Our Wild World

Giraffes have stirred the imagination of man since the earliest times. Painted on rocks by the bushmen, immortalized on tomb walls by the Egyptians, and given as gifts by Arab rulers to kings and emperors in Europe, India, and China, giraffes have long been revered for their gentleness, gracefulness, and beauty. Yet, for an animal that is instantly recognizable, there have been relatively few long...

Hyenas are amongst the most misunderstood and maligned animals, perhaps only rivaled by wolves, coyotes, and wild dogs.  For too long, Africans and westerners have despised the hyena, viewing it as an ugly scavenger, when in fact, as we shall see, they are one of the most successful hunters in the animal kingdom.  Hyenas possess many of the ethical principles that we admire most in the best human...

In this episode, you’ll learn about the most feared animal in all of Africa.  No, it isn’t a lion, hippo, or crocodile.  The Black Mamba, nicknamed Africa’s Death Kisser, is legendary for being the world’s deadliest snake.  Its reputation is well deserved. Considered the world’s deadliest snake, the black mamba is extremely fast and aggressive when threatened.  It’s bite is almost always fatal, an...

In this episode, we will learn all about the three species of zebras – the Plains, Mountain, and Grevy’s zebras.  We will explore the physical and behavioral similarities between the species.  Their social organization, habitats, ranges, diets, and their threats to survival will all be discussed.  Finally, no discussion of zebras can be complete without addressing the various theories as to the fu...

Cheetahs have long captured our the imagination of humans, and were frequently depicted in the artwork of the ancient Egyptians and San Bushmen of the Kalahari.  As the fastest mammal on earth, cheetahs have an athletic body – long legs, a small, round head, slim torso, flexible spine, and semi-retractable claws.  They can run breathtakingly fast – up to 70 mph (113 kph) – a speed they can reach a...

In this podcast, we will learn about African buffalo, a formidable animal with a well-deserved reputation for being grumpy and unpredictable. The nicknames given to African buffalo reflect their formidable strength, short-temper, and unpredictability: Black Death, Widow Maker, and the Mafia of the Bush.  Some Pygmy groups in Cameroon avoid buffalo because of a commonly held belief that it is inhab...

Leopards have the widest range of any of the great cats and can be found in any landscape from sea level to 17,000 feet.  Their range includes all of sub-Saharan Africa and west of the Kalahari Desert as well as the Middle East and Asia.  Yet, many a safari goer can attest that they are exceedingly hard to find on safari.  This is because they are very shy, solitary, and do most of their hunting a...

In this episode, Part 3 of the Gorillas in Our Midst miniseries, you’ll hear about the amazing treks my wife and I made to see the mountain gorillas that Dian Fossey studied at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and the mountain gorillas of Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest.  Of course, along the way, we will also learn more about the behavior of mountain gorillas.  If you haven't listened to th...

This special three part miniseries from Our Wild World explores both lowland and mountain gorillas can be listened to in any order.  Part 2 begins with the life and legacy of the American primatologist Dian Fossey – no one loved gorillas more.  By the time Dian Fossey began her study of mountain gorillas in 1966, the species was well on the way to extinction due to poaching and habitat loss.  Dian...

In this special three part miniseries from Our Wild World, we will explore the behavior of both lowland and mountain gorillas.  For many of us of a certain age, the first gorilla we ever became aware of was King Kong, scaling the Empire State Building and batting airplanes and helicopters like they were no more than bothersome flies.  The film reflects the prevailing misconception of gorillas that...

In this special three part Elephants Among Us series of Our Wild World, we will explore the savannah elephants of Africa.  If you’ve missed the first two episodes, I recommend you go back to listen to them before starting this third episode. In Part 3 of Elephants Among Us, we will further explore elephant adolescence and the importance of play.  I'll share an amazing farewell that an elephant fam...

In this special three part Elephants Among Us series of Our Wild World, we will explore the savannah elephants of Africa.  In Part Two we will dig deeper into elephant communication, including the recent exciting discovery that elephants use unique names to identify each other, and its implications.  I'll share the amazing account of a lone female elephant in South Africa apparently using infrasou...

In the first of a three part Elephants Among Us series of Our Wild World, we will explore the savannah elephants of Africa.  Elephants are highly intelligent, emotional and social beings and you’ll learn all about their strong family bonds, their social behavior, the different roles of males and females, their unique anatomy, and the truly amazing discoveries being made on how elephants communicat...