Golden State Naturalist

Welcome to part two. Jump in the car with us, and buckle up (or don't--we're not driving) as we dig into the full bat conversation. Are there any flightless bats? What do bats eat? Do bats talk to each other? How many times in one episode can we be stopped by security? Should we be worried about rabies in bats? Biologists Joey Curti and Rachel Blakey are batting a thousand on this episode of Golden State Naturalist. Links: Joey Curti Rachel BlakeyVampire bat on treadmillShort-tailed batPallid bat hunting scorpionPallid bat info Ghost batsThe Social Language of Bats CDC on Rabies in the USBat World rescuer pageCurrent year West Nile Cases CDC Mammal Diversity DatabaseSupport Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. Rate/reviewFollow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. Get podcast Merch. The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.Episode cover photo by Charles Hood; used with permission.

In the late 1800s, the people of New England believed there were vampires in their midst. Many had a neighbor who had gone pale, who'd felt as if someone were lying across their chest at night, who'd woken up with blood splattered across their pillow. Neither vampires nor vampire bats had caused these symptoms, but Bram Stoker would soon tie elements of this vampire panic to bats in his classic work of Gothic horror, Dracula. Come with me, Joey Curti, and Rachel Blakey on a misty October evening, duck beneath a lonely concrete bridge in Southern California, and find out not only what Bram Stoker knew (and didn't know) about bats, but also the true story of these oft-maligned creatures. Note: This is part one of a two-part episode. In this portion, we get up close and personal with bats. Come back to hear a full conversation about the world's only flying mammals soon! Links: Penguin Books page about Bram StokerBook: Bram Stoker's Notes for Dracula (this book contains the New York World article)Bats really are faster than birdsGlowing bat toesMexican free-tailed bat migrationSupport Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. Get podcast Merch. The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.Photo (Mexican free-tailed bat) by Charles Hood; used with permission.

In 1999, the once-healthy population of Catalina foxes plummeted suddenly and without explanation. Over the next few years, scientists worked to find out what was wrong and to bring this tiny fox, found nowhere else on earth, back from the brink. Join me and Lauren Dennhardt as we discuss Catalina fox's story, and then come with me into the field with Katie Elder to trap foxes for their annual population count and vaccinations. Links: Check out this mini doc on the Catalina fox's story. NPS page on the island fox. Get 15% off your order of California native seeds from the California Collection by Nature’s Seed by using the code Golden15 at checkout. Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. Get podcast Merch.The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.Episode cover photo by Michelle Fullner.

Humans have been fascinated by islands since the writing of the earliest works of literature, but the outsized role they play in our imaginations isn't limited to fiction. Islands make up only a tiny percentage of the land on earth, but they represent about a fifth of the planet's total biodiversity. And things stranger than fiction happen on islands, from the evolution of miniature mammoths and enormous flightless birds with no fear of humans to the illumination of the theory of evolution itself. Join me and two experts, Kevin Alison and John Knapp, as we trundle along island roads deep into the unique ecology of Santa Catalina Island and discuss giant buckwheats, tiny foxes, and what islands have to teach us about the living world back on the mainland. Links: Recommended reading: Song of the Dodo by David QuammenFremontia issue on CA Islands Ways to support the pod: Get 15% off your order of California native seeds from the California Collection by Nature’s Seed by using the code Golden15 at checkout. Support Golden State Naturalist on ⁠Patreon⁠ and get perks starting at $4/month. Follow me on ⁠Instagram⁠. My website is ⁠goldenstatenaturalist.com⁠. Get podcast Merch.Sources: Penglai: https://www.npm.gov.tw/Exhibition-Content.aspx?sno=04010138&l=2 Island landmass: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1306309110 Island biodiversity: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8556160/ Plant endemism on islands: https://par.nsf.gov/servlets/purl/10565488 Global extinctions on islands and success of invasive species removal: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-14982-5 Bird extinctions: https://datazone.birdlife.org/articles/many-bird-species-have-already-gone-extinct Island role in biological and linguistic diversity: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274380594_The_Importance_of_Islands_for_the_Protection_of_Biological_and_Linguistic_Diversity House cat origins: https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/28/science/domestic-cats-origins-ancient-dna Miscellany:The theme song is called “i dunno” by grapes and can be found ⁠here⁠.Episode cover photo by Michelle Fullner

The pod is going stronger than ever, but it's also part of a larger picture than ever, which means a little shuffle is in order. Have a listen to find out the specifics. I'll see you on the next full episode soon! Stay golden, Michelle