Hello Everyone, ready for another fun episode? Rachel kicks us off this week by talking about Alpha Gal. No, she's not a superhero. Alpha Gal is an allergy to mammal meat you can get from being bitten by a tick. Absolutely terrible. Victoria delves into the strange phenomenon of animals playing dead and what it may have to do with something called …

Kirk once again takes us back to space this week to talk about Schloz's Star. Incredibly, scientists discovered that 70,000 years ago, this star actually passed THROUGH our solar system. Rachel's tale this week is almost as big and mind boggling but it takes place right here on Earth. She tells us why we are spending millions of dollars to drop 14.…

Rachel goes back to the ocean to talk about bizarre, small, upside-down, solar powered jellyfish. Kirk goes the exact opposite direction and takes us to space with a primer on the Heliosphere. It's all just so he can tell us about some strange research that came out that suggests the sun's heliosphere collapsing 2 million years ago may have caused …

Kirk tells us all about the amazing but extinct Elephant Bird, an incredible bird that could grow to a massive 2000 pounds. Rachel next brings us an absolutely astounding story of a researcher who wanted to answer the question of why snakes strike and bite and that research involved stepping on snakes 40,000 times. Victoria rounds out this week by …

We're all over the place this week. Victoria is back and she brings a mind blower talking about how the length of the day and the number of days in a year have changed dramatically over time. Kirk then brings things back to birds (of course) with a talk about the amazing Ostrich. Rachel rounds out this week's show talking about the tiny but mighty …

This week Kirk starts us off with a fascinating story of PMO or Prosopometamorphopsia, a condition where people strangely see distortions to other people's faces that can make them look like demons, elves or dragons. Rachel wants to tell us all about ticks this week and it turns into a bit of a PSA on tick safety before going into some interesting …

This week Rachel and Kirk share some incredible stories. Rachel starts us of with some amazing facts about the Albatross. They are truly giant and amazing birds that spend much of their life at sea. I know, you thought Rachel had turned a page and wasn't going to do a story about the ocean but alas, even when she talks about birds she finds a way t…

On this week's show, Kirk tells us about a fascinating discovery that may mean feathers are older than dinosaurs. Rachel is up next with the story about a rare Tiger Quoll that suddenly showed up in an unexpected spot. Victoria rounds out this week's show with an amazing tale of a man who narrowly escaped death after eating the poisonous Spotted Wa…

Victoria kicks things off this week with a bizarre question, is there anything we have three of in our body? This interesting question lead her on a deep dive looking at the strange diversity of body plans on Earth. Kirk pours on the nightmare fuel with the story of a patient who's headaches ended up being...wait for it...tapeworms in his brain. Ra…

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 epaulette sharks! Not to be outdone, Kirk tells us about the new discovery of a beetle that can be eaten by a frog and survive a trip through the digestive tract and crawl out the other end. Truly a …

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 coastal manta rays while swimming in the ocean at night and Rachel blows Kirk's mind with the world's tallest sunflower. Everything's huge. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Pat…

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 blows our minds when it comes to a new find that teaches us about the very last minute dinosaurs spent on Earth. Rachel is up last and tells us about one of her favorite flowers, the very useful Jewel…

This week Rachel brings the amazing story of the relationship between humans and birds called Honeyguides. Victoria looks into the strange story of bird respiration and Kirk discusses the process of how volcanic islands become lush and green. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: pa…

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 infected with tapeworms. Keeping with the gross topics. Rachel serves up a disgusting bouquet of Ambergris. One of the most valuable substances on earth that smells both wonderful and awful. Join us week…

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 have to listen to find out. Kirk shares the bizarre story of the time Idaho parachuted 76 beavers into a remote wilderness as part of operation Beaver Drop. It's an amazing story with some long-term benef…

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 scientists bizarrely discovered a terrestrial shrimp. That's right a shrimp that lives on land. Rachel is up next and tells us about a beautiful and rare phenomenon, hair snow. This strange creation require…

This week, Victoria spins a tale of a mystery creature inflicting terrible pain swimmers and the strange unorthodox researcher who solved the mystery. Kirk then tells us about strange obelisks living in our mouths. Rachel rounds out the week by diving down 16,000 feet under the ocean to track down a bizarre eel with a giant mouth. Join us weekly fo…

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 over the show to quiz us about the past year of shows and other bizarre nature knowledge. Yes, we play the ever popular game, Eat, Ride, Jacket. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters …

This week Rachel kicks of the show talking about the bizarre theoretical phenomenon of Spaghettification, the process of your body being stretched out into a line of sub-atomic particles inside a black hole.Victoria then takes us to the ocean where we learn about how the ear-wax plugs of whales can teach us about their life-histories.Kirk then wrap…

This week Kirk kicks us off with a discussion of Samurai Crabs and realizes they sound familiar because of a strange childhood connection involving a cartoon rabbit. Rachel then dives into prions and Chronic Wasting Disease. Fear not, she has good news. Victoria rounds out this week by telling us about the missing continent of Zealandia. Join us we…

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 world with caffeine including a Holly from North America. Kirk is up next and he shares multiple examples of times humans have unintentionally caused the evolution of species. Rachel rounds out this w…

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 the strangest creatures in the sea. Upon hearing the story, Kirk decides he may never swim in the ocean again. Kirk brings us back to the sea again with a story about the time his ship almost fell victim to t…

This week Kirk kicks things off with details of a fascinating study that determined which perfume tigers find most alluring. The implications for research are surprisingly useful. Rachel takes on a listener suggestion and covers new research into the bizarre ability of Reindeer to eat while they sleep! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our su…

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 out, T-Rex probably had lips. Kirk then tells the tale of a time in the far distant past when birds ate our ancestors. Rachel wraps things up this week with the bizarre tale of a moth with a surprising…

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, and eats their young all in a quest to become a beautiful butterfly. Victoria takes us to Australia and asks the question, why are there so many poisonous animals there? Kirk rounds out the episode wi…

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 suspect from the name. The Mountain Chicken doesn't live in mountains, and isn't a chicken. It isn't even a bird. It is the biggest frog in the world. Weird. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our sup…

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! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad free! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangeb…

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 with ultrasound. Rachel lets us know all about the Gopher Tortoise, and Victoria tell us all about the strange world of Mussel reproduction. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patr…

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 world's few venomous mammals and you'll never guess where she found it...her basement! Kirk invents a weird quiz about strange ways nature might try to kill you. Which is more likely, getting hit in the …

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. Next up, Victoria tells us the story of the golf course with bull sharks in the water traps. Kirk then wraps things up by testing out how well the other hosts can spot a hidden snake in digitally alt…

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 that took our nostrils by storm starting in the 1990s. Rachel then tells the amazing story about how the physical structure of dragonfly wings can destroy bacteria just by coming into contact with it…

Rachel kicks things off this week with the most ridiculous looking spider ever. Seriously. This thing is bizarre and cool and completely stupid looking. Listen as we learn about the Pelican Spider. Kirk takes us on a real-life Hero's Journey to the briny depths of the Galapagos Spreading Zone where biologists got a little help finding a rich biolog…

This week Kirk kirk kicks things off by talking about a fungus showing up somewhere unexpected. Speaking of unexpected, Rachel shares a story about two species that were accidentally cross-bred in a lab when it shouldn't have been possible. Victoria rounds out the show this week by talking about how weirdly we're all getting cooler over time. Suppo…

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 Cedar and tries to puzzle out whether or not invasive species really are to blame for being the way they are. Rachel blows our minds by telling us about pollinators and flowering plants in the ocean. She…

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 beer yeast, it just might be the key to clean drinking water. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com…

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 infection theme going by talking about the first ever case of a cross-kingdom infection when a man was found to have a fungus growing in his throat. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@…

Welcome to the Halloween Episode. This week we have three spooky stories. Rachel talks about the terrifying Black Swallower Fish, Victoria bring us the story of Pirate Spiders and Kirk examines the smell of fear. Happy Halloween! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast…

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 brings us the bizarre looking Monkey Slug Caterpillar and Victoria tells us all about Cockroaches. We had a ton of fun this week, we hope you do too. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: conta…

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 shares some disturbing news about powerful solar storms that could disable society and Rachel rounds out this week's show with the spookiest of near-Halloween topics...mistletoe? Oh yeah, we also ans…

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 they? The story is stranger than you may expect. Kirk swerves into Rachel's lane this week and takes us to the depths of the ocean where the mysterious Volcano Snail lives aside hydrothermal vents and cr…

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: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.comBy Strange by Nature

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 main antagonist in the kids movie Madagascar that for sure did NOT make it into the cartoon and Rachel wraps things up this week where else but the ocean where she shares about an amazing and enormous …

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 research that shows spiders dream, Victoria then talked about absolutely astounding ant super-colonies that span several countries in size. Kirk rounds out our invertebrate celebration with a story about an …

This week Kirk answers the question, "Can plants smell?" by looking at some really interesting experiments. Rachel then decides to rise to the occasion of talking about the weird world of yeasts. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com…

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 fresh cut grass may actually be a cry for help. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com…

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 tells us the tale of a strange bird that smells exactly like tangerines. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com…

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, an utterly bizarre creature from the ocean and Rachel rounds out the show this week with a suggested topic, glowing flying squirrels! Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strang…

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?" Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.comBy Strange by Nature

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 reaches of the solar system to learn about Haumea, a strange dwarf planet shaped like a giant rugby ball. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com Visit us at: s…

Victoria kicks things off this week with a surprising story about Garlic Mustard that goes against everything we thought we knew. Kirk then really stretches our minds by talking about extended cognition in spiders. Rachel rounds out this week's show talking about a new discovery around dolphin language. Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature Email…