Nature

Just the Zoo of Us

Join us, Ellen and Christian Weatherford, while we review your favorite species of animals and rate them out of ten in the categories of effectiveness, ingenuity and aesthetics.
More information can be found at justthezooofus.com 😊
Got a species you want us to review? Submit your animal friend to us at ellen@justthezooofus.com and when we review your animal we’ll give you a shoutout! 😊
Cover art by Mrs. Brainbow (Taylor Gordon-Wood). Theme music by Louie Zong.

Latest Episodes:

355: Axolotl w/ Marco Wendt! Oct 15, 2026

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest, wildlife ambassador and returning guest Marco Wendt of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, to shine a spotlight on the world’s most famous amphibian. From Mesoamerican legend to medical research labs to the lush caves of Minecraft, axolotls have inspired stories and innovation and wonder in humans all over the world but their story starts in the heart of Mexico, which is why our guest has chosen them as the frilly little faces of this episode in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. We discuss the axolotl’s indigenous name and its roots in a mythological prop hunt, some possible designs for custom skins, what human metamorphosis might look like, setting your future reincarnations up for success, and more.

Links:

Follow Marco on Instagram and TikTok!
Plan your next trip to see axolotls at the San Diego Zoo!
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
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354: Shingleback Skink Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

This chunky lizard is living proof that two heads are better than one. We discuss BTS (disambiguation), secret signals encoded in lizard tongues, accidentally flirting with the wrong end of your true love, "roommates," and so much more.

Works Cited:

“Why is the tongue of blue-tongued skinks blue? Reflectance of lingual surface and its consequences for visual perception by conspecifics and predators” - Andran Abramjan et al., The Science of Nature, August 2015
“Following trails of partners in the monogamous lizard, Tiliqua rugosa” - C. Michael Bull, Christian Lindle, Acta Ethologica, September 2002
“Mate Familiarity Affects Pairing Behaviour in a Long-Term Monogamous Lizard: Evidence from Detailed Bio-Logging and a 31-Year Field Study” - Stephan T. Leu et al., Ethology, April 2015
“Lovestruck Lizards: The Monogamous Relationships of Shingleback Skinks” - Exotics Keeper blog, February 2024
“Lizard suffers world's worst pregnancy” - Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News, February 2007
“Scientists Confirm Shingleback Lizards Only Reptiles That Mate For Sake Of Aging Mothers” - The Onion
“Strengthening protection of endemic wildlife threatened by the international pet trade: The case of the Australian shingleback lizard” - S. Heinrich et al., Animal Conservation, July 2021

Links:

For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

353: Pokémon Zoology w/ Christian Flores! Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

Join Ellen & returning guest wildlife educator Christian Flores for a conversation about the Zoology of Pokémon. What can we learn about the wildlife and ecology of our world through the fantastical creatures in the world of Pokémon? We are gonna talk about the convergent evolution of different species of Pokémon, like Tauros and Bouffalant, the mega evolution of salmon, why Komodo dragons might actually be steel-types, and of course we’re making teams. Which real animals would go on our guest’s team and which Pokémon are going on mine? You’re about to find out.

Links:

Follow Christian on YouTube, Instagram, and BlueSky!
Follow along with The Artemis Paleozoo! Pre-orders available from Rextooth Studios!
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
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Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

352: Spotted Garden Eel Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Ellen and Christian get a feel for the garden eel. We discuss fortified butts, science's greatest unsolved mysteries, flirting techniques for the ultimate homebodies, video chatting with eels, and so much more.

Works Cited:

“Morphological specializations in heterocongrinae (Anguilliformes: Congridae) related to burrowing and feeding” - N. De Schepper et al., Journal of Morphology, March 2007
“Spotted Garden Eel” - California Academy of Sciences
“Peek-A-Boo with Hawaiian Garden Eels” - Nature on PBS, YouTube
“Life in the flow: unique adaptations for feeding on drifting zooplankton in garden eels” - Alexandra Khrizman et al., Journal of Experimental Biology, August 2018
“Spawning behavior of garden eels, Gorgasia preclara and Heteroconger hassi (Heterocongrinae), observed in captivity” - Tomohiro Kakizaki et al., Marine and Freshwater Behavior and Physiology, August 2015
“This Japanese aquarium wants you to FaceTime its shy eels” - Emiko Jozuka, CNN Travel, May 2020
"First direct evidence of adult European eels migrating to their breeding place in the Sargasso Sea" - Rosalind M. Wright et al., Scientific Reports, October 2022

Links:

For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

351: False Water Cobra w/ Harpreet Singh Sethi! Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Joined Ellen & special guest, conservationist and herpetologist Harpreet Singh Sethi, for a look at the snake appropriately named the Giant Lord of the Water. While the false water cobra is the main topic of the episode - and is even a silent but very much present guest for recording - we discuss a lot, like multifaceted approaches to conservation, taking a snake in a box on the bus, convergent evolution of hooded snakes all over the world, the care and keeping of reptiles, stories from the field, and so much more.

Links:

Follow Harpreet's Wildlife on YouTube and Instagram!
Check out Harpreet's documentary: What NO ONE Tells You About Snakes in India | Beyond the Fear | Snakebite | Documentary
Audio source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYFD4BsEruI
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

190: Pom-Pom Crab & Mourning Dove (REPLAY) Sep 11, 2026

Show notes

In this week's re-broadcast of an episode from April of 2023, Christian cheers for pom-pom crabs & Ellen explains what makes mourning doves so coo-l. We discuss how crabs clone their own pets, what type of milk pigeons order in their lattes, and a suspicious pattern of criminal activity.

Links:

For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

350: Monarch Butterfly Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

It's fall yall - time for Ellen and Christian to embark on a multi-generational odyssey with monarch butterflies. We discuss why butterflies are total heartstoppers and their style twins, real-life shinies, what's going on inside a chrysalis, an annual journey that takes multiple generations to finish, how to best support wild monarch butterflies, and so much more.

Works Cited:

"Danaus plexippus" - U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
“Predator induced colour polymorphism in Danaus plexippus L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Hawaii” - John Stimson and Mark Berman, Heredity, March 1990
“Comparative unpalatability of mimetic Viceroy butterflies (Limenitis archippus) from 4 South-Eastern United-States populations” - David B. Ritland, Oecologia, Jan 1995
“What was learned?” - Monarch Watch, University of Kansas
"The phenomenal monarch migration" - Mara Koenig, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
“An experimental displacement and over 50 years of tag-recoveries show that monarch butterflies are not true navigators” - Henrik Mouritsen et al., PNAS, April 2013
"Joint Statement Regarding Captive Breeding and Releasing of Monarchs"
“Is Captive Rearing Hurting Monarchs?” - Elizabeth Anne brown, National Wildlife Federation, March 2026

Links:

For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

349: Clouded Leopard w/ Alice Vassallo! Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

Join Ellen & very special guest zookeeper and conservationist Alice Vassallo for the inside scoop on one of the world’s most mysterious not-so-big cats. We discuss differences between zookeeping practices in Europe and the US, swiping right if you have rotatable ankles, marshmallows as a last resort, have an eclipse interlude, and so much more.

Links:

Check out Alice's podcast (profanity warning)!
Follow Alice on Instagram!
Check out the Clouded Leopard Working Group!
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

348: Sociable Weaver Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Ellen weaves her magic on sociable weavers. We discuss the three pillars of science communication, trick entrances, plane cabin pressurization, bullying for the greater good, lizard gossip, and more.

Works Cited:

"The Sociable Weavers of the Kalahari" - Ultimate Safari, YouTube
"Kapokvoel, Cape Penduline-Tit.(Anthoscopus-minutus)" - Coerie Ferreira, YouTube
“Largest bird’s nest” - Guinness Book of World Records
“Sociable Weavers Increase Cooperative Nest Construction after Suffering Aggression” - Gavin M. Leighton, Laura Vander Meiden, PLOS One, March 2016
“At home with the birds: Kalahari tree skinks associate with sociable weaver nests despite African pygmy falcon presence” - Tasmin L. Rymer et al., Austral Ecology, May 2014
“Kalahari skinks eavesdrop on sociable weavers to manage predation by pygmy falcons and expand their realized niche” - Anthony M. Lowney et al., Behavioral Ecology, June 2020
“Pygmy Falcon predation of nestlings of their obligate host, the Sociable Weaver” - Rita Covas et al., Ostrich - Journal of African Ornithology, Nov 2009

Links:

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

347: Sea Otters w/ Kristyn Plancarte! Aug 14, 2026

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest marine biologist Kristyn Plancarte for a review of the world’s wettest weasels. We discuss beluga whales’ fake six packs, the unique challenges of caring for animals who so desperately crave chaos and destruction, dolphin MLMs, how adorable animals could save the world, and so much more.

Links:

Follow Kristyn on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch!
Learn more about Kristyn on her website!
Check out the Elakha Alliance to learn more about sea otter conservation!
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!

Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

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