Seadog Science

Episode 15: A Voyage to Visit the Curonians

MATEYS, LOOK ALIVE! Today your captain takes you on a journey to the medieval Baltic Sea to visit some of the toughest plunderers in history - the Curonians. Similar to their Viking counterparts to the West, Curonians were looking to assert their trading prowess, but prved to be just as or even more brutal in their pirating. Listen now! NOTE: Your Captain referred to this time period as "pre-medieval" but she was WRONG! It is medieval times, no pre- about it. REFERENCES: Britannica Editors (2026, February 26). Teutonic Order. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Teutonic-Order The Lithuania Tribune. (2016, June 18). Curonians, the fearsome pirates of the Baltic. Delfi. https://www.delfi.lt/en/culture/curonians-the-fearsome-pirates-of-the-baltic-71509824 Žulkus, V. (2012). Settlements and piracy on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea: The Middle Ages to modern times. Archaeologia Baltica, 16, 58–71. https://doi.org/10.15181/ab.v16i0.34

Episode 14: A Voyage to the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

The legend lives on, crew! The gales of November may have left, but your Captain remains intrigued by the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Have you heard the song, and don't know what it's about? Hop on the Seadog Science journey to learn more! DISCLAIMER: There are mentions of the Great Lakes Historical Society, when the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society is meant. Also, the Edmund Fitzgerald was on her way to Michigan, not Minnesota. She usually went between Minnesota and Michigan, though. Thank you! GET CONNECTED: Instagram: @seadogscience TikTok: @seadog.science Substack: https://substack.com/@mossymusketeer REFERENCES: Edmund Fitzgerald. Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. (2025, December 6). https://shipwreckmuseum.com/edmund-fitzgerald/ Hultquist, T. R., Dutter, M. R., & Schwab, D. J. (2006). Reexamination of the 9–10 November 1975 “Edmund Fitzgerald” storm using today’s technology. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 87(5), 607–622. https://doi.org/10.1175/bams-87-5-607

Episode 13: A Voyage with the Bunyip

A SPOOKY AHOY TO MY CREW! We are back with a new episode on one of Australia's mythical creatures, the Bunyip. Explore the legends surrounding the monster, both old and new. Learn how the Bunyip had captivated the British colonists, and how it fits into their colonial science scheme. Try not to get too scared, fearless crew! Which mythical creature are you? Find out with this link: https://play.howstuffworks.com/quiz/what-cryptid-are-you REFERENCES: Edmonds, P. (2018). The Bunyip as Uncanny Rupture:Fabulous Animals, InnocuousQuadrupeds and the AustralianAnthropocene. Australian Humanities Review, 63. Mancini, M. (2023, June 27). Does the bunyip really haunt the Australian wetlands?. HowStuffWorks Science. https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/strange-creatures/australian-bunyip.htm Weinstein, P. and Koolmatrie, M. (2025) Monster Radiation in Changing Times and Environments: A Case Study of the Australian Bunyip, Folklore, 136:2, 215-231, DOI:10.1080/0015587X.2025.2452770

Episode 12: A Voyage with the American Schooner

WE ARE SO BACK, CREW! Your captain presents to you a voyage into the New England shipbuilding industry pre-American Revolution. Tune in to hear about the independence movement, the cast and characters needed to make and run a typical American schooner, and the control the British government sought to have over the American coasts - all told through the schooner Sultana. It's a wicked good episode! REFERENCES: Reid, P. (2024). The Schooner Sultana and the BritishAmerican Maritime Industry, 1768-1773. The Chronicle, 77(3). The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025, September 5). Townshend Acts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Townshend-Acts

Episode 11: A Voyage into the Fear of Sharks

IT'S SHARK TIME, Y'ALL! It's time to learn about some of the origins of the fear around sharks. We are talking about the Mediterranean, from the ancient to the Age of the Ocean, to dive deeper into why humanity fears our cartilaginous companions in the sea. Some of these stories are sure to make your jaw drop. REFERENCES: Mazzoldi, C., Bearzi, G., Brito, C., Carvalho, I., Desiderà, E., Endrizzi, L., Freitas, L., Giacomello, E., Giovos, I., Guidetti, P., Ressurreição, A., Tull, M., & MacDiarmid, A. (2019). From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: Changes in perception and use of large marine animals. PLOS ONE, 14(12). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0226810 Mojetta, A. R., Travaglini, A., Scacco, U., & Bottaro, M. (2018). Where sharks met humans: The Mediterranean Sea, history and myth of an ancient interaction between two dominant predators. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 21, 30–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2017.10.001 Santos-Buch, G. (2024, January 31). Tonnare: Ancient tuna fisheries in sicily & beyond. PastPathways. https://www.pastpathways.com/europe/italy/tonnare-ancient-tuna-fisheries-sicily-beyond/#:~:text=The%20term%20%E2%80%9Ctonnara%E2%80%9D%20refers%20to,rich%20historical%20and%20cultural%20significance. White, W. T. Mackerel Sharks, LAMNIDAE in Fishes of Australia, accessed 07 Aug 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/family/345 Wikimedia Foundation. (2024, June 17). Halaf culture. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halaf_culture Wikimedia Foundation. (2025a, May 22). Chalcolithic. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chalcolithic#:~:text=The%20Chalcolithic%20(/%CB%88k%C3%A6,the%20late%203rd%20millennium%20BC. Wikimedia Foundation. (2025, July 2). Sharks in popular culture. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharks_in_popular_culture