Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast

Amazing Wildlife is taking a leap into the colorful world of the butterfly! Rick and Ebone analyze how the shades of the butterfly wings that capture our attention serve a different purpose in nature. The hosts also explain the importance of the creature in order to help scientists measure the health of the planet. Later, Paige Howorth joins the show to give us insight on why the Quino checkerspot butterfly, native to southern California and Baja California, might be hard to spot and the current program in place to lower the level of decline.

If you have a question for Amazing Wildlife you can send them to [email protected] for your chance to hear it on the show!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Despite its name, the Frozen Zoo does not require a scarf and mittens! This week, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Dr. Oliver Ryder, director of conservation genetics at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. The Frozen Zoo stores cryogenically frozen genetic materials from mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians, safeguarding them for generations to come. Dr. Ryder has been part of the program since the very beginning, and he tells our hosts about its history and its potential to make a difference for wildlife today and tomorrow. Tune in to hear more about this program that gives hope to the future success of wildlife conservation.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Amazing Wildlife episode is all about a beautiful and unusual mammal found only in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo... the Okapi! Hosts Rick and Ebone find out how this species, which is the only living relative of the giraffe, manages to blend in with surroundings in their native habitat and explore their different vocalizations and social dynamic. Later, senior wildlife specialist Jennifer Chapman stops by the show to explain the Okapi Species Survival Plan and how to monitor an Okapi pregnancy to help maintain its genetic diversity.

If you have a question for Amazing Wildlife you can send them to [email protected] for your chance to hear it on the show!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Amazing Wildlife meets the longest member of the weasel family... the giant river otter! Hosts Rick and Ebone detail why the giant river otter is known as the “river wolf," its role in South America’s aquatic system, and what separates this species from the other otters. A Postdoctoral Associate in Recovery Ecology at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Dr. Adi Barocas, joins the show to discuss how these animals are facing threats as an endangered species and the efforts to save it.

If you have a question for Amazing Wildlife you can send them to [email protected] for your chance to hear it on the show!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The more you know about bees, the more you can appreciate these unique insects and how they provide us humans with much more than just honey! Hosts Ebone Monet and Rick Schwartz explore the contributions of bees to our society and uncover the different colors of these insects besides just black and yellow! Dr. Keng-Lou James Hung, a Pollination ecologist and assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma stops by the show to discuss what makes bees vulnerable to the effects of global warming and explains the current pollination crisis.

If you have a question for Amazing Wildlife you can send them to [email protected] for your chance to hear it on the show!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.