Wildly Curious

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Some animals are majestic.

Others...

...should probably stay very, very far away.

In this hilariously horrifying episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole debate the animals they could absolutely live without. From parasites that replace organs to frogs that break their own bones, this episode dives into some of evolution's strangest—and most disturbing—creations. 

Along the way you'll meet:

The Hairy Frog—a frog that breaks its own toe bones and pushes them through its skin to create Wolverine-like claws. 

Human Botflies—parasites that hitchhike on mosquitoes before developing beneath the skin of mammals. 

Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs—the invasive insects that invade homes, destroy crops, and somehow make everything smell worse. 

The Tongue-Eating Louse—the only known parasite that functionally replaces an entire organ by becoming a fish's new tongue. 

Sloths—beloved by millions... and passionately roasted by Laura for nearly every evolutionary decision they've ever made. 

Bobbit Worms—giant ambush predators that hide beneath the sand and explode upward to capture unsuspecting prey—and occasionally hitchhike into home saltwater aquariums. 

Of course, beneath all the jokes is real science. Every one of these bizarre animals evolved these adaptations for a reason, proving once again that evolution doesn't care whether humans think something is creepy—it only cares if it works.

If you love weird animals, parasites, wildlife biology, evolution, gross nature facts, or hilarious science podcasts, this episode is guaranteed to make you laugh... and maybe never look at nature the same way again.

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What if dragons were real... and they could run across water?

In this minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore one of the most incredible reptiles you've probably never heard of: the sailfin dragon, also known as the sailfin lizard (Hydrosaurus). Native to the rainforests of Southeast Asia and New Guinea, this dragon-like reptile combines the best features of an iguana, a basilisk, and a dinosaur. 

With giant sail-like fins, vivid colors, powerful swimming abilities, and juveniles capable of running across water, it's one of the most unique lizards on Earth. 

In this episode:

🐉 Why the sailfin dragon looks like a miniature dinosaur
 🌊 How young sailfin lizards can run across water before diving to safety
 🌴 Why these reptiles split their lives between trees and rivers
 🦎 The purpose of their enormous sail-like fins
 👁️ The mysterious "third eye" that helps regulate light and biological rhythms
 💜 Why some males turn brilliant violet during breeding season
 🌏 Where these incredible reptiles live throughout Southeast Asia and New Guinea

From convergent evolution to dragon-worthy adaptations, the sailfin dragon proves that some of the world's most extraordinary animals are hiding in plain sight.

If you love reptiles, dinosaurs, dragons, weird wildlife, evolutionary biology, or discovering animals you've never heard of, this episode is for you.

🎧 Part of our ongoing Animals You've Probably Never Heard Of minisode series.

Support the show

🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.

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How do scientists study animals that spend their lives hiding, migrating thousands of miles, or living deep underwater?

In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore the incredible technology that's transforming wildlife research. From radar that detects millions of migrating birds to satellites tracking whales from space, conservation has become a real-life spy mission. 

Discover how researchers can monitor animals without disturbing them—and sometimes without ever seeing them at all.

In this episode:

🛰️ How the International Space Station helps scientists track wildlife around the globe through the ICARUS program. 

📡 Why weather Doppler radar doesn't just detect storms—it can reveal bird migration, bats leaving caves, and even massive insect swarms. 

🌳 How LiDAR lasers create detailed 3D maps of forests to identify critical wildlife habitat hidden beneath the canopy. 

🧬 The fascinating science of environmental DNA (eDNA), allowing researchers to identify species from tiny traces of genetic material left behind in water, soil, and even air. 

🎙️ How passive acoustic monitoring uses AI and machine learning to recognize birds, frogs, bats, and entire ecosystems simply by listening. 

🤖 Why scientists build lifelike robotic "spy animals" that secretly film wildlife behaving naturally in the wild. 

These technologies are helping scientists understand migration, protect endangered species, detect invasive animals, monitor habitat health, and make better conservation decisions—all while minimizing disturbance to the wildlife they're trying to protect.

If you love wildlife biology, animal behavior, conservation, bird migration, ecology, or cutting-edge science, this episode is packed with some of the coolest technology you've probably never heard of.

Support the show

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Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.

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What if dragons were real?

In this minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole explore one of the strangest reptiles on Earth: the Armadillo Girdled Lizard (Ouroborus cataphractus), a tiny armored lizard from South Africa that looks like it crawled straight out of a fantasy novel. 

Covered in spiky scales and equipped with one of the most unusual defense strategies in the animal kingdom, this reptile doesn't run from danger. Instead, it grabs its own tail and curls into a living ball of armor. 

In this episode:

🐉 Why this lizard is often called a real-life dragon
 🦎 The bizarre defense strategy that inspired its scientific name
 🌍 Where Armadillo Girdled Lizards live in South Africa
 🛡️ How armor, behavior, and social living help them survive predators
 👶 Why these reptiles give birth to live young instead of laying eggs
 🏜️ How evolution shaped one of the world's most unique lizards

If you love reptiles, wildlife, weird animal adaptations, dragons, natural history, or bizarre creatures from around the world, this episode is for you.

🎧 Part of our ongoing Animals You've Probably Never Heard Of minisode series.

Support the show

🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.

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Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.

What happens when your DNA makes a typo?

In this episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the strange, fascinating world of genetic mutations—the tiny changes in DNA that can shape evolution, alter proteins, create disease, or sometimes do absolutely nothing at all. 

From harmless genetic quirks to serious inherited disorders, this episode breaks down some of the most important mutation types in a way that actually makes sense.

🧬 What mutations really are—and why they happen constantly
 🔠 How DNA “letters” form the instructions for building proteins
 ⚠️ What happens during frameshift, substitution, insertion, deletion, duplication, and inversion mutations
 🩸 Why mutations can influence things like blood type, lactose tolerance, HIV resistance, and sickle cell anemia
 🧠 The genetics behind disorders like Tay-Sachs disease, Fragile X syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, and hemophilia A
 ✂️ How scientists are using CRISPR and gene editing technology to potentially correct harmful mutations

Along the way, Katy and Laura explore how mutations drive evolution, why most genetic changes are harmless, and why it’s honestly kind of incredible that our bodies function at all considering DNA is constantly being copied trillions of times.

Whether you’re into genetics, biology, evolution, medicine, or weird science, this episode is a deep dive into the microscopic changes that shape life itself.

🎧 Season 14 continues with one of the biggest science topics we’ve ever tackled.

Support the show

🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.

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Most birds are harmless.

This one is poisonous.

In this minisode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into one of the strangest birds on Earth: the pitohui, a brightly colored songbird from New Guinea that carries powerful neurotoxins in its skin and feathers.  

The toxin is chemically similar to the same compounds found in some poison dart frogs, making the pitohui one of the very few known poisonous birds in the world. But how does a bird become poisonous in the first place?

🐦 What a pitohui actually looks like

☠️ How this bird stores toxins in its feathers and skin

🪲 The beetles responsible for its poison

🧠 Why scientists think the toxins may help defend against parasites

🤧 Why handling one can cause numbness, sneezing, burning skin, and watery eyes

🌴 Why indigenous communities call them “rubbish birds”

Along the way, the episode explores toxic animals, warning coloration, bird evolution, and the bizarre ecosystems of New Guinea—home to some of the weirdest wildlife on Earth.

If you love birding, ornithology, toxic animals, weird nature facts, or evolutionary biology, this is one bird you’ll never forget.

🎧 Part of our “Animals You’ve Probably Never Heard Of” minisode series.

Support the show

🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.

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Subscribe and unleash your inner science goblin. We see you. We respect it.

What if “zombies” weren’t just fiction?

In this Season 14 kickoff episode of Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss and Laura Fawks Lapole dive into the real science behind “nature zombies”—organisms that can hijack behavior, manipulate brains, and turn animals into living tools for their own survival.

From parasitic fungi to mind-altering parasites, this episode explores how evolution has produced some of the most disturbing—and fascinating—strategies in the natural world.

🧠 How parasitic fungi infect insects and control their behavior down to the exact moment of death 
 🐜 The infamous zombie ant fungus (Ophiocordyceps) that forces ants to climb and die in precise locations for spore release 
 🦗 How hairworms manipulate insects into seeking water—something they would normally avoid—just to complete their life cycle 
 🐭 The parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which alters fear responses in rodents and may even influence human behavior 
 🦟 Cicada infections that turn insects into walking, mating, spore-spreading machines

These aren’t just gross curiosities—they’re real examples of how parasites can alter nervous systems, change decision-making, and reshape behavior at a biological level.

Support the show

🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.

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Why are crows called crows… and ravens called ravens?

In this mini episode of the Bird Name Game series from Wildly Curious, Laura explores the surprisingly simple—and fascinating—origins behind the names of two of the most intelligent and culturally iconic birds in the world: crows and ravens.

These birds are often associated with mystery, mythology, and even death—but their names didn’t come from legend. They came from something much simpler: the sounds they make.

-Why the word “crow” dates back over 1,000 years and mimics their iconic “caw” call  

-Why crows and ravens are considered some of the most intelligent birds on Earth, capable of problem-solving, tool use, and even recognizing human faces  

-How the word “raven” evolved from ancient languages trying to imitate their deep, throaty calls  

-Why these birds became symbols of mythology, prophecy, and folklore across cultures

-How early humans used sound to name animals long before scientific classification existed

Despite their dark reputation in stories and pop culture, the names “crow” and “raven” are actually some of the most straightforward in the bird world—just ancient humans trying to describe what they heard.

If you love birding, animal intelligence, ornithology, or natural history, this episode reveals how even the most mysterious birds have surprisingly simple origins.

Subscribe for more episodes of Wildly Curious, where science, nature, and curiosity collide.

Support the show

🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.

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Why do birds have such unusual names?

In this mini episode of the Bird Name Game series from Wildly Curious, Laura dives into the fascinating origins behind two of the most familiar backyard birds in North America: chickadees and titmice.

These small, curious songbirds aren’t just cute—they’re also incredibly intelligent and highly vocal, with communication systems that scientists are still studying today.

Chickadees get their name directly from their famous “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” call—but that sound is more than just noise. It’s a complex communication system where the number of “dees” can signal different levels of danger to other birds. 

These tiny birds can even increase their brain size seasonally to remember thousands of food caches, making them some of the most impressive memory specialists in the animal world. 

Titmice, on the other hand, have a name that sounds confusing today—but it actually comes from old English words meaning “small bird.” Over time, language evolved, and “titmase” eventually became “titmouse,” even though it has nothing to do with mice at all. 

In this episode, we explore:

•  How chickadees use sound to communicate danger 
•  Why bird calls are different from bird songs 
•  The surprising evolution of the word “titmouse” 
•  How language, culture, and sound shaped bird names 
•  Why some birds are literally named after the noises they make 

If you love birding, ornithology, backyard birds, or animal communication, this episode reveals how even the smallest birds have big stories behind their names.

Support the show

🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.

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Why are birds named what they’re named?

In this mini episode of the Bird Name Game series from Wildly Curious, Katy Reiss explores the fascinating naming history behind two giant flightless birds that look like they walked straight out of the dinosaur era: cassowaries and emus.

Both birds are massive, powerful, and deeply tied to the evolutionary story of modern birds—but their names come from very different linguistic journeys.

Cassowaries, found in the tropical forests of New Guinea and northern Australia, are famous for their bright blue necks, dagger-like claws, and the mysterious helmet-like casque on their heads. Their name likely comes from Southeast Asian languages describing the bird’s distinctive “horned head.”

Emus, the shaggy runners of the Australian outback, inherited a name that originally referred to many large flightless birds—including ostriches and cassowaries. Early European explorers often confused these giant birds, and for a time emus were even called “New Holland cassowaries.”

In this episode we explore:

• Why cassowaries are sometimes called the most dangerous bird in the world
• What the mysterious cassowary casque might be used for
• How early explorers confused emus, ostriches, and cassowaries
• Why the word “emu” once referred to multiple species of giant birds
• How language, exploration, and first impressions shaped bird names

If you love birding, ornithology, wildlife science, or natural history, the Bird Name Game series reveals how the names of birds tell stories about exploration, language, and the way humans first encountered the natural world.

Subscribe for more episodes of Wildly Curious, where science, nature, and curiosity collide.

Support the show

🎉 Support us on Patreon to keep the episodes coming! 🪼🦤🧠 For more laughs, catch us on YouTube!

Track a real wild animal. Support conservation. Feel slightly cooler than you did five seconds ago. Visit www.myfahlo.com to get 20% off tracking bracelets with code WildlyKaty.