BewilderBeasts!

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Host Melissa McCue-McGrath dives deep into the weirdest, funniest, sciency-est ways in which animals intersect at humanity. How is a horse responsible for the FDA? How did fish farts nearly cause bombs to fly between Russia and Sweden? Which pigeon saved 194 soldiers in WW1? Why are honey bees trained to find unexploded landmines in Croatia? Let's go!

#5 in the Top 100 Indie pets & animals All time chart

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Top 10 BewilderBeasts! Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best BewilderBeasts! episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to BewilderBeasts! for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite BewilderBeasts! episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Bonus:Dengue Chicks and the Grocery Store Walk of Shame

BewilderBeasts!

06/17/24 • 30 min

First Aired: January 20, 2023
This month's bonus ep for you is all about the chickens who give back in rather surprising ways - from keeping 100 tons (?) of food out of our landfills to preventing Dengue Fever in Central Florida.
BTW: Florida, you ok?
So, get some chickens, put on a farming hat, and let's go learn about chickens who do more than just poop you breakfast. Let's GOOOOOOOO!
Resources:
https://htrchickens.com/tag/belgium/#:~:text=%231.&text=Hens%20help%20recycle%20food%20and,an%20alternate%20waste%2Dmanagement%20system.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/belgians-egged-on-to-keep-chickens-ndash-but-they-re-not-for-eating-1942124.html

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17540287

https://www.permacultureproject.com/belgium-offers-chickens-to-waste-cutting-households/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8539877.stm

https://www.thebulletin.be/adopt-chicken-etterbeek

https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonytellez/2023/01/12/why-are-egg-prices-still-so-high-its-not-the-reason-you-think/?sh=12af174f7c6b

https://newjerseymonitor.com/2022/12/22/south-jerseys-chicken-lady-aims-to-bring-chickens-to-backyards-one-town-at-a-time/

https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/chickens-in-florida-are-helping-to-detect-mosquito-borne-viruses-in-communities

Podcast: Coffee With the Chicken Ladies for general info and my own personal experience as a Noob in the chicken game.

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Intro/Outtro music: Tiptoe Out The Back - Dan Liebowicz
Interstitial Music: MK2
Additional music: Freesound.com, Pixabay.org
Instagram: @EggAndNugget (chicken stan account) or @MelissaMcCueMcGrath
Website: BewilderBeastsPod.com
Support the Show and get stuff! Patreon.com/BewilderbeastsPodYour host, Melissa McCue-McGrath is an author, dog trainer, and behavior consultant in Southern Maine. She'll talk about dogs all day if you let her. You've been warned :)

2 Listeners

Bonus: Oh, Evolution

BewilderBeasts!

03/31/24 • 7 min

The very first Patreon Exclusive episode was ....super short. It first aired on July 22, 2021. I wasn't sure if it would play or work at all. But, this test led directly to another 28+ episodes, so thank you, evolution ;)
Here's a shortie for you to enjoy about a #1 moth who looks like #2.
Stay Curious -

Xx
M3

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Bonus: Ursa Majors

BewilderBeasts!

07/07/24 • 15 min

First aired October 2021

Fat Bear Tuesday is the culmination of a week-long bracket-style event inspired by mega-chonk bears and March Madness. What is it? Why is it? Who is going to win? Let's go!
****
Resources:
https://www.nps.gov/katm/learn/fat-bear-week.htm

https://www.npr.org/2021/09/30/1041674219/fat-bear-week-2021

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/get-to-known-the-bodacious-bulky-bears-of-fat-bear-week-2021-180978778/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/650110/fat-bear-week-history

https://boingboing.net/2021/09/26/its-almost-fat-bear-week-when-online-voters-decide-which-bears-have-best-prepared-for-hibernation.html

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Bonus: Butt Science and Twitter Bird Bans

BewilderBeasts!

07/14/24 • 27 min

First aired February 2023

Twitter bans an ornithological society for posting photos of "woodcocks" while Melissa gets banned for "Hairy Man"; The Media takes special care to protect the identity of one little jailbird with hilarious results; and, no post is complete without a little butt science.
There is a photo that I can't stop laughing at in this episode - that photo is attached but also a part of this tweet:
https://twitter.com/CampbellxEmma/status/1178400639208116224
All of the articles I read directly from are here:
Dirty Birds:
https://metro.co.uk/2023/01/31/bird-charity-banned-from-twitter-for-posting-woodcock-photos-18196900/
Jail Bird:
https://time.com/5689057/bird-arrest/
Regenerative Butt Science
https://www.livescience.com/sea-spiders-anus-regeneration

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Ep 77: The Horses Who Find The Missing

BewilderBeasts!

10/17/22 • 24 min

This week, we meet a 1600 pound animal who is also using their noses to find missing people, narcotics, and more. Giddyup.
Resources:
Intro Music is “Tiptoe out the back” by Dan Lebowicz and Interstitial music is by MK2. Additional music provided by Pixabay and Freesound.org and introducing HappySoulMusic.com!
newscentermaine.com/article/life/animals/maine-horses-being-trained-to-track-people-by-scent-for-search-and-rescue-missions/97-00754b06-4f3a-4b52-9f72-1241cf16a79c

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mounted_search_and_rescue

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2013/06/horses_as_bloodhounds_lost_art.html

https://dailybulldog.com/features/thoughts-from-the-summit-horses-in-search-and-rescue/

https://www.mainemountedsar.org/

https://www.pressherald.com/2017/07/24/search-and-rescue-horse-needs-its-own-rescue-effort-after-getting-stuck-in-bridge/

https://measuringstuff.com/how-high-is-20-meters/

https://www.mainesearchandrescue.org/conference

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Ep 78: Eau d'Poo

BewilderBeasts!

10/24/22 • 19 min

This week, we look at how scatological scientists use fake poop to save owls and commune with rhinos. Let's GO!
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fake-poop-helps-transplanted-owls-settle-new-safer-neighborhoods-rcna13906

https://www.optimistdaily.com/2022/02/fake-poop-helps-tiny-endangered-owls-find-new-homes/

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/60234064

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Burrowing_Owl/overview

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/burrowing-owl

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/rhinoceroses-poop-middens-communication

https://www.boredpanda.com/owl-long-legs-exposed/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

https://www.seeker.com/plant-makes-fake-poop-to-fool-dung-beetles-1770322031.html

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/sparkly-zoo-poo

Intro Music is “Tiptoe out the back” by Dan Lebowicz and Interstitial music is by MK2. Additional music provided by Pixabay and Freesound.org and introducing HappySoulMusic.com!

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BONUS: Slaughterhouse Punk Rock Goat (Patreon Exclusive)

BewilderBeasts!

08/16/22 • 15 min

Let's dive into this episode pulled from the Patreon feed about a grindcore goat named Biquette. Rock on!
For more episodes (and episode information including sources) please visit Patreon.com/BewilderBeastsPod

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Ep 81: Avast!

BewilderBeasts!

11/14/22 • 24 min

Let's meet the "Little Boatman," the "Black Devil," the "Horse Inspirerer" -----the Schipperke, with Paul Csomo of Avast!.
You can visit the Avast website or download it wherever you listen to podcasts!
Resources for today's episode:
https://nationalpurebreddogday.com/he-inspired-horses/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schipperke

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/schipperke/

https://www.schipperkeclub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Revised2018_Schip_Club_leaflet.pdf

https://www.schipperkeclub-usa.org/about-schips/breed-history/

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Ep 82: Going To The Dogs

BewilderBeasts!

11/22/22 • 51 min

The National Dog Show is a staple in many homes for the pre-Thanksgiving event - so Melissa (and special guest Paul Csomo from Avast) discuss all the terrible things we've done to purebred dogs in the name of beauty.
I'm so sorry :)
Happy Thanksgiving!

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