Patas Monkeys are weird little guys with fabulous mustaches and very intricate relationships with a special tree on the African savannah. We talk acacias, ants, and the Lorax as Allan tries to make Nicole love just a single primate.Photos and

Bonus

Bonus! Power of Fire: Kindred Podcast

9 days ago 1h 4m

This is a special podcast swap episode where we host Kindred Podcast's Power of Fire episode. Learn about the history of fire, how it shapes the landscape and people that live there. Speakers:Tony Incashola Jr., forest manager for CSKT (Confe

Sickle Claw Seriema

Mar 14th, 2024 1h

The long-legged, sickle claw wielding seriema is a wonderful bird that provides insight into the extinct terror birds of old. Rachel explains the link between past and present and we ponder whether or not scientists ever bother actually looking

Embrace Winter (Wood Bison)

Feb 8th, 2024 53m 58s

The conservation story of Canada's polar-vortex-loving Wood Bison is one of colossal mistakes, stacked odds, and (to our gleeful surprise) hope and optimism. These animals have survived drowning, disease, and hybridization, and have gone on to.

Bundle Up and Bird!

Nov 26th, 2023 1h 2m

It's snowy and getting colder where we're at, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't go outside. Rachel gives a compelling argument as to why winter is the best time of year for birding and gives insight into the Christmas Bird Count: a citizen sc

The Best Cryptid

Oct 30th, 2023 56m 22s

This episode is a little different. We celebrate spooky season with the haunting tales of feldgeist, Sinkhole Sam, and the Ohio Grassman. These stories haunt the minds of those who visit prairies and fields across the globe. Be weary, you never

Grasshopper Mice: Small but Fierce

Aug 3rd, 2023 1h 1m

Grasshopper mice are small but fierce. They howl like wolves, stalk their prey like cats, and finish up with a quick face clean. These solitary animals like to live life dangerously and enjoy even venomous meals.Photos and more are at our site

Sneeze if You Love Painted Dogs

Jul 20th, 2023 1h 2m

Nicole talks painted dogs: a surprisingly wholesome and fun-loving animal. They are excellent hunters, take care of not just their pups but their elderly, and rarely squabble amongst themselves.Photos and more are at our site.Primary Sources:

1 Lie, 2 Truths, 3 Idiots

Jul 6th, 2023 1h

Enjoy this episode of very good facts and very good nonsense. We revisit a nice game of stump the podcast host, this time with more bug viscera and talking ourselves out of an obvious answer.Our Info:Website Facebook Twitterinfo@grasslandgro

Paramo's Strongest: Hummingbirds

Jun 22nd, 2023 1h 3m

In the Páramo grasslands of South America is a cloud covered land where a unique ecosystem thrives. Allan tells us all about a plant that drinks clouds plus the miraculous little hummingbirds that call this place home. Photos and more are at

Murderous Meerkats

Jun 8th, 2023 52m 50s

Did you know meerkats are far more murderous than they seem or that their burrows can be as wide as a Purple Worm's? All this and more as we delve underground and find out why they can be so aggressive and who would win in a fight: 1000 meerkat

Good Vibes Only

May 25th, 2023 58m 17s

Conservation can be DEPRESSING, so for Mental Health Month we decided to share ONLY positive news and stories (after taking a little break for our brains). Rewire those neurons everybody, because it's not all bleak.Good news so far in May:Bi

The Best of Nest (A DEFINITIVE LIST)

Apr 27th, 2023 1h 22m

Wherein Rachel makes a definitive list of best bird nests in North American grasslands. Primary Sources:A Field Guide to Birds Nests by Hal HarrisonThe Birder's Handbook by Paul R. EhrlichMadison Audubon's Into the NestContact

Ostrich: Winner Takes All (of the Children)

Apr 13th, 2023 1h 1m

Ostriches are one of the strangest birds we've ever talked about. They are the world's biggest bird and toughest survivor. They nest together, have radiators for necks, and can drink saltwater.Photos and more are at our site.Primary Sources:

Soil: The Best Microbiome

Mar 30th, 2023 1h 7m

Soils define habitats as much as the plantlife, so let's talk about that! How do you identify a soil species, and should grassland ecosystem restorations include soil microbe transplants?Photos and more are at our site.Primary Sources:Prair

Harris's Sparrow: They were here the whole time.

Mar 16th, 2023 53m 27s

Basic midwest feeder bird or mysterious exotic tundra sparrow? Actually, both! Harris's Sparrows, one of the most enigmatic North American sparrows, are about to travel well out of reach into the remote frigid north, so let's gossip about them

Native Gardens: How to become better than your neighbors.

Mar 2nd, 2023 1h 9m

If you haven't started thinking about your gardens yet, now is the perfect time to get started planning. Nicole walks us through gardening for native habitats, wildlife, and how to get your neighbors on board too.Photos and more are at our sit

Prairie Voles: The Grassland is for Lovers

Feb 16th, 2023 56m 1s

A wholesome episode about secure love, forming bonds under stress, and human connection through the lens of a grasslands specialist: the prairie vole.Photos and more are at our site.Primary Sources:NPR on the hot new vole research: https://

Baboons: A Grasslands Primate

Feb 3rd, 2023 1h 9m

So many monkeys that are forest dwellers, but baboons as a group are ground-dwelling grasslanders whose habitat use and social structure might help us learn about our own hominid ancestors. In this episode, Allan combines ecology and anthropolo

Chamois: ChamWOW!

Jan 19th, 2023 1h 6m

The chamois is a goat-antelope from the rolling alpine meadow scenery of European mountains, and today's episode is a straightforward peek into the idyllic life of this animal that's (for once) doing alright! Unless you count the mandatory 7 ye

Prairie Crayfish: like prairie dogs with extra legs

Jan 5th, 2023 1h 2m

Yank your concept of crayfish out of the water. In this episode, Nicole walks us through one of her favorite arthropod groups and makes a pretty good case for why prairie lovers should love these little crustaceans that burrow deep into the pra

African Savannas 101

Dec 22nd, 2022 1h

In this episode, Rachel goes down the opposite of a rabbit hole as we discuss a single widely-cited paper from 2018. Take a look at Africa's savanna plants and what their adaptations mean for conservation, human impacts, and climate change acro

Bumblelove: why bumblebees matter more than honeybees

Dec 8th, 2022 1h 29m

Have an existential crisis about the inner lives of bees with us! In this episode, Nicole attempts to teach us a few things about bumblebees while under constant antagonization to slander honeybees. This overview of bumblebees tumbles into some

Henslow's Sparrow: Lifestyles of the Secretive and Soggy

Nov 24th, 2022 53m 25s

What does the American South and the Tallgrass Prairie have in common? Their grasslands support an elusive little grassland specialist that the old timey ornithologists roast way too hard: the Henslow's Sparrow. In this episode we explore the b

Patagonian Mara: Helicopter Mates

Nov 17th, 2022

This rabbity rodent of South America's grasslands is a common sight in zoos, but has one of the strangest social structures we've talked about in mammals. What makes this strictly monogamous-til-death, pair-bonded, troupe-travelling mammal SO a