What The Duck?!

What The Duck?! episodes:

• 05.03.2024

  Hyenas and lab mice - does sex matter?

  Female lab mice have been bred to be passive and breed with ease. But, in the wild they're feisty and even pugnacious. How much of our biological understanding of the world is based on misogyny? Featuring: Lucy Cooke, Zoologist and author of Bitch A...

  
• 04.26.2024

  Shells with stories to tell

  There's a whole world of mystery, and quite a bit of maths,  inside the humble sea shell. Forget ancestry searches online, shells can tell you the history of the world! Featuring: Amy Prendergast, University of Melbourne. Jann Vendetti, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.  Dr...

  
• 04.19.2024

  The merits of menopause. End of. Period.

  There's only a handful of animals on earth that go through menopause, where females get to hang up the ovaries and enjoy a change of life. So, why have we (humans, chimps and some toothed whales) established a sexual retirement of...

  
• 04.12.2024

  Extreme traps in nature

  We will all go to trouble to get a good meal, but some animals take it to the extreme. Some build architectural masterpieces to entrap their prey, or use body parts as lures. But what is your cat doing when it makes...

  
• 04.05.2024

  Phantasmic Mr Fox

  Despite spending years and millions of dollars, the Tasmanian Fox Eradication team never, not once, not ever, spotted a live fox on the Apple Isle. While their efforts yielded zero foxes, it spawned a tale of lies, alleged corruption, and more scats...

  
• 03.29.2024

  What the [sheeping] flock?

  You have a lot to thank sheep for. Yes, sheep. More than just wool and meat — sheep have played a part in the development of contraception and reproduction in humans. It's not as dodgy as it sounds, but it is absolutely...

  
• 03.22.2024

  Purely for pleasure

  For years we've barely even talked about the human clitoris let alone the fact that snakes have TWO.  This program has adult themes. Featuring: Belinda Smith, ABC Science Online Reporter.  Lucy Cooke, Author and Film maker. Megan Folwell, University of Adelaide. Dr Jenna Crowe-Riddell, La Trobe...

  
• 03.15.2024

  Face your fear of snakes

  Would you meet a stranger in a park with a pile of snakes?  Comedian Craig Quartermaine took the risk in an attempt to overcome his fears. Featuring: Craig Quartermaine, comedian.  Sandy Dickinson, Urban Reptiles. Jonathan Wright, announcer's voice.  Production: Ann Jones, presenter/producer. Petria Ladgrove, producer. Joel Werner, script editor. Field...

  
• 03.08.2024

  Animals with extreme minimalist mindsets

  Could a legless lizard be 'minimalist of the year' for famous podcaster T. K. Coleman? Ann Jones leads an unlikely gang of animal experts on a tidy dance through the philosophy of minimalism. There are moths without mouths, flies without wings,...

  
• 03.01.2024

  Mother Nature does it better (ASMR edition)

  ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) is a tingly sensation that can bring relaxation, and it's spawned a growing industry of videos online of whispering, tapping, mouth noises and soft speaking.  But, if you wanted quiet, intimate sounds, well, Nature does it...

  
• 02.23.2024

  Why do Quolls have spots?

  Imagine you've just been cancelled for a controversial opinion about Taylor Swift's musical output, and you have to go to ground. You can act like the Olsen twins, and hide behind big glasses and a big coat. Or you could take a...

  
• 02.16.2024

  Butts. What are they good for?

  Right now, you’re probably sitting on one of the most unique things about humans. One thing that separates us from the apes, from the birds, from EVERYTHING on earth. The thing that allows us to walk upright, on two legs. We...

  
• 02.09.2024

  How many animals REALLY live in your house?

  How many species live around your house? In the COVID lockdown of 2020, three housemates decided to count. They thought there’d only be a handful, but the number kept rising and rising. Could their simple suburban Queenslander house be the next candidate for...

  
• 02.02.2024

  Space race- the animal edition

  Fruit flies, guinea pigs, frogs, monkeys, turtles, cats and dogs… all sorts of animals have been to space. Find out who made small steps for mankind before we could even spacewalk as Ann goes through the emotional turmoil of hearing animals...

  
• 01.19.2024

  SUMMER - Silence of the vultures

  An ornithologist, a veterinarian and a religious devotee must find the serial killer before every last vulture in India is dead. The episode was first published on the 2nd of September 2023.  Featuring: Dr Campbell Murn, Head of Conservation at Hawk Conservancy Trust...

  
• 01.12.2024

  SUMMER - Are Naked Mole-rats the weirdest animals on earth?

  They look like… 'sabre-toothed sausages', they can barely see, they live for a really long time and have a queen who oppresses them. Find out all about the Naked Mole-rat this week and let us know your weirdest animal on earth...

  
• 01.05.2024

  SUMMER - The ostrich-riding bushranger

  He loved gold, so he robbed stagecoaches in South Australia and used an ostrich as a getaway car. OR DID HE?! This episode was first published on the 11th of February 2023. Featuring: Denice Mason, teacher and Meningie resident. Associate Professor Rohan Clarke, Monash...

  
• 12.29.2023

  SUMMER- Kneel before the eel

  For thousands of years eels have made people rich and powerful, literally. Now it's time to pay it back. This episode was originally published on the 18th of March 2023. Featuring: Dr. John Wyatt Greenlee, Historian Cornell University. Erin Rose, Budj Bim World Heritage...

  
• 12.22.2023

  SUMMER- Birds, bees and a wang wang with a problem.

  A tiny penis, a 12-hour annual fertilisation window, picky females and strawberry bubble bath – these are just a few of the issues that pop up when making a panda cub. This is a repeat of an episode first published on...

  
• 12.15.2023

  Who's a good girl?

  Ann Jones does a DNA test to see if she is a dog! This is the final episode for Season 5 of What the Duck?! We will be back in February with new episodes. Featuring: Skyla Seltzer, What The Duck?! listener. Beanz and Henry the...

  
• 12.08.2023

  Is the pigeon the weirdest animal on earth?

  It is related to the dodo, makes milk and even played a role in the French Revolution. Surely this bird deserves some recognition? Featuring: Rosemary Mosco, Science writer and author of 'The Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching'. Nathan Finger, Host of 'Bird of...

  
• 12.01.2023

  Can you speak fish?

  Someone get a translator app because the fish are ready to speak.  Featuring: Lauren Hawkins, Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin University.  Dr Aaron Rice, Research Scientist at Cornell University.  Featured sounds : Thanks to Aaron and Lauren for providing sounds as well...

  
• 11.24.2023

  Nature's vibrators

  They make THEMSELVES scream.  Featuring: Dr. Perry Beasley Hall, Adelaide University. Ernesto Caliari Pinheiro, Acoustic biologist, Brazil. Professor Mario Vallejo-Marin, University of Uppsala, Sweden.  Lisa Schonberg, Ecological sound artist, New York. Professor Link Olson, University of Alaska Museum. Dr Andy Reid, University of Strathclyde, Scotland. Dr Ying Luo,...

  
• 11.17.2023

  Mike-owl Jackson, Gorillaz and The Pussycat Dolls- are animals musical?

  Can animals create, or even enjoy music? Ann rips through the animal kingdom to check out the musical talent of some likely and unlikely animals. Featuring: Dr. Stuart Watson, University of Zurich.  Dr. Chiara De Gregorio, University of Torino.  Assistant Professor Adena Schachner, University...

  
• 11.02.2023

  PRESENTS - Our Changing World

  A new season of What the Duck?! is just around the corner - but for now... we wanted to share an excerpt of a great episode on the sex life of spiders from our friends at Radio New Zealand. Spiders... sometimes...

  
• 10.06.2023

  Glow your own way

  Are you high, or is that a sheep glowing? Featuring: Linda Reinhold, Zoologist at James Cook University. Professor Simon Lewis, Curtin University.  Dr. Kenny Travouillon, Western Australian Museum.  Caitlin Grieve, Hillend Dorsets.

  
• 09.29.2023

  Killer whales vs boats

  A group of Killer whales have been hassling boats around Spain over the last few years.  They've been nibbling the rudders and even sinking yachts, but why? Has anyone considered that it might be revenge?  How dangerous are Orcas anyway?  Featuring: Martin Evans, UK Sailor. Professor Peter...

  
• 09.22.2023

  Petrel heads in love

  They smell like a squid in a wool jumper, they sound like a duck on helium, and devoted 'Petrel Heads' travel thousands of kilometres just to hear them moan.   Featuring: Peter Vaughan, Monash University.  Stephen Totterman, Northern NSW Naturalist and seabird enthusiast. Rolenas Tavue Baereleo, Department of Environmental...

  
• 09.15.2023

  Feeling crabby

  Have the crabs been lying to us? There are true crabs, false crabs, and even shame-faced crabs which implies that some of them, at least, are guilty. Featuring: Dr Rachael King, SA Museum.  Professor Judith Weis, Rutgers University, Newark.  Dr Annabel Dorrenstein, University of Western...

  
• 09.08.2023

  Who's your Daddy?

  You probably have a daddy-long-legs in your house right now. But when is having a weird housemate in the corner ACTUALLY a good thing? Dr Ann Jones investigates.   Featuring: Dr Samantha Nixon, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).  Dr Lizzy Lowe, Invertebrates Australia. Thanks also...

  
• 09.02.2023

  POD EXTRA: Johnny Cash and the Condor fire

  An extra special, podcast only, five-minute story for you! A bird that stands over a metre tall hardly seems like it'd bow down to a rock star, but Johnny Cash played a burning role in the near-extinction of Californian Condors. Featuring: Dr. Maggie...

  
• 09.01.2023

  Silence of the vultures

  An ornithologist, a veterinarian and a religious devotee must find the serial killer before every last vulture in India is dead. Featuring: Dr Campbell Murn, Head of Conservation at Hawk Conservancy Trust and University of Reading, UK. Dr Kishor Rithe, Interim Director, Bombay...

  
• 07.28.2023

  Do worms dream?

  We get a bit philosophical and try to find out that if animals do dream, will we ever be able to know what they’re dreaming about? Featuring: Cassie, Claire and Pidgey the Parrot.  Associate Professor Nicole Lovato, Flinders University.  Associate Professor John Lesku, La...

  
• 07.21.2023

  Sleep like a log

  Birds can fly while half their brain is sleeping and some spiders sleep dangling on a silk thread, but what about worms. Do worms sleep? Featuring: Associate Professor John Lesku, La Trobe University.  Dr Shauni Omond, @shauniomond.sleepsci on Instagram, La Trobe University.   Professor Niels Rattenborg,...

  
• 07.14.2023

  Why don't you act like a girl?

  Boob-shaping hiccups are very sexy in the sage grouse world, but whose chesticles are in charge? Featuring: Lucy Cooke, Zoologist and author of Bitch A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal. Professor Gail L Patricelli,  University of California, Davis.  Production: Ann Jones,...

  
• 07.07.2023

  Bitch! Who is really in charge?

  Female lab mice have been bred to be passive and breed with ease. But, in the wild they're feisty and even pugnacious. How much of our biological understanding of the world is based on misogyny? Featuring: Lucy Cooke, Zoologist and author of...

  
• 03.31.2023

  Birds, bees and a wang wang with a problem.

  A tiny penis, a 12-hour annual fertilisation window, picky females and strawberry bubble bath – these are just a few of the issues that pop up when making a panda cub. Featuring: Chad Crittle, Acting Assistant Curator for Carnivores and Ungulates at Zoos...

  
• 03.24.2023

  Shells with stories to tell

  Forget ancestry searches online. Shells can tell you the history of the world. Featuring: Amy Prendergast, University of Melbourne. Jann Vendetti, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.  Dr Paul Butler, Researcher at the University of Exeter.

  
• 03.17.2023

  Kneel before the eel

  For thousands of years eels have made people rich and powerful, literally. Now it's time to pay it back.  Featuring: Dr. John Wyatt Greenlee, Historian Cornell University.  Erin Rose, Budj Bim World Heritage Executive Officer at Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation. Braydon Saunders, Tour Guide...

  
• 03.10.2023

  Purely for pleasure

  For years we've barely even talked about the human clitoris let alone the fact that snakes have TWO.  This program has adult themes. Featuring: Belinda Smith, ABC Science Online Reporter.  Lucy Cooke, Author and Film maker. Megan Folwell, University of Adelaide. Dr Jenna Crowe-Riddell, La Trobe...

  
• 03.03.2023

  Are Naked Mole-rats the weirdest animals on earth?

  They look like... 'sabre-toothed sausages', they can barely see, they live for a really long time and have a queen who oppresses them. Find out all about the Naked Mole-rat this week and let us know your weirdest animal on earth...

  
• 02.24.2023

  Craig Vs Snakes

  Would you meet a stranger in a park with a pile of snakes?  Comedian, Craig Quartermaine, took the risk in an attempt to overcome his fears! Featuring: Craig Quartermaine, Comedian.  Sandy Dickinson, Urban Reptiles. Jonathan Wright, Announcer voice.  Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer. Petria Ladgrove, Producer. Joel Werner,...

  
• 02.17.2023

  Animals in Space

  Who made small steps for man before man could even space walk? Featuring: James Foley, Author and Illustrator. Kerrie Dougherty OAM, Senior Heritage and Outreach Officer, Australian Space Agency. Emeritus Professor John P. Gluck, University of New Mexico and Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University. Michael...

  
• 02.10.2023

  The ostrich-riding bushranger

  He loved gold, so he robbed stage coaches in South Australia and used an ostrich as a getaway car. OR DID HE?!  Welcome to the first episode of 'What The Duck?!' Season 2. Featuring: Denice Mason, teacher and Meningie resident. Associate Professor Rohan Clarke, Monash...

  
• 12.16.2022

  Spider murder methods

  Gravity defying ninja skills, being able to hear even if you don't have ears, working together to gang up on huge prey. Spiders are murder machines.  This is the final episode of Season 1 What the Duck?!    Stay subscribed for Season...

  
• 12.09.2022

  The politics of being a cow

  If you think that cow politics is just about the live export business, you are wrong. Cows have politics of their own – machinations to sort out who is the leader and who will be led.  Featuring: Dr Rebecca Doyle, Faculty of Veterinary...

  
• 12.02.2022

  Inside a cow pat

  Here’s a field guide you probably don’t have — “Introduced Dung Beetles in Australia".

  
• 11.25.2022

  Hitchhikers guide to ecology

  Grabbing a lift can go from bad to worse when your uber drops you outside your evolutionary niche.  FEATURING Dr Matt Greenlees, Sydney University. Arthur White, NSW frog and tadpole study group. David Chapple, Monash University. Dr Maggie Watson, Charles Sturt University.  Dr Robert Streit, Reef Function Hub...

  
• 11.18.2022

  Field guide to car ecology

  Ever wondered about the spiders in your car mirror? How they got there and ‘where the duck’ they’re going?   FEATURING Dr Ken Walker, Senior Curator of Entomology, Museums Victoria Research Institute.  Dr Laurent Keller, University of Lausanne Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer. Petria Ladgrove, Producer. Joel Werner,...

  
• 11.11.2022

  How to speak Cicada

  The 'sound of summer' is actually thousands of blokes screaming 'PICK ME' at the top of their screaming cicada voices.