What The Duck?!

When it comes to sexual organs, the penis is really 'out there.' Name another organ that can change its form AND function in a matter of seconds!
There's a lot of variety in the animal kingdom; from spikes and nails to coils and collagen — so, this appendage is worth investigating… close up.
Sex is Weird is a new series of What the Duck?! With Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal kingdom.
Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended.
Featuring:
Dr Emily Willingham, biologist, journalist and author
Dr Diane Kelly, Senior Research Fellow, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Associate Professor Andrew Durso, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida
Associate Professor Patty Brennan, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, US
Dr Bruno Buzatto, Flinders University, South Australia
Philippa Holm, HFR Performance Horses, Victoria
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
Petria Ladgrove, Producer
Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano
This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2024 and was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

When you really think about it, sex to make babies is WEIRD! You take an outie that has to get stuck inside an innie that links into a production line of eggs to assemble a perfect tiny being. It's so damn complicated!
So why does it work like that?
Join us at What the Duck for the first episode of a new series where we figure out how living things went from splitting ourselves in half to double the population, to periodically feeling compelled to copulate in such a vigorous, sometimes highly embarrassing, manner.
Earth — this is your sexual history!
Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended.
Featuring:
Emeritus Professor David Siveter, University of Leicester, UK
Assistant Professor Emily Mitchell, University of Cambridge, UK and curator of non-insect invertebrates, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, UK
Dr Marissa Betts, geologist and palaeontologist at the University of New England, Armidale, Australia
Dr Emily Willingham, biologist, journalist and author
Associate Professor Patty Brennan, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, US
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
Petria Ladgrove, Producer
Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano and Russell Stapleton
Thanks also to Will Ockenden, Belinda Smith, Corey Hague and Joel Werner.
This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2024 and was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

In 2002 Gigoo became the world's wealthiest chicken when her owner left her £10 million in his will.
How does a chook even open a bank account?
Within legal limitations there are ways to provide your pets the lifestyle they're used to after you die.
But what about divorce?
Can you have visitation rights to see your goldfish?
And when a dog's day in court climbs though the tiers of the Australian legal system, it might surprise you how little the pet is mentioned.
Featuring:
Professor Katy Barnett, Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne, and co-author of Guilty Pigs
Professor Prue Vines, Faculty of Law and Justice, the University of New South Wales
Ian Charman, family law specialist, consultant solicitor, Adelta Legal
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
Rebecca McLaren, Producer
Isabella Tropiano, Sound Engineer
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

A lost monkey in an Ikea carpark is an illegally traded pet, so does he have a legal owner?
When it comes to animal ownership, courts turn to Roman-era laws to try and figure out if an animal is tame or wild.
It may work sometimes, but leaves out the modern idea of the animal's best interests.
And it doesn't explain how an elephant can have a criminal rap sheet.
Content warning: This program contains stories where animals are punished as if they are criminals. Some listeners may find this confronting.
Featuring:
Professor Katy Barnett, Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne, and co-author of Guilty Pigs
Dr Michelle Granden, psychologist
Mary Roach, author of Animal, Vegetable, Criminal
Professor Sindhu Radhakrishna, National Institute of Advanced studies in Bengaluru, India
With thanks to Dr Michelle Granden whose research inspired the title of this episode
And extra sounds from bird enthusiasts:
Mike Dooher, XC402422. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/402422 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0)
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
Rebecca McLaren, Producer
Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

How much booze does it take to intoxicate an elephant?
The answer isn't as much as you might expect, because not all guts are created equal when it comes to metabolising alcohol.
This explains why an elephant might be considered a lightweight and your donkey got into a fight last weekend.
But alcohol isn't the only cause of misbehaviour — so what motivated the legless serial doorbell pranksters?
Featuring:
Dr Mareike Janiak,  postdoctoral associate at the University of Calgary
Dr Christine Sutton, particle physicist and past editor of CERN Courier
Kate Connolly, Berlin correspondent for the Guardian Newspaper
Dr Imogen Cavadino, freelance malacologist
With news audio thanks to NPR
And extra sounds from bird enthusiasts:
Mike Dooher, XC355140. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/355140 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0)
Lonnie Bregman, XC373738. Accessible at  www.xeno-canto.org/373738 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0)
Mike Dooher, XC402422. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/402422 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0)
Frank Lambert, XC1031363. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1031363 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0)
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer
Rebecca McLaren, Producer
Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer
This episode of What the Duck?!  was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.