Just the Zoo of Us

This chunky lizard is living proof that two heads are better than one. We discuss BTS (disambiguation), secret signals encoded in lizard tongues, accidentally flirting with the wrong end of your true love, "roommates," and so much more.
Works Cited:
“Why is the tongue of blue-tongued skinks blue? Reflectance of lingual surface and its consequences for visual perception by conspecifics and predators” - Andran Abramjan et al., The Science of Nature, August 2015
“Following trails of partners in the monogamous lizard, Tiliqua rugosa” - C. Michael Bull, Christian Lindle, Acta Ethologica, September 2002
“Mate Familiarity Affects Pairing Behaviour in a Long-Term Monogamous Lizard: Evidence from Detailed Bio-Logging and a 31-Year Field Study” - Stephan T. Leu et al., Ethology, April 2015
“Lovestruck Lizards: The Monogamous Relationships of Shingleback Skinks” - Exotics Keeper blog, February 2024
“Lizard suffers world's worst pregnancy” - Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News, February 2007
“Scientists Confirm Shingleback Lizards Only Reptiles That Mate For Sake Of Aging Mothers” - The Onion
“Strengthening protection of endemic wildlife threatened by the international pet trade: The case of the Australian shingleback lizard” - S. Heinrich et al., Animal Conservation, July 2021
Links:
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Join Ellen & returning guest wildlife educator Christian Flores for a conversation about the Zoology of Pokémon. What can we learn about the wildlife and ecology of our world through the fantastical creatures in the world of Pokémon? We are gonna talk about the convergent evolution of different species of Pokémon, like Tauros and Bouffalant, the mega evolution of salmon, why Komodo dragons might actually be steel-types, and of course we’re making teams. Which real animals would go on our guest’s team and which Pokémon are going on mine? You’re about to find out.
Links:
Follow Christian on YouTube, Instagram, and BlueSky!
Follow along with The Artemis Paleozoo! Pre-orders available from Rextooth Studios!
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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Ellen and Christian get a feel for the garden eel. We discuss fortified butts, science's greatest unsolved mysteries, flirting techniques for the ultimate homebodies, video chatting with eels, and so much more.
Works Cited:
“Morphological specializations in heterocongrinae (Anguilliformes: Congridae) related to burrowing and feeding” - N. De Schepper et al., Journal of Morphology, March 2007
“Spotted Garden Eel” - California Academy of Sciences
“Peek-A-Boo with Hawaiian Garden Eels” - Nature on PBS, YouTube
“Life in the flow: unique adaptations for feeding on drifting zooplankton in garden eels” - Alexandra Khrizman et al., Journal of Experimental Biology, August 2018
“Spawning behavior of garden eels, Gorgasia preclara and Heteroconger hassi (Heterocongrinae), observed in captivity” - Tomohiro Kakizaki et al., Marine and Freshwater Behavior and Physiology, August 2015
“This Japanese aquarium wants you to FaceTime its shy eels” - Emiko Jozuka, CNN Travel, May 2020
"First direct evidence of adult European eels migrating to their breeding place in the Sargasso Sea" - Rosalind M. Wright et al., Scientific Reports, October 2022
Links:
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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Joined Ellen & special guest, conservationist and herpetologist Harpreet Singh Sethi, for a look at the snake appropriately named the Giant Lord of the Water. While the false water cobra is the main topic of the episode - and is even a silent but very much present guest for recording - we discuss a lot, like multifaceted approaches to conservation, taking a snake in a box on the bus, convergent evolution of hooded snakes all over the world, the care and keeping of reptiles, stories from the field, and so much more.
Links:
Follow Harpreet's Wildlife on YouTube and Instagram!
Check out Harpreet's documentary: What NO ONE Tells You About Snakes in India | Beyond the Fear | Snakebite | Documentary
Audio source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYFD4BsEruI
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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In this week's re-broadcast of an episode from April of 2023, Christian cheers for pom-pom crabs & Ellen explains what makes mourning doves so coo-l. We discuss how crabs clone their own pets, what type of milk pigeons order in their lattes, and a suspicious pattern of criminal activity.
Links:
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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