Episode 163 - Claws
Check the fingers and toes of your favorite vertebrate animals and you’re likely to find claws or something similar at the ends. These digit-caps come in a variety of shapes – claws, nails, even hoove...
16 Apr 20231h 54min
Episode 162 – Caecilians
You’re probably familiar with frogs and salamanders, but there is a third group of modern amphibians, the strangest of them all: the worm-like caecilians. In this episode, we’ll explore the many bizar...
2 Apr 20232h 12min
Episode 161 - Sleep
We spend a huge portion of our lives sleeping. For us and other animals, it’s clearly a very important behavior. And yet, despite how familiar and commonplace it is, there’s plenty we still don’t unde...
18 Mars 20232h 23min
Episode 160 - The Messel Pit
Once, it was a volcanic crater. Then, it was a lake, perhaps equal parts lush and deadly. Much later, it was a mining site. And finally, today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most f...
5 Mars 20231h 58min
Episode 159 - Giraffes
Giraffes are so famous and familiar to most of us that it can be easy to forget how utterly strange they are. This episode, we explore modern giraffes, their living cousins (okapis!), and their ancien...
19 Feb 20232h 10min
Episode 158 – Charles R. Knight
Happy Darwin Day! You’ve seen his artwork. And if you somehow haven’t, you’ve seen lots of art inspired by his artwork. Charles R. Knight might be the most influential paleoartist of all time, inspiri...
5 Feb 20231h 53min
Episode 157 - Bioluminescence and Biofluorescence
Glowing organisms might seem like something out of science fiction, but not only do they exist here on Earth, they are incredibly common. Some species glow when exposed to certain kinds of light, and ...
22 Jan 20232h 17min
Episode 156 - Eurypterids (Sea Scorpions)
The Paleozoic Era was home to many strange and fascinating extinct groups, and among the most eye-catching of these were the eurypterids. Colloquially called “sea scorpions,” these carnivorous aquatic...
8 Jan 20231h 57min
