Creature Feature

Sometimes the scary, tough, and slimy animals in the world just need a friend! From a friendly little shop of horrors, to the toughest animals in the world frolicking together, we find friendship and cooperation in the unlikeliest of places. Guest: Ellen Weatherford See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are lots of things we know we shouldn't put in our mouth: cyanide, parasites, a styrofoam coffee cup you got out of the trash. But some animals have found a way to expand their culinary tastes, or even benefit, from things that would make a human restaurant shut down and the chefs go to prison. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: why are scientists so mean to larvae? Guest: Adam Ganser See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the silliest most adorable animals out there, a furry tank, a rabbit deer, and a fish who smiles! Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: do you want to vacation on a pile of poop? Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LIp-VyPwAtCWjU9pXkL22Hed5pV6nUZJlwH5rtPCdT8/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some of the cutest serial killers in the animal kingdom! Big ol' eyes, big ol' ears, and a sweet feathery fuzzball who are more devious than Jack the Ripper. Guest: Bridgett Greenberg Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rRuJRXELHhZHG3jrUSG7uAxs82zrL6qJ8Jx1XrBp-8g/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I answer your questions, from "can wild animals get the zoomies" to "vampire deer?!?!" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hags, slime, frogs, and the boogie woogies who can kill you with a touch! Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: can we use ectoplasm as a substitute for egg-whites in baking?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You can pick your nose, you can pick your friends, and your nose can pick your friends! "Smell ya later" can be literal in the animal kingdom, and some secret handshakes make sure URINE the clique. Guest: Jason Pargin See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to spooky October! Katie's definitely not busy diggin up bones in a pet cemetery to create an undead guinea-cat-bird, but she is doing something innocent this week. So enjoy this rerun of one of her favorite spooky episodes, and we'll see you next week with a fresh one! Guest: Bridget Greenberg Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ikmVakjOrOSpD-9Ge4oRw9s11rIQS6cYOv35SquEXt8/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From flies who turn cows into swiss cheese, to the world's largest parasites, this episode is not for lunchtime! Content warning: really gross parasite stuff! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I answer your listener questions about how dog ears stick up or flop down, human fish, mammals during dinosaurs, and the mysteries of deep sea shrimp! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm joined by Tiktok's favorite zoologist Mamadou to talk about animals who seem cute... right up until they absolutely wreck you. Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1izCgFfOxu-jNVbClQbmhEKvuuAs9Xn2zT__6z2WzOqQ/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're looking at the evolutionary history of the housecat, their wild ancestors, some murderous cousins, and the best way to entertain your overlords, I mean, the best way to entertain your cats! Join us and Mikel Delgado to learn more. Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11uo3M0yM6GstLHCmxbNFyuQ_n-8EJRsLAOKOegT9eJs/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why is a bird of paradise so fantastic? Do the beautiful colors and crests found in birds and other animals have some secret purpose, or do they just like to look hot? Joining me today to discuss this question is science writer the New York Times Magazine, Scientific American, and many other publications, Ferris Jabr! Guest: Ferris Jabr Footnotes: Check out Ferris Jabr's article on bird beauty! https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/09/magazine/beauty-evolution-animal.htmlSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you don't like spiders, I've got bad news for you! Because today is all about spiders! From cute baby spider dreams, to spider catapults, and the friendship between a spider and a carnivorous plant! Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: what's ruder after mating, eating your partner, or yeeting your partner? Guest: Ivy Le, host of FOGO: Fear of Going Outside Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1L6-fj-ZxyYBZ4aZQugZnbafE3V8Rc34er6ZNS6VmJf0/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm joined by the McElroy brothers to talk about CORAL! Why is it alive? Is it coming for us? Can you really get through life with only one hole? And can crabs teach us how to combine the art of cheerleading with that of boxing? Guests: Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, & Griffin McElroy Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/19CROfPYR-ROWOQY4aFd8YMj6L5-LTkHCZU95ZXVDswM/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I answer your listener questions, from how eyeballs work, to whether toucans are transparent. And hey, are snakes just legless lizards?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some animals jump, some animals fly, and some animals fall with style! All the best fallers in the animal kingdom, with stunts that would make Tom Cruise's stuntman blush. Guest: Alex Schmidt Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JOlreqBJHJanozq9hsPeJYoDgN2eYdoB7heL9M5DUpQ/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie on the run from a group of bloodthirsty penguins, so here's a re-run of our episode on the freakiest teeth in the animal kingdom. And if you think it's silly to be afraid of penguins, wait until you see inside their MOUTHS. Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yE2Oh8FIciFwlW6l-dJbhc1FaK5XcwAdwQWe19TcGHA/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're zooming way out and looking at animals not as individuals, but as herds, colonies, crowds, and flocks. And we're going to find out that animals, including people, share more in common with particles found in physics than we may like to believe. Discover this and more with Daniel Whiteson as we answer the age-old question: when does an ant mosh pit get deadly? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're addressing the elephant in the room... well, three elephants, who aren't actually elephants. The elephant shrew, the elephant fish, and the elephant bird! How can there be so many elephants?!? What are their secrets?? Can we boop their snoots?!!?! Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_sbovOjB-MPmirz8bqjbW1HTIWmm_4HXKnR8fe0q9pQ/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I answer your questions: combat between polar bears and great whites, turtle sleep, goat milk, turkey antics, and more! Footnotes: Camel playing soccer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=26&v=nXMa4fsH9xQ&feature=emb_titleSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're having a heat wave here, and I imagine a lot of you out there are dealing with the same. So let's cool down with some stories of how animals beat the heat with Joelle Monique!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie is on a short vacation (no she hasn't been taken over by parasitic wasps, haha) so here's one of her favorite older episodes, about animals who rebuild themselves with Dave Schilling. Footnotes: Self-decapitating sea slug! https://vp.nyt.com/video/2021/03/08/92303_1_08tb-seaslug-video_wg_480p.mp4 Salamander limb regeneration! http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lJNO-ZRuE1g/TF6bvuBV7cI/AAAAAAAACO4/lRDWA1VFymA/s1600/regeneration.jpgSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the domesticated donkey, to their wild ass kin, donkeys are an underestimated animal with a courageous heart. There are many varieties of donkeys, but all asses have one thing in common: a desire to kick ass. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: what's the lamborghini of the donkey world? Guest: Andrew Ti Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1prV2OI4LB-SVFsFcfkVnjaSuJv397hut4wSpbLxmR1A/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm joined by Ed Yong, science journalist for the Atlantic, Pulitzer prize winner for his coverage of COVID-19, and author of the book, An Immense World, which explores the hugely diverse way in which animals perceive our planet.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Do animals have money? Before you shake down your local squirrel, we're not talking about dollars, buttcoin, or whatever. Could animals have a currency, make trades, and understand when they're getting grifted? I'm joined by Brett McCully, an economist, who is also my husband. What a coincidence! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From lynxes that refuse to be the missing lynx, to extinct cats who have a cheeky surprise. Join us with guest, Jeff May, as we discover this and more answers to the age-old question: you can pick your friends, you can pick your cat's nose, but can your cat pick their friends out of a police lineup? Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l_nXTK9auiwiPJZ9UvucBFQ69KyON_hNGvObhUXANZw/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've got the author of Around The World In 80 Birds, Mike Unwin, on to talk BIRDS! Why we love these little feathery dinos, and some of the most surprising birds from around the world! Thanks to Kevin MacLeod for extra sound effects!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm answering your listener questions! Do owl eyes change colors? Would aliens be hot? What would a kraken look like?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Etiquette is a manner of perspective and species, from flamingos with topsy-turvy eating habits, to the goats who have a more arboreal take on dining, you'll learn how to dine with the animals, and how to politely hold your termite-stick depending on your chimpanzee hosts's tastes. Discover this and more with Katherine Spiers as we answer the age-old question: Can Australia's version of the trash-eating racoon fly? Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10iFXcG4uUg4TuzMjuhA_FNJjHw9X7RT-Utv9lfJGBPo/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From rattlesnakes to copperheads, we're talking about some of America's most dangerous cutie noodles! How does their venom work? Do they really want to bite your stinky ol' leg? And how to respect nature's most potent linguini. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question, why are we injecting horses with snake venom? Featuring naturalist and snake expert Alexi Grousis! Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yuHcp1EU6xXdwVk1k2UPnVDLD1IG9mFVmL31NcsA3-k/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Physics and biology collide! This episode is from the wonderful physics podcast, Daniel and Jorge Explain The Universe, on which Katie is a guest host. Discover whether the human eye can see a single photon, how eyes evolved, and check out the Daniel and Jorge Explain The Universe podcast! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today I'm joined by my friend and particle physicist Daniel Whiteson of Daniel & Jorge Explain the Universe to talk about how the beauty of nature, from a tiger's stripes to a butterfly's wings comes down to photons bonking around your eyeballs! And are there people who can see UV light? Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n2S4DJ75HSp1jNLIzoNRyCJeO5WSdJ4z9F6csOsR6dI/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roses are red, blood is blue, blood is green, and transparent too??? Join us as we discover all the colors of the blood rainbow with Seanbaby & Robert Brockway.  Footnotes:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1omHDiujE1aOr7FHnkukk61Fjnd0asnlXMDh0R1Dl7P8/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the show, we're firing the Easter Bunny and looking for a replacement with Soren Bowie! That's right E.B., you're getting benched and we're sending another animal out there to make merry with the eggs and the flowers! Footnotes:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uBq4b0mnk0TsQJfe5CqOZSg3Yk8CqCZ5vG5I1CgsYM8/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From bird spas crawling with ants to chimpanzee pharmacology, Anna Hossnieh joins us as we learn that a millipede a day can keep the doctor away! Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: should you replace your doctor with a spider?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We have a special guest, Dr. Winifred Frick, chief scientist of Bat Conservation International. The Hill's horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus hilli, had been feared extinct, as neither hair nor wing has been seen for forty years. But after a 5 year period of survey efforts, Bat Conservation International, and the Rwanda Wildlife Conservation Association, spotted a bat with an incredibly strange looking face...  Hill's Horseshoe bat rediscovery link: https://www.batcon.org/press/conservationists-announce-the-rediscovery-of-an-african-bat-species-lost-for-40-years/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Everything you could possibly ever want to know about camels with special guest Bridgett Greenberg! Plus: flesh balloons (romantic flesh balloons)! Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wzSqttUixtTsUlLPKKKmXWuHRQyUgko7TT9UUz6y33I/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're seeing red in a whole new light, from red fur to red hair to red scales! Join Maggie Mae Fish as we discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: why are red pandas?  Footnotes:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YcPaLUqp6Eunc1LYwertLbAVbOvRs2-oroN9dYbpIQQ/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From dangerous booties to headbutts from hell, we're looking at froggies with some devilish secrets. Discover this and more with  Chris Crofton as we answer the age-old question: Are my eyes up here, or are they down there?  Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zs_MedD7Auz3U7l_A2cGSID5IBUVIT5nRDC6Q8FC6_g/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big trypophobia warning for this episode, especially if your name is Pinocchio and you're made out of wood. From hidden delicacies within rotting logs, to nutty drama, to the story of a parasite's parasite, we're looking at what happens when the Giving Tree gives you nausea with Shereen Younes. Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OZVHmrD_DNgYp5Kx3D2iZLslDd9JpvSWTXbpERFzqbU/edit?usp=sharingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes mating isn't so straightforward! From parasites that take the scenic route to reproduction to some species boycotting normal mating altogether! Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: does a nematode understand what a little freak it's being? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From bird humping helmets to toxic toad sausage thrown out of helicopters, sometimes conservationists have to get wild to save the wild. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: how do you keep a whooping crane from catching feelings for you; with guest Anna Salinas.Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Pf3_5_UfDGV-m82Pm1PQULxv9lxt_AEYYWLlLNJqHd0/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: Pallavi Gunalan Summary: Life is tough on these teeny tinies, so they need creative solutions to get around the world without being immediately destroyed! From the world's itty bittiest snail, to dastardly little fish, to the world's lil'est cowboys doing a giddy-up in the sea, we're looking at some cuties who are sometimes surprisingly devious. Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1c02vaTXLPLd0eMjrwGuxgtjHN70uK_iQakMHN-LhhaA/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's listener questions day! A sexy game of rock paper scissors lizards, eels mating in the Bermuda triangle, and Doggie Bowser, M.D., all your questions answered! (P.S: No goats were harmed in the making of this podcast). Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xSwpxwMqsXRIrWt9zvZlwpmOg_IERaov0A9q9Ie5MTM/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Inventions versus animals! Can we innovate our way into being as cool as animals? Can animals inspire breakthroughs in medical devices? And what does one of history's greatest inventors and sharks have in common?Footnotes:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1d7QVe02iVmsXE83p9rJS-jzzhYL1f4XEd3F_lbKJlz0/edit?usp=sharing Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sexy aquatic scandals! From the loudest fishy lovemaking in the world, to amphibians having a ball… discover this and more as we answer the age-old question, what does Ed Gein and marine biologists have in common? Footnotes:Male gulf corvina singing a love songhttps://dosits.org/galleries/audio-gallery/fishes/gulf-corvina/Male western toad's saying "hands off!"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2E-bcEJgLcLast week's mystery animal sound:https://sounds.bl.uk/Environment/Listen-to-Nature/022M-LISTNAT00077-0001V0 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From giant bugs to monkey dog friendships, a trio of good news stories to start out 2022! Footnotes: Giant millipede discovered https://www.livescience.com/giant-ancient-millipedes-ukDog and monkey alliancehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/videos/a-vervet-monkey-befriends-some-hostile-dogs/Last week's mystery animal sound answer!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TeStCgLUWE Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Katie's flying back home this week (and boy are her arms tired) so we're playing a great episode from the past year! This one's about crabs, how they're taking over civilization, and WE (snap) ARE (snap) HERE (snap) FOR (snap) IT! She's joined by the incredible Kylie Brakeman. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are cats parasites? Do animals go to the gym? Have you ever been pranked by a monkey? All your questions answered! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.