All Creatures Podcast

The octopus captures the imagination of so many. For Dr. David Scheel, they captured so much that he has dedicated his life to learning everything there is know about the octopus and promote their conservation. In this week's interview, we talk all about the octopus, what makes them special and their conservation. Dr. Scheel also is the author of 'Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopus...

Traveling all over the world, Bertie Gregory has filmed some of the most intense and dramatic footage of many species. As a filmmaker and TV presenter, he shares his passion for wildlife and conservation to the masses. His new series, "Animals Up Close" premieres this week on National Geographic and Disney TV+. Please check it out, some of the sequences are just straight jaw dropping and intense (...

Anytime you think or talk about an ocotpus, you are amazed. It is because they are just the most radical, funny, special, and so many more adjectives, bundles of 8-legged joy! this week it is the Giant Pacific Octopus who receives our attention. We talk all about the octopus and even how they can regenerate their arms like that seen Netflix's My Octopus Teacher. You will love this episode and a sp...

To be able to impact global change it is taking education across many fronts to highlight the plight of our environment and endangered species. Educator Nicholas Petryk is one of those who has made it a mission in his life to make a difference. He shares his passion is wildlife and education. From his bio Nick graduated from Florida State University and works to educate the masses on animals and t...

Fossa are Madagascar's top predator. Yet, they are slipping away and headed towards extinction. This week we are joined with Brittany Behler who is the Fossa Species Survival Plan Program Leader and Studbook Keeper. She works with the Blank Park Zoo in Iowa and joins us to chat about everything Fossa. These animals and many like them on Madagascar need our help and understanding. Well worth a list...

As Chris moves house, we wanted to release this wonderful episode on Fossa. Also look out for our interview with a Fossa expert next week. Not many are aware of this little well known predator from Madagascar, the Fossa. These cat-like animals are the dominant carnivore on the large island of Madagascar. They also are heading towards extinction as 90% of Madagascar’s forests have disappeared. We h...

Making the rounds in social media are adorable videos of Marbled Polecats visiting soldiers in the trenches of Ukraine. It had us thinking, what is their story and where do they range. First, our heats go out to all those affected by the war, or any war for that matter. Not to mention to the untold devastation to all the animals in the area! Including the Marbled Polecat. These animals actually ha...

Imagine trying to set the world record for spotting the most species of birds in one year? Of the ~10,000+ known species of birds, how many do you think you could spot? Well Arjan Dwarshuis saw nearly 7000 species in a single year. He set the world record and continues to spread awareness of birds and environmental conservation. From the Netherlands, Arjan has inspired many thousands, if not milli...

The largest invertebrates ever to live are squid. The two largest are the Giant Squid and Colossal Squid. This week we highlight what makes these giants of the deep so special. Squid as cephalopods are some of the craziest animals in the natural world. Their physiology often defies description and while we still have so much to learn, the Giant and Colossal squid are already teaching us much. You...

To follow up on our interview with the Brevard Zoo, we are revisiting our Leatherback Sea Turtle Episode. This sea turtle dwarfs their distant relatives and can reach over 6.5 feet (2 meters) and weigh nearly a ton (900 kg). They are enormous! Not to mention they are one of the deepest diving animals (outside of fish), among many other amazing facts. Sadly, sea turtle populations continue to decli...

The Brevard Zoo has a Special Sea Turtle Healing Center that rescues and rehabilitates some of our oceans most endangered sea creatures. Namely, sea turtles. Taken directly from their website which can can access HERE, they state: Brevard Zoo, in partnership with the Sea Turtle Preservation Society (STPS), opened its Sea Turtle Healing Center in April 2014. The facility includes two separate holdi...

Gray whales have an incredible story to tell. They also are a species that demonstrates clearly what is happening to our oceans with climate change. Once nearly hunted to extinction and knocked out of the Atlantic Ocean, Gray Whales were on the brink. They are a model species for conservation as they went from around 1000 whales to nearly 25,000 whales in 2016. However, with a rapidly changing cli...

As we continue to celebrate our oceans in July we welcome to the podcast shark scientist and conservationist Gibbs Kuguru. Gibbs is a National Geographic Explorer who uses scientific tools to understand sharks. Working with great white sharks at a cage diving company, he has honed his shark wrangling and seafaring skills and applied them to several shark species including hammerheads, threshers, b...

Every July we focus on the oceans and participate in the Plastic Free July. Please join us at this link HERE to join our "All Creatures Podcast" team and learn about ways you can reduce your own plastic consumption. It really helps our oceans and all the creatures that inhabit it. We have another great interview coming your way next week on sharks with a focus on the Great White Shark. Look for th...

Every July we focus on "Plastic Free July" to support our oceans and all the creatures that inhabit it. We ask that you join us and join the All Creatures Podcast team at https://plasticfree.ecochallenge.org/ . or click this link here >>>>>>> LINK Join us to help and learn more how you can make an impact on conserving our oceans. To get started we are thrilled to be interviewing Dr. Yannis Papasta...

When most think of lions, their thoughts turn to the African plains with a pride of lions talking their prey. Yet, most are unware that lions once roamed most of southwestern Asia and even in parts of Europe. While these Asiatic (sub-European) lions are mostly extinct in much of their former range, in one area of India they have survived and now thrive. Once down to maybe a dozen lions left, thank...

Bearded vultures are one of the few animal species that survive on diets primarily of bone. How they do it fascinated us this week and know it will blow your mind away. These incredible birds also serve critical roles in the biomes they inhabit. In fact, all vulture species have proven time and again they are very critical to maintaining a healthy biome. Sadly, nearly all old-world vulture species...

We finally dive into our first ever episode discussing extinct species and boy is this a whopper. We welcome Dr. Darren Naish, the Chief Science Advisor for Apple TV+ groundbreaking series Prehistoric Planet. Season 1 of Prehistoric Planet aired in 2022 and all episodes of Season 2 are now airing as we release this podcast in 2023. This series looks, feels, sounds like an actual wildlife documenta...

You will want to listen to this episode! Out of all the species we have covered, the Horseshoe Crab has to be one of the most radical and is a proven survivor! Emerging nearly 480 million years ago, Horseshoe Crabs have survived multiple mass extinctions and what absolutely blew us away is, they have barely changed over all this time. What is also extremely important is, Horseshoe crabs are facing...

We are continuing on with another GIANT species, the Goliath Frog. This endangered amphibian lives in a tiny corner of Africa between the countries of Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. Often prized for their meat, and with pressure from deforestation of the area, it is driving this, the world's largest frog, to extinction. Amphibians are so critical to our ecosystems and we need to focus more on the...

To follow up on our Mega or BIG species this past few weeks we talk with film producers of Big Beasts, which is currently streaming on Apple TV+. Big Beasts tells the story of the some of the largest animals that inhabit our planet. Film producers Tom Hugh Jones and Bill Markham give insight into how wildlife films are made. As producers, they are the brains behind these projects. Both Tom and Bil...

Following our episode on the Mekong Giant Catfish, we welcome Dr. Zeb Hogan. Dr. Hogan is well known for his National Geographic Series "Monster Fish," and for helping conservation efforts for the world's largest freshwater fish. Many of our mega freshwater fish are facing extinction and Dr. Hogan is leading the way on telling their stories. He also is a research biologist at the University of Nev...

The critically endangered Mekong Giant Catfish is nearly extinct. This is arguably the largest freshwater fish on the planet. It set a world record for being the largest freshwater fish ever caught and rivals many other mega fish found throughout the world. This week we talk about just how amazing catfish are! From their "whiskers" or barberls, to their slimy skin, and so much more. We talk about...

The Arabian Oryx has to be one of conservations greatest success stories to date! With just a few handful left under human care in the 1970s, today there are over 7000 Arabian Oryx in the world. That includes nearly 1200 animals back in the wild after being declared 'Extinct in the Wild' in 1972. What makes this species so special as well is their ability to survive in such a harsh environment in...

This week we are excited to interview National Geographic Explorer and conservation photographer Carlton Ward Jr. We are also excited to learn about his latest project helping the conservation of the critically endangered Florida Panther! Carlton's experiences are captured in the National Geographic film 'Path of the Panther', as well as his book coming out on May 2, 2023 and his article in Nation...