Podcasts by The Critter Shed

New Newt News from 2023-03-20T18:25:49

Collie and Colette chat to research scientist Éinne Ó'Cathasaigh about a new species of newt that has mysteriously appeared deep in the Irish countryside...

The Critter Shed is present...

Pimp my pond! from 2023-02-09T11:25:01

Is your wildlife pond a bit overgrown? Well, pop in your headphones and clean it up along with Collie as he prepares his own pond for the breeding season.

Questions or queries? Hit us ...

Predatory Plants from 2023-01-30T04:30:18

This episode is about plants that eat.... INSECTS!

Don't forget to hit us up on our various channels with questions, queries or things you'd like us to get nerdy about. Or tell us abou...

An ode to goldfish from 2022-12-02T18:58:39

So, here's a joke for you:

My friend's goldfish died the other day So I surprised her and got her an identical one!

She was furious, saying “what am I supposed to do with two dea...

The Scoop on Sliders from 2022-03-09T22:28:39

Collie introduces us to some of his new, rescued critters: red-eared sliders.

As usual, don't forget to hit us up on our various channels with questions, queries or things you'd like u...

The curious case of the frog and your granny's pregnancy from 2022-01-12T17:23:52

African clawed frog image used under Creative Commons:

Muffet, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

from 2021-12-09T18:54:18

We visit the Phoenix Park in Dublin to learn about its iconic wild residents. We also hear what happens to these animals when humans just won't leave them the heck alone. Spoiler alert: it's not...

The Creepy Shed - a Hallowe'en Special from 2021-10-28T15:05:56

Matricidal spiderlings, zombie tarantulas and intestine-splurging sea cucumbers... welcome to THE CREEPY SHED Hallowe'en special!

The Critter Shed is presented by Collie Ennis and Cole...

Wildlife Saviours from 2021-10-19T15:04:50

Ireland has one dedicated wildlife rehabilitation and teaching hospital. It's run by volunteers and is an incredibly demanding, emotional and tireless job, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. They g...

Dragonflies from 2021-08-10T12:16:40

Collie and Colette visit a local pond in search the elusive dragonfly larvae.

Further reading:

For more information on how to identify dragonflies, click Listen

Ponds, quails and duck tales from 2021-06-07T15:20:39

SUPPORT THE CRITTER SHED: https://www.patreon.com/thecrittershed

We enter the ...

Seduced by Sharks from 2021-04-29T13:39:03

SHARKS ARE NOT JAWS!!

We set the story straight on sharks, seriously misunderstood and maligned ocean dwellers. We chat to shark researcher Jenny Bortoluzzi who fell in love with shark...

On the Trail of the Thylacine from 2021-04-05T19:45:53

Collie gets excited about reported sightings of an animal that was declared extinct in the early 20th century. Are the stories true?

Don't forget to hit us up on our various channels w...

Of Mice and (Wo)Men from 2021-03-13T17:10:21

A peek into the private lives of one of our oldest companions, the house mouse.

Produced by Red Hare Media

Presented by Collie Ennis and Colette Kinsella

The Critter Sh...

A Valentine's Day Short. from 2021-02-14T17:17:57

For the romantic day that's in it, we're chatting about one of nature's greatest lovers...

Hosted on Acast. See

FACEBO...

Saucy, sex-crazed space beetles: it's the ladybird show! from 2020-11-23T17:47:17

We meet some lucky garden ladies who are literally out of this world - it's the ladybird show!

If you'd like to donate to Dublin Zoo to help them through their COVID-induced financial ...

Oddly Toxic Critters from 2020-10-26T14:58:21

Have you heard the one about the cuddly Australian mammal that has a venomous spur on its heel? Or, how about the gorgeous bird whose feathers contain toxin? Today we're all about creatures that...

Sindbad the stowaway from 2020-07-31T10:55:13

Meet Sindbad the Stowaway, Collie's newest housemate. And we have an update on Sam the Fox from Trinity College Dublin.

Click here for more information on the Kildare Animal Wildlife U...

Vampire fish from 2020-06-27T21:21:37

Collie finds a living fossil, and also becomes a surrogate mother to 15 feathery offspring...

Image:

Creative Commons Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/L...

African Wild Dogs: a love story from 2020-06-07T18:48:13

Holly English watched a wildlife documentary when she was 10 and it changed her life. The documentary was about the beautiful and enigmatic African wild dogs and now she studies them for a livin...

The Eggselence of Nests from 2020-05-27T21:21:44

Which came first, the chicken or the nest? Collie and Colette talk turkey about nests, who made the first one, and who makes the biggest one.

Don't forget to hit us up on our various c...

Animal Crossing meets The Critter Shed from 2020-05-09T17:34:32

There's a Nintendo Switch video game doing the rounds now that is basically Collie's life in digital: Animal Crossing.

Podcaster and writer Rosemary Mac Cabe and producer Liam Geraghty are...

Lockdown nature around the world from 2020-04-30T11:51:11

Isn't nature sounding amazing at the moment? Now that many of us are in lockdown, and there are fewer noisy machines on the road or in the air, we can actually hear nature more clearly than ever...

Budgie Business from 2020-04-05T17:54:34

Today we soothe your corona-isolated soul with one of the most beautiful sounds of all: chattering budgies!

And, we delve into their fascinating natural history. Do you know where they are...

The Murder Rope from 2020-03-30T16:00:53

Like centipedes? Then you'll love this giant carnivorous animal that can take out BATS!

Watch this BBC video about the bat-eating scolopendra:

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/201...

The Curious Case of the Dead Duck F%*ks from 2020-03-24T11:42:21

Like zombie movies? Then you'll love this episode because we examine the darker side of the mating season... and it gets very dark...

Further reading:

Here's a g...

Toadageddon! from 2020-03-19T15:02:37

In these socially distant times of ours, we have a special episode dedicated to an underrated amphibian: the cane toad!

We dispel myths like: "They're Australian, aren't they?" Er, no....

Of bunnies and beetles from 2020-03-06T14:49:46

Collie and Colette celebrate the great and important BEETLE family... with a cameo by a very lucky and lovely bunny.

Photo copyright Colette Kinsella

Don't forget to hit us u...

The Critter Shed, live from Cork from 2020-01-20T14:52:42

This is a live recording in front of an audience in The Crawford Art Gallery in Cork, and we're all about SPID...

The unsung critters of Christmas from 2019-12-21T12:00

Gather round, children, for stories about lesser-celebrated Christmas animals.

Yule felines, yule arachnids, yule goats and even yule marsupials - this Christmas episode has them all.<...

Do elephants count sheep? ... and other important questions... from 2019-11-28T00:00

Snoring cats, peaceful pachyderms and orgasmic ostriches. This episode has it all!

We went to Dublin Zoo Listen

Welcome to The Warren! from 2019-11-18T06:00

The Critter Shed is now a proud resident of The Warren, Ireland's newest podcast network and home to some of the most remarkable and innovative podcasts in t...

Roly-poly town from 2019-11-04T22:00

Today we head off to roly-poly town to visit the unsung heroes of the invertebrate world... WOODLICE!!!!

These tiny armadillo-like creatures are nature's recyclers. All winter long they will...

Tallaght Wetlands Memorial from 2019-10-10T20:00

Some time before this episode was released, Collie came across an amazing sight in his own Dublin suburb, Tallaght.

Over many years a former waste ground and dumpsite for silt dredged ...

This podcast has legs... and it knows how to use them! from 2019-09-25T13:00

This week we meet a gentle - and leggy - giant of the invertebrate world, Collie comes up with a new business idea, and we hear how ingenious primates deploy invertebrates as recreational drugs. Listen

Little Miss Tina Sunshine... and Wilbur from 2019-09-04T15:00

This week we’re on an animal  rescue farm visiting one of the world's most intelligent, misunderstood and mistreated animal: the pig.

We meet the enigmatic (and GIANT) boar Wilbur and h...

Snail tales in 'the love shack' from 2019-08-19T23:00

This week the critter shed becomes 'the love shack' as we delve into the sensuous,  sumptuous and scintillating love lives of SNAILS!

We hear how giant African land snails smooch and sn...

We need to talk about Ted... from 2019-08-07T14:00

...or, as we really wanted to call this episode: LOCK UP YOUR PUSSIES!

We've been wanting to have a conversation about domestic cats, the amount of wildlife they kill every year, and ...

To keep or not to keep? from 2019-07-23T00:00

Part 2 of our chat with herpetologist Rob Gandola. This time we're tackling the thorny issue of the rights and wrongs of keeping exotic pets and the unregulated pet trade.

With cameos by tub...

The Great Frog-Nerd-Gasm of 2019 from 2019-07-08T21:00

This week we're getting nerdy about amphibians with stories of exploding toads (yup, for real), pirate frogs (aaaarrr... yup, for real), as well as why there's an amphibian die-off right now and wh...

The buzz about bees from 2019-06-25T14:00

This week we chat to Collie's cousin Dr. Stephanie Maher about the lonely, busy and fascinating lives of solitary bees. We also hear about the wondrous bee orchids, who imitate the seductive end...

SNAKES: silent assassins and surprising survivors from 2019-06-10T22:00

Weird, tubular animals or geniuses of evolution?

While Collie feeds his various constrictors, we hear how snakes are THE ultimate survivors.

The can unhinge their jaws to swallow eno...

Booty calls, bed-hopping, and birdsong - it's the badger show! from 2019-05-14T00:00

Booty calls, bed-hopping and badger housekeeping tips!

Join Collie and Colette as badger expert Dr. Aoibheann Gaughran reveals the saucy sex lives of a group of wild badgers in Co. Wic...

The giant piranha sperm splurge! from 2019-04-29T22:00

Collie delves into his new collection of epic, carnivorous horned frog tadpoles, what we lovingly call GIANT PIRANHA SPERM!!!

Find out about one of the world's most amazingly adapted amphibi...

Have we got NEWTS for you!! from 2019-04-15T23:00

Why are Collie and Colette lurking in a suburban park under cover of darkness wearing head torches and carrying a boom pole?

The Critter Shed goes WILD in search of.... newts!

Present...

Scorpions! Dreaded killers or musunderstood ancients? from 2019-03-25T00:00

Today, Colette and Collie delve into the world of these fascinating arachnids where we hear about their history on Earth, their hunting methods and very odd love lives.

AND, Colette has a ve...

Cockroaches, cockchafers and the insect armageddon cock-up from 2019-03-11T00:00

This episode features The Great Cockroach Challenge where Collie & Colette search for the beauty and majesty in cockroaches. Collie shows Colette his cockchafer (beetle), and we find o...

Holy axolotl (hot) nun juice! from 2019-02-25T00:00

Ever wanted to visit a frog orgy? Or take a trip to Mexico to meet the local salamanders and the nuns who are helping save them from extinction? (Get this: it involves holy salamander juice!) Listen

Parasite Puppeteers from 2019-02-12T01:00

So, you think you have free will, right? Well, have we got news for you!

As it turns out, many of our actions - from what we wear, to how we drive, or even to our business skills - may be c...

Nipples No Nipples from 2019-01-29T01:00

A milky session in the critter shed where Colette and Collie find out how some animals nourish their young without nipples - from lactating spiders and frogs who feed their tadpoles in the treet...

Spider Ridin' from 2019-01-15T01:00

"Ridin'" is an Irish colloquial term for "sex".

Science research associate Collie Ennis and audio producer Colette Kinsella meet in the critter shed to talk about the saucy (and sad) world o...

The Critter Shed - podcast trailer from 2019-01-02T14:00

If you like learning about the weird and wonderful side of nature - about things like spider sex, venom-toting frogs, mind-controlling parasites, and more - then this is the podcast for you!
Listen