Thanks to Luke for suggesting this week's topic: Smilodon, the saber-toothed cat, AKA the sabertooth tiger! Further reading: Did sabertooth tigers purr or roar? The double-fanged adolescence of saber-toothed cats We don't know for sure what Smilodon looked like, but it might have been something like this: An artist's rendition of an adolescent Smilodon with doubled fangs [picture from second link above]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’...
May 27, 2024•9 min
Thanks to Richard from NC, Pranav, and Alexandra for their suggestions this week! Further reading: ABA Rare Bird Alert One Reason Migrating Birds Get Lost Is Out of This World Inside the Amazing Cross-Continent Saga of the Steller's Sea-Eagle A Vagrant European Robin Is Drawing Huge Crowds in China Bird migration: When vagrants become pioneers A red-cockaded woodpecker: Steller's Sea Eagle making a couple of bald eagles look small: Steller's sea eagle: A whole lot of birders showed up to see a E...
May 20, 2024•13 min
Thanks to Joel and Mary for suggesting some really interesting woodpeckers this week! Further watching: Rare woodpecker thought extinct spotted in Ohio The green woodpecker really likes to eat ants [picture by Remyymer - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65008314]: The white-headed woodpecker looks like its face got splashed with paint: The red-headed woodpecker has the prettiest shade of red [picture by colleen - originally posted to Flickr as Red Headed Wo...
May 13, 2024•11 min
Thanks to Pranav, Isaac, and an anonymous listener for their suggestions this week! Let's learn about some animals that inspired three Pokemon. Sandshrew: Possible Sandshrew inspirations: Drowzee: Possible Drowzee inspiration: Fennekin: Undoubted Fennekin inspiration: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to do something slightly different. At least two people and probably a lot more have suggested that we talk about some animals tha...
May 06, 2024•9 min
Thanks to Nathan-Andrew for suggesting giant ichthyosaurs! Further reading: Paleontologists unearth what may be the largest known marine reptile Ruby and some other scientists with the ichthyotitan fossils [photos taken from this page]: How the pieces fit together: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to learn about some of the biggest animals that have ever swum through the oceans of this planet we call Earth, a suggestion from Nat...
Apr 29, 2024•8 min
Thanks to Max for suggesting Titanoboa! Further reading: Largest known madtsoiid snake from warm Eocene period of India suggests intercontinental Gondwana dispersal This Nearly 50-Foot Snake Was One of the Largest to Slither on Earth Meet Vasuki indicus, the 'crocodile' that was a 50ft snake Titanoboa had really big bones compared to its modern relatives: Vasuki had big bones too: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. Almost exactly two years ago now, Max...
Apr 22, 2024•8 min
Thanks to Khalil for suggesting the horny toad, also called the horned lizard or horned toad! Further reading: The Case of the Lost Lizard The Texas horned lizard: Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) The rock horned lizard [photo taken from article linked above]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to learn about a reptile suggested by Khalil, who is Leo’s friend, so a big shout-out to both. Khalil wants to learn about the ho...
Apr 15, 2024•10 min
Thanks to Elijah and an anonymous listener for suggesting that we talk about some more species of praying mantis! Further reading: The luring mantid: Protrusible pheromone glands in Stenophylla lobivertex (Mantodea: Acanthopidae) Dragons and unicorns (mantises) spotted in Atlantic forest Citizen scientists help discover new mantis species The dragon mantis [photo from first article linked above]: The possibly new species of unicorn mantis [picture from second article linked above]: Inimia nat, o...
Apr 08, 2024•9 min
Thanks to River for suggesting this week's topic, the pufferfish! Further reading: Grass puffer fish communicate with each other using a non-toxic version of their deadly toxin Mystery pufferfish create elaborate circular nests at mesophotic depths in Australia Pufferfish, puffed: A starry puffer, un-puffed [picture by Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=116912671]: A grass puffer, un-puffed: The mystery structure that turns out to be made by pufferfish: Sh...
Apr 01, 2024•8 min
Thanks to Carson, Mia, Eli, and Pranav for their suggestions this week! Further reading: RNA for the first time recovered from an extinct species Study finds ongoing evolution in Tasmanian Devils' response to transmissible cancer Tasmanian devil research offers new insights for tackling cancer in humans The Tasmanian devil looks really cute but fights all the time [picture by JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0]: The Thylacine could opens its jaws verrrrrrry wid...
Mar 25, 2024•10 min
Thanks to Will and Måns for their suggestions this week! Let's learn about some mystery bovids, or cows and cow relations! Further reading: A Book of Creatures: Songòmby Kouprey: The Ultimate Mystery Mammal A musk ox (top) and a wild yak (bottom): A young kouprey bull from the 1930s: Sculpture of two grown kouprey bulls [photo by Christian Pirkl - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73848355]: A banteng bull (with a cow behind him) [photo taken from this site]...
Mar 18, 2024•14 min
Thanks to Ari for suggesting this week's episode, about the peacock! Further reading: Peacock tail feathers shake at resonance and hold eye-spots still during courtship displays Indian peafowls' crests are tuned to frequencies also used in social displays An ocellated turkey (not a peacock but related): An Indian peacock male: An Indian peahen with chicks [photo from this site]: Close-up of a male Indian peacock's crest [photo by Jatin Sindhu - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.o...
Mar 11, 2024•14 min
Let's look at some of the most interesting animals discovered last year! Further reading: Newly-discovered ‘margarita snails’ from the Florida Keys are bright lemon-yellow Tiny spirits roam the corals of Japan—two new pygmy squids discovered Strange New Species of Aquifer-Dwelling Catfish Discovered in India Bizarre New Species of Catfish Discovered in South America Unicorn-like blind fish discovered in dark waters deep in Chinese cave New Species of Hornshark Discovered off Australia Cryptic Ne...
Mar 04, 2024•16 min
Sorry to my Patreon subscribers, since this is mostly a rerun episode from April 2019. It's a fun one, though! The teensy pumpkin toadlet [photo by Diogo B. Provete - http://calphotos.berkeley.edu, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6271494]: The electromagnetic spectrum. Look how tiny the visible light spectrum is on this scale! [By NASA - https://science.nasa.gov/ems/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97302056]: Show transcript: Welcome ...
Feb 26, 2024•14 min
Thanks to Jason for suggesting this week's topic, the bison! Further reading: New research documents domestic cattle genetics in modern bison herds Higgs Bison: Mysterious Hybrid of Bison and Cattle Hidden in Ice Age Cave Art A cave painting of steppe bison and other animals: An American bison [photo by Kim Acker, taken from this site]: Some European bison [photo by Pryndak Vasyl, taken from this site]: The bison sound in this episode came from this site. Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Anim...
Feb 19, 2024•11 min
Thanks to Pranav for suggesting this mystery big cat this week, the marozi! Further reading: From Black Lions to Living Sabre-Tooths: My Top Ten Mystery Cats Spotted Lions A young lioness who still has some of her cub spots: Subadult lions who still have a lot of cub spots: The skin of an animal supposedly killed in 1931 and said to be a marozi: Two photos of a "leopon," a lion-leopard hybrid bred in captivity in a Japanese zoo: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host,...
Feb 12, 2024•10 min
Thanks to Chuck for suggesting this week's topic, a weird little deer called the muntjac! Further reading: Dam Project Reveals Secret Sanctuary of Vanishing Deer Wildlife camera trap surveys provide new insights into the occurrence of two threatened Annamite endemics in Viet Nam and Laos Getting ahead (or two?) with Vietnam's Viking Deer - the Long-Running Saga of a Slow-Running Mystery Beast A giant muntjac [photo by Mark Kostich, taken from article linked above]: A Reeve's muntjac [photo by Do...
Feb 05, 2024•11 min
Let's take a look at some new findings about the temnospondyls this week! Further reading: Ancient giant amphibians swam like crocodiles 250 million years ago Fossil of Giant Triassic Amphibian Unearthed in Brazil Kwatisuchus rosai was an early amphibian [picture taken from article linked above]: Koolasuchus was a weird big-headed boi: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to revisit an animal we talked about way back in episode 172,...
Jan 29, 2024•10 min
Thanks to Oz from Las Vegas for suggesting this week's topic! Further reading: Bobi, the supposed 'world's oldest dog' at 31, is little more than a shaggy dog story Greenland sharks live for hundreds of years Scientists Identify Genetic Drivers of Extreme Longevity in Pacific Ocean Rockfishes Scientists Sequence Chromosome-Level Genome of Aldabra Giant Tortoise Giant deep-sea worms may live to be 1,000 years old or more A Greenland shark [photo by Eric Couture, found at this site]: The rougheye ...
Jan 22, 2024•16 min
Thanks to Wilmer and Carson for suggesting we revisit the dodo! Further reading: Dodos and spotted green pigeons are descendants of an island-hopping bird On the possible vernacular name and origin of the extinct Spotted Green Pigeon Caloenus maculata Giant, fruit-gulping pigeon eaten into extinction on Pacific islands A taxidermied dodo: The Nicobar pigeon, happily still alive [photo by Devin Morris - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=110541928]: The 1823 i...
Jan 15, 2024•10 min
Thanks to Murilo for suggesting this week's episode about the sawfish and the sawshark! Further Reading: Sawfish or sawshark? Two New Species of Sixgill Sawsharks Discovered Do not step: The underside of a largetooth sawfish [photo by J. Patrick Fischer - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17421638]: The sawshark has big eyes [photo by OpenCago.info - Wikimedia Commons [1], CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25240095]: A comparison ...
Jan 08, 2024•12 min
Welcome to 2024! Let's learn about some exciting new discoveries in our own family tree! Further reading: 476,000-Year-Old Wooden Structure Unearthed in Zambia Mysterious 300,000-year-old skull could be new species of human, researchers say Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. It’s time to start the new year off with an episode that has me really excited. I was initially going to include this in the updates episode that usually comes out around summertim...
Jan 01, 2024•9 min
Apologies to patrons for redoing an old Patreon episode, but I have a cold and it's the holidays. The noble emu: A baby emu (picture from this site, which has lots of good info about emus and lots more great pictures): Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. I had a different episode planned to finish off the year, but I had lots of stuff to do for the holidays so I put it off, and then I came down with a cold. It’s just a cold, at least, and it's not too s...
Dec 25, 2023•8 min
Thanks to Morgan for suggesting this week's topic, the Antarctic Death Star! Further reading: Giant Monster Starfish ALERT Echinoderm Tube Feet Don't Suck! They Stick! Bodies of Starfish and Other Echinoderms Are Really Just Heads, New Research Suggests The Antarctic death star [from first link listed above]: The "beartrap" structures, magnified [from first link listed above]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. It’s been way too long since we talked ab...
Dec 18, 2023•8 min
Thanks to Dean, Mia, and Lydia for their suggestions this week! The tayra looks kind of like a canid but is a mustelid [photo by Bob Johnson - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=85291909]: The bush dog looks kind of like a mustelid but is a canid: The maned wolf looks like a fox with reallllllly long legs: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we have a suggestion from Dean, who wanted to learn about the bush...
Dec 11, 2023•9 min
This week we're going to talk about stories of scientists, explorers, and other modern people eating meat from long-dead extinct animals. Did it ever really happen? Check out the great new podcast Herbarium of the Bizarre! I highly recommend it even though they don't eat any mammoth meat. Further reading: Was frozen mammoth or giant ground sloth served for dinner at The Explorers Club? Study Proves the Explorers Club Didn't Really Eat Mammoth at 1950s New York Dinner Company Serves World's First...
Dec 04, 2023•10 min
Thanks to Eva for suggesting the adorable volcano rabbit this week! Further watching: American Pikas Calling Out The volcano rabbit is not a volcano but it is a very small rabbit: The volcano rabbit is SO CUTE: The American pika looks kind of like its rabbit cousin [photo by Justin Johnsen, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=91574]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we have a suggestion from Eva, who wanted to lear...
Nov 27, 2023•7 min
This week we learn about two tiny owls! Thanks to Elizabeth and Alexandra for their suggestions! Further reading: Burrowing Owl Elf Owl The burrowing owl is tiny but fierce [photo by Christopher Lindsey, taken from page linked above]: The elf owl is also tiny but fierce [photo by Matthew Grube, taken from page linked above]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to learn about two tiny owls. Thanks to Elizabeth and Alexandra for thei...
Nov 20, 2023•9 min
Thanks to Hannah, who suggested sheep as this week's topic! We'll also learn about a few other hoofed animals, including the weird giraffe relative, sivatherium. Further reading: The American Jacob Sheep Breeders' Association What happened with that Sumerian 'sivathere' figurine after Colbert's paper of 1936? Well, a lot. A Jacob sheep ewe with four horns (pic from JSBA site linked above): The male four-horned antelope [photo by K. Sharma at this site]: A modern reconstruction of sivatherium tha...
Nov 13, 2023•11 min
This week we're going to learn about some fish that feature warm-bloodedness! Thanks to Eilee for suggesting the moonfish, or opah. Further reading: Are all fish cold-blooded? The Opah Fish Is Warm-Blooded! Basking Sharks Are Partially Warm-Blooded, New Research Suggests Megalodon Was Partially Warm-Blooded, New Research Shows The opah, or moonfish, looks like a pancake with fins but is an active swimmer [picture from first article linked above]: An opah not having a good day [photo by USA NOAA ...
Nov 06, 2023•10 min
