The Wild Life

How do Pelican beaks work? How much can they fit in their pouch? How do Pelicans hunt? I've got the answers to those and more! To read the blog version and see the video mentioned, visit https://thewildlife.blog/2018/07/07/pelicans-are-fly/ If you are interested in learning more about our upcoming hikes, visit https://thewildlife.blog/hike/ Become a patron (and our best friend), and get tons of co...

Toe-Biter, Electric-Light Bug, Alligator-Tick; people have come up with many names for the fascinating critter. It’s actual name is perhaps the most boring—the Giant Water Bug. They are the largest of the ‘true bugs’ and belong to the Belostomatidae family of insects. To read the blog version and see the video mentioned, visit https://thewildlife.blog/2018/06/02/the-electric-light-loving-scuba-div...

This week, it’s time to bust some myths, bow down in awe, and learn something new about the biggest birds outside of Sesame Street. To read the blog version and see an ostrich dance an some adorable babies, visit https://thewildlife.blog/2019/06/27/get-your-head-out-of-the-sand-ostriches-are-actually-pretty-amazing/ Become a patron (and our best friend), and get tons of cool perks at www.patreon.c...

This time of year, a spin on a classic joke about a chicken comes to life as thousands of turtles are seen crossing roadways and trails, leading many to wonder, “why?” and “how can I help do it safely?”. Well, here's the answer to both! To read the blog version, visit https://thewildlife.blog/2018/06/07/its-turtle-time-how-you-can-help-turtles-cross-roads-safely/ As promised, here is the link to c...

Why do seagulls hang out in parking lots? Do seagulls even exist? Why are they always after my fries?!?!?! Find out in this short episode of #TheWildLife To read the blog version, visit https://thewildlife.blog/2018/08/09/gulls-and-the-concrete-sea/ Become a patron (and our best friend) at www.patreon.com/TheWildLife and help us to keep doing what we are doing and getting better! Follow us on inst...

Grace is basically synonymous with butterflies. The truth, however, is far...dirtier. Like poop, pee, blood, sweat, and tears dirty. After this, you'll never be able to look at one the same way again. Oh, and also, stay tuned for a big announcement coming soon about the future of the podcast and The Wild Life. You're not going to want to miss it! To read the blog version, visit https://thewildlife...

It’s #FossilFriday, and you know what that means—fossils. Big surprise, right? This week, with an unoriginal but begging to be used titular parody on the classic Star Trek episode ‘The Trouble with Tribbles”—we’re talking trilobites!

In the mid-season finale, Devon and Richard talk to Lucas Brotz, research associate at the Marine Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia and a Cnidaria Scientist for Quantitative Aquatics, to discuss how a creature without a brain dominates the worlds oceans, and the many ways they impact our lives.

In this episode, Devon and Richard look into the void to unveil the cause of the once mysterious Deep Scattering Layer, taking you on a journey involving covert military research in World War 2, the largest migration on earth, shimmering creatures of the deep (and their food), and an organic machine responsible for capturing carbon and sinking it into the depths of the ocean.

In this episode, Devon and Richard explore the animal magnetism. No, not the kind you might be thinking. Instead, we're talking about the surprisingly common animal superpower which allows creatures all around the world, from the skies to the oceans, to sense the magnetic field of our planet.

We as humans often think of ourselves as unique. In this episode, we discover that we may not be as unique, or advanced, as we thought as we learn about amazing subterranean fungi farmers, cowboy insects, and a 55 million year old relationship that puts our use (or misuse) of antibiotics to shame. Special thanks to our guest for the episode, Dr Cameron Currie of UW-Madison.

In the Season 2 premier of The Wild Life, Devon attempts to settle an age old argument between him and his co-host by enlisting the help of renowned biochemist, professor, and author, Dr Nick Lane of the University College of London. The debate: is there complex alien life somewhere out there, or is it improbable that there is anything more than cellular life. We look to the improbable origins of...

A random find while hiking that lead to a life history story that was unexpectedly fascinating. Read more and see images of the find here: https://thewildlife.blog/2018/09/06/this-ghostly-parasitic-plant-survives-by-hacking-the-wood-wide-web/

In this short, Devon shares a story from thewildlife.blog of a hoarfrost christened hike he had last spring and explains how this magical rock candy frost phenomena occurs.

While we work on Season 2, I decided to begin a sub-series of shorts in which we take some of our most popular blog post and create audio versions. Now, something you may have read on the website (thewildlife.blog)will be available to listen to on the go! Be sure to stay on the lookout for Season 2 snippets and teasers. If you've ever seen a gelatinous blob of ick floating in the water and wondere...

Starting at a young age, we are all introduced to this idea, an idea that we carry with us and adapt, and reapply as a metaphor for our own lives---this idea of becoming something new, beginning again as something better. But behind this idea is a process, and despite our lifelong exposure, most don’t really know what exactly is going on In the Season 1 Finale of The Wild Life, Devon and Richard e...

In this episode, Devon and Richard go on a totally real, not-recorded-indoors, time travel adventure to explore the life history of the busiest mammal out there---the beaver. Meet Beatrice the Beaver in the Boundary Waters, a Voyageur in the 1600's and learn about all the ways beavers can impact their environment.

In this episode, Devon and Richard talk to Dr Julie Koester of UNC-Wilmington and Dr Orly Levithan of Rutgers about the truth behind where our oxygen comes from, and the tiny organisms we have to thank for our very existence.

Devon and Richard venture into the Twilight Zone, by going on a walk at Twilight, the time between light and dark, to explore what life is like and what has pressured so many animals to take advantage of this peculiar time of day---er, night---the in-between?

In this episode, we tell the story of two Harvard professors with a bucket of frogs and a rooftop, solve the decade old mystery of exploding toads in Germany, explain what was the culprit of frog deformities across the Western US, speak with Dr Voyles about her research on disease ecology and amphibians in Panama, and chat with Dr Konrad Rykaczewski about the inspiration for his antifreeze technol...

This episode, we have a story that takes us all the way from Copenhagen, to the rain forest of South America--- from the belly of the beast, to it’s excrement---as we explore nature’s Vampires Our guest is Dr Marie Lisandra Zepeda Mendoza, who recently finished her post doc in Copenhagen, Denmark and whose recently published research on vampire bats and how they survive on such a peculiar diet is...

Belief…belief is an interesting thing. Some of our beliefs are very close to our hearts, untouchable, unchangeable. Some of our beliefs are more flexible, changing if you have some kind of evidence or experience that can convince you otherwise. Belief can be harmless and belief can be harmful. Belief can be truth and it can be myth. This week, we are going off format in the first of an intermitten...

In S1E1, Devon and Richard tell the story of Nigel "No Mates" the lonely Gannet, explore the reason behind a massive crab migration, and share this weeks Animal Sound of the Week!