The show with a mission to explore the mysteries of nature - especially the ones that make you go What the Duck?!
Space race- the animal edition
Fruit flies, guinea pigs, frogs, monkeys, turtles, cats and dogs… all sorts of animals have been to space.Find out who made small steps for mankind before we could even spacewalk as Ann goes through the emotional turmoil of hearing animals in space. Featuring:James Foley, Author and Illustrator.Kerrie Dougherty OAM, Senior Heritage and Outreach Officer, Australian Space Agency.Emeritus Professor John P. Gluck, University of New Mexico and Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University.Michael Coggan, News Voice. What the Duck?! Season 6 will be back next week.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Matthew Crawford.
2/2/2024 • 25 minutes, 17 seconds
SUMMER - Daddy-long-legs
You probably have a daddy-long-legs in your house right now.But when is having a weird housemate in the corner ACTUALLY a good thing? Dr Ann Jones investigates.This episode was first published on the 9th of September 2023. Featuring:Dr Samantha Nixon, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).Dr Lizzy Lowe, Invertebrates Australia.Thanks also to Dr Bernhard Huber, Arachnid Curator at Museum Koenig for helping us get the facts right.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
1/26/2024 • 25 minutes, 7 seconds
SUMMER - Silence of the vultures
An ornithologist, a veterinarian and a religious devotee must find the serial killer before every last vulture in India is dead.The episode was first published on the 2nd of September 2023. Featuring:Dr Campbell Murn, Head of Conservation at Hawk Conservancy Trust and University of Reading, UK.Dr Kishor Rithe, Interim Director, Bombay Natural History Society.Dr Andrea Santangeli, Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, Spain.Dr Percy Avari, Mumbai Vetinarary College.Sherally Munshi, Georgetown.Vulture sounds provided by Nikita Mathur, India.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
1/19/2024 • 25 minutes, 6 seconds
SUMMER - Are Naked Mole-rats the weirdest animals on earth?
They look like… 'sabre-toothed sausages', they can barely see, they live for a really long time and have a queen who oppresses them.Find out all about the Naked Mole-rat this week and let us know your weirdest animal on earth suggestions at whattheduck@abc.net.au.Featuring:Dr Alison Barker, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research.Adjunct Professor Rochelle Buffenstein, University of Illinois at Chicago.Extra information: Professor Gary R. Lewin, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Angie GrantThis episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
1/12/2024 • 25 minutes, 6 seconds
SUMMER - The ostrich-riding bushranger
He loved gold, so he robbed stagecoaches in South Australia and used an ostrich as a getaway car. OR DID HE?!This episode was first published on the 11th of February 2023.Featuring:Denice Mason, teacher and Meningie resident.Associate Professor Rohan Clarke, Monash University and co-author of the Australian Bird Guide.Jacob Fiebig, Meningie resident and composer of "The ballad of John Peggotty".Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Angie Grant.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung, Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna people.
1/5/2024 • 25 minutes, 6 seconds
SUMMER- Kneel before the eel
For thousands of years eels have made people rich and powerful, literally. Now it's time to pay it back.This episode was originally published on the 18th of March 2023.Featuring:Dr. John Wyatt Greenlee, Historian Cornell University.Erin Rose, Budj Bim World Heritage Executive Officer at Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.Braydon Saunders, Tour Guide Coordinator at Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism.Tyson Lovett-Murray, Budj Bim World Heritage Ranger at Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.Wayne Koster, Research Scientist at the Arthur Rylah Institute, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Victorian Government.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Timothy Jenkins.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Gunditjmara, Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
12/29/2023 • 25 minutes, 5 seconds
SUMMER- Birds, bees and a wang wang with a problem.
A tiny penis, a 12-hour annual fertilisation window, picky females and strawberry bubble bath – these are just a few of the issues that pop up when making a panda cub.This is a repeat of an episode first published on the 1st of April 2023. Featuring:Chad Crittle, Acting Assistant Curator for Carnivores and Ungulates at Zoos SA.Mr Li Zhang, Consul, Head of Bilateral Section at the Chinese Consulate-General in Adelaide.Dr Meghan Martin Wintle, Director, Conservation Ecologist at PDX Wildlife.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Carey Dell.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
12/22/2023 • 25 minutes, 6 seconds
Who's a good girl?
Ann Jones does a DNA test to see if she is a dog!This is the final episode for Season 5 of What the Duck?! We will be back in February with new episodes.Featuring:Skyla Seltzer, What The Duck?! listener.Beanz and Henry the dog. Link Olson, Curator of Mammals, University of Alaska Museum.Dr Nicola Rivers, Monash University.Professor Paul Hebert, Scientific Director, International Barcode of Life.Dr Leo Joseph, Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO. Tim Low, Biologist and author. Thanks also Ying Luo for background information. Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
12/15/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Who's a good girl?
Ann Jones does a DNA test to see if she is a dog!This is the final episode for Season 5 of What the Duck?! We will be back in February with new episodes.Featuring:Skyla Seltzer, What The Duck?! listener.Beanz and Henry the dog. Link Olson, Curator of Mammals, University of Alaska Museum.Dr Nicola Rivers, Monash University.Professor Paul Hebert, Scientific Director, International Barcode of Life.Dr Leo Joseph, Australian National Wildlife Collection CSIRO. Tim Low, Biologist and author. Thanks also Ying Luo for background information. Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
12/15/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Is the pigeon the weirdest animal on earth?
It is related to the dodo, makes milk and even played a role in the French Revolution. Surely this bird deserves some recognition?Featuring:Rosemary Mosco, Science writer and author of 'The Pocket Guide to Pigeon Watching'.Nathan Finger, Host of 'Bird of the Week' podcast Dr Robin Leppitt, Ornithologist.April Broadbent, Pigeon Rehabber.Aaron and Aria, Pigeon Fanciers.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
12/8/2023 • 26 minutes, 4 seconds
Can you speak fish?
Someone get a translator app because the fish are ready to speak. Featuring:Lauren Hawkins, Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin University. Dr Aaron Rice, Research Scientist at Cornell University. Featured sounds :Thanks to Aaron and Lauren for providing sounds as well as Professor Robert Macaulay and the Centre for Marine Science and Technology at Curtin University. Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
12/1/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Nature's vibrators
They make THEMSELVES scream. Featuring:Dr. Perry Beasley Hall, Adelaide University.Ernesto Caliari Pinheiro, Acoustic biologist, Brazil.Professor Mario Vallejo-Marin, University of Uppsala, Sweden. Lisa Schoenberg, Ecological sound artist, New York.Professor Link Olson, University of Alaska Museum.Dr Andy Reid, University of Strathclyde, Scotland.Dr Ying Luo, Australian National Insect Collection. Featured sounds :Son of a Bee by Dusty Dubs, David Rentz and Vicki Powys.Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
11/24/2023 • 25 minutes, 46 seconds
Mike-owl Jackson, Gorillaz and The Pussycat Dolls- are animals musical?
Can animals create, or even enjoy music? Ann rips through the animal kingdom to check out the musical talent of some likely and unlikely animals.Featuring:Dr. Stuart Watson, University of Zurich. Dr. Chiara De Gregorio, University of Torino. Assistant Professor Adena Schachner, University of California.David Teie, Musician and composer, Music for Cats. Associate Professor Cameron Webb, University of Sydney and NSW Health Pathology. Featured sounds :Musical Stimuli for Parrots by Adena Schachner, Fostog's Touch by David Teie (music for cats) and Marlene McCohen (YouTube) and her Amazon parrot Lucy. Production:Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.Petria Ladgrove, Producer.Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.
11/17/2023 • 25 minutes, 47 seconds
PRESENTS - Our Changing World
A new season of What the Duck?! is just around the corner - but for now... we wanted to share an excerpt of a great episode on the sex life of spiders from our friends at Radio New Zealand.
Spiders... sometimes they mate. Sometimes they get eaten. But that’s just how it goes. Spider sex can be a risky business.
Check out the full episode on Radio New Zealand here.
This episode of Our Changing World was produced on the land of the Waikato Tainui iwi.
11/2/2023 • 2 minutes, 36 seconds
Glow your own way
Are you high, or is that a sheep glowing?
Featuring:
Linda Reinhold, Zoologist at James Cook University.
Professor Simon Lewis, Curtin University.
Dr. Kenny Travouillon, Western Australian Museum.
Caitlin Grieve, Hillend Dorsets.
10/6/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Glow your own way
Are you high, or is that a sheep glowing?
Featuring:
Linda Reinhold, Zoologist at James Cook University.
Professor Simon Lewis, Curtin University.
Dr. Kenny Travouillon, Western Australian Museum.
Caitlin Grieve, Hillend Dorsets.
10/6/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Killer whales vs boats
A group of Killer whales have been hassling boats around Spain over the last few years.
They've been nibbling the rudders and even sinking yachts, but why?
Has anyone considered that it might be revenge? How dangerous are Orcas anyway?
Featuring:
Martin Evans, UK Sailor.
Professor Peter Keegan, History and Archaeology at Macquarie University.
Dr Rebeca Wellard, Curtin University.
Dr Luke Rendell, University of St Andrews, Scotland.
Anna Selbman, University of Iceland.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
9/29/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Petrel heads in love
They smell like a squid in a wool jumper, they sound like a duck on helium, and devoted 'Petrel Heads' travel thousands of kilometres just to hear them moan.
Featuring:
Peter Vaughan, Monash University.
Stephen Totterman, Northern NSW Naturalist and seabird enthusiast.
Rolenas Tavue Baereleo, Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation, Government of Vanuatu.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
9/22/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Feeling crabby
Have the crabs been lying to us? There are true crabs, false crabs, and even shame-faced crabs which implies that some of them, at least, are guilty.
Featuring:
Dr Rachael King, SA Museum.
Professor Judith Weis, Rutgers University, Newark.
Dr Annabel Dorrenstein, University of Western Sydney.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
9/15/2023 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
Who's your Daddy?
You probably have a daddy-long-legs in your house right now.
But when is having a weird housemate in the corner ACTUALLY a good thing? Dr Ann Jones investigates.
Featuring:
Dr Samantha Nixon, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
Dr Lizzy Lowe, Invertebrates Australia.
Thanks also to Dr Bernhard Huber, Arachnid Curator at Museum Koenig.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
9/8/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
POD EXTRA: Johnny Cash and the Condor fire
An extra special, podcast only, five-minute story for you!
A bird that stands over a metre tall hardly seems like it'd bow down to a rock star, but Johnny Cash played a burning role in the near-extinction of Californian Condors.
Featuring:
Dr. Maggie Watson, Zoologist at Charles Sturt University
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
9/2/2023 • 5 minutes, 22 seconds
Silence of the vultures
An ornithologist, a veterinarian and a religious devotee must find the serial killer before every last vulture in India is dead.
Featuring:
Dr Campbell Murn, Head of Conservation at Hawk Conservancy Trust and University of Reading, UK.
Dr Kishor Rithe, Interim Director, Bombay Natural History Society.
Dr Andrea Santangeli, Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, Spain.
Dr Percy Avari, Mumbai Vetinarary College.
Sherally Munshi, Georgetown.
Vulture sounds provided by Nikita Mathur, India.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
9/1/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Do worms dream?
We get a bit philosophical and try to find out that if animals do dream, will we ever be able to know what they’re dreaming about?
Featuring:
Cassie, Claire and Pidgey the Parrot.
Associate Professor Nicole Lovato, Flinders University.
Associate Professor John Lesku, La Trobe University.
Professor David Pena Guzman, author of ‘Animal Dreaming’ and San Francisco State University.
Professor Sidarta Ribeiro, neuroscientist at Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
Dr Shauni Omond, @wormgirl on Instagram, La Trobe University.
Professor Niels Rattenborg, Research leader on Avian Sleep, Max Planck Institute.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
7/28/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Sleep like a log
Birds can fly while half their brain is sleeping and some spiders sleep dangling on a silk thread, but what about worms. Do worms sleep?
Featuring:
Associate Professor John Lesku, La Trobe University.
Dr Shauni Omond, @shauniomond.sleepsci on Instagram, La Trobe University.
Professor Niels Rattenborg, Research leader on Avian Sleep, Max Planck Institute.
Dr Daniela Roessler, University of Konstanz.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
7/21/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Why don't you act like a girl?
Boob-shaping hiccups are very sexy in the sage grouse world, but whose chesticles are in charge?
Featuring:
Lucy Cooke, Zoologist and author of Bitch A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal.
Professor Gail L Patricelli, University of California, Davis.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: John Jacobs.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
7/14/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Bitch! Who is really in charge?
Female lab mice have been bred to be passive and breed with ease. But, in the wild they're feisty and even pugnacious. How much of our biological understanding of the world is based on misogyny?
Featuring:
Lucy Cooke, Zoologist and author of Bitch A Revolutionary Guide to Sex, Evolution and the Female Animal.
Professor Arthur Georges, University of Canberra.
Professor Catherine Dulac, Harvard University.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Ann-Marie Debettencor.
7/7/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Birds, bees and a wang wang with a problem.
A tiny penis, a 12-hour annual fertilisation window, picky females and strawberry bubble bath – these are just a few of the issues that pop up when making a panda cub.
Featuring:
Chad Crittle, Acting Assistant Curator for Carnivores and Ungulates at Zoos SA.
Mr Li Zhang, Consul, Head of Bilateral Section at the Chinese Consulate-General in Adelaide.
Dr Meghan Martin Wintle, Director, Conservation Ecologist at PDX Wildlife.
This is the last show of season 2 of What The Duck but Season 3 is on its way! The best way to stay in touch is to follow or subscribe and turn notifications on.
3/31/2023 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Shells with stories to tell
Forget ancestry searches online. Shells can tell you the history of the world.
Featuring:
Amy Prendergast, University of Melbourne.
Jann Vendetti, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Dr Paul Butler, Researcher at the University of Exeter.
3/24/2023 • 30 minutes
Kneel before the eel
For thousands of years eels have made people rich and powerful, literally. Now it's time to pay it back.
Featuring:
Dr. John Wyatt Greenlee, Historian Cornell University.
Erin Rose, Budj Bim World Heritage Executive Officer at Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.
Braydon Saunders, Tour Guide Coordinator at Budj Bim Cultural Landscape Tourism.
Tyson Lovett-Murray, Budj Bim World Heritage Ranger at Gunditj Mirring Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation.
Wayne Koster, Research Scientist at the Arthur Rylah Institute, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Victorian Government.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Timothy Jenkins.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Gunditjmara, Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
3/17/2023 • 30 minutes
Purely for pleasure
For years we've barely even talked about the human clitoris let alone the fact that snakes have TWO.
This program has adult themes.
Featuring:
Belinda Smith, ABC Science Online Reporter.
Lucy Cooke, Author and Film maker.
Megan Folwell, University of Adelaide.
Dr Jenna Crowe-Riddell, La Trobe University.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Angie Grant
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
3/10/2023 • 30 minutes
Are Naked Mole-rats the weirdest animals on earth?
They look like... 'sabre-toothed sausages', they can barely see, they live for a really long time and have a queen who oppresses them.
Find out all about the Naked Mole-rat this week and let us know your weirdest animal on earth suggestions at whattheduck@abc.net.au.
Featuring:
Dr Alison Barker, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research.
Adjunct Professor Rochelle Buffenstein, University of Illinois at Chicago.
Extra information: Professor Gary R. Lewin, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Joel Werner, Script Editor.
Additional mastering: Angie Grant
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
3/3/2023 • 30 minutes
Craig Vs Snakes
Would you meet a stranger in a park with a pile of snakes?
Comedian, Craig Quartermaine, took the risk in an attempt to overcome his fears!
Featuring:
Craig Quartermaine, Comedian.
Sandy Dickinson, Urban Reptiles.
Jonathan Wright, Announcer voice.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Joel Werner, Script Editor.
Field recording: Dylan Prins
Additional mastering: Angie Grant
Would you meet a stranger in a park with a pile of snakes?
Comedian Craig Quartermaine, took the risk in an attempt to overcome his fears.
Featuring:
Craig Quartermaine, Comedian.
Sandy Dickinson, Urban Reptiles.
Jonathan Wright, Announcer voice.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Joel Werner, Script Editor.
Field recording: Dylan Prins
Additional mastering: Angie Grant
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung, Yuggera, Turrbal and Kaurna people.
2/24/2023 • 30 minutes
Animals in Space
Who made small steps for man before man could even space walk?
Featuring:
James Foley, Author and Illustrator.
Kerrie Dougherty OAM, Senior Heritage and Outreach Officer, Australian Space Agency.
Emeritus Professor John P. Gluck, University of New Mexico and Kennedy Institute of Ethics, Georgetown University.
Michael Coggan, News Voice.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Joel Werner, Script Editor.
Additional mastering: Matthew Crawford.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.
2/17/2023 • 30 minutes
The ostrich-riding bushranger
He loved gold, so he robbed stage coaches in South Australia and used an ostrich as a getaway car. OR DID HE?!
Welcome to the first episode of 'What The Duck?!' Season 2.
Featuring:
Denice Mason, teacher and Meningie resident.
Associate Professor Rohan Clarke, Monash University and co-author of the Australian Bird Guide.
Jacob Fiebig, Meningie resident and composer of "The ballad of John Peggotty".
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Joel Werner, Script Editor.
Additional mastering: Angie Grant.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung, Ngarrindjeri and Kaurna people.
2/10/2023 • 30 minutes
Spider murder methods
The show with a mission to explore the mysteries of nature.
12/16/2022 • 30 minutes
The politics of being a cow
If you think that cow politics is just about the live export business, you are wrong.
Cows have politics of their own – machinations to sort out who is the leader and who will be led.
Featuring:
Dr Rebecca Doyle, Faculty of Veterinary & Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne.
Joe Gelonisi - the voice of cow facts.
Derek Klingenberg, cattle trombonist.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
12/9/2022 • 30 minutes
Inside a cow pat
Here’s a field guide you probably don’t have — “Introduced Dung Beetles in Australia".
12/2/2022 • 30 minutes
Hitchhikers guide to ecology
Grabbing a lift can go from bad to worse when your uber drops you outside your evolutionary niche.
FEATURING
Dr Matt Greenlees, Sydney University.
Arthur White, NSW frog and tadpole study group.
David Chapple, Monash University.
Dr Maggie Watson, Charles Sturt University.
Dr Robert Streit, Reef Function Hub at James Cook University.
Voice of the Internet: Nikolai Beilharz.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Joel Werner, Script Editor.
Additional mastering: Angela Grant.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
11/25/2022 • 30 minutes
Field guide to car ecology
Ever wondered about the spiders in your car mirror? How they got there and ‘where the duck’ they’re going?
FEATURING
Dr Ken Walker, Senior Curator of Entomology, Museums Victoria Research Institute.
Dr Laurent Keller, University of Lausanne
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Joel Werner, Script Editor.
Additional mastering: Angela Grant.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
11/18/2022 • 30 minutes
How to speak Cicada
The 'sound of summer' is actually thousands of blokes screaming 'PICK ME' at the top of their screaming cicada voices.
11/11/2022 • 30 minutes
Never skip leg day
A millipede has a thousand legs right? WRONG!
FEATURING
Dr Juanita Rodriguez, Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO.
Dr Bruno Alves Buzatto, Flinders University.
Luis Villazon, Science Educator UK.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Additional mastering: Angela Grant.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
11/4/2022 • 30 minutes
Animals on acid
It turns out self medicating and herbal remedies are not exclusive to humans…
FEATURING
Dr Kevin Feeney, Central Washington University.
Adjunct Professor Michael Huffman, University of Kyoto.
Dr Sophia Daoudi-Simison, Newcastle University UK.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Nick Kilvert, Presenter/ Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
10/28/2022 • 30 minutes
The big bad wolf – have we got it wrong?
How far from reality are the folk stories about wolves and dogs? We’re going right back to Aesop’s fables with zoologist and author Jo Wimpenny.
Listen to part one (Aesop’s animals) here:
FEATURING
Dr Jo Wimpenny- Zoologist and Author
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
10/21/2022 • 26 minutes, 15 seconds
It DOES fart!
The world's oldest fart is frozen in amber, and it is the source of the world's oldest fart joke.
Listen to part one (Does it Fart?!) here.
FEATURING
Dani Rabaiotti, Author of Does it Fart? and Zoological Society of London.
Dr Nick Gales, Former Head of Australian Antarctic Division.
Prof Dave Watson, Charles Sturt University.
Prof Jeffrey Stillwell, Adjunct Monash Uni
Dr Adam Munn, Biologist.
Production:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Jo Khan, Producer.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
10/14/2022 • 30 minutes
What's in your freezer?
Move the peas over to find that Australian freezers have seals, kangaroo penises and the DNA of 'the Chanel of goats.'
FEATURING:
Dr Natalie Warburton, Murdoch University.
Dr Jillian Garvey, La Trobe University.
Dr Nicola Rivers, Monash University.
Dianne Hakof, Hospital Manger Animal Health Department Zoos SA
PRODUCTION:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
10/7/2022 • 30 minutes
It's still brown and sticky!
There are so many sticky things in nature, but what's the nature of their stickiness? Ann puts on her spider-woman gloves to find out.
FEATURING:
Ella Tyler, wife of the late Prof Mike Tyler.
Prof Andrew Smith, Biology, Ithaca College.
Prof George Murrell, Director Orthopaedic Research Institute, St George Hospital, NSW.
PRODUCTION:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
9/30/2022 • 30 minutes
What's brown and sticky?
If you ever wanted to be able to stick to walls like spider man, then listen to this.
9/23/2022 • 30 minutes
The flies have it
As per usual the What the Duck?! team is elbow-deep in crap looking for a way out. And the way out, is flies.
FEATURING:
Dr Bryan Lessard, Entomologist, Author of Eyes on Flies.
PRODUCTION:
Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer.
Petria Ladgrove, Producer.
Joel Werner, Script Editing.
This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people.
9/16/2022 • 30 minutes
A short break for What the Duck?!
What the Duck?! is taking a short break so instead you'll be hearing Radio New Zealand’s 'Our Changing World' on the radio for the next three weeks.
8/26/2022 • 30 minutes
Trees call out fake news
Sawing through tree myths with Arborists Maja and Sam.
No matter how good your job is, there’s always something that really cheeses you off, and Maja and Sam are SICK TO DEATH of all your misconceptions about trees.
8/19/2022 • 0
Why is my tree weeping?
The duckie inbox has been swamped with tree mysteries.
8/12/2022 • 25 minutes, 14 seconds
Could you eat an animal that does it in the missionary position?
Ann revisits the release site of a bunch of (almost extinct) Murray Crayfish to find out the crays have been completing sexy rhythmic gymnastics in the mud on the bottom of the murray river.
8/5/2022 • 25 minutes, 14 seconds
Stinging Science
He makes things sting him on purpose. WHY.
7/29/2022 • 25 minutes, 17 seconds
The bird-eating centipede
It’s like a serial killer movie, a classic horror film. There are huge fangs, a segmented body, a remote location, the ocean bashes against cliffs, you’re all alone and there’s no one to help. The first bodies that turn up are of the children... of petrels.
7/22/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Become the Cuckoo
How does a cuckoo know it's a cuckoo?
7/15/2022 • 25 minutes, 12 seconds
Animals that mine
So... what do you do when a crocodile and a shark end up in your mine pit? AT THE SAME TIME.
7/8/2022 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
Does it fart?
Farts can be a matter of life or death, but not in the way that you're thinking. This is SERIOUS.
7/1/2022 • 25 minutes, 17 seconds
Little Penguins
Promiscuous penguins, climate change and penguin first aid.
6/24/2022 • 25 minutes, 14 seconds
Koala AIDS (that ’s all we need!)
How much more can the koala bear?
6/17/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Blood suckers
You can run but you can't hide! Ever wondered how a mosquito manages to hit a blood vessel without fail?
6/10/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
The Roast Chook Fungi
It looks as if a roast chook had been tied to a four-poster bed.
6/3/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Guess who’s back?
Back again!? The thylacine has made its last appearance alive on earth. Or has it? Ann chases the elusive Tasmanian Tiger with geneticists, conservationists and a bloke who saw one while he was coming home from the shops.
5/27/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
True Blue
Ann finds out that birds are not really blue. Not even bluebirds. They’re not blue. Then what the duck are they?
5/20/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
BONUS - Who the Duck am I? The ANSWER
Dr Ann Jones has the answer to the game of 'Who the duck?!' this week.
Thanks for your many guesses and emails... it is now time for the big reveal.
Stay tuned for the newest episode of What the Duck?! this Saturday!
5/19/2022 • 3 minutes, 31 seconds
BONUS - Who the Duck am I? #3
Dr Ann Jones is out filming for ABC TV , but she hasn't forgotten the loyal subscribers.
Here's the final clue to a game of 'Who the duck?!' just for you!
Please send your guesses to whattheduck@abc.net.au.
5/13/2022 • 1 minute, 41 seconds
BONUS - Who the Duck am I? #2
Dr Ann Jones is out filming for ABC TV , but she hasn't forgotten the loyal subscribers.
Here's another clue to a game of 'Who the duck?!' just for you!
Please send your guesses to whattheduck@abc.net.au.
5/6/2022 • 1 minute, 47 seconds
BONUS - Who the Duck am I?
Dr Ann Jones is out filming for ABC TV , but she hasn't forgotten the loyal subscribers.
Here's a clue to a game of 'Who the duck?!' just for you!
Please send your guesses to whattheduck@abc.net.au.
4/29/2022 • 1 minute, 55 seconds
Australian native animals as pets. Yes/No
Ann stumbles across spinifex hopping mice on gumtree and then finds herself cornered by a bloke with a crocodile (and more).
4/22/2022 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
A girl walks in the woods
After receiving a heartbreaking email, Ann goes on a mission to prove that ‘girls DO like spiders.’
4/15/2022 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
How to catch an Emu
Taking on an Emu is 100% a mind game.
4/8/2022 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
Man vs quoll
Between 1831 and 1916 there were 111 published reports of quolls eating human corpses. What. The. Duck?!
4/1/2022 • 25 minutes, 17 seconds
Aesop's Animals
What is the science behind the famous fables like the tortoise and the hare?
3/25/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Wearing the skins of your enemies
Sometimes it’s not enough to liquify your enemies and drink them through a straw. Sometimes you have to wear their skins as you hunt down their friends and families.
3/18/2022 • 25 minutes, 15 seconds
Salty extremophiles
This place is so extreme that NASA sends scientists to test equipment for Mars missions. And yet, Australia's salty lakes are full of life.
3/11/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Snakes and Ladders
How does a snake climb a pole? It's not like they have a ladder... or arms.
3/4/2022 • 25 minutes, 17 seconds
The kookaburra that conquered Hollywood
Yes, that was a kookaburra at the start of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. But WHY?
2/25/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Tits, boobies and hooters
Why is it that bird names seem so… childishly misogynistic?
2/18/2022 • 25 minutes, 17 seconds
Are you really better than a bum-licking ant?
Humans totally were the first farmers, right?! Think again.
2/11/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Eat sh*t and prosper
Evolution has resulted in a million ways that animals succeed on this earth, we just didn’t realise so many of them involved eating your own poo.
2/4/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
Duck the Ripper
Ripper the musk duck had many bad habits – chief among them was attacking the keepers and then swearing under his breath. But was Ripper really angry, or was his swearing a symptom of something much more sinister?
1/28/2022 • 25 minutes, 16 seconds
INTRODUCING — What The Duck?!
Australia is full of weird plants and animals. And Dr Ann Jones is on speaking terms with most of them! Each week Ann explores the most unusual elements of our natural world — the ones that make you go What the Duck?! Like why do quolls have spots? Who farts (and who doesn't)? And how do snakes climb trees? Join Ann alongside experts and ordinary Aussies alike to solve mysteries, smash myths and uncover the bizarre truth about nature down under.