PODCAST

Strange Animals Podcast

Katherine Shaw

A podcast about living, extinct, and imaginary animals!

science natural sciences

All Episodes

15:26

Episode 222: Two Dangerous Birds of New Guinea

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/05/03

This week let's learn about a couple of dangerous birds of New Guinea! They're not what you might think. Join our mailing list! Further Reading/Watching: How Dangerous Are Cassowaries, Really? Inside the Cassowary's Casque Breakfast Club Ep. 34: Jack Dumbacher on Poisonous Birds (a long video but a really great deep dive into the pitohui) The mighty cassowary with a mighty casque on its head, looking like a modern dinosaur, which it is: A cassowary and babies: A hooded pitohui, looking

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9:37

Episode 221: Arachnids in the Antarctic!

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/04/26

Thanks to Ella for this week's suggestion. There may not technically be spiders in the Antarctic, but there are mites. A nunatak (note the size of the research vehicles at the bottom left): I don't have any pictures of the Antarctic mites, so here are some red velvet mites, although they're giants compared to their Antarctic cousins: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we’re going to have a short episode, because I get my second Covid-19

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9:38

Episode 220: Panda Mysteries, Solved!

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/04/19

This week let's learn about a mystery panda and a few small panda mysteries! Join our mailing list! Further Reading: Mystery of the brown giant panda deepens The Qinling panda is not like other pandas: The giant panda is subtly different from the Qinling panda. Can you spot the difference? Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. I usually like to shake things up from week to week, but April has turned into mammal month. We’ve got another

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14:14

Episode 219: The Strange and Mysterious Tarsier

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/04/12

Thanks to Phoebe for suggesting the tarsier, this week's strange and interesting primate! Further Reading: Decoding of tarsier genome reveals ties to humans Long-lost 'Furby-like' Primate Discovered in Indonesia Tarsiers look like weird alien babies: A tarsier nomming on a lizard: A tarsier nomming on an insect: The pygmy tarsier and someone's thumb: There's probably not much going on in that little brain: Show Transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate

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25:03

Episode 218: More Unusual Hoofed Animals

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/04/05

So many interesting hoofed animals in this episode, so many awesome suggestions! Thanks to Page, Elaine, Pranav, Richard E., Richard from NC, and Llewelly! Further Reading: Meet the Takin: The Largest Mammal You've Never Heard Of New hope for the elusive okapi, the Congo's mini giraffe The Resurrection of the Arabian Oryx Eucladoceros was not messing around with those antlers: Megaloceros and Thranduil's elk in the Hobbit movies. COINCIDENCE? The stag-moose. What can I say? This thing is

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14:15

Episode 217: Three (Small) Mystery Animals

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/03/29

This week we're going to look at three small mystery animals! Well, the mysteries are small. The animals are not particularly small. Further Reading: Long-Extinct Gibbon Found Inside Tomb of Chinese Emperor's Grandmother Ancient Egypt's Mona Lisa? An elaborately drawn extinct goose, of course A case of mistaken identity for Australia's extinct big bird Bones of a mystery gibbon found in a noblewoman's tomb: Gibbons painted about a thousand years ago by artist Yi Yuanji: A couple of

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18:46

Episode 216: Gentle Giant Sharks

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/03/22

Let's learn about some of the biggest sharks in the sea--but not sharks that want to eat you! Further reading: 'Winged' eagle shark soared through oceans 93 million years ago Manta-like planktivorous sharks in Late Cretaceous oceans Before giant plankton-eating sharks, there were giant plankton-eating sharks An artist's impression of the eagle shark (Aquilolamna milarcae): Manta rays: A manta ray with its mouth closed and cephalic fins rolled up: Pseudomegachasma's tooth sitting on

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17:56

Episode 215: The Cutest Invertebrates

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/03/15

Thanks to Lorenzo and Page for suggestions used in this week's episode, and a belated thanks to Ethan for last week's episode! Let's learn about some of the cutest invertebrates out there! Further reading: Photosynthesis-like process found in insects Mystery of the Venezuelan Poodle Moth Further viewing: Dr. Arthur Anker's photos from his Venezuela trip, including the poodle moth The pea aphid, red morph and regular green So many ladybugs: The sea bunny is a real animal, but it's not a

en-US

21:53

Episode 214: Armored Fish and the Late Devonian Mass...

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/03/08

It's the next in our short series of episodes about mass extinctions! Don't worry, it won't be boring, because we're going to learn about a lot of weird ancient fish too. Further reading: Titanichthys: Devonian-Period Armored Fish was Suspension Feeder Behind the Scenes: How Fungi Make Nutrients Available to the World Dunkleosteus was a beeg feesh with sharp jaw plates that acted as teeth: Titanichthys was also a beeg feesh, but it wouldn't have eaten you (picture from the Sci-News article

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12:03

Episode 213: More Honeybees, But Stingless

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/03/01

Thanks to Nicholas for this week's suggestion! Let's learn about the Australian stingless bee and its relatives! Listen to BewilderBeasts if you want more fun, family-friendly animal facts! Further reading/watching: Australian Stingless Bees Women Work to Save Native Bees of Mexico (I really recommend the short video embedded on this page! It's utterly charming!) House of the Royal Lady Bee: Maya revive native bees and ancient beekeeping A Maya beekeeper's hut and some Central/South American

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15:38

Episode 212: The River of Giants

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/02/22

Thanks to Pranav for his suggestion! Let's find out what the river of giants was and what lived there! Further reading: King of the River of Giants Spinosaurus was a swimming dinosaur and it swam in the River of Giants: A modern bichir, distant relation to the extinct giants that lived in the River of Giants: Not actually a pancake crocodile: A model of Aegisuchus and some modern humans: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. A while back,

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12:30

Episode 211: The Magnificent Fin Whale

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/02/15

This week let's venture into the ocean and learn about the fin whale! Further reading: The songs of fin whales offer new avenue for seismic studies of the oceanic crust Fin whales' big gulp The fin whale can hold a whole lot of water in its mouth (illustration from the second article linked above): A fin whale underwater. Look at that massive tail. That's pure muscle: A fin whale above water. It's like a torpedo: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate

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10:19

Episode 210: The Mysterious Lightbulb Lizard

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/02/08

Does the Shreve's lightbulb lizard really emit light? (Hint: sort of.) Let's find out! Further reading: The Lightbulb Lizard of Benjamin Shreve Shreve's lightbulb lizard, looking pretty ordinary really: A web-footed gecko in moonlight: A Jamaican gray anole showing off his dewlap: Show Transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week let’s learn about an interesting reptile with a mystery that’s mostly solved, but still really weird. It’s called

en-US

18:31

Episode 209: Animals Discovered in 2020

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/02/01

Here's a 2020 retrospective episode that looks at the bright side of the year! Thanks to Page for the suggestion! Let's learn about some animals discovered in 2020 (mostly). Further reading: Watch This Giant, Eerie, String-Like Sea Creature Hunt for Food in the Indian Ocean Rare Iridescent Snake Discovered in Vietnam An intrusive killer scorpion points the way to six new species in Sri Lanka What may be the longest (colony) animal in the world, a newly discovered siphonophore: New whale(s)

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16:50

Episode 208: The Happiest Animals in Australia

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/01/25

Thanks to Phoebe for suggesting the quokka and the wombat, two of the cutest, happiest-looking animals in Australia! Further Reading: Viral stories of wombats sheltering other animals from the bushfires aren't entirely true Satellites reveal the underground lifestyle of wombats Giant Wombat-Like Marsupials Roamed Australia 25 Million Years Ago Further Listening: Animals and Ultraviolet Light (unlocked Patreon episode) The adorable quokka with a nummy leaf and a joey in her pouch: Quokka

en-US

9:58

Episode 207: The Dire Wolf!

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/01/18

This week we're on the cutting edge of science, learning about the brand new genetic study of dire wolves that rearranges everything we know about the dire wolf and other canids! Also, a bonus turtle update. Further reading: Dire Wolves Were Not Really Wolves, Genetic Clues Reveal An artist's rendition of dire wolves and grey wolves fighting over a bison carcass (art by Mauricio Anton): The pig-nosed face of the Hoan Kiem turtle, AKA Yangtze giant softshell turtle, AKA Swinhoe's softshell

en-US

15:10

Episode 206: The Bowerbird and the Victoria Crowned...

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/01/11

This week let's learn about two birds of New Guinea, bowerbirds and the Victoria crowned pigeon! Both are beautiful and the bowerbird is kind of weird. Thanks to M Is for Awesome for the suggestion! Further Reading: The Women Who Removed Birds from People's Hats Various bowers made by various species of bowerbird: The golden-fronted bowerbird: Not a bowerbird but a close relation, a dead bird of paradise from New Guinea, decorating an old-timey lady's fancy hat. I would not want to put

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16:47

Episode 205: Sea Scorpions and the Late Ordovician...

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2021/01/04

Happy new year! This week we'll learn about the oldest mass extinction event, some 450 million years ago, and also sea scorpions. Further reading: Coming up for air: Extinct sea scorpions could breathe out of water, fossil detective unveils Sea scorpions could get really, really big: A fossil Eurypterus: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. Hello, 2021, please be better than 2020 was. I’ve got lots of fun, interesting episodes planned for this

en-US

15:38

Episode 204: Frogs of Many Cheery Colors

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2020/12/28

Let's finish off a very weird year and welcome in the new year with a basket of colorful frogs! The northern leopard frog comes in many color morphs, all of them pretty: The starry dwarf frog is also pretty and has an orange tummy: The astonishing turtle frog: Poison dart frogs are colorful and deadly (blue poison dart frog, golden poison dart frog): The tomato frog looks like a tomato that is also a frog: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host,

en-US

21:17

Episode 203: Swarms!

Strange Animals Podcast ·

2020/12/21

Thanks to Nicholas and Juergen for their suggestions! Let's learn about some insects that migrate and swarm! Further listening: The Animal Migrations Patreon episode (it's unlocked so anyone can listen) Further reading: Ladybugs Are Everywhere! Monarch butterflies gathered in winter: The painted lady butterfly: The bogong moth: The globe skimmer dragonfly: Ladybugs spend the winter in bunches, sometimes in your house: A stink bug, one of many potentially in your house: This

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