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:

121: Nine-banded Armadillo w/ Carly Haywood! Dec 01, 2021

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest Carly Haywood for a review of the scaly, pig-snouted friends of the underbrush: nine-banded armadillos! In this episode, we discuss whether you should be afraid of getting leprosy from an armadillo, what “pancaking” is and why they do it, and little tiny clone parades scuttling through the underbrush.

You can follow Carly on Twitter at @MotherOfDasypus :)

Cover photo: Svetlana Foote, via Getty images

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120: Acorn Woodpecker & West African Lungfish Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode, Christian brings the acorn woodpecker to trial for its rampant vandalism & Ellen goes for a ride in a time machine with the West African lungfish. Along the way, we discuss the physics of using your face as a jackhammer, snot cocoons, and Sonic hedgehog.

Cover photos: Luis Echeverri Urrea via Getty images (woodpeckers), voltan1 via Getty images (lungfish)

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

119: Pigeons w/ Rosemary Mosco! Nov 17, 2021

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest, science writer & naturalist Rosemary Mosco, for a review of the little grey guy strutting down a street near you: the pigeon! We discuss the history of why pigeons live alongside us, how they evade the clutches of even the world’s fastest predator, ways pigeon couples keep the romance alive, and the joy of appreciating these metropolitan doves.

You can find Rosemary's work, including her brand new book A Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching at her website: rosemarymosco.com

Cover photo by Junichi Yamada, via Getty Images.

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

118: Ocean Sunfish & Tanuki Nov 10, 2021

Show notes

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's episode inspired by Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Ellen basks in the unexpected glory of the ocean sunfish & Christian pays respect to the mischievous tanuki. You'll learn what to bring to a sunfish's dinner party and how the tanuki earns the title of power couple.

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

117: Flatfish w/ Dr. Kory Evans! Nov 03, 2021

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest evolutionary biologist Dr. Kory Evans for a review of the dimensionally innovative flatfish! Learn the story of why these quirky fishes developed such peculiar body plans and how their bizarre adaptations help them live their best life beneath the sand. We discuss migrating eyes, transient feet, and which cartoons got flounders right and wrong.

Keep up with Kory and his lab's work on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sternarchella

Cover photo: Jodi Jacobson via Getty Images

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

116: Painted Bat & Dracula Parrot Oct 27, 2021

Show notes

Join the Weatherfords for a weekly animal review! In this week's festively spooky episode, Christian kicks off the celebration with the painted bat & Ellen counts up points for the iconic Dracula parrot.

Photos: Merlin Tuttle (painted bat), Ondrej Prosicky (Dracula parrot)

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

115: Myriapods (Millipedes, Centipedes & Pauropods) w/ Dr. Derek Hennen! Oct 20, 2021

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest, entomologist Derek Hennen, for a review of our many-legged friends, the myriapods! We’re talking millipedes, centipedes, and pauropods: what the difference is between these long guys, how they manage to scurry around without tripping over all of those feet, and what they’re up to down there underneath the leaf litter.

Join the millipede fan club: @DearMillipede

Cover photo by Derek Hennen, of "one of the prettiest cherry millipedes (Polydesmida: Xystodesmidae) I've come across!"

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Meet the Neighbors: Just the Zoo of Us x One Bad Mother Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

Just the Zoo of Us and One Bad Mother got together to celebrate MaxFun Block Party!

If you enjoyed this conversation we had with host Biz Ellis, be sure to subscribe to One Bad Mother on maximumfun.org!

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

114: Amazon Molly & Aardvark Oct 13, 2021

Show notes

Ellen inspects an army of fish clones, the Amazon molly, and Christian finally digs in to the details of the inimitable aardvark. Learn how clones are made in nature, what's going on inside the aardvark's porcine snout, and why it's so crucial to never leave home without tippy-tappies.

Amazon molly photo by Manfred Schartl. Aardvark photo by Michael Viard via Getty Images.

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

Special announcement: We're joining Maximum Fun! Oct 08, 2021

Show notes

We've got big, exciting, great news! Just the Zoo of Us is joining the Maximum Fun network! Listen to our announcement for more information about the network, the date of our first episode as members, and a very special treat if you stick around to the end (it's less than two minutes!).

Check out Maximum Fun & their other wonderful shows over at www.maximumfun.org :)

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

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