Strange by Nature Podcast

Kirk kicks off the show talking about the Rock Hyrax. These little furry critters have a wide array of strange things about them including being closely related to two very surprising and different relatives.

Rachel stays in Africa with a deep dive on the White Rhino and surprising research that won the ignobel prize by figuring out if it is better to carry a rhino right side up or upside down.

Victoria blows our minds by bringing us a story about sea cucumber "feet" that seem to be able to be torn off and stay alive for years!

Be sure to send us an audio clip with your name, where you listen and a favorite topic you remember and you have a chance to be included in our 300th episode! Send entries to contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com

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Victoria is back and she bring us the story of a new spider species with a bizarre web that flings ants into the air at incredible speed to trap them. It's a wild example of a novel solution to catching prey.

Kirk then talks about how the Amazon Rainforest is made possible by dust blown from Africa. Strange but true, dust storms from a dried lake in Africa are a major supply of phosphorus for the rainforest and it all travels as dust on the tradewinds.

Rachel talks about Caddisflies. These strange aquatic creatures make camouflage mobile homes from whatever they find in their habitat.

Be sure to send us an audio clip with your name, where you listen and a favorite topic you remember and you have a chance to be included in our 300th episode! Send entries to contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com

Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad-free! 

Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature

Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com

Rachel starts us off this week with an absolutely wild story about a woman who heard voices in her head that somehow knew she had a brain tumor.

Kirk then goes down a mind-bending rabbit hole exploring the question of just how long can an animal live?

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This week on the show Rachel and Kirk had a great time sharing their topics.

Kirk starts off the show with a bizarre listener submitted tale of the Coudersport Ice Mine. In this bizarre mine, ice grows thicker in the heat of the summer and them, equally strangely, it melts in the cold of winter. Kirk looks at the history and geology of what's really going on.

Rachel looks into the close connection between Ravens and Wolves. It turns out it is more complex than we previously thought. The new research shows that ravens have incredible memories.

Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad-free! 

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Victoria brings us the intriguing tale of Lusitanian flora. These are plants only found in Iberia AND southern Ireland. The reason they are in Ireland at all is a tale that goes back thousands of years and involves copper, trees, and booze.

Kirk brings back a topic from last December because it turns out a dutch painter beat scientists to a discovery about bats by over 400 years. No one had looked closely enough at the painting to notice.

Rachel rounds out the show with a fascinating profile on the plants we call Horsetails. They may not get very big these days, but they used to be over 100 feet tall and form whole forests.

Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad-free! 

Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature

Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com

Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com  where you can sign up for our episode emails.