Just the Zoo of Us

Join Ellen & special guest evolutionary biologist Dr. Kory Evans for a review of the dimensionally innovative flatfish! Learn the story of why these quirky fishes developed such peculiar body plans and how their bizarre adaptations help them live their best life beneath the sand. We discuss migrating eyes, transient feet, and which cartoons got flounders right and wrong. Keep up with Kory and his lab's work on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sternarchella Cover photo: Jodi Jacobson via Getty Images Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's festively spooky episode, Christian kicks off the celebration with the painted bat & Ellen counts up points for the iconic Dracula parrot. Photos: Merlin Tuttle (painted bat), Ondrej Prosicky (Dracula parrot) Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, entomologist Derek Hennen, for a review of our many-legged friends, the myriapods! We’re talking millipedes, centipedes, and pauropods: what the difference is between these long guys, how they manage to scurry around without tripping over all of those feet, and what they’re up to down there underneath the leaf litter. Join the millipede fan club: @DearMillipede Cover photo by Derek Hennen, of "one of the prettiest cherry millipedes (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae) I've come across!" Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Just the Zoo of Us and One Bad Mother got together to celebrate MaxFun Block Party! If you enjoyed this conversation we had with host Biz Ellis, be sure to subscribe to One Bad Mother on maximumfun.org! Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Ellen inspects an army of fish clones, the Amazon molly, and Christian finally digs in to the details of the inimitable aardvark. Learn how clones are made in nature, what's going on inside the aardvark's porcine snout, and why it's so crucial to never leave home without tippy-tappies. Amazon molly photo by Manfred Schartl. Aardvark photo by Michael Viard via Getty Images. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

We've got big, exciting, great news! Just the Zoo of Us is joining the Maximum Fun network! Listen to our announcement for more information about the network, the date of our first episode as members, and a very special treat if you stick around to the end (it's less than two minutes!). Check out Maximum Fun & their other wonderful shows over at www.maximumfun.org :) Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest Mallory McNulty for a review of our porous friends, freshwater sponges! Get the real answers to your burning sponge questions, like what a sponge feels like in your hands, how a completely stationary animal gets to new places, what kind of role they play in their ecosystem & why freshwater sponges have earned their chance in the spotlight! Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Christian reviews the reptile disguised as an earthworm, the Mexican mole lizard, and Ellen evaluates the eclectic, enigmatic echidna. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, naturalist Ivan Phillipsen, for a review of the iconic common loon! In this episode, we discuss why they got stuck with such a rude name, how they’ve managed to master both water AND air, and the hidden meanings behind those ethereal (and slightly spooky) songs in the night. Ivan's podcast, The Science of Birds, can be found wherever you get your podcasts. For more information, visit their website at https://www.scienceofbirds.com/ Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, ecologist Gavin Campbell, for a review of the surprising little bugs zipping just beneath the surface of a pond near you: backswimmers! In this episode, Gavin tells us his stories of raising dragons, a mysterious entomological cold case, and his very own super villain origin story. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen details what makes the Philippine eagle soar above the competition & Christian sings praises for the humpback whale. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, wildlife biologist Ashley Bray, for a review of the tigers of the sky: great horned owls! In this episode, we discuss fake ears, silent feathers, tactical pantaloons, and more. Ashley is the creator & host of the Get Out Alive podcast, which can be found at www.getoutalivepodcast.com (listener discretion advised!) Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, shark scientist & co-founder of MISS Jaida Elcock, for a review of the chronically anxious scorpion of the sea: thresher sharks! Topics include the unique features that make thresher sharks particularly amazing, what it's like to study sharks, how to safely share the ocean with them, marine science in Finding Nemo, and more. You can learn more about MISS's work promoting diversity and inclusion in shark science & support their organization at their website: https://www.misselasmo.org/ Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Christian reviews how the mudskipper gets the best of both worlds & Ellen strongly relates to the smelliest living dinosaur, the hoatzin. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, ecologist Asia Murphy, for a review of the fossa! In this episode, we discuss their catlike (but not feline!) features, an unusual bachelor-deterring disguise, and what makes the buffed-up fossa such a unique and gorgeous animal. This episode was made in collaboration with the Lemur Conservation Network! Learn more about the wildlife of Madagascar & how we can help protect them at www.lemurconservationnetwork.org Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, evolutionary biologist Dr. Jen Tinsman, for a review of Madagascar's striking blue-eyed black lemurs! In this episode, we discuss Madagascar's incredible biodiversity, the relationships between humans and lemurs, and just how charming these arboreal friends are. This episode was made in collaboration with the Lemur Conservation Network. Learn more about their work supporting conservation in Madagascar at their website: https://www.lemurconservationnetwork.org/ Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for an animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen takes a look at the long-snouted Malayan tapir & Christian checks every nook and cranny for lone star ticks. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, horticulturist Dr. Vikram Baliga, for a review of... plants! We left the animal kingdom for this look at some of the fascinating adaptations that plants have made to stay thriving. In this episode, we discuss millenia-old trees, diabolical beetle-trapping lilies, living toilets, cold-blooded plant warfare happening right in front of our eyes, and other fun facts guaranteed to give you a deeper appreciation for the plant life all around us. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, marine neurobiologist Alice Chou, for a review of the ocean's feisty boxers, mantis shrimps! In this episode, we discuss why the mantis shrimp is so good at punching stuff, what's up with their funky disco eyes, and other delectable treats for your brain. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & Christian for a special episode answering questions from our beautiful listeners about topics including (but not limited to): making the podcast, things we've learned about animals and nature, our favorite video games, and more! Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest Patch, creator of zoology-meets-gaming web series TierZoo, for a review of North America's iconic raptor, the bald eagle. In this episode we discuss the intersection between ecology and video games as well as how the bald eagle measures up to its competitors. Find TierZoo on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook! Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest entomologist Charles Wallace for a review of nature's oft-maligned rogues, cockroaches! In this episode, we bust myths about the roaches that cozy up to human spaces, learn about some of the fascinating strategies that different types of roaches all over the world use to thrive, and give these hardy insects some long overdue praise. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen reviews the ocean's most adorable monsters, sea otters, & Christian rates the dazzling blue-ringed octopus. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, biological anthropologist Dr. Lara Durgavich for a review of the arboreal royalty, orangutans! In this episode, we discuss how orangutans have adapted to make themselves at home in the tree tops, how we see ourselves reflected in their faces & behavior, and how we can help support orangutans in their habitats. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, marine ecophysiologist Dr. Yanasivan Kisten for a review of the unassuming yet impressive Cape stumpnose! In this episode, we discuss the crucial role that estuaries play in a healthy ecosystem & spotlight how this little silver fish that can stand up to some pretty big challenges. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Christian teaches us why you should resist that urge to feed the bears & Ellen takes a deep dive into the heavily fortified extremophile, the scaly-foot snail. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest wildlife biologist Alex Troutman for a review of the most dedicated beach babes of all, Kemp's ridley sea turtles! In this episode, we discuss what we can learn about life from sea turtles, why it's so important to be kind to our beaches, and how we can all make the shores a little friendlier to the wildlife that we love. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest ecologist Dagmar der Weduwen for a review of the sharpshooting archerfish! In this episode, we discuss the archerfish's unparalleled precision, cunning, and attitude as well as what it's like to work with them in the lab. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen gives the buzz on periodical cicadas & Christian unfurls the sails of the Portuguese man o' war. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, comedian Vinny Thomas, for a review of the champion of the sagebrush, the pronghorn! In this episode, we discuss how this charming little ungulate outran extinction, attempts to face modern challenges, and continues to do the absolute most at all times. Follow Vinny on Twitter, Instagram & TikTok! Intro & outro music: "Adventuring", Louie Zong Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, biologist & naturalist Gina Zwicky, for a review of the amphibian master of disguise, the Vietnamese mossy frog! In this episode, Gina makes the case for frogs as simple yet refined masterpieces, shares some tricks of the frog-finding trade, and geeks out with Ellen over science communication via anime. Intro & outro music: "Adventuring", Louie Zong Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's very fossorial episode, Christian reveals the hidden nightmares of the stargazer fish and Ellen digs into the buried secrets of the pink fairy armadillo. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, arachnologist Dr. Sebastian A. Echeverri for a review of the overpowered bards of the arachnid world, jumping spiders! In this episode, we discuss jumping spiders' incomparable processing power, hunting skill, and flair for the dramatic. Episode cover photo by our guest himself, Dr. Sebastian Echeverri! Intro & outro music: "Adventuring", Louie Zong Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, evolutionary biologist Jimmy Bernot, for a review of the microscopic crustaceans truly running the world, copepods! In this episode, we discuss what makes copepods so successful at what they do, the role that parasites play in an ecosystem, and the biodiversity you can find among fish boogers. Intro & outro music: "Adventuring", Louie Zong Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen's heart is stolen by the trash bandit opossum & Christian digs up all the dirt on the burrowing owl. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen and special guest, conservation biologist Gabi Fleury, for a review of the punk nerds of the big cat family, cheetahs! In this episode we discuss how cheetahs go so fast, what sets them apart from the rest of the cats, and conflict between humans and wildlife. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, artist and arachnid enthusiast Tea Francis, for a review of our fuzzy, chunky, leggy friends: tarantulas! In this episode we discuss why tarantulas deserve admiration, how (and why) to respect their boundaries, and what it's like to live with hundreds of tiny roommates in the Spider Room. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! Christian returns with the secretive underground cave puppy, the olm, and Ellen reviews the uniquely stunning maned wolf. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen and special guest, marine biologist Elizabeth Mills, for a review of the often-overlooked ride-or-die friends of the sea, barnacles! Topics include (but are not limited to): barnacle reproductive anatomy, whale armor, zombie crab mechs, and whether or not geese are fruit. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen and marine biologist Dr. Christopher Mah for a review of the mysterious, complicated, many-armed predators of the deep, sea stars! In this episode, we discuss why sea stars are so important to marine ecosystems, their secret drama playing out in slow motion, and their captivatingly unfamiliar beauty. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen and special guest, environmental scientist & host of the Beyond Blathers podcast Olivia deBourcier, for a review of a festive icon, the reindeer (also known as caribou)! In this episode, we talk about what makes reindeer so lovable (spoiler alert: so many things), what it's like to work with them, and the challenges they're facing in their native habitats. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen and special guest, entomologist Aaron Fairweather, for a review of the industrious, conniving, world-conquering ants! In this episode, we discuss what makes ants so successful, the theatrical levels of drama going on under our feet every day, and as a special treat, a free idea for a D&D character. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest, field biologist Madison Bush, for a review of a couple of very leggy friends, orb weavers & wolf spiders! In this episode we discuss the World Wide Web, moustaches made out of eyes, and buff Tom Holland. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen and special guest, herpetologist Travis Kurtz, for a review of Washington's very own Olympic torrent salamander! In this episode, we go over what makes salamanders so charming, the mysteries that make this little one so special, and what it's like to study them. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen and special guest, conservationist & primatologist Keriann McGoogan, for a review of Coquerel's sifaka! In this episode, we chat about what makes sifakas so special as well as what it's like to work with and study them in the wild in Madagascar. This episode was made in collaboration with the Lemur Conservation Network for the World Lemur Festival. You can celebrate World Lemur Day on Friday, October 30! https://www.lemurconservationnetwork.org/world-lemur-day/ Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen and special guest, marine biologist Ryan Hegseth, for a review of the scalloped hammerhead! In this episode, we review what makes this hammerhead shark so successful and charming in addition to some slight detours along the way, visiting topics like octopus hickeys, learning to fight fear with education, and Shark Week. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode Ellen untangles the slimebeast of the ocean floor, the hagfish, and Christian kicks it up a notch with the relentlessly stylish secretary bird. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen & special guest Jazmin Murphy (AKA Sunny) for a review of the iconic coyote! In this episode, we discuss how coyotes have adapted to thrive in a wide variety of environments and what makes them so delightfully special. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join Ellen and special guest Chelsea Connor for a review of the Dominican anole! In this episode we talk dewlaps, eyespots, and what it's like to work with these little lizards with big attitudes. Photo: Chelsea Connor Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Christian charges in with the American bison and Ellen explains the quirky appearance and lifestyle of the giraffe-necked weevil. Happy MaxFunDrive! Right now is the best time to start a membership to support your favorite shows. Learn more and join at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo