Strange by Nature Podcast

Vampire Bats and Cinnamon Blood

Hello Everyone and thanks for listening this week. Kirk kicks things off with a story about Vampire bats that just won't learn their lesson. In fact, they aren't able to. New research shows vampire bats may be the only mammal that doesn't develop food aversions after eating bad food. Rachel is up next and she tells us about the tricky Harlequin bug. It comes in so many colors and varieties, scientists keep falling for the trap of calling it a new species over and over and over again. Victoria tells us about the Common side-blotched lizard and how their mating strategies are a bit like Rock, Paper, Scissors. Let's play some Blue Lizard, Orange Lizard, Yellow Lizard! Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad-free!  Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature [http://patreon.com/strangebynature] Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com [contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com] Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com [https://www.strangebynaturepodcast.com] where you can sign up for our episode emails.

A Six Legged Whoopin!

Victoria starts us off this week with barnacles! I know, they may not sound that interesting but it turns out they are being used by researchers to help narrow the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370. Kirk bring us the unbelievable tale of a wasp that uses pheromones to purposefully start massive ant brawls just so it can locate a butterfly. Yes, it is very weird. Rachel rounds out this week with a look at the amazing creature, the Polar Bear. It has a few tricks up it's sleeve for surviving in the cold of the arctic. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad-free!  Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature [http://patreon.com/strangebynature] Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com [contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com] Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com [https://www.strangebynaturepodcast.com] where you can sign up for our episode emails.

A Zombie Cockroach Baby Snack

Welcome to 2026! Rachel starts off the year with horrifying wasps that sting cockroaches, turn them into zombies and then lay their eggs in them so their young can devour them from the inside. You're welcome. Victoria takes on the fascinating topic of all the animals that beat us to the idea of farming by millions of years. They even do weeding and apply fungicides. It gets wild. Kirk heads to the ocean and discovers that some brittle stars are actually covered in millions of eyes. These eyes are unlike any other and absolutely wild. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad-free!  Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature [http://patreon.com/strangebynature] Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com [contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com] Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com [https://www.strangebynaturepodcast.com] where you can sign up for our episode emails.

The Smallest Animals on Earth

The final episode of 2025. Here's what we have for you: Kirk kicks off the show by looking into the very strange world of insect hearing. Turns out some flies use a rotating nose to hear. Rachel is then up and she talks about the arms race between Bats and Moths. This conflict has lead to some amazing defenses on the part of the moths. Victoria is up third and she brings us the smallest animals on earth, Myxozoans. These little creatures are technically an animal (related to jellyfish) but they are missing most of the genes for the things we usually associate with animals. A HUGE thank-you to our Patrons that made this show possible in 2025!

Load the Fish Cannon!

Look, we get it. This is a busy week with family for a lot of people. If you are one of those people, we sincerely hope this episode helps you hide from family and obligations and take a moment for your weird selves. We're all in this together. On this week's show, Victoria kicks things off with a deep dive on Bats. We often think of them as predators but they are prey animals as well. She talks about some of the animals that hunt bats and then stare some bizarre new research showing that even rats have started to hunt bats and unbelievably are catching them while they are flying. Kirk then brings us the Top 7 birds that actively work to keep predators away from their nests. He covers amazing talents that range from distraction displays to essentially group mass defication on predators until they die. It gets wild. Rachel rounds out this week by loading fish into a cannon and blasting them off. It sounds cruel but the fish cannon is actually a bizarre device to help migrating fish safely fly over tall dams on rivers. Join us weekly for more strange nature. Our supporters on Patreon get every episode ad-free!  Support us: patreon.com/strangebynature [http://patreon.com/strangebynature] Email us: contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com [contact@strangebynaturepodcast.com] Visit us at: strangebynaturepodcast.com [https://www.strangebynaturepodcast.com] where you can sign up for our episode emails.