Zoology

By La Trobe University

What's Zoology about?

Podcasts on the discussions of the evolution of animal diversity at individual, population and community levels with a particular focus on animal physiology, ecology and behaviour.

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Zoology episodes:

06.04.2014
Biomechanics of Insect and Bird Flight
Dr Sridhar Ravi (Vice-Chancellors Research Fellow, RMIT University) talks about how insects and birds fly, in particular the flight of bumblebees through an aerodynamic obstacle course and hummingbirds flying through discrete and continuous aerial disturbances. Copyright 2014 La Trobe University, all...
05.21.2014
Why we Study Insects
Why do we study insects? They’re the most diverse group of organisms in the world, and depending on who you ask there’s anywhere between two to thirty million species. Dr Ken Walker (Curator of Entomology, Melbourne Museum) talks about his...
04.10.2014
Wildlife in Madagascar
Dr Richard Loyn (Research Fellow in Zoology, La Trobe University) on the wildlife of Madagascar, where wildlife conservation competes with food production, poverty, development, population explosion and survival. Copyright 2014 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.
04.10.2014
Wildlife in Madagascar (handout)
Dr Richard Loyn (Research Fellow in Zoology, La Trobe University) on the wildlife of Madagascar, where wildlife conservation competes with food production, poverty, development, population explosion and survival. Copyright 2014 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.
03.05.2014
How Birds Sleep
Dr John Lesku (Zoology, La Trobe University) on what can be learnt from looking at how birds sleep. Copyright 2014 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.
02.27.2014
The Changing Human Sleep Condition
How has human sleep changed since the invention of the light bulb? Copyright 2014 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.
10.30.2013
Presence-Absence Information in Ecology
Assoc Professor Melodie McGeoch (Biological Sciences, Monash University) frames spatial ecology’s ‘pit-trap’ of diminishing returns in data collection and detailed how she and her colleagues developed and tested a model to fill the sampling short fall. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University,...
10.29.2013
Presence-Absence Information in Ecology
Assoc Professor Melodie McGeoch (Biological Sciences, Monash University) frames spatial ecology’s ‘pit-trap’ of diminishing returns in data collection and detailed how she and her colleagues developed and tested a model to fill the sampling short fall. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University,...
10.10.2013
Chemical Communication in Insects
Professor Mark Elgar (Evolution and Behaviour Group, University of Melbourne) on signals, cues and receivers in communication amongst insects, focusing on ants. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.
08.01.2013
The Effects of Urban Noise on Birds
Dr Dominique Potvin (Behavioural and Population Ecologist, Museum Victoria) on the effects that the environment has on acoustic communication and population genetics of birds. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.
08.01.2013
The Effects of Urban Noise on Birds (handout)
Dr Dominique Potvin (Behavioural and Population Ecologist, Museum Victoria) on the effects that the environment has on acoustic communication and population genetics of birds. Copyright 2013 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.
08.14.2012
Fat Dogs Probe Obesity
A group of La Trobe animal science students will attempt to establish a link between the bacteria present in the digestive system of dogs and its presence in canine obesity. Their research will involve the analysis of bacterial genetics gathered...
12.07.2011
The Tree Kangaroo
Dr Peter Pridmore (Environmental Management and Ecology, La Trobe University) and Shelley Waldon (Melbourne Zoo) discuss the biology and evolution of the tree kangaroo. Copyright 2011 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.
05.20.2011
Frogs and Tadpoles
Professor Richard Wassersug (Anatomy and Neurobiology, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia) on researching frogs and tadpoles, and the work that earned him an ig nobel prize. Copyright 2011 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please contact for permissions.
05.13.2011
Lizard Signalling Behaviour
Richard Peters (Zoology, La Trobe University) on animal signal evolution and in particular how animals use movement to communicate. Richard has been working with the Australian Jacky Lizard, and demonstrates their behaviour. Copyright 2011 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Please...
03.29.2011
Animals in Space!
Professor Richard Wassersug (Anatomy and Neurobiology, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and the Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University) on research on animals in space and the effects of weightlessness. Copyright 2011 La Trobe University,...
03.28.2011
Animals in Space!
Professor Richard Wassersug (Anatomy and Neurobiology, Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and the Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University) on research on animals in space and the effects of weightlessness. Copyright 2011 La Trobe University,...
03.09.2011
How Lizards use Signalling
Dr Richard Peters (Zoology, La Trobe University) on how lizards use body language to communicate. Copyright 2011 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
01.21.2011
Bush Fire Research in the Mallee
Assoc. Professor Michael Clarke (Zoology, La Trobe University) on the use of controlled fire in bush areas. Copyright 2011 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
12.23.2010
How Animals Find Home
Professor Jochen Zeil (Zoology, Australian National University) on how animals recognise landmarks, and methods of navigation. Copyright 2010 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
12.22.2010
How Animals Find Home
Professor Jochen Zeil (Zoology, Australian National University) on how animals recognise landmarks, and methods of navigation. Copyright 2010 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
09.10.2010
Crayfish and Yabbies
Crayfish, yabbies and crawdaddies are all physically similar, but there are distinctions - broadly speaking yabbies are smooth and live in dams, while crayfish are spiny and are found in rivers. Dr Susan Lawler (Head of Department of Environmental...
06.09.2010
The Short-Tailed Shearwater
PhD student Mark Carey talks about researching migration patterns of the Short-Tailed Shearwater, better known as the Mutton Bird. Copyright 2010 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
04.27.2010
A Coconut-Carrying Octopus
Dr Julian Finn and Dr Mark Norman of Museum Victoria discuss their discovery of the Veined Octopus, an octopus that is the first in the world to be recorded as using tools. Copyright 2010 La Trobe University / Museum Victoria, all...
04.26.2010
A Coconut-Carrying Octopus
Dr Julian Finn and Dr Mark Norman of Museum Victoria discuss their discovery of the Veined Octopus, an octopus that is the first in the world to be recorded as using tools. Copyright 2010 La Trobe University / Museum Victoria, all...
06.30.2009
A Chronicle of Kangaroo Evolution
What can fossils tell us about the evolution of kangaroos? What can we learn about the environments they lived in, how they lived, and how they died? Dr Ben Kear is a postdoctoral Research Fellow at La Trobe University studying Palaeontology,...
03.20.2009
Prehistoric Life
With a bit of time travel, Ben Kear (Genetics, La Trobe University) takes a look at dinosaur ancestors in Australia. Copyright 2009 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.
03.19.2009
Prehistoric Life
With a bit of time travel, Ben Kear (Genetics, La Trobe University) takes a look at dinosaur ancestors in Australia. Copyright 2009 La Trobe University, all rights reserved. Contact for permissions.

What's Zoology about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Zoology episodes:

Biomechanics of Insect and Bird Flight

Why we Study Insects

Wildlife in Madagascar

Wildlife in Madagascar (handout)

How Birds Sleep

The Changing Human Sleep Condition

Presence-Absence Information in Ecology

Presence-Absence Information in Ecology

Chemical Communication in Insects

The Effects of Urban Noise on Birds

The Effects of Urban Noise on Birds (handout)

Fat Dogs Probe Obesity

The Tree Kangaroo

Frogs and Tadpoles

Lizard Signalling Behaviour

Animals in Space!

Animals in Space!

How Lizards use Signalling

Bush Fire Research in the Mallee

How Animals Find Home

How Animals Find Home

Crayfish and Yabbies

The Short-Tailed Shearwater

A Coconut-Carrying Octopus

A Coconut-Carrying Octopus

A Chronicle of Kangaroo Evolution

Prehistoric Life

Prehistoric Life