Every Halloween, black cats, bats, and spiders take center stage as symbols of all things spooky—but how did these animals earn their eerie reputations, and which creatures deserve a little more Halloween spotlight? In this Barking Mad Halloween special, hosts Jordan Tyler and Dr. Stephanie Clark are joined by David Perez and Kait Wright to unravel the myths, folklore, and surprising facts behind nature’s creepiest (and most misunderstood) species. From toads with hallucinogenic toxins to beetles that bury the dead, discover how science, superstition, and pop culture turned these seemingly ordinary animals into Halloween legends.

Helpful Links

🎃 Learn more about:

• Why are Bats, Owls, Toads, and Crows Associated with Halloween? (National Wildlife Federation)
• Why Black Cats Are Associated With Halloween and Bad Luck (History)
• The Sydney funnel-web spider (The Australian Museum)
• Daddy long-legs—an Opiliones, not a spider! (The University of California-Riverside)
• Truth & Myth: Crows & Ravens in The Game of Thrones (AvesNoir)
• Huginn and Muninn: The Backstory of Odin's Ravens (Birds of Valhalla)
• Horned Lizards, AKA Horned Toads (University of Texas at Austin)
• Animals that are sanguivores (Animalia)
• Death’s-head hawkmoth (Butterfly Conservation)
• The American burying beetle (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service)
• Ticks (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Tardigrades (LiveScience by Future US)

🦇 Find the full blog post, “Nine animals begging for more Halloween representation.”

Show Notes

00:20 – Inside the Episode

02:27 – Spooky Cinema: Animals in Horror

04:43 – Halloween’s Most Iconic Animals

05:47 – The Black Cat’s Curse and Comeback

07:26 – Toads, Witches, and Ancient Symbolism

09:32 – Debunking Spider Myths

15:02 – Bats, Vampires, and the Birth of Dracula

16:32 – Draculin and Other Bloody Facts

17:15 – Ravens, Crows, and Ominous Intelligence

20:00 – Owls: From Omens of Death to Symbols of Wisdom

22:41 – Halloween’s Most Underrated Creeps

23:15 – Centipedes: The Nightmare Pest You Shouldn’t Kill

24:46 – The Death’s-Head Hawkmoth Has a Screaming Sweet Tooth

26:45 – The Burying Beetle: A True Gothic Homemaker

28:24 – Ticks: Nature’s True Vampires

32:03 – Creepy Reptiles and Lizard Legends

36:44 – Tardigrades: Cute or Creepy?

41:18 – Today’s Key Takeaways—and Happy Halloween!