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:

158: Pallas's Cat & Kiwi (REPLAY) Jul 30, 2025

Show notes

In this week's re-broadcast of an episode from September of 2022, Ellen lets Pallas's cat out of the bag & Christian probes into the world of the sensitive kiwi. We discuss grumpy cats, spawncamping, chilly beans, buff legs and giant eggs.

Links:

Check out Benjamin Lancer's paper on dragonfly attention in Nature!
Watch Wildlife Instincts: Pallas's Cat - Master of the Plains on YouTube!
Learn more about how you can help the kiwi!
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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297: Red Fox Jul 24, 2025

Show notes

Ellen explains what the red fox REALLY says. We discuss a chicken shakedown, the Siberian fox domestication experiment, aim assist, quantum entanglement, genetic surprises, 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!
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SOUND CREDIT: Fox screaming in the night.mp3 by craigsays -- https://freesound.org/s/537586/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

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296: Leach's Storm Petrel w/ Melina Watson! Jul 17, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest, marine biologist and seabird wrangler Melina Watson, for a review of the ocean’s bravest little walkerwalkers: Leach’s storm petrel. We swap whalewatching stories, discuss snot gutters and lost feet and baby chicks that look like soot sprites, and get firsthand insight into life among the seabirds, from falling asleep to a lullaby of screams to a surprising assessment of the smell situation.

Links:

Follow Melina on Instagram!
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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295: Giant Anteater Jul 11, 2025

Show notes

Ellen pokes her nose into the giant anteater's business. We discuss Fun Dip, sleeper builds, optical illusions, blankies, the shirshu, and so much more.

Links:

Learn more about the ICAS on their website and follow them 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!
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Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

294: Speculative Evolution w/ Roxy Valdez! Jul 02, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest, digital artist and character designer Roxy Valdez, for a multimedia exploration of the intersection where real-world biology and ecology meets the imagination: speculative evolution! We discuss the world of the Amphiterra Project, the academic research and creative process that goes into designing creatures for science fiction and fantasy, and even team up to roll dice and make our very own creatures. Our guest provides illustrations and an interactive spec evo prompt generator that will be posted on our socials to accompany this episode!

Links:

Follow Roxy on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bighugefrog.bsky.social
Find more of Roxy's work and info: https://bighugefrog.carrd.co/
Find the Amphiterra Project: https://amphiterra.weebly.com/
Roxy's Recommendations:
Serina: https://sites.google.com/site/worldofserina/home
Runaway to the Stars: https://www.runawaytothestars.com/
The Snouters: Form and Life of the Rhinogrades: https://archive.org/details/snoutersforml00stum
Dougal Dixon: https://www.dougal-dixon.co.uk/
Curious Archive: https://www.youtube.com/@CuriousArchive
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
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293: Rhinoceros & Bird-eating Tarantula Jun 25, 2025

Show notes

Christian takes charge of rhinoceroses & Ellen gives bird-eating tarantulas a hair-raising review. We discuss unicorns, mmwonk, dragon calls, Ace Ventura, becoming the Thumbtacks Guy, recipes for a bag of spiders, and 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!
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Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

292: Ivan Phillipsen's 3 Weirdest Birds! Jun 18, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen and acclaimed naturalist Ivan Phillipsen to round up his top 3 weirdest birds. We discuss what makes a bird truly “weird,” the distinct silhouette of a style icon, never letting a perfectly good placenta go to waste, birds getting tipsy on fermented berries, and so much more.

Links:

Find more of Ivan's work at scienceofbirds.com!
Go check out Ivan's podcast, The Science of Birds!
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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Source of audio clip played at 42 minutes 17 seconds: Jacob Wijpkema, XC695095. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/695095.

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291: Kid Questions with Isaac! Jun 11, 2025

Show notes

Ellen & special guest Isaac answer questions from young listeners! We discuss albinism, whales and dinosaurs, what makes an organism an animal, raccoon stripes, the puppification of foxes, 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!
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Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

290: Rabbits w/ Zoe Feigen! Jun 06, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest, veterinarian and rabbit parent Zoe Feigen, for an exposé on rabbits and the secret horrors they’re hiding underneath all that adorable fluff. We discuss biological warfare on an ecological menace, self-sharpening glass crunchers, eating poop, outie butts, flirting with pee, tearaway hair, haunting screams, and so much more. This truly eye-opening episode will forever change how you see those sweet little faces and cotton ball tails.

Links:

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

289: Parrotfish May 28, 2025

Show notes

Ellen bites off more than she can chew with parrotfish. We discuss the Mohs scale, Korn corn, throat teeth, crystal chainmail, sleeping bags made of snot, being terminally male, 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!

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

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