Subtitles section Play video
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- Wow it is windy out here today
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so I'm gonna have to talk loud for the cameras
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but right now we're exploring the mud flats
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here in Haines, Alaska.
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There is a water system pushing its way up through here
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it's probably gonna draw in
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a bunch of really cool creatures.
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Lucky for me, I happened to bring this little net.
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Let's head out in there and see what we can find.
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Got it, yes!
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Holy cow the net is absolutely full of them.
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Oh no they're pricking me.
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(exclaims)
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(dramatic music)
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- [Narrator] It doesn't matter where in the world you travel
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as long as you can find a place
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where the ocean meets the shoreline,
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there are tide pools to be explored
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and creatures waiting to be found.
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Even as far north as Haines, Alaska.
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- We're on a mud flat right now, the tide is low.
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Maybe a good chance to find some creatures,
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there's a bunch of little flies and bugs moving around.
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Maybe some crabs, could be some marooned fish
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let's head up this way and see what we can find.
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I dunno what lives in these tide pools
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so I'm just gonna kinda feel around Raccoon style
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and see if I can scoop anything up.
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Oh look at that.
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- [Crew Member] Whoa. - Wow
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I dunno what those are,
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yeah they might be little sand fleas or something.
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Alright let's check out this kelp bed.
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I would love to find some sorta little crab in here.
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Or maybe some fish, hopefully they don't bite.
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- [Narrator] What we are looking at here are Kelp Isopods
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and yeah they do bite.
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- Oh it absolutely stinks,
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like somewhere between the ocean and sewage.
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Gross. Alright let's keep going.
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Check this out, I just flipped over this rock,
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look at this huge green worm like creature.
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- [Crew Member] Is that a Nereid Worm?
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- Yeah it is a Nereid Worm,
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let me get it in some water and rinse it off.
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- [Crew Member] That's a big one.
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- Wow, that is a big one, umm here, back up a little bit.
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Let me rinse it off.
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Whoa it's all green and, look at that, look at that.
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- [Crew Member] It's crazy. - Wow.
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Hold on I'm gonna pick it back up in my hand.
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Oh it's slimy. Got it.
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Wow, that's a Nereid Worm right there.
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It's like the caterpillar of the ocean.
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I have never seen one of these up in this area,
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we flipped over many rocks and this is
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the first one that we've seen.
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That is wicked looking.
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- [Crew Member] And they can swim right?
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- They can swim, they can also bite.
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I'm not sure which species but look at
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how iridescent this creature is,
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emerald in coloration and it's just reflecting the sunlight.
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That is so cool looking.
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It's just kinda feeling around right now,
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you see his front pinchers out there.
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(exclaims) He tried to bite me.
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- [Crew Member] Did it hurt?
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- No, it didn't actually bite
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but I saw it's pichers come out.
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Alright I'm putting him back under his rock
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and let's see what else we can find.
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- [Narrator] After a near bite from a Nereid Worm,
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it was time we move on to the next spot.
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You never know what you will find at low tide
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and these pools were alive with creepy crawlies.
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- This could be a good rock to flip, let's check this out.
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Whoa, holy cow, look at this, look at this.
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Where'd it go, where'd it go.
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It's a big Prickleback Eel, right there.
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Got it.
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- [Crew Member] That's a good one.
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- Wow, look at that.
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- [Narrator] The rock Prickleback has
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a distinct eel like appearance, however,
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they're not considered true eels
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but rather are a species of bony fish.
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They range up and down the Pacific coast
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and can reach nearly two feet in length when fully grown.
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- Yeah he's just slinking along
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wanting to get back into the water.
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I think If we move in deeper,
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we'll find some pockets of water
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that potentially have some larger fish.
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- [Narrator] When the tide recedes animals will do
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their best to stay hidden in the deeper pockets of water.
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I often find that these areas yield the best results
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when attempting to discover creatures.
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And whether you are using your hands,
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or in this case a small dip net,
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all it takes is a little patience and eventually
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your efforts will pay off.
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- Guys, guys, we got a pocket of water up here
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it's like alive with fish, I can't tell what kind it is
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but it's a little bit deeper
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and I think we can definitely catch some, come on.
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Okay I can see 'em all moving up here
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in this pocket of water.
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I'm gonna just bring the net through, try to keep up with me
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I'm gonna scoop up as many as I can.
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Let's see how many I can catch, ready?
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- [Crew Member] Yep go for it.
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- Oh yeah I got a tonne of 'em, check this out.
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Yes, holy cow man that is absolutely full of 'em.
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We get all these weeds out.
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Wow, and they look like some type of little Goby species.
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Oh no they're pricking me.
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Look at that, my net is full of fish.
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Wow look at that, okay well
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I've caught six of them in the net and honestly
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I'm not sure exactly what species of fish this is.
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They look like Gobys and I'm saying that because
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their head kinda looks like a tadpole,
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the body looks like a fish.
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They also have these little spikes coming out of
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the side of their head that are rather sharp.
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I'm gonna actually have to look these up
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but they are absolutely filling up these little tide pools,
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they're absolutely everywhere.
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And I could just see them skidding across the surface
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because the water is shallow I was able to just
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skim the net across and scoop up, what do I have there,
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one two three four five six of them, right now, Wow.
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- [Narrator] As it turns out,
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this is actually a species known as
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the Pacific Staghorn Sculpin,
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which gets its name from the spines on the side of its head
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which resemble the antlers of a stag.
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And while I was excited to come across this fish
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they're incredibly common in coastal lagoons.
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- Let's take a moment to take a look at just a
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single one of these fish because they're so unique looking.
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Now if I was a predator and I were to come in
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and try to eat this fish, I imagine those hooks
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would get stuck in my throat,
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could potentially choke me and kill me.
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And their eyes are really beautiful,
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almost looks like a rainbow design in the pupil
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and he keeps puffing up his head.
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Now if this is a species of Goby,
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most Gobys are able to breathe air out of the water.
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- [Narrator] Believe it or not, like a Goby,
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the Sculpin is also capable of breathing air.
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- That's one cool looking little ocean creature.
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And that's one of the coolest things about
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exploring tide pools, you never know
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what it is that you're gonna come across.
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I'm Coyote Peterson, be brave, stay wild,
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we'll see on the next adventure.
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- [Narrator] If you thought this adventure at low tide
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was exciting, make sure to go back and watch
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as we found and got up close with a giant black Sea Hare.
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And don't forget, subscribe so you can join me and the crew
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on our next big adventure.
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- I can feel him gripping onto my arm,
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I mean I can feel him actually, like, wrapping around me
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and I can feel his little tongue under there,
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can't bite right?
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- [Guest Presenter] No, these guys are vegetarians
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they mostly eat algae and kelp.
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(animal noises)