What The Duck?!

In 1985, a real American black bear consumed a bunch of cocaine that'd been dropped from a plane into the forest, and died. Nearly 40 years later Hollywood stepped in the rewrite the story. What would happen if the bear survived? Maybe it'd go on a coke-fueled rampage. That's how it works, right? Cocaine Bear (2023) launched a lot of memes, but does it get anything right about bears, or how they'd...

Quick! Think of a ‘dinosaur movie’. Chances are Jurassic Park (1993) was first to mind.    Steven Spielberg’s genetic nightmare/theme park gone wrong classic is so iconic that it inspired a generation of kids to study palaeontology, and reinvented our modern popular idea of dinosaurs. But does that idea still stack up?    Could you really clone a triceratops from DNA found in an ancient mozzie?  ...

When you really think about it, sex to make babies is WEIRD! You take an outie that has to get stuck inside an innie that links into a production line of eggs to assemble a perfect tiny being. It’s so damn complicated! So why does it work like that? Join us at What the Duck for the first episode of a series where we figure out how living things went from splitting ourselves in half to double the p...

Could a legless lizard be 'minimalist of the year' for famous podcaster T. K. Coleman? Ann Jones leads an unlikely gang of animal experts on a tidy dance through the philosophy of minimalism. There are moths without mouths, flies without wings, and a worm-lizard that will even declutter its own tail.  Move over Marie Kondo, Minimalist Mother Nature is in town.  Featuring: T. K. Coleman, Co-host of...

ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) is a tingly sensation that can bring relaxation, and it's spawned a growing industry of videos online of whispering, tapping, mouth noises and soft speaking.  But, if you wanted quiet, intimate sounds, well, Nature does it so. much. better.  Ann Jones goes on an ASMR journey with vibrating caterpillars, whispering monkeys and birds who want to keep secre...

Imagine you've just been cancelled for a controversial opinion about Taylor Swift's musical output, and you have to go to ground. You can act like the Olsen twins, and hide behind big glasses and a big coat. Or you could take a lesson from nature and blend in, like a proverbial spotty quoll into the bush. The animal kingdom has a lot to teach us about camouflage and animal markings. Featuring: Dr...

Right now, you’re probably sitting on one of the most unique things about humans. One thing that separates us from the apes, from the birds, from EVERYTHING on earth. The thing that allows us to walk upright, on two legs. We have big butts and I cannot lie,This sort of exceptionalism doesn’t deny,That when a bird walks in with a little bit of hasteAnd drumsticks in your face, you have to admit tha...

How many species live around your house? In the COVID lockdown of 2020, three housemates decided to count. They thought there’d only be a handful, but the number kept rising and rising. Could their simple suburban Queenslander house be the next candidate for a new national park? Featuring: Dr Matt Holden, Mathematician, University of Queensland. Dr Andrew Rogers, Ecologist, University of Melbourne...

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is a Christmas classic... but how much do we really know about reindeer?  In the last instalment of "Hollywood lied to us" for 2024, Ann Jones fact-checks the festive fairytale for biological accuracy. What would it take for a reindeer to fly? What are their noses really like? Would a glowing nose even make a decent fog light?? Featuring: Belinda Smith, ABC Science O...

The Lion King (1994), aka Hamlet with Cats, is an iconic family classic. But would The Lion King's portrayal of a pride make biologists proud? Ann Jones presents “Hollywood lied to us” - a What The Duck?! podcast that takes your favourite movies and puts them under the microscope to work out what would happen in the real world and what’s just Hollywood magic. Would Simba really end up with Nala? W...

The movie is fictional but Groundhog Day (asking a groundhog for a long-term weather report)  IS A REAL THING! But wait, what even ARE groundhogs? AND do they have any qualifications in meteorology? Ann Jones is examining the biological accuracy of classic movies with the help of scientists and fans in the series "Hollywood Lied to Us." Featuring: Link Olson, Curator of Mammals, University of Alas...

Yes, the Little Mermaid is an animated movie, but if it were real, where would this mermaid paradise be?  Is it plausible that Ursula the Octo-woman would have henchmen in the form of eels?  Ann Jones is examining the biological accuracy with the help of scientists and fans  of classic movies in the series "Hollywood Lied to Us." Featuring: Flo Rama- The Little Mermaid super fan.  Professor Peter...

Jaws (1975) was a massive hit that also created a whole lot of fear, but does anything in the film really stand up to shark science? Do sharks stalk humans? Do they roar? What can they sense? There are so many misconceptions when it comes to sharks that even now, 50 years later, these are impacting shark policies in Australia, and have come to be known as 'the jaws effect.' Featuring: Sophie Mayco...

Did you know that pigeons make milk?  The pigeon gets a bad rap, but it is actually an incredible bird with a rich history. It is related to the dodo and even played a role in the French Revolution! Surely this bird deserves some recognition? Featuring: Rosemary Mosco, Science writer and author of 'The Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching'. Nathan Finger, Host of 'Bird of the Week' podcast  Dr Robin Le...

Are you high, or is that a sheep glowing? Yep- sheep glow, but that's not all... when it comes to glowing the list of animals includes the platypus, dolphin teeth, bilby ears and Tasmanian Devil feet.  Featuring: Linda Reinhold, Zoologist at James Cook University. Professor Simon Lewis, Curtin University.  Dr. Kenny Travouillon, Western Australian Museum.  Caitlin Grieve, Hillend Dorsets. Producti...

There's a statue of an ostrich wearing a saddle in Meningie, South Australia. The large bird statue is dedicated to the legend of "John Francis Peggotty", the Birdman of the Coorong.  He loved gold, robbed stagecoaches, and used an ostrich as a getaway car. OR DID HE?!  Featuring: Denice Mason, teacher and Meningie resident. Associate Professor Rohan Clarke, Monash University and co-author of the...

What makes a true fly and do we really need them?  As per usual the What the Duck?! team is elbow-deep in crap looking for a way out. And the way out, is flies! Featuring: Dr Bryan Lessard, Entomologist, Author of Eyes on Flies.  Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer. Petria Ladgrove, Producer. Joel Werner, Script Editing. This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in September...

A group of Killer whales have been hassling boats around Spain over the last few years.  They've been nibbling the rudders and even sinking yachts, but why? Has anyone considered that it might be revenge?  How dangerous are Orcas anyway?  Featuring: Martin Evans, UK Sailor. Professor Peter Keegan, History and Archaeology at Macquarie University.  Dr Rebeca Wellard, Curtin University. Dr Luke Rende...

Did you know that some squirrels, otters and goats are capable of autofellatio?  And ferrets, macaques and dolphins can use rocks, plants and other objects as sex toys?  Fresh off the back of the Sex is Weird series, Sana Qadar from All in the Mind is getting the down low on animal masturbatory behaviours.  Dr Ann Jones has all the goss and it's entirely ruined her internet search history.  Please...

Sex comes at a cost, there’s energy, time, risks of predators, and diseases… so do we even need it? Asexual organisms don’t seem to miss the dating scene, and yet here we are putting a whole lot of energy into sex, even when it doesn't lead to babies when same sexes attract. Of course, sex is a chance to genetically repair faults and outrun threats, but is the pay-off really enough? Sex is Weird i...

It turns out not everyone was listening when it was written ‘it takes two to tango’ and some species can go it alone in their quest to reproduce. And then there’s the plants that decided THREE or ONE was for them, never an even number.  Why is sex so... suspiciously complicated?  Sex is Weird is a series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the natural world. Plea...

What is the role of pleasure in successful reproduction? Evolution says it's mightily important: every female vertebrate has a clitoris. Snakes have two! Female pleasure has been selected for. Making sex fun and pleasurable is a biologically sensible thing to do, more sex means more potential babies. Some studies of pigs and dairy cows have found an increase of up to 6% in successful conception wh...

Do animals fall in love at first sight? Every species has different traits that are 'attractive' — they're showing off their DIY skills making a bower, vibrating sexy fruit fly songs, puffing up a wattle, or just having really massive moose… antlers. Is this innate attraction like falling in love or is it more like meeting a (really hot) investment advisor? Because these attractive traits are also...

The energy required to grow, birth and raise young is intense, so it's only fair that the female body has some tricks to make sure reproducing is worth it. From cryptic choice to immune system sperm blockers, the female reproductive system can be a literal maze for those seeking to gain access to her eggs. In the battle of the sexes, this is females fight back. Sex is Weird is a new series of What...

When it comes to sexual organs, the penis is really ‘out there.’  Name another organ that can change its form AND function in a matter of seconds!  There’s a lot of variety in the animal kingdom; from spikes and nails to coils and collagen – so, this appendage is worth investigating... close up.   Sex is Weird is a new series of What the Duck?! With Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of t...