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.
What is the role of pleasure in successful reproduction?
Evolution says it's mightily important: every female vertebrate has a clitoris.
Snakes have two!
Female pleasure has been selected for.
Making sex fun and pleasurable is a biologically sensible thing to do, more sex means more potential babies.
Some studies of pigs and dairy cows have found an increase of up to 6% in successful conception when the females are stimulated during artificial insemination.
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.
Do animals fall in love at first sight?
Every species has different traits that are 'attractive' — they're showing off their DIY skills making a bower, vibrating sexy fruit fly songs, puffing up a wattle, or just having really massive moose… antlers.
Is this innate attraction like falling in love or is it more like meeting a (really hot) investment advisor?
Because these attractive traits are also messages about genes — who will make a good investment to partner with for the next generation.
Of course, one species beauty is another's turn off, and some species have a very low bar (looking at you guppies), so Hot or Not could end up being a very individual thing.
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.
The energy required to grow, birth and raise young is intense, so it's only fair that the female body has some tricks to make sure reproducing is worth it.
From cryptic choice to immune system sperm blockers, the female reproductive system can be a literal maze for those seeking to gain access to her eggs.
In the battle of the sexes, this is females fight back.
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.
When it comes to sexual organs, the penis is really 'out there.' Name another organ that can change its form AND function in a matter of seconds!
There's a lot of variety in the animal kingdom; from spikes and nails to coils and collagen — so, this appendage is worth investigating… close up.
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.
When you really think about it, sex to make babies is WEIRD! You take an outie that has to get stuck inside an innie that links into a production line of eggs to assemble a perfect tiny being. It's so damn complicated!
So why does it work like that?
Join us at What the Duck for the first episode of a series where we figure out how living things went from splitting ourselves in half to double the population, to periodically feeling compelled to copulate in such a vigorous, sometimes highly embarrassing, manner.
Earth — this is your sexual history!
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.
In 2002 Gigoo became the world's wealthiest chicken when her owner left her £10 million in his will.
How does a chook even open a bank account?
Within legal limitations there are ways to provide your pets the lifestyle they're used to after you die.
But what about divorce?
Can you have visitation rights to see your goldfish?
And when a dog's day in court climbs though the tiers of the Australian legal system, it might surprise you how little the pet is mentioned.
Featuring:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land 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.
A lost monkey in an Ikea carpark is an illegally traded pet, so does he have a legal owner?
When it comes to animal ownership, courts turn to Roman-era laws to try and figure out if an animal is tame or wild.
It may work sometimes, but leaves out the modern idea of the animal's best interests.
And it doesn't explain how an elephant can have a criminal rap sheet.
Content warning: This program contains stories where animals are punished as if they are criminals. Some listeners may find this confronting.
Featuring:
With thanks to Dr Michelle Granden whose research inspired the title of this episode
And extra sounds from bird enthusiasts:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land 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.
How much booze does it take to intoxicate an elephant?
The answer isn't as much as you might expect, because not all guts are created equal when it comes to metabolising alcohol.
This explains why an elephant might be considered a lightweight and your donkey got into a fight last weekend.
But alcohol isn't the only cause of misbehaviour — so what motivated the legless serial doorbell pranksters?
Featuring:
With news audio thanks to NPR
And extra sounds from bird enthusiasts:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land 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.
Forget feathered friends — these are our feathered foes.
They can wield knives, get involved in the world of organised crime and drug dealing, and even shut down the Large Hadron Collider.
But the most pressing question is, why did the duck cross the road at speeds so high local law enforcement was on the case?
Featuring:
With extra sounds from bird enthusiasts:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land 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.
The fear of being eaten by an animal is so visceral that a mass psychosis, featuring a monkey man, once swept across Delhi.
But in the event of an actual attack, investigators look for specific forensic clues to identify which predator was responsible.
Was the perpetrator human or animal? Or in one infamous case in the US, was it human … or owl?
Featuring:
With extra sounds from bird enthusiasts:
Production:
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land 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.
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