We are heading to South America to cover a fan favorite, the Capybara. These incredible rodents are located throughout the South American continent and are one of its most iconic species. Not only are these the largest rodents in the world, they are actually one of South America's largest herbivores in most of its range. They play a critical role in the continents ecosystem and we need to know more about them. A fun podcast with lots of surprises! Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters....
Jan 25, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Keeping our focus on Australia this we detail one of Australia's most important and endangered carnivorous marsupials, the Quoll. There are actually 6 species of Quoll, 4 in Australia and 2 in New Guinea, and all are heading towards extinction. Thankfully, conservation efforts are underway to save this critical species. Quolls play a key role in Australia's ecosystems and are one of the best predators to fight against invasive species, like introduced rabbits. We detail everything about this cut...
Jan 18, 2023•1 hr 10 min
Chris has just returned from Australia after this wedding and we will be back next week with a new episode. In this spirit, we are revisiting Koalas! We will also be having a special guest soon to discuss them in more detail, but these special mammals from down under are still under the threat of extinction. The Koala is just another species suffering in Australia with a dramatically changing climate and coupled with habitat destruction, some experts believe they can be extinct in just a few gen...
Jan 11, 2023•2 hr 32 min
We are excited to kick off 2023 covering the Red Panda and the people out there fighting to save them. Sonam Lama is an absolute conservation hero! He is a recent Whitley Award Winner in 2022 in recognition for his hard work in conserving the Red Panda. The Whitley Fund for Nature is one of the world's leading organizations in helping and recognizing those out in the field doing the hard work to save some of our most endangered animals. Sonam is no exception! He was with the Red Panda Network fr...
Jan 04, 2023•54 min
We are releasing Red Pandas again to highlight just how endangered these animals are. We also have an incredible interview to follow this with Sonam Lama, who is a true conservation hero out there fighting to save these charismatic animals. Sadly, Red Panda poaching only increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, we want to remind everyone of the Red Panda's plight, but also as important, is that there are many out there like Sonam who are fighting to protect these animals! Another thank you ...
Jan 02, 2023•1 hr 23 min
Here we go back to the vault and pulling out an OLDIE but GOODIE for the holiday season. This was our 8th episode that we did early on and it amazes how much we have grown in the past four years! We have to thank you our listeners for all your support and love you have given us. We are still busy behind the scenes with some amazing interviews coming your way. Stay tuned!! We pulled this older episode to release because we were so blown away by all the facts we uncovered with reindeer and caribou...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 6 min
Swans are such an iconic bird. They inhabit many waterways around the world and are beloved by many. This week we talk about swans, and especially focus on the Trumpeter Swan. Hunted to near extinction in the 1800s, these swans were reduced to less than 70 birds in the lower 48 of the United States. Fortunately, small remnant populations survived in Alaska and parts of Canada to allow their survival. Through focused conservation these birds have rebounded with around 63,000 birds. These elegant ...
Dec 14, 2022•1 hr 14 min
Native to South America, the Guanaco is a close relative to the domestic Llama. One of the questions we answer this week is, are Llamas just domesticated Guanacos? Tune in to fine out. These wild camelids live at the extremes in some of the most remote regions of our planet. They can be found high in the Andes Mountains of Chile and Argentina, and all the way down to the subtropical forests of Peru. These hardy mammals are one of the most unique herbivores on Earth. They are such a fun species t...
Dec 07, 2022•1 hr 22 min
One of the world's most endangered birds the Spix's Macaw, or also known as the Little Blue Macaw, is starting to make a comeback. The plight of the Spix's Macaw was highlighted in the popular children's film, Rio. These birds once extinct in the wild, have just been released back into the wild. In this week's podcast we highlight the plight of the Spix's Macaw, what caused their decline, and who is responsible for bringing them back. Native to Brazil, the Spix's Macaw was extinct in the wild fo...
Nov 30, 2022•1 hr 19 min
One of our distant cousins, the Slow Loris, is actually one of the extremely rare venomous mammals on the planet. Sadly, each of the species of Slow Loris are heading towards extinction. We have so much more to learn about these ancient animals. Native to Asia, many Slow Loris are captured for the illegal pet trade. They are actually quite slow, which we highlight this week, and are quite easy to catch. Thus, due to their "cuteness" they are sold all over the world. Their story saddened us so mu...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 12 min
An oldie but goody! It is amazing how much we have grown with your help these past few years. We are bringing Blue Whales back to your attention as we continue to highlight the oceans this week. From our tiny corals, to the largest animal to ever live, the Blue Whale, our oceans need your help. We first released this episode in 2018 and we felt we were just hitting our stride in the podcast. You can see just how much we have changed over the years, but our enthusiasm for this work has only grown...
Nov 16, 2022•1 hr 22 min
Our coral reef ecosystems are crashing all over the planet. Conservation heroes like Dr. David Vaughan are doing everything they can through their research and activities in helping us stave off this mass extinction. Dr. Vaughan is part of the team that is planting corals all over to help reestablish these critical ecosystems. We welcome Dr. Vaughan and are excited to learn about his work. You can learn more by visiting the Plant a Million Corals website HERE Another thank you to all our Patreon...
Nov 14, 2022•1 hr 12 min
We are rereleasing an older episode to highlight the true danger we see of our coral reefs around the world. With the continued news that coral reef bleaching is still being seen around the world, we wanted to highlight them again. Many people do not know that corals are actually living organisms. In this episode, we dug deep and did our research to bring you what we know about corals. Also, we highlight how they are being damaged, pushed to extinction and what many around the world are doing to...
Nov 09, 2022•1 hr 19 min
As promised, we tracked them down! We are super excited to welcome Bush Dog Researchers Dr. Karen DeMatteo & Alice Clark. Dr. DeMatteo is a faculty member at Washington University in Saint Louis and is heavily involved in Bush Dog research as noted in our Episode 292: Bush Dogs Delight! Alice Clark is a PhD student at the University of Liverpool and is working with the Chester Zoo on Bush Dog research. It was a fascinating interview and all about how they study Bush Dogs, what they can teach us,...
Nov 02, 2022•1 hr 17 min
After all the species we have covered, the Anglerfish has to be one of the most surprising and radical. Picking this species to represent our "Spooky October" for Halloween, the Anglerfish has it all. It is a creature made of nightmares that absolutely defies logic in some senses. The deep sea Anglerfish, survives in one of the most inhospitable regions of any biome, and yet survives and even thrives. Listen to this episode! Trust us, your mind will be blown! Thank you to all our fans and those ...
Oct 26, 2022•1 hr 27 min
This week we welcome back Jon Miot, Director of the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo. Who also happens to be married to Angie. Jon sits with us to discuss how zoos and conservation organizations are saving endangered species. Specifically, Jon talks about what Species Survival Plans are, what are stud books and how are these organizations breeding these animals. All critical to their survival as emergency populations to their wild counterparts. In some instances, these SSPs are the last effort to s...
Oct 19, 2022•1 hr 4 min
For our official 300th Episode we went BIG, and a tad long, to celebrate one of many peoples favorite, the Asian Elephant. We bring it for this episode celebrating everything we have learned with you over these past nearly 4 years. The Asian Elephant is endangered and still on a downward trajectory towards extinction. We talk about this and more. We also jump into the debate about current attempts to clone the mammoth and what that might mean for Asian Elephants. We had so much to cover so we th...
Oct 12, 2022•2 hr 49 min
This week we welcome the founder of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, to discuss her 30th Anniversary edition of her book, Free the Animals: The Amazing True Story of the Animal Liberation Front in North America. We were excited to not only talk to Ingrid about her book, we also chatted about all her work through the years and just how she has helped change global consciousness about the welfare of animals. We also ask Ingrid her views on conservation and how PETA can help the efforts on those around the wo...
Oct 05, 2022•1 hr 4 min
As we near our 300th official episode, we brought this episode out from our vault! We had so much fun chatting about this tropical bird that nests on the Galapagos Islands. We learn so much each week and we know you will enjoy this episode. The Blue-Footed Booby is one of 6 "Booby" species and inhabit the Pacific Ocean. Their iconic feet are so distinctive and they been a favorite of many bird enthusiasts. Like any marine bird, they are facing tremendous pressure as our oceans continue to suffer...
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 3 min
An amazing water felid is the Fishing Cat. These endangered cats live throughout Asia in fragmented populations from India to Java. As one of the largest "small cats," Fishing Cats have carved out a specific niche in many habitats. Their behaviors are incredible, and yes, they actually do fish. They swim and love water. A fun species to learn about and is facing extinction. Thank you to all our Patreon supporters. We now are hosting monthly Zoom meetings with them, answering questions and gettin...
Sep 21, 2022•1 hr 12 min
One of the apex predators located in South America lies the Green Anaconda. One of four species of anaconda, the Green Anaconda is one of the world's longest snakes and is without doubt the heaviest. There is so many fun facts about anacondas, it will blow you away. They are semi-aquatic snakes that thrive in many biomes in South America. Some of the most interesting facts are not only their "super powers" in detecting prey, but also their breeding behaviors and strategies. Thankfully, anacondas...
Sep 14, 2022•1 hr 21 min
One of the more iconic monkeys has to be the White-Faced Capuchin. There are actually two species of White-Faced Capuchins, and in fact there are 22 total species of capuchin monkeys. Sadly, 17 out of 22 capuchin monkey species are faced with extinction. This week we talk everything capuchin monkey. Most of all, we talk about their incredible behaviors and document just how intelligent they are. So much so, that they are often considered the smartest of any monkey, old or new world. A wonderful ...
Sep 07, 2022•1 hr 20 min
Whenever you look at a hedgehog, you have to smile. This charismatic little creatures is an absolute delight and are found in many parts of the world. In fact, there are 17 species of hedgehogs that live in Europe, Asia, Africa and....Aotearoa New Zealand. Unfortunately, hedgehogs are devastating to many native species in Aotearoa New Zealand and we touch upon this in this week's podcast. HOWEVER, everywhere else hedgehogs are actually critical omnivores that help bring balance to their ecosyste...
Aug 31, 2022•1 hr 18 min
Mark Weston is author of the new book The Saviour Fish: Life and Death on Africa's Greatest Lake. He joins us this week to talk about his experiences living on Lake Victoria in Africa. Additionally, we talk about the collapse of the native fish species there due to exploitation and their impacts on the native peoples. In addition to his latest book, Mark has written about and broadcasts on Africa for the BBC World Service, Slate, the Royal African Society, South Africa’s Mail & Guardian, and Roa...
Aug 24, 2022•53 min
One of the world's most elusive canids is the Bush Dog. Native to South America, these ancestors to our favorite dogs have carved out a special niche to survive. Not much is known about Bush Dogs because they are so secretive. In fact, scientists first discovered fossils and thought they were an extinct species because no live specimens had been discovered yet. However, today we know Bush Dogs do exist across a massive range from the northern most point of Argentina all the way up into Central A...
Aug 17, 2022•1 hr 4 min
One of the most charismatic seabirds has to be the Pelican. Around the world, Pelicans fly and soar near almost every shore. There are so many surprising facts about Pelicans and how they do what they do. One of the most interesting has to be that Pelicans have not changed much over the past 30 million years! Then, their large beaks with their pouches (called a gular) has to be their most defining characteristic. What else is surprising is how the Brown Pelican, much of our focus this podcast, w...
Aug 10, 2022•1 hr 19 min
Melodie Edwards hosts the incredible storytelling podcast The Modern West. There is much lore and fascination with the American West, made popular over the decades in popular culture. Melodies works to tell the true stories of the culture and history of the Western United States. Sometimes she confirms some stereotypes of the old west, while others shedding light on the truth. Melodie also highlights such important stories such as those of the disappearing and reemergence of the Bison and the ma...
Aug 03, 2022•58 min
Each species we have covered for Plastic Free July has blown us away. Here we are again, with a fish that just defies logic. Most salmon species start off in freshwater, then eventually migrate to the ocean and live out most their lives, then migrate back up the rivers and streams from which they were born! How do they do it? Well, this week we answer that and more. You may be asking if salmon are a sustainable food choice? Short answer, yes, but only from certain countries. There was so much to...
Jul 27, 2022•1 hr 29 min
This week we are thrilled to welcome Carlee Jackson from Minorities in Shark Science (MISS). Carlee is the Director of Communications from MISS, which is an organization dedicated to increasing diversity in the shark sciences. Carlee's graduate studies in Marine Biology had her involved in tagging sharks off Florida in the USA and she has also done shark research off the coast of Belize. Carlee has also worked in sea turtle conservation and has been heavily involved in education and fighting to ...
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 17 min
As one of the ocean's top predators, Bull Sharks are demonized and characterized as man-killing machines. What gives this myth even more teeth is the fact that Bull Sharks can be found in many major river systems and even some freshwater lakes around the world. We fear Bull Sharks, when the statistics show Bull Sharks hardly ever attack and even kill humans. We are now harvesting nearly 100 million sharks a year from our oceans at an unsustainable rate. Thus, Bull Sharks and many of its close re...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 26 min
