BewilderBeasts!
Host Melissa McCue-McGrath dives deep into the weirdest, funniest, sciency-est ways in which animals intersect at humanity. How is a horse responsible for the FDA? How did fish farts nearly cause bombs to fly between Russia and Sweden? Which pigeon saved 194 soldiers in WW1? Why are honey bees trained to find unexploded landmines in Croatia? Let's go!
Episodes
138 episodes
Bonus: Butt Science and Twitter Bird Bans
First aired February 2023Twitter bans an ornithological society for posting photos of "woodcocks" while Melissa gets banned for "Hairy Man"; The Media takes special care to protect the identity of one little jailbird with hilarious resul...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 119
•
27:02
Bonus: Ursa Majors
First aired October 2021Fat Bear Tuesday is the culmination of a week-long bracket-style event inspired by mega-chonk bears and March Madness. What is it? Why is it? Who is going to win? Let's go!****Resources:
•
Season 7
•
Episode 118
•
15:23
Bonus: Great Escapes
First Aired: Feb 10, 2022A series of the best and funniest animal escapes, all inspired by a police blotter where a camel chase was afoot on a Kansas golf course....
•
Season 7
•
Episode 117
•
21:32
Bonus: Mail Cats?
First aired: August, 2022The Belgian government once used cats to deliver the mail. It went about as well as you would think. Resources for today's exclusive episode:
•
Season 7
•
Episode 116
•
12:20
Bonus:Dengue Chicks and the Grocery Store Walk of Shame
First Aired: January 20, 2023This month's bonus ep for you is all about the chickens who give back in rather surprising ways - from keeping 100 tons (?) of food out of our landfills to preventing Dengue Fever in Central Florida.BTW:...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 115
•
30:23
Bonus: BOTY goes Batty
First Aired: Nov 5, 2021This month, New Zealand's Bird of the Year competition ruffled feathers, as per usual, when a bat took the gold. A look at the complex and controversial BotY awards and mean tweets at the non-tweety bats....
•
Season 7
•
Episode 114
•
21:54
Bonus: A Monkey Could Work Here
First aired April 19, 2022Let's learn about the time an actual chimpanzee saved the Today Show, and changed morning news-ertainment forever. Resources:
•
Season 7
•
Episode 114
•
13:16
Bonus: Monique
First aired: Nov 26, 2023One man dreams of being completely alone, but it turns out, companionship is human nature. An unlikely meal ticket doesn't just save hi...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 113
•
29:54
Bonus: A Troubling of Goldfish
First aired Nov. 2022A man recently caught a goldfish the size of a 5th grader and Melissa is waiting for the goldfish food-delivery uprising. Resources:
•
Season 7
•
Episode 112
•
14:39
Bonus: Methed Snails
First Aired August, 2023: A series of scientific studies to understand the human mind, but using a slimy gastropod in our place. Because using meth on a human is illegal. I got today’s information from ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 111
•
25:23
Bonus: Monarchy Charlies
First aired: Sept 13, 2022As promised - this week there was just TOO MUCH to put in a main feed episode. The Unkindness episode was really, really long. This 10-minute tangent was added after the Queen of England died last week and her ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 110
•
13:01
Bonus: Jail Birds
First aired July 28, 2022A bunch of stitchin' women in a Washington Women's Correctional Facility who have put their knitting needles to good use - helping the chickens who helped them in jail, plus some other unusual animals who find t...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 109
•
23:32
Bonus: Oh, Canada
First Aired on Dec 25, 2022When a farmer in small-town St. Severe, Quebec, noticed 20 head of cattle broke through a fence during a thunderstorm, he thought, "Easy. I'll just get them back." Listener. He did not "just get them b...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 108
•
22:09
Bonus: Longshot
First Aired June 8, 2022Rich Strike won the Kentucky Derby with 80-1 odds - meaning out of every 81 races, he's thought to win ONE. Well, he won the Kentucky Derby. If you're going to win a horse race, that's the one to win! Today, we d...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 107
•
25:49
Bonus: Gettysburg
First aired June 22, 2023: Two sisters combined their love of historically accurate dioramas, the Civil War, and clay-making to pen an ode to the US in one of the most historically significant cities in the United States. They even...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 106
•
22:14
Bonus: The Dogs Who Mapped Australia
First aired July 2023: In 1912 when the "adventurer" was a job description & also an alibi, two brothers took their dogs on a road trip - before roads existed.These brothers loved their dogs and hated shirts but that didn't ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 105
•
28:46
Bonus: Pika Who?
This Patreon Exclusive episode (#2) first aired on August 4, 2021. This is a fun turn I never saw coming, that Pikachu is based on a squirrel and there are new species of real animals named after fictional Pokethings. My favor...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 104
•
15:24
Bonus: Oh, Evolution
The very first Patreon Exclusive episode was ....super short. It first aired on July 22, 2021. I wasn't sure if it would play or work at all. But, this test led directly to another 28+ episodes, so thank you, evolution ;) Here's a ...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 103
•
7:43
Bonus: Daddy Shortlegs
Patreon exclusive #6: First aired Dec 7 2021Geneticists made Daddy Shortlegs. (WHY GOD, WHY?) We imagine the Jane Fonda workout with 50' human legs (WHY GOD, WHY?!?) And we learn about some very sneaky males who...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 1
•
18:12
Bonus: Ukraine's Little Bullet
This Patreon Exclusive Episode first aired May 16, 2022Patron started his life in entertainment by illustrating how dogs can be trained for search work. And now, he's employed by the government. He found over 200 bombs in the town of Chi...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 102
•
24:00
BONUS: Luck o' the Irish Setter
Patreon exclusive number 9: Originally aired March 16, 2022 Let's learn about the only place in Ireland where citizens could get a pint on St. Patrick's Day ----the Royal National Dog Show! And, an Irishman steps up to help injured wild...
•
Season 7
•
Episode 101
•
19:42
Ep 100: The Center
We close out the series by discussing the humans who dedicate their lives as the bridge between wildlife and education, and a left-hand turn into the vultures who perform sky burials. Thank you for everything. Peace out, yo. &l...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 100
•
40:27
Ep 99: Rises and Falls
'We can never have luck without a cat on board' he said. If this were true, the crew would have been better off with a different cat. "The story, about what goes up, must eventually come down, perfectly weaves the tale of the rise and f...
•
Season 6
•
Episode 99
•
25:30