Collie finds a living fossil, and also becomes a surrogate mother to 15 feathery offspring... Image: Creative Commons Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Lamprey_mouth.jpg FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ TWITTER: @crittershedpod EMAIL: [email protected] Music: Podington: Curious, Tuxes Presented by Collie Ennis and Colette Kinsella. Produced by Colette Kinsella for Red Hare Media. The Warren: The Critter Shed is a founding member of thewarren.ie p...
Jun 27, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Holly English watched a wildlife documentary when she was 10 and it changed her life. The documentary was about the beautiful and enigmatic African wild dogs and now she studies them for a living. This episode is an ode to African wild dogs. FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ TWITTER: @crittershedpod EMAIL: [email protected] Music: Podington: Curious, Sunset Presented by Collie Ennis and Colette Kinsella. Produced by Colette Kinsella for Red Hare Media. The Warren: The Cri...
Jun 07, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Which came first, the chicken or the nest? Collie and Colette talk turkey about nests, who made the first one, and who makes the biggest one. Don't forget to hit us up on our various channels with questions, queries or things you'd like us to get nerdy about: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ TWITTER: @crittershedpod EMAIL: [email protected] Music: Podington: Curious, Algo Rhythm Presented by Collie Ennis and Colette Kinsella. Produced by Colette Kinsella for Red Hare Med...
May 27, 2020•28 min•Season 2Ep. 30
There's a Nintendo Switch video game doing the rounds now that is basically Collie's life in digital: Animal Crossing. Podcaster and writer Rosemary Mac Cabe and producer Liam Geraghty are both big fans of the game, and they take us to their digital islands and show us around. Also: we meet an Animal Crossing character who is a REAL digital version of COLLIE ENNIS!!! This is fun! FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ TWITTER: @crittershedpod EMAIL: [email protected] Music: Po...
May 09, 2020•35 min•Season 2Ep. 29
Isn't nature sounding amazing at the moment? Now that many of us are in lockdown, and there are fewer noisy machines on the road or in the air, we can actually hear nature more clearly than ever. Collie and Colette listen in to the nature sounds collected and sent in by listeners from around the world, and it's a treat. Also, if you can spare the price of a cup of coffee, the folks at My Lovely Horse Rescue in Ireland would be delighted for any support you can give them. The do amazing work. You...
Apr 30, 2020•30 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Today we soothe your corona-isolated soul with one of the most beautiful sounds of all: chattering budgies! And, we delve into their fascinating natural history. Do you know where they are native to? Well, struth, we have the answer! Don't forget to hit us up on our various channels with questions, queries or things you'd like us to get nerdy about: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ TWITTER: @crittershedpod EMAIL: [email protected] Music: Podington: Curious; Tuxes; Little...
Apr 05, 2020•22 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Like centipedes? Then you'll love this giant carnivorous animal that can take out BATS! Watch this BBC video about the bat-eating scolopendra: http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20161205-giant-centipede-hunts-bats Don't forget to hit us up on our various channels with questions, queries or things you'd like us to get nerdy about: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ TWITTER: @crittershedpod EMAIL: [email protected] Photo: Yasunori Koide / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/li...
Mar 30, 2020•17 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Like zombie movies? Then you'll love this episode because we examine the darker side of the mating season... and it gets very dark... Further reading: Here's a great read from The Guardian . Don't forget to hit us up on our various channels with questions, queries or things you'd like us to get nerdy about: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ TWITTER: @crittershedpod EMAIL: [email protected] Music: Podington: Curious, Algo Rhythm Natural. Presented by Collie Ennis and Colet...
Mar 24, 2020•20 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In these socially distant times of ours, we have a special episode dedicated to an underrated amphibian: the cane toad! We dispel myths like: "They're Australian, aren't they?" Er, no. Or: "They are sadistic killers of all life on Earth, aren't they?" Again, no... and after this episode, we hope you will agree that they are simply gorgeous animals. Further reading and watching: Cane Toads, an Unnatural History Watch this great documentary about the cane toad here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Mar 19, 2020•23 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Collie and Colette celebrate the great and important BEETLE family... with a cameo by a very lucky and lovely bunny. Photo copyright Colette Kinsella Don't forget to hit us up on our various channels with questions, queries or things you'd like us to get nerdy about: FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ TWITTER: @crittershedpod EMAIL: [email protected] Music: Podington: Curious, Firefly Presented by Collie Ennis and Colette Kinsella. Produced by Colette Kinsella for Red Hare...
Mar 06, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 23
This is a live recording in front of an audience in The Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, and we're all about SPIDERS!!! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 20, 2020•57 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Gather round, children, for stories about lesser-celebrated Christmas animals. Yule felines, yule arachnids, yule goats and even yule marsupials - this Christmas episode has them all. Further reading: Feast your eyes here on the truly breathtaking Christmas tree worms ( Spirobranchus giganteus ) who manage to look festive all year round. More on the terrifyingly gorgeous Icelandic Yule Cat story here . And Christmas spiders.... get wrapped up in their story here . Music: Six White Boomers sung b...
Dec 21, 2019•23 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Snoring cats, peaceful pachyderms and orgasmic ostriches. This episode has it all! We went to Dublin Zoo to chat to keeper Brendan Walsh about a study he carried out on the zoo's largest residents, one that gave him new and remarkable insights into their nocturnal lives. An elephant-sized THANK YOU to the staff at Dublin Zoo for being so generous with their time and information. It was a wonderful visit. https://www.dublinzoo.ie/ Photo credit: copyright Ray Mentzel and Niamh Smith The Warren: Th...
Nov 28, 2019•40 min•Season 1Ep. 20
The Critter Shed is now a proud resident of The Warren , Ireland's newest podcast network and home to some of the most remarkable and innovative podcasts in the country. We have some great flatmates in our cosy burrow and we'd like you to get to know them as well as you know The Critter Shed. Have a listen to this bonus episode and, if you like what you hear, hop on over the http://www.thewarren.ie to hear more great audio. And if you REALLY like what you hear, please tell a friend or give us an...
Nov 18, 2019•25 min
Today we head off to roly-poly town to visit the unsung heroes of the invertebrate world... WOODLICE!!!! These tiny armadillo-like creatures are nature's recyclers. All winter long they will be working hard in your garden, breaking down and recycling your organic waste. We also hear about what you can do in your winter garden to help your wildlife neighbours survive and thrive until spring, AND what to do with all those fallen leaves. Be a winter garden hero!! Further reading: Here's a fabulous ...
Nov 04, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Some time before this episode was released, Collie came across an amazing sight in his own Dublin suburb, Tallaght. Over many years a former waste ground and dumpsite for silt dredged from local ponds had regenerated into a vibrant and multi-layered wetland ecosystem that was home to species such as newts, bats, frogs and the endangered European eel. The site was included in the local council's Local Area Plan and Collie was looking forward to mapping the progress of this biodiversity hotpot for...
Oct 10, 2019•31 min•Season 1Ep. 18
This week we meet a gentle - and leggy - giant of the invertebrate world, Collie comes up with a new business idea, and we hear how ingenious primates deploy invertebrates as recreational drugs. Seriously. They get baked. Music: Podington: Curious, Sunset, Tuxes, Chauncy Don't forget to hit us up on our various channels with questions, queries or things you'd like us to get nerdy about. FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ TWITTER: @crittershedpod EMAIL: [email protected] Pr...
Sep 25, 2019•22 min•Season 1Ep. 17
This week we’re on an animal rescue farm visiting one of the world's most intelligent, misunderstood and mistreated animal: the pig. We meet the enigmatic (and GIANT) boar Wilbur and his friend Tina Sunshine, who spend their days lounging in the sun when they're not opening childproof fridge locks or stable doors. Tina Sunshine and Wilbur were rescued from dire circumstances, and we also hear what Tina's life might have been like if she hadn't been rescued. It's not pretty (put down that sausage...
Sep 04, 2019•32 min•Season 1Ep. 16
This week the critter shed becomes 'the love shack' as we delve into the sensuous, sumptuous and scintillating love lives of SNAILS! We hear how giant African land snails smooch and snog their way through courtship, and then shoot actual LOVE DARTS (be still my beating heart) during coitus. AND how they have enviable staying power. Also, these snails are just gorgeous, wonderfully adapted animals. If you haven't fallen in love with them by the end of this episode, we'll give you your money back....
Aug 19, 2019•44 min•Season 1Ep. 15
...or, as we really wanted to call this episode: LOCK UP YOUR PUSSIES! We've been wanting to have a conversation about domestic cats, the amount of wildlife they kill every year, and why they really REALLY should be kept indoors. And here it is. It's a gentle conversation, though, led by the gorgeous Ted, Colette's charismatic feline companion. AND, we have a very special after-hours tour of Colette's own critter shed, i.e. the place she calls home. And holy crap, it's quite a place and full of ...
Aug 07, 2019•50 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Part 2 of our chat with herpetologist Rob Gandola. This time we're tackling the thorny issue of the rights and wrongs of keeping exotic pets and the unregulated pet trade. With cameos by tubular and amazing slow worms (who have been unfairly associated with hippies in the west of Ireland) and a couple of media-friendly frogs from Collie's shed. Here's a bit of reading from National Geographic on the - at times horrific - history of the global exotic pet trade. Music: Podington (Curious, Algo Rhy...
Jul 23, 2019•30 min•Season 1Ep. 13
This week we're getting nerdy about amphibians with stories of exploding toads (yup, for real), pirate frogs (aaaarrr... yup, for real), as well as why there's an amphibian die-off right now and what small things you can do to help frogs recover. Our victim... er, guest this week is amphibian-nerd extraordinaire Rob Gandola of the Herpetological Society of Ireland. Part 1 of a two-part chat. Further reading: This is the story of the exploding Teutonic toads . Music: Podington: Curious, Algo Rhyt...
Jul 08, 2019•39 min•Season 1Ep. 12
This week we chat to Collie's cousin Dr. Stephanie Maher about the lonely, busy and fascinating lives of solitary bees. We also hear about the wondrous bee orchids, who imitate the seductive end of a female bee to encourage pollination. Also, if you want to find out how you can help bees to thrive, we have some very helpful hints. Here's a quick one: embrace your weeds! They're just badly labelled plants and they're are important food sources for bees and other insects. Further reading: Click on...
Jun 25, 2019•38 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Weird, tubular animals or geniuses of evolution? While Collie feeds his various constrictors, we hear how snakes are THE ultimate survivors. The can unhinge their jaws to swallow enormous prey items. They also have wily ways with their windpipes that stops them suffocating when ingesting a huge meal. And, when it comes to defending themselves, they have some stinky weapons up their, er, sleeves. Oh, and they have two penises. Seriously. Snakes rock. And don't forget to hit us up with any critter...
Jun 10, 2019•48 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Booty calls, bed-hopping and badger housekeeping tips! Join Collie and Colette as badger expert Dr. Aoibheann Gaughran reveals the saucy sex lives of a group of wild badgers in Co. Wicklow, Ireland. Aoibheann has been studying a family of badgers in Co. Wicklow for a number of years, and in this episode we visit an enchanted glade (seriously, it felt like that at the time) where she tells us about their extraordinary lives. Badgers are shy, reclusive, and just plain old gorgeous animals, and so ...
May 14, 2019•41 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Collie delves into his new collection of epic, carnivorous horned frog tadpoles, what we lovingly call GIANT PIRANHA SPERM!!! Find out about one of the world's most amazingly adapted amphibians that can go from barely fertilized egg to fully functioning, HUGE froglets in just over two weeks - the Ferraris of the frog world! Presented by The Critter Shed crew, Collie Ennis and Colette Kinsella, and a tank full of ravenous tadpoles. Produced by Colette Kinsella for Red Hare Media. Follow us on soc...
Apr 29, 2019•33 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Why are Collie and Colette lurking in a suburban park under cover of darkness wearing head torches and carrying a boom pole? The Critter Shed goes WILD in search of.... newts! Presented by Collie Ennis and Colette Kinsella. Produced by Colette Kinsella for Red Hare Media Share your wildlife stories with us, ask us questions about wildlife or tell us what you'd like us to chat about on the podcast: Twitter - @crittershedpod Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheCritterShedDUB/ Music by Podington...
Apr 15, 2019•25 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Today, Colette and Collie delve into the world of these fascinating arachnids where we hear about their history on Earth, their hunting methods and very odd love lives. AND, Colette has a very unusual, VERY close encounter with a male Asian forest scorpion. Further reading: Read more about scorpions in this National Geographic article. More information on the Egyptian scorpion goddess Serket here . This is what the goddess Serket looks like: https://www.ancient.eu/image/4695/serket-statue/ Music...
Mar 25, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 6
This episode features The Great Cockroach Challenge where Collie & Colette search for the beauty and majesty in cockroaches. Collie shows Colette his cockchafer (beetle), and we find out why insect numbers are dropping like flies and how we can all help them recover. It's a cock-a-doodle of a show. Presented by Collie Ennis and Colette Kinsella. Produced by Colette Kinsella for Red Hare Media. Further reading: How to save our bugs! The Guardian More about the cockchafer . Music: Podington Be...
Mar 11, 2019•43 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Ever wanted to visit a frog orgy? Or take a trip to Mexico to meet the local salamanders and the nuns who are helping save them from extinction? (Get this: it involves holy salamander juice!) If so, this is the episode for you. And if not, tag along regardless because it's a cracker of a journey. Join Collie Ennis & Colette Kinsella in the critter shed as they delve into the world of these two amazing, amorous amphibians. Produced by Red Hare Media Presented by Collie Ennis & Colette Kin...
Feb 25, 2019•45 min•Season 1Ep. 4
