The Wild Episode

Following Charles Darwin on his voyage around South America, we arrive in Chile - where he discovers a remarkable little frog that has one of the strangest approaches to fatherhood in the whole Animal Kingdom ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: Feather by Gurdonark , CC BY 4 ; World's Strongest Camel , Please, Not The Mind Fizz and The Spiders Of Battersea Park by Doctor Turtle , CC BY 4

Steamer ducks are big, mostly flightless, famously aggressive ducks in South America. An amazing example of evolution in action, because some supposedly flying steamer ducks can't fly, and some flightless ones apparently can. Charles Darwin would be fascinated. You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: Feather by Gurdonark , CC BY 4

The Reticulated Python : not only the longest snake in the world, but also the only one you could reasonably call a man-eater. A snake that kills by constriction - but how does constriction actually work? You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: Everywhere and The Past by Lee Rosevere , CC BY 4.0 ; Echo by Philipp Weigl , CC BY 4.0 ; The Companionship of Isolation and Shrouded Supermoon by Brylie Christopher Oxley , CC BY 4.0

The Barrel Amphipod is a tiny terror for certain animals that share its open ocean habitat ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Eclipsed by Fear by Aldous Ichnite , CC BY 4.0 , The Big Drop , Find a Peaceful Place and The Ganzfeld Expriement by ROZKOL , CC BY 4.0

Salps are the strangest, most extraordinary of your reasonably close relatives in the Animal Kingdom ... some of the most extraordinary animals on Earth, in fact ... fellow chordates, yet so very, very different ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Astral Longing , Tea , World is Yourz and Elevate by 1000 Handz , CC BY 4.0

The Grey Seal is a very big predator - but also the victim of a strange killer that was, for a long time, a bit of a mystery ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Perhaps It Was Not Properly Manufactured , Cut to Rip Torn and Last Night I Dreamt I Saw True Love In Your Eyes by Chris Zabriskie , CC BY 4.0

Moniliformis moniliformis is an example of one of the strangest groups of animals in the world: the parasitic Acanthocephalans, or the Thorny-Headed Worms ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Soundwork LXVII, Soundwork LXX and Soundwork LXXVII by Jon Shuemaker , CC BY 4.0

The Kākāpō is the world's most extraordinary parrot - remarkable in even more ways than most people realise ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Fath Mo Bhuartha, De Bharr na gCnoc (Over the Hills), The Silent Grove and Reservoir Sunset (Remastered) by Axletree, CC BY 4.0 Kākāpō recordings are from the Department of Conservation (NZ) here . CC BY 4.0

The Paradise Flying Snake is one of the most surprising 'fliers' in the Animal Kingdom. How does it do it? And why is the answer to that question different than for all other gliding animals? You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Find a Peaceful Place and Ganzfeld Experiment by ROZKOL . CC BY 4.0 .

The Glanville Fritillary is an elegant European butterfly, the stufy of which reveals some of the hidden forces shaping animal populations. And it was discovered by a woman - Eleanor Glanville - whose own life is strange story all of its own ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Computations in a Snowstorm by Scott Buckley , CC BY 4.0 Torn , Run , Chasing Ghosts and No Way Out by Philipp Weigl , CC BY 4.0

The four species of Tree Hyrax are the survivors of an ancient and diverse group of animals that once dominated Africa. They now live secretive - but very noisy - lives high in the trees. You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Clusticus The Mistaken , That Guy's Sky Is Way Too High , Please, Not The Mind Fizz and Are You There, Invisible Woman by Doctor Turtle , CC BY 4.0 Animal Recordings from: Rosti, H. , Pihlström, H. , Rottcher, N. , Bearder, S. , Mwangala, L. , Maghenda, M. , & Rikkinen, J. ( 2023 ). Species identity and behavior of cave-dwelling tree hyraxes of the Kenyan coast . Ecology and Evolution , 13 , e9693. CC BY 4.0 Rosti, H.; Pihlström, H.; Bearder, S.; Pellikka, P.; Rikkinen, J. Vocalization Analyses of Nocturnal Arboreal Mammals of the Taita Hills, Kenya. Diversity 2020, 12 , 473. CC BY 4.0 Rosti, H., Heiskanen, J., Bearder, S. et al. Distribution, Population Density, and Behavior of Dwarf Galagos ( Paragalago sp.) in Taita Hills, Kenya. Int J Primatol 45 , 1426–1447 (2024). CC BY 4.0

The Longnose Lancetfish is a big, strange, predatory fish of the open ocean, whose unusual feeding habits and physiology make it of particular interest to scientists ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . Even a free sign-up there will get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Ancient and The Scholar by AvapXia , CC BY 4.0

The Bigfin Squid (species of the genus Magnapinna ) is one of the most iconic deep sea animals these days. But we know precious little about it - we can't even be 100% sure exactly what we're looking at when we capture footage of one of these amazing animals ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . You don't have to pay anything, though - a free sign-up there will still get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! You can also follow the show on Facebook or Twitter . Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 .

The Adélie penguin is the ultimate Antarctic penguin, partly because there's so many of them, partly because of its special and profound connection to Antarctic sea ice ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . You don't have to pay anything, though - a free sign-up there will still get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! You can also follow the show on Facebook or Twitter . Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: Äitienpäivä '22 and A Gentle Fog Descends by Brylie Christopher Oxley , cc by 4.0 ; Path to Solitude by Doxent , cc by 3.0

The Shovel-Headed Garden Worm , also known as the Hammerhead Worm, is a voracious, terrestrial predatory flatworm. A world-traveller with amazing anatomy, predatory abilities and - especially - reproductive capacity. But why is it named after Kew Gardens in London? You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . You don't have to pay anything, though - a free sign-up there will still get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! You can also follow the show on Facebook or Twitter . Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: 404 Not Found, But That's Okay and Echoes in the Code and Syncing Our Systems by Aldous Ichnite , CC BY 4.0

Lumholtz's Tree Kangaroo is one of only two species of tree kangaroo in Australia. Animals change, the world changes, the natural world is - almost - never standing still. You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . You don't have to pay anything, though - a free sign-up there will still get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! You can also follow the show on Facebook or Twitter . Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: A Perfect Storm and Paradisomala by Jon Shuemaker , CC BY 4.0 ; Magic Hour by Three Chain Links , CC BY 4.0 ; Short Song 030523 by Chris Zabriskie , CC BY 4.0

Every year, the Bogong Moth undertakes one of the most extraordinary insect migrations on Earth in south-eastern Australia. The question for this episode is: how? You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . You don't have to pay anything, though - a free sign-up there will still get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! You can also follow the show on Facebook or Twitter . Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: Echo , Into the Fire and Out of Reach by Philipp Weigl , CC BY 4.0 ; Temple and Lost and Found by drób , CC BY 4.0

There are several types of Supergiant Isopod in the deep sea - some of the most successful and effective scavengers on the planet. But why are they so very big? You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . You don't have to pay anything, though - a free sign-up there will still get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! You can also follow the show on Facebook or Twitter . Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: The Unfathomable Deep by Aldous Ichnite , CC BY 4.0 ; Dawn , Worship the Sun and Faith by Mark Wilson X , CC BY 3.0

The Giant Clam has a secret trick that enables it to grow faster and bigger than any other bivalve mollusc in the world ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . You don't have to pay anything, though - a free sign-up there will still get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! You can also follow the show on Facebook or Twitter . Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: DeepSpace by Audionautix (Jason Shaw) , CC BY 3.0 ; Tired of Life , Please Wake Up and Away by Meydän , CC BY 4.0

The Giant Armadillo is easily the biggest living armadillo, equipped with the biggest claw on Earth. And the fact of its size means it is significant - valuable - to a surprisingly wide variety of other animals ... You can support the show - keep it going, keep it growing - and get additional content by subscribing at The Wild Episode Substack . Become a paid subscriber to get access to occasional bonus episodes . You don't have to pay anything, though - a free sign-up there will still get you regular content celebrating the wonders and curiosities of the Animal Kingdom. Show notes, with photos, video and links to lots more information, are available at thewildepisode.com Subscribe to the show to make sure you don't miss any future Wild Episodes, and e-mail your comments, corrections, suggestions or feedback to help make those future episodes better! You can also follow the show on Facebook or Twitter . Please share the show on social media, rate and review in your podcast app. That helps a lot. Or best of all, become a paid subscriber at The Wild Episode Substack . Thank you. Music Opening & Closing Themes: Running Waters and Acoustic Meditation by Audionautix (Jason Shaw), from audionautix.com . CC BY 3.0 . Modified versions of: The Wake , Same Boat and Don't Close Your Eyes , by Josh Woodward , CC BY 4.0