Podcasts by The Wild Life
An optimistic, curiosity-chasing show about the wonder and wildness of life, following the threads that connect us to the natural world. The Wild Life is, always has been, and always will be a show about the diversity of life within the animal kingdom, but it
Further podcasts by The Wild Life
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A World of Wasps with Eric Eaton from 2023-12-13T05:00
In this episode, I sit down with Eric Eaton, author of Insectpedia: a Br...
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Revisited: Nature's Vampires with Dr Marie Lisandra Zepeda-Mendoza from 2023-10-11T09:00
This episode, which originally aired on March 24 2018, takes us all the way from Copenhagen to the rainforest of South America, from the belly of the beast to its excrement, as we explore nature...
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Shark Conservation with Dr Alexandra McInturf from 2023-09-27T08:00
Sharks are in the water. But is the ocean shark-infested, or shark-depleted? I sat down to talk with Dr Alexandra McInturf to find out.
Revisited: Busting Bat Myths and Mistruths with Liz Dengate from 2023-09-16T09:00
Another stroll down memory lane as I revisit the second-ever guest episode of The Wild Life, Myth-Understood: Busting Bat Myths and Mistruths with Liz Dengate from March 6th of 2018.
If yo...
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Revisited: The Mystery of Zebra Stripes with Dr Tim Caro from 2023-08-30T09:00
This was the first ever episode of The Wild Life back in 2017, and it was never supposed to happen. That's right, The Wild Life, as a podcast, was an accident. The result of a series of unfortun...
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Reintroducing The Wild Life + The Path Forward from 2023-08-23T09:00
It's been awhile. I think it's time for some reintroductions.
I've spent a lot of time over the past year, 6 years really, reflecting on the journey so far, the ups and downs, the struggle...
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SHORT | Do Ticks Fall From Trees? from 2023-06-28T09:00
Ticks, for as small as they are, strike a disproportionate amount of fear and disgust into our hearts and minds (Listen
SHORT | Can Porcupines Shoot Their Quills? from 2023-06-27T20:30
While it's true you should keep your distance, is there any truth to the tale of a tenacious porcupine shooting their quills?
Have a question you want answered on the show? Send them over ...
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SHORT | Why Do Worms Come Out When It Rains? from 2023-06-26T09:00
Unfortunately, we can’t ask the worms directly, but it turns out that plenty of scientists have been asking this very question for, well, a very long time. Today, we explore the leading hypothes...
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SHORT | How a Puffin Problem Led to the Creation of a Star Wars Icon from 2023-06-25T08:00
Star Wars is as much a product of human ingenuity as it is a space odyssey. Just look at how they solved the Puffin Problem.
Have a question you'd like answered on The Wild Life? Email me ...
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Wide-Eyed | Why Goats&Cuttlefish Have Weird Shaped Pupils from 2022-09-04T21:31
Who doesn’t love goats? Especially baby ones. Their gait, their bleat, their tiny horns. But there comes a time in any goat interaction I’ve had where we lock eyes and I’m struck with a mixture ...
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Polar Bears and the Illusion of Color from 2022-08-31T13:08
Most would agree that Polar Bears are white, but there's more to the story than things may appear.
NEWS: New Study Suggests the Dugong is'Functionally Extinct'in China from 2022-08-26T16:55
According to a paper published on August 24th, 2022 in the journal Royal S...
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SHORT: Can Other Animals Get Sunburns? from 2022-08-20T06:00
Ask yourself, when was the last time you saw a roseate rhinoceros, a bronzed bunting, or a peeling porcupine? Can other animals get sunburns?
SHORT: Crocodiles Would Bankrupt the Tooth Fairy from 2022-08-19T06:00
Crocodiles are known to be notoriously cantankerous creatures, but what’s less known is this crazy fact about Crocodile teeth–they can go through up to 4,000 teeth in their lifetime!
SHORT: Why do Hedgehogs have Spikes? from 2022-08-18T06:00
Hedgehogs are easily one of the most unmistakable little critters out there, but how much do you know about them? Sonic is (somehow) a hedgehog, but they’re not really known for being quick on t...
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SHORT: Sea Otters Have Secret Skin Pockets in Their Armpits from 2022-08-16T22:49
Yes, you read that right. Move over marsupials, you’re not the only mammals with skin pockets.
Class: The Demo Model (DEMOSPONGIAE) from 2022-08-16T06:57
The basic idea behind the theory of evolution behind natural selection is this: if you get eaten or otherwise die before you’ve had the chance to reproduce then your genes, or traits, don’t get ...
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Class: The Art of Glass (Hexactinellida) from 2022-07-07T11:30
In October 2020, Ocean Exploration Trust’s E/V Nautilus crew discovered something extraordinary—vast clusters of glass sponges
Glass sponges in general are a rare sight, but what ...
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Class: The Sponge Plunge from 2022-06-17T06:30
This season on Class, a deep dive into the amazing life history of sponges. starting with getting to the bottom of what exactly a sponge is!
On Birding and Time from 2022-05-31T13:26
This, like many things lately, is a different type of content from The Wild Life. Who knew you could learn so much about authentic expression and finding yourself from producing a podcast? In th...
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How to Build an Animal: Body Cavities from 2022-05-23T14:42
So far in the How to Build an Animal series, we’ve been taking a look at the very things that make an animal, well, an animal. In Listen
Change, Time,&Lessons from a Caterpillar from 2022-05-23T13:32
Time marches on, change is never ceasing, and yet in spite of it all, there are lessons to be learned from even the smallest of creatures, like the caterpillar.
The Law of Conservation of Energy, and You from 2022-05-16T16:11
The Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, just transferred and transformed.
This means many things, not the least of which is that energy itself,...
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How to Build An Animal: Development from 2022-05-10T21:41
There really is no shortage of ways to build an animal, but there are rules to be followed. To truly understand, we have to go to the very beginning. Check out Part 3 of my pre-kick-off series t...
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How to Build an Animal: Symmetry from 2022-04-29T16:08
There really is no shortage of ways to build an animal, but there are rules to be followed—rules with deep roots. Check out Part 2 of my pre-kick-off series to my new zoology series, Class, and ...
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What are Animals? from 2022-04-25T21:20
From the biggest elephant to the littlest fly. From every fish in the sea, to all the birds in the sky.
Animals are all around us.
Dolphins are animals. Just like owls, salaman...
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The Wild Life of the Largemouth Bass from 2022-04-04T10:00
The Largemouth Bass is a freshwater fish of the Black Bass genus named for—you guessed it—its large mouth. The Largemouth Bass is different than the equally common Smallmouth Bass in that it does i...
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The Wild Life of the Gulf-Coast Pygmy Sunfish from 2022-04-03T16:00
The Gulf Coast Pygmy Sunfish is found in the coastal river drainages of the Sunshine State, Florida, over to southern Georgia. They can be found in areas of dense vegetation in the drainage po...
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What's the Fastest Fish? from 2022-03-26T20:30
How fast can fish really be? Faster than you’d probably expect. https://thewildlife.blog/2021/12/26/fastest-fish/ (Transcript)
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Biohacking Starfish from 2022-03-20T13:15
The Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish may not look like much, but their impact is inarguable. They feed heavily on corals essential for building reefs, the marine equivalent of a metropolis. When these star...
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The Wild Life of the Splendid Toadfish from 2022-03-14T04:30
If you’ve ever been down to Cozumel, Mexico, you’ve been to one of two places (the other being Glover’s Reef in Belize) on earth where this species of fish can be found. I was there in 2011—on land...
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Shooting a Lion from 2022-03-13T06:30
This episode was originally written in October 2015 as a reflection essay I acknowledge there is nuance to these issues which are not fully expressed in this essayIn The New York Times ht...
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Birding by Smartphone from 2022-03-12T06:30
In 1917, the American poet Wallace Stevens published a poem called https://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/thirteen-ways-looking-blackbird (13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird.) In truth, 13 is...
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More than a Long Neck: 16 Giraffe Facts You Probably Didn't Know from 2022-03-05T06:30
Who doesn’t love Giraffes? Yet, despite their international love and viral webcam footage with thousands tuning in to watch their birth, there is much about them that is unknown by the masses, whic...
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Confronting Climate Change with Jeff Corwin from 2022-02-25T13:29
Jeff Corwin, American biologist and wildlife conservationist, joins Devon on The Wild Life today to talk about his new show on ABC, https://www.facebook.com/wildlifenationtv/ (Wildlife Nation with ...
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The Wild Life of the Deep-Sea Dragonfish from 2022-02-23T06:30
The Deep-Sea Dragonfish, a scaleless eel-like fish about 6 inches in length that lives (you guessed it) in the deep sea, specifically the bathyal zone of the Atlantic Ocean beyond where any li...
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The Life and Impact of Barry Commoner from 2022-02-18T06:30
As one of America’s most influential environmentalists, Barry Commoner devoted his life and career to ecology, awareness, education, and enacting positive change. Support the Showhttps://thew...
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The Wild Life of Muskellunge from 2022-02-16T06:30
The Muskellunge, or Muskie, is the largest member of the pike family, and just a large fish all around. Their common name comes from the Ojibwa word maashkinoozhe, which tr...
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The Wild Life of Butterflyfish from 2022-02-13T06:30
Butterflyfish are a group of around 120 species in the Family Chaetodontidae. They can be found in reefs around the world in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Atlantic, Pacific,...
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Hiking with a Toddler from 2022-02-12T06:30
Your hikes that used to take an hour have just turned into three hours. At first, this is super stressful. Like, I just want to finish my hike. But, do you know what this allows you to do? It allow...
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The Wild Life of the Little Brown Skink from 2022-02-07T18:00
Skinks are often overlooked, even unknown, (even as I write this, spell-check doesn’t even recognize “Skink” as a word) but there are over 1,500 species of them on the planet. That makes them the m...
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The Wild Life of the Northern Crested Caracara from 2022-02-01T12:00
This is the answer to a question asked by a listener who submitted a photo saying “It landed on the road right in front of me and then was flying around and gliding in the wind. What is it? Is it l...
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Baby-Blue Bloods from 2022-01-30T12:30
See, horseshoe crabs are a biological oddity, a valuable one at that, especially to drug companies who look to them to ensure medicines and vaccines are safe for all of us. And the key is in ...
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Horseshoe Crabs with Dr Daniel Sasson from 2022-01-28T06:00
They look like some sort of illustration in a mid-90’s kids book about prehistoric animals, which, if you’re familiar, is a really specific aesthetic that deserves some sort of a revival. Maybe you...
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News: Glowing COVID Ostrich Masks! from 2022-01-24T16:30
Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team of researchers at Kyoto Prefectural University in Japan have developed a mask that helps detect COVID-19 under blacklight using cells from https://thewildlife.b...
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News: Glowing COVID Ostrich Masks! from 2022-01-24T16:30
Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team of researchers at Kyoto Prefectural University in Japan have developed a mask that helps detect COVID-19 under blacklight using cells from https://thewildlife.blog/2...
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The Wild Life of the Mola mola from 2022-01-20T09:30
The species is perhaps most well known for their impossible appearance and a hilarious (though not entirely correct) https://www.buzzfeed.com/bradesposito/i-hate-sunfish?utm_term=.gi0LQLyA5#.h...
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The Wild Life of Whale Sharks from 2022-01-18T06:30
Whale Sharks. Are they whale, or are they shark? What do they eat? Where do they live? Just how big are they. All of that and more in today’s short! https://thewildlife.blog/2018/04/01/sundayfishsk...
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SHORT: Asian Lady Beetle Mania! from 2022-01-14T20:30
They came in droves but no one knows where from. You find them in your homes and cars, scuttling across your windows. They line the sidewalks and entryways of every building. They’re Asian Lady Bee...
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SHORT: Asian Lady Beetle Mania! from 2022-01-14T20:30
They came in droves but no one knows where from. You find them in your homes and cars, scuttling across your windows. They line the sidewalks and entryways of every building.
They’re Asian Lady...
SHORT: This Rare, Sapphire Tarantula is A Beauty From Gooty from 2022-01-12T06:30
MOVE OVER ‘SPIDER PAWS’! THE GOOTY SAPPHIRE TARANTULA’S GALACTIC COLORS ARE STUNNING. This unexpected beauty from Gooty, a town in Central Southern India, certainly doesn’t have a shortage of ...
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SHORT: This Rare, Sapphire Tarantula is A Beauty From Gooty from 2022-01-12T06:30
MOVE OVER ‘SPIDER PAWS’! THE GOOTY SAPPHIRE TARANTULA’S GALACTIC COLORS ARE STUNNING. This unexpected beauty from Gooty, a town in Central Southern India, certainly doesn’t have a shortage of ...
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A New Series, Now in 8D from 2022-01-10T20:09
The Wild Life has a new series, and it's unlike anything you've heard from us before. 8D, immersive, soundscapes of nature and wildlife, coming to your ears DAILY. The best way is to listen with he...
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SHORT: 3 Ways to Get to Mailbox Zero from 2022-01-09T20:05
A lot of people want to be an “inbox zero” kind of person, but what about “mailbox zero”? Ask yourself, how often do you check the mail and how much of it ends up in the bin? Ask my wife, I am obse...
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SHORT: 3 Ways to Get to Mailbox Zero from 2022-01-09T20:05
A lot of people want to be an “inbox zero” kind of person, but what about “mailbox zero”? Ask yourself, how often do you check the mail and how much of it ends up in the bin? Ask my wife, I am obse...
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Oh, Deer! with Rhiannon Kirton from 2021-12-29T11:00
Deer. They’re everywhere. And our relationship with them is, well, complicated. Some of us love to look at them, take pictures of them, have them around.Some people hunt them for sport or for food....
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Turns Out There’s a Reason for Rudolph’s Red Nose from 2021-12-23T20:48
Not every reindeer has a red nose. After all, that’s part of what makes Rudolph so special—and he’s not alone. https://thewildlife.blog/2021/12/21/turns-out-theres-a-reason-for-rudolphs-red-nose/ (...
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Why do Elephants have Big Ears? from 2021-12-23T20:36
When you get hot, you sweat. When Elephants get hot, well, they don’t sweat. So what’s a 13 foot tall and 13,000-pound animal to do? I mean, not only do they produce tons of body heat for their lit...
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Giraffes Need Friends, Too from 2021-11-15T20:39
What do Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Gilmore Girls, and Giraffes have in common? The women are the stars of the show. Despite being one of the most popular animals on Earth, giraffes are not st...
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Protecting Wolves with Dr John A. Vucetich from 2021-11-05T10:18
An effort to end protections for gray wolves that began with the Florida Man administration has come to fruition under the Biden administration. The species, native to much of the US and Canada, wa...
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A Departure from the Norm from 2021-10-26T21:28
New episodes are coming, but I had some things I needed to put out there
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Electric Fish with Kassandra Ford from 2021-09-03T07:30
In this episode, we sit down with the one and only Dr Kassandra Ford, aka @kassthefish, to dive into the shocking world of electric fishes. We cover the origins of electric fish, how a living creat...
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Behind the SCiENcES with Dr Kassandra Ford from 2021-08-31T06:00
Now DR Kassandra Ford, aka @kassthefish on social media, is front and center on this weeks Behind the SCiENcES! Kassandra did her undergraduate research focused on neurobiology and development in z...
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Inside the Brilliant Minds of Elephants from 2021-08-29T11:03
Memory, complex social lives, communication, expression, grief, and revenge. In this episode, we pull from our interview with Lynn Von Hagen to explore the inner machinations of the elephant mind i...
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African Elephants with Lynn Von Hagen from 2021-08-27T06:25
In this episode, we talk about everything elephants with expert, Lynn Von Hagen! Intelligence, communication, trophy hunting, general biology, staggering stats, sonic superpowers, and so much more!...
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Behind the SCiENcES with Lynn Von Hagen from 2021-08-23T06:24
Get to know Lynn before our full episode on elephants later this week She is a Conservation Biologist and Presidential Research Fellow at Auburn University conducting collaborative research in the ...
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When an Elephant Dies from 2021-08-18T06:59
A year or so ago, we did an episode with Dr Diva Amon about the deep sea. One of the topics we covered were Whale Falls--what happens when a whale dies and the ecosystem that follows. A recent list...
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Platypuses with Dr Gilad Bino from 2021-08-13T13:58
In this episode, we sit down to talk with Dr Gilad Bino all about platypuses! We talk about their name (and some alternates), conservation efforts, absurd adaptations, forgeries and fakeries, what ...
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Behind the SCiENcES with Dr Gilad Bino from 2021-08-08T06:00
Before you sit down with us to learn all about platypuses, join us for a glimpse Behind the SCiENcES with Dr Gilad Bino. Dr Bino is passionate about conservation and science. He seeks to address th...
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Dispatches from Somewhere #5| the American Alligator from 2021-08-05T06:49
This is one of my favorite shots I’ve ever managed to capture. I snapped this in 2015 at one of my all-time favorite parks, https://www.instagram.com/brazosbendstatepark/ (@brazosbendstatepark...
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TWL News: Wildlife Weekend Update from 2021-08-04T15:03
Your #1 source for wildlife related news from the past week.
Support us and our hard-hitting journalism at www.Patreon.com/TheWildLife
Dispatch from Somewhere #4| Antheraea polyphemus from 2021-08-04T07:00
Read the post and see the picture here: https://thewildlife.blog/2021/08/04/dispatches-from-somewhere-4-antheraea-polyphemus/ Support The Wild Life at www.patreon.com/thewildlife
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Corndog McGraw from 2021-07-28T06:36
It's time to meet our new cohost, Courtney Downing! This has been one we've wanted to share for quite some time, so it feels great to finally share it with you all.
Next week? Platypuses with D...
Bears with Brogan Holcombe from 2021-07-23T06:38
In this episode, Devon and Richard sit down with Brogan Holcombe to talk all about bears! Outline:Bear encounter stories Are all black bears black?Black bear range in North America How many species...
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Behind the SCiENcES with Brogan Holcombe from 2021-07-21T06:38
Brogan is a Master’s Student working in the Wildlife Habitat& Population Analysis Lab at Virginia Tech She’s also the one behind #SundayScientistShoutout on Twitter which she does every week fo...
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Carnivore Ecology with Dr Mariela Gantchoff from 2021-07-16T08:00
In this episode, Devon sits down with Carnivore Ecologist Dr Mariela Gantchoff to talk about What defines carnivoresHow their population sizes compare with those of their prey How carnivores impact...
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Behind the 𝗦𝗖i𝗘𝗡c𝗘𝗦with Dr Mariela Gantchoff from 2021-07-14T08:19
Meet this week’s guest before the episode airs! She is an ecologist at the intersection of theoretical and applied ecology, currently working on landscape and quantitative ecology in relation to th...
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Birds of Paradise with Dr Bruce Beehler from 2021-06-25T10:45
https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/donate-widget/30694 (Make a donation to our 501(c)3 organization) https://blog.us1.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=2305d8aac3a24b336b10d645e&id=6915ba78da (Sign up...
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Behind the 𝗦𝗖i𝗘𝗡c𝗘𝗦with Dr Bruce Beehler from 2021-06-23T08:00
Meet this week’s guest before the episode airs! Dr Bruce M. Beehler (born October 11, 1951 in Baltimore) is an ornithologist and research associate of the Bird Division of the Smithsonian Instituti...
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Dragonflies and Damselflies with Dr Jessica L Ware from 2021-05-14T06:38
Dragonflies and Damselflies have been on our planet for millions of years. They're embedded in our art, culture, stories, and even our skin as a popular tattoo subject. They also live amazing lives...
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Behind the 𝗦𝗖i𝗘𝗡c𝗘𝗦with Dr Jessica L Ware from 2021-05-12T07:30
Meet this week's guest before the episode airs, Dr Jessica L Ware, assistant curator in invertebrate zoology at the American Museum of Natural History. Dr. Ware’s research focuses on the evolution ...
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Nature's Pooper Scooper (Dung Beetles!) with Professor Marcus Byrne from 2021-05-03T13:25
Before you read what this episode is about, we have an ask. Whoever you are, wherever you are, whichever platform you are using to listen, please consider leaving us a rating and review. Aside from...
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Behind the 𝗦𝗖i𝗘𝗡c𝗘𝗦with Professor Marcus Byrne from 2021-04-27T21:58
Get to know this week's guest before the episode drops! https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/campaign/the-wild-lifes-binoculars-for-young-birders-and-naturalist-kits/thewildlife (Donate to the Binocul...
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Us: Can the Market Save the World? from 2021-04-23T08:51
Welcome to part two in an ongoing series examining our connections and impact on the environment, sustainability, and our changing climate. https://thewildlife.blog/2021/03/31/the-problem-with-over...
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Poop Cubed with Patricia Yang from 2021-04-17T17:05
In this episode, we finally learn the answer to why wombats have cubed poop, learn how all of us mammals are bonded by our bowels, find out about something called the Law of Urination, and learn th...
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Behind the 𝗦𝗖i𝗘𝗡c𝗘𝗦with Patricia Yang, PostDoc at Stanford and Ig Nobel Winner from 2021-04-14T09:25
Stay tuned for her full episode, Poo Cubed, out this Friday! Patricia Yang is a postdoc in Civil and Environmental Engineering, where she is studying the collective behavior of birds. Before c...
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SHORT: What's the Purpose of Ticks? from 2021-04-09T08:39
The truth is, the concept of a plant or animals purpose isn’t as cut and dry as many would like. This makes sense. People are always trying to determine their purpose, their deeper meaning, and try...
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Us: The Dangerous Myth of Overpopulation from 2021-04-08T16:04
Welcome to part 1 of Us, an ongoing series examining our connections and impact on the environment, sustainability, and our changing climate. https://thewildlife.blog/2021/03/31/the-problem-with-o...
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How to Save a Wild Life with the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of MN from 2021-02-19T06:00
Have you ever seen an injured animal and wished you knew what to do or who to call? Have you ever seen an animal acting strangely but were unsure of whether or not that thing you saw was normal? Ha...
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Saving Quokkas Now, Using the Past with Dr Larisa DeSantis from 2021-02-04T15:00
This episode has it all: Quokkas, trivia, selfies, Australia, the La Brea Tar Pits, Conservation Paleobiology, and somehow manages to tie it all together. Dr Larisa DeSantis, Conservation Paleobiol...
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NEWS: Joe the Pigeon is on Death Row from 2021-01-15T15:40
A fascinating journey that sounds the stuff of an animated movie or a children’s book is about to come to a rather different sort of end. On December 26th, a man by the name of Kevin Celli-Bird dis...
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Spittlebugs&Froghoppers with Dr Jason Cryan from 2021-01-08T07:30
Have you ever been outside during the spring and you see what looks like spit clinging to the sides of plant stems? Well, it's not spit, but it is a body fluid, and it hides a fascinating little cr...
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SHORT: The Wild Life of the Nicobar Pigeon from 2021-01-05T13:13
It's kind of hard to believe at first glance, but yes, they're actually pigeons.https://thewildlife.blog/2020/05/12/the-wild-life-of-the-nicobar-pigeon/
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SHORT: The Always Adorable, Sometimes Vicious, Shrew from 2021-01-05T13:11
Shrew are many things. Sometimes venomous, sometimes able to walk on water, sometimes snake-killers, but always adoreable. https://thewildlife.blog/2019/02/26/twl-hiking-clubthe-always-adorable-som...
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New Year, New You? + Revisiting the Metamorphosis Metaphor from 2021-01-01T08:35
Hey Wildlings! First off, Happy New Year. This episode is about 15 minutes of something a little different from what we normally do + a revisit to an old classic, The Metamorphosis Metaphor. We'd l...
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Science, Academia, and Podcasting: 2020 Wrap-Up LIVE (recording) from 2020-12-31T15:05
Follow all of the podcasts featured in this episode! The Root of the ScienceTwitter: https://twitter.com/RootofSciPod (https://twitter.com/RootofSciPod) Website/Podcast: https://rootofthesciencepod...
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Jack's Favorite Animals from 2020-12-23T14:08
My 4 year old brought me my mic and asked if we could make a podcast episode. This is that episode!
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SHORT: The Cookiecutter Shark from 2020-12-22T09:13
Also know as the cigar shark for that one time a sailor mistook it for a cigar and only realized their mistake after trying to light it up—kidding of course— Isistius brasiliensis is ...
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SHORT: Clever Fox from 2020-12-12T07:30
https://thewildlife.blog/2018/05/16/not-a-lemur-nor-a-cat-a-ringtail-is-a-raccoon-like-clever-fox/ (NOT A LEMUR, NOR A CAT. THIS RACCOON-LIKE CRITTER IS A “CLEVER FOX”.)
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SHORT: Blood Root from 2020-12-11T11:07
https://thewildlife.blog/2018/05/14/this-toxic-nectarless-flower-is-spread-by-ants/ (THIS TOXIC, NECTARLESS FLOWER IS SPREAD BY ANTS)Support our work at patreon.com/thewildlife
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SHORT: Is it a Worm? A Wasp? No, it's the Elm Sawfly! from 2020-12-10T07:16
This past August as I sat below an old oak tree while drinking my morning cup of coffee and looking out on a glassy Lake Darling in Alexandria, Minnesota, something fell from the sky and landed at ...
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SHORT: The Dragonhunter from 2020-12-09T09:48
In the skies across Minnesota (and much of the eastern US and southeastern Canada, for that matter), roams a fierce and agile predator, capable of taking down prey you would never imagine—and some ...
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SHORT: Carrion My Wayward Beetle from 2020-12-08T20:41
This is circle of life—or at least an ugly, albeit necessary, curve of it. This is the life of the American Carrion Beetle. Support our show at patreon.com/thewildlifeFollow us on Twitter @thewildl...
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REVISIT 2019| How to Make a Snowflake from 2020-12-04T07:40
In this episode, Devon and Richard talk snow, Frozen 2, whether or not water has memory (and if it's good or bad), the Big Bang, the formation of planets, the secret role of bacteria, why snowflake...
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SHORT: Snakes in the Basement? from 2020-12-03T09:23
We’ve all heard of snakes on a plane, but this time of year, snakes are slipping their way into all sorts of unexpected places—like basements of the unsuspecting.Read the blog version and find the ...
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Even the Least Weasel can be a bit Extra from 2020-11-29T15:46
Don’t let their cute little face fool you. The carnivorous Least Weasel is fierce, eating up to 60% of its body weight in food per day. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3k319DbHU80&w=560&h=3...
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Class | Polyplacophora (CHITONS) from 2020-11-06T21:39
In our first episode back in over a month, we are revamping our Phylum series by focusing in on another tier of classification: Class. Welcome to our new miniseries.Chitons belong to the Phylum Mol...
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2019 Revisit| A Tell Tale Beetle Romance Halloween Special from 2020-10-29T18:02
Happy Halloween! In this super special, unexpected, and therefore super last minute holiday treat (and trick), Devon reads a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's famous short story, A Tell Tale Heart, th...
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2019 REVISIT| IS Anybody Out There? from 2020-10-10T14:28
While we're on a brief hiatus, we wanted to take a trip back in time to revisit our Season 2 premier from February 2019. In this episode, Devon and Richard attempt to settle an age old argument bet...
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Nudies! with The Nagging Naturalist, Kristen Mankowski from 2020-10-03T15:43
Swishy dainty areas, droppable penises (well, just the tip), butt-breathing, smelling things with horns, the tenacity of nudi niche filling, over-generalizations, taxonomy, blind dates, and how nud...
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Behind the 𝗦𝗖i𝗘𝗡c𝗘𝗦with The Nagging Naturalist, Kristen Mankowski from 2020-10-01T09:09
Tomorrow, we have an episode coming out in which The Nagging Naturalist herself, Kristen Mankowski, drops some major Nudibranch Knowledge on us. BUT as two naturalist, we had a very hard time stayi...
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2018 REVISIT| Scattered from 2020-09-27T20:36
In this episode from 2018, Devon and Richard look into the void to unveil the cause of the once mysterious Deep Scattering Layer, taking you on a journey involving covert military research in World...
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Behind the 𝗦𝗖i𝗘𝗡c𝗘𝗦with Dr Diva Amon from 2020-09-17T07:31
Behind the SCiENcES with Dr Diva Amon Let's get to know deep sea biologist, Dr Diva Amon How long has she been interested in science?What was her first real connection with nature? Why the deep sea...
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SHORT: Brine Lakes, Hydrothermal Vents, and Life in the Dark with Dr Diva Amon from 2020-09-16T10:14
We're back with another carefully, specially curated segment from our last full episode with Dr Diva Amon. In this SHORT, you'll get to here about underwater lakes (like the Goo Lagoon), hydrotherm...
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The Nature of Spicy from 2020-09-14T16:54
This is the bonus episode we've been promising, where Richard and Devon teach you about the nature of spicy whilst torturing themselves with spicy foods, and it is virtually unedited for your ears-...
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SHORT: The Stages of Life on a Dead Whale with Dr Diva Amon from 2020-09-14T09:58
In need of some science in your soul but a full episode is too long at the moment? We're selecting specially curated segments just for you! No intros, outros, ads, or credits. Just straight up scie...
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Whale Falls and the Deep Sea with Dr Diva Amon from 2020-09-11T06:45
I can’t even begin to describe how excited I am to share this episode with you. By far one of my favorite interviews I’ve done! It’s sea-ptember, and today we are diving deepA month or so back, I h...
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REVISIT| The Air We Breathe with Dr Julie Koester and Dr Orly Levithan from 2020-09-10T13:22
It's Sea-ptember, and it's about time we revisit this old favorite of ours in which we explore the true source of the Air We Breathe. In this episode that originally aired May 30th, 2018, Devon an...
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Phylum: Ctenophora&Cnidaria (JELLIES+) with special guest Lucas Brotz from 2020-09-04T14:51
In the second part of our Phylum miniseries, we're talking Ctenophores (box jellies) and Cnidaria (jellyfish, anemones, hydra, and coral!) Unlike our episode on sponges, we had done a lengthy episo...
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The Birds, the Bees, and the Trees with Vikram Baliga of Planthropology from 2020-08-28T19:59
How do plants make more plants? Better yet, how can one plant reproduce with itself? That was the question Devon's wife asked when an accidental pumpkin plant sprouted and eventually conquered the...
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Who's Laughing Now? Hyenas with Dr Kay Holekamp from 2020-08-22T08:41
Everybody knows their sound. It's haunting, but it also holds fascinating secrets. Hyena’s have been painted as villains, demons ridden by witches, grave robbing ghouls, and the embodiment of all t...
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A Better Way to Talk About Sharks with Dr Catherine MacDonald from 2020-08-14T12:00
It's #SharkWeek2020...and it is easily one of the best examples of a massive divide in how the general public sees an animal compared to how experts see and talk about them. Science Twitter is a bu...
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Answering Y'alls Random Questions While Playing Halo from 2020-08-14T08:31
When we hit 800 twitter followers, we said we'd do a bonus episode and an AMA. So, we did them both together! This is 40 solid minutes of us eating candy corn, playing Halo, and answering yalls que...
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Phylum: Porifera (SPONGES) from 2020-08-07T20:34
The first installment of our first ever miniseries is here--Phylum: Porifera! Sponges are often overlooked aside from Spongebob Squarepants and cleaning. It's time that changed. Dive into the amazi...
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#WormGate2020: An unimaginable can of worms with Ellen Weatherford! from 2020-07-25T09:32
On July 18th, Just the Zoo of Us posted a harmless tweet asking"what is the most overhyped animal?"It started an all out war: #WormGate2020 This is our attempt, along with Ellen Weatherford's, at a...
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A Conversation with Chelsea Connor: Part 2 from 2020-07-24T07:21
Hey everyone, a bit of a different approach with this episode. Last week, we left off talking SciComm and just about to talk about @BlackAFinStem and #BlackBirdersWeek. That's where we pick up this...
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Did You Anole? with Chelsea Connor Part 1 from 2020-07-19T12:00
Color changing, mini lassos, islands, superpowers, vivid blues, falling of limbs, and so much more! This first half is largely focused on the anoles, but part 2, see, Chelsea is one of the cofounde...
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Islands, Snails,&other Tales with Dr Andrew Kraemer from 2020-07-10T12:30
Our guest for the day has one of the coolest jobs on earth, studying in what is perhaps the coolest place on earth. He is full of stories, and knowledge, and passion for little creatures that so ma...
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The Man with the Planarian with Dr. Oné R. Pagán from 2020-06-26T06:00
This episode starts with a major announcement, but then... Tattoos, superheroes, opportunities, regeneration, Men in Black, phallic fencing, 1st brains, discoveries, cocaine, addiction, belly butto...
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An Absolutely Major Announcement from 2020-06-17T08:03
This is the start, the real start, of what our mission should have been from the beginning.
Before the end of the summer, we will have initiated all of the necessary filing paperwork establishi...
Snow Leopards with Dr Koustubh Sharma from 2020-05-29T12:25
Dog person? Cat person? No, no, no. We’re all Snow Leopard people. AI, the difficulty of finding snow leopards, a strange form of social networking, tricky trail cam footage, using their floofness ...
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BONUS: Mary Anning, The Greatest Fossil Hunter You Never Knew from 2020-05-21T09:00
Today, May 21, is the 221st anniversary of Mary Anning’s birth. She is not a household name, by any means—though she is believed to be the inspiration behind the well-known tongue-twister “she sell...
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NEWS: A Rare Blue Bee and the So-Called Murder Hornet from 2020-05-18T08:29
A rare blue bee has been spotted in Florida for the first time in 4 years according to a news release from thehttps://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/floridas-rare-blue-calamintha-bee-rediscovere...
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Orangutan Conservation with Leif Cocks from 2020-05-15T07:43
Everybody loves Orangutans, but how much do we really know about them? We are currently living in a world where we may lose all wild orangutans within the next decade as a result of human activity,...
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BONUS: This one's for you, Mom from 2020-05-10T14:13
It's Mother's Day, and we kind of owe her a major Thank You for (along with Dad) shaping the people we became and The Wild Life as a whole.
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Big Life with Just The Zoo Of US from 2020-05-08T06:00
Life is a lot of things, but one thing it can be is unexpectedly big. Like, really, really big. What started as a random question from a high schooler ("what's the biggest living thing?") with a se...
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True Nature #1: Conversation with Maria Hancox from 2020-04-24T10:00
When we started The Wild Life, the original idea was to answer listener submitted questions and have every day people on the show to interview guests with us or talk about their interests and passi...
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Revisit: Frogcicles from 2020-04-10T10:16
If you live in the north, you almost definitely know we have frogs, but how do they survive the winter? That's what we explore today as we revisit one of our SHORT series episodes from July 2019! h...
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Conversation with Corina Newsome, aka The Hood Naturalist from 2020-04-03T06:30
In this time of self-isolation and social-distancing, this time where we are inundated with numbers and figures every waking hour of the day, we wanted to take a break from our status-quo and do so...
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They Made Me Call This"Hooters"with special hosts, Chelsea and Chrissy Bowker from 2020-03-27T08:24
Hey! Devon, here. March, as you may know, is International Women’s Month, and in honor of that (and the most important women in our lives), my wife and our mother are taking over---and they insiste...
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The Waddle Life with The Penguin Lady, Dyan deNapoli from 2020-03-20T00:45
Everyone loves penguins, but how much do we really know about them as living beings? This week, The Wild Life is taking a waddle on the wild side, and our guide on our clumsy, yet hopefully charmin...
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#CitSciFri with Katie-Lyn Bunney of the Monarch Joint Venture from 2020-03-13T06:18
It's #CitizenScienceFriday! This week, we sit down to chat with Katie-Lyn Bunney, Education Coordinator at the Monarch Joint Venture, a partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental o...
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Revisiting the Metamorphosis Metaphor with Dr Martha Weiss from 2020-03-06T15:56
Ahead of next weeks #CitizenScienceFriday where we talk to Katie-Lyn Bunney of the Monarch Joint Venture, we wanted to revisit an old favorite as a context filler for some of what you will hear...a...
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Tainted Love Part 3: Garter Snakes with Dr Robert T Mason from 2020-02-28T21:55
In part 3, we talk to Dr Robert T Mason about the absolute chaos that is the sex life of a garter snake. We talk snake pits, mating balls, cloacal fluids, copulatory plugs, cryptic female choice, S...
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Tainted Love Part 2: Spider Sex and Freaky Facts with Shakira Quiñones and Sebastian Echeverri from 2020-02-18T06:45
We're flipping the script this Valentine's Day with a three part series where we show some love to nature's unloved: spiders and snakes! In part 2, we talk to Shakira Quiñones about Nephilid Spider...
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Tainted Love Part 1: Spider Speed Dating with Sebastian Echeverri and Shakira Quiñones from 2020-02-14T06:00
We're flipping the script this Valentine's Day with a three part series where we show some love to nature's unloved: spiders and snakes! In part 1, we talk to Sebastian Echeverri about everything f...
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How to Make a Snowflake from 2019-12-14T11:26
In this episode, Devon and Richard talk snow, Frozen 2, whether or not water has memory (and if it's good or bad), the Big Bang, the formation of planets, the secret role of bacteria, why snowflake...
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When the Tables are Turned (a Thanksgiving Special!) from 2019-11-26T22:58
My how the turntables!
In today's special holiday episode, Devon and Richard summarize some recent news of tenacious turkey turmoil, and explain how it is that the wild turkey became our T...
Fireflies with Lynn Frierson Faust from 2019-11-19T21:11
Discover why we are seeing less fireflies, the secrets behind their natural glow, how to find yourself a lady firefly, and so much more in this jam-packed episode. Our guest is Lynn Frierson Faust,...
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The Smell of Rain from 2019-11-10T21:27
It's summer and a storm has just passed through. You step outside and are instantly greeted with that good ole'familiar smell---the smell of rain. But what is that smell? After all, water itself is...
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A Tell Tale Beetle Romance Story from 2019-10-30T23:53
Happy Halloween! In this super special, unexpected, and therefore super last minute holiday treat (and trick), Devon reads a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe's famous short story, A Tell Tale Heart, th...
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Stardust: Time, Tides, and Theia from 2019-10-27T17:50
The Wild Life presents, Stardust---a show that explores all of the other science-y things that don’t quite fit under the umbrella of The Wild Life. Things like why is the ocean salty, where did all...
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Myth-understood + Nature's Vampires from 2019-10-13T13:22
In honor of Spooktober, we are doing the time warp to revisit two fan-favorites on one of nature's most needlessly feared and misunderstood critters: bats. Part 1Belief…belief is an interesting th...
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Mr Smarty Plants with Dr Liz Van Volkenburgh from 2019-10-06T03:30
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The Fungus Among Us| Part 2 with Dr Kabir Peay from 2019-09-29T19:56:59
In this episode, we sit down with Stanford's Dr Kabir Peay, self described mykophile and fungi expert who recently helped to maap out the Wood Wide Web on a global scale. We talk Spongebob, Gringot...
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#CitizenScienceFriday with Carrie Seltzer of iNaturalist from 2019-09-28T01:17:37
It's our very first #CitizenScienceFriday! We sit down to chat with Carrie Seltzer, Stakeholder Engagement Strategist at iNaturalist to discuss their amazing platform, how it works, the democratiza...
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The Fungus Among Us| Part I with Dr Tom Volk from 2019-09-22T16:28:20
In this episode, we sit down and chat with a really fun guy (get it? like fungi? aha..ha...), Dr Tom Volk of UW-Lacrosse, and holy cow, pun intended (you’ll see), we covered a lot of ground. Everyt...
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The Mystery of Zebra Stripes with Dr Tim Caro from 2019-09-19T13:23
Interview with Dr. Tim Caro, professor of Wildife Biology at UC Davis, on his research which may have revealed the truth behind the mystery of zebra stripes.
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A Parasitic Ghost of a Plant from 2019-09-13T23:32:56
An unexpected turn of events, a last-minute decision, and here we are! This week, we revisit an oldie but a goodie as we preview what is to come. Next week is The Fungus Among Us Part I, and the fo...
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Velvet (Worm) Revolver with Tia Freeman from 2019-09-06T17:00:16
This creature is one of the oldest living animals in existence, it shoots a death slime out of its face, and drinks it’s prey up like a smoothie. They're one of the coolest creatures on 20+ legs---...
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When a Spider isn't a Spider from 2019-08-03T02:05:01
Nothing is ever as it seems. Get ready for a tangled web of semantics and systematics! To read the blog version and see the video mentioned, visit https://thewildlife.blog/2019/07/09/when-a-spider...
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Frogcicles from 2019-07-27T00:12:27
If you live in the north, you almost definitely know we have frogs, but how do they survive the winter? If you are interested in learning more about our upcoming hikes, visithttps://thewildlife.bl...
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Like, Pelican Fly from 2019-07-19T16:32:31
How do Pelican beaks work? How much can they fit in their pouch? How do Pelicans hunt? I've got the answers to those and more! To read the blog version and see the video mentioned, visit https://t...
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The Electric Light Loving, Scuba Diving, Toe Biting, Giant Water Bug from 2019-07-12T16:40:47
Toe-Biter, Electric-Light Bug, Alligator-Tick; people have come up with many names for the fascinating critter. It’s actual name is perhaps the most boring—the Giant Water Bug. They are the largest...
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Head in the Sand? All About Ostriches from 2019-07-05T18:50:59
This week, it’s time to bust some myths, bow down in awe, and learn something new about the biggest birds outside of Sesame Street. To read the blog version and see an ostrich dance an some adorab...
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Turtle Trekkers from 2019-06-29T02:40:17
This time of year, a spin on a classic joke about a chicken comes to life as thousands of turtles are seen crossing roadways and trails, leading many to wonder, “why?” and “how can I help do it saf...
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Gulls and the Concrete Sea: Why do Seagulls Love Parking Lots? from 2019-06-22T00:27:30
Why do seagulls hang out in parking lots? Do seagulls even exist? Why are they always after my fries?!?!?! Find out in this short episode of #TheWildLife To read the blog version, visit https://t...
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New Horizons: The Future of The Wild Life from 2019-06-20T01:21:54
#TheWildLife is setting out on new horizons. Now not only is our show available wherever you get your podcast, but starting September 1st, we will be releasing new episodes every single Friday! Eac...
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SHORT: The Dirty Truth About Butterflies from 2019-06-15T16:39:46
Grace is basically synonymous with butterflies. The truth, however, is far...dirtier. Like poop, pee, blood, sweat, and tears dirty. After this, you'll never be able to look at one the same way aga...
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SHORT: The Trouble with Trilobites from 2019-06-07T18:36:01
It’s #FossilFriday, and you know what that means—fossils. Big surprise, right? This week, with an unoriginal but begging to be used titular parody on the classic Star Trek episode ‘The Trouble with...
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No Brainer from 2019-05-20T22:09:04
In the mid-season finale, Devon and Richard talk to Lucas Brotz, research associate at the Marine Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries at the University of British Columbia and a Cnidaria Scienti...
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Animal Magnetism from 2019-02-09T16:12:43
In this episode, Devon and Richard explore the animal magnetism. No, not the kind you might be thinking. Instead, we're talking about the surprisingly common animal superpower which allows creature...
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Ant Farm with Dr Cameron Currie from 2019-01-27T19:24
We as humans often think of ourselves as unique. In this episode, we discover that we may not be as unique, or advanced, as we thought as we learn about amazing subterranean fungi farmers, cowboy i...
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Is Anybody Out There? from 2019-01-12T04:52:34
In the Season 2 premier of The Wild Life, Devon attempts to settle an age old argument between him and his co-host by enlisting the help of renowned biochemist, professor, and author, Dr Nick Lane ...
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SHORT: Plant or Fungi? from 2018-12-21T17:23:57
A random find while hiking that lead to a life history story that was unexpectedly fascinating. Read more and see images of the find here: https://thewildlife.blog/2018/09/06/this-ghostly-parasiti...
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SHORT: Hoarfrost from 2018-12-11T12:52:23
In this short, Devon shares a story from thewildlife.blog of a hoarfrost christened hike he had last spring and explains how this magical rock candy frost phenomena occurs.
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SHORT: ATTACK OF THE BYROZOANS from 2018-08-20T19:30:05
While we work on Season 2, I decided to begin a sub-series of shorts in which we take some of our most popular blog post and create audio versions. Now, something you may have read on the website (...
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The Metamorphosis Metaphor from 2018-07-26T19:04:31
Starting at a young age, we are all introduced to this idea, an idea that we carry with us and adapt, and reapply as a metaphor for our own lives---this idea of becoming something new, beginning ag...
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Leave it to Beavers from 2018-07-01T03:47:05
In this episode, Devon and Richard go on a totally real, not-recorded-indoors, time travel adventure to explore the life history of the busiest mammal out there---the beaver. Meet Beatrice the Beav...
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The Air We Breathe from 2018-05-30T19:52:48
In this episode, Devon and Richard talk to Dr Julie Koester of UNC-Wilmington and Dr Orly Levithan of Rutgers about the truth behind where our oxygen comes from, and the tiny organisms we have to t...
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Life in the Twilight (Crepuscular) Zone from 2018-05-11T18:17:58
Devon and Richard venture into the Twilight Zone, by going on a walk at Twilight, the time between light and dark, to explore what life is like and what has pressured so many animals to take advant...
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It's Not Easy Being Green: Canary in the Coal Mine from 2018-04-23T16:59:24
In this episode, we tell the story of two Harvard professors with a bucket of frogs and a rooftop, solve the decade old mystery of exploding toads in Germany, explain what was the culprit of frog d...
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Taste For Blood: Nature's Vampires from 2018-03-24T06:37:54
This episode, we have a story that takes us all the way from Copenhagen, to the rain forest of South America--- from the belly of the beast, to it’s excrement---as we explore nature’s Vampires Our ...
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Myth-Understood: Busting Bat Myths from 2018-03-06T05:26:36
Belief…belief is an interesting thing. Some of our beliefs are very close to our hearts, untouchable, unchangeable. Some of our beliefs are more flexible, changing if you have some kind of evidence...
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Love and Loneliness from 2018-02-10T01:54:03
In S1E1, Devon and Richard tell the story of Nigel"No Mates"the lonely Gannet, explore the reason behind a massive crab migration, and share this weeks Animal Sound of the Week!
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