Just the Zoo of Us

Join Ellen & special guest, evolutionary biologist and herpetologist Dr. Mark D. Scherz, for a look through the magnifying glass at miniaturized animals. Our guest studies species who have shrunk down to incredibly small sizes, like frogs and chameleons who could gather on the tip of your finger, and he has some fascinating insights into why and how animals get so darn itty bitty and what could be stopping them from getting any itty bittier. We discuss silliness in scientific names, assuming a spherical frog in a vacuum, chameleons called B. nana, whether jawbones spark joy, how many brain cells you really even need anyway, and so much more.Links:Learn more about Mark and his work on his website: http://www.markscherz.com/Check out Mark's podcast, SquaMates: http://squamatespod.com/Follow Mark on Tumblr: https://markscherz.tumblr.com/Follow Mark on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/markscherz.bsky.socialFor more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on 

Christian walks to the beat of the American woodcock & Ellen throws shade at camel spiders. We discuss peent, walking with rhythm to attract the worm, beak smooches, chain e-mails, girl dinner, ant massacres, and so much more. Links:For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Join Ellen & special guest, animal care educator and advocate Sarah Bessie (the "Hedge Chef") for a review of the prickly little roly polies: African pygmy hedgehogs. We discuss built-in hoodie strings, standing jeans, biomimicry in sports equipment, mobile charcuterie, what to do with your skirt when you gotta go fast, all the ways hedgehogs fail to beat the witchcraft allegations, and so much more.Links:Find more of Sarah's work and hedgehog care content at her website: https://www.hedgechef.co.uk/Follow Sarah and fill your feed with adorable hedgehogs on Instagram!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky! 

Christian is up a creek without a paddlefish & an unusual deep-sea worm becomes the butt of Ellen's jokes. We discuss a previous guest getting electrocuted for shark science, hot takes on the whole direwolf de-extinction thing, the unexpected hybridization of the sturddlefish, why pigbutt worms are like that, statistically insignificant haters, and so much more. Links:For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Join Ellen & special guest, author Brooke Hartman, for a look at some of the animal kingdom’s most deceptively adorable assassins. We discuss evolutionary arms race, hot ones for mice, Mr. Yuck, an insect isekai, a toxic honeypot, and so much more. These cuties are slaying more than just their prey.Links:Get your copy of Cute Animals That Could Kill You Dead wherever you buy books!Find more of Brooke's work at her website, brookeahartman.comFor more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Ellen & Christian share stories, observations and inspiration from special guest: you! We discuss Benedict Cumberbatch's turkey gang, my squirrel mech grandma, Twitch plays deep sea ROV dives, hear me out cakes, smuggling budgies, house vultures, and more.Links:Get involved with the MaxFunDrive & check out this year's awesome gifts & bonus content!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky! MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

Ellen goes nuts for the eastern gray squirrel & a little bird told Christian about the budgerigar (AKA parakeet). We discuss the MaxFunDrive, Pikachu, the e-nut, squirrel crime, fluorescent feathers, spicy air, Bluey, and so much more. Links:Get involved with the MaxFunDrive & check out this year's awesome gifts & bonus content!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky! MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

It’s not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!!Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Hal Lublin, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, Dan McCoy, Jordan Morris, Manolo Moreno, Ella Hubber, Caroline Roper, Ella McLeod, John-Luke Roberts, Justin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Mike Cabellon, Sierra Katow, Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, John Moe, Christian Dueñas, Christian Duguay.Eurovision Dance Party Playlist on Spotify MaxFunDrive ends on March 28, 2025! Support our show now and get access to bonus content by becoming a member at maximumfun.org/join.

In a continuation of our dinosaur double-feature, Ellen is joined by a paleoartist and marine biologist for a review of the ancient giants that towered over the late Jurassic world: Brachiosaurus.We discuss bringing ancient dinosaurs to life with art, puking on company time, paleontology patch notes, the pros and cons of having an inflatable noggin, skibidi gorillas, and so much more.Links:Follow Charles on Instagram, BlueSky and WordPress!Follow the Artemis Paleozoo on Instagram and BlueSky!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Ellen & special guest, paleontology educator Christian Flores, review the towering icons of the dinosaur world: Tyrannosaurus rex. We discuss what we can learn about T. rex from the fossils they left behind and the similarities we can see in their modern dinosaur cousins, as well as bringing T. rex to life through art and narrative, Project Paleozoo, and so much more.Links:See Christian's collaboration with Julio Lacerda illustrating the life of a T. rex here!Follow Christian on Instagram, TikTok and BlueSky!Follow the Artemis Paleozoo on Instagram and BlueSky!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Christian gives a hoot about the owl-faced kākāpō & Ellen draws a line in the ocean over flying fish. We discuss ghosts of selection past, jug band beats, Pliny the Elder, pyramid eyeballs, Rihanna's nod to an international maritime dispute, and so much more. Links:Kākāpō sounds from: https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/kakapoFor more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Join Ellen & marine biologist Jules Léon for a review of his top 3 favorite pinnipeds. We discuss galumphing, Prada eels, a species made up entirely of geminis, walkout songs, beachmasters, super weaners (don't worry, it makes SO much more sense in context) and so much more.Links:Learn more about Jules's work at his website!Follow Jules on Instagram and YouTube!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Love is literally in the air as Ellen locks in with albatrosses. We discuss aspect ratios, snot gutters, dynamic soaring, romance, divorce, 18th century poetry, Taylor Swift, and so much more.Links:For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Join Ellen & special guest, bat biologist Dr. Alyson Brokaw, for an up-close look at some of the furry friends fluttering through our night skies. We discuss tortilla chip aroma, anatomically accurate Edward Cullen, screaming into the void, butt blankies, and so much more.Links:Get your copy of Alyson's book, The Weird and Wonderful World of Bats, available for pre-order now! On sale February 11, 2025!Follow Alyson on Instagram!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Christian takes to the skies with flying snakes. We discuss the beginning of the Year of the Snake, collapsible teeth, the physics of flight, Dragonology, and so much more.Links:For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on BlueSky!

Join Ellen & parasite ecologist Dr. Chelsea L. Wood for a review of some bizarre and fascinating creatures that, despite their tiny size, impact our world and even our very selves in more surprising ways than you might expect. We discuss Osmosis Jones, frogs with too many legs, disco-eyed snails, mind control, an existential crisis, a ghost from Cretaceous oceans, fossil poop, and so much more.Links:Order Chelsea's book, Power to the Parasites!Learn more about Chelsea's work on her website!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on TikTok!

Ellen pulls no punches with the box jellyfish. We discuss jellyfish venom, kingslayers, emergency vinegar, what not to do when you get stung, Snell's window, learning, balance, ocean jellification, and so much more. Links:For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on TikTok!

Join Ellen & special guest, ecologist and wildlife photographer Holly Daniels, for a review of a real small wonder: the hazel dormouse. This extra-cozy episode pairs well with curling up in a soft comfy nest as we discuss fluffy tails, treetop snoozing, charming little forest bridges, exploding nests, the joy of finding beauty in your own backyard, and so much more.Links:Follow Holly on Instagram and YouTube!See more of Holly's work on her website!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on TikTok!

Christian leaves out milk and cookies for the Christmas Island red crab & Ellen goes for a silent night flight with elf owls. We discuss inside-out lungs, crab plows, yellow crazy ants, special eyes, silent feathers, TikTok trends, and so much more.Links:For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on TikTok!

Join Ellen & sea turtle ecologist Rushan bin Abdul Rahman for a review of everyone’s favorite hamburger-shaped reptiles. We discuss the life of a sea turtle nurse at a beach resort in the Maldives, planes that shoot lasers for science, D&D character ideas, questionable parenting, turtle exorcism, cool scars, a surprise appearance from Kylo Ren, candy corn, and a great big compliment sandwich for sea turtles.Links:Follow Rushan on Instagram: @rushanicus_singaporensisFollow along with the Olive Ridley Project: @oliveridleyprojectFollow James Cook University: @jamescookuniversityFor more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on TikTok!