The narrative is a detailed account of an adventure in West Virginia, where the group is searching for a rare creature known as the blue crayfish. The group, led by a Field Herpetologist named Tim Brust, is working alongside a character named Mark. They are exploring a gravel country road and a stream system within the forest, hoping to encounter the elusive blue crayfish.
Their search involves flipping rocks and gently placing them back in their original positions. Along the way, they encounter a large slimy salamander, which Mark describes as the biggest one he has ever seen. The salamander is a lungless species that breathes through its skin.
The group also encounters a brown crayfish, which is not the blue crayfish they are looking for. However, it is described as a cool little crustacean. They continue their search and eventually find a blue crayfish under a large rock. The blue crayfish is described as the "sapphire of the West Virginia hillsides," and it is revealed that it could potentially be a new sub-species of crayfish. The group suggests the name "sapphire crayfish" for this creature.
The narrative concludes with the group discussing the potential discovery of a new sub-species of the blue crayfish. As of the release of this episode, this sub-species of crayfish has officially been classified as a new discovery and is being described by scientists. The common name "sapphire crayfish" is still up for debate.
The episode ends with the group discussing another brightly colored creature of the West Virginia mountainsides, the cave salamander, and encourages viewers to subscribe to the show.
1. The narrator is exploring in West Virginia, marking it as their first time filming in the state.
2. They are following an old gravel country road, aiming to find a rare creature.
3. The creature they are after is the blue crayfish, a type of burrowing crayfish that lives underground.
4. The burrowing crayfish are found in areas known as seeps, which are wet places where groundwater reaches the earth's surface from an underground aquifer.
5. The crew is working alongside Field Herpetologist Tim Brust, who has spent many summers researching the various creatures that call West Virginia home.
6. They are searching for a variety of burrowing crayfish that lives underground, not the fully aquatic crayfish species.
7. They are also searching for small woodland frogs and salamanders in the stream system moving through the middle of the forest.
8. They found a giant salamander, which they named the "sapphire salamander" due to its blue color.
9. They discovered a new sub-species of crayfish, which they are tentatively naming the "sapphire crayfish".
10. The sapphire crayfish is one of the most uniquely colored animals they have ever come across.
11. The sapphire crayfish is a subterranean creature that can go down as deep as eight feet under the ground, coming up into pools of water underneath rocks to search for food.
12. The sapphire crayfish is a female, as determined by the absence of grappling legs underneath its body.
13. The sapphire crayfish has regenerated claws, a trait common in crustaceans.
14. Despite its name, the sapphire crayfish does not drown in water. Its burrows are often filled with water, but it needs to come to the surface to breathe.
15. The sapphire crayfish has been officially classified as a new discovery and is in the process of being described by scientists.
16. The common name "sapphire crayfish" is still up for debate among scientists.