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:

307: Jack Jumper Ants Oct 09, 2025

Show notes

Ellen jumps to conclusions about jack jumper ants. We discuss Metazooa, is it cake, a menace to public health, lime in the Coke, gamergate, casual abductions, learning walks, and so much more.

Links:

Play Metazooa: https://metazooa.com/
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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306: A Review of Disgust w/ Nature Disturbed! Oct 02, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest artist and science communicator behind Nature Disturbed for an appropriate kickoff to the month of all things wretched with a review of disgust. We talk about phobias and ways that we can relate and empathize with even our most feared animals, why we might want to move in to a termite colony, anatomical surprises, the uncanny valley, how to make a slime meringue, and so much more.

Links:

Learn more about Nature Disturbed at naturedisturbed.com
Follow Nature Disturbed on Instagram and check out the podcast!
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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305: Galápagos Tortoise Sep 25, 2025

Show notes

Ellen comes along for the ride with Galápagos tortoises. We discuss how giant tortoises crossed 600 miles of ocean, the superpowers built into their DNA that let them live for over a century, extinction and restoration, Charles Darwin's boat snacks, Kung Fu Panda lore, and so much more.

Links:

Follow Poison Oak and find more of her work on Instagram: @poison.oak.nyc
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

304: Dr. Keriann McGoogan's Top 3 Primatology Stories! Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest, primatologist and author Dr. Keriann McGoogan, for primatology storytime! Our guest shares experiences from her time working with lemurs in Madagascar and howler monkeys in Belize, like kind gestures from people helping out their local monkeys after a hurricane. She also brings us some truly juicy tales from the study of primates, like a true crime thriller involving missing monkeys, a power struggle, and even a double life, an airplane full of macaques, setting the record straight on baboon social heirarchies, and the instrumental role of women in shaping primatology and our understanding of nature.

Links:

Learn more about Dr. Keriann McGoogan's work on her website
Get your copy of Sisters of the Jungle: The Trailblazing Women Who Shaped the Study of Wild Primates
Follow Keriann on Instagram!
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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Sound Credit:

Black howler monkey: Alex Munro, via biacoustica: https://bio.acousti.ca/content/black-howler-monkey-short

Siamang: Frank Lambert, XC1031364. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1031364.

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

303: American Dipper w/ Jason Hall! Sep 11, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & birder and science communicator Jason Hall for a review of a little bird full of big surprises: the American dipper. We discuss birding pre-smartphone, Philadelphia’s role in ornithological history, the wild physiological adaptations that let this tiny songbird brave mountain rapids, smooth dance moves, aura farming, and so much more.

Links:

Follow Jason on Instagram: @thebirdingbeardsman
Check out Jason's podcast, The Bird Joy Podcast!
Get involved in nature with In Color Birding!
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 BlueSky!

Sound credits:

Brown-headed cowbird: Thomas Magarian, XC527674. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/527674.
American dipper: Ted Floyd, XC460525. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/460525.
Swainson's thrush: Stanislas Wroza, XC1014351. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1014351.

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302: Bigfin Squid Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

Ellen demystifies the deep sea-dwelling bigfin squid. We discuss hunting for shipwrecks, life in the trenches, spaghetti noodle fingers, unintentional cinematography, and so much more.

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 BlueSky!

Sound Credit:

Ted Floyd, XC460525. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/460525.

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

301: Lyrebirds w/ Dr. César Puechmarin! Aug 27, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest, wildlife veterinarian, filmmaker and science communicator Dr César Puechmarin, for a review of Australia’s masters of song: the lyrebird. We discuss birdwatching drama, the ancient origins of songbirds, vocal anatomy, secret passwords, oral history and cultural memory passed down through generations and the ghosts remembered in birdsong, and so much more.

Links:

Learn more about César and find more of his work on his website!
Check out César's podcasts: Death By Birding & Every Animal Ever!
Pre-order César's book, Nature People!
Follow César on Instagram!
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 BlueSky!

Sound Credit:

Superb lyrebird (Menura novaehollandiae) call: Greg McLachlan, XC368459. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/368459.

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

300: A Badger + Coyote Adventure! Aug 21, 2025

Show notes

Ellen & Christian team up as a coyote and badger in a cozy duet TTRPG adventure. When a family of skunks accuse a reclusive bobcat of disturbing their peaceful home, the woodland's finest pair of peacekeepers are on the case. We use the Badger + Coyote game system by Pandion Games to improvise a collaborative story of mystery, fire, a waterfall cave, legend of stalking predators in the night, devious traps, and even romance.

Links:

Check out Badger + Coyote, the cozy duet TTRPG of mischief and survival from Pandion Games!
Check out more of the games and resources from Pandion Games!
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 BlueSky!

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

299: Nightjars Aug 14, 2025

Show notes

Ellen gives the mysterious wing-clapping nightjars a round of applause. We discuss Pliny the Elder, bird whiskers, what it really means to "raise one's standards," ecologically accurate sound effects in The Legend of Zelda, an acoustic mystery, El Chupacabra, and so much more.

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 BlueSky!
SOUND CREDITS:
Eastern Whip-poor-will call: Jonathon Jongsma, via Wikimedia Commons - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Antrostomus_vociferus_-_Eastern_Whip-poor-will_-_XC103418.ogg
Chuck-wills-widow call: Wikimedia Commons user Jordgette - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chuck-wills-widow_call_01.ogg
Nightjar wing clapping: Chris Packham and Wild Finca, via Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1125878613362748

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

298: Katie Goldin's 3 Weirdest Shark Facts! Aug 07, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & returning guest, science communicator and comedy writer Katie Goldin, for a roundup of her 3 weirdest facts about sharks. We discuss cage-free uranium, possible mermaid configurations, why sometimes people poop themselves when they’re scared, how fomo can conquer phobia, eye teeth, and so much more.

Heads up: part of this episode’s conversation is about cocaine. When it comes up I will have edited in some guidance for skipping ahead for anyone who might not find that suitable. As always, there’s no profanity or anything graphic, but it is a topic of discussion.

Links:

Listen to Katie's podcast, Secretly Incredibly Fascinating!
Listen to Katie's other podcast, Creature Feature!
Follow Katie on BlueSky!
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 BlueSky!

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

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