Best Beast

Best Burglar

Flies that steal pre-wrapped gifts, ants that steal babies and make them into slaves, and octopus that could totally squeeze through that keyhole in a bank heist- these are the best animal burglars! Our guest host this episode is biologist and science communicator Dillon Jones, also known as Dillon the Biologist! Follow his Instagram for fun videos and commentary@dillonthebiologist [https://www.instagram.com/dillonthebiologist/?hl=en] Content Warning- Some language and descriptions of animal violence Our Animal Candidates: Scorpion Fly Octopus Forktailed Drongo Slave-making ant Bolitoglossa Salamander Skua Let’s learn more! Scorpionfly Natural History | BUG UNDER GLASS [https://bugunderglass.com/scorpionfly-natural-history/] Scorpionflies and Hangingflies:  Gift, Males, Steal, and Species - JRank Articles [https://animals.jrank.org/pages/2480/Scorpionflies-Hangingflies-Mecoptera-BEHAVIOR-REPRODUCTION.html] For lack of good footage of an Octopus completing a bank heist, here is a video of an Octopus walking on land. The Incredible octopus that can walk on dry land | The Hunt - BBC - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFzpC_e44Tg&ab_channel=BBC] Drongo Bird Tricks Meerkats | Africa | BBC Earth - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEYCjJqr21A&ab_channel=BBCEarth] New Slave-making Ant Discovered in North America (entomologytoday.org) [https://entomologytoday.org/2014/01/10/new-slave-making-ant-discovered-in-north-america/] Is this the face of a criminal? A giant palm salamander, Bolitoglossa dofleini, in Guatemala | Smithsonian Photo Contest | Smithsonian Magazine [https://photocontest.smithsonianmag.com/photocontest/detail/a-giant-palm-salamander-bolitoglossa-dofleini-in-guatemala/] South Polar Skua | Audubon Field Guide [https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/south-polar-skua] Antarctica’s Milk-Stealing, Grudge-Holding Seabirds | WBUR's The Wild Life [http://archives.wbur.org/thewildlife/2016/03/29/antarcticas-milk-stealing-grudge-holding-seabirds/] Want to vote for your favorite? Or nominate another animal entirely? Subscribe to our instagram @bestbeast_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/bestbeast_podcast/] or facebook @bestbeastpodcast [https://www.facebook.com/bestbeastpodcast]

Best Green Thumb

Are fish good at pulling weeds? Can crabs grow their breakfast on their hairy arms? And just how good are ants at talking to fungus? The answers may surprise you. Here are animals with the best green thumbs! Our guest host this episode is entomologist and researcher Emily Luna. Our Animal Candidates: Eastern Grey  Squirrel Leafcutter Ant Ambrosia Beetle Damsel Fish Yeti Crab Leaf Sheep Intrigued by ants and aphids? Learn more on our Best Friends episode! Best Friends [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1183211/7908235] Let’s learn more! Millions Of Trees Are Planted Every Year By Squirrels Who Forgot Where They Buried Their Nuts [https://nedhardy.com/2020/02/10/squirrels-plant-trees/] Leafcutter Ants are Farmers Who Grow Fungi | Office for Science and Society [https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/did-you-know/did-you-know-leafcutter-ants-are-farmers-who-grow-fungi#:~:text=Farming.,source%20for%20the%20ants%27%20larvae.] Ambrosia beetles: the tiny farmers you’ve never heard of - Entomology Graduate Student Association at University of California, Riverside [https://ucr-egsa.weebly.com/blog-posts/ambrosia-beetles-the-tiny-farmers-youve-never-heard-of] Damselfish farmers domesticated mysid shrimp – oceanbites [https://oceanbites.org/damselfish-farmers-domesticated-mysid-shrimp/] Yeti Crabs grow bacteria on their hairy claws - Scientific American Blog Network [https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/thoughtomics/yeti-crabs-grow-bacteria-on-their-hairy-claws/] Adorable "Leaf Sheep" Sea Slugs Look like Cartoon Lambs [https://mymodernmet.com/costasiella-kuroshimae-leaf-sheep-sea-slug/] The 'sheep' that can photosynthesise - BBC Travel [https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210324-the-odd-sea-creature-powered-by-the-sun] Want to vote for your favorite? Or nominate another animal entirely? Subscribe to our instagram @bestbeast_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/bestbeast_podcast/] or facebook @bestbeastpodcast [https://www.facebook.com/bestbeastpodcast]

Most Fashionable

Fancy feathers, pebble dresses, and coral sunhats- animals have found many ways to be fashionable. Here are nature's most impressive fashionistas! Our guest host this episode is ecologist and nature storyteller Jaclyn Aliperti. Check out her work here! https://www.instagram.com/jaclynaliperti/ [https://www.instagram.com/jaclynaliperti/] https://www.jaclynaliperti.com/ [https://www.jaclynaliperti.com/] What to hear more of Jaclyn's insights? Check out one of her previous episodes! Least Deserved Negative Reputation [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1183211/8055893] Best Architect [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1183211/7168420] Best Nose [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1183211/8970531] Content warning: Mild language Our Animal Candidates: Peacock Orchid Mantis Caddisfly Decorator Crab Penguins Camouflaged Looper Let’s learn more! A peacock's tail: how Darwin arrived at his theory of sexual selection [https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/may/19/a-peacocks-tail-how-darwin-arrived-at-his-theory-of-sexual-selection] Beautiful Huntresses: Scientists Explain Why Mantises Evolved To Resemble Orchids [https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/12/13/505424928/beautiful-huntresses-scientists-explain-why-mantises-evolved-to-resemble-orchids] Why Do These Deadly Insects Look Like Flowers? - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7SAecAIeMI] Caddisfly larvae (order Trichoptera) | LIFE IN FRESHWATER [http://lifeinfreshwater.net/caddisfly-larvae-trichoptera/] Artist Hubert Duprat Collaborates with Caddisfly Larvae as They Build Aquatic Cocoons from Gold and Pearls [https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2014/07/hubert-duprat-caddisflies/] Decorator Crabs Make High Fashion at Low Tide | Deep Look - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwQcv7TyX04] Black and White, the Perfect Combination | Penguins International [https://www.penguinsinternational.org/2020/01/02/black-and-white-the-perfect-combination/] The awkward state of penguin molting | Deep Sea News [https://www.deepseanews.com/2015/04/the-awkward-state-of-penguin-molting/] Lady Gaga Wears Pink Feathered Valentino Couture Gown to Venice Film Festival [https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/red-carpet-dresses/a22887744/lady-gaga-valentino-couture-venice-film-festival/] emperor penguin teenager - Google [https://www.google.com/search?q=emperor+penguin+teenager&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwjVvs_b2MH3AhV-FjQIHRzyAbQQ2-cCegQIABAA&oq=emperor+penguin+teenager&gs_lcp=CgNpbWcQAzIHCCMQ7wMQJzoGCAAQCBAeOgUIABCABDoECAAQGFDgCliOFGDuFGgAcAB4AIAB5QGIAZcHkgEFNi4yLjGYAQCgAQGqAQtnd3Mtd2l6LWltZ8ABAQ&sclient=img&ei=H0RwYpWzB_6s0PEPnOSHoAs&bih=998&biw=1868&hl=en] Camouflaged Looper Caterpillar - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_obySGBNzvI] Crafty Caterpillar Puts Flowers on Back for Camouflage » TwistedSifter [https://twistedsifter.com/2012/05/wavy-lined-emerald-moth-camouflaged-looper-info-pics/] Want to vote for your favorite? Or nominate another animal entirely? Subscribe to our instagram @bestbeast_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/bestbeast_podcast/] or facebook @bestbeastpodcast [https://www.facebook.com/bestbeastpodcast]

Best Jumper

Jumping- not reserved only for frogs and kangaroos! Many animals have impressive jumps, from spiders, to sharks, to . . . beans? Which beast is the best jumper? Our guest is Alex Mcinturf, Post-Doctoral researcher at the Big Fish Lab at Oregon State University. Read about some of her amazing work with Basking Sharks here. https://alexandramcinturf.squarespace.com [https://alexandramcinturf.squarespace.com/] Check out Big Fish's work on their instagram Big Fish Lab (@big_fish_lab) • Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/big_fish_lab/?hl=en] Content warning- Mild Language Our animal candidates- Mexican Jumping Bean Basking Shark Frog Hopper Flying Snake Mako Shark Jumping Spider Let's Learn More! Why Did the Mexican Jumping Bean Jump? | Deep Look - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lkdidU79TY] Peaceful basking sharks can leap just as powerfully as great whites | New Scientist [https://www.newscientist.com/article/2179238-peaceful-basking-sharks-can-leap-just-as-powerfully-as-great-whites/] Froghopper insects leap to new heights | Nature [https://www.nature.com/articles/424509a] Jumping Hoppers in SLOW MOTION! - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PW-0r4Fj4Y] (Adrien at Ant Labs has been a guest on our podcast before and produces lots of amazing slow motion insect videos) The Amazing Paradise Flying Snake | Wildest Islands Of Indonesia - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16aGSx9gFO4] Spilling The Secret To A Mako Shark's Speed (forbes.com) [https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissacristinamarquez/2019/03/04/spilling-the-secret-to-a-mako-sharks-speed/?sh=72b162ce1e02] 500-pound mako shark jumping toward boat prompts evasive maneuver | Men's Journal [https://www.mensjournal.com/adventure/500-pound-mako-shark-jumping-toward-boat-prompts-evasive-maneuver-video/] Spider With Three Super Powers | The Hunt | BBC Earth - YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDtlvZGmHYk] Personalities of jumping spiders determine how they hunt | Daily Mail Online [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4776776/Personalities-jumping-spiders-determine-hunt.html] Want to vote for your favorite? Or nominate another animal entirely? Subscribe to our instagram @bestbeast_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/bestbeast_podcast/] or facebook @bestbeastpodcast [https://www.facebook.com/bestbeastpodcast/]

Bonus Episode: Best Cryptid

In honor of April the 1st we are discussing cryptids! From Bigfoot, to Krakens, to deadly farting bison, these are some fake animals that have some real ridiculous history. Our guest host this episode is narrative director and lover of the weird,  Kyu Saiewitz. You can find Kyu's previous episode with us here! Most Terrifying Murderer [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1183211/9405087] Content warning- Mild Language Our animal candidates- Bigfoot Jersey Devil Dragon Loch Ness Monster Kraken Bonasus Let's Learn More! Bigfoot [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-so-many-people-still-believe-in-bigfoot-180970045/] The Jersey Devil [https://pinelandsalliance.org/learn-about-the-pinelands/pinelands-history-and-culture/the-jersey-devil-and-folklore/] Pliny the Elder's Dragons [https://www.strangescience.net/pliny.htm] Giant Squid equals Awesomesauce [http://www.deepseanews.com/2011/01/from-the-editors-desk-giant-squidawesomesauce/] Giant Squid footage [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCWop491Q9Y] Pliny the Elder's Bonasus [https://medium.com/exploring-history/meet-six-of-the-beasts-in-plinys-natural-history-55753fbf9e72] Want to vote for your favorite? Or nominate another animal entirely? Subscribe to our instagram @bestbeast_podcast [https://www.instagram.com/bestbeast_podcast/] or facebook @bestbeastpodcast [https://www.facebook.com/bestbeastpodcast/]