Podcasts by Off Track
Further podcasts by ABC Radio
Podcast on the topic Naturwissenschaften
All episodes
INTRODUCING — What The Duck?! from 2022-02-07T12:00:08
Australia is full of weird plants and animals. And Dr Ann Jones is on speaking terms with most of them! Each week Ann explores the most unusual elements of our natural world — the ones that make yo...
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Antarctic blue whales and their amazing hums from 2022-01-15T05:30
The song calls of Antarctic blue whales are so deep that they're almost infrasonic - you feel them as much as you hear them.
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Live long, little lizard [RE-ISSUE] from 2022-01-08T05:30
After 35 years, some of the same sleepy lizards are still alive, still with the same lizard partner.
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The Blythe Star sinks off Tasmania [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-12-25T05:30
While all ten crew members of the Blythe Star got out alive after she capsized, not all would survive the ordeal that followed.
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Growls, grunts and currawong songs [Earworms from Planet earth XIX] from 2021-12-18T05:30
This is Australia and the world, as heard by you, the listeners of Off Track.
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Nature tells us who we are from 2021-12-11T05:30
Nature can be sanctuary, as well as family and guide.
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Sounds fishy [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-12-04T05:30
Just under the surface of the ocean, a cacophony of sound awaits.
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Any louder and that frog will explode [Part 2 RE-ISSUE] from 2021-11-27T05:30
It's all very well recording frog sounds, but what are they trying to say?
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Any louder and that frog will explode [Part 1 RE-ISSUE] from 2021-11-20T05:30
Murray Littlejohn first recorded the moaning frogs of WA on a device made from a gramophone mechanism in the early 1950s.
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Fire, fire everywhere from 2021-11-13T05:30
How can you appreciate the ecological importance of fire, but also fight fires with all your might?
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Circling piranhas and a kangaroo fight [Incident Report 06] from 2021-11-06T05:30
Just when you thought it might be safe to get back out into nature, you get zapped back to reality.
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From Darth Vader to Mardi Gras from 2021-10-30T05:30
Can you defend yourself against a predator more than 200 times your size with a costume change?
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Slipping away in the South West from 2021-10-23T05:30
What's been dumped on our beaches and what's been taken away?
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Making every bird count from 2021-10-16T05:30
Why are the birds in our neighbourhoods changing?
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The lone fisher from 2021-10-09T05:30
In a tiny town called Windy, a woman seeks a life of isolation.
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Kukenarup: Possibilities of place from 2021-10-02T05:30
This site of huge ecological significance has a violent history.
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The river visitor making a splash from 2021-09-25T05:30
Melbourne's Yarra river has an unexpected inhabitant, and its bringing joy to people in the locked-down city and beyond.
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Spineless swimmers and crawling crustaceans from 2021-09-18T05:30
In the groundwater beneath the Nullabor, there are billions of tiny crustaceans crawling between the grains of sand.
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Crickets and sprickets from 2021-09-11T05:30
Meet the tiny creatures who live in the earth beneath your feet
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Slime in the city from 2021-09-04T05:30
Tanya Latty kept a slime mould in her desk drawer at the University. And that got her thinking – are there other slime moulds living their best urban life in Sydney?
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Ticked-off in Sydney from 2021-08-28T05:30
Northern Sydneysiders might not like the sound of the latest research into tick hosts in their backyards.
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Going home to a mice plague from 2021-08-21T05:30
When a final visit to the family farm is rudely interrupted by rodents
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Hunting for hoots from 2021-08-14T05:30
If you listen closely you might just hear something you've never heard before.
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Owl with attitude [UPDATE] from 2021-08-07T05:30
Lurking in the tall trees of our busy cities and suburbs is a powerful hunter.
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The butterfly and its goldilocks ant [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-07-24T05:30
The survival of one of the rarest butterflies in the world is entirely reliant on an ant.
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Conserving small things on a big scale from 2021-07-10T05:30
If invertebrates make up over 90% of animals on earth, why do they receive so little conservation funding?
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Like a field of blue popcorn from 2021-07-03T05:30
During summer on top of Australia's highest mountain, fields of brilliant turquoise skyhoppers bloom.
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The BFG of the insect world from 2021-06-26T05:30
What’s built like an armoured vehicle, but is super-dooper maternal, has a career as an architect AND is an environmentalist? You’d never guess that Australia’s burrowing cockroaches are so incredi...
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Listening to the Natural World from 2021-06-19T05:30
It's World Listening Day so we are taking a journey through sounds recorded by the audience and one of Australia's most successful nature sound recordists, Andrew Skeoch.
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Do your friends make you smarter? from 2021-06-12T05:30
Magpies might be boosting their bird brains with friends.
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The real magpies of Western Australia from 2021-06-05T05:30
When our favourite black and white birds bring the drama!
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Sounds fishy from 2021-05-29T05:30
Just under the surface of the ocean, a cacophony of sound awaits.
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The point of zoos [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-05-22T05:30
At the Bronx zoo in New York, Lynne Malcolm explores its potential as an agent for conservation and public education about the natural world.
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Ethics, extinction and modern day zoos from 2021-05-15T05:30
With often complex and cruel histories, can we trust zoos to have animals' best interests at heart?
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A tiger, a tortoise and sounds of the zoo from 2021-05-08T05:30
You might have heard an elephant trumpet but have you heard one fart?
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Suction bogs and stealing eagles [Incident Report 05] from 2021-05-01T05:30
Just when you thought it was safe to get back out into nature, you get bitten on the eyeball and bog the car next to a crocodile infested river.
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A majesty peculiar to the species [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-04-24T05:30
There is something about the Wedge-tailed Eagle which grips this man in the guts.
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The other lyrebird and its anthems from 2021-04-17T05:30
The Albert's lyrebird has a tiny range, but an epic song repertoire.
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Lyrebirds: Equality now! [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-04-10T05:30
Female lyrebirds should be rock stars in their own right.
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Lyrebirds: Lyre, lyre, dancefloor on fire [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-04-03T05:30
Triple Blue is a superb lyrebird stud muffin.
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Lyrebirds - Repeat after me [Off Track Classic] from 2021-03-27T06:30
You might think you know the story of the lyrebird. Think again. And then listen to this classic Off Track ear-bending series called 'Sex, lyres an...
Lyrebirds: Repeat after me [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-03-27T05:30
You might think you know the story of the lyrebird. Think again.
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Woof-woof, boo-book [Earworms from Planet Earth XVIII] from 2021-03-13T05:30
Endangered animal sounds and scientists imitating them.
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Will the Aussie bush really kill you? from 2021-03-06T05:30
Venomous trees and angry snakes - just what we need.
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Are we'burning in ignorance'? from 2021-02-20T05:30
In South West WA, there are concerns that prescribed burning is negatively impacting an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot.
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It's not a koala bear, it's a koala boom from 2021-02-13T05:30
We've all heard the stories of the koala on the brink of extinction, but in parts of Victoria, is the exact opposite – the koalas are booming and it’s all our fault.
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Clapping witches hiding in swamps and other weird sounds [Earworms from Planet Earth XVII] from 2021-02-06T05:30
An Italian folk tale comes to life in an Australian swamp and a meditating man fails to control his ferocious whippets. Welcome to the latest episode of audience submitted sounds.
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Flower pots for biodiversity [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-01-30T05:30
A simple flowerpot making a difference to biodiversity in Sydney's harbour.
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It was a mulga snake that got him [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-01-23T05:30
If you get bitten by a snake in the middle of the bush don't do what this bloke did
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The banteng paradox [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-01-09T05:30
Banteng are an introduced species in Arnhem Land, but in their home range, they are in danger of complete extinction. So, what to do?
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And your bug can sing [RE-ISSUE] from 2021-01-02T05:30
The underwater sounds in this creek near Brisbane are like an eclectic jam session.
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Karajarri calling [RE-ISSUE] from 2020-12-26T05:30
Over the course of the week, three pairs of shoes bite the dust, soles detached from uppers in the 45 degree heat, one microphone's glue melts and there are about a billion bush flies drinking from...
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Birds that sound like a haunted house [Earworms from Planet Earth XVI] from 2020-12-19T05:30
Are you about to get murdered, or is it just a gang gang saying hello?
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Frogs with tusks, whistlers in lust [Earworms from Planet Earth XV] from 2020-12-12T05:30
What sounds like a hiccup, but is actually a lusty mating call for a lothario without a lover?
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Bommies and black coral from 2020-12-05T05:30
Ancient creatures hide on Tasmania's secret reefs.
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Coral city from 2020-11-28T05:30
On a coral reef, everyone works to keep the city from crumbling.
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Requiem for Wildlife from 2020-11-24T23:00
To accompany ABC TV's Wild Australia: After the Fires, here is a minute of nature sound.
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We all know frogs go'bonk' from 2020-11-21T05:30
But do they really say 'bonk' or is it 'tonk',’ and does a foreign accent make a frog sexy?
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Off Track presents Days Like These from 2020-11-20T21:00
Imagine spending your whole life searching for the elusive, perfect fiery opal. And then, one day, you realise you're holding — literally in the palm of your sweaty hand — a glittering prize of a g...
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Lynne's lungs and other adventures from 2020-11-14T05:30
Lynne Malcolm lost half a lung, and it was *probably* as a result of a radio story about birds.
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Banana box frog rescue service [RE-ISSUE] from 2020-11-07T05:30
Unwittingly shipped almost 3000km across the continent in a hand of bananas, this small frog is going to need help getting home.
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Monster in the forest [Earworms from Planet Earth XIV] from 2020-10-31T05:30
Ever heard a sound echoing through the forest and thought, "well crikey, that's gotta be a dinosaur"?
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Were-willy wagtail from 2020-10-17T05:30
You find yourself awake in the middle of the night and there is a willy wagtail singing to the moon. Are you loosing your mind, or does this bird occasionally turn into a were-willy?
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Always wear the gloves and other lessons [Incident Report 04] from 2020-10-10T05:30
More quollity drama for your ears.
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Who would ride a motorbike on Antarctic sea ice? from 2020-10-03T05:30
His name is George and he's a bit of a legend.
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Balancing Nature: New Zealand [RE-ISSUE] from 2020-09-26T05:30
A pioneering experiment to rid New Zealand of its pest problem.
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Balancing Nature: Philippines [RE-ISSUE] from 2020-09-19T05:30
The Philippines is a reef fish biodiversity hotspot, but it's a delicate balance between livelihoods and sustainability in some fishing communities.
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Balancing Nature: Vietnam [RE-ISSUE] from 2020-09-12T05:30
How do you protect Vietnam's pristine forests from the fast-expanding road and dam projects?
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Balancing Nature: Australia [RE-ISSUE] from 2020-09-05T05:30
Take a look back at some Australian conservation efforts, from tiny reserves to landscape-scale restoration.
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Behind the scenes of natural scenes from 2020-08-29T05:30
Ever wondered how they get those gorgeous shots of nocturnal animals on the TV?
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An unscheduled Antarctic adventure from 2020-08-22T05:30
When the icebreaker runs aground and leaves you stranded in Antarctica, what's a scientist to do?
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Love song for a changing ocean [RE-ISSUE] from 2020-08-15T05:30
After years of discussions with scientists, a composer writes a symphony for the sea. He calls it ex Oceano.
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Sounds and showers of Macquarie Island [part two] from 2020-08-08T05:30
Where endangered wildlife watches you showering with a bucket in the Antarctic wind.
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Sounds and smells of Macquarie Island [part one] from 2020-08-01T05:30
Where elephant seals smell like feathers and petrels sound like dragons.
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He hitch-hiked with a snake in his hand from 2020-07-25T05:30
Kevin Budden was only a young bloke when he left Sydney for North Queensland with one goal in mind: to find a coastal taipan and bring it back alive.
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Nipple cripples and other nibbles [Incident Report 03] from 2020-07-18T05:30
Just when you thought it might be safe to get back out into nature, it gets you where you least expect it: your nipples.
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Never smile at a crocodile and other fails [Incident Report 02] from 2020-07-11T05:30
Just when you thought it might be safe to get back out into nature, there’s a bite from a huge, unknown carnivore and a leech on your eyeball. This is the second instalment of Incident Reports with...
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Fieldwork fails and flops [Incident Report 01] from 2020-07-04T05:30
Let’s not get too romantic about nature. There’s plenty of times when you end up covered in mud, at the end of your tether and on the receiving end of a love bite from a vampire bat. Hear scientist...
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Live long, little lizard [UPDATE] from 2020-06-27T05:30
After 35 years, some of the same sleepy lizards are still alive, still with the same lizard partner. This episode was first broadcast in 2017, but has been updated with news of the new sleepy liz...
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A squirrel that glides like a magic carpet in the Himalayas [UPDATE] from 2020-06-20T05:30
Gliding over a glacier in the Himalayas is a metre long squirrel with a smallish head, silky fur and a fluffy tail - but it's hardly ever been seen alive. Originally aired in 2017, we've got an upd...
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All aboard Australia's super science ship [RE-ISSUE] from 2020-06-13T05:30
It's as if this ship has invisible cat's whiskers extending off her hull - pricked and at the ready, they sense the weather and temperature and map the course ahead.
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It was a mulga snake that got him from 2020-06-06T05:30
If you get bitten by a snake in the middle of the bush don't do what this bloke did
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[NATURE TRACK] Water Flow from 2020-06-05T12:35
No music, no voices, just the sound of a stream and frogs calling on a still, cool night in regional Victoria.
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[NATURE TRACK] Shore Sounds from 2020-06-04T05:30:43
No music, no voices, just the sound of the Roebuck Bay mudflats near Broome, WA. Hear breeze across the water, crabs and mudskippers flipping and flopping, and a tide that slowly comes in.
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[NATURE TRACK] Forest Songs from 2020-06-03T12:33
No music, no voices, just the sing of the forest coming to life early one morning near Canberra.
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[NATURE TRACK] Mountain Music from 2020-06-02T12:32
No music, no voices, just the sound of a valley halfway up a Tasmanian Mountain. This soundscape is full of birds and breeze echoing backwards and forwards across a reservoir.
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Off Track presents Nature Track from 2020-06-01T12:31
Right now, more than ever, it’s important to stay in touch with nature.
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Western whips and a ruff duet [Earworms from Planet Earth xiii] from 2020-05-23T05:30
Right now, finding joy in nature is just the ticket.
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The perfect little rock from 2020-05-16T05:30
A piece of pumice floats across the ocean like a school bus picking up young organisms – tiny planktonic corals, some barnacles, maybe a crab, an oyster, perhaps a nudibranch.
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Barking gecko, boop-ing emu from 2020-05-09T05:30
Every evening at homes in Northern Australia, a tiny yip yip yip can be heard. And, on the other end of the spectrum, a boop boop boop can be heard in more arid zones. This week is a adventure into...
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The banteng paradox from 2020-05-02T05:30
Banteng are an introduced species in Arnhem Land, but in their home range, they are in danger of complete extinction. So, what to do?
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PREVIEW RN Presents — Hot Mess: Why haven’t we fixed climate change? from 2020-05-01T01:00
If you are here in the Off Track feed, then, we're thinking you're probably a person who is engaged with the natural world. So, it follows that you might be interested in this series from RN Presen...
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Whip it good [Earworms from Planet Earth xii] from 2020-04-25T05:30
Whipbirds are a favourite in the Aussie bush – secretive little fellows with flat top haircuts and a cutting call. This episode is chokka-block full of whippy (and other) recordings sent in from t...
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Echidna indigestion and other eating tails [Re-issue] from 2020-04-18T05:30
It’s a bat eat mouse, lizard eat possum, wallaby eat bird world out there. Animals are always eating weird stuff.
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Magical and misunderstood sea snakes [Re-issue] from 2020-04-11T05:30
These curious coral reef inhabitants have evolved some remarkable adaptations to thrive in the underwater realm.
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When Jamie fell in love with the mountains [Re-issue] from 2020-04-04T05:30
Distinguished Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick has been crawling across lawns for more than 70 years, it's just that this one is on the top of a mountain and is full of plants from the cretaceous.
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Intimate aliens [Re-issue] from 2020-03-28T05:30
Robert Adlard says that parasites are intimate aliens, and that our dislike for them stems from their ability to surprise us with their closeness.
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Hobart Airport lets sleeping echidnas lie [Re-issue] from 2020-03-21T05:30
Despite all the noise of planes coming and going, the echidnas at Hobart airport are digging in to hibernate.
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Seagrass [Re-issue] from 2020-03-14T05:30
Understanding the power of seagrass in a research laboratory 18m under the sea.
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Flora fatale, the plants with a thirst for blood [Re-issue] from 2020-03-07T05:30
With an aggressive mass-murder-then-compost strategy, these tiny plants are the most heinous of herbs.
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Ravenous star-shaped mouths from 2020-02-29T05:30
Sea urchins are making a meal of south-eastern Australia’s rocky reefs and kelp forests. Can they be stopped?
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Sea urchin solo in a coral reef choir [re-issue] from 2020-02-22T05:30
Under the sea it isn’t all relaxing whale noise. The sound of the reef creatures is actually more like a percussive static with some grinding teeth on rock thrown in.
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And your bug can sing from 2020-02-15T05:30
The underwater sounds in this creek near Brisbane are like an eclectic jam session. There are sweet beetles (that sing), lonely bugs (on percussion), fishy grunters (think Jay-Z) and a punk-rockin...
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Grandmother tree, the fire and me from 2020-02-08T05:30
Vanessa thought 'it's ok, the people are safe... It's ok, the house is safe...' But nothing prepared her for returning home.
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Yackandandah's angel of the bush [UPDATE] from 2020-02-01T05:30
Glenda Elliott can't say no to an animal in need - she wants to save them all. A few years back when fire ripped through Kangaloola Wildlife Shelter, she and the animals hid in a mineshaft. This ...
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The burning bush is talking from 2020-01-25T05:30
Just before the fire hit, the trees' leaves turned red and fell to the ground, and it left Adrian wondering - did they know they were just about to burn?
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Where giants nest from 2020-01-11T05:30
Albatross expert Dr Jaimie Cleeland listens to the gurgles and bellows of albatross as they nest on a tiny Atlantic island called Gough. For RN Summer we're bringing you Off Track highlights from ...
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Gone fish — pygmy perch pushed too far from 2020-01-04T05:30
The tiny Yarra pygmy perch has been pushed to extinction in the Murray Darling Basin. Now, all hopes for its return are focussed on a couple of farm dams. For RN Summer we're bringing you Off Trac...
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Barbara York Main — Australia's spider woman from 2019-12-21T05:30
She studied the world's oldest spider and championed their home at a time when both the environment and women were given no fighting chance — Dr Barbara Anne York Main OAM. For RN Summer we're bri...
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Earworms from planet earth XI from 2019-12-14T05:30
Birds sing at a mining camp, cicadas grind the gears of locals and mysterious sounds are identified. Listen to the sounds of Australia as recorded by the Off Track audience.
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This is Mark from 2019-12-07T05:30
This is Mark: a life-size, custom-made inflatable whale. And he needs to be saved.
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Virtual reality, second nature from 2019-11-30T05:30
Off Track presents the new ABC podcast 'GOOD GAME: how games play us' attempting to answer a BIG question: There's nothing like taking a walk out and about in nature — or is there?
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Trapped in the dry from 2019-11-23T05:30
What happens to the animals of the Kimberley when the big wet just doesn't arrive?
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Karajarri calling from 2019-11-16T05:30
Over the course of the week, three pairs of shoes bite the dust, soles detached from uppers in the 45 degree heat, one microphone's glue melts and there are about a billion bush flies drinking from...
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Amphibian hullabaloo and other frog noises from 2019-11-09T05:30
Frogs don't just croak, they moan and groan, sing, whine, whizz and sound like dripping taps and this is an episode of pure adoration for the calls of Australia's frogs.
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Big cats in the bush [RE-ISSUE] from 2019-11-02T05:30
Rumours of pumas and leopards roaming the Australian bush have been around for more than a century. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence but to date no definitive proof. Join in the search for a my...
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Tiny crayfish out of water from 2019-10-26T05:30
It's only as big as a tea bag, plays dead if you pick it up, and landowners don't even know they have an endangered animal in their backyard.
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The unlikely tale of the Murchison meteorite from 2019-10-19T05:30
It startled the cows, intrigued the locals and excited scientists around the world. Fifty years on, the Murchison meteorite still defines a town and yields new discoveries every year.
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Off Track family news from 2019-10-15T02:00
The Off Track family is growing and we want you to know about it. Meet our little sister podcast - Noisy by Nature.
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Plovers unmasked from 2019-10-12T05:30
The masked lapwing terrifies humans with daring aerial attacks, which are actually displays of its pure parental love.
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Magpie behaviour is not black and white from 2019-10-05T05:30
[RE-ISSUE] The phrase 'mate for life' might seem romantic, but the reality of such a relationship for the long-lived Australian Magpie involves turf wars, sex on the side and the possibility of a s...
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Saving the Ocean, part 4 [re-issue] from 2019-09-28T05:30
What can science do to preserve marine life and help it develop in harmony with our own human development? This program is a re-issue from the Off Track archives while Ann takes a short break.
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Saving the Ocean part 3 [re-issue] from 2019-09-21T05:30
Lindsay Smith has been tagging seabirds in the deep waters off Wollongong for over thirty years. Commercial fishing practice can have a devastating impact on seabird populations. But science is fig...
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Saving the Ocean, part 2 [re-issue] from 2019-09-14T05:30
Shark fishing holds a special place in Kiribati culture. But a growth in the market for shark fins in Asia changed the traditional fishing practice. This program is a re-issue from the Off Track ar...
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Saving the Ocean, part 1 [re-issue] from 2019-09-07T05:30
Few places on earth are as exposed to the ocean as Kiribati; a chain of 32 islands spread across 3.5 million square km in the East Pacific. This program is a re-issue from the Off Track archives wh...
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Where giants nest - nature soundscape from 2019-09-01T02:05
Sink into the sounds of Gough Island, where the Albatross gurgle, the petrels moan and the skuas chatter. No human voices, all Off Track soundscape.
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Cockies wheelie love bin day from 2019-08-24T05:30
Sulphur-crested cockatoos are opening wheelie bins and turning trash into treasure.
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The exceptional Nuyts Archipelago from 2019-08-17T05:30
St Peter Island in South Australia's Nuyts Archipelago is home to sea eagles, short-tailed shearwaters, stick-nest rats and brush-tailed bettongs – and also some particularly venomous black tiger s...
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Earworms From Planet Earth X from 2019-08-10T05:30
A magpie calls to the rising sun, a fat green frog sings in a water tank and an endangered lemur moans about its family. Ann Jones takes you and a bunch of experts on an ear-tour.
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Listen for Tigers from 2019-08-03T05:30
No one ever forgets the time that they first heard a tiger.
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Golf is freedom and frustration [re-issue] from 2019-07-27T05:30
In any given day on the golf course, there are people in ecstasy, and people in agony. Sometimes it's the same person. [From the Off Track archive]
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Earworms from Planet Earth IX from 2019-07-20T05:30
Stressed? Got the sniffles? Need a nap? Got a fussy baby? Just. Over. It? You won’t realise how much you needed to hear nature until you’ve heard this set of wild sounds sent in by Off Track liste...
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The curse of the plastic nurdle from 2019-07-13T05:30
Fiona Pepper follows the path of a tiny grain of plastic - a nurdle - as it travels on ocean currents from South Africa to land on a 'pristine' beach in West Australia.
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Earworm Extra - lyrebird audiotape from 2019-07-09T01:05
Want to live another five minutes in the Off Track lyrebird world? Well, listen to this.
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Lyrebirds - lyrebird equality now! from 2019-07-06T05:30
You might think you know the story of the lyrebird. Think again. Female lyrebirds could be rock stars in their own right.
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Earworm Extra - Listener Lyrebirds from 2019-07-01T03:30
From the hundreds of sounds sent into Off Track, we've selected all the Lyrebird recordings. An earworm extra for the series 'Sex, lyres and audiotape.'
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Lyrebirds - Lyre, lyre, dancefloors on fire from 2019-06-29T05:30
You might think you know the story of the lyrebird. Think again. And then listen to this ear-bending series called 'Sex, lyres and audiotape.'
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Earworm Extra - a morning in a valley from 2019-06-26T03:30
An earworm extra for the series 'Sex, lyres and audiotape.' Listen to the sound of dawn in peak mating season for superb lyrebirds
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Earworm Extra - lyrebird flute song from 2019-06-24T03:30
The story goes that a local lyrebird copied a young boy who played the flute, but regardless of its provenance, Carol Probets' recording of this lyrebird flute song is astounding.
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Lyrebirds - Repeat after me from 2019-06-22T05:30
You might think you know the story of the lyrebird. Think again. And then listen to this ear-bending series called 'Sex, lyres and audiotape.'
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PRESENTING: How Deadly with Ann Jones from 2019-06-18T02:30
There's some new nature-nerdery going on over on the ABC Science YouTube Channel and it features Off Track's Ann Jones. http://bit.ly/howdeadly
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Go, Dog, Go! [re-issue] from 2019-06-15T05:30
Are these the happiest hounds in Australia? We think so, and that's why we're playing this one from the Off Track archive.
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Off Track presents - Branch Out from 2019-06-09T03:30
Do you need a brain to be able to sense the world around you, or to remember or learn?
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Talking frogs, thinking plants from 2019-06-08T05:30
It's a very noisy world out in Australian nature, and sometimes all you need to do is stop and listen (to this).
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Moaning birds, vegetarian rodents and the moon man from 2019-06-01T05:30
Muttonbird Island in NSW is a place of majesty. It's just that the majesty crash lands in the moonlight and sounds like a squeezy toy.
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Water finds a way from 2019-05-18T05:30
All around us and within, water is an intimate, essential part of our lives. What would we do if water lost her way?
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When Water Lost Her Way from 2019-05-15T02:05
Listen to the audio book version of the Australian Children's book 'When Water Lost Her Way' by Meg Humphrys.
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A sense of time from 2019-05-11T05:30
Does a second feel the same for a fly, a bird, or a swordfish, as it does for me? From the BBC World Service, immerse yourself in the world of animal senses.
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Owl with attitude from 2019-05-04T05:30
A powerful avian predator is making do in Melbourne's suburbs. For now.
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Professor Waterhouse's wonderful plant [re-issue] from 2019-04-27T05:30
Professor Peter Waterhouse and the wonder plant Nicotiana benthamiana.
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Earworms from Planet Earth VIII from 2019-04-20T05:30
Angry sheep or randy frog? Motorbike or koala rev? Indigestion or monkey? Get the headphones out for another set of wild sounds sent in by Off Track listeners from around the globe.
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The bilby, the moon and the Birriliburu Rangers from 2019-04-06T05:30
A bilby dreaming story guides a mother with a sick child to an outback town. Decades later, the child returns to repay the favour and look after the bilby.
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Ninety one years in the desert from 2019-03-30T05:30
Jack Absalom has died at the age of 91. From parrot poacher to painter, Absalom was a renaissance bushie with a story or two to tell.
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Teenage quolls are V-I-SQUEE from 2019-03-23T05:30
It’s a momentous night for this teenage eastern quoll – she’s leaving home.
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Off Track presents Queer Out Here from 2019-03-16T05:30
A crowd sourced audio zine that celebrates the world outside walls from the perspective of LGBQTIA+ people from all over the world.
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The Chase 3 — Tracks across time from 2019-02-23T05:30
A team races against time and the elements to save 95-million-year-old dinosaur footprints in the Aussie outback.
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The Chase 3 — Trouble in paradise from 2019-02-16T05:30
Rats and mosquitoes threaten a fragile ecosystem on an isolated Tahitian atoll — but now scientists are trialling new techniques to rid the islands of destructive pests.
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The Chase 2 — Back from the dead from 2019-02-09T05:30
Obsessives, dumpy birds and disapproving academics: the saga of the night parrot.
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The Chase — Eye in the sky from 2019-02-02T05:30
How do you catch the shadow of a moon? You need a telescope with wings. Join the flight of a lifetime on SOFIA, the airborne observatory.
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Australian Christmas a hodgepodge of traditions from 2018-12-15T13:05
In the lead up to Christmas, many Australians decorate their outdoor space AND bring a little bit of nature indoors. But many have not really considered why.
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Tiny floof with a sweet tooth from 2018-12-08T13:05
With a taste for the nectar of Australian flowers, the Western Pygmy Possum is the sweetest little thing you'll hear about today.
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Pipis and prejudice from 2018-12-01T13:05
Tensions in the small town grow, and 'piss off pipi hunters' is written across a public toilet wall. And all the while, under the sand at the beach, a small clam opens up its gills and filters its ...
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Earworms from Planet Earth VII from 2018-11-24T13:05
Sounds from around Australia featuring the Peron’s Tree Frog, Cat Birds, Mystery birds and boobooks.
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Penguins Little by name, but not by nature from 2018-11-17T13:05
Off Track explores the Little Penguin (Eudyptula minor) colony on Bowen Island in NSW. [Repeat]
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He's been through the desert from 2018-11-03T13:05
His business card says 'desert walker' and he's not afraid of death.
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The bitter taste of the monarch butterfly from 2018-10-27T13:05
Native to North America, it was an extraordinary string of luck including a gold rush, cyclones, the rise of ornamental gardening that led to the naturalisation of the monarch butterfly in Australia.
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The butterfly and its goldilocks ant from 2018-10-20T13:05
The survival of one of the rarest butterflies in the world is entirely reliant on a ant.
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Earworms from Planet Earth VI from 2018-10-13T13:05
Can you hear the buzz of a bee? The trill of a whistler? Spring has arrived in Australia, and this is what it sounds like.
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Born to be wild from 2018-10-09T02:00
After growing up in captivity, three young birds take their first free flight.
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The northern hopping-mouse builds its own house from 2018-10-06T13:05
If Kevin McLeod did a series called Furry Mammal Grand Designs, the northern hopping mouse would have to be the star of the first episode.
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Echidna indigestion and other eating tails from 2018-09-29T13:05
It’s a bat eat mouse, lizard eat possum, wallaby eat bird world out there. Animals are always eating weird stuff.
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Earworms from planet earth V from 2018-09-22T13:05
The sounds of wild Australia recorded by the audience and identified by a panel of experts.
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Dining with Killer Whales from 2018-09-15T13:05
The water turns red and smells of fish. It's the blood of the prey of a pod of Orcas. This episode of Off Track has been selected from the archives for your listening pleasure.
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The women who were determined to walk from 2018-09-08T13:05
In the 1920s, wearing ankle length skirts and carrying heavy packs, the Melbourne Women's Walking Club set out to explore dense areas of Victoria's bushland
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Yackandandah's angel of the bush from 2018-09-01T13:05
Glenda Elliott has spent her life caring for injured, sick and orphaned Australian wildlife and then once rehabilitated, releasing them back into the wild.
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Into the Mallee from 2018-08-25T13:05
Award winning radio Producer Mike Ladd takes a drive into the Mallee to discover its magic.
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Magical and misunderstood sea snakes from 2018-08-18T13:05
These curious coral reef inhabitants have evolved some remarkable adaptations to thrive in the underwater realm.
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The spawning of reef conservation from 2018-08-11T13:05
One small public notice stating the intention to mine Ellison Reef was the seed from which the 'Save the Barrier Reef' campaign was spawned. To celebrate the Reef Diver project, we've brought this ...
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Hi-vis Nudibranch named from 2018-08-04T13:05
It is covered in flamboyantly coloured sausages, it’s a hermaphrodite, breathes through its skin, goes through metamorphoses AND this new species has just been officially named!
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The sperm whale's clicking tale from 2018-07-28T13:05
Next to nothing was known about sperm whales in the Southern Ocean. That is, until the Australian Antarctic Division started listening to their clicks.
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Edible ocean conservation with a side of chips from 2018-07-14T13:05
Two PhD-qualified fisheries scientists have jumped ship to open a eco-friendly fish and chip shop, aiming to put their philosophy of sustainable ocean use into practise.
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Earworms from planet earth IV from 2018-07-07T13:05
Off Track listeners from all over the globe have been recording the sounds of nature on their phones. Listen as a panel of experts takes us through the latest batch of Earworms
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Huge personality in a tiny package from 2018-06-30T13:05
Do individual birds have consistent, unique personalities? Zoologist Dr Michelle Hall is trying to find out. This program has been selected from the Off Track archives for you listening pleasure.
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When Jamie fell in love with the mountains from 2018-06-23T13:05
Distinguished Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick has been crawling across lawns for more than 70 years, it's just that this one is on the top of a mountain and is full of plants from the cretaceous.
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Farming, dancing and stories of this land from 2018-06-16T13:05
Can thousands of years of Australian agricultural practices be translated into dance? This week, Bangarra Dance Theatre takes on Bruce Pascoe's revision of pre-colonial Australian resource manageme...
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Earworms from planet earth III from 2018-06-09T13:05
What does your world sound like? Listeners have sent recordings to the Off Track inbox, and now we all get to listen. Close your eyes and take in the earworms.
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Taste test the new ABC Kids nature and music podcast from 2018-06-06T03:00
If you like nature and have some kids in your life, here is a short taste of a new ABC podcast called ABC Classic Kids.
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Mother and Daughter take flight from 2018-06-04T03:00
PODCAST BONUS. Two women, armed with a pencil and a violin, take on the history of birdsong.
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Two musicians and 30 million years of birdsong from 2018-06-02T13:05
Song began in Australia when the first songbird sang its opening note. 30 million years later two classically trained musicians use their instruments to trace the birds' story in song.
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A heart full of wing beats from 2018-05-26T13:05
When nature documentaries show elephants at a waterhole, Peter Langdon goes crook at the telly. He wants them to zoom in on the bird sitting in the tree in background. [This repeat program is caref...
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Three geckos and three thousand cows from 2018-05-19T13:05
Scientists strap tiny bum-bags onto geckos in the middle of the night on an outback cattle station. They are tracking how cattle grazing impacts tiny lizards. PLUS BONUS #FieldWorkFail
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Earworms from a cockatoo tree from 2018-05-17T22:05
From a tiny sound recorder in a Victorian sheep paddock comes a startling array of sounds - some identifiable and some complete mysteries. Relax and let this earworm do its work.
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Cockatoo wail, fledge or fail from 2018-05-12T13:05
The wailing calls of the red-tailed black cockatoos that live in Australia's South East are being used to help change the future for the failing species.
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A morning with the birds from 2018-05-06T03:03
For International Dawn Chorus Day, here's the sounds of an Australian autumn morning, crisp and bright.
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Night shift in a darkened forest from 2018-05-05T13:05
Listen to birds and possums communicating about land grabs, politics and sex. To celebrate International Dawn Chorus Day, this program about a forest chorus is from the Off Track archive.
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Hobart Airport lets sleeping echidnas lie from 2018-04-28T13:05
Despite all the noise of planes coming and going, the echidnas at Hobart airport are digging in to hibernate.
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Things that go grunt in the night from 2018-04-21T13:05
If a koala bellows in a forest and a scientist isn’t there to record it, does the koala exist at all?
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Intimate aliens from 2018-04-14T13:05
Robert Adlard says that parasites are intimate aliens, and that our dislike for them stems from their ability to surprise us with their closeness. They are intimate aliens.
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Penguins impossible to hate from 2018-04-07T13:05
The tiniest of Australia's penguins were once victorious over development at Phillip Island in Victoria.
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Flora fatale, the plants with a thirst for blood from 2018-03-31T13:05
With an aggressive mass-murder-then-compost strategy, these tiny plants are the most heinous of herbs.
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The devil and the monster cray from 2018-03-24T13:05
The worlds biggest freshwater cray click clacks across rocks, a devil spends a night in the clink and scientists scramble to save the Tarkine.
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Earworms from planet earth II from 2018-03-17T13:05
What does your world sound like? We asked, and you sent us earworms from planet earth. Close your eyes and take a trip.
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Jack Absalom: a renaissance bush-man from 2018-03-10T13:05
From parrot poacher to bush-craft expert on the national stage, Jack Absalom was a real-life Crocodile Dundee before Crocodile Dundee was a twinkle in a film producer’s eye.
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Go outside and play from 2018-03-03T13:05
What do the first female mayor in Australia and a glamorous ballerina with a diplomat husband and a Russian pseudonym have in common? They established marvellous playgrounds.
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Australia's extraordinary rainforest woods from 2018-02-24T13:05
Morris Lake says we have a lot to thank gymnosperms for. This repeat is appearing in your feed because after ABC Wild Oz, Ann needs a little break.
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Eight legged wonder of the world from 2018-02-17T13:05
Spiders can be beautiful, timid, fluffy and even give up their lives for the sake of their children.
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The life below the Brisbane River from 2018-02-14T04:00
You can't see through the murky water of the Brisbane River, but when you have an underwater microphone you can listen to the life below.
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How to evolve your dragon from 2018-02-10T13:05
A water dragon with dappled markings like shadows through leaves tilts her head and waves her arm. It’s not a friendly wave. It’s the water dragon equivalent of the middle finger.
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Flying teddy bear found in Brisbane forest from 2018-02-07T03:00
The greater glider is listed as vulnerable in Australia and it moves through the tree tops eating eucalyptus leaves without a sound.
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To feed or not to feed from 2018-02-03T13:05
Feeding the birds can heal a multitude of human wounds. Some people are even drawn to the practice of bird feeding to atone for the perceived sins of humanity.
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Seeking nature on the Gold Coast: paradise lost or gained? from 2018-01-27T13:05
With more canals than Venice, Queensland’s Gold Coast is a highly altered environment, where remnants of untouched vegetation are few and far between. Yet, tourists still flock there seeking to exp...
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The strange case of the peppered tree frog from 2018-01-20T10:30
Jodi Rowley is a frog detective from the Australian Museum and she’s sewing together a patchwork of clues to try to find the peppered tree frog in the New England Tablelands. {For RN Summer we're ...
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Looking forward, looking back from 2018-01-13T10:30
Fly-in to a place where the earth's ancient geological past and the most cutting-edge computing technology collide. A place where taking a picture of the dawn of time is almost a reality. {For RN ...
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The rodent and the walking stick from 2018-01-06T10:30
The fates of the black rat and the phasmid are as intertwined as the air roots of a banyan tree. The survival of one is linked to the extermination of the other, and the battle is on. {For RN Summ...
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Live long, little lizard from 2017-12-30T10:30
After 35 years, some of the same sleepy lizards are still alive, still with the same lizard partner. Now, they will have a new scientist. {For RN Summer we're playing the best programs of the yea...
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The improbable tale of the outback fish from 2017-12-23T10:30
How does a fish the size of a toothbrush head, with bright red fins and big blue eyes, end up living in a puddle of water in the middle of the Australian outback? This story is about one of the rar...
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Australian Magpie wins and sings from 2017-12-12T03:00
The public have spoken, and the Magpie is the winner of the Bird of the Year for 2017. So let's hear from the magpies themselves.
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The colourful life of the Australian Magpie [Repeat] from 2017-12-11T03:00
Plucked direct from the Off Track archives so that you can better understand 2017's bird of the year: the magpie.
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Nature Snack - a pied butcherbird practices its song. from 2017-12-10T02:30
The sweet singing butcherbird has inspired symphonies, such is the clarity of its tone.
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Earworms from planet earth from 2017-11-11T10:30
What does your world sound like? We asked, and you sent us earworms from planet earth. Close your eyes and take a trip.
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Tasmania is the roadkill capital of the world from 2017-11-04T10:30
Possum, tawny frogmouth, platypus, turtle, quoll, endangered devil and raven. No animal is immune to death on Tasmanian roads where 32 animals die every hour. This episode of Off Track has been se...
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Hit the frog and toad from 2017-10-28T10:30
It was thought that cane toads couldn't survive, and certainly couldn't breed as far south as Sydney. That thought was spectacularly wrong.
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Gardening for the Dead from 2017-10-21T10:30
Does the decomposition of our loved ones make the soil unsuitable for some plants? And why do grave sites sink? This program has been drawn from the Off Track archives.
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The princely snow leopard and its poo from 2017-10-14T10:30
Preserving species that are both rare and elusive has led an Australian whale specialist to the Himalayas to search for big cat poo.
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Sniffer spaniels get the doggone weeds from 2017-10-07T10:30
A daisy which flowers in bursts of yellow and orange is threatening Australia's environment and agriculture. Luckily two spaniels stand in its way.
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Ghost claws on a unicorn from 2017-09-30T10:30
From the murky waters of the Murray River emerges a rare monster with an underbelly of red berries and claws of ghostly white.
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Snooping on the sounds next door from 2017-09-23T10:30
Pobblebonks outside a prison, cockies screaming bloody murder, a new holland honeyeater and a mystery frog. These sounds have been submitted from people all around the world - listen to what's hap...
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Evolution of sound from 2017-09-16T00:00
These frogs are all closely related in the evolutionary sense, but they sound completely different. Can you hear evolution?
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