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:

Ellen joins MFD Spring Break Mar 17, 2025

Show notes

It’s not MaxFunDrive without a wild kickoff spectacular! Former real-life VJ and host of MTV's Spring Break 1999, Dave Holmes, takes your favorite MaxFun hosts through some wacky ‘90s- and Spring Break-themed mini games!!

Featuring: Dave Holmes, Jeremy Bent, Oscar Montoya, Dimitry Pompée, Hal Lublin, Tom Lum, Ellen Weatherford, Alex Schmidt, Brenda Snell, Drea Clark, Alonso Duralde, Dan McCoy, Jordan Morris, Manolo Moreno, Ella Hubber, Caroline Roper, Ella McLeod, John-Luke Roberts, Justin McElroy, Clint McElroy, Mike Cabellon, Sierra Katow, Hal Lublin, Danielle Radford, John Moe, Christian Dueñas, Christian Duguay.

Eurovision Dance Party Playlist on Spotify

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279: Brachiosaurus w/ Charles Nye! Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

In a continuation of our dinosaur double-feature, Ellen is joined by a paleoartist and marine biologist for a review of the ancient giants that towered over the late Jurassic world: Brachiosaurus.

We discuss bringing ancient dinosaurs to life with art, puking on company time, paleontology patch notes, the pros and cons of having an inflatable noggin, skibidi gorillas, and so much more.

Links:

Follow Charles on Instagram, BlueSky and WordPress!
Follow the Artemis Paleozoo on Instagram and 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

278: Tyrannosaurus Rex (and Modern Dinosaurs) w/ Christian Flores! Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

Ellen & special guest, paleontology educator Christian Flores, review the towering icons of the dinosaur world: Tyrannosaurus rex. We discuss what we can learn about T. rex from the fossils they left behind and the similarities we can see in their modern dinosaur cousins, as well as bringing T. rex to life through art and narrative, Project Paleozoo, and so much more.

Links:

See Christian's collaboration with Julio Lacerda illustrating the life of a T. rex here!
Follow Christian on Instagram, TikTok and BlueSky!
Follow the Artemis Paleozoo on Instagram and 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

277: Kākāpō & Flying Fish Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

Christian gives a hoot about the owl-faced kākāpō & Ellen draws a line in the ocean over flying fish. We discuss ghosts of selection past, jug band beats, Pliny the Elder, pyramid eyeballs, Rihanna's nod to an international maritime dispute, and so much more.

Links:

Kākāpō sounds from: https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/kakapo
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

276: Jules Léon's Top 3 Pinnipeds! Feb 21, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & marine biologist Jules Léon for a review of his top 3 favorite pinnipeds. We discuss galumphing, Prada eels, a species made up entirely of geminis, walkout songs, beachmasters, super weaners (don't worry, it makes SO much more sense in context) and so much more.

Links:

Learn more about Jules's work at his website!
Follow Jules on Instagram and YouTube!
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

275: Albatrosses Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

Love is literally in the air as Ellen locks in with albatrosses. We discuss aspect ratios, snot gutters, dynamic soaring, romance, divorce, 18th century poetry, Taylor Swift, 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

274: Dr. Alyson Brokaw's Top 3 Bats! Feb 06, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & special guest, bat biologist Dr. Alyson Brokaw, for an up-close look at some of the furry friends fluttering through our night skies. We discuss tortilla chip aroma, anatomically accurate Edward Cullen, screaming into the void, butt blankies, and so much more.

Links:

Get your copy of Alyson's book, The Weird and Wonderful World of Bats, available for pre-order now! On sale February 11, 2025!
Follow Alyson 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!

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

273: Flying Snakes Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

Christian takes to the skies with flying snakes. We discuss the beginning of the Year of the Snake, collapsible teeth, the physics of flight, Dragonology, and so much more.

Links:

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

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

272: Dr. Chelsea L. Wood's Top 3 Parasites! Jan 23, 2025

Show notes

Join Ellen & parasite ecologist Dr. Chelsea L. Wood for a review of some bizarre and fascinating creatures that, despite their tiny size, impact our world and even our very selves in more surprising ways than you might expect. We discuss Osmosis Jones, frogs with too many legs, disco-eyed snails, mind control, an existential crisis, a ghost from Cretaceous oceans, fossil poop, and so much more.

Links:

Order Chelsea's book, Power to the Parasites!
Learn more about Chelsea's work on her website!
For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!
Follow Just the Zoo of Us on Threads, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!
Follow Ellen on TikTok!

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

271: Box Jellyfish Jan 16, 2025

Show notes

Ellen pulls no punches with the box jellyfish. We discuss jellyfish venom, kingslayers, emergency vinegar, what not to do when you get stung, Snell's window, learning, balance, ocean jellification, and so much more.

Links:

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

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

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