Learn more about sea stars (aka starfish) while playing along with the Cool Facts About Animals and At Your Level podcasts. During this activity-filled video, you'll learn how to draw the crown of thorns sea star, make an origami sea star, and hear a story about a sea star going to the library. You'll also get to see Jaguar interviewed as a sea star - aka Ulysses S. Grant. Plus, dad jokes and some holiday trombone music. Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUZ_HnSlUZI...
Dec 28, 2020•48 sec
Grady, Clara, Teddy and mom Ali sit down to talk about the starfish (or is it a sea star?). You'll learn that this festive-shaped star can come with many, many more arms than you'd imagine, what important things it's lacking, the strange place its eyes are located, and about its amazing superpower. Here’s a picture of that heron and eel: https://www.livescience.com/snake-eel-bursts-out-of-heron.html Here’s a picture of a crown of thorns sea star: https://oceana.org/marine-life/corals-and-other-i...
Dec 24, 2020•28 min
In this episode, the crew shares a whole bunch of really, really gross animal facts. If you do not like being grossed out, DO NOT listen to this episode! Animals include a toad that gives birth by baby toads breaking through the skin on its back, a lizard that shoots blood from its eyes, an animal that feasts on human skin, and a sea cucumber that shoots out its internal organs. We have a lot of show notes today. Here are the promised links, plus a picture of the Surinam toad (beware this pictur...
Dec 13, 2020•22 min
In this episode, we get pretty confused talking about opossums v. possums - because they sound the same! We sort it out with the help of Jaguar's helpful poem. We also learn about why they play dead and why it's so confusing, other gross defense mechanisms, and lots of other cool facts. Our friends at Nature Nerds are going to be putting out an episode on opossums too! Be sure to check it out. Thanks to Cristian for being our Patreon sponsor! If you'd like to financially support us, check out ou...
Nov 26, 2020•24 min
Hi Listeners! We are trying out something new this episode, and swapping an episode with our friend Laine at Nature Nerds, a podcast in the Kids Listen family. We’ve never done this before, but we thought we would try it this time because we really think if you like our show, you’ll also like Nature Nerds. (Our family listened to the whole first season in one day.) In each episode, Laine and her nature assistant learn about a new animal through a mix of exploration and speaking with experts. The...
Nov 12, 2020•24 min
Do you think crows are scary? In this episode, we learn that crows are scary – scary smart! Did you know that crows can solve 8-step puzzles, make and use tools, recognize faces, hold a grudge and even obey traffic lights? In this episode, we learn all about these spooky smart creatures. This episode is part of the Kids Listen Halloween collaboration. I’ll be updating the show notes with a link to all the episodes once it’s published, or head to the Kids Listen app and search for the Halloween P...
Oct 26, 2020•30 min
On this episode, we talk all about peafowl! New fact for me, only the male peafowl is called a peacock. Who knew! We also give lots of info on the peacock's beautiful tail (or train), its flying ability, and some cool facts about their eggs. For our kid challenge, we are challenging you to make a bird feeder out of apples, nut or seed butter, and birdseed. Find an example of how to do this here: https://busylittleizzy.com/2019/09/25/homemade-apple-bird-feeder/ We also mention the Kids Listen Act...
Oct 05, 2020•22 min
In this episode, we talk to dragonfly and damselfly expert Dr. Jessica Ware about what makes these insects so cool. And there's a lot! Like their eyes, the way they can do math even with their tiny insect brains, how big they used to be (and sometimes still are), how long they've been around for, and even how you can try to find your own new species of dragonflies. Thanks so much to Dr. Ware for taking the time to speak with us and share her knowledge with everyone! We love hearing from you! You...
Sep 08, 2020•39 min
Big news, listeners! Jaguar and Corduroy have made their first music video. Now, I'm not sure about the message, but you know Jaguar. Check it out on YouTube, https://youtu.be/ikzSylqEkRQ , and listen to the preview here.
Sep 03, 2020•3 min
We're back! With an episode about the pink river dolphin/aka Amazon River Dolphin/ aka Boto. In this episode we learn about why they might be their unusual color, how they look different from marine dolphins, interesting myths surrounding them, and lots more. If you think you know the answer to our creature quiz or our riddle, or if you took part in our Kid Power challenge, send us an email at [email protected] or tweet us at @coolanimalspod and we will send you a bookmark! If you'...
Aug 17, 2020•25 min
On this second part to our spider monkey episodes, we have the opportunity to speak with Dr. Michelle Rodrigues, who has Jaguar's dream job - getting up close and personal with spider monkeys. (Although her motivations differ from Jaguar's.) Dr. Rodrigues talks to us about spider monkey sociality, the effect of climate change on spider monkeys, whether they laugh, and - of course - answer Jaguar's question about why they are so delicious. We always love to hear from you! You can email us at cool...
Jul 30, 2020•34 min
It's Corduroy turn to share his origin story! Learn about how he found his corduroys and how he got his name. It involves a very famous person - maybe you can figure out who! You also hear more about the Amazon Inn Hub & Grub. Be sure to head to www.amazoninnhubandgrub.com to get your gift certificates!
Jul 14, 2020•13 min
Did you ever wonder how Jaguar became Jaguar? In this bonus episode, Jaguar explains how he became the cat he is today. Don't forget to check out his enterprise, Amazon Inn Hub & Grub at www.amazoninnhubandgrub.com
Jul 12, 2020•23 min
The day has finally come, listeners. Jaguar learns all about spider monkeys. Now, the question is - will he learn to love them so much that he won't eat them again? Listen to find out, as well as finding out about their amazing tails, their calls, and some pretty gross ways they have of deterring intruders. Thank you to Emily, our latest Patreon sponsor. If you would like to be a Patreon sponsor, head to our Patreon page here. https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals We have a bunch of outt...
Jun 28, 2020•26 min
What animal is so big it takes to podcast episodes to cover it? The elephant! In this follow-up to our first elephant podcast, we interview Dr. Josh Plotnik, an elephant expert who studies sociality and empathy. We talk about the smartest thing Dr. Plotnik has ever seen an elephant do, whether elephants can recognize themselves in a mirror, how they show empathy, and more. Thank you to our Patreon sponsor Georgia! If you'd like to be a Patreon sponsor, head to our website here: https://www.patre...
Jun 12, 2020•31 min
We have been wanting to do elephants for SO long. Just recently, we got a slide show presentation from listener Emily that really inspired us to get moving on it! In this episode, we chat about elephants with Grady's friend Finn. We talk about how smart they are, the ways they communicate, how they show empathy, how big they are, how much they poop, and lots more. Later this week, we will be speaking with Dr. Josh Plotnik, who studies elephants and how they socialize. Stay tuned! Do you want to ...
May 26, 2020•21 min
Back at what seems like the dawn of time (i.e., two months ago when the kids were still at school), Clara was working on a pollinator project for her second grade class. Clara chose the blue-tailed day gecko. But when she started researching it, she found that there was almost no information out there about them! Luckily, we discovered the Skype a Scientist program, where we were connected to Travis Hagey. Dr. Hagey is an expert on day geckos (though he has not yet studied the blue tailed day ge...
May 15, 2020•25 min
This one is just for fun, definitely no learning here. Join in Jaguar's adventures as he travels from Transylvania to Washington to the moon to try to track down that rascally Corduroy.
Apr 25, 2020•27 min
In this special Earth Day episode, the CFAA gangs bring you lots of cool facts about a whole bunch of different animals, including the brown pelican, purple loosestrife beetle, honey badger, dung beetle, sand cat, a headless frog, and more! Do you want to make a difference this Earth Day? Learn about a new animal and tell someone about it! Including us! Send us an email with an audio recording or a paragraph about your animal to [email protected] Thanks for listening, and happy Ear...
Apr 22, 2020•13 min
Hey Listeners! Happy Earth Day Week! We are hoping to get out an Earth Episode this week, but in the meantime, we wanted to direct you to the Kids Listen Activity Podcast, where we are rebroadcasting our episode on extinct animals. You can find the Kids Listen Activity Podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kids-listen-activity-podcast/id1502915722 After the episode, head to kidslisten.org/activity-podcas t to find a whole bunch of activities we put together associated with this pod...
Apr 20, 2020•2 min
On this episode, we learn about a truly resilient animal, the tardigrade (aka the cutely-named moss piglet or water bear). This animal can survive anywhere from the moon to a volcano to your own backyard. In its tun state, it can lie dormant for decades in a sort of zombie state. Very cool. Thank you to Abby for supporting us on Patreon! If you would like to financially support us, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals Find Skype a Scientist Live here: https://www.sky...
Apr 15, 2020•17 min
In honor of one of our favorite holidays, we are rebroadcasting our April Fools Day episode from last year, starring Mr. Eric of What if World. It's our most popular episode of all time and we hope you enjoy it!
Apr 01, 2020•28 min
On this episode, we take advantage of the amazing Skype a Scientist program and speak with Dr. Dan Killam, an expert on giant clams. We learned so much about giant clams - including how their eyes work (and that they even had eyes), how big they can get, how they are similar to trees, and lots more. We had more than we could fit in this episode. If you want to hear more about giant clams and other odds and ends (like what Dr. Killam named his Venus fly trap) head over to our Patreon page. You do...
Mar 28, 2020•27 min
Starting this week, Kids Listen member podcasts – like What If World, The Past and the Curious, The Good Words Podcast, Book Club for Kids, Little Bedtime Stories, Tumble Podcast, Timestorm, Be Calm on Ahway Island, Aaron’s World, Best Day Yet, The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian, Story Spectacular, Unspookable, Curious Kid Podcast and Buttons & Figs – and of course Cool Facts About Animals – will bring you a podcast and an activity based on the episode. Cool Facts About Animals’ episode is...
Mar 18, 2020•2 min
On this bonus episode of CFAA, we speak with Allyson Shaw, an editor and writer at National Geographic Kids. In this interview we learn about “comeback critters,” animals that were struggling but are now doing a lot better because of human intervention, as well as animals that still really need our help. We also talk about the dangers and benefits of plastic, and practical tips to reduce plastic consumption. This episode is FULL of tips on how kids can help protect animals. We’d love to hear som...
Mar 11, 2020•28 min
Hello listeners! On this episode we are learning all about Koalas (not bears). We learn a number of really gross things that these animals do, despite being so cute, and some other cool facts - like how small the babies are, what their name means and all sorts of interesting things about their hands and feet. We also talk about how you can help koalas suffering from the effects of the bush fires, including by "adopting" a koala through the Australia Koala Foundation: https://www.savethekoala.com...
Feb 28, 2020•23 min
We have another bonus episode in store for you today! We speak with Dr. Jim Sanderson, a conservationist and Program Manager of Wild Cat Conservation at the Global Wildlife Conservation. We wanted to speak with him about the Andean Cat, because he is one of the very few people to ever see one in nature. While we did learn some cool things about the cat, we also learned a lot about a new field - conservationism. It was such an honor to get the chance to speak with Dr. Sanderson. This episode is a...
Feb 03, 2020•37 min
We were excited to receive a copy of “A Book of Rather Strange Animals” by Caleb Compton. Just like it sounds, the book is a collection of unusual, weird, wacky, and just plain cool animals. In this episode we talk about a few of the animals in the book: the purple frog; sea bunny; hammerhead worm; and vampire squid. Want to answer the creature quiz, riddle, or tell us about how you did on the kid challenge? You can reach us at [email protected] or tweet us at @coolanimalspod. And ...
Jan 21, 2020•13 min
On this episode, we learn all about the colossal squid – an animal that no one has actually seen move around in the ocean. In this episode you’ll learn about their predators, how they attack prey, how colossal they really are, and the surprising amount they need to eat to stay alive. Thanks to Fox and Frye for the suggestion! If you know the answer to the creature quiz, or did the kid challenge, let us know! You can reach us at [email protected] or tweet us at @coolanimalspod If yo...
Jan 02, 2020•17 min
Learn more about Spider Monkey Burrito Creator Day and Green Overall Day(s) with Jaguar and Corduroy. Things get a little heated, but it ends up with everyone coming together with some holiday songs. (No animal facts in this one, it's just for fun.)
Dec 05, 2019•10 min
