What The Duck?!

How many species live around your house? In the COVID lockdown of 2020, three housemates decided to count. They thought there’d only be a handful, but the number kept rising and rising. Could their simple suburban Queenslander house be the next candidate for a new national park? Featuring: Dr Matt Holden, Mathematician, University of Queensland. Dr Andrew Rogers, Ecologist, University of Melbourne. Dr Russell Yong, Taxonomist.  Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer. Petria Ladgrove, Producer. Additional mastering: Nathan Turnbull. If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here. This episode of What the Duck?! was first broadcast in Feb 2024 and is produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is a Christmas classic... but how much do we really know about reindeer?  In the last instalment of "Hollywood lied to us" for 2024, Ann Jones fact-checks the festive fairytale for biological accuracy. What would it take for a reindeer to fly? What are their noses really like? Would a glowing nose even make a decent fog light?? Featuring: Belinda Smith, ABC Science Online reporter Tim Horstkotte, Staff scientist at Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer Petria Ladgrove, Producer Nat Tencic, Producer Isabella Tropiano, additional mastering This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the lands of the Wadawarrung, Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Kaurna people. If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

The Lion King (1994), aka Hamlet with Cats, is an iconic family classic. But would The Lion King's portrayal of a pride make biologists proud? Ann Jones presents “Hollywood lied to us” - a What The Duck?! podcast that takes your favourite movies and puts them under the microscope to work out what would happen in the real world and what’s just Hollywood magic. Would Simba really end up with Nala? Would the hyena henchmen really fall in line for a lion? They’re the big questions and Ann Jones has all the answers."   Featuring: Amanda Finn, The Lion King super fan,  Theatre, travel, and lifestyle journalist. Dr Neil Jordan, Conservation Scientist in the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of New South Wales and Taronga Conservation Society Australia, and researcher with Botswana Predator Conservation. The Lion King, 1994, Disney Studios. Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer. Petria Ladgrove, Producer. Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano Check out our Hyena episode here! This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people.

The movie is fictional but Groundhog Day (asking a groundhog for a long-term weather report)  IS A REAL THING! But wait, what even ARE groundhogs? AND do they have any qualifications in meteorology? Ann Jones is examining the biological accuracy of classic movies with the help of scientists and fans in the series "Hollywood Lied to Us." Featuring: Link Olson, Curator of Mammals, University of Alaska Museum. Dr Adam Daniel, Western Sydney University.  Associate Professor Mike Rennie, Lakehead University. Groundhog Day by Columbia Pictures  Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer. Petria Ladgrove, Producer. Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people. If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.

Yes, the Little Mermaid is an animated movie, but if it were real, where would this mermaid paradise be?  Is it plausible that Ursula the Octo-woman would have henchmen in the form of eels?  Ann Jones is examining the biological accuracy with the help of scientists and fans  of classic movies in the series "Hollywood Lied to Us." Featuring: Flo Rama- The Little Mermaid super fan.  Professor Peter Godfrey-Smith, Sydney University.  The Little Mermaid, Disney Studios. Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer. Petria Ladgrove, Producer. Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Kaurna people. If you want to hear more "What the Duck?" episodes- please like and subscribe here.