Cool Facts About Animals

On this episode, we learn about a truly resilient animal, the tardigrade (aka the cutely-named moss piglet or water bear).  This animal can survive anywhere from the moon to a volcano to your own backyard. In its tun state, it can lie dormant for decades in a sort of zombie state. Very cool.  Thank you to Abby for supporting us on Patreon! If you would like to financially support us, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals Find Skype a Scientist Live here: https://www.skypeascientist.com/skype-a-scientist-live.html If you know the answer to the creature quiz or take part in the kid challenge, let us know and we will send you a bookmark! Email us at coolanimalspod@gmail.com or tweet us at @coolanimalspod. 

In honor of one of our favorite holidays, we are rebroadcasting our April Fools Day episode from last year, starring Mr. Eric of What if World. It's our most popular episode of all time and we hope you enjoy it! 

On this episode, we take advantage of the amazing Skype a Scientist program and speak with Dr. Dan Killam, an expert on giant clams.  We learned so much about giant clams - including how their eyes work (and that they even had eyes), how big they can get, how they are similar to trees, and lots more.  We had more than we could fit in this episode. If you want to hear more about giant clams and other odds and ends (like what Dr. Killam named his Venus fly trap) head over to our Patreon page. You do not need to financially support us to hear these bonus materials. https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals We always love to hear from you! Send us an email at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com or tweet us at @coolanimalspod  Learn more about the Skype a Scientist program here: https://www.skypeascientist.com

Starting this week, Kids Listen member podcasts – like What If World, The Past and the Curious, The Good Words Podcast, Book Club for Kids, Little Bedtime Stories, Tumble Podcast, Timestorm, Be Calm on Ahway Island, Aaron’s World, Best Day Yet, The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian, Story Spectacular, Unspookable, Curious Kid Podcast and Buttons & Figs – and of course Cool Facts About Animals – will bring you a podcast and an activity based on the episode. Cool Facts About Animals’ episode is up today! For our episode, we chose our second most popular episode of all time – tarantula hawk wasps. This episode features an interview with Dr. Justin Schmidt, who invented the Schmidt Sting Pain Index.  Do you kow how he invented that index? He got stung. A lot. And then told people about how much each one hurt on a scale from 1 to 4. It’s a really fun episode, filled with lots of animal facts from a super cool scientist. After you listen, you can find a number of activities relating to the episode, including inv

On this bonus episode of CFAA, we speak with Allyson Shaw, an editor and writer at National Geographic Kids.  In this interview we learn about “comeback critters,” animals that were struggling but are now doing a lot better because of human intervention, as well as animals that still really need our help.  We also talk about the dangers and benefits of plastic, and practical tips to reduce plastic consumption. This episode is FULL of tips on how kids can help protect animals.  We’d love to hear some of the tips you found most inspiring, and which going to try to do yourselves!  You can tweet us at @coolanimalspod or email us at cfaa@gmail.com, and we will send you a bookmark! Thanks as always for listening, and we will back soon with our regular format.

Hello listeners! On this episode we are learning all about Koalas (not bears).  We learn a number of really gross things that these animals do, despite being so cute, and some other cool facts - like how small the babies are, what their name means and all sorts of interesting things about their hands and feet. We also talk about how you can help koalas suffering from the effects of the bush fires, including by "adopting" a koala through the Australia Koala Foundation: https://www.savethekoala.com  Thanks to Sam the Bug Hunter for being our Patreon sponsor! If you'd like to help support our podcast, please head over to our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals If you know the answer to the riddle, creature or quiz, or you do the Kid Challenge, let us know! Email us at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com or tweet us at @coolanimalspod  Thanks as always to Andrew of Ear Snacks for our theme music! 

We have another bonus episode in store for you today! We speak with Dr. Jim Sanderson, a conservationist and Program Manager of Wild Cat Conservation at the Global Wildlife Conservation. We wanted to speak with him about the Andean Cat, because he is one of the very few people to ever see one in nature. While we did learn some cool things about the cat, we also learned a lot about a new field - conservationism.   It was such an honor to get the chance to speak with Dr. Sanderson. This episode is a bit longer than usual, but we thought the whole interview was so interesting, we didn't know what to cut.  We hope you enjoy it, and are as inspired by Dr. Sanderson's work as we are!   We should be back to our normal format after this. We look forward to thanking our newest Patreon sponsor on that episode. 

We were excited to receive a copy of “A Book of Rather Strange Animals” by Caleb Compton. Just like it sounds, the book is a collection of unusual, weird, wacky, and just plain cool animals.  In this episode we talk about a few of the animals in the book: the purple frog; sea bunny; hammerhead worm; and vampire squid.   Want to answer the creature quiz, riddle, or tell us about how you did on the kid challenge? You can reach us at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com or tweet us at @coolanimalspod. And if you’d like to financially support us, you can do so at https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals

On this episode, we learn all about the colossal squid – an animal that no one has actually seen move around in the ocean.   In this episode you’ll learn about their predators, how they attack prey, how colossal they really are, and the surprising amount they need to eat to stay alive.  Thanks to Fox and Frye for the suggestion! If you know the answer to the creature quiz, or did the kid challenge, let us know! You can reach us at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com or tweet us at @coolanimalspod If you’d like to support us financially, please visit our Patreon page! https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals Finally, here’s a link to the video of the colossal squid autopsy: https://www.pri.org/stories/2014-09-17/rare-colossal-squid-was-dissected-new-zealand-and-you-can-watch-it-youtube

Learn more about Spider Monkey Burrito Creator Day and Green Overall Day(s) with Jaguar and Corduroy. Things get a little heated, but it ends up with everyone coming together with some holiday songs. (No animal facts in this one, it's just for fun.) 

On this episode, we go way back in time to learn about the velociraptor! If your knowledge about the velociraptor comes from the movie Jurassic Park (like Jaguar) then you’ll be surprised to know that most of what you think is true is false! The velociraptor was only about the size of the turkey, and its hunting game was way different than portrayed.  In this episode, you’ll learn more about its dangerous claws, a prehistoric battle, and lots more.  We mentioned two videos in the episode. They are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0qs5oclDkI  - Interesting information about what the velociraptor might have sounded like https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2erfy1 - BBC documentary in which they do experiments to discover more about how the velociraptor’s claws were used If you want to answer our creature quiz, riddle, do the kid challenge, or just want to say hi, you can reach us on Twitter at @coolanimalspod or email us at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com If you’d like to support us financially, and help fund ou

You can’t get much spookier than this spider, the largest of all spiders.  It’s legs alone get be up to a foot long, and it’s so hairy and creepy and…. I need to stop.  On this episode, you’ll learn about this tarantula’s defense mechanisms—including its ability to spew barbed hairs at its enemies, the creepy thing female spiders do to their would-be mates, and lots more.  We always love to hear from you! You can reach us at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com or tweet us at @coolanimalspod. If you’re interested in being one of our Patreon sponsors, follow the link here:https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals  Thanks as always to Andrew of Ear Snacks for our theme song! 

In this episode, we talk about new discoveries about orcas (aka killer whales), learn more about how smart they are (learning words!), and Jaguar gets a little jealous. We’ve got lots of links in this one: Here’s the link to Orca v. Great White Shark: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/orca-versus-great-white-shark/id1334467437?i=1000423748015 Here’s the link to the salmon episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/salmon/id1334467437?i=1000417338721 Here’s a link to the granola bar recipe I’ve been using (I love Smitten Kitchen): https://smittenkitchen.com/2010/02/thick-chewy-granola-bars/ And here’s a yogurt making primer: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt-step-by-step-article And thanks again to Maggie for being our Patreon sponsor! If you’re interested in supporting our podcast financially, you can do so here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals If you want to answer the creature quiz, riddle, or tell us how you’re doing on this month’s kid challenge,

The Cool Facts About Animals crew got the opportunity to head to Oregon’s science museum (OMSI) to check out the new exhibit, Exquisite Creatures, and interview the artist behind the exhibit, Christopher Marley.  Marley is an Oregon artist who uses animals and insects to create amazing pieces of art.  In this episode you’ll learn why it’s so important to go out and see nature in real life, what kinds of looks you get when you take your pet monitor lizard for a walk, and how you can help to protect animals. Thanks as always for listening, and we will be back soon with our regularly-scheduled episode! Many thanks against to Christopher Marley for speaking with us, and for OMSI for giving us this opportunity.   And thank you to Andrew Barkan of Ear Snacks for our theme music!         

It's a whale! It's a shark! It's not a whale at all, it's the biggest fish in the sea! It's a whale shark!  On this episode we get way too silly talking about filter feeding, the differences between whales and sharks, and just how big these sharks are. (Hint: super big.) Thanks to Miles for the suggestion, along with previous suggesters Theo and Nadia.  And many thanks to Lilli and Hazel, two of our newest Patreon sponsors! If you would like to help support us take a road trip to visit in person with a scientist, you can head over to https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals and make a donation.  We are narrowing in on a location, and hope to head there this fall!  If you think you know the answer to our creature quiz or riddle, or if you completed our kid challenge, send us an email at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com, or tweet us at @coolanimalspod. Thanks for listening! 

Just for fun this long weekend, we're doing filling in the blank word games with Jaguar and Corduroy! We'll be back with more cool animal facts in a week or so - stay tuned! Thanks so much to Miles and Toby, our Patreon supporters! If you're interested in supporting us financially, you can check out our Patreon page here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals  

Another special summer episode, this time featuring Tristan and Quinn.  Besides being Sea Pig experts, they are also cousins to Grady, Clara, and Teddy.  We learn lots of cool facts about this very strange looking sea creature. If you want to guess what they might look like (no peeking!) send us a picture at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com, or tweet us at coolanimalspod.  If you already know what they look like, send us another picture instead.  We will send you a bookmark!  We will be getting back to school and our normal schedules soon. Thanks in advance to our three new Patreon sponsors! We will be doing official thank yous in our next three regular episodes.   If you would like to financially support our podcast, click here: https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals 

A long, long time ago we got a request from James—who was 5 at the time—to do an episode about tarantula hawk wasps. When we started researching the insect, we kept coming across the name Dr. Justin Schmidt. Grady had already heard of him—you may have too. He invented what’s called the Schmidt Sting Pain Index. The index measures just what it sounds like it would—how painful different insects’ stings are to humans. Dr. Schmidt is also the author of a book called The Sting of the Wild, which we recommend you all read. We had the great pleasure of having a Skype conversation from Dr. Schmidt from his office in Tucson, Arizona. We talked about not just the tarantula hawk wasp, but also about other stinging insects, why some insects die after they sting you, how much it hurts to get stung by a bullet ant, and lots more. Check it out. We will be back with our regular format soon! And once again, we know we have a growing list of folks who we owe bookmarks and replies too. You are on our radar, but summer fun is ge

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the landing on the moon, we are celebrating a moon-themed animal--the Luna Moth! Learn about its fierce defense tactics as a caterpillar, the one important thing its missing as an adult, and a lot of corny moth jokes. Want to support Jaguar's mantis shrimp habit? Er, rather, our trip to Eastern Oregon to learn about some other cool animals from the experts? You can support us on our Patreon page!https://www.patreon.com/coolfactsaboutanimals To answer our Creature Quiz, send us an email at coolfactsaboutanimals@gmail.com or Tweet us at @coolanimalspod. We are behind on sending out our bookmarks, but we are aware! We promise to send soon.

On this episode, we travel all the way to… Grady’s elementary school to do a “versus” episode. This past school year, Grady’s third-grade class did a unit on Oregon bird, where each kid in the class chose a different Oregon bird to study. We spoke to nine of these kids to bring you this versus episode! Which type of bird would win in a fashion contest? Which type of bird would win a hotdog eating contest? And which bird reigns superior! Listen to the episode to find out. Many thanks to the kids who contributed to this episode, and to Mrs. Gassner for making this episode possible!