Zoology Ramblings

Welcome to the forty-second episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi return with busy updates, including Robi's recent fieldwork adventures in Africa and Emma's bittersweet time at work wrapping up a year-long programme with the Wildlife Champions she supports. For their species of the week, Emma goes rogue and Robi goes cute. Emma talks about the death ball...

Welcome to the forty-first episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi start by welcoming the newest Patreon members and sharing some exciting news about Robi's new research paper and Zoology Ramblings merch on Teemill. For their species of the week, Robi talks about the brilliantly named snot otter and Emma discusses the small but mighty giraffe weevil. For their...

Welcome to the fortieth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi share some exciting news about the launch of their new merch range on Teemill, featuring beaver t-shirts, bison hoodies, stork tote bags, lynx jumpers and more. These have been designed by the awesome artist Nature Squiggles. You can browse our awesome nature merch here: https://zoology-ramblings.teemi...

Welcome to the thirty-ninth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi adopt a wintery, festive theme for this December episode. They start by looking back at their wildlife adventures from 2025. Robi also explores the question 'to Beave or Not To Beave?', when considering the role of beavers contributing to natural flood management. For his species of the wee...

Welcome to the thirty-eighth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi comment on recent updates to the UK's Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and myth bust the idea that sharks are older than trees. Robi also shares some exciting news about presenting his masters research at a BioShorts conference. Deviating away from mammals, Emma talks about the Salk Creek tig...

Welcome to the thirty-seventh episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi start with some news, with Robi talking about a farmer who's used beavers not only to stop flooding, but boost income on his farm. Emma offers a tribute to the wonderful Jane Goodall, looking back at her legacy. For his species of the week, Robi talks about the Vietnamese mossy frog and Emma...

Welcome to the thirty-sixth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi talk about their recent meet up at the Ealing Beaver Project for a Big Gay Beaver Day. Robi also shares some exciting news of eDNA and sniffer dogs rediscovering lost Sumatran rhinos. Emma then talks about the Ethiopian wolves for her species of the week, including an exciting new discovery of them...

Welcome to the thirty-fifth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi start with some news, including good news for spoonbills in Norfolk, and bat-friendly lighting in the Netherlands. Robi and Emma then review Attenborough's new Oceans film, sharing highlights as well as differing opinions about the effectiveness of top-down vs bottom-up influence. They then div...

Welcome to the thirty-fourth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this special episode, Emma and Robi answer their most commonly asked question: how did you get into zoology/conservation? Emma and Robi offer a personal dive into their professional pathways, looking at how they got into the jobs they are in now, outlining the challenges of the environmental sector and what makes it all wort...

Welcome to the thirty-third episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi share exciting news about the launch of the Zoology Ramblings Patreon, where listeners can support the podcast and gain early access to episodes as well as behind the scenes notes. Emma shares updates from recent UK nature festivals and Robi also shares some positive news about his undergraduate di...

Welcome to the thirty-second episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! The podcast has a new intro tune, a big thank you and credits to the very talented Al Middleton for the epic jingle. In this episode, Emma and Robi share news about their recent travels. Emma shares the nature highlights from her recent trip to North America and Robi shares his relaxing time in the Botswanan bush. Emma and Robi...

Welcome to the thirty-first episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi share news about Czech beavers saving taxpayer time and money, Robi goes on a thought tangent about nature friendly farming in the UK and Emma talks about how vicuña poo can create biodiversity hotspots as glaciers retreat. Emma and Robi's animals of the week range from the very large (Koobi Fo...

Welcome to the thirtieth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi both share news about UK government legislation- one positive (the banning of insect-killing pesticides) and one negative (blocking beaver releases). Emma then talks about the coastal Vancouver sea wolves, while Robi mourns the loss of the extinct sea cow louse. Robi and Emma then both delve into a re...

Welcome to the twenty-ninth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! This week, Robi and Emma begin with some very exciting news - the global release of their feature length documentary "Rewilding a Nation" on WaterBear! (link to watch below). Robi provides an update on the decision to reclassify orca into different species and gives an ode to the recently extinct slender-billed curlew...

Welcome to the twenty-eighth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! This week, Robi and Emma join you from opposite sides of the world, with Emma in Nepal and Robi in South Africa. Emma recounts some of her exciting wildlife sightings, including the illusive sloth bear and Bengal Tiger. Emma later delves into tiger conservation in Nepal, with some positive news about community-led initiatives t...

Welcome to the twenty-seventh episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! Thanks for your patience in the gap between episodes. This week, we share some lovely adventures with wild boar and badgers in graveyards when Robi and Emma met up in person. Robi then delves into deep taxonomy of orcas, unpacking the two new proposed species of this majestic cetacean. Emma talks about the bizarre leaf-veined...

Welcome to the twenty-sixth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! This is a Rewilding Deep Dive episode, so we begin with some conservation news, followed by our species of the week, and then the Rewilding Deep Dive! For the species of the week, both hosts picked Aotearoan species, including the weird and wonderful kakapo parrot and the tuatara. Emma and Robi then get into the knitty details o...

Welcome to the twenty-fifth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! This week we begin by sharing some quick nature and conservation news, and then onto the species of the week! This time, Robi talks about the fascinating brown hyenas and how they might (or might not) actually be living members of an extinct genus - taxonomy nerds, this one’s for you! Emma talks about the invasive American signa...

Welcome to the twenty-fourth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! This is the first of a new episode structure for the ZR podcast: most episodes will follow the normal structure - News, Species of the Week, Local Conservation Story, Global Conservation Story - but every other episode, we will be doing a “Deep Dive” into a potential species reintroduction! At the end of each “Deep Dive”, we wi...

Welcome to the twenty-third episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! This week, for the news section, the dynamic duo got together to speak at a Pride Community Campfire that Emma hosted for the Avon Wildlife Trust, followed by a wonderful conversation about the innate queerness of nature featuring lesbian bonobos and elephant orgies … as you do! For the species of the week, Robi pitches the maje...

Welcome to the twenty-second episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! We begin this episode with a poignant discussion of Emma’s attendance of the Funeral of Nature in Bath, and a more light-hearted discussion of Robi’s recent sightings of the rare bat hawks in the Okavango Delta! For our species of the week, the dynamic duo discuss the weird, cow-stomached hoatzins, and two new species of deer a...

Welcome to the twenty-first episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! The dynamic duo shares some exciting updates about their recently released Rewilding A Nation documentary, Robi’s leopard research in Namibia and what the 2024 programme of the Avon Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Champions project has in store! For species of the week, Emma and Robi chat about a sleath of new species discovered in 20...

Welcome to the twentieth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Robi talks about his MSc work in Namibia/South Africa, on a project comparing different methods for surveying for leopard density, and Emma speaks about her work supporting local communities taking action for nature in Avon! The hosts take a moment to reflect on key moments in nature and encourage you all to notice...

Welcome to the nineteenth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, the dynamic duo touch base as Robi embarks on an exciting new journey in Cape Town and Emma joins The Avon Wildlife Trust! For our species of the week, the pair chat about howler monkeys in Costa Rica and ejaculating beetles pollinating sexually-deceptive orchids. In the conservation section, Emma and Robi chat ab...

Welcome to the eighteenth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! This episode is recorded “in the field”, from Emma’s field site in New Quay, Wales! In the news section, we chat about the UK government’s miserable record on environmental laws and the biodiversity crises. For the species of the week, Emma talks about her current study species, the bottlenose dolphins, and Robi chats about the bl...