# The Underwater Volcano

An episode of [Animal Tales: The Kids' Story Podcast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1644596989), 3 Nov 2025, 17 min.

Audio: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/68253045/at440_theunderwatervolcano_mixdown.mp3

Life is good for the animals that live on the side of an underwater volcano. Until the volcano becomes active! Written especially for this podcast by Alice. If you enjoyed this story, please do leave us a review. And, if you'd like to suggest an animal for a future Animal Tales story, you can do so by emailing podcast@animaltales.uk. We would love to hear from you. Animal Tales Books! Collections of Animal Tales children’s stories are available to buy exclusively at Amazon. Simply search for Animal Tales Short Stories or follow this link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CLJQZ9C9?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_sirpi Become a PREMIUM Subscriber You can now enjoy Animal Tales by becoming a Premium Subscriber. This gets you: • All episodes in our catalogue advert free • Bonus Premium-only episodes (one per week) which will never be used on the main podcast • We guarantee to use one of your animal suggestions in a story You can sign up through Apple Podcasts or through Supercast and there are both monthly and yearly plans available. Discover a brand new story every Monday, Wednesday and Friday – just for you! You can find more Animal Tales at www.animaltales.uk A Note About The Adverts In order to allow us to make these stories we offer a premium subscription and run adverts. The adverts are not chosen by us, but played automatically depending on the platform you listen through (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, etc) and the country you live in. The adverts may even be different if you listen to the story twice. We have had a handful of instances where an advert has played that is not suitable for a family audience, despite the podcast clearly being labelled for children. If you’re concerned about an advert you hear, please contact the platform you are listening to directly. Spotify, in particular, has proven problematic in the past, for both inappropriate adverts and the volume at which the adverts play. If you find this happening, please let Spotify know via their Facebook customer care page. As creators, we want your child’s experience to be a pleasurable one. Running adverts is necessary to allow us to operate, but please do consider the premium subscription service as an alternative – it’s advert free.

## Transcript

[0:12] Speaker 1: Yea, hello. My name's Josephine and this is the Animal
[0:17] Speaker 1: Tales podcast, where you suggest the animals featured in our stories.
[0:22] Speaker 1: There are new tales to enjoy every Monday and Wednesday,
[0:26] Speaker 1: with a third Premium only story every Friday. If you're
[0:30] Speaker 1: enjoying Animal Tales, please take the time to leave us
[0:33] Speaker 1: a review. Reviews help get us noticed amongst all the
[0:37] Speaker 1: other podcasts out there. Henry is a Premium member from
[0:42] Speaker 1: South Carolina in the USA, and he has asked for
[0:46] Speaker 1: a story featuring a dumbo octopus and a giant isopod.
[0:51] Speaker 1: You can learn more about these creatures in the animal
[0:54] Speaker 1: facts after the story. Okay, are you ready? That's good?
[0:59] Speaker 1: Then begin the Underwater Volcano. Deep down on the side
[1:07] Speaker 1: of an underwater volcano, a little dumbo octopus named Henry
[1:12] Speaker 1: was trying to stop an argument. It was a disagreement
[1:16] Speaker 1: between two crabs, but despite Henry's efforts, the little crustaceans
[1:21] Speaker 1: just weren't listening to him. This is my rock. I
[1:26] Speaker 1: was here, first, snapped the first crab. I was already here.
[1:32] Speaker 1: I only stepped away for a moment, replied the second.
[1:37] Speaker 1: Come on, guys, it's a really big rock. Henry said,
[1:42] Speaker 1: surely you can share it, but the crabs ignored him,
[1:47] Speaker 1: choosing to bicker and snip instead. The dumbo octopus was
[1:51] Speaker 1: feeling defeated when a giant isopod scuttled up to see
[1:56] Speaker 1: what all the fuss was about, and the giant isopod
[2:00] Speaker 1: happened to be Henry's best friend. What's all this, Isaac asked,
[2:07] Speaker 1: He stole my rock, The crabs cried at the same time.
[2:13] Speaker 1: But there are plenty of rocks to choose from, Isaac said,
[2:18] Speaker 1: And besides, this rock's really big. Are you sure you
[2:22] Speaker 1: can't share? The crabs hesitated, well, I suppose I could share.
[2:30] Speaker 1: One of them mumbled, If you can share, so can I.
[2:35] Speaker 1: The other declared, In fact, I can share even better
[2:39] Speaker 1: than you can. They began offering the other more and
[2:44] Speaker 1: more space. Those crabs always have to one up each other,
[2:49] Speaker 1: the dumbo octopus said, as he and Isaac left. They're
[2:53] Speaker 1: certainly competitive, Isaac laughed, but easy to handle if you
[2:59] Speaker 1: know what to say. Henry frowned at this. He had
[3:04] Speaker 1: known what to say. He had given the crabs the
[3:07] Speaker 1: exact same advice as Isaac had, and yet they'd ignored him,
[3:12] Speaker 1: but listened to the giant isopod, how do you do it, Isaac,
[3:18] Speaker 1: Henry asked, as he pushed himself through the water with
[3:21] Speaker 1: his ear like fins. Every One around listens to you
[3:26] Speaker 1: when you tell them something. If I try to say something,
[3:30] Speaker 1: nobody seems to hear me. Is it because I'm so
[3:33] Speaker 1: small that they don't take me seriously? Quite possibly, the
[3:39] Speaker 1: giant isopod replied. Unlike Henry, Isaac didn't swim, but walked
[3:45] Speaker 1: along on a multitude of legs beneath the shell. I
[3:50] Speaker 1: have found that animals are more likely to listen to
[3:53] Speaker 1: those that are bigger or older than themselves. But don't
[3:57] Speaker 1: you worry that will be you one day? If this
[4:01] Speaker 1: were true, then Henry couldn't help but think it unfair.
[4:05] Speaker 1: Just because he was little didn't mean he couldn't have
[4:08] Speaker 1: good ideas. As they crossed the stony, sandy surface of
[4:14] Speaker 1: the volcano, the pair greeted many of the creatures that
[4:17] Speaker 1: lived there. An underwater volcano may seem like an odd
[4:22] Speaker 1: place to live, but that didn't stop many animals from
[4:26] Speaker 1: calling it home. Mussels and snails clung to the rocks,
[4:31] Speaker 1: Shrimp and small fish darted about looking for food, and
[4:36] Speaker 1: there were even sharks swimming overhead. The volcano itself didn't
[4:42] Speaker 1: do much other than bubble warmth out of its thermal vents. Suddenly,
[4:49] Speaker 1: tremors shook the ground and disturbed the water before becoming still. Again,
[4:55] Speaker 1: that's been happening a lot lately, Isaac said. Couldn't it
[5:00] Speaker 1: be the volcano, Henry asked, looking up the bulging slope
[5:05] Speaker 1: towards the top. More likely it's those interfering humans, Isaac said, firmly.
[5:13] Speaker 1: They're always up to something in our ocean. But what
[5:17] Speaker 1: if it is the volcano, Henry insisted. Surely it's better
[5:22] Speaker 1: for us to know as soon as possible for every
[5:25] Speaker 1: one's safety. I'm quite sure that it's not the volcano,
[5:31] Speaker 1: the isopod repeated. It's never been a problem for us before,
[5:35] Speaker 1: so why should it be a problem now. It's far
[5:39] Speaker 1: more likely to be the humans. Just you wait and see.
[5:44] Speaker 1: The dumbo octopus nodded. Perhaps he was overreacting, he trusted Isaac.
[5:51] Speaker 1: So if the giant isopod said it was the humans,
[5:54] Speaker 1: than it probably was, But he would like to be sure.
[5:59] Speaker 1: Would it be all right if I went up to
[6:01] Speaker 1: take a look, he asked, If it will make you
[6:05] Speaker 1: feel better? Then be my guest, said Isaac with a smile.
[6:10] Speaker 1: We can meet up again later if you like. So.
[6:14] Speaker 1: Isaac carried on around the volcano while Henry flapped his
[6:19] Speaker 1: ear like fins and swam upwards. He was glad Isaac
[6:24] Speaker 1: hadn't given him a hard time about checking, even if
[6:27] Speaker 1: the isopod didn't think Henry would find a problem when
[6:31] Speaker 1: he got there. But how wrong he was. Almost at
[6:35] Speaker 1: the top, the ground split, spilling out a superheated cloud
[6:40] Speaker 1: that bubbled and shook. The water around. Henry was instantly
[6:45] Speaker 1: much much hotter. The volcano was erupting, which meant everyone
[6:52] Speaker 1: was in danger. Fleeing downwards again, the dumbo octopus swam quickly,
[6:59] Speaker 1: as were many of the fish and shrimp near by.
[7:03] Speaker 1: The eruption's hot cloud was spreading outwards above him. It
[7:08] Speaker 1: would be the end of any creature caught up in it.
[7:12] Speaker 1: Not far from where he'd parted from Isaac, Henry found
[7:15] Speaker 1: the giant isopod, curled up in fear. Isaac, Isaac, we
[7:21] Speaker 1: have to move, Henry insisted, I should have listened to you,
[7:26] Speaker 1: groaned the isopod flatly. If the heat doesn't get us,
[7:31] Speaker 1: then the whole volcano will when it collapses down on
[7:34] Speaker 1: top of us. There's no time to feel sorry about it.
[7:39] Speaker 1: The octopus insisted. There are animals here that need our
[7:43] Speaker 1: help to reach safety. You're right, Isaac said, where should
[7:50] Speaker 1: we start? The sea snails, answered Henry quickly. They don't
[7:56] Speaker 1: have the speed to get away. But how will we
[7:59] Speaker 1: move so many at once, Isaac asked. The volcano sides
[8:05] Speaker 1: were covered with such creatures. Gather together as many as
[8:09] Speaker 1: you can, said Henry urgently. I've got an idea. The
[8:15] Speaker 1: dumbo octopus was back a moment later with some surprising companions. Sharks,
[8:22] Speaker 1: gulped Isaac. That's right, nodded Henry. And they're big enough
[8:28] Speaker 1: and quick enough to help. Henry and Isaac rushed around,
[8:33] Speaker 1: helping the snails onto the shark's backs. As each shark
[8:37] Speaker 1: became fully loaded, they sped away from the rumbling underwater mountain.
[8:44] Speaker 1: What about me, cried a familiar voice, shouting after a
[8:48] Speaker 1: departing shark. What do you mean me? Came another, I'm
[8:54] Speaker 1: here as well, you know. The two crabs were still
[8:58] Speaker 1: finding time to bicker upon their rocks, shaking their little
[9:03] Speaker 1: claws at one another. I can sit in hotter water
[9:07] Speaker 1: than you. The first crab cried Pah said the second,
[9:13] Speaker 1: this is nothing compared to what I've sat in before.
[9:18] Speaker 1: In all the commotion, Henry hadn't really noticed until then
[9:22] Speaker 1: just how hot the sea water was becoming. You two
[9:26] Speaker 1: need to stop arguing and start moving, insisted Isaac firmly.
[9:32] Speaker 1: You're not in charge of us, complained a third crab
[9:36] Speaker 1: from a neighboring rock. You're not the boss of us. Yea,
[9:41] Speaker 1: this is our home. We want to stay, said a fourth.
[9:46] Speaker 1: Despite the peril they were all in, the foolish crabs
[9:50] Speaker 1: would rather argue than get away. For once, Isaac's size
[9:55] Speaker 1: and age was having no effect, but he spluttered, desperate
[10:02] Speaker 1: to get them to safety. It's no use, you know
[10:06] Speaker 1: how stubborn they can be, the dumbo octopus told his friend.
[10:11] Speaker 1: But the volcano, Isaac said. We don't have much time.
[10:17] Speaker 1: The heat and tremors were getting worse. You can't convince
[10:22] Speaker 1: all of them, Henry reminded him. But you don't have
[10:26] Speaker 1: to just convince one of them. The rest will follow.
[10:32] Speaker 1: You're a genius, grinned Isaac as he turned back to
[10:36] Speaker 1: the nearest crab. In a whisper, he said, don't tell
[10:42] Speaker 1: the others, but I know for a fact that the
[10:44] Speaker 1: seamount to the south is much better than this one,
[10:48] Speaker 1: Isaac said, pointing a leg to a shadowy shape some
[10:52] Speaker 1: distance away. Who Ever got there first could claim the
[10:57] Speaker 1: best spot. The best spot, you say, considered the large crab.
[11:04] Speaker 1: Then that spot is mine. In a flurry of legs,
[11:09] Speaker 1: she scuttled off the rock and across the trembling ground.
[11:14] Speaker 1: Hey where's she going, shouted a nearby crab. Isaac wasted
[11:20] Speaker 1: no time in leaning in and telling him. She said,
[11:24] Speaker 1: she's going somewhere better than here, Isaac said, and that
[11:29] Speaker 1: she's the fastest, so she'll get there first. What No,
[11:34] Speaker 1: I'm the fastest, yelled a neighboring crab. I'll show her
[11:41] Speaker 1: one by one. The other crabs followed, scampering and sometimes
[11:46] Speaker 1: even swimming towards the distant mount. Good job, Henry said
[11:53] Speaker 1: above them, more of the volcano's peak had crumbled inwards
[11:57] Speaker 1: as the eruption spread. It was now very dangerous to
[12:01] Speaker 1: stay just a moment longer, insisted Henry. Just to make
[12:07] Speaker 1: sure everyone's clear. They were determined not to leave a
[12:12] Speaker 1: single animal behind, so bravely they scoured the slope's sides.
[12:18] Speaker 1: Over here, called Isaac urgently. Henry was horrified to discover
[12:24] Speaker 1: a length of rusty metal pipe discarded into the ocean
[12:27] Speaker 1: at some point by humans. Its surface was full of mussels.
[12:33] Speaker 1: These shell covered mollusks were gripping tightly to the pipe.
[12:38] Speaker 1: What do we do, Isaac cried, There's too many of
[12:42] Speaker 1: them for me and you to carry. The sharks were
[12:47] Speaker 1: long gone, but Henry's mind raced over what they could do.
[12:52] Speaker 1: You guys could move a little, right, he said to
[12:55] Speaker 1: the mussels, Can you drag yourselves inside the pipe? You
[13:00] Speaker 1: can trust him, the isopod said, reassuringly. Each mussel poked
[13:06] Speaker 1: their tiny muscular foot from their shell and pulled themselves
[13:11] Speaker 1: to the pipe's opening. Now what, Isaac asked, as the
[13:16] Speaker 1: last of the mussel slipped within. I don't think I
[13:20] Speaker 1: can stand it here much longer. Then help me push,
[13:24] Speaker 1: Henry replied. With a heave and a hoe. The dumbo
[13:29] Speaker 1: octopus and the giant isopod pushed the pipe from out
[13:34] Speaker 1: between the rocks, rolling it awkwardly down the side of
[13:37] Speaker 1: the volcano. Just as they reached the volcano's base, it blew,
[13:43] Speaker 1: pumping red hot magma up into the ocean. Despite the
[13:48] Speaker 1: water's temperature, it was still cool enough to quickly turn
[13:52] Speaker 1: the magma to rock, which began to tumble downwards. The
[13:57] Speaker 1: volcano sighed, buckled, and crumbled, disappearing into a dark, swirling
[14:03] Speaker 1: cloud on the sea mount just to the south. The
[14:08] Speaker 1: escaped animals gathered to watch the show of lava, gas, bubbles,
[14:12] Speaker 1: and heat. As Isaac and Henry approached rolling the pipe,
[14:18] Speaker 1: a sea snall rose up on a ledge and cried, look,
[14:22] Speaker 1: it's Isaac. He saved us. He stopped me from being
[14:27] Speaker 1: boiled chipped in a crab. Not just you, complained another crab.
[14:34] Speaker 1: He helped me too. Now now listen here, said Isaac
[14:39] Speaker 1: with a wave of his antenna. It's not me you
[14:43] Speaker 1: should thank then, who asked the sea snell. Isaac gestured
[14:50] Speaker 1: towards Henry beside him. It was Henry that raised the alarm,
[14:55] Speaker 1: and it was Henry that made many of your escapes possible.
[14:59] Speaker 1: Henry thought ahead and came up with all the plans
[15:02] Speaker 1: to get everyone to safety. So it's him you should think.
[15:08] Speaker 1: I found that he gives fantastic advice. For the first
[15:13] Speaker 1: time in his life. Henry felt all eyes on him,
[15:18] Speaker 1: a chorus of praise erupted from the crowd. Henry was
[15:22] Speaker 1: so unused to the attention that his cheeks blushed red,
[15:26] Speaker 1: making his face feel hotter than when he had been
[15:29] Speaker 1: on the side of the volcano. Thank you, Henry said
[15:34] Speaker 1: to his friend. But it really was teamwork. But it
[15:39] Speaker 1: couldn't have happened without you, corrected Isaac, this is my rock.
[15:45] Speaker 1: I was here first, snapped a crab. I was already here.
[15:50] Speaker 1: I only stepped away for a moment, replied a second.
[15:56] Speaker 1: Henry looked at Isaac and smiled. Leave the one to me,
[16:01] Speaker 1: he said. Animal fact. The Dumbo octopus got its name
[16:10] Speaker 1: because of how closely it resembles the character Dumbo from
[16:14] Speaker 1: the Disney cartoon. Their ear like fins are used to
[16:18] Speaker 1: paddle themselves through the water, which is unlike other octopuses.
[16:24] Speaker 1: Giant isopods look like enormous wood lice or pill bugs.
[16:29] Speaker 1: They grow up to fifteen centimeters in length that's five
[16:33] Speaker 1: point nine inches, although there is a species of giant
[16:36] Speaker 1: isopod that gets to an incredible fifty centimeters that's twenty inches.
[16:44] Speaker 1: Finding food on the seafloor can be difficult, so giant
[16:48] Speaker 1: isopods can survive for several years without food. When they
[16:53] Speaker 1: do find it, they have been observed to eat so
[16:56] Speaker 1: much that they can barely move. Thank you for your suggestions, Henry.
[17:02] Speaker 1: We hope you enjoyed the tale, and thank you to
[17:04] Speaker 1: all of you across the world for listening to it.
[17:08] Speaker 1: If you prefer your stories advert free, then please consider
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[17:17] Speaker 1: in the text that accompanies this episode for a tiny fee,
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[17:25] Speaker 1: animal tale. Good Bye,

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