Oceania
Episodes 112-116

Ever wonder what the animals we talk about look like, or which episodes cover what animals? Find the answers you seek below! Our episode guides give a brief breakdown of each episode as well as links to the articles we discuss, our sources, and of course, pictures of the animals!

All pictures are either Public Domain or Stock photos unless otherwise noted.
Unfortunately we are not able to provide photos for every animal, especially the more obscure ones, due to not being able to obtain photos which don't violate copyright law. For any animals lacking a photo we remind you that Google is your friend.

Episode 112: Macropods and Flying Foxes

Casey kicks off Oceania month by sharing about his recent trip to Disneyland, and Ali talks about bringing her friend from Alaska to the Wild Animal Park for a very short trip. Casey continues on to discuss AMBA, the Animal Behavior Management Alliance, while Ali shares a story about a Pacific Pocket Mouse named Pat, who is the oldest living mouse in human care, and resides at the San Diego Zoo. The duo then discuss their Favorite Macropods, the Red Kangaroo and the Yellow-Footed Rock Wallaby, before moving on to the first Oceania Animal of the Week, the Black Flying Fox. They wrap up the episode with an ‘Are You Smarter Than 5th Grader’ themed quiz.

Pictured from top to bottom: Black Flying Fox, Red Kangaroo, and Yellow-Footed Rock Wallaby.

Sources and Links

THE ABMA

https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/california/pat-the-tiny-old-mouse-at-san-diego-zoo-secures-guinness-world-record/3163096/#:~:text=A%20Pacific%20pocket%20mouse%20named,announced%20after%20a%20certification%20ceremony.

Yellow-Footed Rock Wallaby - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (LA Zoo)

Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby - AWC - Australian Wildlife Conservancy

Yellow-Footed Rock-Wallaby - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Petrogale xanthopus (Yellow-footed Rock Wallaby) (iucnredlist.org)

Red Kangaroo - The Australian Museum

Red Kangaroo - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Red Kangaroo - San Francisco Zoo & Gardens (sfzoo.org)

Osphranter rufus (Red Kangaroo) (iucnredlist.org)

Black Flying-fox - The Australian Museum

Black Flying Fox - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Species profile—Pteropus alecto (black flying-fox) | Environment, land and water | Queensland Government (des.qld.gov.au)

Pteropus alecto (Black Flying Fox) (iucnredlist.org)

ADW: Pteropus alecto: INFORMATION (animaldiversity.org)

Black flying foxes - Pteropus alecto - Tolga Bat Hospital - Australia

Episode 113: Dragons, Devils, and More

Casey begins the episode by lamenting having to work in the rain, while Ali recommends Apple TV’s The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy. Casey then goes on to discuss how the San Antonio Zoo was able to provide support to the Austin Zoo after a nasty winter storm, and Ali shares an article about a newly discovered ‘Lord of the Rings’ like frog species in Ecuador named Hyloscirtus tolkieni after J. R. R. Tolkien. They continue on to talk about their Favorite Oceania Reptiles, the Komodo Dragon and the Thorny Devil, before they discuss the adorable Fly River Turtle. The episode comes to a close with another, and quite possibly the last, round of ‘Cups’.

Pictured from top to bottom: Fly River Turtle, Komodo Dragon, and Thorny Devil.

Sources and Links

San Antonio Zoo provides support to Austin Zoo after winter storm (ksat.com)

https://www.livescience.com/otherworldly-lord-of-the-rings-frog-discovered-in-the-mountains-of-ecuador

Thorny Devil - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Thorny Devil Facts & Photos - Bush Heritage Australia

ADW: Moloch horridus: INFORMATION (animaldiversity.org)

Moloch horridus (Thorny Devil) (iucnredlist.org)

Komodo dragon | Smithsonian's National Zoo (si.edu)

Komodo Dragon | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants

Varanus komodoensis (Komodo Dragon) (iucnredlist.org)

Fly River turtle | Smithsonian's National Zoo (si.edu)

Fly River Turtle - Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens (LA Zoo)

Pig-Nosed Turtle - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Carettochelys insculpta (Pig-nosed Turtle) (iucnredlist.org)

Episode 114: Froglets!

The episode begins with Casey sharing that he is now working at off-site events with his job. Ali then shares how she was sick with the flu for the first time since Covid started. Casey continues by sharing an article about species that are ‘extinct in the wild’, while Ali highlights the newest dog breed, the Australian Terrier. The pair then discuss their Favorite National Animals From Oceania, the Emu (National Bird of Australia) and the Raggiana Bird of Paradise (Papua New Guinea). Casey goes on to teach about the unique Animal of the Week, the Archey’s Frog. They wrap up the episode with a challenge where they must name as many animals with deceptive names (i.e. a maned wolf is not a wolf)as they can within the allotted time.

Pictured from top to bottom: Archey's Frog, Emu, Raggiana Bird of Paradise, and Australian Terrier.

By David M. Green - http://calphotos.berkeley.edu, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6822989

Sources and Links

Extinct in the wild: The precarious state of Earth’s most threatened group of species | Science

https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/australian-terrier/

Emu | Smithsonian's National Zoo (si.edu)

Emu | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants

Common Emu Facts (nationalgeographic.com)

Dromaius novaehollandiae (Common Emu) (iucnredlist.org)

Raggiana bird-of-paradise - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Raggiana Bird of Paradise - The Australian Museum

Bird of Paradise (Bird) | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants

Paradisaea raggiana (Raggiana Bird-of-paradise) (iucnredlist.org)

Species - EDGE of Existence

Archey's frog (doc.govt.nz)

Archey’s Frog, Leiopelma archeyi – Amphibian Survival Alliance

Leiopelma archeyi | NZHS (reptiles.org.nz)

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

By JJ Harrison (https://www.jjharrison.com.au/) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=92381514

Episode 115: Australian Oddities

Casey kicks off the episode talking about his most recently watched movie, Puss in Boots:The Last Wish, and Ali rates another documentary, giving Super/Natural: Eat or Be Eaten a rating of Mostly Safe. Casey shares an article about Illionois’s Naibi Zoo giving many of their animals a covid vaccine, while Ali shares two stories, one about an escaped Cheetah at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, and the other about mountain lion P-22, the Hollywood Cat’s, burial. They continue on to discuss their favorite Aquatic Oceania Animals, the Freshwater Crocodile and the Platypus, before continuing on to the Animal of the Week, the Australian Lungfish. The episode concludes with them attempting to name as many animals that begin and end with the same letter as they can within the allotted time.

Pictured from top to bottom: Australian Lungfish, Freshwater Crocodile, and Platypus.

By Mitch Ames - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=35725286

Sources and Links

Niabi Zoo Animals Receive COVID Vaccine | River Cities' Reader (rcreader.com)

https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-zoo-officials-investigating-cheetah-escapes-enclosure/43133360

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/07/california-mountain-lion-p-22-tribal-burial

Freshwater Crocodile - The Australian Museum

Freshwater Crocodile - Facts, Diet, Habitat & Pictures on Animalia.bio

Freshwater Crocodile - Australia Zoo

Crocodylus johnstoni (Australian Freshwater Crocodile) (iucnredlist.org)

Platypus - The Australian Museum

Platypus facts | Live Science

Platypus | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants

Platypus | AMNH

Episode 116: Repurposing, It's Not Just For Humans

The final Oceania episode begins with Casey sharing his recent binging of a couple of zoo shows on his days off. Ali shares that with all the recent book banning happening in the USA, she discovered that even the classic children’s book, Charlotte’s Web, was once banned. This caused her to look at other children’s books she read as a kid, leading her to discover that The Saddle Club was adapted into a TV series. Casey goes on to share an article where an African serval dubbed ‘cocaine cat’ is now living at the Cincinnati Zoo after escaping from its owner. Ali highlights the first ever goat breed for the podcast breed focus, the Nigerian Dwarf Goat. The pair go on to discuss their Favorite Nature Series Growing Up, The Crocodile Hunter and Zoboomafoo, and The Jeff Corwin Experience and Meerkat Manor. Casey continues on to talk about the final Animal of the Week from Oceania, the Satin Bowerbird. Casey brings the episode to a close with an Oceania themed quiz for Ali.

Pictured from top to bottom: Satin Bowerbird, The Crocodile Hunter, Zoboomafoo, The Jeff Corwin Experience, Meerkat Manor, and Nigerian Dwarf Goat.