Life, Death, and Taxonomy

“And today we’re talking about a strong independent gecko, who loves sailing and walks on the beach. But more on that later.” Intro If you found yourself all alone on a desert island, you might be pretty lonely. But what if you could make friends… literally! There’s one little lizard that has developed a way […]

“…and today we’ll be talking about a cool cat that can bat at crocodile backs and fat rats like they’re doormats and defeat them in combat. But more on that later.” Intro The jungle is home to some of the most extraordinary creatures on planet Earth. One such creature stalks the rainforests of Central and […]

“…and today we are talking about a shark that steals a technique from Indiana Jones to get some fishy treasures. But more on that later!” Intro The ocean is a great place with lots of room to roam. The perfect way to escape for the fish that call it home. “Just stick together and we’ll […]

“…and today we are talking about a sweet bee that secrets glee onto house bees that make honeys when they please inside trees.” Intro Being a honey bee means that you can get organic honey without paying the Trader Joe’s prices. But that doesn’t mean life is going to be easy. When predators barge through […]

“…and today we’re talking about a creature that is the half-orc barbarian class of mice and would give Cluny the Scourge a run for his money.” Intro The sonoran desert can be a hard place to find a good meal, especially for a hungry mouse. Plus, what can you do when one of your favorite […]

“…and today we’re talking about a snail that would leave a trail of pale dales, if it were to go to a shell collecting conventional in a town full of handsy guys name dale.” Description Sea snail with a cylindrical shell. The shell has a base pinkish white color with brownish red splotches that form thick […]

“…And today we’re talking about sneak flying fluff with the face of an adorable ghost.” Intro A predator needs to be fast. The ever-alert prey of the fields and forests always have an ear and eye out for potential threats. If you’re not fast, there’s only one thing you can do, fly under the radar […]

“…And today we are talking about a weird and clumsy birb that is inexplicably not endangered.” Taxonomy Debate Given its own order because it’s such a little weirdo. But some think it could be closely related to other birds like tinamous, the Galliformes (gamebirds), the rails, the bustards, seriemas, sandgrouse, doves, turacos and other Cuculiformes, and […]

Intro The ocean is a vast world filled with perils, including an array of large, voracious predators looking to make a meal out of anything they can get their jaws around. But there’s one aquatic avenger that seems to answer the call to protect and surf. The Humpback Whale is a creature with sophisticated intelligence […]

Imagine you’re a male firefly and you only have a month or so to find your soulmate. You flash your lights and strut your stuff, but nothing comes of it. Then, a ray of hope shines as you witness the tantalizing bioluminescent strobe patterns of your one true love. You buzz forth only to find […]

The vast amber waves of grain seem an unceasing sea of unbroken golden wheat and prairie grasses. But a mighty beasts roams this American savanna, framed by a blue mountain backdrop. It’s size dwarfs most other creatures on the continent and it’s appetite is nearly insatiable. But big, brown, and bearded are the qualities America’s […]

If you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Or, at least, get some distance between you and that molten underwater volcano. But there’s one animal that can not only take the heat, it needs it to survive. The tube worm is a weird-looking matchstick at the bottom of the ocean, and it’s […]

They can smell when you have a pie, they can smell when you tell the lie, “My, oh, my! I have no pie!” Its a sense of smell you can’t deny, on a big ol bear you shan’t defy. They can smell it in a car, Underwater, and from afar. But finding food is the […]

The animal kingdom usually seems pretty straightforward. The bigger animal eats the smaller animal. But there are some cases where the tables are turned and the little guys win. At first glance, the Epomis beetle might seem like an easy meal for a hungry frog. But not all is as it seems in this brutal […]

The life of an aquatic herbivore may mean non-stop soggy salads but there’s one South American fish that doesn’t mind at all. They may look like their killer kin, but they hide a secret smile that allows them to live vegan lifestyle. But adaptation is the name of the game in Life, Death, and taxonomy. […]

We have a saying in India: “Don’t go near King Cobras”. But the Indian Grey Mongoose says “bupkis” to that. When you are combating the world’s largest venomous snake, you’d better be light on your feet, swift as the sunrise, and also completely immune to snake venom. Surviving isn’t easy in Life, Death, and Taxonomy. […]

The earth is covered in creatures with all kinds of amazing traits. But sometimes, those traits can be pretty horrifying by human standards. In the Congo, when push comes to shove, you better have something up your sleeve. If you don’t have sleeves, like most amphibians, you might have to dig a little deeper to […]

Alright ye landlubbers! Hoist up the main sail, strike yer colors, and listen to the tale of the Black Sea Devil—a fish with the face of a demon. With cold, lifeless eyes and a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, the Sea Devil won’t think twice about snatchin’ up its prey and draggin’ it down […]

In nature, animals fight hard to survive and pass on their genes to the next generation. For an insect in the frigid regions of North America, even the pursuit of adulthood is a demanding task. Meet one caterpillar that is just dying to leave their life crawling on the ground and take to the sky […]

If there are three things that Africa has given the Western World, they would be papyrus, hurricanes, and snails the size of your forearm. On the world’s list of invasive species, the Giant African Land Snail is high up on the list. But what makes this sluggish slimeball such a problem? Join us as we […]

When you think of the rolling vistas of the alpine regions of the North Eastern United States, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it snakes? Probably not. Because if a snake wants to survive out here, it better develop some amazing tricks to take the cold. But if your not an animal […]

Romance is the air! Animals show affection in all kinds of ways. But affection doesn’t really come into play for the Nursery Web Spider. To pass along his genes without being eaten alive, a male needs to play a dangerous game of chance. So grab your nuptial gift, wrap it in silk, and remember that […]

Imagine you were born a few weeks ago and one morning you wake up and your parents are gone. It’s getting colder and the days are getting shorter. Something inside you is spurring you on, out of your nest and into the darkness of night. One tiny bird embarks a journey that spans thousands of […]

Deep beneath the waves of the Sea of Japan, an ancient child emperor and his retinue of samurai drowned themselves rather than be captured by the enemy. Tales tell of their souls binding to the carapaces of tiny crabs dwelling at the bottom of the ocean. With faces as fierce as the samurai they host, […]

The Alaskan Winter is harsh. The days grow shorter until the sun doesn’t come out at all. The temperature drops to negative fifty and nothing grows for months. Most animals hibernate to limit the need for food when it is so scarce, except for one little mammal. To survive the desolate Alaskan winter one little […]

Sooie! I’ve been a simple farmer all my life, gettin’ up at the crack of dawn and plowin’ the fields ‘til sundown. But humans ain’t the only ones to grow a crop or two. The leaf cuttin’ ant is a prime example of what a hard-workin’ organism can do when they ain’t one of them […]

In the heart of Mexico, a rare creature once found its home in the depths Lake Chaco near present day Mexico City. Unfortunately, that lake no longer exists. With it’s home drained to make room for the expanding metropolis, this unique amphibian has been forced into canals and streams infested by invasive predators like the […]

They say you should respect your elders. But what if your elder is a gigantic shark? The oldest living vertebrate might just cruising around the Arctic Sea. Find out how old a fish can get in this episode of Life, Death, and Taxonomy.     Music by Music Head

There are lots of ways to deter a predator when you’re a toad. You could puff up to make yourself look bigger. You could do your best impression of a carcass and play dead. Or you could coat your whole body with a deadly poison. But one genus of toad likes to spike the sauce […]

Everyone likes to maintain their personal bubble, but what if that maintenance meant a little bit of free diving? Take a deep breath, strap some air to your thorax, and dive down to the depths of knowledge with us as we explore a certain spider’s underwater world where it’s eat or be eaten. We don’t […]

Have you ever walked into a movie theater and wondered what smelled like an arboreal dwelling fur-monster? You might, after learning about the strange scent this fuzzy forest creature makes as it travels from tree to tree on this episode of Life, Death and Taxonomy.

Welcome, ladies and gents, to the all-night spectacular fight between two of the world’s most formidable pugilists! In one corner, we have the undefeated Muhammad Ali. In the other… I don’t believe it! Ladies and gents, tonight our very own Ali will be putting up his dukes against… a shrimp? Looks like you can never […]

The ladies like a guy with an eye for style, at least, the bird we are going to talk about today thinks so. Some creatures fight for their mates but not this little gentleman. He knows that sometimes you’ve got to get creative to get the girl. But that’s just how it goes in Life, […]

In the dusty old texan desserts, ain’t no one gonna help you when buzzerds and coyotes come a-callin. If you wanna survive out here, you better make like a lizard with a deep bag of tricks. Set a spell and learn you a thing or two about the lengths one wasteland reptile will go to […]

Did you know that we are constantly surrounded by tiny superheroes? The "space bear" is one of nature's most resilient animals. Find out just how much the Tardigrade can take in this new episode!

Altruism is usually known as a human characteristic, but did you know that a rare wolf native to the heart of Africa can be altruistic? Join us as we learn just how nice a wolf can be.

The ocean can be a terrifying place, and that's mostly thanks to animals like the Humboldt Squid. But their ferocity is hardly the most interesting thing about these cephalopods. Join us for our pilot episode as we explore the depths of the sea to come face to face with the Kraken itself!