What The Duck?!
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What The Duck?!
The show with a mission to explore the mysteries of nature - especially the ones that make you go What the Duck?!
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Mushrooms: Is the future fungi?
Fungi are already hard at work helping trees survive drought, recycling fallen logs, rotting away carcases, and helping human digestive systems, but c...
Mushrooms: What are they, really?
Mushrooms were once lumped in with plants, and they stayed there well after science knew better.
But if a fungus is not a plant… is it a closer...
Mushrooms: Why do they kill?
As daily updates about the 'mushroom murders' monopolised newsfeeds around the country, the What the Duck?! team started questioning the motives. Not...
What the Duck?! serves mushrooms
Have you found yourself wondering why a simple brown mushroom would develop a toxin so strong that just a few grams could kill a human?
What the...
Murder birds: The cuckoo's killer instinct
Cuckoo babies hatch in the nests of other bird species then quickly, often brutally, make sure they're the only baby to get fed…
So how does a c...
Slug slime and frog glue: Get stuck into nature's stickiness
There are so many sticky things in nature, but what's the nature of their stickiness?
Could slug mucus or frog ooze be used in medical treatment...
What's brown and sticky?
If you ever wanted to be able to stick to walls like Spider-Man, then listen to this!
How do geckos and ants walk easily up walls and across the...
Mars on Earth: Salt lake life
This place is so extreme that NASA sends scientists to test equipment for Mars missions. And yet, Australia's salty lakes are full of life.
Feat...
Is anything true blue?
Ann finds out that birds are not really blue. Not even bluebirds. If they're not blue, then what the duck are they?
Featuring:
Production:...
Australia's most underrated animal: Winner!
Listen back to the What the Duck?! special broadcast with Dr Ann Jones and Cassie McCullagh.
After 65,000 votes, Australia has spoken — the raka...
Underrated animals: Dugong
They live off seagrass, and sound like a teeny bird, but can weigh in at more than 400 kilograms and will cut you with their tusks.
Dugongs (Dug...
Underrated animals: Palm Cockatoo
It's a bold claim, but the palm cockatoo might be the most punk-rock bird of all.
The black and scarlet parrot lives in the rainforests and wood...
Underrated animals: Great desert skink
This little orange lizard lives with his mum and poos outside. What's not to love?
The great desert skink (Liopholis kintorei) can be found in t...
Underrated animals: Marsupial mole
What has no eyes, no ears, and is barely ever seen? It's no riddle — it's the marsupial mole!
These tiny, golden creatures like to burrow throug...
Underrated animals: Turtle frog
This tiny frog is pasty white, with big arms, a teeny head, and is — somehow — still absolutely adorable.
The turtle frog (Myobatrachus gouldii)...
Underrated animals: Short-finned eel
They can travel over land, climb walls and take down large prey. And that's all before the short-finned eel (Anguilla australis) makes it out into the...
Underrated animals: Rakali
Sure, it's a rat, but it's Australia's own cheeky little water rat!
The rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster) is Australia's largest rodent, and can be...
Underrated animals: Velvet worm
They shoot glue, puree their enemies, and are about the size of a leaf.
With 140 species of southern velvet worms (Peripatopsidae), and most of...
Underrated animals: Ghost bat
The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) is Australia's only carnivorous bat, so it's probably not a good idea to make fun of their giant ears and unique nose...
Underrated animals: Giant cuttlefish
They can grow up to a metre and the world's largest cuttlefish species can also disappear in a puff of ink and mucus.
The giant cuttlefish (Asca...
What's in your freezer?
Move the peas over to find that Australian freezers have seals, kangaroo penises and the DNA of 'the Chanel of goats.'
Featuring:
Producti...
Self-medicating species: Animals that say yes to drugs
It turns out self-medicating and herbal remedies are not exclusive to humans.
From cats eating grass, to elephants making medicinal tea in their...
Old and smelly: Farts from the past
Fossils tell us a lot about the past, but are there fossilised farts? (Spoiler, YES!)
Look back at great farts of history, and the story of meth...
Does it Fart?
Farts are not just for laughs. There are farts for survival, for communication, and even to attack!
But it turns out it's tricky to get scientis...
Hybrids, dog breeds and DNA: What makes a species?
It's a seemingly simple question from What the Duck?! listener Skylar: how do scientists determine a new species?
Turns out, it's complicated.
Modern dogs: What have we created?
The influence of selective breeding by humans has created a doggo for every occasion, but it's not without problematic results.
Some breeds have...
Dogs in Australia: What is a dingo?
This is the story of the domesticated animal that feralised itself.
Where did dingoes come from and when?
Where does a wild dog stop and a...
Woofs and wags: What's your dog telling you?
Are puppy dog eyes really a sign of love, or does Fido just want a lil snack?
Can dogs really "speak" by pressing talking buttons, or do they ju...
Good dog: Survival of the friendliest
'Man's best friend' sure sounds better than 'obligatory symbiont', but what are the true dynamics at play?
There's no denying the bond people fe...
Designer dogs: What is a breed anyway?
There's designer clothes, but they have nothing on designer dogs!
They come in a huge range of shapes and colours and sizes, from the tiny Chihu...
Wolf to woof: Did we make dogs?
The relationship between humans and big scary wolves has come a long way to give us tiny fluffy lap dogs with very discerning tastes in expensive food...
Introducing What the Dogs?!
A new series from What the Duck?! is coming soon.
Dr Ann Jones is exploring the connection between humans and dogs and asking how our destinies...
Can snakes climb ladders?
How does a snake climb a pole? It's not like they have a ladder... or arms.
It turns out that snakes have some pretty crazy skills when it comes...
Snakes on the brain
Would you meet a stranger in a park with a pile of snakes?
Comedian Craig Quartermaine took the risk in an attempt to overcome his fears.
...
Hollywood bird sounds
Have you heard of the Kookaburra that conquered Hollywood?
Yes- that was a kookaburra at the start of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost...
Spiders: the ultimate assassins
Spiders have gravity-defying ninja skills, they can hear without ears and they work together to gang up on huge prey.
Spiders are murder machine...
Pandas, penises and performance anxiety
A tiny penis, a 12-hour annual fertilisation window, picky females and strawberry bubble bath – these are just a few of the issues that pop up when ma...
Coming out of your shell
There's a whole world of mystery, and quite a bit of maths, inside the humble sea shell.
Forget ancestry searches online, shells can tell you t...
Did Jaws get anything right about sharks?
Jaws (1975) was a massive hit that also created a whole lot of fear, but does anything in the film really stand up to shark science?
Do sharks...
Girl, so confusing!
Female lab mice have been bred to be passive and breed with ease.
But, in the wild they're feisty and even pugnacious.
How much of our bi...