Nature Disturbed

Nature Disturbed
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From the delightful to the downright depraved, the Nature Disturbed podcast explores every facet of life on our planet.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Wet n Wild: Trees Made of Salmon

    Trees in the temperate rainforests of British Columbia have been shown to contain marine derived nutrients (nutrients of marine origin). But... excuse me, please.... why do trees inland contain nutrients from the open ocean? Well, here's the simple answer: the trees are made of salmon.  Each year, spawning salmon are pulled from rivers by grizzlies, black bears, coastal wolves, bald eagles, and (sorry, salmon) so many more other hungry carnivores. Hundreds of salmon carcasses line the banks, as scavengers battle one another for the rights to this glorious buffet. Many species take their prizes deep into the forest to eat in peace. This distribution of salmon through the forest leads to a mass influx of nutrients (Nitrogen, Carbon, Sulphur...), which are then absorbed by the vegetation. Also covered in this discussion: salmon hats worn by orcas; how zombie-like salmon blur the line between life and death; and using salmon carcasses and biodegradable paint to make beautiful artwork.  In this episode, I'm joined by the brilliant Kristen Walters, Director of Salmon Habitat, Climate and Policy at Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

    1hr 8min

  2. 13 MAR

    Wet n Wild: Giant Squid (& other molluscs)

    The Kraken of Scandinavia; the Lusca of the Caribbean; the Akkorokamui of Japan... what do these legendary sea monsters have in common? ... They're all real!  These creatures have surfaced from the deepest wells of mythology into modern science in the form of the giant squid. How big can these creatures get? How can we study them? Why are they so elusive? And of course ... Who would win in a fight between a giant squid and a colossal squid? In this episode I journey to meet Jon Ablett, Senior Curator of Molluscs at the Natural History Museum, London. We speak about the science and the legend surrounding the giant squid. We also speak about mollusc diversity, cephalopod intelligence and camouflage, and oh yes... snails!

    1hr 23min

  3. 4 MAR

    Wet n Wild: Snapping Turtles

    This week, I journey to an unlikely destination in search of turtles: Canada! The snapping turtle's range stretches all the way from Florida to the frozen north of the continent. And yet, its remarkable ability to survive the cold is hardly its most defining feature. Perhaps that credit could go to its razor sharp bill; its long, bendy neck; the fake worm on its tongue which it uses to lure fish... or its use of cloacal respiration. Listen to find out more! I'm joined in this episode by Ellen Weatherford, of the Just the Zoo of Us podcast.

    1hr 19min

  4. 22 JAN

    Wet n Wild: Cocaine Hippos

    In 1981, infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar imported 4 hippos to his private zoo as a gift for his daughter. After his death, they escaped - and now there are hundreds of feral hippos living in Colombia. Today's guest is Vanessa the Pink Hippo, the mascot of Escobar's former estate Hacienda Nápoles. Vanessa is severely inbred, but that doesn't stop her from living her truth.

    53 min

  5. 16/12/2025

    Wet n Wild: Japanese Giant Salamander

    Enormous predatory amphibians lurking in mountain streams and rivers - a thing of the past? Well, yes - the planet was once dominated by these early arrivals onto land. But here, today, now, in the present moment, as we hold space for time and we hold time for space, we must acknowledge the truth: giant amphibians still exist. They're out there. They're skilled nocturnal predators. They're slimy and huge. And they're out there!!! In this episode I head to western Japan to meet Professor Mizuki Takahashi, to learn more about these amazing creatures. We discuss their reproductive biology; their conservation; and how they appear in Japanese culture.

    1hr 2min

  6. 01/12/2025

    Wet n Wild: Orcas Hunting Great Whites

    Two South African orcas, named Port and Starboard, have become infamous shark-hunters. It has been widely reported that the pair are responsible for the declining great white populations in the world's cage-diving capital. But is it true? Should the blame be placed on the killer whales, or is there a bigger picture? In this episode, I travel to the coastal waters of South Africa to speak with Lacey Williams, Head Field Specialist of Oceans Research South Africa. Lacey performed a necropsy (animal autopsy) on one of the fallen great whites - and she tells us what might really be going on.

    1hr 10min

  7. 03/11/2025

    Wet n Wild: The Loch Ness Monster (isn't real)

    Rumour has it, there is a giant prehistoric reptile inhabiting Britain's largest lake/loch by volume. Well, I'm not one for rumours, fairytales, gossips and besmirchments - unless I've made them up myself about my enemies. In this episode, I head to Scotland to confirm what I already know - that the Loch Ness Monster does exist, but only in our minds. This conspiracy is a surprising jumping-off point for the discussion of science, from techniques like environmental DNA, to the application of statistics, to the biomechanics of ancient plesiosaurs.

    42 min

  8. 20/10/2025

    Wet n Wild: Fish Evolution on Steroids

    Lake Victoria, East Africa, was dry 14,000 years ago - and yet, it is home to about 500 species of cichlid fish. It's believed that this incredible diversity of species arose from a single ancestor, which completely flips the script given we often imagine evolution taking place over millions of years.   In this episode, I head to the calm shores of Lake Malawi to confront my former practical project supervisor, Dr Martin Genner of Bristol University. After I interrogate him about his unwarranted docking of marks against me in an assignment I wrote ten years ago, we go on to talk about the adaptive radiation of cichlid fishes in the Great Lakes of East Africa, and how we can use cichlids to study evolution in action.

    57 min
See All (14)

About

From the delightful to the downright depraved, the Nature Disturbed podcast explores every facet of life on our planet.

Information

  • Creator
    Nature Disturbed
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Nature Disturbed
  • Show Website
    Nature Disturbed
  • Provider

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