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PODCAST

Strange by Nature Podcast

Strange by Nature

Life is strange, naturally you want to hear about it. Strange by Nature is your guide to the strange, weird and unbelievable side of nature. Professional naturalists present weekly curated stories about just how strange nature can get.

science nature

All Episodes

39:43

The Bone Collector Moth

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/05/07

Anyone fancy a yawn? Victoria did some investigation into the strange phenomenon of social yawning. Are yawns really contagious? Kirk then brings us the story of the Bone Collector Moth. When it is a caterpillar, it creates a disguise by gluing dead bodies to itself. Yikes. Rachel rounds out the show with brand new research showing that sharks can make sounds! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email

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30:02

The Lightening Tree

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/30

Victoria talks about the amazing tropical super-canopy tree the Almendro that actually seem to attract lightening in order to kill off the trees around them. Talk about a bad neighbor!Kirk then brings us the strange story of the Ruff, a shorebird with three distinct versions of males. They each have their own distinct plumage and role in the mating dance. One of them even disguises itself as a female! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad

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30:07

Trees Older Than Written Language!

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/23

Kirk blows our minds with the age of Bristlecone Pines. Did you know there are living trees that predate the invention of written language?Victoria then has a doozy of a story about White-throated sparrows developing a new secondary sex chromosome. This bizarre occurrence means there are technically four different sexes of this bird instead of the regular two. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us:

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42:52

A Tree Taller than the Statue of Liberty

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/16

Victoria starts us off this week with the surprising reason that blue-eyed white cats are often deaf. The reason is truly bizarre. Kirk brings us the story of an amazing adaption recently discovered in Hummingbirds. Researchers just discovered that the White-necked Jacobin have babies who's feathers perfectly mimic dangerous caterpillars in order to scare away predators. Rachel rounds out this week with a discussion of the tallest trees in the world, the coastal redwoods. Join us weekly for more

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38:17

Venus Flytrap...but it's actually a wasp!

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/09

Rachel is up first this week with a lighthearted study that investigated why banana peels are so slippery when stepped on.Victoria then swerves into Rachel's lane and takes us to Australia to investigate the origin of the Dingo. Kirk is up last and brings us the story of a newly discovered wasp from millions of years ago that had an amazing adaptation for trapping insects like a venus flytrap. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us:

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34:55

The Most Venomous Spider in the World

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/04/02

Are you ready for another wild episode? This week we have three wonderful stories for you.Kirk goes first with the astounding story of archerfish that not only have an amazing hunting adaptation but researchers just showed they can remember and pick out a human face when presented with over 40 options. Simply stunning. Who said fish have a bad memory? Rachel is up new with an update on one of the most dangerous spiders in the world, the Sydney Funnel Web Spider. The venom can kill a human in as

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36:13

The Horned Screamer

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/03/27

Here's your weekly dose of weird.Up first, Victoria revisits slime molds so she can tell us about a truly massive single cell organism. Kirk is up next answers the question, snakes can be venomous but can they be poisonous? We get to the bottom of this sneaky snake question. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com Rachel

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47:26

The Walking Fish that Climbs Trees!

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/03/19

Welcome to the beginning of year 5 of the podcast. We're happy to have all of our amazing listeners along for the ride.Rachel kicks things off this year with the bizarre story of a fish that spends more time on land than in water. Welcome to the world of mud skippers. Victoria probes the depths of the ocean to unravel the mystery of Dark Oxygen. This finding has big implications for rare earth mining. Kirk wraps things up this week by asking the question, can frogs see rainbows? The answer may

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58:20

Whistlepig Waygu?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/03/12

It's the end of our 4th year doing the show so that means it is time for our annual quiz show! Our Special guest Brett Sieberer is here once again to ask us strange questions that all relate to the past year of the show. Don't worry, your favorite game, "Eat, Ride or Jacket" is back for another round! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at:

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40:24

Why is there a Grape Leaf in the Pickle Jar?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/03/05

Kirk kicks things off the the Medlar, an ancient fruit with a decidedly NSFW nickname. Maybe this one isn't for the kids. Rachel then gets to the bottom of why people put grape leaves in pickle jars. Victoria then bring us the horrifying story of the Loa Loa, otherwise known as the Eye Worm. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at:

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45:54

Insect Suicide Defense Bombing

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/02/26

Victoria starts things off with a bang this week and that bang is ants that explode their bodies releasing a toxic yellow goo epoxy to trap their attackers. It's just...wow.Kirk is up next with the strange case of disappearing stars. There are stars vanishing in the night sky and astronomers aren't sure why. Rachel rounds out this very strange episode with a story about a trapper who gave mouth-to-mouth recessitation to an American Martin. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on

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40:57

Why is the Titanic Disappearing?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/02/19

Rachel tells us an astounding fact, the metal of the Titanic is being eaten by bacteria and could collapse in just 6 years.Victoria helpfully lets us know that beautiful beach sand is actually Parrotfish poop. Kirk is up last and he introduces us to the mystery of Fast Radio Bursts from outer space. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at:

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47:24

What is the Hot Chocolate Effect?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/02/12

Kirk gets to start us out this week and he's all ears. Ears are weird but all those shapes actually mean something. Learn how the shape of an animal's ears can tell us about their habitat and behavior.Rachel is up next and she goes on on the ice to tackle the question of why does ice on lakes crack in the winter? It turns out it relates to some of the very strange properties of frozen water. Victoria introduces us to The Hot Chocolate Effect. Did you know that hot water sounds different than cold

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34:26

Is Urination Contagious?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/02/05

Victoria is up first with a mystery part of the cell and we have no idea what it does or why it is there but it is inside you right now. Learn more about the strange "Vaults" in our cells.Kirk is second this week and he brings us some new research into the strange social urination of animals. Rachel rounds out the episode with a creature feature on Kangaroo Rats/Kangaroo Mice. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at:

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41:46

Why Do We Celebrate Groundhog Day?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/29

On this week's show, Victoria kicks things off with a discussion of Chirality and how the study of the "handedness" of molecules could actually lead to the creation of completely new forms of life. It's a bizarre thought experiment with very real and dangerous consequences.Rachel brings us a creature feature, the fish-scaled gecko. This strange creature has an amazing defense mechanism that is both fascinating and gross. Kirk ends things with a salute to Groundhog Day and he dives into the possible

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01:04:27

Weird Animal Defenses

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/22

On this week's show 2/3 of us talk about animal defenses.Kirk starts us off with the Giant Vinegaroon, an acid shooting whip scorpion. Rachel then also talks defenses with the Fulmar, a bird that covers enemies with stinking projectile vomit. Victoria takes us in an all new direction by talking about Left-handedness. Thanks for joining us this week! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us:

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34:31

Surprise! Defensive Genitalia

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/15

Victoria kicks things of this week with a fascinating new study on Potter wasps showing that the males actually can defensively "sting" even though they don't have a classic stinger. If you are a fan of defensive genitalia, this story's for you!Kirk keeps it with insects and defense this week and tells us a bit about the irritating hairs of caterpillars, how some of them have toxins and and how they can get into your eyes. No thanks. Rachel takes us to a small island off the coast of Yemen to

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39:51

The Immortal Jellyfish

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/08

Rachel takes us to the zoo to meet a Lyre Bird. Sure, they are found in the wild too but this one learned to reproduce the evacuation alarm for the entire zoo. Good times. Learn more about these amazing birds.Victoria this week brings us, The Immortal Jellyfish. This strange creature can reverse age and then start life all over again. There doesn't seem to be a limit so potentially it could live forever. Scientists are studying it to learn more about aging and how stem cells work. Kirk wraps up

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40:00

Bone Eating Worms

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2025/01/01

Hey Everyone, it is our first show of 2025!Kirk starts us off this week with a medical mystery from Australia. Can Victoria guess what it is? Spoiler, it is the Paralysis Tick! Rachel (no surprise here) takes us to the bottom of the ocean to lean about a strange bone eating worm that feasts on dead whales. Victoria also takes us underwater this week to Doggerland, a hidden submerged world at the bottom of the North Sea that used to be dry land and home to humans during the last ice age. Join us

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36:56

Mammals Can Breathe through their Butts?

Strange by Nature Podcast ·

2024/12/26

Welcome to another exciting week of weird. Victoria starts off this week's show with the story of an Ignobel prize wining study showing that mammals can breathe through their butts. Kirk then takes us to the ocean to learn about animals that can drink saltwater without dying like us humans would. Rachel rounds out this week by returning again into the ocean to introduce us to the bizarre looking antarctic scale worm. It is beautiful and awful all at once. Perfect, just how we like it right? Join

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243 results

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