Cool Facts About Animals

In this episode, we dive into the world of rats. Sure, they can crawl up sewer pipes into your toilet and may have been at least partly responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of Europeans. But - they're also really smart, feel regret, and can show emotion with their ears.

This is a special episode. In our first half, we share cool rat facts. And in the second half, we interview Professor Monica Green, who studies plague. We learned so much from her about plague, how it was spread, and even that it is still around today.

We couldn't fit our whole interview with Professor Green into this episode, so we're including a longer interview on our feed. You should see it right behind this one.

Thanks to our Patreon sponsor Henry for getting us excited about rats! If you'd like to be a Patreon sponsor, please click here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals

In this episode, we include many of the facts from our interview with Professor Green that we couldn't fit in our Rat episode. We do go into some detail about the plague and its continued existence, so please use discretion in whether you feel comfortable listening to this episode.

Don't miss our rat episode that accompanies this episode, which includes additional facts about rats and also includes lots of interesting information from Professor Green.

In this episode, we speak with National Geographic author about all sorts of cool animals facts. We talk about why pandas are black and white, why t-rexes have short arms, and some of her favorite animal myths to debunk. Julie is the author of almost 50 books, including a number of Weird But True books, and her new book - Why? Animals.

Thank you to Paul and Evelyn for being our Patreon sponsors. If you'd like to support us financially, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals

Did you know we have a gear store? Get your animal lover a Cool Facts About Animals shirt, sweatshirt, or All About Cooking apron here: https://www.zazzle.com/store/coolanimalspod/products

Today we are rebroadcasting our mega plastic episode.

We're replaying this episode now because we just found out that one of the people we interviewed for this episode, Dr. Jenna Jambeck, was named as one of the 25 MacArthur Genius Grant recipients for 2022. This is a really big honor!

We have a lot planned in the next few weeks. Stay tuned for an episode with Weird But True author Julie Beer about all sorts of animal trivia. And then – our episode about rats. As part of that episode, we'll speak with historian Monica Green about the black death.

But for now, we hope you learn a lot and gets lots of great ideas after hearing from Dr. Jambeck and our other guests about plastic pollution.

In this special episode, Jaguar and Teddy play some games. You'll never guess who wins!

Thanks to our Patreon sponsors, Magdalena, Kellan, and George! If you'd like to be our Patreon sponsor, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals

It was a long time coming, but we finally made it to the Redwoods! We got to learn all about this amazing habitat and see the forest in person, as well as meet with two California State Park rangers, Marnin Robbins and Kyle Buchanan. In our discussions with them, we learn about the unusual way Redwood trees reproduce, the animals that live there, solve a Redwoods mystery, discover how to keep the habitat safe, and lots more.

Thanks to our Patreon sponsors for making this episode possible! If you would like to support us financially, head here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals.

Patreon sponsors also get access to our newsletter about the Redwoods and our back issues about honeybees and anaconda v. crocodile!

We will have videos up on our YouTube page soon. Check back here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt89IP0pdPUfvETol8qHKjg

In the meantime, you can find some Redwoods videos and pictures on our Twitter page: https://twitter.com/coolanimalspod

In this bonus episode, the Cool Facts About Animals Crew gets the chance to speak with National Geographic author and wildlife vet Dr. Gabby Wild. We speak about her new book, How to Speak Animal, and learn a lot about the different ways animals communicate. Unfortunately, she couldn't tell us how to tell our cat Fuzzy to stop bullying our other cats. Alphas gonna alpha. We think you'll enjoy learning all sorts of fun animal communication facts, including how crickets can tell us the temperature, how sharks communicate through magnetic forces, whether ducks speak in a French accent, and lots more.

You can find more about Dr. Wild here: https://gabbywild.org

It's an episode swap! Today we're sharing an animal-themed newsy podcast from our Kids Listen pals Newsy Pooloozi! You'll hear stories about animals, plastic trees, and, well, poo. We think you'll enjoy it. If you do, be sure to check out their podcast wherever you get your podcasts. https://www.newsypooloozi.com

Don't forget about our Patreon sponsor meetup on Saturday, August 13 at 10 am pacific! We hope you can join us. https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals

In this special episode, Cool Facts About Animals and the Past and the Curious team up to learn all about sled dogs! We learn ten cool facts about sled dogs while also learning the history of two very special sled dogs who saved the town of Nome, Alaska.

Don't forget out meetup on August 13 at 10 am Pacific for Patreon sponsors! Become a sponsor here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals

Also, we have merch! Want a tshirt? An All About Cooking Apron? Find it here: https://www.zazzle.com/store/coolanimalspod

In this episode, we learn all about honeybees! Learn about the waggle dance, how furry bees are, and other fun facts about these amazing and important pollinators.

We are having another Patreon meetup! Patreon sponsors at any level (beginning at $1) are invited to join us for a Zoom on August 13 at 10 am pacific/1 pm eastern. Zoom details will be available on our Patreon page. https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals

Our kid challenge this episode is to build a home for mason bees. Here's a link to how to do that: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c40e967372b96739edad511/t/5e9b98b339f0f40fc8528b2c/1587255480757/Mason+Bee+House+DIY.pdf

If you do the kid challenge, know the answer to the creature quiz or want to take a guess at the riddle, send your answer to [email protected] and we will send you a bookmark.

Thanks for listening! And thanks to RACC for the podcasting equipment!