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Just the Zoo of Us

Science Podcasts

Join us, Ellen and Christian Weatherford, while we review your favorite species of animals and rate them out of ten in the categories of effectiveness, ingenuity and aesthetics. More information can be found at justthezooofus.com 😊 Got a species you want us to review? Submit your animal friend to us at ellen@justthezooofus.com and when we review your animal we'll give you a shoutout! 😊 Cover art by Mrs. Brainbow (Taylor Gordon-Wood). Theme music by Louie Zong.

Location:

United States

Description:

Join us, Ellen and Christian Weatherford, while we review your favorite species of animals and rate them out of ten in the categories of effectiveness, ingenuity and aesthetics. More information can be found at justthezooofus.com 😊 Got a species you want us to review? Submit your animal friend to us at ellen@justthezooofus.com and when we review your animal we'll give you a shoutout! 😊 Cover art by Mrs. Brainbow (Taylor Gordon-Wood). Theme music by Louie Zong.

Language:

English


Episodes

Bonus Content Free Samples!

3/28/2024
Curious about the exclusive bonus content for Maximum Fun members? Enjoy some free samples from special episodes: "The Dewlap-Foraging Slug," Let's Learn Everything's "RATS! Cheddar Heist," "The Fakémon Lab," and "Our Favorite Animal." If you like what you hear, head over to https://maximumfun.org/join and sign up to get access to the entire bonus content library and SO much more! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:21:54

233: Questions & Answers

3/27/2024
Ellen & Christian answer questions from the audience! We discuss the podcast's humble origins, magical spells, our favorite ducks, and more. MaxFunDriveFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:56:54

232: Chinchilla & Walrus

3/20/2024
Ellen softens up to the chinchilla & Christian breaks the ice with the walrus. We discuss Jackie Chan Adventures, fur slips, dust baths, tusks, whiskers, bells & whistles, Odysseus, and Lewis Carroll. Goo goo g'joob. Links: MaxFunDrivewebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:01:12:21

Go Fact Yourself #MaxFunDrive Kick-off Spectacular featuring Ellen and Christian Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, and Katie Goldin

3/18/2024
This special network wide event is a celebration of the MaxFunDrive! If you’d like to support podcasts you love for just $5 a month and get bonus gifts in the process, go to maximumfun.org/join. We’re kicking off the most exciting time of the year for the MaxFun Network with a trivia game show featuring hosts from tons of great podcasts! J. Keith van Straaten and Helen Hong from “Go Fact Yourself” are joined by: Ellen & Christian Weatherford - “Just the Zoo of Us” Alex Schmidt & Katie Goldin - “Secretly Incredibly Fascinating” If you’d like to hear more hosts competing for trivia supremacy, visit Maximumfun.org for the full version of this show. MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:15:40

231: Remora w/ Amani Webber-Schultz!

3/14/2024
Ellen & special guest, marine biologist Amani Webber-Schultz, suck up to the brilliant little moochers of the ocean: remoras. We discuss shark scales, suction cups, the most efficient way to eat tacos, scrapped Pokemon designs, and so much more. Links: SharkpediaInstagramTikTokMISSwebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:42:59

230: Solenodon w/ Owen Klessel

3/7/2024
Join Ellen & special guest Owen Klessel for some well-deserved PR for the most bizarre and fascinating and incredible animal you’ve never heard of: solenodons. This episode, much like the animal itself, is full of surprises like nose bones, echolocation, an unexpected defense mechanism, butt nipples, and a scourge of mongooses. Links: YouTubeTikTokwebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:42:14

229: Fishing Cat & Rock Hyrax

2/29/2024
Christian fishes for compliments about the fishing cat & Ellen goes rock climbing with rock hyraxes. We discuss cat eyes, fishing strategies, buck toothed vampires, toe shoes, Wikipedia drama, and more. websiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:50:05

228: Chimpanzee w/ Shannon Roivas!

2/22/2024
Join Ellen & special guest Shannon Roivas who brings us first-hand insight straight from her time spent in the forests of Tanzania studying our very own wild cousins: chimpanzees! On top of fascinating topics like the primate family tree, toe thumbs, termite popsicles and fear grimaces, our guest shares her unique experiences like naming chimpanzees, getting punched by one, and having the opportunity to watch them grow and learn in their very own home. Links: InstagramwebsitewebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:53:27

227: Trumpeter Swan & Lovebug

2/14/2024
Romance is in the air as Ellen commits to the trumpeter swan & Christian catches the lovebug bug. We discuss clown shoe runways, air horn duets, bird monogamy, a mysterious case of missing bugs, and the true meaning of going out with a bang. Links: hereTrumpeter Swan SocietywebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:43:38

226: Cicadas w/ Nick VanAcker!

2/8/2024
Join Ellen & science educator and nature hype man Nick VanAcker to sing praises for some of our favorite true bugs: cicadas! We discuss how and why cicada choruses sing the song of the summer, why they spend so much of their lives underground before emerging and what’s so special about prime numbers anyway, the real parasitic fungus that inspired a cicada-themed Pokémon, and so much more. Links: TikTokwebsitewebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:01:06:52

225: Freddy Kreuger Frog & Bone-Eating Snot Flower

1/31/2024
Christian makes some noise for the Freddy Kreuger frog & Ellen picks a bouquet of bone-eating snot flowers. We discuss life as a mouth with legs, being born into literal Hunger Games, meme lore, whalefalls, and eating the bones. Links: It Is Wednesday My DudesWhale Fall (After Life of a Whale) by Sweet Fern ProductionswebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:40:28

224: Ethereal Snailfish w/ Dr. Thom Linley!

1/25/2024
Join Ellen & special guest, deep sea biologist Dr. Thom Linley, for a literal deep dive into an animal that just might change the way you think about the creatures of the abyss: the ethereal snailfish. We discuss what it’s like to be among the first humans to ever see a species, life in the trenches - like, the actual Mariana trench, freedom from beauty norms and justice for the blobfish, slurping up meat-flavored jellybeans off the ocean floor, and the adorable side of the hadal zone. Links: Deep Sea PodcastTwitterFacebookInstagramTwitterInstagramwebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:49:38

223: Tiger Beetles & Giant Siphonophore

1/17/2024
Ellen gets the zig-zagging zoomies with tiger beetles & Christian has an existential crisis over the giant siphonophore. We discuss the REAL fastest land animal on Earth, literally blinding speed, reverse Naruto running, world record technicalities, zooids (not Zoids), and what it means to be an organism. Links: websiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:54:03

222: Bobcat w/ Jamison Cole!

1/11/2024
Join Ellen & special guest, environmental educator Jamison Cole, for a review of our very own backyard apex predators: bobcats! We discuss topics including but not limited to tail nubs, ear tufts, coyote pee, the bobcat’s Final Smash, relationship tips from nature, tomcat jowls, and the interconnectedness of every member of the ecosystem from the tiniest rodent all the way up to the bald eagle. Links: Ocean Advocacy WorkshopPlastic Ocean ProjectwebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:51:41

221: Field Notes

1/3/2024
Ellen & Christian share stories, observations and inspiration from special guest: you! We discuss what sounds fish make, memory transfer via cannibalism, and what to do when you're attacked by a zebra. Links: websiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:48:12

220: Belted Kingfisher w/ Alex Troutman!

12/28/2023
Join Ellen & returning special guest, wildlife biologist Alex Troutman, for a review of some of our favorite mohawked chatterboxes: belted kingfishers. We discuss topics including but not limited to the vicious mockery of birds who fish better than us, biomimicry in train engineering, the truth behind Hollywood bird calls and lion roars, and stories from the field including spooky sounds in the forests of Borneo. Links: Critters of Georgia: Pocket Guide to Animals in Your StatewebsiteInstagramTwitterwebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:41:23

Bugs Need Heroes: Bug-Type Pokemon & the Bugs that Inspired Them

12/21/2023
We're out traveling this week! In the meantime, please enjoy this episode of Bugs Need Heroes, in which Ellen joined hosts Amanda Niday and Kelly Zimmerman for a conversation about bug-type Pokemon, the real-world bugs that inspired them, and the ecology we can learn from the world of Pokemon. Originally aired on the Bugs Need Heroes podcast on November 5, 2023. Links: Bugs Need Heroes podcastwebsiteInstagramTwitterRedditFacebookTwitterInstagramDiscord!TikTok MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:01:14:36

219: Star-Nosed Mole & Devil's Hole Pupfish

12/14/2023
Christian digs into the star-nosed mole & Ellen goes for a deep dive into the Devil's Hole pupfish. We discuss flowery tentacles, mole lore in Avatar: the Last Airbender, waves in the desert, a Supreme Court ruling, and the future ecological impacts of nuclear testing. Links: websiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:01:05:50

218: Pacific Lamprey w/ Ralph Crewe!

12/6/2023
Ellen is joined by a familiar voice, science communicator Ralph Crewe, back with us to review the wiggly little living fossils full of teeth and blood: Pacific lampreys. We discuss the intersection between the natural and manmade world, what lampreys can tell us about the history of vertebrate evolution, the unique adaptations that have let them thrive from riverbeds all the way to the open ocean and back for hundreds of millions of years, and why you should thank a lamprey today. Links: Practical EngineeringInstagramTwitterwebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:46:13

217: Loggerhead Shrike & Five-lined Skink

11/30/2023
Ellen gets hooked on the loggerhead shrike & Christian makes a clean getaway with the five-lined skink. We discuss tomial teeth, impalement, dropping tails, and regeneration. Links: SparkbirdSpotifywebsiteThreadsFacebookInstagramDiscord!TikTok! MaxFunDrive ends on March 29, 2024! Support our show now by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Duration:00:49:18