The Natural History Cupboard Podcast

This week we bring you a spooky species special, with terrifying special guest, Phil Barber! We look at three creepy creatures from across the animal kingdom and tell you terrifying tales about each one. Join us if you dare... the cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we meet the rainbow reptile that communicates with colour, the panther chameleon! Learn why it’s named after big cats and forks... and that's just scratching the surface of the unique attributes of these amazing animals. In the news, Gareth looks at what could have been the last English wolf. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week in the natural history cupboard we travel once more to the African rainforest to meet our closest living relative, the chimpanzee. Find out what we can learn from these amazing apes. In the news, Aaron looks at the return of tigers to Kazakhstan and what this could mean for future conservation efforts worldwide. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we travel to the deserts of North America to meet one of most locomotively unique snakes, the sidewinder! Learn how it moves sideways, but still go forward, and survive an incredibly harsh environment. In the news, Gareth looks at the brilliant step forward that Britain has taken in committing to renewable energy. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week meet the mightiest of all deer, Megaloceros - otherwise known as the Irish elk. Find out what made this prehistoric deer so unique. In the news, Aaron looks at a shark attack off the coast of Africa that’s causing some controversy. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week meet the small brightly coloured fish with an amazing tale to tell, the neon tetra. Find out about this species' brilliant history, and what makes it more than just your average aquarium pet. And, in the news, Gareth celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Wollemi Pines survival. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in! Wollemi Pine Episode Bichir Episode

This week meet the cockroach, now extinct in the wild, that still survives thanks to a forward thinking etymologist, the simondoa cockroach. We find out why its home has disappeared, and what the future holds for this impressive invertebrate. In the news, Aaron investigates what dangerous creature might be living next door to you in the UK! All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week meet the Jedi of the sea, the cetacean that has one heck of a tooth, the Narwhal! Find out what makes this whale such a perfect polar survivour. In the news, we look at the founder of sea Shepard and his newest fight against the Japanese government to stay a free man. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we head to the Jurassic period once more and meet the dinosaur icon that is Stegosaurus! We look at its history, discovery and how much it costs to buy. In the news we look at TB in cattle and how badgers continue to take the blame. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week meet the snake that inspired a basketball legend. Find out what makes the black mamba a formidable snake species. In the news, we look at the realities of bird flu and its long term effects. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week take a plunge into the cold waters of the southern ocean to meet the smallest species of penguin, the fairy penguin. In the news, Aaron looks at reports of sharks off UK beaches and how they are not what they seem. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in! A magnificent derp episode: https://open.spotify.com/show/5chofJlFAj8aaOXkjbegy7 An awkward bird: https://open.spotify.com...

This week Gareth is out sick and so has to dial into the cupboard virtually. In our creature feature, we meet South America‘s most powerful and stealthy predator, the jaguar! In the news we look at where of all the wasps gone and why that’s a bad thing. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we meet the biggest land arthropod that has ever existed, Arthropleura. Why was it so big and what do we know about the odd world it lived in? Then we look in the news at why tropical birds are so much more colourful. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we meet the long boy of the dinosaur world and one of its most well known: Diplodocus. Find out the fascinating backstory of how it was first discovered during a war for fossils. In the news, there is a fantastic update on how Britain's bison (wisent) are growing in numbers. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we meet the supremely adapted bird of prey that hunts fish like no other, the osprey! Find out what threatened this bird, and how it’s making a comeback. In the news, we look at silly animal names. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in

This week we head to South America to meet the long legged canid, the maned wolf! Find out what makes this one of the oddest members of the dog family. In the news, we have the amazing news of a new baby pangolin being born at Prague Zoo. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in! Link to our world pangolin day Youtube interview: https://youtu.be/_aaLQB6MZVs?si=flxStIe2_TkHN5hHLink to ou...

This week meet the dinosaur with the horrible hands, Deinocheirus. Find out how this dinosaur went from being a pair of giant arms to a humpbacked duck-billed, plant-eating theropod. In the news, we look at what is being done to prepare for the possible return of the thylacine. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week Drew is back and tells us all about the UK's most threatened butterfly, the High Brown Fritillary. In the news, Aaron looks at the RSPCA and how its standards might have slipped. All this and more this week. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we hop on over to Australia to meet the extinct giant kangaroo, Procoptodon! In the news, the police have an incident with a cow and a car, we discuss the passing of a TV conservationist, and how the dodo could save pink pigeons! All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we head down to Tasmania to meet the tree that gets the nickname "living gold", the Huon pine! Find out why this tree is so prized by both shipwrights and conservationists. In the news, Aaron recaps the on-going saga of the orcas in the Mediterranean. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we crash through the under brush and meet the enigmatic Asian elephant! In the news, the war in Ukrainian is affecting even the migration of eagles. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we meet the coelacanth, a fish thought extinct but then rediscovered! We find out what makes these fish so unique, and what threatens to make them extinct again. In the news, we see artificial breeding techniques are being used to aid endangered leopards! All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week Aaron takes us to ancient China to meet the feathered tyrant, Yutyrannus. The news reel is big cat heavy, followed by a possible thylacine sighting?! All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!

This week we meet the insects that move the sun across the sky, can navigate by the milky way, and also love the taste of poo! It the dung beetle of course, and we look at how they are both the future of farming and combating climate change. In the news, there's a very badly run animal collection and we discuss what can be done about it. All this and more this week. The cupboard is open, come...

This week we take an in-depth look at Europe's largest herbivore, the wisent, and we hear about its rather dark and sad past. In the news, we look at what animal might have given medieval Britons leprosy. All this and more. The cupboard is open, come on in!