Nature Disturbed

Wet n Wild: British Beavers Return

It's the series finale! To celebrate, I'm heading back to my home country, where these charismatic rodents have returned after an absence of over 400 years.

Wet n Wild: Trees Made of Salmon

Trees in the temperate rainforests of British Columbia have been shown to contain marine derived nutrients (nutrients of marine origin). But... excuse me, please.... why do trees inland contain nutrients from the open ocean? Well, here's the simple answer: the trees are made of salmon.  Each year, spawning salmon are pulled from rivers by grizzlies, black bears, coastal wolves, bald eagles, and (sorry, salmon) so many more other hungry carnivores. Hundreds of salmon carcasses line the banks, as scavengers battle one another for the rights to this glorious buffet. Many species take their prizes deep into the forest to eat in peace. This distribution of salmon through the forest leads to a mass influx of nutrients (Nitrogen, Carbon, Sulphur...), which are then absorbed by the vegetation. Also covered in this discussion: salmon hats worn by orcas; how zombie-like salmon blur the line between life and death; and using salmon carcasses and biodegradable paint to make beautiful artwork.  In this episode, I'm joined by the brilliant Kristen Walters, Director of Salmon Habitat, Climate and Policy at Raincoast Conservation Foundation.

Wet n Wild: Giant Squid (& other molluscs)

The Kraken of Scandinavia; the Lusca of the Caribbean; the Akkorokamui of Japan... what do these legendary sea monsters have in common? ... They're all real!  These creatures have surfaced from the deepest wells of mythology into modern science in the form of the giant squid. How big can these creatures get? How can we study them? Why are they so elusive? And of course ... Who would win in a fight between a giant squid and a colossal squid? In this episode I journey to meet Jon Ablett, Senior Curator of Molluscs at the Natural History Museum, London. We speak about the science and the legend surrounding the giant squid. We also speak about mollusc diversity, cephalopod intelligence and camouflage, and oh yes... snails!

Wet n Wild: Snapping Turtles

This week, I journey to an unlikely destination in search of turtles: Canada! The snapping turtle's range stretches all the way from Florida to the frozen north of the continent. And yet, its remarkable ability to survive the cold is hardly its most defining feature. Perhaps that credit could go to its razor sharp bill; its long, bendy neck; the fake worm on its tongue which it uses to lure fish... or its use of cloacal respiration. Listen to find out more! I'm joined in this episode by Ellen Weatherford, of the Just the Zoo of Us podcast.

Wet n Wild: Cocaine Hippos

In 1981, infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar imported 4 hippos to his private zoo as a gift for his daughter. After his death, they escaped - and now there are hundreds of feral hippos living in Colombia. Today's guest is Vanessa the Pink Hippo, the mascot of Escobar's former estate Hacienda Nápoles. Vanessa is severely inbred, but that doesn't stop her from living her truth.