The Best Biome

How can grasshoppers save the world? By doing what they do best: eating. But too many grasshoppers might end us all so keep that in mind the next time you turn your nose up at entomophagy. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next time! Primary Sources : Be sure to check out photos and more at our site ! Carolina Grasshopper poem . A Mi...

Rachel takes us on a journey into one of North America's savannas dominated by oak trees. They provide shelter and food for a variety of different animals and (surprise) are critically endangered. One of the biggest causes of decline is a change in land management when European settlers pushed out indigenous land caretakers. This episode is a little long but worth the ride. Primary Sources : Be su...

Episode Notes Coyotes are fantastic survivors that no matter how much people hate them (and boy do they hate them) they keep thriving. They are the ultimate flexitarian, can control their litter sizes, and just can't be stopped on their conquest to take over the world. We also dive into the problem of human-coyote conflict and how best to etch out a living alongside these awesome creatures. Thanks...

The concept behind Pleistocene Park is deceptively simple: rewild the Pleistocene Siberian arctic, slow the effects of climate change in the arctic. All it takes to revive the 10,000-year-old Mammoth Steppe, restore permafrost, and seriously reduce carbon and methane emissions--according to scientists--is releasing long-gone megafauna and watching the ecosystem shift under their influence. The par...

Episode Notes Madagascar... land of the forest and lemurs and definitely not mostly grassland, right? Wrong. Welcome to another case of grassland erasure as we try to set the record straight on the wonderful, beautiful grasslands that blanket this tropical island. We even highlight a very special tree! Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see y...

Episode Notes We're going back to the Eurasian Steppe this week to take a look at the Mongolian toad. How do these toads survive where no other amphibian dares to travel? What the heck is a drink patch? The answer is more complex than you might think. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you in two weeks! Primary Sources : Be sure to check...

Episode Notes Saiga antelope: strange Muppet or amazing survivor? These animals have some amazing adaptations to help them survive the nearly insurmountable odds stacked against them. Also, sandalwood is evil apparently? Who knew. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next time! Primary Sources : Be sure to check out photos and more at o...

Episode Notes THE characteristic toucan species, Toco Toucan, tucanuçu, is the only toucan that doesn't live exclusively in forests. Like many hornbills in the Old World, these birds thrive in South America's savannas, where they're intricately connected to their ecosystems. Let's put them back in their place and do an explore. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are t...

Nuance below: We have some feelings on the North American Model and the way it's implemented and discussed in the wildlife field. It usually disparages other models of wildlife conservation, silences non-consumptive users, and erases the indigenous "north American models" developed and implemented long before colonization. We'd love to hear other voices on this issue, so reach out if you...

Episode Notes Apparently Biosphere Reserves are everywhere? Nicole's deep dive into UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme takes several twists and turns, linking natural and social sciences, the program's protected grasslands, the difficulties of international cooperation, and other land conservation efforts here in the United States. Happy Earth Day or something? Thanks for listening to...

Episode Notes In Assam, India, the grasslands along the river Brahmaputra totally contain tigers, but Rachel is bound and determined to talk about something hiding in the shadows of those tigers: riverine and river-island grasslands and their flagship species the Bengal Florican. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week! Primary S...

Episode Notes What has four legs and walks on its middle finger and features heavily in all your favorite childhood video games?? Horses are actually kinda neat, it turns out, especially the modern conservation work of the last remaining wild horse, Przewalkski's Horse, the Takhi. Nicole embraces her childhood horsegirl vibes and kinda sorta teaches Rachel to appreciate horses because they're like...

Episode Notes In an April 1 break from the normal format, Nicole and Rachel try to stump each other with a game of Two Truths, One Lie. Buckle up for carnivorous prairie plants, Saiga death by banging, and so, so many bugs. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week! Primary Sources , pics, and more are on our site , to keep these n...

Episode Notes Some of the smallest, most unassuming birds among us have the most amazing stories to tell. The Grasshopper Sparrow is a tiny little bird with a big personality. Learn about captive breeding of the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow and other ways we are helping this prairie icon avoid the brink of extinction. Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best bio...

Episode Notes What is mouse-sized, carnivorous, and gives birth to tiny fetal joeys? Lots of things probably, but this week dunnarts are the star of the show. Hailing from Australian grasslands, these fat-tailed little marsupials are losing their habitats before we've even figured out their social behaviors, but maybe their cute faces will help them sneak into charismatic species status. Thanks fo...

Episode Notes Rachel coincidentally ruins another desert creature and exposes why the vast majority of camels are actually grassland animals. This episode detours into evolution and the veterinary science realm to answer why prairies are probably the cause of the mass extinction of this North American ( yeah ) animal. Also: camels are weird. And they're not ruminants. Thanks for listening to our w...

Episode Notes Tumbleweeds, icon of the... desert? Grasslands birthed some of the world's worst tumbleweed invaders, and there's more to them than their iconic "American old west" imagery. Desert caviar, savior of the cattle industry, and colonizer extraordinaire, this broad paraphyletic group of plants have been terrorizing and blessing the world for centuries. Nicole breaks down why tum...

Episode Notes The coastal tussac grasslands of the Falkland Islands have been a struggle for conservationists. A team of paleoecologists used this grass's unique characteristics to uncover the ecosystem's origins, track its changing climate, and reveal why seabirds make these grasslands thrive. Primary Sources : Groff, D. V., Hamley, K. M., Lessard, T. J., Greenawalt, K. E., Yasuhara, M., Brickle,...

Episode Notes African megafauna are already super well-known, but when grasslands took over the forests of ancient Africa, some megafauna were driven to extinction. What other megafauna has reached the brink, never to return, and can a subspecies of Plains Zebra really be resurrected from the void of extinction? Thanks for listening to our weekly exploration of why grasslands are the best biome. W...

Episode Notes What do Burrowing Owls and Blue-throated Macaws have in common? Their habitat. Rachel takes us on a tour of the parrots, cockatoos, lovebirds, and parakeets that thrive in Australia, American, and African grasslands. Thanks for listening to our weekly ~~love letter~~ podcast exploring a straightforward thesis: grasslands are the best biome. We'll see you next week! Primary Sources :...

Episode Notes Our first episode has Nicole talking about prairie dogs, go figure. They not only help to increase plant and animal diversity around their burrows, but are also very tasty snacks. Nicole believes that without prairie dogs, we would have no prairies. Thanks for listening to our weekly ~~love letter~~ podcast exploring a straightforward thesis: grasslands are the best biome. We'll see...