Today we’re talking about introverts! Fish who want to stay inside all day and play Fintendo, an animal who doesn’t want to see anybody right now, in fact, it’s completely ditched its eyeballs, and spiders who should be called shy-ders, because, well, they’re very shy. Footnotes: Aquarium in Tokyo needs your help to socialize eels! Garden eels getting facetimed European conger That's a moray! The electric eel (which is not an eel) The golden mole (which is not a mole) The wrap around spider (whi...
May 20, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep 52•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the show: INVASION OF THE MURDER HORNETS! I’ll also be talking with Alex Schmidt about two of the world’s other most notorious invasive species, a big toad with a bad attitude, and an adorable little fuzzy noodle who just loves to kill things! Discover this and more as we answer the age old question: how many decapitations a minute can the murder hornet do? Footnotes: Murder hornet! Japanese Honeybees Roasting Murder Hornets to Death Alien Cane Toad Call Via the Western Australia Museum...
May 13, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep 51•Transcript available on Metacast Today we're admiring some particularly devilish animals, like the Dracula parrot, a very gothic gastropod, a satanic gecko, bleeding plants, exploding trees, and a beetle with a biblical reputation. Discover this and more while we, and out guest Megan Salinas, answer the age-old question: can humans and birds unite over our love of fashion? Footnotes : The Dracula Parrot is a Gothic Icon Dracula Parrot Call Sounds Like a Creaky Door on a Cold Stormy Night Goth Snail Long Wattled Umbrella Bird Um...
May 06, 2020•2 hr 35 min•Ep 50•Transcript available on Metacast Today we’re gonna CREATURECISE! We’re gonna see some of the most impressive animal athletic feats! Woodcocks love to boogie! Dung beetles are gymnasts! Bats do crunches every time they pee! Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: Are dolphins jerks? Footnotes : Woodcock dancing : Chameleon video to soothing classical music : Dance of the dung beetle : Baby bat learning to backflip and pee! Klipspringer jumping around : Copepods swimming : Impressive copepod jump : Spinner dolph...
Apr 29, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the show, we review the Animal Crossing game from a scientific perspective. We’ll be fact-checking some Blathers facts about evolutionary biology! Can goldfish grow bigger than a foot? Do they have teeth in their throats? Can tarantulas shoot butt hair at you? Discover this and more as we answer the age old question: what is Blathers the owl hiding? We attempt to answer all these questions with our guests Maggie Mae Fisher and Adam Ganser. Footnotes : GIANT GOLDFISH Pharyngeal/Throat Te...
Apr 22, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Transcript available on Metacast We’re gonna talk about some goat invaders, macaque riots, and what pandas are up to with some added...privacy. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: when you let penguins take over an aquarium, what’s next? The world?? Footnotes: The Vaquita The Sea Shepherds Mission to Protect the Vaquita in Danger Goats Taking Over Welsh Resort! Macaques Brawling in Lopburi, Thailand Sika Deer Painting the Town Red Some Zoo Animals Miss Us! Pandas Finally Got It On The Tiger who got Covid K...
Apr 15, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast Right now, dating is difficult amidst this pandemic. So let's check in on some animals and how their romantic lives are going. Will you be wooed by throbbing red face balloons, pufferfish art, and sea slug conga lines? Discover this and more as we answer the age old question: if your date is 30 times your size, how do you make sure you don’t end up as her appetizer? Footnotes: Hooded seals doing sock 'em boppers Pufferfish's romantic art The argonaut octopus Banana slugs (don't put 'em in your m...
Apr 08, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast Today it's an auditory journey as we listen to some ANIMAL SOUNDS! Listen to lyrical lynxes, possessive porcupines, chirping cheetahs, whistling walruses, and other very vocal critters! Discover this and more a we answer the age old question, are horses mocking us? Our guest this week is David Bell. Footnotes: Lynx argument Lynxes REALLY love to argue Grey go-away bird The ballad of Mr. McBouncy Pants Porcupine throwing a tantrum over corn Cheetah chirping It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a cheet...
Apr 01, 2020•1 hr 10 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast Check out theses weird adaptations! We’ll look at some incredible immunities from critters we think of as “dirty” or “dangerous,” some animals who are hardcore to the bone, and some insects who are getting pretty creative with this whole adaptation thing. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: are birds real? Footnotes: Creature Feature shirts! Opossums help fight against lyme disease Opossum vs Possum Compound found in dogfish shark has antiviral properties Spanish ribbed new...
Mar 25, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast Today I want to talk to you about animal homes! We’ll discover animals who built their homes out of straw, built their homes out of sticks, and built their homes out of bricks and… poop… and… mucus? Discover this and more as we answer the age old question: what the heck is that ant doing with that larva’s butt??? Footnotes : Baya Weaver Nest Sociable Weaver Nest Weaver Ant Nest Weaver Ant Using Baby Butt Glue Bagworm Log Cabin African Bullfrog and "teeth" Red Ovenbird Nests Hornbill Nests Incred...
Mar 18, 2020•59 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast Today we’re talking about POKEMON ANIMALS! These creatures are even more unbelievable than those fantastic little pocket monsters. I’m talking cute little critters crazier than Pikachu, sea animals that seem too cute to be real, and behavior that you’d think you’d only find in a Pokedex. Footnotes: Check out our new shirts in the shirt store! Lowlandstreaked Tenrec Someone did a fanart of a tenrec as a pokemon! Armadillo Girdled Lizard David Attenborough bothering an armadillo lizard Pangolin SE...
Mar 11, 2020•1 hr 7 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast Today we’re talking about ALIENS! Right here on earth. Does that sound paradoxical? Well, maybe you should think about whether we were the aliens all along??? We’ll be looking for aliens on earth from the bottom up: aliens under the sea, on land, and in the skies. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question, do animals really need to breathe? With special guest Joelle Monique. FOOTNOTES: FINALLY SHIRTS! First ever animal discovered who doesn't breathe?!? The blanket octopus! Behold ...
Mar 04, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast On today’s episode we’re talking about WEREWOLVES! Where are they? What are they? And is there any truth behind the werewolf legends? Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: does your dog want to eat your face? With special guest Nick Turner. FOOTNOTES: The weird origins of the werewolf Dire wolf skulls at the La Brea Tar Pits! Breeding a dire wolf dog? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 26, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast I want to take on a trip to Imagination Station for the WHOLE ENTIRE EPISODE! That’s right, we’re exploring the world of imagination. What is imagination? Do animals have imagination? And can your imagination run as wild as nature itself? Discover this as we answer the age old-question: what’s the point of having a broom for a butt! With special guest Kim Winder. FOOTNOTES: Sloth bears are smart! Vividness of visual imagery questionnaire PINK manta ray! Troll haired mystery bug! Another fuzzy-bu...
Feb 19, 2020•1 hr 22 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast Happy Valentines times! Today I thought that we’d look at a different type of love… platonic love between species! That’s right we’re looking at some cross-species cuddles, some dynamic duos, and truly unusual friendships within the animal kingdom! Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: is it fun to suck on a shark? With special guest comedian Blake Wexler. FOOTNOTES: Microhylid frog and tarantula best friends Coyote and badger going on adventures together! Coyote and badger h...
Feb 12, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast Let's discover the CUTEST bugs on the planet! Bugs are some of the most populous and diverse animals on the planet, with a fascinating range of behaviors. I think that bugs are often overlooked: everybody loves a cute cuddly panda, but an adorable jumping spider? Who will hug ITS eight fuzzy arms? With special guest Carmen Angelica. FOOTNOTES: Velvet worm in action Velvet worm looking absolutely adorable Another velvet worm looking cute as heck I AM IN LOVE WITH VELVET WORMS Velvet worm cuddle p...
Feb 05, 2020•55 min•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast These avians are some regular Fabios, wooing the ladies with spectacular displays of romance. Why do birds dance? Why do some birds do the moonwalk? Can you walk on water if you love someone enough? Then, we play the popular bird dating show, The MATING GAME! With special guest Kimia Behpoornia. FOOTNOTES: The grebe's beautiful mating dance The grebe's weed dance (heh) The red-capped manakin's moonwalk Lance-tailed manakin wingman dance Blue manakin's boy band dance Snowball the cockatoo's dance...
Jan 29, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast Mother nature has whipped up some animals that are even weirder than what you can find in Star Wars. We talk about real life porgs, a monster scarier than a sarlaac pit, and an adorable alien-looking antelope. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: why does Fluke Skywater have hundreds of lightsabers? With special guest Maggie Mae Fish. FOOTNOTES: Puffin "flying" underwater The horned puffin's fantastic mascara Tufted puffin's weird head doodads Inside a puffin's mouth Japanes...
Jan 22, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast As you may know, Australia is facing a human and ecological crisis right now, as fires ravage New South Wales. We’ll talk about the cause of these fires, how it’s affecting humans and animals in the area, and how human activity has influenced this disaster. Then we’ll talk about one of Australia’s most iconic animals, the Koala, as well as a whole bunch of other incredible animals found only in Australia. With special guest David Huntsberger. FOOTNOTES: VOTE on which koala we should adopt for th...
Jan 15, 2020•1 hr 25 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast The Cats movie presents a lot of misinformation about felis catus ! So today we'll be talking cat facts: what are the answers to some of the most common questions about cats? What are some of the wildest wild cats in the world? And finally, what's going on with that Cats movie, huh? With special guest comedian Joey Clift. FOOTNOTES: Cougar purring Cat tongue closeup Cat slo-mo drinking water The rusty-spotted cat, the world's smallest cat! Hercules, the liger The margay climbing a tree! The flat...
Jan 08, 2020•1 hr 17 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the show, HAPPY NEW FEAR! Let’s discover fears you didn’t even know you had with some horrifying creatures! Take a one way trip to decapitation station, check out some very creepy babies, and endure the existential crisis after finding out when a butt is NOT a butt. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question, is 80 worms too many worms to have inside of you? With special guests Tess Lynch, Molly Lambert, and Emily Yoshida of the Night Call Podcast. CONTENT WARNING: the try...
Jan 01, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast Happy holidays everyone, it’s me, Katie Goldin, your host of many parasites! Today, on the second part of our two-part holiday special, we’ll be creating our own non-denominational holiday using evolutionary biology to make this magical time of year scientifically accurate! We’ll talk the biology of reindeer, and the best bacteria-filled lightshow in the world! With special guest Jamie Loftus of The Bechdel Cast. FOOTNOTES: Cute reindeer noses Reindeer eyeballs magically change color Glowing Fir...
Dec 25, 2019•54 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Happy holidays everyone, it’s me, Katie Goldin, your host of many parasites! On this two-part holiday special, we’ll be creating our own non-denominational holiday using evolutionary biology to make this magical time of year scientifically accurate! We’ll make our own, better Santa out of animal DNA, learning about these animals along the way! With special guest Jamie Loftus of the Bechdel Cast . FOOTNOTES: Hydra, an immortal wiener with tentacles Quetzalcoatlus northropi Peregrin falcon dive El...
Dec 18, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast Today we'll be talking about how animals prepare for winter! From hibernation, to magical wardrobe changes, to cryogenic freezing! Discover this and more as we answer the age old question: when, if ever, is the right time to breathe through your butt? With special guest Caitlin Durante of the Bechdel Cast . FOOTNOTES: My frozen bear heart Calendar cells Arctic fox faceplanting into snow Arctic fox's awkward wardrobe malfunctions Arctic fox shedding its coat Ancient snow goggles Frozen wood frog ...
Dec 11, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the show, Gobble Gobble! No, we’re not talking about turkeys this time, but the weird and wild eating behaviors of people and animals! We’re talking gluttonous grubs who gobble on gastropods, animals who store their leftovers like they’re leatherface on steroids, animal chefs and foodies with very peculiar tastes. Discover these animals and more as we answer the age old question: is eating civet poop a crappy thing to do? With special guests Anney Reese and Lauren Vogelbaum of the Savor...
Dec 04, 2019•1 hr 27 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome to domestication station as we talk about the weird and wild world of artificial selection! Giant chickens, turkeys, swole cows, oh my. Discover these animals and more as we answer the age old question: if Arnold Schwarzenegger was a chicken, what would he look like? With special guest David Bell. FOOTNOTES: Dong tao chicken ko shamo chicken English pouter Silkie chickens Frizzle chicken Serama "Arnold Schwarzenegger" chicken Ayam cemani "goth chicken" What really killed the dodo? Mangal...
Nov 27, 2019•1 hr 11 min•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Today we’re talking about virtual reality, but ditch those computer goggles and just listen with your brain meats, because we’re talking about a more organic, squishy form of virtual reality. What happens when the human or animal brain takes some creative license? Or when your own hand rebels against you? Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: if you call a fish four-eyes, is that science or just bullying? With special guest Anna Salinas. FOOTNOTES: Find your blindspot Blindsp...
Nov 20, 2019•1 hr 22 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the show, PLAYTIME! It’s time to have fun in the sun, or the sea, or, you know, in a rotting carcass or whatever! Dogs fetch balls, rats giggle with glee when you tickle them, birds like to snowboard, spiders like to fool around… wait, spiders? We’re going to talk about all the animals who love to play, and the list is more extensive than you may think. With special guest Kimia Behpoornia. FOOTNOTES: Beluga playing rugby video Beluga noises Beluga sounding very much like a foghorn/crow/...
Nov 13, 2019•1 hr 9 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the show, we’re talking about animals who are BACK FROM THE DEAD! Animals who were previously thought to be gone from the face of the earth get rediscovered: reports of these animals’ extinction have been greatly exaggerated. With special guest Forrest Galante from Animal Planet's Extinct or Alive . Extinct or Alive TV show The Pinocchio Lizard The Horned Frog Giant Extinct Crocodiles Thylacosmilus was a Bit of a Doof Gastric Brooding Frog A Case for De-Extinction A Case Against De-Exti...
Nov 06, 2019•2 hr 33 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast Happy Creatureween everyone! Today on the show, it’s a Monster Mash! All the classic horror movie monsters, brought to life through the very real world of science! We’re looking at animals who can truly call themselves Dracula, real life Frankenstein’s monsters, and ghoOOost sharks! Discover this and more as we answer the age old question: can a dog lick you to death? With special guest Jamie Loftus. FOOTNOTES: Halloween crab & halloween snake Dramatic emo vampire squid Vampire finch Dracula...
Oct 30, 2019•1 hr 16 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast 
