BewilderBeasts!

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Bonus: Butt Science and Twitter Bird Bans Jul 14, 2024

Show notes

First aired February 2023

Twitter bans an ornithological society for posting photos of "woodcocks" while Melissa gets banned for "Hairy Man"; The Media takes special care to protect the identity of one little jailbird with hilarious results; and, no post is complete without a little butt science.
There is a photo that I can't stop laughing at in this episode - that photo is attached but also a part of this tweet:
https://twitter.com/CampbellxEmma/status/1178400639208116224
All of the articles I read directly from are here:
Dirty Birds:
https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/31/bird-charity-banned-from-twitter-for-posting-woodcock-photos-18196900/
Jail Bird:
https://time.com/5689057/bird-arrest/
Regenerative Butt Science
https://www.livescience.com/sea-spiders-anus-regeneration

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Intro/Outtro music: Tiptoe Out The Back - Dan Liebowicz
Interstitial Music: MK2
Additional music: Freesound.com, Pixabay.org
Instagram: @EggAndNugget (chicken stan account) or @MelissaMcCueMcGrath
Website: BewilderBeastsPod.com
Support the Show and get stuff! Patreon.com/BewilderbeastsPod
Your host, Melissa McCue-McGrath is an author, dog trainer, and behavior consultant in Southern Maine. She'll talk about dogs all day if you let her. You've been warned :)

Bonus: Ursa Majors Jul 07, 2024

Show notes

First aired October 2021

Fat Bear Tuesday is the culmination of a week-long bracket-style event inspired by mega-chonk bears and March Madness. What is it? Why is it? Who is going to win? Let's go!
****
Resources:
https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/fat-bear-week.htm

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041674219/fat-bear-week-2021

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/get-to-known-the-bodacious-bulky-bears-of-fat-bear-week-2021-180978778/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/650110/fat-bear-week-history

https://boingboing.net/2021/09/26/its-almost-fat-bear-week-when-online-voters-decide-which-bears-have-best-prepared-for-hibernation.html

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Bonus: Great Escapes Jun 30, 2024

Show notes

First Aired: Feb 10, 2022

A series of the best and funniest animal escapes, all inspired by a police blotter where a camel chase was afoot on a Kansas golf course.
Resources for today's episode:
http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2041628_2041646_2041645,00.html

https://www.livescience.com/wildest-animal-escapes-2021

https://www.facebook.com/BonnerSpringsPD/posts/211926681120376

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/camel-causes-chaos-running-away-kansas-nativity-scene-rcna8061

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/true-californian-sea-lion-takes-94-805-freeway-rescue-rcna11428

https://www.nationalparkstraveler.org/2012/09/llama-lam-saga-has-happy-ending-cowpens-national-battlefield10597

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/national-zoo-animal-escapes/2021/09/19/811aa4f4-17f2-11ec-9589-31ac3173c2e5_story.html

https://www.newsweek.com/2016/06/24/orangutan-ken-allen-san-diego-zoo-escape-artist-469908.html

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Bonus: Mail Cats? Jun 23, 2024

Show notes

First aired: August, 2022
The Belgian government once used cats to deliver the mail. It went about as well as you would think.
Resources for today's exclusive episode:
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/64025/time-cats-delivered-mail-belgium

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-42098216

https://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/morning-start-cats-once-delivered-mail-in-belgium/

https://www.cracked.com/article_28965_for-hot-second-belgium-relied-cats-to-deliver-mail.html

https://www.grunge.com/920707/belgium-once-used-cats-to-deliver-mail/

The Comic Liar: A Book Not Commonly Found in Sunday Schools - a book published in 1883. According to Goodreads: “This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.” It has 0 reviews or comments in Goodreads. Sorry Goodreads - I don't think the opinion is widely shared :)

The measure of things website.

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Bonus:Dengue Chicks and the Grocery Store Walk of Shame Jun 16, 2024

Show notes

First Aired: January 20, 2023
This month's bonus ep for you is all about the chickens who give back in rather surprising ways - from keeping 100 tons (?) of food out of our landfills to preventing Dengue Fever in Central Florida.
BTW: Florida, you ok?
So, get some chickens, put on a farming hat, and let's go learn about chickens who do more than just poop you breakfast. Let's GOOOOOOOO!
Resources:
https://htrchickens.com/tag/belgium/#:~:text=%231.&text=Hens%20help%20recycle%20food%20and,an%20alternate%20waste%2Dmanagement%20system.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/belgians-egged-on-to-keep-chickens-ndash-but-they-re-not-for-eating-1942124.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17540287

https://www.permacultureproject.com/belgium-offers-chickens-to-waste-cutting-households/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8539877.stm

https://www.thebulletin.be/adopt-chicken-etterbeek

https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonytellez/2023/01/12/why-are-egg-prices-still-so-high-its-not-the-reason-you-think/?sh=12af174f7c6b

https://newjerseymonitor.com/2022/12/22/south-jerseys-chicken-lady-aims-to-bring-chickens-to-backyards-one-town-at-a-time/

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/chickens-in-florida-are-helping-to-detect-mosquito-borne-viruses-in-communities

Podcast: Coffee With the Chicken Ladies for general info and my own personal experience as a Noob in the chicken game.

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Bonus: BOTY goes Batty Jun 09, 2024

Show notes

First Aired: Nov 5, 2021
This month, New Zealand's Bird of the Year competition ruffled feathers, as per usual, when a bat took the gold. A look at the complex and controversial BotY awards and mean tweets at the non-tweety bats.

I got today’s information from :
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/14/934749679/for-the-birds-voter-fraud-ruffles-new-zealand-bird-of-the-year-competition

https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK2110/S00189/native-bats-cause-a-flap-entering-bird-of-the-year-competition.htm?fbclid=IwAR3B_D_QYsUdlLl848tHVjdzs_GWYV0sBPcr3YUueZMbT1Iu69UGmRJsAdQ
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/bat-flies-off-with-new-zealands-bird-year-title-2021-11-02/

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/stpeterscitymissouri

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/nov/12/new-zealand-twitchy-amid-claims-of-russian-meddling-in-bird-of-the-year-contest

https://www.birdoftheyear.org.nz/

https://www.halifaxtoday.ca/coronavirus-covid-19-national-news/tens-of-thousands-experiencing-long-covid-19-symptoms-in-ontario-science-group-4331926

https://www.livescience.com/bat-named-bird-of-the-year

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_of_the_Year

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/new-zealands-long-tailed-bat-is-crowned-bird-of-the-year-180978979/

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Bonus: A Monkey Could Work Here Jun 02, 2024

Show notes

First aired April 19, 2022
Let's learn about the time an actual chimpanzee saved the Today Show, and changed morning news-ertainment forever.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Fred_Muggs
https://allthatsinteresting.com/j-fred-muggs
https://www.ebay.com/itm/324954729281
https://www.grunge.com/598607/the-truth-about-celebrity-chimp-j-fred-muggs/
And an episode of Ridiculous Crime - a 99% murder-free podcast on capers, crime, and utter ridiculousness, where I first heard about J. Fred Muggs - if your older kids - I’d let Acey listen at 9, are into something like this, it’s clean language, silly, and great hosts. I don’t know the hosts, I have nothing to gain from it - just thought you might like it if you or family like to listen to such things. Check it out first before letting littles listen but I think, and you hear my show - you know what I’m cool with letting my kiddo listen to - it might be a lot more than you’d be ok with, so check it out first. Ridiculous crime

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Bonus: Monique May 28, 2024

Show notes

First aired: Nov 26, 2023

One man dreams of being completely alone, but it turns out, companionship is human nature. An unlikely meal ticket doesn't just save his life - but saves his humanity in 70 days of darkness, in Greenland's icy solar night.

Big thanks to The Outlook Podcast Archive from BBC World Service for a podcast called “The chicken who sailed the world”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w3ct34pm

Fowl Play - a book I’m reading on the history of chickens by Sally Coulthard. So much of our language - cooped up, henpecked, cocky, flew the coop - comes from these tiny evolved dinosaurs.

https://www.yachtingworld.com/all-latest-posts/the-hen-that-sailed-around-the-world-a-farewell-to-monique-144044

https://www.theguardian.com/global/2019/apr/21/why-did-the-chicken-cross-the-globe-french-sailor-guirec-soudee-monique

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-36475672

https://www.guirecsoudee.com/

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Bonus: A Troubling of Goldfish May 26, 2024

Show notes

First aired Nov. 2022
A man recently caught a goldfish the size of a 5th grader and Melissa is waiting for the goldfish food-delivery uprising.
Resources:
https://www.livescience.com/man-catches-enormous-goldfish-in-france

https://largest.org/animals/goldfish/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2021/07/11/minnesota-goldfish-invasive/

https://www.khq.com/news/thousands-of-goldfish-found-in-west-medical-lake-whats-next/article_15244861-1a80-5273-a27b-4e34db5160cb.html

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/watch-this-fish-out-of-water-drive-a-mini-vehicle-on-land-180979328/

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Bonus: Methed Snails May 19, 2024

Show notes

First Aired August, 2023:
A series of scientific studies to understand the human mind, but using a slimy gastropod in our place.
Because using meth on a human is illegal.

I got today’s information from

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/snails-memory-molecules-spd

https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3vww3/scientists-are-repeatedly-fucking-with-snails-memory

https://www.livescience.com/62559-snail-memory-rna-transfer.html

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/memory-transferred-between-snails-challenging-standard-theory-of-how-the-brain-remembers/

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/science/memory-transfer-snails.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/research-news/2596/#:~:text=Scientists%20Made%20Snails%20Remember%20Something,remembered%20the%20trained%20snails'%20experiences.

https://www.iflscience.com/scientists-have-managed-to-erase-memories-in-a-snails-brain-42331

https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs3/3981/index.htm

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2010/09/snails

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