Just the Zoo of Us

Christian fishes for compliments about the fishing cat & Ellen goes rock climbing with rock hyraxes. We discuss cat eyes, fishing strategies, buck toothed vampires, toe shoes, Wikipedia drama, and more. For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on  Threads , Facebook , Instagram & Discord! Follow Ellen on TikTok! Help support this show and un...

Join Ellen & special guest Shannon Roivas who brings us first-hand insight straight from her time spent in the forests of Tanzania studying our very own wild cousins: chimpanzees! On top of fascinating topics like the primate family tree, toe thumbs, termite popsicles and fear grimaces, our guest shares her unique experiences like naming chimpanzees, getting punched by one, and having the opportun...

Romance is in the air as Ellen commits to the trumpeter swan & Christian catches the lovebug bug. We discuss clown shoe runways, air horn duets, bird monogamy, a mysterious case of missing bugs, and the true meaning of going out with a bang. Links: Trumpeter swan sound found here via freesound.org Learn more about native swan conservation & how you can help: Trumpeter Swan Society For more informa...

Join Ellen & science educator and nature hype man Nick VanAcker to sing praises for some of our favorite true bugs: cicadas! We discuss how and why cicada choruses sing the song of the summer, why they spend so much of their lives underground before emerging and what’s so special about prime numbers anyway, the real parasitic fungus that inspired a cicada-themed Pokémon, and so much more. Links: F...

Christian makes some noise for the Freddy Kreuger frog & Ellen picks a bouquet of bone-eating snot flowers. We discuss life as a mouth with legs, being born into literal Hunger Games, meme lore, whalefalls, and eating the bones. Links: It Is Wednesday My Dudes Whale Fall (After Life of a Whale) by Sweet Fern Productions For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow...

Join Ellen & special guest, deep sea biologist Dr. Thom Linley, for a literal deep dive into an animal that just might change the way you think about the creatures of the abyss: the ethereal snailfish. We discuss what it’s like to be among the first humans to ever see a species, life in the trenches - like, the actual Mariana trench, freedom from beauty norms and justice for the blobfish, slurping...

Ellen gets the zig-zagging zoomies with tiger beetles & Christian has an existential crisis over the giant siphonophore. We discuss the REAL fastest land animal on Earth, literally blinding speed, reverse Naruto running, world record technicalities, zooids (not Zoids),  and what it means to be an organism. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow Just t...

Join Ellen & special guest, environmental educator Jamison Cole, for a review of our very own backyard apex predators: bobcats! We discuss topics including but not limited to tail nubs, ear tufts, coyote pee, the bobcat’s Final Smash, relationship tips from nature, tomcat jowls, and the interconnectedness of every member of the ecosystem from the tiniest rodent all the way up to the bald eagle. Li...

Ellen & Christian share stories, observations and inspiration from special guest: you! We discuss what sounds fish make, memory transfer via cannibalism, and what to do when you're attacked by a zebra.  Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on  Threads , Facebook , Instagram & Discord! Follow Ellen on TikTok! Help support this show...

Join Ellen & returning special guest, wildlife biologist Alex Troutman, for a review of some of our favorite mohawked chatterboxes: belted kingfishers. We discuss topics including but not limited to the vicious mockery of birds who fish better than us, biomimicry in train engineering, the truth behind Hollywood bird calls and lion roars, and stories from the field including spooky sounds in the fo...

We're out traveling this week! In the meantime, please enjoy this episode of Bugs Need Heroes, in which Ellen joined hosts Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman for a conversation about bug-type Pokemon, the real-world bugs that inspired them, and the ecology we can learn from the world of Pokemon. Originally aired on the Bugs Need Heroes podcast on November 5, 2023. Links: Get the original full versio...

Christian digs into the star-nosed mole & Ellen goes for a deep dive into the Devil's Hole pupfish. We discuss flowery tentacles, mole lore in Avatar: the Last Airbender, waves in the desert, a Supreme Court ruling, and the future ecological impacts of nuclear testing. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on  Threads , Facebook ,...

Ellen is joined by a familiar voice, science communicator Ralph Crewe, back with us to review the wiggly little living fossils full of teeth and blood: Pacific lampreys. We discuss the intersection between the natural and manmade world, what lampreys can tell us about the history of vertebrate evolution, the unique adaptations that have let them thrive from riverbeds all the way to the open ocean...

Ellen gets hooked on the loggerhead shrike & Christian makes a clean getaway with the five-lined skink. We discuss tomial teeth, impalement, dropping tails, and regeneration. Links: Check out Sparkbird and listen to their music on Spotify ! For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on  Threads , Facebook , Instagram & Discord! Follow Ellen on...

Join Ellen & special guest, fish biologist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Brenda Pracheil, for a review of the gentle giants that have been swimming up and down our rivers since the dinosaur age: sturgeon. We discuss being a fish lawyer, ancient genetics, scales, whiskers, caviar, woosh tubes, and more. Links: World Fish Migration Day The North American Sturgeon & Paddlefish Society...

Christian leaves a glowing review for the bark scorpion & Ellen casts a vote for the pūteketeke. We discuss neurotoxin, biofluorescence,  the ghostly penguin dance,  and John Oliver's impact on the Bird of the Century. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on  Threads , Facebook , Instagram & Discord! Follow Ellen on TikTok! Help s...

Ellen & special guest, Bachelor star turned science communicator Kendall Long, review pigs! In this episode, we discuss pigs and their achievements in some surprising endeavors, from digging up truffles and thriving in the wilderness to playing video games and basking on the beaches of the Bahamas. Links: Check out Kendall's podcast, Little Curiosities ! Follow Kendall on Instagram and TikTok ! Fo...

Ellen falls down a rabbit hole with the stoat & Christian looks up to the barreleye. We discuss the weasel war dance, rabbit assassins, paradoxical eyes, and deep sea body horror. Links:  For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on  Threads , Facebook , Instagram & Discord! Follow Ellen on TikTok! Help support this show and unlock bonus cont...

In celebration of World Lemur Day, Ellen is joined by anthropology professor Ben Freed for a look up into the treetops of northern Madagascar to review crowned lemurs. Our guest brings his insight from experience studying these charismatic primates to discuss topics like the rainforest dress code, what your cell phone has in common with lemur cognition, and the unbreakable interspecies bonds betwe...

Ellen & special guest, ecologist and entomologist Kelly Zimmerman, review one of the world’s deadliest creatures. This killer could fit in a teaspoon, and yet humans just can’t seem to get rid of the darn things. In this episode, we discuss the humble mosquito’s formidable resilience, defend their often underestimated role in their ecosystems, and dish up a serving of girl dinner. Links: Check out...

Christian turns heads with the snowy owl & Ellen lands a slam dunk with the polar bear. In this arctic-themed episode, we discuss why owls turn their head so much, feather acoustics, irruptions, fur fiber optics, and polar bear basketball. Links:  For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on  Threads , Facebook , Instagram & Discord! Follow E...

Ellen and special guest, science communicator and educator Alana Baliga, review the iconic little birds zooming around the cactuses and tumbleweeds: roadrunners! We discuss things like the glamorous highlights of working for a science museum, what Looney Tunes got right and wrong about Mr. Runner, and how these fascinating animals are able to thrive in the extreme climates of the American southwes...

Ellen joins the band of coatis & Christian gives us the buzz on gharials. We discuss Star Wars names, banana wars,  animal influences on computer science, problematic age gaps, and  the funkiest crocodilian snout. Links:  For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website ! Follow Just the Zoo of Us on  Threads , Facebook , Instagram & Discord! Follow Ellen on TikTok! Help suppo...

Join Ellen & wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant for a review of savannah royalty: African lions! We discuss what it’s like to be an ecologist working in the field alongside truly awe-inspiring wildlife, what makes lions such iconic big cats from their impressive mane all the way down to their surprisingly tactical tail, and why their relationship to us is so important for inspiring passion for...

Christian does the spider shake with daddies long leg & Ellen tells the story of the imperiled panda of the sea, the vaquita. We discuss spider myths, web design, porpoises, and what happens when wildlife conservation meets organized crime. Links: Learn more about Earth League International & their efforts to save and protect the vaquita at their website. For more information about us & our podcas...