Stay ConnectedAustralia is full of weird plants and animals. And Dr Ann Jones is on speaking terms with most of them!
Each week Ann explores the most unusual elements of our natural world — the ones that make you go What the Duck?! Like why do quolls have spots? Who farts (and who doesn’t)? And how do snakes climb trees?
Join Ann alongside experts and ordinary Aussies alike to solve mysteries, smash myths and uncover the bizarre truth about nature down under.
Copyright: © Copyright 2024, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
In fact, most dinosaurs never got the chance to stop and smell a flower... and it was all because of bad timing. Sad face.
The meteor that killed all the dinosaurs (rude) actually kicked off flower supremacy on planet earth.
Flowering plants are only about 135 million years old, yet they’re the most bio-diverse plants on the planet. Without them, no birds, no bees. Again, sad face.
So where did flowers come from? And how did they end up being top bud?
FEATURING:
PRODUCTION:
This episode of What the Duck was produced on the land of the Wadawurrung people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
It was a perfect night. But this duck had other ideas.
The scene: A perfect, wonderful, windless night at a wetland.
You couldn't ask for better conditions. The sun sets and the insects hum and eventually you hear a boobook and it's lovely… except one very loud duck keeps on yelling periodically the whole way through.
It's like the thing KNEW I was recording. It goes on for hours.
Anyway, I've got a passion project at the ABC.
A podcast called Nature Sounds by Ann Jones.
It's all these looooong form sounds scapes. The idea is that you can use them to relax, or go to sleep, or drown out your colleagues or whatever.
You can find it on the ABC listen app or any other podcast app. I promise this screaming duck didn't make the cut.
RECORDING: Ann Jones
MASTERING ENGINEER: Isabella Tropiano
This flower takes needy to a whole new level!
It was almost extinct. That was, until 2015, when a woman called Julie took it upon herself to make sure we didn’t lose the species altogether, and as it happened (baby) Ann Jones went along with a microphone.
Now, it’s 10 years on, and Ann is older, greyer and more closely resembles a bearded orchid. But, given she hasn’t been made redundant yet, we can revisit the forest to ask – was all that effort worth it? Did the orchids survive?
Featuring:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
You probably have a daddy-long-legs in your house right now.
But when is having a weird housemate in the corner ACTUALLY a good thing? Dr Ann Jones investigates.
Featuring:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2023 and was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
Flies have rhythm and choreography, could their moves make the next TikTok dance fad?
Dune flies groove to their own beat in dance-circles and hoverflies use rhythmic movements in mating.
Researchers found the dancing dune fly’s repertoire has specific moves for impressing a female and others for rival dance battles. Pretty fly for a dune fly.
In Costa Rica the male red hoverfly rhythmically squeezes and strokes his mate during copulation.
They also have a pattern of coupling and uncoupling as many as 17 times during the act!
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Further reading:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was recorded on Ngunnawal Country and produced on the lands of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
Live from the World Science Festival Brisbane What the Duck?! is playing a game and you get to decide: duck, marry, avoid, or friendzone.
You'll hear about the natural world's romance, reproduction, and relationships
Once you've listened you can email whattheduck@abc.net.au to vote for how you would categorise snakes, birds, insects and mammals.
Featuring:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was recorded on the land of the Turrbal and Jagera people and produced on the lands of the Kulin Nation.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
It seems absolutely bonkers that an animal can muster ELECTRICITY, especially enough to send out a zap like a taser.
But that's exactly what electric eels can do, and the world record holder more than doubles the voltage of the Australian electricity supply.
More than that, electric eels inspired the design of Volta's first batteries, but (hold onto your socks so they don't get blown off) they're not the only ones who've got electricity pumping through their bodies.
Featuring:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2024 and was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
For around 700 years scientists observed same-sex pairings in as many as 1500 different species, but didn't record or publish their findings due to public perceptions.
Now research is catching up and many papers on queer behaviour in nature have been published in the past two decades.
This discussion was recorded live at Mardi Gras 2026 and presented by the Royal Zoological Society of NSW for Wildlife at the Watering Hole.
Featuring :
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was recorded and produced on the lands of the Eora and Kulin Nations.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
Sex comes at a cost, there's energy, time, risks of predators, and diseases… so do we even need it?
Asexual organisms don't seem to miss the dating scene, and yet here we are putting a whole lot of energy into sex, even when it doesn't lead to babies when same sexes attract.
Of course, sex is a chance to genetically repair faults and outrun threats, but is the pay-off really enough?
Sex is Weird is a series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal kingdom.
Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended.
Featuring:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2024 and was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
It turns out not everyone was listening when it was written 'it takes two to tango' and some species can go it alone in their quest to reproduce. And then there's the plants that decided THREE or ONE was for them, never an even number.
Why is sex so… suspiciously complicated?
Sex is Weird is a series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the natural world.
Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended.
Featuring:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2024 and was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
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