PODCAST

Strange Animals Podcast

Katherine Shaw

A podcast about living, extinct, and imaginary animals!

science natural sciences

All Episodes

11:44

Episode 320: More Elephants

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/03/20

Thanks to Connor and Pranav who suggested this week's episode about elephants! It's been too long since we had an elephant episode and there's lots more to learn. Further reading: Asian elephants could be the maths kings of the jungle Many wild animals 'count' A big difference between Asian and African elephants is diet Study reveals ancient link between mammoth dung and pumpkin pie The Asian elephant (left) and the African elephant (right): The African bush elephant (left) and the African

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6:41

Episode 319: The Phascogale

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/03/13

Thanks to Kristie for suggesting this week's topic, the phascogale! Further reading: Red-tailed phascogales (all photos below come from this site) Sleeping phascogale: Wide-awake phascogales: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. Ages ago, Kristie suggested I look up the phascogale, a really cute Australian animal. It’s definitely adorable and a little bit weird, so let’s learn about it this week! Like most mammals that live in Australia, the

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15:41

Episode 318: The Mysterious Malagasy Hippo

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/03/06

Thanks to the Tracing Owls podcast for this week's suggestion. I'm a guest on that podcast so make sure to check it out (but while my episode is appropriate for younger listeners, most episodes are not, so be warned). Further reading: Huge Hippos Roamed Britain One Million Years Ago Kenyan fossils show evolution of hippos The Kilopilopitsofy, Kidoky, and Bokyboky: Accounts of Strange Animals from Belo-sur-mer, Madagascar, and the Megafaunal “Extinction Window” A sort-of Malagasy hippo: Actual

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14:04

Episode 317: Wild Ponies

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/02/27

Thanks to Leo for suggesting this week's topic, the ponies of Assateague Island! Further reading: Assateague Wild Ponies Some ponies running free on Assateague Island [photo taken from the site linked above]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to learn about the feral horses of Assateague! Thanks to Leo for the suggestion! That’s the grown-up Leo; we also have a young Leo who’s sent some great suggestions, including one we’re

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9:23

Episode 316: The Blobfish and a Round Bunny

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/02/20

This week we learn more about the blobfish thanks to Matilde's suggestion, and we'll also learn about a primitive rabbit. Further reading: In Defense of the Blobfish: Why the 'World's Ugliest Animal' Isn't as Ugly as You Think It Is A rare rabbit plays an important ecological role by spreading seeds The Amami Rabbit: A Living Fossil in the Wilds of Amami Ōshima [amazing photos in this article!] The blobfish as we usually see it: The blobfish as it looks when it's in its deep-sea home: The

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9:52

Episode 315: Dogs and Cats

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/02/13

Thanks to Fabiana and Hazel for their suggestions this week, where we learn more about dogs and cats! Further reading: Gene mutation that makes dogs small existed in ancient wolves Feline genetics help pinpoint first-ever domestication of cats Cats Learn Names of Their Feline Friends A cat (Dracula, specifically, with Dracula the toy): A dog, in case you've never seen a dog before: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to

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17:28

Episode 314: Animals Discovered in 2022

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/02/06

Let's learn about some of the animals discovered in 2022! There are lots, so let's go! Further Reading: In Japanese waters, a newly described anemone lives on the back of a hermit crab Rare ‘fossil’ clam discovered alive Marine Biologists Discover New Giant Isopod Mysterious ‘blue goo’ at the bottom of the sea stumps scientists New Species of Mossy Frog Discovered in Vietnam A Wildlife YouTuber Discovered This New Species of Tarantula in Thailand Meet Nepenthes pudica, Carnivorous Plant that

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13:42

Episode 313: The Wolverine and the Kakapo

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/01/30

This week we learn about two interesting animals from opposite parts of the world! Thanks to Felix and Jaxon for suggesting the wolverine and the kakapo. Further reading: Study: Wolverines need refrigerators Kakapo Comeback [this article has some fantastic pictures!] The wolverine likes cold weather: So many young kakapos! The kakapo is a really big bird: (Photo by Matu Booth) Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to cover

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11:56

Episode 312: Little Bouncy Animals

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/01/23

Thanks to Zachary and Oran for this week's topic, some little animals that bounce around like tiny kangaroos! Further reading: Evolution of Kangaroo-Like Jerboas Sheds Light on Limb Development Supposedly extinct kangaroo rat resurfaces after 30 years High-Speed Videos Show Kangaroo Rats Using Ninja-Style Kicks to Escape Snakes Williams's jerboa [picture by Mohammad Amin Ghaffari - https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/177950563, CC BY 4.0,

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7:53

Episode 311: The Mystery Deep-Sea Spider

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/01/16

Thanks to Llewelly for this suggestion, and thanks to Dr. Thomas A. Hegna for providing me with the two papers I reference in this episode! Images are taken from the papers. The mystery "spider": Long-legged isopods: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. My carefully planned out episode schedule has already gotten messed up, but I got excited about this topic and couldn’t wait to share it! It’s a mystery invertebrate from the deep sea that has been

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6:05

Episode 310: The Crab-Eating Fox

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/01/09

Thanks to Dean for this week's suggestion, the crab-eating fox! Further reading: Jaguars could prevent a not-so-great American biotic exchange The crab-eating fox is not actually a fox: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. I’m happy to report that I’m feeling healthy and testing negative for covid now. Even my lingering cough has pretty much cleared up! I hope you’re healthy too. Anyway, this week let’s learn about an unusual animal suggested by Dean,

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9:10

Episode 309: The Red Panda

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2023/01/02

Thanks to Zola for suggesting this week's topic, the red panda! Further reading: Study Reveals Key Differences in Skulls of Red and Giant Panda A red panda: A red panda asleep in a tree [photo by By Aconcagua - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2169002]: Not exactly a real red panda but pretty darn cute (from the Disney/Pixar movie Turning Red): Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. Happy new year! I’m still

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10:37

Episode 308: Rescuing Stranded Whales

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2022/12/26

Yay, we're at the end of the year and looking forward to 2023! Boo, I caught covid and I'm still recovering, so here's a repurposed Patreon episode about whale strandings and how people help the whales! A minke whale calf being transferred via rescue pontoon to a boat to tow her farther out to sea than the pontoon could manage for such a big whale (photo from this article, which explains that she rejoined her mother and swam away safely): Pilot whales being rescued after stranding: Show

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10:52

Episode 307: Coquí Frogs and Glass Frogs

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2022/12/19

Thanks to Miranda and Henry for this week's frog suggestions! Further reading: Shattering the Glass Frog Ceiling The Puerto Rican wetland frog, AKA coquí llanero: The golden coquí in happier times: Glass frog from above and below: A female granulosa glass frog named Millie (in one of the few successful breeding programs of these frogs), looking demure: Laura's glass frog, rediscovered after almost 70 years [photos from this article]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals

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12:00

Episode 306: Two Million Years Ago in Greenland

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2022/12/12

This week we're going to learn about a brand new study in Nature about animals and plants that lived in Greenland about two million years ago. Happy birthday to Dillon! Further reading: A 2-million-year-old ecosystem in Greenland uncovered by environmental DNA Scientists Reconstruct 2-Million-Year-Old Ecosystem from Environmental DNA No bones? No problem: DNA left in cave soils can reveal ancient human occupants Greenland now: Greenland two million years ago [art by Beth Zaiken, taken from

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8:40

Episode 305: The Chamois and the Cave Goat

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2022/12/05

Thanks to Isaac for suggesting the chamois, our main topic this week! Further reading: The chamois in New Zealand Extinct goat was cold-blooded Myotragus balearicus: Extinction of mouse-goats A chamois in its summer coat: A chamois in its winter coat: Myotragus, the "cave goat," may have looked something like this museum restoration: Nuralagus's femur (left) compared to a regular rabbit femur: Show Transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week

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17:55

Episode 304: Animals of the Paleogene

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2022/11/28

Thanks to Pranav for suggesting this week's topic, animals of the Paleogene, the period after the Cretaceous! Thanks also to Llewelly for suggesting the horned screamer, now one of my favorite birds. Further watching: Southern Screamers making noise Horned Screamers making noise Further reading: The Brontotheres Presbyornis looked a lot like a long-legged goose [art by Smokeybjb - CC BY-SA 3.0] The southern screamer (left) and horned screamer (right), probably the closest living relation to

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7:48

Episode 303: Weird and Mysterious Animal Sounds

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2022/11/21

Thanks to Emory for suggesting this week's topic, mysterious animal sounds! Further reading/watching: The Story of Elk in the Great Smoky Mountains Terrifying Sounds in the Forests of the Great Smoky Mountains Evidence found of stingrays making noise This New AI Can Detect the Calls of Animals Swimming in an Ocean of Noise The wapiti [pic from article linked above]: The stingray filmed making noise [stills from video linked to above]: The tawny owl makes some weird sounds: The fox

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11:45

Episode 302: The Coatimundi and a Mysterious Friend

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2022/11/14

Thanks to Oceana, Leo, and Alexandra for suggesting the coatimundi this week! Further reading: Caught red handed: The mystery of an unusual Panamanian plant’s dispersal The coatimundi has a long tail and a long nose: The olingo sitting on a cloud cycad seed pod. Mystery solved! The olingo in daylight: My new podcasting studio! Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to talk about an animal suggested by several people

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8:25

Episode 301: Hairless Mammals

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2022/11/07

Thanks to Liesbet for this week's suggestion, about two mammals that have evolved to be hairless! Happy birthday this week to Declan and Shannon! The hairless bat has a doglike face and a doglike tail but (and this is important) it is not a dog [photos from this site]: The naked mole-rat's mouth is behind its teeth instead of the usual "my teeth are in my mouth" kind of thing: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we have a suggestion from

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