Wild Card
Episodes 40-43
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 40: Who you Callin' a Shrimp?
Casey talks about his experience house sitting for a family member and his collecting of insects there, and Ali discusses some of her post surgery fun. Casey discusses an article talking about how some scientists are attempting to bring an extinct insect, the Xerces Blue, back to life, while Ali talks about how a hybrid animal, the Pizzly Bear, has been created as a result of climate change. They go on to talk about their Favorite Butterfly Species, the Moth Butterfly and the Pipevine Swallowtail. Then Casey dives back into the ocean to talk about a beautifully bizarre Animal of the Week, the Peacock Mantis Shrimp. They conclude the episode with another round of their ‘Cups’ challenge.
Pictured from top to bottom: Peacock Mantis Shrimp and Pipevine Swallowtail.
Sources and Links
https://www.altaonline.com/dispatches/a35588986/xerces-blue-butterfly-san-francisco/
https://www.livescience.com/pizzly-bear-hybrids-created-by-climate-crisis.html
https://www.learnaboutbutterflies.com/Caterpillar%20-%20Liphyra%20brassolis.htm
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Battus_philenor/
https://oceana.org/marine-life/cephalopods-crustaceans-other-shellfish/peacock-mantis-shrimp
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Odontodactylus_scyllarus/
https://phys.org/news/2013-09-mantis-shrimp-world-eyesbut.html
Sorry,
no photo available
at this time.
Episode 41: Indestructible
Casey discusses some of the skills he learned from his bioinformatics class that he’s been curious about understanding in the past, before going on to talk about how some new species of beetle have been discovered in the Australian National Insect Collection. Ali talks about the documentaries she watched, America’s National Parks: Olympic, America’s National Parks: Yosemite, America’s National Parks: Grand Canyon, giving them the ratings of Not Safe, Mostly Safe, and Mostly Safe respectively. Ali teaches us about another interesting dog breed, the Brussels Griffon, before they go on to talk about their Favorite Beetle Species, the Ohlone Tiger Beetle and the Jewel Beetle. Casey then teaches us about our toughest Animal of the Week, the Water Bear, before they close out the episode with another round of their ‘Cups’ game.
Pictured from top to bottom: Water Bear, Ohlone Tiger Beetle, and Brussels Griffon.
Sources and Links
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/brussels-griffon/
https://ucsccampusreserve.ucsc.edu/maps-habitats-organisms-stewardship/otb-page.html
https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp/species/8271
https://bugunderglass.com/jewel-beetles-natural-history-and-interesting-facts/
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Tardigrada/
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/tardigrades-water-bears
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-94-007-1896-8_12
Sorry,
no photo available
at this time.
Episode 42: The Happiest Animal on Earth!
Casey discusses his experience getting the COVID vaccine, and Ali talks about a weird show she watched involving doggos called Pooch Perfect. Casey talks about how Idaho passed a bill that allows the killing of about 90% of the state’s wolves, while Ali shares how a zoo in China had an escaped leopard they tried to keep secret. They go on to talk about their Favorite Lemur Species, the Aye-Aye and the Red Ruffed Lemur, before Casey educates us about the happiest looking Animal of the Week, the Quokka. Casey rounds out the episode by challenging Ali to another round of their Jeopardy-like game.
Pictured from top to bottom: Quokka, Aye-Aye, and Red Ruffed Lemur.
Sources and Links
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/idaho-bill-90-percent-of-wolves-to-be-killed
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Daubentonia_madagascariensis/
https://lemur.duke.edu/discover/meet-the-lemurs/aye-aye/
https://lemur.duke.edu/discover/meet-the-lemurs/red-ruffed-lemur/
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Varecia_rubra/
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Setonix_brachyurus/
By nomis-simon - https://www.flickr.com/photos/nomissimon/15819070729/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42890351
Episode 43: Insects of Intrigue
Casey talks about finally being able to visit the San Diego Natural History Museum, and Ali gives another review of another national park documentary, America’s National Parks: The Great Smoky Mountains, giving it a rating of Safe . Casey gives us a biology lesson on the subject of phylogenies, while Ali talks about how a tiger was found roaming the streets in Houston, Texas. They go on to talk about some more crazy beetles as their Wild Card Favorites, the Ambrosia Beetle and the Rhinoceros Beetle. Casey concludes the Wild Card month by teaching us about our fascinating Animal of the Week, the Fairy Fly. Ali concludes the episode by challenging Casey to a quiz based on things previously discussed on the podcast.
Pictured from top to bottom: Fairy Fly, Ambrosia Beetle, and Rhinoceros Beetle.
Sources and Links
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/15/us/houston-tiger-found.html
https://eol.org/pages/1026692/articles
https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Invertebrates/Rhinoceros-Beetles
https://bugguide.net/node/view/1736660
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Dicopomorpha_echmepterygis/
https://theconversation.com/the-real-tinkerbell-dont-mess-with-these-tiny-fairy-wasps-109796
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb5Q-wQh4GI
