Thanks to Richard from NC for inspiring this episode!Further reading:Paleontologists Debunk Popular Claim that Protoceratops Fossils Inspired Legend of GriffinThe Fossil Dragons of Lake Lucerne, SwitzerlandThe Lindworm statue:A wool

Episode 386: The Greater Siren and the Anhinga

11 days ago 10m 11s

Thanks to Kai and Emily for their suggestions this week!The greater siren [photo by Kevin Stohlgren, taken from this site]:The anhinga [photo by Tim from Ithaca - Anhinga, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1552694

Episode 385: More Monitors

18 days ago 9m 18s

Thanks to Cosmo and Zachary for suggesting this week's monitor lizards!Further reading:No One Imagined Giant Lizard Nests Would Be This WeirdThe Mighty Modifications of the Yellow-Spotted GoannaThe Asian water monitor:A yellow-spott

Episode 384: Dragons Revisited

25 days ago 15m 30s

This week we need to thanks a bunch of listeners for their suggestions: Bowie, Eilee, Pranav, and Yuzu!Further reading:Elaborate Komodo dragon armor defends against other dragonsGiant killer lizard fossil shines new light on early Austral

Episode 383: The Marsupial Mole

Jun 3rd, 2024 6m 33s

Thanks to Catherine and arilloyd for suggesting the marsupial mole!Further reading:Northern marsupial mole: Rare blind creature photographed in Australian outbackThe marsupial mole, adorable little not-mole from Australia [photo from articl

Episode 382: Smilodon, the Sabertoothed Cat

May 27th, 2024 8m 57s

Thanks to Luke for suggesting this week's topic: Smilodon, the saber-toothed cat, AKA the sabertooth tiger!Further reading:Did sabertooth tigers purr or roar?The double-fanged adolescence of saber-toothed catsWe don't know for sure what

Episode 381: Out of Place Birds

May 20th, 2024 12m 42s

Thanks to Richard from NC, Pranav, and Alexandra for their suggestions this week!Further reading:ABA Rare Bird AlertOne Reason Migrating Birds Get Lost Is Out of This WorldInside the Amazing Cross-Continent Saga of the Steller's Sea-Eag

Episode 380: Woodpeckers

May 13th, 2024 10m 33s

Thanks to Joel and Mary for suggesting some really interesting woodpeckers this week!Further watching:Rare woodpecker thought extinct spotted in OhioThe green woodpecker really likes to eat ants [picture by Remyymer - Own work, CC BY-SA 4

Episode 379: Animals That Inspired Pokemon

May 6th, 2024 9m 11s

Thanks to Pranav, Isaac, and an anonymous listener for their suggestions this week! Let's learn about some animals that inspired three Pokemon.Sandshrew:Possible Sandshrew inspirations:Drowzee:Possible Drowzee inspiration:Fen

Episode 378: Ichthyotitan

Apr 29th, 2024 7m 52s

Thanks to Nathan-Andrew for suggesting giant ichthyosaurs!Further reading:Paleontologists unearth what may be the largest known marine reptileRuby and some other scientists with the ichthyotitan fossils [photos taken from this page]:H

Episode 377: The Giant-est Snake Ever

Apr 22nd, 2024 7m 42s

Thanks to Max for suggesting Titanoboa!Further reading:Largest known madtsoiid snake from warm Eocene period of India suggests intercontinental Gondwana dispersalThis Nearly 50-Foot Snake Was One of the Largest to Slither on EarthMeet V

Episode 376: The Horned Lizard AKA Horny Toad

Apr 15th, 2024 9m 51s

Thanks to Khalil for suggesting the horny toad, also called the horned lizard or horned toad!Further reading:The Case of the Lost LizardThe Texas horned lizard:Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum)The rock horned lizard [photo tak

Episode 375: The Praying Mantis Re-Revisited

Apr 8th, 2024 8m 33s

Thanks to Elijah and an anonymous listener for suggesting that we talk about some more species of praying mantis!Further reading:The luring mantid: Protrusible pheromone glands in Stenophylla lobivertex (Mantodea: Acanthopidae)Dragons and u

Episode 374: PUFFERFISH!

Apr 1st, 2024 8m 3s

Thanks to River for suggesting this week's topic, the pufferfish!Further reading:Grass puffer fish communicate with each other using a non-toxic version of their deadly toxinMystery pufferfish create elaborate circular nests at mesophotic

Episode 373: The Tasmanian Devil and the Thylacine

Mar 25th, 2024 9m 48s

Thanks to Carson, Mia, Eli, and Pranav for their suggestions this week!Further reading:RNA for the first time recovered from an extinct speciesStudy finds ongoing evolution in Tasmanian Devils' response to transmissible cancerTasmanian

Episode 372: Mystery Bovids

Mar 18th, 2024 14m 7s

Thanks to Will and Måns for their suggestions this week! Let's learn about some mystery bovids, or cows and cow relations!Further reading:A Book of Creatures: SongòmbyKouprey: The Ultimate Mystery MammalA musk ox (top) and a wild yak (b

Episode 371: The Peacock

Mar 11th, 2024 14m 10s

Thanks to Ari for suggesting this week's episode, about the peacock!Further reading:Peacock tail feathers shake at resonance and hold eye-spots still during courtship displaysIndian peafowls' crests are tuned to frequencies also used in s

Episode 370: Animals Discovered in 2023

Mar 4th, 2024 16m 3s

Let's look at some of the most interesting animals discovered last year!Further reading:Newly-discovered ‘margarita snails’ from the Florida Keys are bright lemon-yellowTiny spirits roam the corals of Japan—two new pygmy squids discovered

Episode 369: Animals and Ultraviolet Light

Feb 26th, 2024 13m 45s

Sorry to my Patreon subscribers, since this is mostly a rerun episode from April 2019. It's a fun one, though!The teensy pumpkin toadlet [photo by Diogo B. Provete - http://calphotos.berkeley.edu, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w

Episode 368: The Bison

Feb 19th, 2024 11m 29s

Thanks to Jason for suggesting this week's topic, the bison!Further reading:New research documents domestic cattle genetics in modern bison herdsHiggs Bison: Mysterious Hybrid of Bison and Cattle Hidden in Ice Age Cave ArtA cave painting

Episode 367: The Marozi

Feb 12th, 2024 9m 56s

Thanks to Pranav for suggesting this mystery big cat this week, the marozi!Further reading:From Black Lions to Living Sabre-Tooths: My Top Ten Mystery CatsSpotted LionsA young lioness who still has some of her cub spots:Subadult lio

Episode 366: The Muntjac AKA Deer with Fangs

Feb 5th, 2024 10m 58s

Thanks to Chuck for suggesting this week's topic, a weird little deer called the muntjac!Further reading:Dam Project Reveals Secret Sanctuary of Vanishing DeerWildlife camera trap surveys provide new insights into the occurrence of two th

Episode 365: A New Temnospondyl

Jan 29th, 2024 10m 22s

Let's take a look at some new findings about the temnospondyls this week!Further reading:Ancient giant amphibians swam like crocodiles 250 million years agoFossil of Giant Triassic Amphibian Unearthed in BrazilKwatisuchus rosai was an e

Episode 364: Animals Who Will Outlive Us All

Jan 22nd, 2024 15m 52s

Thanks to Oz from Las Vegas for suggesting this week's topic!Further reading:Bobi, the supposed 'world's oldest dog' at 31, is little more than a shaggy dog storyGreenland sharks live for hundreds of yearsScientists Identify Genetic Dri

Episode 363: The Dodo and Friends

Jan 15th, 2024 9m 52s

Thanks to Wilmer and Carson for suggesting we revisit the dodo!Further reading:Dodos and spotted green pigeons are descendants of an island-hopping birdOn the possible vernacular name and origin of the extinct Spotted Green Pigeon Caloenu