Debbie brings Haley another bird episode because she's the best friend around! Did you know that the eagle wasn't legally made the national bird until 2024? We didn't know! And after the eagle was first put on that great seal that we still see all over the place today, the eagles themselves had a pretty terrible time of it thanks to the powerful insecticide, DDT. But this is a happy episode because it's a conservation success story! And the eagle eventually became the national bird! This is my stab at a patriotic episode because it will be after the 4th when it comes out, but before the 4th when we recorded it, so it kinda counts! Come for the eagles, stay for the giggles and history (and eagles!).

Let's Connect:

insta:

@creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

https://www.greatseal.com/committees/finaldesign/thomson.html

https://diplomacy.state.gov/the-great-seal/

https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4610/text

https://www.fws.gov/species/bald-eagle-haliaeetus-leucocephalus

https://www.epa.gov/caddis/case-ddt-revisiting-impairment

https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/original-design-of-the-great-seal-of-the-united-states

https://diplomacy.state.gov/the-great-seal/

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/overview

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bald_Eagle/lifehistory

Encyclopaedia Britannica. "Bald eagle."

https://www.britannica.com/animal/bald-eagle

https://fi.edu/en/science-and-education/benjamin-franklin/national-bird

https://abcbirds.org/news/bald-eagle-the-ultimate-endangered-species-act-success-story/

https://eagles.org/what-we-do/educate/learn-about-eagles/bald-eagle-decline-recovery/

Maryland Department of Natural Resources. "A Soaring Success: Maryland's Bald Eagle Population Recovery," July 3, 2025.

https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2025/07/03/a-soaring-success-marylands-bald-eagle-population-recovery/

https://www.npr.org/2024/12/17/nx-s1-5231752/turns-out-the-bald-eagle-wasnt-the-official-u-s-bird-until-this-week

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/bald-eagle-official-national-bird/

https://rollcall.com/2024/08/05/senate-swoops-in-centuries-late-to-name-bald-eagle-national-bird/

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/bald-eagle-us-national-bird-designation-preston-cook-rcna169790

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/biden-signs-bill-officially-anointing-bald-eagle-as-national-bird-of-u-s

https://www.britannica.com/science/DDT

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paul-Hermann-Muller

https://www.chemistryworld.com/features/how-ddt-went-from-triumph-to-tragedy/4019480.article

https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2010/Bald-eagle-box-1

Debbie brings Haley a birrrd episode! And not just any bird episode, we’re talking about the guy who wrote the very first book on Ornithology (the study of birds)! Frederick II (1194-1250) was the ruler of a whole lot of countries, not to mention the Holy Roman Emperor, and he dedicated a lot of his power and resources to make the study of birds more scientific and reliable. Come join us for a deep history dive, a lot of tangents, and, as always, a good amount of laughs. 

Let’s Connect!

Insta: @creaturemetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

Haskins article: https://www.jstor.org/stable/552467

Art of Falconry: https://archive.org/details/McGillLibrary-rbsc_art-falconry_casey-wood_SK321F87-18001

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-II-Holy-Roman-emperor

https://www.worldhistory.org/Frederick_II/

https://www.mdpi.com/2673-8392/1/3/55

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355742662_Frederick_II_of_Hohenstaufen_and_modern_ecology

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frederick-II-Holy-Roman-emperor/Struggle-with-the-papacy

https://www.historytoday.com/archive/death-emperor-frederick-ii

https://blackcentraleurope.com/sources/1000-1500/frederick-ii-impresses-with-his-processions-ca-1230s/

Goose: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/barnacle-goose

Falcon: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/paid-content-falcons-up-close

Debbie and Savanna are here for the incredible story of Winter the Dolphin. A baby dolphin was found tangled in a crab trap and was rescued by a fisherman who came over to see what was going on. Sea World Institute brought her to Clearwater Marine Aquarium west of Tampa, Florida where her lengthy rehabilitation began. In the process of her rehab, she lost her tail and her adapted way of swimming presented its own issues. A team of dedicated prosthetists made a prosthetic tail that inadvertently helped human amputees as well.

Let's Connect!

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

email: [email protected]

Sources:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-researchers-gave-bottlenose-dolphin-prosthetic-tail/

https://innotechtoday.com/winter-tail-dolphins-prosthesis/

https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/winters-tale-this-prosthetic-tailed-dolphin-was-more-than-a-movie-star

https://hangerclinic.com/blog/patient-stories/winter-prosthetic-tail-helps-baby-dolphin-swim-again/

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna14997569

https://mission.cmaquarium.org/news/tales-of-winter-the-dolphin-new-exhibit-unveiled-at-clearwater-marine-aquarium/

https://www.awesomeclearwater.com/winter-the-dolphin.html

https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/tales-of-winter-new-exhibit-at-clearwater-marine-aquarium/

https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-46994-2_4

https://mission.cmaquarium.org/news/tales-of-winter-the-dolphin-new-exhibit-unveiled-at-clearwater-marine-aquarium/

Debbie and Savanna overcome every technical issue under the sun to bring you this epic story of the initial packs of wolves reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. Within these first packs lived a runt named Wolf 8, who grew up to mate with a widowed alpha female with 8 pups. Wolf 8 proved himself to be an exceptional alpha, protecting his young, providing for them, and yet exercising compassion and gentle leadership. One of his pups, Wolf 21, would grow up to be one of the most famous wolves in the world, and experts believe most of his leadership skills came from the stepfather who raised him. Debbie read The Rise of Wolf 8 by Rick McIntyre for this episode. McIntyre's expertise and deep knowledge of these animals give us a front row seat on their journey together.

Let's Connect!

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

Book: McIntyre, Rick. The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone’s Underdog

Greater Yellowstone Coalition. “A Timeline of the Yellowstone Wolf Reintroduction.” Greater Yellowstone Coalition, greateryellowstone.org/yellowstone-wolf-reintroduction

“The Wolf Runt Who Rose to Alpha-Male Status in Yellowstone.” On Point, WBUR, 17 Oct. 2019, wbur.org/onpoint/2019/10/17/rise-of-wolf-8-yellowstone-rick-mcintyre

“Rick McIntyre on the Stories of Yellowstone’s Greatest Wolves.” When We Talk About Animals, episode 44, 23 Nov. 2021, whenwetalkaboutanimals.org/2021/11/23/ep-44-rick-mcintyre

Bethune, Brian. “How a Runt Wolf from Canada Became a Hero.” Maclean’s, 16 Oct. 2019, macleans.ca/culture/how-a-runt-wolf-from-canada-became-a-hero

“1995 Reintroduction of Wolves in Yellowstone.” Yellowstone National Park Trips, yellowstonepark.com/park/conservation/yellowstone-wolves-reintroduction

Yellowstone Forever. “Yellowstone Wolf Project.” Yellowstone Forever, yellowstone.org/wolf-project

National Park Service. “Donate.” Yellowstone National Park, nps.gov/yell/getinvolved/donate.html

Savanna, Haley, and Debbie are here for Orion, the Rottweiler who set the Guinness World Record for the most amount of people rescued by a dog in 24 hours. During the deadliest mudslide in history (also a world record), the people of Vargas State, Venezuela, were in a state of desperate crisis. Orion, a beloved family dog, was left behind his family who were rescued by helicopter. The exact motive unknown to all, Orion went on an extreme spree of rescuing a total of 37 people in a single night.

He went on to be reunited with his family and live a long life not only as a hero within his community, but around the world as well.

Please forgive our echo-y (in parts) audio. We are in the process of fixing it! We are new to this still and appreciate your patience as we learn all the ins and outs of this thing!

Let's be friends:

instagram: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

WORKS CITED

The Vargas Tragedy

https://www.britannica.com/event/Venezuela-mud-slides-of-1999

https://compacthistories.com/disasters/the-vargas-tragedy/

https://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2001/ofr-01-0144/

https://www.elnacional.com/venezuela/orion-el-rottweiler-que-salvo-mas-35-vidas-en-la-tragedia-de-vargas/

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-

records/382221-most-humans-rescued-by-a-dog-in-24-hours

https://www.amrottclub.org/history-of-the-rottweiler/

https://www.britannica.com/animal/Rottweiler

https://www.dogster.com/lifestyle/what-were-rottweilers-bred-for

https://www.trupanion.com/pet-blog/article/rottweiler

Debbie and Savanna bring you the story of Koko the gorilla. Many of us have heard of Koko. Maybe you've seen the videos of Robin Williams laughing with Koko, or maybe you've seen one where a barefoot Mr. Rogers is cuddling with her. Her knowledge of sign language and perceived ability to communicate broke barriers of what we previously believed a gorilla could do. But as the story unfolded, so did the complexity. Credible science was called into question as the world fell in love with this heartwarming, kitten-loving gorilla.

Let's connect:

instagram: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/animal/western-lowland-gorilla

https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/conversation-koko/12392/

⁠https://news.columbia.edu/news/chimpanzee-language-project-nim-herbert-terrace⁠

⁠https://www.maynoothuniversity.ie/research/spotlight-research/lost-translation-koko-gorilla-and-language-research⁠

The Gorilla Foundation: https://www.koko.org

Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund: https://gorillafund.org

IUCN Red List — Western Lowland Gorilla: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/9404/136250557

It's a Haley episode! And not just that...it's a Haley episode AND a bird episode! So you're not going to want to miss this one. We're talking about the famous Jackie and Shaow, the two bald eagles whose nest in Big Bear is livestreamed 24/7 most months of the year. Their yearly clutches capture the heart of hundreds of thousands around the world and there's a good reason why.

Let's connect:

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

email: [email protected]

Sources:

Www.friendsofbigbearvalley.org

Www.allaboutbirds.org

Haley and Debbie are here to tell you the history behind the "canary in a coal mine" saying and there are tiny american flags, canary-sized oxygen cages, and lots of giggles.

Let's Connect!

instagram: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

Dig episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/canary-in-a-coal-mine-literally/id1271238763?i=1000561501023

Show notes: digpodcast.org/2022/05/15/canary-in-a-coal-mine

https://usbirdhistory.com/canaries-in-coal-mines/

https://www.britannica.com/science/respiratory-system/Birds

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312669029_The_Canary_in_the_Coal_Mine

https://history.alberta.ca/energyheritage/coal/the-early-development-of-the-coal-industry-1874-1914/early-methods-and-technology/canaries-in-the-coal-mine.aspx

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-happened-canary-coal-mine-story-how-real-life-animal-helper-became-just-metaphor-180961570/

https://notyourgrandfathersmining.ca/canary-in-a-coal-mine

https://nautil.us/when-canaries-actually-worked-in-coal-mines-1258467

https://boingboing.net/2026/04/27/an-1875-coffin-for-little-joe-the-canary-who-saved-a-mine-crew.html

https://earthlife.net/canaries/

Haley and Debbie sit down for a story that inspired lots of tangents, opinions, and deep thoughts and reflections! In 1989, a military surveillence system picked up a whale call at a frequency never heard before. With a call at a frequency of 52 hertz, the whale earned its name and decades of fame to go along with it. When researchers studied and shared the story of this whale, thousands of people around the world resonated with the idea of calling out and not being answered or understood. Books, movies, songs, albums, poems, tattoos, and blog posts were created, and the story of the "loneliest" whale became cemented in history. In this episode, we explore the facts that buffer this story and add context, and we're so very excited to share this one with you!

Let's Connect!

instagram: @creaturemeetsculture

gmail: [email protected]

fable (join our book club!): fable.co/club/cmc-book-club-with-debbie-442046716793?club_type=free

Sources:

Netflix Documentary: https://www.netflix.com/watch/81446263?trackId=284616272&tctx=0%2C0%2C8f3ca2a0-9181-41a2-805a-a1936c3c0e6c%2C8f3ca2a0-9181-41a2-805a-a1936c3c0e6c%7C%3DeyJwYWdlSWQiOiI4ZTI4MzM1Ny1mZjM3LTQ3YzYtYjI2ZS04YzNmNTQ3N2RiOTMvMS8vd2hhbGUgNTIvMC8wIiwibG9jYWxTZWN0aW9uSWQiOiIyIn0%3D%2C%2C%2C%2C%2C%2CVideo%3A81446263%2CdetailsPagePlayButton

Watkins' Publication: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/223377110_Twelve_years_of_tracking_52-Hz_whale_calls_from_a_unique_source_in_

the_North_Pacific

Blue Whale: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/blue-whale

Fin Whale: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/fin-whale

Additional: https://cascadiaresearch.org/crc-and-the-loneliest-whale/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/648247/52-hertz-loneliest-whale-documentary

https://niche-canada.org/2021/08/19/review-of-the-loneliest-whale-the-search-for-52/

List of Art inspired by Whale 52:

MUSIC

• "Whalien 52" — BTS (2015), from their album The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Pt. 1 — about the isolation of fame, directly inspired by 52

• "Part of Me Apart From You" — Colin Stetson (2013), from New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light — not explicitly about 52, but the Montreal saxophonist has said publicly at live performances that the whale's story resonated deeply with the composition

• "Ode to 52 Hz" — Kimiko Hahn, from her 2010 poetry collection Toxic Flora (this is a poem, not a song, but worth noting)

• An unnamed full album written by a singer in New Mexico who quit his tech job to record it — mentioned in Leslie Jamison's essay but not named

FILM & DOCUMENTARY

• The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52 (2021) — dir. Joshua Zeman, exec. produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Adrian Grenier, 86% on Rotten Tomatoes

• The Phantom 52 (2019) — animated short, premiered at Sundance, directed by Geoff Marslett, stars Tom Skerritt as the whale

• The Loneliest (2014) — short mockumentary about two women searching for 52, dir. Lilian T. Mehrel, funded by an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation grant

• 52Hz, I Love You (2017) — Taiwanese musical comedy film directed by Wei Te-sheng, loosely inspired by 52

• Whale 52: Suite for Man, Boy, and Whale (2025) — animated short, screened at Manhattan's IFC Center and the Woodstock Film Festival, animated by Bill Plympton, stars Bruce Vilanch

• 52 Hertz Whales (2024) Japanese novelist Sonoko Machida published a novel in 2020 using 52 as a metaphor for voiceless lonely people finding each other — it was adapted into a film in 2024 (called 52-Hertz Whales).

LITERATURE & ESSAYS

• "52 Blue" — Leslie Jamison (2014), The Atavist Magazine, later collected in Make It Scream, Make It Burn (2019)

• "52 Hertz" — Corrie Williamson (2014), prose poem

• A children's song written by a singer in Michigan — mentioned in Jamison's essay, unnamed

VISUAL ART

• A sculpture made from old plastic bottles by an artist in upstate New York

• Countless tattoos, fan art, and social media tributes — including a dedicated Twitter account with the hashtags #lonely and #sadlife

Haley and Debbie are here for an episode that has been in the works since the inception of this podcast...The U.S. Navy's Dolphin program! Currently based out of Point Loma, San Diego, these dolphins have trained as couriers, as well as mine and enemy detectors. A large amount of the scientific research we have on bottlenose dolphins was also donw within this program, previously located at Point Mugu.

Let's Be Friends!

instagram: @creaturemeetsculture

Sources:

The Dolphin Doctor by Sam Ridgway: https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/sam-ridgeway/584499/

https://acousticstoday.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Dolphin-Biosonar-Research.pdf

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21281220/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/224554890_Research_with_Navy_Marine_Mammals_benefits_animal_care_conservation_and_biology