Strange by Nature Podcast
Episodes
When Sharks Walk on Land
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Rachel brings nightmares to life with a land shark. That's right, a shark that walks on land. Listen to this week's show to learn more about...
Everything's Bigger Than We Expected
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we ended up with the accidental theme of things being bigger than we expected. Kirk tells us the tale of coming face to face with enormous c...
The Dinosaurs Died in the Spring
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Victoria tells us all about the strange bird, the Pelican. Did you know they can fit 5 gallons of water in their mouth? Kirk is up next and ...
Unbelievable Honey Guides
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Rachel brings the amazing story of the relationship between humans and birds called Honeyguides. Victoria looks into the strange story of bi...
Can Tapeworms Double Your Life?
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kirk talks about how scientists found a way to double or even triple your lifespan. The catch? You have to be an ant and you have to be inf...
Parachuting Beavers
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel's up first this week with a deep dive on the largest toothed whale in the world, the Sperm whale. How did they get that weird name? You'll ha...
Land Shrimp and a Leech in Your Eye
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kirk starts us off with an unbelievable story about a recent science expedition to one of the most remote jungles in the world where scie...
When The Ocean Attacks Swimmers
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Victoria spins a tale of a mystery creature inflicting terrible pain swimmers and the strange unorthodox researcher who solved the mystery...
3rd Annual Bizarre Quiz Show feat. Brett Sieberer
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's that time again, the end of another year of Strange by Nature. So, as usual, we're joined by professional naturalist Brett Sieberer and he takes ...
The Most Painful Plant in the World
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Rachel kicks of the show talking about the bizarre theoretical phenomenon of Spaghettification, the process of your body being stretched ou...
The Missing Continent of Zealandia
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Kirk kicks us off with a discussion of Samurai Crabs and realizes they sound familiar because of a strange childhood connection involvin...
The North American Plant with Caffeine
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria kicks off this week with a charged up salute to caffeine. Sure, you can find it in Coffee and Tea but there are other plants from around the...
Ninety-five Foot High Rogue Waves
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week we Rachel and Kirk both head to the ocean but or very different reasons. Rachel tells us all about the Portuguese Man-O-War, one of th...
Cologne for Cats?
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Kirk kicks things off with details of a fascinating study that determined which perfume tigers find most alluring. The implications for r...
A T-Rex with Lips
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Victoria starts us off by having us think about dinosaurs and why we haven't updated our portrayals of them based on new science. It turns ...
Why Are There So Many Deadly Animals in Australia?
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel kicks off this week with a bizarre tale of a parasite that invades the nests of red ants, pretends to be their queen, works the ants to death, ...
Beer Saved Our Lives
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on the show, Kirk talks about how Beer saved his life (and yours.) Rachel then has a mystery animal that isn't anything like you would suspe...
Where Did Tongues Come From?
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two great topics this week. Rachel tells us about mysterious rivers that flow under the ocean and Kirk tracks the history and evolution of the tongue!...
Inducing Hibernation with Sound
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kirk kicks things off by sharing some incredible research that shows it may be possible to induce a torpor/hibernation state in mammals wit...
Echidnas Have a Four-headed Pecker
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hello Dear Listeners. Here's what we have for you this week. Victoria kicks things off by telling the tale of her recent encounter with one of the wor...
Bull Sharks on the Golf Course
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We had an absolute blast this week with the full crew. Rachel kicks us off by telling us exactly how strange Scallops really are. Are those eyes? Yup....
Excuse Me, Is That the Anal Secretion of a Beaver You’re Wearing?
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kirk takes us on a journey to learn about where the smell of Musk comes from and along the way we find out about a problem with the synthetic versions...
The Dumbest Looking Spider in the World is Deadly
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel kicks things off this week with the most ridiculous looking spider ever. Seriously. This thing is bizarre and cool and completely stupid lookin...
Humans are Slowing Getting Colder
22 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Kirk kirk kicks things off by talking about a fungus showing up somewhere unexpected. Speaking of unexpected, Rachel shares a story about ...
Spring Nocturnal Wanderings is my Band Name
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria brings us the amazing story of the world's first ever known fruit eating frog. Yeah, it pollinates flowers too. Kirk delves into the Salt C...
40 Million Pounds of Beer Yeast
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Rachel ask the question, "Can you tell if something is wet?" the answer may surprise you. Kirk talks about a new surprising use for waste...
Maybe Don’t Eat the Snails
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kirk just can't help himself and goes with another episode about a parasite. Ladies and Germs, we present, the Rat Lung Worm. Rachel keeps the infec...
The Halloween Episode 2023
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Halloween Episode. This week we have three spooky stories. Rachel talks about the terrifying Black Swallower Fish, Victoria bring us ...
A Digestive Turduckin
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we ramp up toward Halloween things really start to get weird. Kirk makes us all queasy by talking about Bot flies that prey on humans. Rachel bring...
Let’s All Fly Into the Fire!
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria kicks things off with a bizarre story about Fire Beetles, a strange animals that actually goes TOWARD fire instead of away from it. Kirk then...
Wait...are Jackalopes Real?
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel starts us off this week with the strange history of Jackalopes. It seems they are a fairly recent fabrication and not real animals...or are the...
Cheetahs Are Weird
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kirk brings some new science around Bamboo. Are we on the verge of a massive die-off? Rachel talks Cheetahs! Are they strange? Yup! Support us: patreo...
Uh, There’s a Worm in Your Brain
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria starts off this week making us squirm with the story of a worm in a woman's brain. Kirk then shares some strange facts about the Fossa, the m...
Do Spiders have Dreams?
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The whole gang's back together this week and it ends up being an unplanned invertebrate extravaganza! Rachel blows our mind this week with new researc...
Can Plants Smell? (Spoiler: YES!)
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Kirk answers the question, "Can plants smell?" by looking at some really interesting experiments. Rachel then decides to rise to the occasio...
When Grass Screams for Help
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Rachel takes us (unsurprisingly) to the depths of the ocean to meet a bizarre and ancient creature while Kirk talks about how the smell of f...
The Invisible Squid
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Kirk kicks things off with a deep dive on Sea Devils, Rachel brings us the story of a squid that seems to have an invisibility cloak and Victoria tell...
Unexpectedly Glowing Flying Squirrels
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria is back this week and she starts things off with a list of animals that smell like familiar foods. Kirk tells us about the Red-lipped Batfish...
Land of 10,000 Landbergs
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Rachel goes in search of a bird lost to science for over 100 years and Kirk answers the question, "Where did all of these lakes come from?" ...
Maned Wolves are Taller Than Your Kitchen Counter!
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Kirk kicks off the show with the tallest canine in the world, the strange Maned Wolf. Rachel then takes us off the planet to the outer reach...
Talking Baby Talk to Dolphins
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria kicks things off this week with a surprising story about Garlic Mustard that goes against everything we thought we knew. Kirk then really s...
Cave Dwelling Human Fish
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel really kicks things off this week by telling us about the "human fish" that live in caves. Victoria is back this week and looking at how the ge...
Why Does Nature Keep Making Crabs?
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kirk talks about how Carl Linnaeus thought there were species of Wild humans and Monster humans. Rachel then tells us about carcinization, ...
The Unicorn of the Sea
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Rachel kicks things off with a story about the Unicorns of the Sea, Narwhals! Guest Jarrod Klopp tells us about a newly discovered superfood...
The Bird with a Three Foot Tail
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Kirk talks about strange collective nouns for animals and an animal we never realized travels in herds until recently. Rachel tells us about...
The Liquid Rainbow River
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Victoria tells us about the strange armored spiny mouse. Kirk talks about real life dragons in the sea and Rachel rounds out the week with t...
Goats Don’t Get Scurvy
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know that most other animals make their own vitamin C and we're the weirdos who don't? You won't find a goat or lemur with Scurvy. Kirk tells ...
Viruses Can Make You More Attractive! (to mosquitoes)
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Rachel kicks things off by talking about Clown Fish and how they can actually change their sex! Guest Alicia Little has us fascinated with t...
The Rarest Bee in the World
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Summer! This week, Kirk kicks things off by talking about another human parasite, Rachel details the re-discovery of one of the rarest bees in t...
Hold on...is the sun actually Green?
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Victoria blows our mind with a story of beetles moisture farming though their anus, Kirk goes on a rant about the color of the sun and Rache...
If a Kiwi eats a Kiwi is it Cannibalism?
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel kicks things off this week by finally talking about the Kiwi (the bird). Our guest this week, Noah, shares two topics, Chaga and Squirrels. Ki...
Gambling After Crocodile Arousal
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we are joined by Bobby Frankenberger from All Around Science Podcast. Kirk kicks things off with a bizarre tale of gambling, crocodiles an...
Is That an Ox Pecker Sleeping in your Crotch?
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel kicks things off with a strange news story of loons. Victoria then takes us on a journey into the parasitic world of Ox Peckers that leaves us...
A Galling Story of Ants
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kirk talks about the bizarre possible relationship between having a pet and your child NOT having specific food allergies. Rachel then tell...
The Loneliest Whale in the Ocean
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What a treat, this week we are joined by Brett Sieberer. You may know him as the quiz master behind our anniversary shows but he's an incredible profe...
Can We Really Even See Purple?
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kirk breaks our brains a bit by revisiting the color purple and thinking about how strange it is that we can see it at all. Rachel then ree...
The Unsolved Case of 10,000 feet of Missing Geologic History
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Kirk brings us the story of mysterious Blue Lava, Rachel discusses the strange shoebill and Victoria takes us on a search for 10,000 feet of...
Playing with the Anaconda
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Victoria talks about a strange interaction between dolphins and an anaconda. Kirk takes on the concept of time and Rachel brings us one of ...
Please Fish Don’t Eat Me
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Rachel kicks things off with a story about the amazingly fast growing invasive Japanese Knotweed. Our guest, Marika Bell then takes a fascin...
Mysterious Origins of the Color Purple
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We have a ton of fun this week when Alicia Little returns to the show. Kirk kicks things off talking about living amongst real-life giants who are wag...
”I’m Going to Jacket the Dolphin” - The End of Year Two
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We made it! This episode marks the end of year two of the podcast and the beginning of year three. Thanks for coming along for the ride. There have be...
When the worms burst out of your legs...
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel kicks things off this week with a story about an animal that, and I'm quoting Rachel here, kills things by "Being Slowly sucked into the mouth ...
This Episode Sucks (your blood)
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This Week, Kirk kicks things off with LEECHES! Special guest Maura from All Around Science Podcast then tells us about mysterious Glass Frogs and Rach...
Uterine milk needs better marketing
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week it's just Victoria and Kirk and they have stories to tell. Victoria does a deep dive on all the pseudo-milks made by non-mammals animals. Ki...
Show off, Cuddle, and Mate Till You Die.
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Valentine's Week. This week's show features three stories of courtship and mating. Rachel starts things off with the mating display of the Sage ...
Mysterious Sounds from the Briny Deep
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What a fun show this week. We're all over the place. Kirk starts off with strange sounds recorded in the deep of the ocean, a mystery that may finally...
The Best Nose Picker in the World
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria kicks things off this week with a story about nose picking that has us squirming in our seats. Kirk then keeps things moving by talking about...
You Kinda Have to Spoon a Tuba
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we welcome special guest Ellen Waterford from Just the Zoo of Us podcast. Kirk kicks things off with a wild story about how much all of th...
Shooting Boiling Acid into Darwin’s throat
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Rachel brings us the science behind the bombardier beetle's hot acidic spray. Victoria then tells us about the chameleon of the plant worl...
The 100th Episode Quiz Show Spectacular
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're looking back at our first 100 episodes in the nerdiest way possible, a quiz show. Three rounds, 18 questions. Can our fearless hosts r...
Olympus Mons: Nipple of Mars
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our 99th episode! Victoria starts things off by talking about the biggest volcano on Earth...and Mars! Kirk tacked alchemy and talks about where every...
No Such Thing as an Amoeba
22 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we welcomed Alicia Little onto the show as a guest host. Rachel kicks things off with a story about giant venomous centipedes, Alicia brings...
Zenobots: What could possibly go wrong?
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kirk kicks things off this week with surprising news about a familiar parasite shaping wolf pack dynamics at Yellowstone. Our guest James from Scien...
Venusian Heavy Metal Rain
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Victoria tells the strange tail of the disappearing Mediterranean, Kirk delves into the world of slime molds and Rachel tells us about a pla...
Fungal Nightmare Fuel
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Rachel introduces us to a fungus we are pretty sure is actually an alien waiting to infect us and burst from our chest cavity, Victoria sha...
Farting fish, Poisonous mushrooms, and Cow mucus lube
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This one's s doozy. Rachel starts us off with the mystery of farting fish, our guest Lang DeLancy tells us the tale of a mushroom that turns to rocket...
The Gall of this Guest feat. Michael Hawk
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we welcome a special guest, Michael Hawk from Nature's Archive podcast. Kirk kicks things off by talking about the Demon Core, Michael talks...
The Parasitic Turducken
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel kicks things off this week talking about the howling Grasshopper mouse, Victoria makes us all uncomfortable talking about a crab parasite and K...
The Animal No One Has Ever Seen
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kirk unwraps the mystery of "The Trembles", Rachel discusses tidal bores and Victoria tells us the tale of an animal that has never been seen. Suppo...
The Halloween Show: Necrobotic Zombie Spiders, Vampire Butterflies and The Kraken!
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Happy Halloween Everyone. Welcome to the 2022 Halloween Show. This week we have extra spooky topics. Victoria talks about dead spiders brought back to...
No One Expects a Uterus Fumigation
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel starts off with Bleeding Tooth Fungus, Victoria looks at the connections and myths behind Willow bark and Aspirin and Kirk tells us the strange...
Pyromaniac Raptors from Down Under
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kirk starts things off with pyromaniac raptors who set wildfires, Rachel gives us a quick primer on Wolverines and Victoria talks about the mysterious...
Human Finger Regeneration
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Victoria regales us with the tale of how she accidentally cut the end of her finger off which lead to learning about human finger regenerat...
It’s Poop from Here on Out
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We really step into it this week. Rachel starts things off all innocent with a story about Sea Stars and then Victoria and Kirk both somehow end up do...
Putting 3D Glasses on Cuttlefish for Science
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kirk reveals how Dung beetles navigate using the Milky Way, Rachel dives into research that put 3D glasses on Cuttlefish and Victoria bring...
The Dolphins that Work for the Navy
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Victoria tells us about a mysterious and giant plant that is missing major plant parts, Kirk talks about the dolphins that work for the US N...
Faking Death to Avoid Sex
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Rachel details the absolutely bonkers migration strategy of Monarch butterflies, Victoria goes into the bizarre properties of heavy water a...
Cookie Cutter Sharks Ate My Thigh
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pulsars, Things that Eat Dragonflies and Cookie Cutter Sharks. How's that for a diverse set of topics this week? Support us on patreon: patreon.com/st...
Excuse me, you left your natural nuclear reactor running
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Victoria talks about the time nature created a naturally occurring nuclear reactor, Kirk takes on the very real magic "Bezoars" from Harry ...
Recursive Island Madness
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Rachel kicks things off with truly bizarre looking sharks, Victoria pushes out brains to the breaking point with recursive islands, and Kir...
The Hoatzin has a Pretty Metal Hairdoo
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kirk kicks things off with cows, farts, burps and global warming, Rachel then tells us about Bone-house wasps using dead ants for camouflag...
Please Don’t Eat the Tiny Baby Frogs
03 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Victoria kicks things off this week with the tiny Pumpkin Toadlet, Kirk talks about the biggest lightning on Earth and Rachel shares her love/hate wit...
Photosynthetic Shawn the Sheep
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Rachel rolls on in with strange tales of Tumbleweeds, Victoria thaws out a very recent (and silky) wooly mammoth and Kirk introduces us to ...
The Biggest Bacteria Ever
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Kirk kicks things off by talking about new islands, Rachel takes us to the Dead Sea and Victoria brings us the tale of the largest bacteria in the wor...
Corpses, Corpses, Corpses
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
More corpses than you would expect in one episode. Victoria starts things off with an assassin bug that camouflages itself with the corpses of its pre...
Bees are Legally Fish
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We're on a fun journey this week. Rachel talks about the bone crushing abilities of bearded vultures, Victoria regales us with tales of Trash Pandas a...
The Largest Living Thing on Earth
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Kirk starts things off by telling us about the newly discovered largest organism in the world, Rachel finishes up pride month with a rainbo...
Rachel Doesn’t Have Crabs
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
More aquatic fun this week as Victoria kicks things off by talking about the famous Shackleton expedition. Kirk stays in the sea for a deep dive on bi...
Baby Shrunk My Brain
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Rachel kicks things off by taking us to the ocean to meet the insanely colorful Mandarin Dragonet. Victoria talks about animals that can both shrink a...
The Wandering Meatloaf
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Kirk brings us the adorable pokemon of a mammal the Lowland Streaked Tenrec, Rachel tells us why the color Magenta doesn't really exist and ...