Quirky Creepy and Freaky

Olivia Streit
  • 5.0 (2)
  • NATURE
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Come along with Olivia Streit as we journey through the animal kingdom and investigate different animal traits that are quirky, creepy, or just plain freaky!

  1. 11/03/2025

    Episode 70: Super Scary Toxic Worms

    Happy Halloween! We have another invasive species today, and one that catches the headlines every so often: Hammerhead worms. These are pretty distinctive worms, but turns out they might not be as bad as the headlines make them seem? Tune in to learn more about these snazzy flatworms, the truth behind the headlines, and what to do if you see one.  Case study on hammerhead worm misinformation: https://www.scielo.br/j/rsbmt/a/GyhLXXmcJcbrqk7C3tzD49p/?lang=en

    20 min

  2. 10/12/2025

    Episode 69: Beware the Anti-Beaver

    And we're back! October is here, and it's spooky scary invasive species month on the podcast, and this episode we're kicking it off with the nutria. This semi-aquatic rodent is an introduced species in the United States, and wreaks havoc on the wetlands it lives in. Tune in to learn about where it came from, the surprising impacts a rodent can have on the ecosystem, and what we can do to help.  And mild correction, the Invasive Species Centre is in Canada, not California, though I'm sure California has a lovely invasive species group.

    23 min

  3. 06/14/2025

    Episode 68: Chemicals turn the frogs gay...or trans?

    If you've spent time on the internet in the last 10 years, you've probably heard about the "adding chemicals to the water to turn the frogs gay" rant that became a meme. Today, we're talking about the paper that started it all, and turns out the truth is quite a bit different, and triggered a rabbit hole of how do frogs develop male or female and the fact that we don't entirely know!

    20 min

  4. 05/18/2025

    Episode 67: Blue Crabs: Into the Unknown

    After a month's delay after an injury, and now three takes, the blue crab episode didn't want to happen, but it's finally here! In this episode, I babble about the blue crab's expanding range both in the Northeast, and its expansion in its non-native range in the Mediterranean Sea!  Action alert:  The Trump administration wants to change the Endangered Species Act to remove the harm definition and take away the bit where habitat modification counts as harm. The comment period is open for 2 more days, you can submit a comment through the Federal Registry at this link here: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/04/17/2025-06746/rescinding-the-definition-of-harm-under-the-endangered-species-act

    25 min

  5. 03/28/2025

    Episode 66: History of the National Parks

    Despite angry sinuses and a glitching microphone, I bring you the history of the National Park Service! Have you ever wondered how the national park system got started, and when the national parks started being created? Or why park rangers wear such cool hats? All of your questions are answered in this week's episode!

    22 min

  6. 03/07/2025

    Stand up for Science

    On March 7, the group Stand up for Science has organized protests around the country to rally for science. In the last month, federal funding has been frozen, grants aren't being reviewed, and most recently grants are starting to be pulled. This is funding that covers people's salaries, supports local fishermen, helps fund hospitals, and universities, gives funding for graduate student positions, funds cancer research, and more. This episode is my stream of consciousness about what all has been going on in the last month surrounding federal funding for research.

    33 min

  7. 02/15/2025

    Episode 65: To be a crab or not to be a crab

    Do you ever think about how crabs evolved 5 times? Do you need more crab facts in your life? Then this episode is for you! In this episode, we talk about carcinization and the phenomenon behind crabs evolution.  Paper mentioned in the episode about what it means to be a crab: Evolution of crabs - History and deconstruction of a prime example of convergence. Scholtz, 2014

    25 min

  8. 12/22/2024

    Episode 64: Christmas Worms

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 'Tis the season for some festive animals, and of course we all think about worms when we're looking to get into the holiday spirit. For this holiday special, we're talking all about the Christmas Tree Worm, a fun little polychaete worm in the coral reefs. How do they get their name? How old do they get? Are they festive? Tune in to find out!

    15 min
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About

Come along with Olivia Streit as we journey through the animal kingdom and investigate different animal traits that are quirky, creepy, or just plain freaky!

Information

  • Creator
    Olivia Streit
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    71
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Quirky Creepy and Freaky