Species

Can armadillos roll themselves into a ball or not? Today, we talk about the nine-banded armadillo, an animal whose population stretches from South America to the US, and might be headed for Massachusetts or even Canada. In this episode, you'll hear about their surprising athletic abilities, including their absurd vertical leap and strange river-crossing strategies. Learn about the weird possible functions of their armor, as well as its embarrassing drawbacks, all on this episode of Species.   Bibliography   Donate

25 Nov 201928min

Soul Eubanks is an artist and an activist in the animal rights movement. He is a leader in Atlanta’s vegan community, an environmentalist, a musician, a photographer, and he has worked with numerous animal rights organizations in various capacities. In this conversation, we discuss his vegan journey, his organization of the Atlanta Animal Right’s March, his undercover work for PETA, how his art intersects with his activism. and his outreach work with Anonymous for the Voiceless and the Humane Society. We also hear his opinions on the state of the vegan movement, and he tells vegans what he thinks they're doing wrong, what they’re doing right. Vegan22.com Soul's links: Patreon / Twitter / Instagram / Website / Apparel

22 Nov 20191h 25min

This animal, the inland taipan (a.k.a. the "fierce snake") is the most venomous snake on earth. How much of their venom could kill you? How much could kill a football team? How much of it could kill all of New York? Find out about this, black t-shirts, and Theodore Roosevelt all on this episode of Species. Bibliography Macken & Ben Shapiro

18 Nov 201917min

Is this bird an artist? They sing, they dance, they do imitations, and they build insane structures... But is it art? Come learn about the incredible abilities of MacGregor's bowerbird, find out about the science of sexual selection, and ponder the nature and origin of art, all on this episode of Species.   Bibliography   Donate

10 Nov 201924min

Come hear the legendary history of the goldfish, and get the answers to your most important goldfish-related questions: Do goldfish have a 3-second memory? How big is the biggest goldfish ever? How old is the oldest goldfish? Is my goldfish depressed? Learn all of this and more on this episode of Species. Bibliography Donate

4 Nov 201923min

Humans don't have a monopoly on culture, innovation, accents, great ideas, or even using other animals as forms of transport; the Japanese macaque has all these things and more! Come learn about the history of macaque innovation on this episode of Species. Bibliography Donate

28 Okt 201928min

Listen and learn from reptile expert Dr. David Steen! He comes on the show to bust some myths about snakes and turtles, share science communication strategies, and tell us what to do if we find venomous snakes, reveal the secrets of the Atlanta biology Illuminati.   David is the founder and executive director of The Alongside Wildlife Foundation (a 501(c)(3) charitable organization). Until recently he worked as the research ecologist of the Georgia Sea Turtle Center, and now he is a herpetology research leader in the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.   He is renowned for his science communication, he is a popular blogger with a large following on both Facebook and Instagram. He is perhaps most famous for his unique brand of Twitter outreach (Slate Magazine calls him "The Best Biologist on Twitter") and if you have any questions you can send him a tweet during or after the show.   David just came out with his first book, Secrets of Snakes, which playfully debunks many of the most pervasive myths about snakes. It is filled with fun facts from cover to cover, and David's engaging writing is accompanied by gorgeous photographs and original drawings. It is available wherever books are sold, including on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

22 Okt 201946min

There might be a 25-meter long worm living inside your body. On today's episode, you can get to know them a little better.   Bibliography Donate Read Macken's work on Tenderly

20 Okt 201922min