Cool Facts About Animals

Have you ever wondered why a giraffe has those spots? Or why its tongue is purple? Or why it has such a long neck - or hey, how blood gets all the way up to its head? We answer all these questions this episode! Plus, you'll learn one of the grossest facts about animals yet. P.s. it involves pee.  Thanks to Andrew of Ear Snacks for our new theme music! Be sure to check out his podcast, and other fa...

It's a mountain lion! It's a puma! It's a cougar! No... it's all of them! (But not you, jaguar.) Learn more about this large cat on this silly episode of Cool Facts About Animals. We talk about their sounds, their territories, how to spot one in the wild, and lots more. Check it out here! Don't forget to answer our Creature Quiz or riddle for a chance to get a sticker! Hurry, we're almost out!  Em...

Gorillas get a pretty bad rap in movies and tv shows. They're usually shown as being aggressive, violent, and not very intelligent. In fact, gorillas are super smart, communicative, peace-loving creatures. And we share about 98% of our DNA with them! Learn all about these amazing creatures on this episode. Many thanks to Sky, Rinnah and Jon for the awesome suggestion! If you have a suggestion, or...

In this episode, we are so incredibly thrilled to bring you our interview with our local congressperson, Rep. Earl Blumenauer. We talk about salmon, polar bears, sharks, and the adorable panda. We also ask him about what Congress is doing to protect animals and the environment and what they can do better - plus what kids can do to help. Don't miss this important episode. And thank you again to Rep...

Wow, what a packed episode! In this one, you'll learn about spawning, what baby fish are called (hint: not hamburgers), how many miles they can travel, how big they get, and more interesting facts. And you'll get treated to a Native American story about the salmon and that trickster Coyote, as told by Clara.  Plus - STAY TUNED! Tomorrow we will be uploading our conversation with Rep. Blumenauer. H...

This episode comes to you from our camping trip at Fort Stevens at the very top of Oregon. Sloths have a bad reputation for being lazy, but they really aren't. They evolved to be as slow as they are. We learned a lot of cool things about sloths, including how they have a symbiotic relationship with moths, how infrequently they poop, and some of their funny nicknames. Check it out!  We are so excit...

In our goofiest episode to date, the CFAA crew talks about the barn owl aka ghost owl aka demon owl aka you get the point owl. We talk about how it hunts so well in the dark, what it absolutely won't eat, what it sounds like, and lots more.  Don't forget to answer our creature quiz or riddle at the end of the episode! Send your answers to us at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com  or tweet us at @cool...

In this bonus episode of Cool Facts About Animals, we interview Kathryn Olivarius, a professor of history at Stanford University who studies the spread of diseases through mosquitoes, particularly yellow fever in the southern United States in the 1800s. We talk about: what diseases mosquitoes spread the ethics of wiping out mosquito populations the effects of climate change on mosquitoes (hint – i...

On this episode, we bring you all sorts of cool facts about the deadliest animal on earth- the mosquito. We will be talking about how they spit on you, pee on you, and just generally make you itchy as well.  Stay tuned for another bonus episode on the mosquito coming up later this week, where we interview Kathryn Olivarius, a professor at Stanford, about mosquitoes and the spread of yellow fever. ...

On this episode, we tackle a listener request from Grace. The lion has a roar that can be heard for miles, a mane that gives clues to their age, and - most importantly to jaguar - jaguar and lion used to be the same species!  Be sure to answer our creature quiz or our riddle and we will send you a sticker. As always, you can send in your listener requests for what animal you want to learn more abo...

Wow, this is one cool animal - although it has had over 400 million years to evolve to its level of coolness. It has the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom, packs a punch as fierce as a bullet, and can even boil water without even using a stove! It is the mantis shrimp, with many thanks to our listener, Saranya, for this request.  Do you have a request? Want to answer our creature quiz? Take...

We are bringing you this bonus episode as part of the #kidslistensweeps for #schoolsalmostout! In keeping with the school theme, we are talking about schools of fish. You'll learn about the difference between a shoal and a school, how schools form, why they do, and, the age-old question - are fish in schools smarter?  Check out the other participating Kids Listen participants here - you'll find so...

On this episode, we learn about a beautiful, venomous creature that lives in the southern United States. The Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake can do some cool things, like portion out the amount of venom it needs to kill, retract its fangs, swim, and of course-make that cool rattle sound.  Don't forget to enter our creature quiz, or try to answer our riddle to guess the animal we will feature in ou...

On this episode, we're taking a listener request from Charlie, all the way out in Australia! The creature he chose doesn't actually live in Australia, but we've had a lot of experience with it here in Oregon. The raccoon is a masked, super-cute but pesky animal that can open coolers (we can attest to that personally!), locks, and even untie knots. They are all quite smart! Thanks for the awesome s...

Did you know that the North American Bullfrog gets its name because its call sounds a lot like a cow? We put your ears to the test with an audio challenge. You'll also learn about frog toes, frog legs, frog eardrums, and lots more on this episode about the invasive North American Bullfrog.  Thanks to Loretta for the suggestion! If you have a suggestion, send it our way at:  coolfactsaboutanimals@g...

Earth Day is April 22! You may not know this, but all of us *love* the earth. It's where all the animals we love live! In this episode we talk about five different animals (polar bear, Adelie penguin, sea turtle, coral, and monarch butterfly) and how they're affected by climate change. This made us a little sad, so we also came up with five ways that all of us – even kids! – can make a difference....

The fox is the most widespread and abundant wild carnivore in the world. On this episode, we're talking about the red fox, which is like a compass in some important ways. It can also pounce higher and farther than any of us—we tried. Find out more about the red fox on this episode, and thanks to Sangam for the listener request! Here are some links to check out. Here's the red fox using the magneti...

On this episode we are taking about the five species of rhinos, how some are on the brink of extinction, and why. We also talk about poop, because that's what we do best.  Thanks so much to Chaitanya for the suggestion! Follow us on Twitter: @coolanimalspod Facebook @coolfactsaboutanimals And check out our website: coolfactsaboutanimalspodcast.wordpress.com

So many cool facts about this animal. It can change color for multiple reasons, and on multiple parts of its body, it can change sex based on chromosomes and how hot it is outside, and it makes a great pet too! Check it out here.  Find us on Twitter @coolanimalspod On Facebook @coolfactsaboutanimals And on the web: coolfactsaboutanimalspodcast.wordpress.com

There aren't many tigers left in the world, but most of the ones that remain are Bengals. This beautiful striped animal is a ferocious hunter, excellent camouflager, and tricked by something as simple as a rubber mask. Hear all about this magnificent animal here! Twitter: @coolanimalspod Facebook: @coolfactsaboutanimals  Web: coolfactsaboutanimalspodcast.wordpress.com

It's the most venomous snake in the world, but not the most deadly! This reclusive snake can deliver a punch of poison powerful enough to kill 100 men and a quarter of a million mice! Wow! Learn about the reason behind its coloring, its deadly strike, and more on this episode.  Twitter: @coolanimalspod Facebook: @coolfactsaboutanimals Website: coolfactsaboutanimalspodcast.wordpress.com

This episode we are talking about the elusive moose. (Thanks Aunt Martha for the suggestion!) In this episode we learn surprising facts about how often the moose attacks, when the moose is in prime antler mode, how they make their antlers nice and shiny, and their ability to use their hooves like tools. They're super tall and super cool. Learn more about them here.  Twitter: @coolanimalspod Facebo...

On this episode, we learn about the unicorn of the sea - also known as the narwhal. The narwhal is probably most known for its distinctive tusk, or tooth, that spirals out from its mouth. That tusk can do all sorts of things, including maybe even being able to sense danger from forming ice floes. Check out the episode, and don't forget to answer our creature quiz to get a Cool Facts About Animals...

The flying fish. It's a fish that flies! A fish. That. Files. How cool is that? It's so cool that at least one country has worked its entire calendar around it. Check out the episode to find out which one.  Special thanks to our buddy Finn for suggesting the animal! We will be sending a Cool Facts About Animals sticker his way. If you want one too, let us know!  Twitter: @coolanimalspod Facebook:...

We get a little silly this episode talking about Jaguar's favorite animal, the jaguar. You'll learn how to spot (no put intended) the differences between a jaguar and a leopard, whether a black panther even exists, and hear once more about animals that like to pee and poop to let other animals know to stay back. Come learn and have fun with us! Don't forget to answer our Creature Quiz for your fre...