The Nagging Naturalist

In this final episode for the Zambezian flooded grasslands, we take a look at Africa's largest otter species, the African clawless otter. I also go off on a tangent about conservation after some further reflection on Gabi and I's discussion. I'm going to be traveling for a week, so there will not be an episode next week.

Since it was too long for the serval episode, this is the rest of Gabi and I's conversation about conservation. It's a lot. While conservation as a concept is a good thing, there are wrong ways to do it that can result in harm. We need to shift our perceptions on conservation and its applications. You can follow Gabi on Twitter, @fleurygs and check out their website: fleurygs3.wixsite.com/gabifleury

In this week's episode, I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with conservation biologist Gabi Fleury. We discuss not just servals, but also African conservation in general and how our views of conservation are/need to evolve to better protect wildlife and people. You can follow Gabi on Twitter, @fleurygs and check out their website: fleurygs3.wixsite.com/gabifleury

This week's species from the Zambezian flooded grasslands, my partner Barry researched the Tsetse and taught me about this infamous fly from sub-Saharan Africa. Learn about the connection between these blood-sucking flies and the British mumiani (vampires) of colonial Rhodesia (modern day Zimbabwe) in the 1930's.

I’m back with a new ecoregion, the Zambezian flooded grasslands, and a new species! This week, I talk about the Saddle-billed stork, a large wading bird of Sub-Saharan Africa that is unfortunately very understudied, yet it has had a surprising impact on culture, in particular one very well known ancient culture. Join me for an educational tangent about this beautiful bird, African geography, and even Afro-Asiatic linguistics.

Sorry this is a bit late, but this is the final episode for this month about wildlife rehab. I'm joined by my partner Barry as we discuss box turtles, primarily Easter box turtles, and the dangers they face that lead them to need rehab. I will be going on a break for April so I can focus on my schoolwork, but I will be back in May with a new habitat to explore!

Please enjoy my very off script talk about raptors aka birds of prey, how they are impacted by people, and what we can do to reduce our impact on these birds! I cover window and car collisions, lead and rodenticide poisoning, power lines, and wind turbines.

In this final installment of Jess and I's discussion about baby animals, we talk deer fawn, when people should leave them be, and when people should call a wildlife rehabilitator. As with the other baby animals we talked about, often people just need to leave the animals be and do nothing. You  can follow Jessica on Instagram (Jessinthewild) & Twitter  (@College_FIIT). You can also follow the rehabilitation center she works  at, the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, on Facebook, Instagram  (BlueRidgeWildlifeCtr), and Twitter (@BRWildlifeCtr).

In this second part of our discussion about baby animals, Jess and I talk baby birds and bunnies, when they need to be rescued, and when they need to be left alone as we enter the spring time "baby season". You can follow Jessica on Instagram (Jessinthewild) & Twitter (@College_FIIT). You can also follow the rehabilitation center she works at, the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, on Facebook, Instagram (BlueRidgeWildlifeCtr), and Twitter (@BRWildlifeCtr).

Happy National Wildlife Rehabilitators Appreciation Day! I welcome Jessica Andersen back to talk about baby animals, what we can do to prevent conflict with wildlife, and when we need to take them to a rehabilitator. This long episode will be broken into 3 parts with today's part 1 being about baby opossums and squirrels. You can follow Jessica on Instagram (Jessinthewild) & Twitter (@College_FIIT). You can also follow the rehabilitation center she works at, the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, on Facebook, Instagram (BlueRidgeWildlifeCtr), and Twitter (@BRWildlifeCtr).

In this lengthy episode we wrap up our discussions about the Virginia opossum as we walk through their environmental, social, and economic benefits as well as ways to help reduce our impact on their populations. You can follow Jessica on Instagram (Jessinthewild) & Twitter (@College_FIIT). You can also follow the rehabilitation center she works at, the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, on Facebook, Instagram (BlueRidgeWildlifeCtr), and Twitter (@BRWildlifeCtr).

This month, we're talking about animals that commonly find themselves in wildlife rehabilitation centers, and I chatted with Jessica Andersen about the Virginia opossum, the only marsupial found in the U.S. and Canada. Learn about these quirky critters and their marsupial Space Portal Vaginas™ (A. Hilborn, 2019). This episode is split into 2, so there will be another episode this Friday. You can follow Jessica on Instagram (Jessinthewild) & Twitter (@College_FIIT). You can also follow the rehabilitation center she works at, the Blue Ridge Wildlife Center, on Facebook, Instagram (BlueRidgeWildlifeCtr), and Twitter (@BRWildlifeCtr).

Sorry for missing last week's episode. Hopefully this week's longer than usual episode helps make up for it. I'm joined by Benjamin Lancer, who studies dragonflies, in particular a specialized neuron in their brains. We discuss some of the cool and surprising adaptations dragonflies have. This episode includes a bonus segment, the TTRPG Naturalist, where we look at what advantages dragonfly adaptations have for character traits, spells, and blessings.

I want to start off by thanking everyone who wished me well while I was struggling with COVID. I really appreciated it! This week, Barry and I discuss the Splendid fairywren, Malurus splendens, a striking blue bird endemic to Australia. This episode includes a bonus segment, Family Fauna, where we talk about some of the distinguishing features of birds that share the Splendid fairywren's genus. 

This month's episode was a huge departure from the usual in large part due to me having COVID and struggling to record. Barry stepped in this month and helped me with this new episode about the cutest mammal you probably haven't heard of, the Dibbler! February will be highlighting the Esperance mallee region of Australia where these rare marsupials can be found.

Sorry for the belated update. I may or may not be battling COVID right now. If I do develop full blown symptoms, this may affect my February schedule. For now, enjoy the final species of the month, the Pacific sanddab! I am once again joined by my partner Barry to learn about this sandy seafloor flatfish and the adaptations that have helped it thrive in an unwelcoming habitat.

The second part of my discussion about Broadnose sevengill sharks with Meghan Holst is up! We talk about the environmental, social, and economic value of these sharks as well as their conservation. I was surprised to see how often we brought up salmon during these 2 episodes, but to be fair, they are an incredibly beneficial species that have a huge impact on so many habitats. Be sure to check out Meghan on Instagram and Twitter, @megholst and follow her awesome work and see all her wonderful wildlife pictures.

As we continue with our theme of sandy seafloor species along the Monterey Bay continental shelf, we're taking a look at one of the top predators in this habitat: the Broadnose sevengill shark. Join Meghan and I as we talk about this freckled cow shark! How many babies does this 3 meter shark have? What might a recent discovery mean for researchers in understanding of their population dynamics? Tune in and find out! Be sure to check out Meghan on Instagram and Twitter, @megholst and follow her awesome work and see all her wonderful wildlife pictures.

This week, my partner Barry joins me to learn about Pacific sand dollars! What is the currency exchange between a Sand dollar and a Sand euro? We don't know, but if you want to learn about the natural history of Pacific sand dollars and some of their ecological, social, and economic values, then you've come to the right podcast!

I'm back with the first episode of 2021! This month is all about the sandy seafloor of the Monterey Bay continental shelf in central California and the first species I am covering is the Red octopus.