Strange Animals Podcast

We’re going to learn about the colossal squid in this episode, with bonus info about the giant squid…and then we’re going to learn about the massive things that eat this massive squid! A giant squid, looking slightly guilty for eating another squid: A colossal squid, looking less than impressive tbh: THAT EYEBALL: A sperm whale ... [Read more...]

This week we’re learning about some out-of-place marsupials, from phantom kangaroos to colonies of wallabies living in places like England and Hawaii. Thanks to Richard E. for the suggestion! A Bennett’s wallaby and a red kangaroo: George Stubbs’s kangaroo painting: The controversial maybe-it’s-a-kangaroo engraving from 1593 (detail to the right). For more information, this is ... [Read more...]

It’s been too long since we discussed whales, so this week let’s learn about how whales evolved and some especially strange or mysterious whales! Pakicetus was probably kind of piggy-looking, but with a crocodile snout: Protocetids were more actually whale-like but still not all that whale-like: Now we’re getting whaley! Here’s basilosaurus, with a dinosaur ... [Read more...]

Not-Elephants! They’re like elephants but WEIRD! Let’s take a look at a lot of extinct proboscidea this week. Oh, and the Casual Birder Podcast episode where I talk about indigo buntings should be released this week, not last week. Oops. Gomphotheres, looking deceptively normal at first glance: THEIR FACES AAAHHHH art by Pedro Toledo: Cuvieronius ... [Read more...]

This week we’ll learn about birds that are mysterious in one way or another. If you need more bird knowledge, check out the awesome Casual Birder Podcast, especially this week’s episode with a guest spot by me about indigo buntings! Lots of pictures for this one, hoo boy. The Nechisar nightjar wing. It’s all we’ve got: ... [Read more...]

This week let’s find out a little something about the Cambrian explosion, where the relatively simple and tiny life on earth suddenly proliferated and grew much larger…and definitely stranger. The Burgess shale area: beautiful AND full of fascinating fossils: Anomalocaris, pre-we-figured-out-what-these-things-are: What anomalocaris probably actually looked like, plus a couple of the “headless shrimp” fossils: ... [Read more...]

It’s time to look at two more supposedly mysterious, supposedly identified animals off those “Ten Cryptozoological Animals That Have Been FOUND Please Click Please Click” articles. First is the dingiso, or bondegezou, which is just about as adorable as an animal can get: Next is the Hoan Kiem Turtle: Dat FACE Show transcript: Welcome to Strange ... [Read more...]

Finally, it’s the follow-up to our first sea monsters episode that sounds so terrible now that I know how to put a podcast together! Here’s the published drawings of a strange animal seen from the HMS Daedalus: Here’s Drummond’s sketch of what he saw: Here’s a sketch of the HMS Plumper animal sighted: And here’s ... [Read more...]

Thanks to Damian, who suggested T. rex as a topic! Let’s learn all about the T. rex and especially the most famous and controversial specimen ever found, Sue. A T. rex: Sue, also a T. rex: Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I’m your host, Kate Shaw. Our topic this week is a suggestion ... [Read more...]

We’re not looking at just any old insectivores in this episode, we’re looking at the big three of ant-eating mammals: the giant anteater, the aardvark, and the pangolin! A giant anteater and baby: Teeny anteater mouth alert! Also long tongue: An aardvark walking with style: An aardvark. Look at that tongue! And those claws! An ... [Read more...]