety of marine animals, including worms, shrimp, crabs, and smaller fish. They use their glowing escas to lure their prey, while relying on their coloration and skin texture to conceal the rest of their body. Yes, they can hide those lips. The Red-lipped Batfish is endemic to the Galápagos, meaning they don't live anywhere else. They mostly hang out on the ocean floor, often in reefs. They typically can be found at depths of 10 to 250 feet or three to 76 meters, and up to 394 feet or 120 meters around the edges of reefs. Now, who's ready for some fun facts?

Chet: 17:13

Chicka It's just you, Devon, Chicka it's just you. Chicka Fact number Chicka one.

Devon: 17:20

Their genus name, Ogcocephalus, comes from the Greek words for hook, "ogkos," and head, "kephalḗ." Their species name, darwini, is in reference to the naturalist Charles Darwin, who is famous for his work in the Galápagos.

Chet: 17:33

Chicka Fact number Chicka two.

Devon: 17:35

If the glowing lure didn't give them away, the Red-lipped Batfish is actually a species of anglerfish. Perhaps Red-lipped Batfish looks so sad because they didn't get to be in "Finding Nemo" like their cousin. And now for animal number four. The Emerald Cockroach Wasp. Emerald Cockroach Wasps are indeed wasps, not cockroaches, just to be clear. They also do not look like cockroaches. They have the shape of an average wasp, and they're about 0.87 inches or 2.2 centimeters long with the females tending to be larger. They're a shiny metallic blue green color overall, with some reddish orange on their two hindmost pairs of legs. Their eyes, antennae, and wings are all black. The Emerald Cockroach Wasp is solitary, like most other wasps, spending their entire lives alone. Mostly. So that brings us to why they're called the Emerald Cockroach Wasp. If you have any pet cockroaches, it's probably best that you have them sit out for this part. As a matter of fact, if you're squeamish, you might wanna stick this one out as well. Just fast forward about four minutes and 16 seconds. I'll wait. So here we go. Our story begins when a female wasp is ready to lay some eggs. The wasp flies around in search of her victim. When she spots an unsuspecting cockroach, she descends on the roach, clamping on with her mouth parts. She quickly inserts her stinger—which, by the way, is a specialized ovipositor(the tube that insects and some other animals use to lay eggs)—she inserts her stinger into the thorax—insects' middle body segment—in between the first pair of legs. This first sting injects a venom that temporarily paralyzes the cockroach's front legs so her "patient" won't squirm around during the rest of the operation. Next, she inserts her stinger into the cockroach's head. She precisely targets two specific areas of the brain, injecting more venom. And these aren't just simple jabs. The wasp's stinger is very precise, feeling around and using chemical cues to navigate past the brain's protections and inject the venom right in the two targets. And now comes the mind control, also known as zombification. As soon as the paralysis wears off, the cockroach begins to groom themself.

Cap: 20:24

Chicka I'm not even going to ask.

Devon: 20:26

The cockroach extensively and methodically grooms themself for about half an hour.

Cap: 20:30

Chicka Half an hour?! Chicka Why does the wasp make the Chicka cockroach groom themselves for 30 chirping minutes?!

Devon: 20:36

That's a good question actually. Scientists aren't entirely sure. They've found this kind of cleaning frenzy can also be triggered by a flood of dopamine (the hormone commonly associated with happiness). There's a dopamine-like compound in the venom, so scientists theorize that that is the cause. However, it isn't clear whether this is to ensure that the cockroaches nice and clean for the wasp, serves as a distraction to buy the wasp some time, or is simply a side effect of the venom. Anyway, while the cockroach grooms themself, our wasp leaves to find, well, a suitable grave for her victim.(Well, a burrow.) This takes around 30 minutes, by which time the venom has fully taken effect, robbing the cockroach of all free will (that is, their ability flee or otherwise move—not the ability to move, just the will to flee danger and defend themself). As a note, this is actually the same venom that the wasp used to temporarily paralyze the roach, it's just a matter of where she injects it. And this is technically temporary as well—it would wear off after about a week—but our wasp isn't going to let that happen. Next, and this gets a little gory, our wasp breaks off part of the cockroach's antennae and drinks some tasty roach blood to restore her energy.

Chet: 21:45

Chicka Okay, okay, can you please stop calling it Chicka our wasp? Chicka We are in no way Chicka aligned with it! Chicka I get that a lot of humans hate cockroaches, Chicka but if any of our listeners are on the side of the Chicka zombifying vampiric murder wasp, there's something seriously Chicka wrong with them.

Cap: 22:03

Chicka If you ask me, there's somethin' seriously wrong with all Chicka humans.

Chet: 22:07

Chicka Very true.

Devon: 22:08

Ahem.

Chet: 22:10

Chicka Fine, fine.

Devon: 22:12

Alright. So, after she drinks her fill, she uses what's left of one of the roach's antennae like a leash to lead them to their tomb. Once inside, she attaches a single egg to one of the cockroach's legs and seals the burrow… and the cockroach's fate. After the cockroach is locked away, the wasp's venom performs one final task- it slows down the cockroach's metabolism(the process by which organisms generate energy to do things). This allows the cockroach to live longer and be nice and fresh for the baby wasp. Why did I write it that way? That is so disturbing… Anyway, after six days, the larva hatches out of the egg, burrows their way into the cockroach's chest, and eats the cockroach from the inside out. This makes Emerald Cockroach Wasp larvae parasitoids, meaning that they eventually kill their host. Once nourished, the larva pupates (similar to a caterpillar becoming a chrysalis or cocoon) metamorphosizes into a wasp, and emerges from the ground to begin the cycle anew. Welcome back, pet cockroaches and my squeamish friends. To summarize what you missed, when a female Emerald Cockroach Wasp is ready to lay her eggs, she hunts down a cockroach, uses her venom to take away the roach's urge to flee danger, and buries her victim in a burrow with one of her eggs, which hatches into a larvae who eats the cockroach from the inside out before metamorphosizing into an adult wasp and emerging from the ground. Oh, wait. The pet cockroaches probably shouldn't have been back for that part. Whoops. Anyway, I think that was officially our most disturbing segment yet.<Party horn>

Cap: 23:54

Chicka That is not something to Chicka celebrate.

Devon: 24:05

Despite their, uh, somewhat disturbing childhoods, adult Emerald Cockroach Wasps are nectarivores, meaning they eat well, nectar. Not much is known about their preferences, but they tend to drink from asters and flat-topped members of the carrot family. They're native to warm tropical regions of Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands. They're most abundant in the warmer seasons. Now, who's ready for some fun facts?

Chet + Cap: 24:30

Chicka Ugh.

Cap: 24:34

Chicka Fact number Chicka one.

Devon: 24:37

Emerald Cockroach Wasps are also known as Jewel Wasps, in reference to their shiny appearance. But as far as cockroaches are concerned, beauty is only exoskeleton deep.

Cap: 24:46

Chicka Fact number Chicka two

Devon: 24:48

As larvae, Emerald Cockroach Wasps secrete a large amount of antimicrobial compounds to keep their cockroach hosts from… spoiling.

Cap: 24:57

Chicka Fact number Chicka three.

Devon: 24:59

Emerald Cockroach Wasp venom could lead scientists to a treatment for Parkinson's, a common neurodegenerative disease (that is, a disease that deteriorates the nervous system). Emerald Cockroach Wasp venom works very similarly in cockroach brains to how Parkinson's disease does in human brains, except that it's only temporary. For that reason, studying this venom could help scientists formulate an effective treatment for this dangerous disease. Unless, that is, Emerald Cockroach Wasp venom doesn't even exist. And that just about brings us to the end of this episode of Kingdom Animalia. But make sure to stick around until the end to hear about what the prize is and how you, yes, you can win it. All of that, after this. You can read the transcript for this episode by clicking the link in the show notes or going to the page for this episode. We have a new website, so that page is at kapods.org/trickortreat26. That's kapods.org/trickortreat26. You can also see the transcript in your podcast app if you're using an app like Apple Podcasts or Pocket Casts. I'll release my sources in the reveal episode next week. You can send in questions, comments, episode suggestions, or just a "hello" to animals@kapods.org. That's also in the show notes. I don't get very much contact from listeners like you, so it's very much appreciated.

Chet: 26:50

Chicka If you like this podcast, then chances are someone you know would, Chicka too. Chicka You can support us and give someone else a great new Chicka podcast to listen to by spreading the word about us. Chicka Tell your friend. Chicka Your classmate. Chicka Your teacher. Chicka Even that seemingly mild-mannered cow at that farm a few Chicka miles away who you really know is a caped, flying Chicka superhero from a far away planet who– Chicka Wait, no. Chicka That's my screenplay. Chicka Nevermind, carry on.

Devon: 27:15

Okay. So, sharing the show really helps us out. If you can afford to go the extra mile, I'd also really appreciate if you became a member of Kingdom Animalia Podcasts Plus (which is having a sale this month). All members get my immense gratitude, as well as one week early access to future seasons of Where Are the Chickadee Brothers?, and a shout out right here. You'll be in good company, joining the tremendous trio of our current members, Jen, Fernanda, and Janice. Shout out to Jen and Fernanda who both joined in the summer. Join the tremendous trio in helping fund what I do by going to plus.kapods.org or clicking the link in the show notes. You get 30% off for the first month if you sign up before February 1st. That's plus.kapods.org to help out your favorite podcaster(I am your favorite podcaster, don't try to deny it). But if you can't become a member, just spreading the word is a big help. A lot of the music I use is by the amazing Blue Dot Sessions, the opening theme was "Sweet Little Lullaby" by Darren Curtis, and this outro music is "Leave the Bottle" by Forget the Whale. There's no riddle for the next episode because it will be the triumphant return of our game show, Animalia Fake! And now that we've reached the end, it's prize reveal time. Can I get a drum roll, please, Chet? The special prize for Trick or Treat 2026 is… two free months of KAP+. That's the Phylum–Kingdom tier to be specific, meaning you get two months of second guesses to riddles, top-pick for episodes, behind-the-scenes content, and more, with no strings attached. You can learn more about the perks at plus.kapods.org. For a chance to win the prize and get an optional shout out in their real episode, fill out the submission form with your first two guesses. You can find the form at kapods.org/trickortreat26 and in the show notes. Make sure to get your guesses in by the end of Friday, January 16th, because I'll publish the reveal episode the following weekend. Again, send in your guesses by the end of Friday, January 16th, for a chance to win the prize. So, until next time, send in your guesses, never forget how amazingly insane and insanely amazing our planet is, and keep exploring this amazing kingdom Animalia. Bye!

Chet: 29:27

Chicka Bye!

Cap: 29:27

Chicka Farewell, humans!

Devon: 29:35

<Blooper>

Cap: 30:02

Chicka Gnarly, dude.