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, and a worm-lizard that will even declutter its own tail. 

Move over Marie Kondo, Minimalist Mother Nature is in town. 

Featuring:

• T. K. Coleman, Co-host of the Minimalists Podcast.
• Dr. Bryan Lessard, aka Bry the Fly Guy, entomologist and author of 'Eyes on Flies'.
• Dr. George Binns,  Entomologist, Macquarie University.
• Dr. David Wong, Ecologist.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Additional mastering: Russell Stapleton.

If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

This episode of What the Duck?! was first broadcast in March 2024 and is produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

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 so. much. better. 

Ann Jones goes on an ASMR journey with vibrating caterpillars, whispering monkeys and birds who want to keep secrets. 

Featuring:

• Dr Giulia Poerio, University of Sussex.
• Thanh Sagris, ASMR artist, Melbourne.
• Associate Professor Rachel Morrison, University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
• Associate Professor Rindy Anderson, Florida Atlantic University.
• Associate Professor Mandy Ridley, University of Western Australia.
• Professor Jayne Yack, Carleton University.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Additional mastering: Russell Stapleton.

If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

This episode of What the Duck?! was first broadcast in Feb 2024 and is produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

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 lesson from nature and blend in, like a proverbial spotty quoll into the bush.

The animal kingdom has a lot to teach us about camouflage and animal markings.

Featuring:

• Dr Belinda Wilson, The Australian National University.
• Associate Professor Tanya Latty, University of Sydney.
• Dr Quentin Fogg, University of Melbourne.
• Dr Kaia Tombak, Purdue University. 
• Professor Marc Holderied, Bristol University.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano.

If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

This episode of What the Duck?! was first broadcast in Feb 2024 and is produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

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 have big butts and I cannot lie,This sort of exceptionalism doesn’t deny,That when a bird walks in with a little bit of hasteAnd drumsticks in your face, you have to admit that bipedalism ISN’T what’s interesting.It's actually our peachy butts.

Featuring:

Professor Daniel Lieberman, Harvard University, US.

Professor Jo Setchell, Durham University, UK. 

Dr Peter Bishop, Harvard University, US.

Lauren Thornton, University of Sunshine Coast.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Additional mastering: Russell Stapleton.

If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

This episode of What the Duck?! was first broadcast in Feb 2024 and is produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

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 a new national park?

Featuring:

Dr Matt Holden, Mathematician, University of Queensland.

Dr Andrew Rogers, Ecologist, University of Melbourne.

Dr Russell Yong, Taxonomist. 

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Additional mastering: Nathan Turnbull.

If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

This episode of What the Duck?! was first broadcast in Feb 2024 and is produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is a Christmas classic... but how much do we really know about reindeer? 

In the last instalment of "Hollywood lied to us" for 2024, Ann Jones fact-checks the festive fairytale for biological accuracy.

What would it take for a reindeer to fly? What are their noses really like? Would a glowing nose even make a decent fog light??

Featuring:

• Belinda Smith, ABC Science Online reporter
• Tim Horstkotte, Staff scientist at Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer
• Nat Tencic, Producer
• Isabella Tropiano, additional mastering

This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the lands of the Wadawarrung, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Kaurna people.

If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

The Lion King (1994), aka Hamlet with Cats, is an iconic family classic. But would The Lion King's portrayal of a pride make biologists proud?

Ann Jones presents “Hollywood lied to us” - a What The Duck?! podcast that takes your favourite movies and puts them under the microscope to work out what would happen in the real world and what’s just Hollywood magic.

Would Simba really end up with Nala?

Would the hyena henchmen really fall in line for a lion?

They’re the big questions and Ann Jones has all the answers."

Featuring:

• Amanda Finn, The Lion King super fan,  Theatre, travel, and lifestyle journalist.
• Dr Neil Jordan, Conservation Scientist in the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of New South Wales and Taronga Conservation Society Australia, and researcher with Botswana Predator Conservation.
• The Lion King, 1994, Disney Studios.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano

Check out our Hyena episode here!

This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

The movie is fictional but Groundhog Day (asking a groundhog for a long-term weather report)  IS A REAL THING!

But wait, what even ARE groundhogs? AND do they have any qualifications in meteorology?

Ann Jones is examining the biological accuracy of classic movies with the help of scientists and fans in the series "Hollywood Lied to Us."

Featuring:

• Link Olson, Curator of Mammals, University of Alaska Museum.
• Dr Adam Daniel, Western Sydney University. 
• Associate Professor Mike Rennie, Lakehead University.
• Groundhog Day by Columbia Pictures 

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano

This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

Yes, the Little Mermaid is an animated movie, but if it were real, where would this mermaid paradise be?

 Is it plausible that Ursula the Octo-woman would have henchmen in the form of eels? 

Ann Jones is examining the biological accuracy with the help of scientists and fans  of classic movies in the series "Hollywood Lied to Us."

Featuring:

• Flo Rama- The Little Mermaid super fan. 
• Professor Peter Godfrey-Smith, Sydney University. 
• The Little Mermaid, Disney Studios.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano

This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

Jaws (1975) was a massive hit that also created a whole lot of fear, but does anything in the film really stand up to shark science? Do sharks stalk humans? Do they roar? What can they sense? There are so many misconceptions when it comes to sharks that even now, 50 years later, these are impacting shark policies in Australia, and have come to be known as 'the jaws effect.'

Featuring:

• Sophie Maycock, shark obsessive and founder of SharkSpeak. 
• Chris Pepin-Neff – Shark policy expert at the University of Sydney. 
• Jaws (1975) Universal Studios.

Production:

• Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
• Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
• Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano

This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.