Just the Zoo of Us

Maximum Fun
Maximum Fun
  • 4.8 (589)
  • Nature
  • Updated Weekly

Join us, Ellen and Christian Weatherford, while we review your favorite species of animals and rate them out of ten in the categories of effectiveness, ingenuity and aesthetics. More information can be found at justthezooofus.com 😊 Got a species you want us to review? Submit your animal friend to us at ellen@justthezooofus.com and when we review your animal we'll give you a shoutout! 😊 Cover art by Mrs. Brainbow (Taylor Gordon-Wood). Theme music by Louie Zong.

  1. 2h ago

    357: Ospreys w/ Mark Smith!

    Join Ellen & special guest, wildlife photographer and author Mark Smith, for a review of the worldwide masters of sea and sky. Ospreys almost disappeared from our coasts during the 20th century, as our guest shares with us, making us even luckier than ever to share the planet with them today. Through his years traveling the world to capture the beauty of these raptors, our guest has learned a lot of valuable life lessons that he is here to share with you. We discuss optional thumbs, how birds can use the physics of the ocean to their advantage and even turn prey into their ride home, designs for a modern family crest, and more.  Links: Get The Spirit of Birds wherever you buy books!Follow Mark on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

  2. 5d ago

    356: Shrews

    The arc of history is long, but it bends towards shrew. We discuss tasks that require zero cats, supercontinents, venom and cancer research, iron-plated teeth, load-bearing spines, what shrews have in common with a hostile Minecraft mob, and more. Works Cited: “In Vivo Detection of Human TRPV6-Rich Tumors with Anti-Cancer Peptides Derived from Soricidin” - Chris V. Bowen et al., PLoS One, March 2013“Deciphering an extreme morphology: bone microarchitecture of the hero shrew backbone (Soricidae: Scutisorex)” - Stephanie M. Smith, Proc R. Soc. B, April 2020“Dehnel's phenomenon is not a simple reduction of size: seasonal change in skull shape of the long-clawed shrew (Soricidae, Mammalia)” - Yugo Ikeda et al., Proc R. Soc. B., August 2026"Why Do Some Shrews Have Dark Red Teeth?" - John Wible, Carnegie Museum of Natural History“Moving Nose to Tail, Shrew 'Conga Line' Shimmies Online” - Laura Geggel, LiveScience, July 2017“Acoustic behavior in the northern short-tailed shrew (Blarina brevicauda): Ultrasonic click production in a novel environment” - Margaret E. Gleason, Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, July 2023“Sorex palustris underwater Sniffing - Vanderbilt University” - Luis Azevedo Rodrigues, YouTube“Water Shrew Walks on Water” - MyBackyardBirding, YouTubeLinks: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky!  Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

  3. Oct 15

    355: Axolotl w/ Marco Wendt!

    Join Ellen & special guest, wildlife ambassador and returning guest Marco Wendt of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, to shine a spotlight on the world’s most famous amphibian. From Mesoamerican legend to medical research labs to the lush caves of Minecraft, axolotls have inspired stories and innovation and wonder in humans all over the world but their story starts in the heart of Mexico, which is why our guest has chosen them as the frilly little faces of this episode in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. We discuss the axolotl’s indigenous name and its roots in a mythological prop hunt, some possible designs for custom skins, what human metamorphosis might look like, setting your future reincarnations up for success, and more.  Links: Follow Marco on Instagram and TikTok!Plan your next trip to see axolotls at the San Diego Zoo! For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

  4. Oct 8

    354: Shingleback Skink

    This chunky lizard is living proof that two heads are better than one. We discuss BTS (disambiguation), secret signals encoded in lizard tongues, accidentally flirting with the wrong end of your true love, "roommates," and so much more. Works Cited: “Why is the tongue of blue-tongued skinks blue? Reflectance of lingual surface and its consequences for visual perception by conspecifics and predators” - Andran Abramjan et al., The Science of Nature, August 2015“Following trails of partners in the monogamous lizard, Tiliqua rugosa” - C. Michael Bull, Christian Lindle, Acta Ethologica, September 2002“Mate Familiarity Affects Pairing Behaviour in a Long-Term Monogamous Lizard: Evidence from Detailed Bio-Logging and a 31-Year Field Study” - Stephan T. Leu et al., Ethology, April 2015“Lovestruck Lizards: The Monogamous Relationships of Shingleback Skinks” - Exotics Keeper blog, February 2024“Lizard suffers world's worst pregnancy” - Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News, February 2007“Scientists Confirm Shingleback Lizards Only Reptiles That Mate For Sake Of Aging Mothers” - The Onion“Strengthening protection of endemic wildlife threatened by the international pet trade: The case of the Australian shingleback lizard” - S. Heinrich et al., Animal Conservation, July 2021Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

  5. Oct 1

    353: Pokémon Zoology w/ Christian Flores!

    Join Ellen & returning guest wildlife educator Christian Flores for a conversation about the Zoology of Pokémon. What can we learn about the wildlife and ecology of our world through the fantastical creatures in the world of Pokémon? We are gonna talk about the convergent evolution of different species of Pokémon, like Tauros and Bouffalant, the mega evolution of salmon, why Komodo dragons might actually be steel-types, and of course we’re making teams. Which real animals would go on our guest’s team and which Pokémon are going on mine? You’re about to find out. Links: Follow Christian on YouTube, Instagram, and BlueSky!Follow along with The Artemis Paleozoo! Pre-orders available from Rextooth Studios!For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

  6. Sep 24

    352: Spotted Garden Eel

    Ellen and Christian get a feel for the garden eel. We discuss fortified butts, science's greatest unsolved mysteries, flirting techniques for the ultimate homebodies, video chatting with eels, and so much more. Works Cited: “Morphological specializations in heterocongrinae (Anguilliformes: Congridae) related to burrowing and feeding” - N. De Schepper et al., Journal of Morphology, March 2007“Spotted Garden Eel” - California Academy of Sciences“Peek-A-Boo with Hawaiian Garden Eels” - Nature on PBS, YouTube“Life in the flow: unique adaptations for feeding on drifting zooplankton in garden eels” - Alexandra Khrizman et al., Journal of Experimental Biology, August 2018“Spawning behavior of garden eels, Gorgasia preclara and Heteroconger hassi (Heterocongrinae), observed in captivity” - Tomohiro Kakizaki et al., Marine and Freshwater Behavior and Physiology, August 2015“This Japanese aquarium wants you to FaceTime its shy eels” - Emiko Jozuka, CNN Travel, May 2020"First direct evidence of adult European eels migrating to their breeding place in the Sargasso Sea" - Rosalind M. Wright et al., Scientific Reports, October 2022Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

  7. Sep 17

    351: False Water Cobra w/ Harpreet Singh Sethi!

    Joined Ellen & special guest, conservationist and herpetologist Harpreet Singh Sethi, for a look at the snake appropriately named the Giant Lord of the Water. While the false water cobra is the main topic of the episode - and is even a silent but very much present guest for recording - we discuss a lot, like multifaceted approaches to conservation, taking a snake in a box on the bus, convergent evolution of hooded snakes all over the world, the care and keeping of reptiles, stories from the field, and so much more. Links: Follow Harpreet's Wildlife on YouTube and Instagram!Check out Harpreet's documentary: What NO ONE Tells You About Snakes in India | Beyond the Fear | Snakebite | DocumentaryAudio source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYFD4BsEruIFor more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

  8. Sep 11 ·  Bonus

    190: Pom-Pom Crab & Mourning Dove (REPLAY)

    In this week's re-broadcast of an episode from April of 2023, Christian cheers for pom-pom crabs & Ellen explains what makes mourning doves so coo-l. We discuss how crabs clone their own pets,  what type of milk pigeons order in their lattes,  and a suspicious pattern of criminal activity. Links: For more information about us & our podcast, head over to our website!Follow Just the Zoo of Us on BlueSky, Facebook, Instagram & Discord!Follow Ellen on Instagram or BlueSky! Help support this show and unlock bonus content! Become a member at https://maximumfun.org/joinjustthezoo

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Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
589 Ratings

About

Join us, Ellen and Christian Weatherford, while we review your favorite species of animals and rate them out of ten in the categories of effectiveness, ingenuity and aesthetics. More information can be found at justthezooofus.com 😊 Got a species you want us to review? Submit your animal friend to us at ellen@justthezooofus.com and when we review your animal we'll give you a shoutout! 😊 Cover art by Mrs. Brainbow (Taylor Gordon-Wood). Theme music by Louie Zong.

Information

  • Channel
    Maximum Fun
  • Creator
    Ellen & Christian Weatherford
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    377
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Ellen & Christian Weatherford
  • Show Website
    Just the Zoo of Us

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