
Guard Duty Turns Dad into Cannibal
From Strange by Nature Podcast by Strange by Nature
June 3, 2026 · 36 min · Episode 278
About this episode
The episode explores the unique behaviors of the Sand Bubbler Crab and Damselfish dads, along with a story about the discovery of RNAi.
This week, Victoria brought us the Sand Bubbler Crab. These guys are wild. Native to the Indo-pacific, they breathe though their legs and they hide out underground in a bubble of air during high tide. That's just one of the reasons this strange little animals is called the Sand Bubbler Crab. Kirk brings us some research trying to solve the mystery of why Damselfish dads eat some of the eggs they are in charge of guarding. The answer isn't what you would expect...he's trying to help. Rachel brings it all home with a strange story about trying to make the most purple petunia that could possibly purple and how utter failure lead to the discovery of RNAi. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad-free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com where you can sign up for our episode emails.
People in this episode
Hosts: Victoria, Kirk, Rachel
Topics covered
- Sand Bubbler Crab
- Damselfish dads
- egg consumption
- RNAi discovery
- purple petunia
Keywords
- Sand Bubbler Crab
- Damselfish
- egg consumption
- RNAi
- purple petunia
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: RNAi
Places: Indo-pacific
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