Beautiful Beetles (Pint of Science Special) - Interview

Beetles are like little fashion icons. Some are as shiny and reflective as mirrors. Others change colour depending on their angle. In this special episode for the Pint of Science Festival, we ask Dr Amanda Franklin why. We also ask about Amanda’s experiences studying other animals, including mantis shrimp.

Follow Amanda on Twitter: https://twitter.com/neptsnecklace

Pint of Science is an international festival which has been running in Australia for the last 7 years.

This not-for-profit science festival aims to bring local researchers out of the lab to speak with the public about their current science research. Find out more: https://pintofscience.com.au/festival/2021

Werewolves, Vampires and Zombies

In this spooky Halloween special, Ashton Dickerson joins us to discuss werewolves, vampires and zombies of the animal kingdom. We even throw in a witch and some Frankenstein’s monsters.

We referenced some visual media during our recording; see what we were seeing below:

• Vampire finches: https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/wildlife-photographer-of-the-year-vampire-finches.html

• Lungfish: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/west-african-lungfish/

To learn more about Ashton’s research, you can find her on Twitter (@aScienceBird).

Isolation Animals: The Good

Need some good news? In this episode, we discuss how lockdown is affecting wildlife - in good ways. From brighter bees to healthier hedgehogs, find out how animals might be making the most of this situation.

If all this episode feels one-sided, don’t worry…there’s more to come in our next episode.

This episode features audio from the Dawn Chorus project by BIOTOPIA and the Nantesbuch Foundation: https://dawn-chorus.org/. These audio recordings are from (links below):

• Grampians, Australia

• Bengaluru, India

• South Africa

• Dresden, Germany

• Umeå, Sweden

• Taiwan

• North Carolina, USA

• Saskatchewan, Canada

• Playa del Carmen, Mexico

• São Paulo, Brazil

Animal Highlights 2019

What were the greatest animal-related events of 2019? To bring in the new year, we chat with Tom Keaney about our personal favourites. From the discovery of an ancient amphibious whale, to a new record for world’s fastest ant, this episode brings together some of the weirdest and most interesting highlights of 2019.

De-Extinction - Interview

The thylacine (or Tasmanian Tiger) was an Australian marsupial that looked a bit like a dog. In 1936, the last known thylacine died. But could we bring this species back?

In this episode, we chat with Dr Axel Newton about what made the thylacine dog-like, what made it unique, and how close we are to bringing this species - and others - back from extinction. We also ask the question: even if we could, should we?

My Favourite Parasite

Mind-controlling viruses, vampire fish and crab-castrating barnacles. Sound like science fiction? Welcome to the real and terrifying world of parasites. In this episode, Kaya Moore joins us to chat about some of the world’s most incredible parasites - and what they can do to their animal hosts. Will it give you nightmares? Possibly. Is it worth listening anyway? Definitely.

Swedish Ducks and Arctic Sleep

Where have we been, and how have we been sleeping? In this short update, David reveals his first solo birding achievement (making Farley proud) and Annie describes the weird sleep patterns of arctic animals. We also provide some clues about our next major episode.

The Lost Duck

Animalia goes into the "wild" to search for the rarest bird in Australia: the Tufted Duck. Along the way we discuss birding culture, what a "twitcher" is, and spot many, many birds... but do we find the Tufted Duck?

Episode features news segments from The Project.

We now have a Patreon! If you'd like to help support us, please find us at https://www.patreon.com/animalia

Seven Swans a-Swimming

Swans are icons of love and fidelity, but what are their relationships actually like? And does the Queen really own them all? In this short episode, Annie presents a swan-themed Q&A. (With a brief introduction of our recent travels across four continents)

Read more about Annie’s research here.

Do You See What I See? - Interview

What can a mantis shrimp see, and why does a chameleon need to change colour? In this episode, Dr Devi Stuart-Fox shares some surprising facts about animal vision - and about the tricks animals use to hide in plain sight.

Read more about Devi’s research here: https://devistuartfox.com/

The Great Debate

In this episode, Annie and Farley are joined by Izzy Taylor for a three-way debate on whose home country has the "best" animal. Australia versus America versus England, who will win?

To check out some of Izzy's work, see this amazing video she made about the humble bumblebee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYkxYQ1d0NE

Doing 'It'

In this short episode, Farley and Annie chat about chilly echidnas, accents and penis fencing.

Sleep - Interview

From dolphins sleeping with half their brain, to birds sleeping while flying...not all animals sleep the way that we do. We chat with Dr John Lesku about the weird and impressive ways that animals sleep - and the big questions that are yet to be answered.

Read more about John's research here: https://leskulab.org/

Welcome to Animalia

Welcome to Animalia! What is Animalia? Why is this podcast not about anime? In our very first short episode, we discuss Kingdom Animalia, rejected podcast names, and Farley calls Annie a leech.