Keeper Chat

Let's all close our eyes and pretend it is still October. This was recorded in the spooky month so just live with it. Who is your favorite slasher? Freddy? Jason? The Loggerhead Shrike? If you ever wanted to impale a mouse than this is the guy to watch for tips.   We chat about all things loggerhead shrike. What is a shrike? What does this have to do with Hannibal? Will you ever stop talking about Hannibal? Wait was this an ad for Hannibal all along? What do shrikes eat? What makes the hunting of the shrike so different?

*HOT TAKE ALERT* Flora and Fauna want all keepers to have safe and fair working conditions and to be paid a livable wage. RADICAL.   In this episode, we discuss salary transparency in job postings, red flags in job interviews, the fallacy of competitive passion and its role in exploitation, and how to set healthy boundaries at work that prioritize personal well-being. You can be professional and promote animal welfare without working yourself to death, babe

Atone for your sins, lest you end up a face on the bottom of the ocean.   This week we learn about the stargazer fish, a true NIGHTMARE MAN. We answer questions like what is an ambush predator? what adaptations does the stargazer have to camouflage itself in the ocean floor? Why is he electric AND capable of envenomating bystanders? WHAT CRIMES DID HE COMMIT (we never actually answer this one, it haunts us still).

They want to suck your blood! And you should let them, maybe? We continue the spookiest time of year with basically just an episode about vampires. This was what was inside Edward Cullen all along. We chat about things like: Where can I find a leech? Why is Illinois the pits? Who even wrote the bible? Can a leech hurt me? How much black bile should I have in my body? Is Pliny the Elder really smart or really dumb? How does a leech stay attached to a body? How much blood do leeches drink and how many times a year do they need to feed?

Hang up the fall foliage, bust out the hot chocolate, and throw a pumpkin on your head idk it's spooky season!   This week we talk about snakes AND spiders - two for one, baby! We answer questions like: what was Darwin THINKING when he went off the Viperidae template with this one? Were caudal lures the origins of fishing? What would you have on your booty if you were trying to lure in a snack? Have you seen the new Venom movie? lol

Everyone banded together to bring you...this salmon. A certified monster lover. Who doesn't love a shapeshifting fanged fish the size of a small man?   We chat about: Where are Chinook salmon found? Why is their flesh pink? How do salmon know where to go to spawn? What is a salmon run like, and why is it horrific? Am I okay to eat salmon? If I had to choose to nut or die, what would I pick?

Did you think we were done talking about fox-adjacent creatures? Think again!   This week, we learn all about the dhole and answer some questions like are these things related to wolves and is there an aLpHa?? what is the most purchased item at Wal-Mart? how many teats does a female dhole have? could you push one over if you needed to? And why did Rudyard Kipling have such huge beef with these animals?   Heads up, there is an unholy amount of background noise in this episode, stemming from Flora's cat and Fauna's partner. It certainly adds *flavor* to it all, but you've been warned.

Wee-woo wee-woo, the police are here, there is a carunkle alert issued for this episode. Please proceed with caution.   We chat about things like: Who is booger anus? What that wattle do? Where are wattled cranes found and how many things are they the best at? What's a good plan to save the world, and why is it just the plot of Wall-E?  

How have we never discussed this explicit whale. Anyways, call me Ishmael and let's get on with it.   This week, we answer your questions about the sperm whale, such as why is it called a sperm whale? why do so many nautical terms have seemingly phallic/male (sus) connotations? what is spermaceti and is it related to spaghetti? what is a sperm whale's favorite food? and what the heck does My Hero Academia have anything to do with this?

Is it high fashion? Or is it just helicopter blades on top of a cicada? Come learn about the Brazilian Treehopper who doesn't do much but look weird and suck sap. I guess there are worse things in life.   Learn things like: Where is the Brazilian Treehopper found? Does it live or want to live in Antarctica? How many species of this thing is out there? Does the treehopper's crazy style have a purpose?

We answer a listener submitted question! Do we have any tips for working in weather!? Oh we do. We have experienced all weather events and seasons... and they all have their miserable moments. So what can you do to prepare yourself to be working in the weather that the weather-person says, don't go out in? Tune in to hear how to beat the heat and the cold, and how a trash bag is gonna be your best friend.

You don't even know you know, but you know. Come learn more about the living squeaky toy who is always down to throw hands. This lil frog isn't just a regular frog, he is a dry boy. Come learn about things like: Where are desert rain frogs found? How does small boy get with such big lady? Do frogs who live in a desert need a tadpole stage? Who really is god's favorite?

Do you love tiny crevices, man lips, and crunchy foods? Well...then this guy is probably for you.   This week we answer questions about the wolf eel, such as: is it an eel? Why do his teeth look like that? Does he have a rebellious teenage phase? How has the movie Ghost wormed its way into the wolf eel's life? What secret crimes has Sega committed? And what are some of Flora and Fauna's favorite 90s vibes?

Remember back in the day when we found the simplest of youtube videos funny? Well, they aren't anymore because you're dead inside. Let's take a look at the honey badger, a viral sensation and a Lion Guard.   We answer stuff like: Why shouldn't I put my entire name and life on a disney wikipedia page? Where are honey badgers found? What do honey badgers eat? Would they eat me?

Think you're busier than a beaver? Think again.   This week we answer questions like: why do beavers build dams? what's up with those orange teeth? why are they so pivotal to an ecosystem? what do they think about their neighbors? and why are people obsessed with their castoreum?

Time for your regularly scheduled dose of even toed ungulate. Let's chat about a dry kinda guy. And before you come @ us check out Sahara Conservation Fund if you're interested in helping these dudes out, Flora forgot to mention it in the episode....   But we do mention stuff like: Where are addax found? How many are left in the wild? How many are found in captivity? Is hunting weird or nah? Is it possible there is a weird curse put on the addax that is making them all die, or is it just humans? How are addax specially adapted to live in such a dry place?

Here is part 2 of 2 where we talk about our past zookeeping experiences. If you're new to the game, Flora and Fauna have roughly 19 years of zoo experience between them and recently left the field for other pursuits. These episodes will be a deep dive into our rationale behind leaving such a coveted career field, how we knew it was time to go, and what led us to that decision. BIG DISCLAIMER: we have wicked mad respect for all animal care professionals out there, in zoos and in other fields. We also deeply care about animal conservation and support a lot of the work zoos do. Our personal experiences are by no means meant to offend anyone still in the field or aspiring to join. It is merely our opportunity to discuss some extremely widespread issues and hopefully provide a conversation starter for some positive change in the future.

Hey hey heyyy Grime Family! You've been asking for this one for a long time and we finally got around to it. This is part 1 of a 2 part episode wherein we talk all about our zookeeping experiences - the good, the bad, and the ugly. If you're new to the game, Flora and Fauna have roughly 19 years of zoo experience between them and recently left the field for other pursuits. These episodes will be a deep dive into our rationale behind leaving such a coveted career field, how we knew it was time to go, and what led us to that decision. BIG DISCLAIMER: we have wicked mad respect for all animal care professionals out there, in zoos and in other fields. We also deeply care about animal conservation and support a lot of the work zoos do. Our personal experiences are by no means meant to offend anyone still in the field or aspiring to join. It is merely our opportunity to discuss some extremely widespread issues and hopefully provide a conversation starter for some positive change in the future.

This episode is chaotic, but, when are they not. Flora's mom makes a brief appearance. But we mostly talk about a BUG. This one is weird, he gave up on flight, and became an Olympian, but he paid the price.   So what's up with tiger beetles? How many subspecies of tiger beetle are they? Do they have mustaches? Do they have bones? How fast can the fastest tiger beetle run? Do we want to go to the past or the future? Is there a future? Listen now for the answers to all of these burning questions.

Meet the only big cat native to the Americas! (Mountain lions, don't @ us, you're not included in this) This week learn all about the Jaguar and get answers to questions like: What is an obligate carnivore? How do jaguars hunt? What are the differences between Jaguars, Leopards, and Cheetahs? Are all cats just really big idiots? What is a melanistic color variant and how do black panthers fit into that? Why are jaguars SO BUILT?