Ngatia joined a research project studying African wild dogs in Laikipia Kenya when they were some of the best news in conservation – an endangered species that reclaimed lost territory and found new ways to coexist with people. Then a canine pa

Mamma Jane the Ocelot reality star

May 3rd, 2023 30m 24s

Ocelots in Texas are closely monitored, so Mamma Jane grew up around remote cameras since 2011, and wasn’t afraid of the lenses. When Fin and Fur Films called about doing a documentary, Dr. Lombardi was skeptical if they could get a shot of Mam

F202: The Yellowstone Cougar Who Showed the Value of Protected Areas

Apr 25th, 2023 37m 24s

F202 lived right in the heart of Yellowstone National Park where Anton used groundbreaking technology to study not only where she moved, but also how she hunted. F202 was a fantastic hunter and mom, rearing a number of litters in the park. Howe

Lobstah: The Fisher Who Lived the Salt Life

Apr 17th, 2023 32m 14s

Fishers are woodland creatures who traditionally avoid people and prefer dense forests. Lobstah was a (very large) fisher who bucked this trend by surviving in small suburban forests, hunted in coastal shrub habitat, and even ran along the rock

007: The Warbler Whose Secret Missions Underpin a Species Recovery

Apr 10th, 2023 32m 35s

In 2019 a small yellow bird in The Bahamas was given a radio transmitter and a mission – show us what Kirtland’s warblers do. Nicknamed 007, this bird not only migrated all the way to Michigan, but also displayed a new behavior that scientists

Kilkenny: The Red Wolf Who Hatched a Hypothesis

Apr 3rd, 2023 34m 38s

While Dr. Hinton progressed along his career as a wolf biologist – from intern to master’s student to PhD student – the Kilkenny female (11170F) matured from a young teenage wolf into an Alpha female. While Hinton spent time tracking and watchi

Cheetah 784: The Orphan Who Overcame.

Mar 27th, 2023 35m 10s

When poachers killed the mom of young cheetah 784 there was only a slim chance the cub would survive on her own. With no one to teach her how to hunt or navigate the dangers of the open plains, Anna feared the worst. But 784 persevered and star

003: The White-tailed Deer Who Was a Gold Medal Marathoner

Mar 20th, 2023 27m 49s

Deer 003 was the most unusual animal in a large study of deer in Missouri. While most animals disperse a few miles to set up their home range, this deer set out on a marathon trek, breaking records as he went. Moving at night to avoid archery h

Turkey 473: The Southern Chick Who Sported a Beard and Was a Truck Junkie

Mar 13th, 2023 43m 5s

Even before he launched a rocket-net over her head, Dr.Chamberlain knew Turkey 473 was a special bird because she sported a big beard (which is very unusual for hens). After outfitting her with a radio transmitter, Chamberlain tracked 473 for m

Samuel: The Little Giant Tortoise Who Lived

Mar 6th, 2023 35m 53s

Dr. Blake first met Samuel as the hatchling tortoise left its nest on the Galapagos Islands. A tiny tracking tag helped Stephen and his team track the little guy as he legged it away from his nest site, navigating the harsh volcanic landscape i

5715: The Woodpecker Who’s Seen It All

Feb 27th, 2023 34m 51s

Bird 5715 was the, you guessed it, 5715th bird captured as part of a long-term study of acorn woodpeckers since 1974 at Hastings Natural History Reservation in Carmel Valley California. She had the fortune of being born into the richest territo

Waffles - the hyena who climbed the social ladder

Feb 20th, 2023 30m 29s

Spotted hyenas live in large clans ruled by a queen who typically passes her high rank onto her daughters. Waffles was born from a low ranking (peasant) family, but was able to assemble a gang that helped her claim the throne. This risky ventur

Wild Animals Season 3 Preview

Feb 20th, 2023 4m 28s

A preview to the episodes coming up in season 3.

Leroy the fisher who learned no means no the hard way

May 25th, 2020 40m 56s

Leroy was one of the first fishers to ever get a GPS tracking collar, providing immediate, new discoveries about how this “wilderness species” colonized suburbia. Dodging police and sneaking through culverts, Scott eventually found Leroy dead i

Josphine, the most reliable sea turtle

May 18th, 2020 24m 18s

Josephine was a sea turtle who found an easy meal by raiding a fisherman’s nets. Kate was happy to help the fisherman by moving the turtle and putting a tracking device on it. Undeterred, Josephine returned to her favorite fishing spot, provid

Diane, the Shark That Jumped Out of the Water Four Times in 47 Seconds

May 11th, 2020 23m

Lucy met Diane the basking shark when she gave the fish a small tracking tag off the coast of Scotland. While Diane typically loafed around eating plankton, this high-tech tag showed that Diane would occasionally sprint to the surface and jump

Etumbe, the Bonobo who led her group back to the wild.

May 4th, 2020 31m 1s

Etumbe was rescued from captivity and became part of the first group of Bonobos to be released back into the wild. Her seniority and calm demeanor helped her become one of the leaders of this new group and also led to an incredible interaction

M36 - the mountain lion by which all others will be compared

Apr 27th, 2020 30m 8s

There are a surprising number of mountain lions in the hills just above Silicon Valley. Chris Wilmers is studying how these big cats make a living in the midst of so much Bay Area development. 36M unwittingly joined the study when he got trappe

Bobby, the world’s largest ocelot

Apr 20th, 2020 35m 10s

Bobby was a big bruiser of an ocelot. When Ricardo first trapped and collared him, Bobby was feisty and scarred after prowling his tropical island home like a king, sending smaller males fleeing with flurries of claws and teeth. Eventually, how

Agui the Oedipus Monkey

Apr 13th, 2020 19m 28s

Jorge spent over two years living in a remote Amazonian jungle where he developed a special relationship with a monkey that looked like his mom.

255 - The deer who just kept going

Apr 6th, 2020 32m 17s

Deer 255 is part of a herd that winters in the Red Desert of Wyoming. In the spring, some animals stay locally, some migrate up into the nearby foothills, and some, like 255, keep going on a serious long-distance migration. This incredible annu

Pacman the Jaguar with two girlfriends in two countries

Mar 30th, 2020 30m 3s

Pacman was a jaguar in the Mayan rainforests of Southern Mexico. He was easily recognized by a bite mark on his flank shaped like his namesake video game character. International collaboration between scientists led to the surprise finding that

Jon Snow the Marmot who died and came back to life again.

Mar 23rd, 2020 19m 15s

Biologists often use themes to name their study animals, making it easier to keep track of which group an individual was from. John Snow was a male marmot in the Game of Thrones marmot colony, obviously. As biologists tracked this marmot they w

Trailer

Introduction to Season 2

Mar 23rd, 2020 1m 28s

This is a short introduction to season two of the Wild Animals Podcast

Hansi - the stork who brought a baby to a farm

Aug 13th, 2019 30m 59s

Dr. Martin Wikelski shares the story of Hansai, a young stork that lost his flock while migrating south for the winter. Instead of ending up in Africa, he was stranded in Germany as winter quickly approached. Listen in to hear just how Hansai s