Bizarre Beasts

This month's beast is, of course, the Greenland shark! We blamed Greenland sharks for the gruesome deaths of over 5,000 seals from 1993-2001 near Sable Island. The only thing it's actually guilty of is outlasting every other vertebrate on the planet. youtu.be/ldAGbtpD9uI?...

Our buy 3 get 1 free sale is ending soon. Stock up on pins at complexly.store/collections/...

youtube.comThey See Me Rolling! Dwarf Reedsnakes Fling Themselves Along At 4 Meters Per SecondYouTube video by IFLScience

It is reptile awareness day, and we need you to be aware that snakes can roll. youtube.com/shorts/A3Sxt...

Our Endlings Season 2 finale is out now! Learn how we saved California Condors and proved that we could save a species even at the very final hour which may have changed the field of conservation, forever. youtu.be/E4DkTVavyMk?...

youtu.be1 Hour of Condor Puppet Feeding Ambience for Relaxing/Studying | San Diego Zoo ZOOthing Tunes LoFiYouTube video by San Diego Zoo

And for even more baby condors check out this video! youtu.be/sq1WhI229YI?...

Bizarre Beasts reposted

Jake Withee

@witheelabs.bsky.social

This was a fun one to research, AND they still let me include some of the dumbest jokes I've ever written!

Bizarre Beasts@bizarrebeastsshow.bsky.social

This month's pin was designed by @pansybeast.bsky.social Julian Miholics aka Jules is a full time illustrator and ceramicist born, raised, and currently working in Ontario, Canada, and owner of a one-man shop to peddle his wares.

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When not at work you can find him tending his garden during the warmer months, spending time with his dogs and birds, or getting lost in video games like Fallout: New Vegas.

"I've never been one to turn down a good time drawing fish so I was naturally thrilled to draw up a shark, and such a mythical one at that! The Greenland shark also has a rather adorable face which was a joy to capture in illustration." Check out more from Julian here: julianmiholics.com

A lover of the natural world and its extinct and extant life, the subjects are a constant presence in his work that he's had the fortune to both exhibit and sell internationally.

If our next bizarre beast had a mantra it would be "swimming in the cold and getting real old." It's also an enigmatic predator from the north which may be why we accused it of some mysterious seal deaths back in the day. But it was totally framed! Can you guess what the next bizarre beast is?

youtu.beShocking Moth Plague of Biblical Proportions - Forest Tent Caterpillar MothsYouTube video by Richard Reich

One more tent caterpillar swarm before we chat about our next beast! youtu.be/d6L5LzihGSI?...

15 Sept

We’re excited to announce, we have a new shirt for you! Our celebration of arthropods! Are we over-representing Hymenoptera here? Probably not! There are so many.⁠ ⁠ Anyway… get a new shirt to show love to the whole arthropod community. complexly.info/arthropods4

This month’s pin was designed by Jennifer V. Zee! Jennifer V. Zee is a Chinese American, Bay Area based Printmaker and Clay Artist. She prints distinctive nature and geometry inspired art from hand carved blocks.

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ginkgozeeacademy.comginkgozeeI will teach you how to carve your blocks and create your own prints.

Her print and ceramic art informs her audience about biodiversity and ecological connections. She's also an active artist and art teacher, and enjoys empowering students to tap into their creativity. www.ginkgozeeacademy.com

"Just outside a renowned cheese creamery in Marin, I observed my first tent caterpillar tree. A generously-sized, wide branching tree was completely enveloped with silk, and within the silk held thousands upon thousands of caterpillars. That was years ago, and clearly left an indelible impression."

Jennifer’s designs are meticulous, often featuring intricate tessellations that incorporate concepts and aesthetics from her background as a scientific illustrator and biologist. In her ceramic work, she uses the technique of sgraffito to adorn dishwares with unusual animals.

8 Sept

The term “social butterfly” is actually a bit of a misnomer. Most moths and butterflies live pretty solitary lives. However, our next beast is just more gregarious. Especially in its larval stage, when this beast is so social with its nearby friends that we classify their gatherings as swarms.

8 Sept

We don’t really know why they gather in this way, but we have learned that their forest ecosystems are great at population control so they don’t get completely overrun by a tent caterpillar outbreak. Watch the episode to learn more! youtu.be/xNA4quA9VuI

31 July

You might expect to see our next bizarre beast in a pond, bog, puddle, wetlands, or even under a nice moist rock or log. If that’s the case, you’ll be looking in all the wrong places because this amphibian can live hundreds of feet above ground.

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14 Aug

This pin was designed by Abelle Hayford. Abelle Hayford is an illustrator currently based in Austin, Texas. They love experimenting with colors, playing with textures and effects, and exploring whimsical themes. Check out more of their work: abellehayford.com

14 Aug

Abelle's main source of inspiration for these pin designs stems from the gold speckers that cover a Wandering salamander’s scales. To them, the spots almost resemble stars in a galaxy, and they wanted to represent that in the final design.

31 July

14 Aug

This month's beast is the wandering salamander! These little guys can spend their entire life cycle hundreds of feet above the ground. As a result, they’re pretty well suited to climbing – and skydiving. ⁠ ⁠ Check out the episode now! youtu.be/sbBjwBHOnsk?...

Bizarre Beasts reposted

Complexly

@complexly.org

30 July

However you support Complexly, you fuel our mission: whether you’re buying merch, watching our videos, or getting a ticket for Complexly’s first in-person fundraiser, Something Worth Knowing!

28 July

We like treehoppers and all their oddities! 📺: youtu.be/ZgyAnhlGUIY?...

15 July

Toughie the Rabbs' Fringed-limbed Tree Frog lived in a biosecure enclosure in Atlanta for years. The first time anyone heard his voice, he was already the last of his kind, the endling. Learn his story now: youtu.be/uWallOyZvn0

6 July

If you guessed treehoppers, you're right! Sitting still all the time does make them vulnerable to attacks so they’ve come up with some pretty complex defense mechanisms, which you can learn all about in our latest episode! youtu.be/ZgyAnhlGUIY

3 July

Our next bizarre beast is a true bug. They get their names from living on tress and being good at jumping, though a majority of their time is spent holding still and slurping tree sap. Can you guess what it is?

2 July

As you probably know, the Brahminy Blind Snake's length is about the same as the circumference of 1 quarter! But what about some of our other bizarre beasts?

10 June

Let's go on a field trip to the Keauhou Bird Conservation Center! The KBCC is home to Hawaii's rarest birds, including our most recent Endling the 'akikiki (episode out now!). watch the new episode: youtu.be/rr8Sfnbp2M4 take the field trip: kuula.co/share/5MqXT/...

4 June

This month’s pin was designed by Thomas Marnin! Thomas Marnin is one half of MarninSaylor, a Seattle based toy brand known for their characters, the Pastry Pets. Thomas is a lifelong lover of the natural world. Check out more from Marnin Saylor here: marninsaylor.com

1 June

If you guessed Brahminy Blind Snake, you're right! For these so called "flowerpot snakes" living in tropical soil has become the ultimate accidental passport. There are now Brahminy Blind Snakes in the tropical and subtropical biomes of every continent, except for Antarctica. youtu.be/uHd7zuWZHxk

29 May

You’re going to have to get in really close to identify our next beast. On first glance, you may think it’s just a worm. That totally makes sense given its tiny size, blindness, and tendency to dig around in the soil. But it's not a worm at all...who is that girl?

galapagos.orgProtects and Restores the Galápagos Islands | Galápagos ConservancyGalápagos Conservancy safeguards and revitalises the Galápagos Islands through targeted conservation efforts and strategic grant funding.

22 May

The Galápagos Conservancy was a huge help on our Galápagos Island Tortoises Endlings episode. Their team has re-wilded more than 10,000 tortoises since 1965. learn more about them here: www.galapagos.org and watch the Galápagos Island Tortoises episode here: youtu.be/UIlCNJTvSsc

@darcyshapiro.bsky.social

20 May

A new Endlings episode JUST DROPPED! The many species of Galápagos Island Tortoises are the islands' most dominant herbivores. So how did one tortoise become affectionately known as Lonesome George, the Endling? 📺: youtu.be/UIlCNJTvSsc

Bizarre Beasts reposted

Darcy Shapiro

14 May

Turns out, the first season of Endlings on @bizarrebeastsshow.bsky.social wasn’t our last! Season 2 starts now, with the story of the two wolves of Japan #scicomm

youtube.comIs The Japanese Wolf Still Alive? (Endlings Is Back!)YouTube video by Bizarre Beasts

13 May

Two wolves once prowled the mountains and forests of Japan. They were revered as deities, and respected as protectors of travelers and fields, until forces from outside the islands changed everything... 📺: youtu.be/UUKGQKkUKeE

7 May

If you want to work with the Bizarre Beasts team, here's a chance! Our department is hiring an Associate Producer to help us and some other cool channels. Check out the link if you're interested!

Complexly@complexly.org

We're looking for an Associate Producer to join Complexly! This is a full-time remote role supporting video production from pre-production to publishing. Apply by May 13th at Complexly.org/jobs

29 Apr

Happy 200th Birthday @zslofficial.bsky.social! 🥳 The ZSL has helped us out on Bizarre Beasts many times and we're just so glad they exist. Check out their 200th celebration at zsl.org/200.

Kory Bing is an illustrator based in Oregon City, Oregon with a focus on strange creatures, extinct animals, and other oddities of our natural world. She grew up in the rural Ozark Mountains of Missouri and spent most of her childhood in the woods poking things with sticks and picking up snakes.

skindeepcomic.comSkin Deep

Kory is the creator of the long-running urban fantasy webcomic Skin Deep (www.skindeepcomic.com) and illustrator for The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, When the Earth Was Green, and the upcoming Tyrant Lizard Queen by Riley Black.

Biodiversity Heritage Library

Evolution and the natural world have always been a huge artistic inspiration; it's fascinating to see how nature can shape an organism into something like a stripey horse-goat with a long black tongue and the ability to disappear into the forest.

Bizarre Beasts reposted

@biodivlibrary.bsky.social

Have you discovered the fabulous Bizarre Beasts show? Many episodes trace the scientific discovery and early descriptions of #BizarreBeasts through the literature. Look out for references to the Biodiversity Heritage Library! (Thanks @bizarrebeastsshow.bsky.social for crediting BHL!)

Bizarre Beasts@bizarrebeastsshow.bsky.social

The next endling in our mini-series is the Thylacine! Thylacines (aka Tasmanian Tigers or Tasmanian Wolves) have been extinct since 1936. Many factors contributed to their extinction, but our own zoological fascination was part of the problem. Learn more in our latest episode. youtu.be/YeMXE8XEmSU

Bizarre Beasts reposted

eleep.bsky.social

@eleep.bsky.social

5 Apr

Thank you! This is beautiful! We love Endlings and are happy to have supported it! @bizarrebeastsshow.bsky.social @hankgreen.bsky.social

26 Mar

Braconid wasps are pretty weird! Here's an animation of a wasp injecting a host with its virus!

youtube.comWasps emerging from a caterpillar!YouTube video by Ant Lab

16 Mar

Special thanks to the folks at Ant Lab for letting us use this footage of wasps emerging from a caterpillar in our episode! youtube.com/shorts/VO-Mi...

10 Mar

Our braconid wasp pin artist is Sage Friss! Sage is a Missoula based artist who grew up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Montana. He's deeply connected to the world around him and inspired by nature.

10 Mar

Spending time watching bugs live their lives has always been a valued activity for him. His work largely features realistic scenes within imagined realities. He is a self taught artist.