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Rahul Mehrotra: Life Changing Nudi Photos, Flesh Eating Corals, and Treasure Hunts (#28)

Rahul Mehrotra is a marine biologist currently based out of Thailand where he studies some of the most colorful and beautiful of all the sea creatures: sea slugs.

Rahul didn’t always know he wanted to study the ocean, though. Growing up in landlocked UK and India, Rahul’s interest in wildlife was sparked by monkeys that would break into his family’s apartment.

It wasn’t until Rahul saw a photograph of a nudibranch (a type of sea slug), that his interest took a shift from the land into the sea. Since then, Rahul has pursued researching the underwater world in the Gulf of Thailand, discovering and naming some of his own species.

Join us as we dive into the colorful world of nudibranchs. In today’s episode, you’ll also learn:

  • the methods Rahul uses to name his newly discovered species (hint: they’re not from the textbook!)
  • a previously unheard of diet for corals
  • why pursuing your own research and interest is more important than pursuing the degree
  • so, so much more!

Connect with Rahul: Facebook

Quick Links
Richmond Park
University of Cumbria
Nudibranch
Dr. Billy Sinclair
Conservation Diver
Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
Ko Tao, Thailand
Chad Scott
Slug Eating Coral Paper
Hydroids
Soft Corals
Thailand Citizen Science
Sea Slug Thailand Facebook Group
Heteropsammia corals
Peacock Dancing Spider Skeletor and Sparklemuffin
Spongebob Fungus
Rahul’s Sea slug names: Armina scotti and Armina occulta
Rahul’s newest species

Show Notes
3:25 how having monkeys breaking into his home apartment in India inspired Rahul to become a wildlife conservationist.

5:40 The protection of wildlife led Rahul to pursue his higher education, helped provide a sense of meaning and motivation in dedicating himself to education.

11:15 What getting dive certified in the UK is like.

12:45 creating conservation diver, a diving certification program that teaches students how to incorporate marine science and conservation with their dive certification.

20:05 Taking time away from the dream day job of teaching diving and marine conservation to finish his PhD in nudibranchs. Rahul became a researcher before pursuing his PhD. Finding species that hadn’t been found before inspired Rahul to continue to pursue this path.

23:35 The question that inspired Rahul’s research: what would happen if all the sea slugs disappeared? 

26:15 the fascinating discovery (made initially by a student) that made Rahul stop his dive to sit and watch one coral for over twenty minutes.

31:15 ways to make your muck research sound more scientific: call it “soft-sediment habitat” or “dynamic benthic habitat” “sandy, silty, substrates”. 

40:30 why wrasses are on Rahul’s hitlist

46:55 the underutilized tool in marine science? Citizen Science. The line between a citizen and a scientist is more blurred now than ever before thanks to the internet and the amount of information available. It’s up to the user to decide how much they want to engage in the science aspect.

54:15 The sea slug biologist’s current favorite organism? Coral.

57:49 Discover a species? You get to name it. Rahul walks us through his method of naming his discoveries (and the naming method he despises). 

61:30 People’s faith in science is crucial to allow scientific progress to be made. Test your own biases and theories, participate in citizen science.

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