Look at Me

The Guardian

4.5 (99)
NATURAL SCIENCES

Weird and wonderful tales of Australian wildlife. Hosted by award winning science journalist Rae Johnston and ecologist Chris McCormack

14/04/2022

The underwater punk straight out of the realm of science fiction

In this final episode of Look at Me, we dive into the ocean’s to discover a creature that is perhaps the most bizarre animal Rae has ever seen. This dazzling group of sea slugs adapts to its dynamic environment using colourful headdresses, stinging cells and lungs that can exist outside the body. Little is still known about the nudibranch but we meet the researcher and the citizen scientist wading though the tidal zones to find out more

28 min
07/04/2022

The scientist who dedicated her life to the mysterious springtail – Look at Me podcast

In the 1950s Dr Penelope Greenslade became one of the few women to study at Cambridge University. She then travelled to Solomon Islands where her love affair with the springtail began, a tiny acrobatic animal that you’ll find almost everywhere in Australia but have probably never recognised Rain reveals the creatures that walk on water

34 min
31/03/2022

The tenacious bird abandoning its young in a giant thermal mound

In some of the most harsh habitat in Australia, you’ll find what looks like giant piles of dirt. But dig deeper and you’ll find the eggs of the malleefowl, buried in leaf litter and sand at the exact depth needed to keep them warm until they hatch and are left to fend for themselves, newborn birds fighting to survive

34 min
24/03/2022

The weird, wonderful and ultimately exhausting life of the antechinus

This marsupial mouse enters its first mating season with a thirty-fold increase in testosterone. It copulates at a frenetic rate, only to collapse afterwards, dying from its exertions. But now climate change is posing a much more serious threat to the species than sex

34 min
17/03/2022

The gym junkie of the sky

Imagine flying thousands of kilometres to avoid getting cold. Meet the bird that starts its migration journey at a Siberian bush doof and ends up on the mudflats of eastern Australia. In this episode of Look at Me, we hitch a ride with the eastern curlew and meet the zoologist who learnt to fly a plane so she could track their flight path

26 min
10/03/2022

The ants keeping an endangered butterfly alive

Imagine outsourcing childcare to a nest of ants? This may not be the best idea for humans but a certain insect is making it work. Now the Eltham copper butterfly’s amazing use of surrogate ant parents has attracted human fans who are using a song to try to save it from extinction

35 min
04/03/2022

Introducing Look at Me season 2

When it comes to Australian native animals, everyone thinks about koalas and kangaroos and drop bears and wombats. But what about the creepy ones? What about the niche ones? The ones that don’t make it on to coins or Bluey? Join your hosts Rae Johnston and Chris McCormack to meet the incredible animals other people don’t talk about.

3 min
04/04/2019

Our rare tiny marsupial, hanging on in the mountains – Look at me podcast

When we think of the effects of climate change it’s easy to focus on rising sea levels – but what about the changes happening much higher up? At Mount Hotham in Victoria a unique creature spends months under the snow: Australia’s only hibernating marsupial, the mountain pygmy possum. This tiny animal was once thought extinct. Now, zoos and ski-resorts are doing everything they can to keep it alive, but it faces a changing climate, which may create insurmountable challenges

37 min

See All (14)

4.5

out of 5

99 Ratings

Wonderful nature

10/03/2019

EcosystemEm

So lovely to have another Australian nature podcast. The cuttlefish episode made me cry!
Excellent Podcast

11/09/2023

Jungle Sheila

Most interesting podcast. I couldn’t wait to listen to them all.
Season 2 💚

04/04/2022

Nat- The Forest Faerie

So excited there is finally a season 2. This has definitely been one of my absolute favourite series to listen to, and I’ve listened to it a couple of times through now just because I love it so much.
Room for improvement

03/04/2022

cc cobs

Good podcasts but room for improvement. Less of the annoying cackling by the woman and the bloke needs to pronounce his ‘....duce’ words correctly. E.g. introduce not introdoose, and also it’s new not noo.