Creature Feature

Today, we’re going to be playing a little game: see if you can guess which one of these animals we’re about to discuss is more likely to kill you than to cuddle you? Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: can you trim your hedges with a crocodile? 

Guest: Joey Clift 

Footnotes:

 Striped eel catfish: https://lh6.ggpht.com/HPMmXXIdHNPICfAwmozv5rDOOO3isj6S4eCmO7xsAdh03ZvnetNJpowsNwLajM_YTOEgDer-ClRaMr9G2iT0=s1200

The gharial crocodile: https://usercontent1.hubstatic.com/14168422_f1024.jpg

The basking shark: https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/2017/baskingshark.jpg

Blue-ringed octopus (if you see this RUN AWAY): https://www.thoughtco.com/thmb/nk8JcdyT-e1AU_Qt5i_iivC0924=/2796x2097/smart/filters:no_upscale()/blue-ringed-octopus-467490389-5b66e3fcc9e77c0050c8aebc.jpg

Be wary of the cassowary: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Southern_Cassowary_7071.jpg

The shoebill stork is not a stork (but is kinda a dork): https://i.redd.it/fwvsltmy5lw41.jpg

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I answer your questions about speciation, weird eye situations, and swole gorillas! 

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Katie has returned to her home nesting ground for a quick break, so enjoy one of her favorite episodes from the past! I'm joined by Patch, the creator of the amazing biology YouTube channel TierZoo, to discuss how animals might beat some of the toughest, most iconic video game bosses out there! 

Guest: Patch from TierZoo

Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EqBX-Pmk6SpmRBxFIO6W_k8tflRskHjyumSu5k70PpM/edit?usp=sharing

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Don't worry, these critters haven't been mutilated, but rather through evolution, they've ditch certain appendages. Legs? Don't need 'em. Wings? Forget about it. Tails? Lose 'em. Sometimes efficiency requires sacrifice, and body parts have go to go! Apologies for an initial audio issue (ironically, some missing audio data)! This has been fixed! Thank you for your patience 

Guest: Joelle Monique

Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1v9AWcvOv1K2ailxCWHMD-LMOWn2DtGcAPD5udVNdNiE/edit?usp=sharing

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I answer your questions, from what happens in a cocoon to the evolutionary history of bird bones! 

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Leeches leeches leeches leeches! How big can they get? Can we really use them in medicine? And are they secretly... cuuuute? 

Guest: Joey Clift

Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/15XDOP0Auky-Ot2LdYBj0T6td_xGXm7wmyDrQy21nQWg/edit?usp=sharing

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Plants are just the hapless victims of herbivores, right? Wrong! Listen to how plants fight back in sometimes delicious fashion. 

Guest: Dr. Vikram Baliga

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These critters have a taste for the weird, the morbid, and the wildly unethical. Discover this and more as we answer the age-old question: what do you do with a cannibal boss baby?

Guests: Michael Swaim & Abe Epperson 

Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/111Bvmkr8zACAH3thS90DmvDLI0YqKQvunMMT_8Tzpv4/edit?usp=sharing

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Snouts, jaws, and eyeballs that look like they're about to break the graphics engine on the planet earth video game. Discover this and more as we answer the age old question: what's an echidna's deal?

Guest: Chris Crofton 

Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1RM6R3-Di9qnzxORJcPI6u83J75SnRdHBI3FWlBq4Feo/edit?usp=sharing

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AUKS! You heard me right. From puffins, to razorbills, to crested auklets, these seafaring birds may be a little AUK-ward on land, but they can cut through the skies and the seas like acrobats. Discover this and more as we answer the age old question: what does bird cologne smell like?

Guest: Jack Baker

Footnotes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IomXvjwFO1I0jUVubi-f0yv2S5ysOGH-pnuISSXEuYw/edit?usp=sharing

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