All Creatures Podcast

National Geographic filmmaker Bertie Gregory returns to All Creatures Podcast to share the story behind Wolves Up Close, filmed in the bitter cold around Hudson Bay. He shares what seven years following Kona’s pack taught him about how wolves lead and hunt, and recounts a close encounter with a polar bear. Chris and Bertie explore why we love dogs yet fear wolves, how wolf kills feed other wildlife, and what it takes for people and wolves to coexist. Wolves Up Close premiered November 6 in the U.S. on National Geographic, Disney+ and Hulu. Timeline 00:00 Welcome Back Bertie 00:50 Why Wolves Fascinate 02:49 Meet Kuna The Leader 05:15 Tracking Wolves Arctic 07:40 Pack Size Ebb Flow 09:05 Wolves At The Lodge 09:45 Polar Bear Close Call 11:31 Fear Respect Experience 13:35 Coexist With Wolves 16:23 Ecosystem Benefits Kill 18:22 Future Projects Tease 19:36 Which Animal Reborn 20:32 Endurance Moose Hunt 21:50 Wild Places Reflection 24:16 Favorite Moments Recap 25:28 Where To Watch Follow 27:13 Final Thanks Goodbye == Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

El Niño is strengthening across the Pacific, and its effects can ripple far beyond the ocean. Chris breaks down what El Niño actually is, how it shifts weather patterns around the world, and why this event matters for people, wildlife, and ecosystems. From drought, flooding, and heat to disrupted marine food webs, coral bleaching, wildfire risk, and changing breeding patterns, this episode explores how one natural climate cycle can influence life across the planet. Chris also looks at how human-caused climate change is altering the background conditions in which El Niño now occurs, and why forecasting, preparation, and resilient ecosystems matter more than ever. Timeline 00:00 El Niño Overview 02:52 How El Niño Works 06:06 ENSO Phases Explained 07:25 Climate Change Amplifier 10:09 2026-2027 Outlook 13:00 Rainfall Drought Flood Risks 15:22 Human Impacts And Equity 21:33 Ocean Food Web Disruption 27:21 Coral Reefs Heat Stress 30:23 Terrestrial Wildlife Impacts 36:33 Forecasting And Preparation 38:20 Conservation And Hope 40:47 Final Takeaways == Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine living for more than 200 years in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Meet the bowhead whale, the longest-lived mammal known to science and an extraordinary survivor of the Arctic. Chris and Angie discover what makes bowheads so special, from enormous, ice-breaking skulls and blubber nearly half a metre thick to the longest baleen plates of any whale. These Arctic giants sustain their massive bodies largely on tiny crustaceans, including copepods and krill. Their conservation story combines recovery with continuing concern. Commercial whaling devastated bowhead populations, but protection has allowed some to rebound. Today, fishing-gear entanglement, ship strikes, underwater noise and a rapidly changing Arctic present ongoing challenges for these remarkable whales. == Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris and Angie return after a National Geographic event with photographer Amy Vitale and introduce an episode on sand dollars, prompted by Angie finding live sand dollars with her family and wanting answers to her kids’ questions. They describe sand dollars as flat, burrowing echinoderms with an internal calcium-carbonate “test,” tiny spines and cilia, petaloid patterns with tube feet for respiration, slow movement and burrowing. They also discuss global distribution, size variation, feeding as deposit feeders. Major threats include bottom trawling/dredging and ocean acidification; they suggest using Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and highlight the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and practical pollution-reduction steps. Timeline 00:00 Welcome Back Nat Geo 00:55 Why Sand Dollars 05:09 What They Look Like 09:20 Sizes And Range 11:43 Why They Matter 17:16 Threats And Trawling 25:06 What You Can Do 28:18 Evolution And Classification 33:40 Movement And Lifespan 37:00 Sand Dollar Skeleton Test 38:37 Top View Flower Pores 42:11 Tube Feet Water Vascular 44:28 Missing Eyes Brain Blood 48:18 Predators And Defense 50:08 How Sand Dollars Eat 54:28 Poop And Nutrient Cycling 56:41 Behavior Chemical Cues 01:00:53 Reproduction Life Cycle 01:09:44 Conservation And Curiosity == Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Imagine a shark swimming through the Arctic today that was already alive before the United States existed. Greenland sharks are thought to be the longest-lived vertebrates on Earth, with research suggesting they can live for around 400 years—and potentially longer. Even more astonishing, females may take approximately 150 years to reach reproductive maturity. These slow-growing inhabitants of the cold North Atlantic and Arctic oceans live on a timescale that is almost impossible to comprehend. We’re revisiting this classic All Creatures Podcast episode following renewed headlines about a controversial proposal to kill 1,000 Greenland sharks. Earlier this year, Greenland’s Avannaata municipality approved a bounty scheme in response to fishers’ concerns about damaged equipment and lost catch. The scheme was subsequently dropped because the municipality lacked the legal authority to implement it, but the debate over killing these extraordinary animals continues. Greenland sharks are classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Historically hunted for their liver oil, they now face ongoing threats from accidental capture in fishing gear, while climate change may alter their Arctic habitat. Their population size remains poorly understood, and their exceptionally slow growth and late maturity make them particularly susceptible to overfishing. Join us as we revisit one of the ocean’s most remarkable animals—and why protecting a creature whose life spans centuries requires thinking far beyond our own lifetimes. == Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE. We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife. Please contact us at [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices