Just the Zoo of Us

Join Ellen & Christian for a special episode answering questions from our beautiful listeners about topics including (but not limited to): making the podcast, things we've learned about animals and nature, our favorite video games, and more!

Join Ellen & special guest Patch, creator of zoology-meets-gaming web series TierZoo, for a review of North America's iconic raptor, the bald eagle. In this episode we discuss the intersection between ecology and video games as well as how the bald eagle measures up to its competitors. Find TierZoo on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!

Join Ellen & special guest entomologist Charles Wallace for a review of nature's oft-maligned rogues, cockroaches! In this episode, we bust myths about the roaches that cozy up to human spaces, learn about some of the fascinating strategies that different types of roaches all over the world use to thrive, and give these hardy insects some long overdue praise.

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen reviews the ocean's most adorable monsters, sea otters, & Christian rates the dazzling blue-ringed octopus.

Join Ellen & special guest, biological anthropologist Dr. Lara Durgavich for a review of the arboreal royalty, orangutans! In this episode, we discuss how orangutans have adapted to make themselves at home in the tree tops, how we see ourselves reflected in their faces & behavior, and how we can help support orangutans in their habitats.

Join Ellen & special guest, marine ecophysiologist Dr. Yanasivan Kisten for a review of the unassuming yet impressive Cape stumpnose! In this episode, we discuss the crucial role that estuaries play in a healthy ecosystem & spotlight how this little silver fish that can stand up to some pretty big challenges.

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Christian teaches us why you should resist that urge to feed the bears & Ellen takes a deep dive into the heavily fortified extremophile, the scaly-foot snail.

Join Ellen & special guest wildlife biologist Alex Troutman for a review of the most dedicated beach babes of all, Kemp's ridley sea turtles! In this episode, we discuss what we can learn about life from sea turtles, why it's so important to be kind to our beaches, and how we can all make the shores a little friendlier to the wildlife that we love.

Join Ellen & special guest ecologist Dagmar der Weduwen for a review of the sharpshooting archerfish! In this episode, we discuss the archerfish's unparalleled precision, cunning, and attitude as well as what it's like to work with them in the lab.

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen gives the buzz on periodical cicadas & Christian unfurls the sails of the Portuguese man o' war.

Join Ellen & special guest, comedian Vinny Thomas, for a review of the champion of the sagebrush, the pronghorn! In this episode, we discuss how this charming little ungulate outran extinction, attempts to face modern challenges, and continues to do the absolute most at all times. Follow Vinny on Twitter, Instagram & TikTok! Intro & outro music: "Adventuring", Louie Zong

Join Ellen & special guest, biologist & naturalist Gina Zwicky, for a review of the amphibian master of disguise, the Vietnamese mossy frog! In this episode, Gina makes the case for frogs as simple yet refined masterpieces, shares some tricks of the frog-finding trade, and geeks out with Ellen over science communication via anime. Intro & outro music: "Adventuring", Louie Zong

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's very fossorial episode, Christian reveals the hidden nightmares of the stargazer fish and Ellen digs into the buried secrets of the pink fairy armadillo.

Join Ellen & special guest, arachnologist Dr. Sebastian A. Echeverri for a review of the overpowered bards of the arachnid world, jumping spiders! In this episode, we discuss jumping spiders' incomparable processing power, hunting skill, and flair for the dramatic. Episode cover photo by our guest himself, Dr. Sebastian Echeverri! Intro & outro music: "Adventuring", Louie Zong

Join Ellen & special guest, evolutionary biologist Jimmy Bernot, for a review of the microscopic crustaceans truly running the world, copepods! In this episode, we discuss what makes copepods so successful at what they do, the role that parasites play in an ecosystem, and the biodiversity you can find among fish boogers. Intro & outro music: "Adventuring", Louie Zong

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Ellen's heart is stolen by the trash bandit opossum & Christian digs up all the dirt on the burrowing owl.

Join Ellen and special guest, conservation biologist Gabi Fleury, for a review of the punk nerds of the big cat family, cheetahs! In this episode we discuss how cheetahs go so fast, what sets them apart from the rest of the cats, and conflict between humans and wildlife.

Join Ellen & special guest, artist and arachnid enthusiast Tea Francis, for a review of our fuzzy, chunky, leggy friends: tarantulas! In this episode we discuss why tarantulas deserve admiration, how (and why) to respect their boundaries, and what it's like to live with hundreds of tiny roommates in the Spider Room.

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! Christian returns with the secretive underground cave puppy, the olm, and Ellen reviews the uniquely stunning maned wolf.

Join Ellen and special guest, marine biologist Elizabeth Mills, for a review of the often-overlooked ride-or-die friends of the sea, barnacles! Topics include (but are not limited to): barnacle reproductive anatomy, whale armor, zombie crab mechs, and whether or not geese are fruit.