The Wild Life

How fast can fish really be? Faster than you’d probably expect. Transcript

The Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish may not look like much, but their impact is inarguable. They feed heavily on corals essential for building reefs, the marine equivalent of a metropolis. When these starfish have a boom in their population, the result is a significant loss of live coral. The damage has a higher impact on the reef’s health and resilience than bleaching and disease combined. The incredibl...

If you’ve ever been down to Cozumel, Mexico, you’ve been to one of two places (the other being Glover’s Reef in Belize) on earth where this species of fish can be found. I was there in 2011—on land, granted—but had I gone out snorkeling near any coral outcrops I may have had the opportunity to see the spectacular Splendid Toadfish. Transcript Support the Show

This episode was originally written in October 2015 as a reflection essay I acknowledge there is nuance to these issues which are not fully expressed in this essay In  The New York Times  article “Shooting a Lion” , University of Cambridge professor and acclaimed writer, Helen Macdonald, details her recent safari at Kruger National Park in South Africa. Her visit was just a few short mon...

In 1917, the American poet Wallace Stevens published a poem called  13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.  In truth, 13 is a major understatement, with just as much variation in “why” as their is in “how”. Whether you’re a life “lister”, a casual admirer, or anywhere in between, at some point each and every one of has had a moment where we saw a bird and thought to ourselves, “what is ...

Who doesn’t love Giraffes? Yet, despite their international love and viral webcam footage with thousands tuning in to watch their birth, there is much about them that is unknown by the masses, which is a shame because they are truly fascinating animals with a multitude of fun facts about them. Here are 16 things you probably didn’t know about Giraffes. Episode Transcript Support

Jeff Corwin, American biologist and wildlife conservationist, joins Devon on The Wild Life today to talk about his new show on ABC, Wildlife Nation with Jeff Corwin , in partnership with Defenders of Wildlife , his career's core-wins, lessons learned, finding the right tone, focusing on what matters, finding hope, and confronting climate change. Jeff is known for hosting Disney Channel's Going Wil...

The Deep-Sea Dragonfish, a scaleless eel-like fish about 6 inches in length that lives (you guessed it) in the deep sea, specifically the bathyal zone of the Atlantic Ocean beyond where any light can reach. Transcript Support the Show

As one of America’s most influential environmentalists, Barry Commoner devoted his life and career to ecology, awareness, education, and enacting positive change.  Support the Show Transcript Jumpin Boogie Woogie by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Artist: http://audionautix.com/

The Muskellunge, or Muskie, is the largest member of the pike family, and just a large fish all around. Their common name comes from the Ojibwa word  maashkinoozhe , which translates to “ugly pike”. But there's a lot more to the muskie. Transcript Support the Show

Butterflyfish are a group of around 120 species in the Family Chaetodontidae. They can be found in reefs around the world in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. Butterflyfish are probably most recognizable for their disk-like body shape, pointed snout, and striking patterns and coloration seen across most species in stark contrast with the bl...

Your hikes that used to take an hour have just turned into three hours. At first, this is super stressful. Like, I just want to finish my hike. But, do you know what this allows you to do? It allows you yourself to be mindful and to stop and smell the roses. Hiking with a toddler is definitely a different experience, but it doesn't have to be stressful. Here are some tips to keep in mind. Original...

Skinks are often overlooked, even unknown, (even as I write this, spell-check doesn’t even recognize “Skink” as a word) but there are over 1,500 species of them on the planet. That makes them the most diverse family of lizards. Transcript

This is the answer to a question asked by a listener who submitted a photo saying “It landed on the road right in front of me and then was flying around and gliding in the wind. What is it? Is it like a vulture?” Meet the Crested Caracara

See, horseshoe crabs are a  biological oddity, a valuable one at that, especially to drug companies who look to them to ensure medicines and vaccines are safe for all of us. And the key is in their blood. Transcript Support The Wild Life

They look like some sort of illustration in a mid-90’s kids book about prehistoric animals, which, if you’re familiar, is a really specific aesthetic that deserves some sort of a revival. Maybe you’re familiar with the Pokemon called Kabuto. I have to admit, my wife got me a classic Gameboy Color for Christmas, exactly like the one I had when I was a kid, and I’ve put close to 20 hours into Pokemo...

Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team of researchers at Kyoto Prefectural University in Japan have developed a mask that helps detect COVID-19 under blacklight using cells from  the Ostrich . Transcript Support the Show

The species is perhaps most well known for their impossible appearance and a hilarious (though not entirely correct)  viral internet rant  about the uselessness of the species. I personally think they look sort of like the Face of Bo from Doctor Who. But there's more to them than their shocking appearance. Transcript Support The Wild Life

Whale Sharks. Are they whale, or are they shark? What do they eat? Where do they live? Just how big are they. All of that and more in today’s short! Transcript

They came in droves but no one knows where from. You find them in your homes and cars, scuttling across your windows. They line the sidewalks and entryways of every building. They’re Asian Lady Beetles, and they’re back. Read the transcript and check out helpful visuals Support the Show at www.patreon.com/devonbowker

MOVE OVER ‘SPIDER PAWS’! THE GOOTY SAPPHIRE TARANTULA’S GALACTIC COLORS ARE  STUNNING. This unexpected beauty from Gooty, a town in Central Southern India, certainly doesn’t have a shortage of names. It’s most commonly referred to as the Gooty Sapphire Ornamental Tree Spider. Check out pictures and a transcript of the episode here Support The Wild Life for as little as $1 per month

The Wild Life has a new series, and it's unlike anything you've heard from us before. 8D, immersive, soundscapes of nature and wildlife, coming to your ears DAILY. The best way is to listen with headphones, but as far as however else you listen...it's up to you! Meditation, relaxation, sleeping, studying, curing the winter-time blues, working out for some strange reason, whatever! Check it out! ht...

A lot of people want to be an “inbox zero” kind of person, but what about “mailbox zero”? Ask yourself, how often do you check the mail and how much of it ends up in the bin? Ask my wife, I am obsessive about checking the mail because I never want to miss anything important, but the reality is that 9 times out of 10 the mailbox is packed to the gills with coupons, credit card offers, and a subscri...

Deer. They’re everywhere. And our relationship with them is, well, complicated. Some of us love to look at them, take pictures of them, have them around. Some people hunt them for sport or for food. Some only see them as Bambi Some hit them with their cars…accidentally of course. Some want them as far away from their yards, crops, or gardens as possible. Love them or hate them, they’re here to sta...

Not every reindeer has a red nose. After all, that’s part of what makes Rudolph so special—and he’s not alone. Episode Transcript Support the Show