Strange Animals Podcast

We’ll have a real episode next week but for now, here are two Patreon episodes smashed together into one! Happy birthday to Speed ! Further reading: Yi qi Is Neat But Might Not Have Been the Black Screaming Dino-Dragon of Death Yi qi could probably glide instead of actually flying: The Dayak fruit bat [photo by Chien C. Lee]: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host...

This week let’s learn about a mystery that was solved by science! Happy birthday to Zoe ! Further reading: Let’s all do the kunga! The kunga, as depicted in a 4500-year-old mosaic: The Syrian wild ass as depicted in a 1915 photograph (note the size of the animal compared to the man standing behind it): Domestic donkeys: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host...

This week let’s find out what lived before the Cambrian explosion! A very happy birthday to Isaac ! Further reading: Some of Earth’s first animals–including a mysterious, alien-looking creature–are spilling out of Canadian rocks Say Hello to Dickinsonia, the Animal Kingdom’s Newest (and Oldest) Member Charnia looks like a leaf or feather: Kimberella looks like a lost...

Thanks to Pranav for this week’s suggestion, lobsters! Happy birthday to Jake !! Visit  Dr. Oné R. Pagán’s site for links to his podcast and his free book Arrow: The Lucky Planarian ! You can also order his other books from your favorite book store. Here’s the direct link to his interview with me! Further reading: Don’t Listen to the Buzz: Lobsters Aren’t Actually Imm...

This week we learn about some weird worms! Further reading: Otherworldly Worms with Three Sexes Discovered in Mono Lake Bizarre sea worm with regenerative butts named after Godzilla’s monstrous nemesis Underground giant glows in the dark but is rarely seen Giant Gippsland earthworm (you can listen to one gurgling through its burrow here too) Further watching: A giant Gippsland earthworm Glow...

Thanks to Joel for suggesting this week’s topic! Happy birthday to Fern this week! Further reading: Small, rare crayfish thought extinct is rediscovered in cave in Huntsville city limits Hundreds of three-eyed ‘dinosaur shrimp’ emerge after Arizona monsoon An invertebrate mystery track in South Africa The case of the mysterious holes in the sea floor Contemplating the Con Rit The...

Sign up for our mailing list! Even though I hardly ever send an email to it! It’s INVERTEBRATE AUGUST! Thanks to Elizabeth, Richard, and Llewelly for their suggestions this week! Further reading: Meet Phylliroe: the sea slug that looks and swims like a fish Hey, so these sea slugs decapitate themselves and grow new bodies Found, Then Lost, Then Found Again: Scientists Have Rediscovered the S...

Thanks to Vaughn for suggesting this week’s episode topic about Venus the cat and her unusual coat pattern! Further reading: Mystery Cats of the World Revisited by Dr. Karl P.N. Shuker Further listening: Half-siders and sea monkeys Patreon episode from December 2018 (unlocked episode) Venus the cat: “Half-sider” birds can be spectacular: Half-side chimeras are not just restricted...

This week we have a mystery animal from South America, the hueque! Further reading: Llamas are having a moment in the U.S., but they’ve been icons in South America for millennia Whatever happened to the hueque? Seeking the lost llama of Chile First complete mitochondrial genome data from ancient South American camelids – The mystery of the chilihueques from Isla Mocha (Chile) A dressed up pe...

Thanks to Pranav and Zachary for their suggestions this week, where we learn the story behind two cuddly toys and the animals that inspired them! The cartoon that inspired the toy: My own teddy bear: An American black bear (not William Taft although yes, there is a resemblance, including a willingness to eat entire possums in one sitting): William Taft: A Virginia opossum: A possum with babies! St...

Thanks to Max and Pranav for their suggestions this week! We’re going to learn about some crocodylomorphs and a few other ancient non-dinosaur reptiles. Further reading: Mammal-like crocodile fossil found in East Africa, scientists report Ancient crocodiles walked on two legs like dinosaurs Fossil Footprints Help Uncover the Mysteries of Bipedal Crocodiles Fossil mystery solved: super-long-n...

Sign up for our mailing list! Thanks to Elaine for suggesting one of our long-tailed birds this week! Happy birthday to Jasper !! Have a great birthday! Further reading: Fossil of Ancient Long-Tailed Bird Found in China All adult scissor-tailed flycatchers have long tails: The long-tailed sylph male is the one with the long tail: The long-tailed widowbird male has a long tail: The long-tailed wido...

Thanks to Clay for suggesting the topic of this week’s episode, the humpback whale! Happy birthday to Emry ! Further reading: How humpback whales catch prey with bubble nets Study: Humpback whales aren’t learning their songs from one another Stanford researchers observe unexpected flipper flapping in humpback whales Ancient baleen whales had a mouthful The humpback’s long, thin f...

Thanks to Tobey and Janice this week for their suggestions of lesser-known sharks! Further reading/watching: CREATURE FEATURE: The Spinner Shark [this site has a great video of spinner sharks spinning up out of the water!] Acanthorhachis, a new genus of shark from the Carboniferous (Westfalian) of Yorkshire, England 150 Year Old Fossil Mystery Solved [note: it is not actually solved] The cartoon-e...

Thanks to Molly for suggesting andrewsarchus and entelodont, our mean “piggies” we learn about this week! Further reading: Andrewsarchus, “Superb Skull of a Gigantic Beast” Dark Folklore by Mark Norman and Tracey Norman Further listening: The Folklore Podcast Andrewsarchus (taken from article linked above): Andrewsarchus’s skull. I’m not sure who the guy holding...

This week is Connor’s episode, and we’re going to learn about some animals that don’t conform to “typical” gender roles, one way or another. I’ll be at ConCarolinas this week, from June 3 through 5, including recording a live crossover episode with Arcane Carolinas ! Further reading: Species of algae with three sexes that all mate in pairs identified in Japanese...

This week is  Caitie Sith  and Dave’s episode! They want to learn about animals reintroduced to Scotland, especially the Highland wildcat! The Scottish (or Highland) wildcat: The Eurasian lynx: The Eurasian beaver (with babies!): The white-tailed eagle: Reindeer in Scotland: The pine marten: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week is Caitie Si...

It’s Nicholas’s episode this week, and Nicholas wants to learn more about hominins, the ancestors and cousins of modern humans! Happy birthday to Autumn ! I hope you have a great birthday! Further listening: Humans Part One Further reading: Were Neanderthals the Earliest Cave Artists? Neanderthals Built Mysterious Stone Circles DNA reveals first look at enigmatic human relative What do...

This week it’s Zoe and Dillon’s episode! They wanted to learn about some really interesting salamanders, including the axolotl and the hellbender! A big birthday shout-out to Heather R. too. The very happiest of birthdays to you! Further reading: Mexico City’s endangered axolotl has found fame—is that enough to save it? How Do Salamanders Breathe? Most wild axolotls are brown: Most cap...

Thanks to Kristie and Jason, we’re going to learn about some mystery big cats reported in Australia, in particular Victoria. Further reading: Official big cat hunt declared a bust, so why do people keep seeing them? Further watching: Thylacine video from 1933, colorized You’ll probably need to enlarge this but it’s a still from a 2018 video purportedly showing a mystery big cat,...

Thanks to Isaac, Joel, Ethan, and Richard E. for their suggestions this week! Don’t forget to check out our crowdfunding campaign for some cute enamel pins ! Further reading: Snapping Shrimp Drown Out Sonar with Bubble-Popping Trick One example of a pistol shrimp–there are many, many species (photo from this site ): A walnut sphinx moth sitting on someone’s hand (photo by John Li...

Thanks to Sarah L. for buying the podcast two books off our wishlist ! This episode was inspired by an entry in one of those books! A very happy birthday this week to Matthew ! Don’t forget that you can still contribute to our Indiegogo “Tiny Pin Friends” campaign to get a small hard enamel pin of a narwhal, a capybara with a tangerine on its head, and/or a thylacine! On April 19...

Pre-order your tiny pin friend via our Indiegogo campaign ! This week we talk about some springtime animals! Sort of! Thanks to Derek and Nikita for their suggestions! Happy birthday to Lillian, Hannah, and Derek ! What a busy birthday week! Everybody gets cake! Further reading: Tales from Tennessee There’s more than one way to grow a beak A male river chub. “It’s not funny guys,...

New frog just dropped. Happy birthday to Finn and Oran this week! Have a great birthday, both of you! Further reading: Frog with tapir-like nose found in Amazon rainforest, thanks to its “beeping” call Meet the tapir frog: Looks kind of like the South American tapir, but frog: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. This week we have a short episo...

Thanks to Zachary, Enzo, and Oran for their suggestions this week! Let’s learn about some interesting reptiles! Happy birthday to Vale ! Have a fantastic birthday!! The magnificent Gila monster: The Gila monster’s tongue is forked, but not like a snake’s: The remarkable green basilisk (photo by Ryan Chermel, found at this site ): A striped basilisk has a racing stripe: I took thi...