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PODCAST

Just the Zoo of Us

Ellen & Christian Weatherford

Join us, Ellen and Christian Weatherford, while we review your favorite species of animals and rate them out of ten in the categories of effectiveness, ingenuity and aesthetics. More information can be found at justthezooofus.com 😊 Got a species you want us to review? Submit your animal friend to us at ellen@justthezooofus.com and when we review your animal we"ll give you a shoutout! 😊 Cover art by Mrs. Brainbow (Taylor Gordon-Wood). Theme music by Louie Zong.

science nature

All Episodes

01:03:44

331: Jackrabbits

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/04/10

Follow Ellen down the jackrabbit hole. We discuss facial tilt, satellite dish ears, evolutionary ghosts of predators past, touchdown dances, jackalopes, Easter, and so much more.Works Cited: "A Field Guide to Jackrabbits" - Matthew L. Miller, The Nature Conservancy, Nov 2022 “Ecological correlates to cranial morphology in Leporids (Mammalia, Lagomorpha)” - Brian Kraatz et al., PeerJ, Dec 2014 "Jackrabbit Gets a Touchdown!" - YouTube “Celebrating Easter, Christmas and their associated alien

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01:13:49

330: Cryptids w/ the Cryptonaturalist, Jarod K....

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/04/02

Join Ellen & the Cryptonaturalist (Jarod K. Anderson) to talk about the ways that nature and wildlife can inspire our creativity and shape our stories, particularly the enticingly unknowable cryptids. We discuss being raised by a witch, the natural poetry in scientific facts about starfish, the value of enthusiasm, caked up Mothman and the tragic Squonk, getting emoted on by skunks, the surprisingly complicated history of dandelions, a vulture named Potato, and so much more.Links: Learn more

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01:15:13

329: Coelacanth

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/03/26

Don't call it a comeback, coelacanth's been here for years. We discuss life on Earth 400 million years ago, a military escort mission, our own fish ancestors, five year pregnancies, underwater handstands, an unnecessarily complicated puzzle in the third generation Pokémon games, and so much more.Works Cited: “The Coelacanth” - Knysna Museum “The Discovery” - UC Museum of Paleontology’s website “Earliest known coelacanth skull extends the range of anatomically modern coelacanths to the Early

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00:58:18

328: Apollo the African Grey Parrot w/ Dalton Mason!

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/03/20

Join Ellen & Dalton Mason, creator and bird parent behind Apollo and Frens, for a look into life alongside the world-famous African grey parrot. You may have seen their videos on social media showing off Apollo’s incredibly impressive vocabulary, answering questions and even speaking in full sentences, which have earned the bird a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records in 2025 - on top of all the pistachios, of course. We discuss animal cognition and what makes parrots such great models for

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00:52:04

327: Mandarin Duck

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/03/12

Ellen falls in love with the Mandarin duck. We discuss why waterfowl's webbed feet don't freeze in the winter, the evolutionary arms race between male and female ducks, New York City's local celebrity Hot Duck, your new favorite coffee order, and more.Works Cited: "Countercurrent Exchange" - Dr. Roger Lederer, ornithology.org “Coevolution of Male and Female Genital Morphology in Waterfowl” - Patricia L. R. Brennan et al., PLOS One, May 2007 "Ducks, Geese, and Swans" - Ivan Phillipsen,

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00:50:43

326: Moth Flies w/ Emily, your Certified Bug Friend!

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/03/05

Join Ellen & special guest, science communicator and Certified Bug Friend Emily, for a review of the tiny little bugs that fly around your nearest kitchen sink. We discuss what Big Pest doesn’t want you to know, convergent evolution between bugs and fish, the drain gods, secret spy languages that only bugs can read, and so much more.Links: Follow Emily on Instagram, YouTube, and more! Learn more about the Entomology Box! For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!

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00:44:04

325: Triops (AKA Tadpole Shrimp)

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/02/25

Ellen goes on a journey through time and space with Triops, the tadpole shrimp. We discuss book fairs, vernal pools, whether saltwater or freshwater came first, trips to space, prehistoric scampi, surprise guests at Burning Man, and so much more.Sources: "Ontogenetic sequence comparison of extant and fossil tadpole shrimps: no support for the “living fossil” concept" - Philipp Wagner et al., Paläontologische Zeitschrift, August 2017 “Survival of dormant organisms after long-term exposure to the

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01:12:11

324: Egg-Eating Snake w/ Lyn!

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/02/19

Join Ellen & special guest artist and reptile keeper Lyn for an up close and personal look at a little snake with a big appetite. We discuss how it feels to handle a snake, stress dreams specific to pet owners, gastoning it, spine teeth, snacktivities, how snakes flirt with each other, and so much more.Links:Check out Lyn's art and comic on Instagram! Denver folks, check out Lyn's upcoming snake shed jewelry & painting workshop!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our

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00:56:26

323: Banana Slug

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/02/12

Ellen takes things slow with the iconic banana slug. We discuss mobile slip 'n' slides, recreationally poisoning yourself, liquid crystals, oobleck, robosnail, slime trains, moisture farming, apophallation, college mascots, and so much more.Works Cited:"Banana Slugs: Secret of the Slime" for Mallory Pickett, KQED, February 2015"Mechanical Devices for Snail-like Locomotion" - Brian Chan et al., Journal of Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, February 2007"Tough adhesives for diverse wet

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01:09:15

322: The Bird Hall w/ Shannon Hackett & John Bates!

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/02/05

Join Ellen & special guests, power couple Shannon Hackett and John Bates from the Field Museum, here to talk about the intersection of science, history, and of course, birds in a love letter to the natural history museum. We discuss working alongside SUE the T. rex, specimen pickles, harlequin romance novels, and explore bigger questions like how museum collections can reveal evolution happening around us right now in real-time and help us look into the future, what the average everyday person can

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01:03:51

321: Norway Lemmings

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/01/29

Ellen sets the record straight on Norway lemmings, busting over 400 years of myths. We discuss rodent audacity, ecological impacts that can be seen from space, spontaneous generation, Ole Worm, Atlantis, a Disney lie, and so much more.Works Cited:“Genome analyses suggest recent speciation and postglacial isolation in the Norwegian lemming” - Edana Lord et al., PNAS, June 2025“Aposematism and crypsis in a rodent: antipredator defence of the Norwegian lemming” - Malte Andersson, Behavioral Ecology and

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00:59:15

320: Vinny Thomas's Top 3 Urban Wildlife Species!

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/01/22

Join Ellen & special guest comedian, writer, and nature enthusiast Vinny Thomas for a review of some of the furry, feathered, and scaly neighbors making themselves at home right in our very own cities. We discuss domestication, dogs with human feet, inflatable snoods, ostriches for self-defense, kaiju battles at the park, life in a shipwreck, and so much more.Links:Follow Vinny on Instagram, Threads, and TikTok!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo

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01:07:10

319: Tasmanian Devil

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/01/15

Ellen gives the Tasmanian devil his due. We discuss mythbusters, cranial real estate, the masculine urge to bite your fingers off, which came first: the chicken or the egg, dump stats, contagious cancer, and so much more. Works Cited:"Too hot for the devil? Did climate change cause the mid-Holocene extinction of the Tasmanian devil Sarcophilus harrisii from mainland Australia?" - Shane D. Morris et al., Ecography, Dec 2021"Holocene Demographic Changes and the Emergence of Complex Societies in

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00:56:00

318: Jungle Jordan's Top 3 Friend-Shaped Carnivores!

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2026/01/08

Join Ellen & special guest, wildlife educator and zookeeper Jungle Jordan, as we round up his top 3 friend-shaped carnivores, all the cutest critters that could absolutely wreck you. We discuss hidden mickeys, toxic friend groups, modern-day sabertooths, delicious hair, an unlikely pair of woodland best friends, and so much more.Links:Learn more about Jordan's work at his website: https://www.junglejordan.com/Follow him on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook!For more information about us & our

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00:48:37

317: Sea Angel

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2025/12/24

Ellen gets into the festive spirit with sea angels. We discuss Christian's beachfront disaster, secret tentacles, teeny titan battles, undismissable companions, Hello Kitty merch, and so much more.Links:For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!

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00:55:34

316: Southern Cassowary w/ Marco Wendt!

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2025/12/18

Joined Ellen & special guest wildlife ambassador and care specialist Marco Wendt from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for a review of the towering birds that are ready to literally rumble: cassowaries. We discuss short kings and feminine rage, a secret bird language humans can’t hear, nature’s best dads, getting a modern dinosaur to be brave for his shots, and so much more.Links:Cassowary rumble audio: Marc Anderson, XC337534. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/337534.Learn more about the San Diego Zoo

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00:56:21

315: Kinkajou

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2025/12/11

Ellen irons out the kinkajous. We discuss Thomas Jefferson's giant moose sidequest, the dessert hypothesis, bad pets, who the real Frankenstein monster is, and so much more.Links:For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

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00:58:53

314: Sarah Suta's Top 3 Dream Comebacks!

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2025/12/04

Join Ellen & host of Bizarre Beasts Sarah Suta for a lineup of some animals she’d like to see get a second chance, whether they’re species we’ve already lost or ones that might still have a shot. We discuss foreign exchange student accents, the ecological impact of the invention of the telegraph, bird call sheet music, the scientific fumble of the century, bison where you least expect them, and so much more.Links:Watch Bizarre Beasts and Endlings on YouTube:

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00:55:02

170: Wild Turkey (REPLAY)

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2025/11/26

In this week's re-broadcast of an episode from November of 2022, Ellen goes on an odyssey through history with the wild turkey. We discuss their path alongside humans for thousands of years, from prehistoric America to praise from Benjamin Franklin, the brink of extinction and nets fired out of cannons. Further viewing:Rocket Netting Turkeys, a video demonstration by the LSU AgCenter Paul Kelly's Gobbling Demonstration

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01:07:34

313: Turkey Vulture

Just the Zoo of Us ·

2025/11/20

Ellen has a bone to pick with turkey vultures. We discuss aura farming, our gripes with the pH scale, a check-in with our resident Dragon Ball Z correspodent, screaming inside your heart, laser harassment campaigns, and so much more.Links:For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

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112 results

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