What The Duck?!

When you really think about it, sex to make babies is WEIRD! You take an outie that has to get stuck inside an innie that links into a production line of eggs to assemble a perfect tiny being. It's so damn complicated! So why does it work like that? Join us at What the Duck for the first episode of a new series where we figure out how living things went from splitting ourselves in half to double the population, to periodically feeling compelled to copulate in such a vigorous, sometimes highly embarrassing, manner. Earth — this is your sexual history! Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommended. Featuring: Emeritus Professor David Siveter, University of Leicester, UK Assistant Professor Emily Mitchell, University of Cambridge, UK and curator of non-insect invertebrates, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, UK Dr Marissa Betts, geologist and palaeontologist at the University of New England, Armidale, Australia Dr Emily Willingham, biologist, journalist and author Associate Professor Patty Brennan, Mount Holyoke College, Massachusetts, US Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer Petria Ladgrove, Producer Additional mastering: Isabella Tropiano and Russell Stapleton Thanks also to Will Ockenden, Belinda Smith, Corey Hague and Joel Werner. This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2024 and was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and the Kaurna people. Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

In 2002 Gigoo became the world's wealthiest chicken when her owner left her £10 million in his will. How does a chook even open a bank account? Within legal limitations there are ways to provide your pets the lifestyle they're used to after you die. But what about divorce? Can you have visitation rights to see your goldfish? And when a dog's day in court climbs though the tiers of the Australian legal system, it might surprise you how little the pet is mentioned. Featuring: Professor Katy Barnett, Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne, and co-author of Guilty Pigs Professor Prue Vines, Faculty of Law and Justice, the University of New South Wales Ian Charman, family law specialist, consultant solicitor, Adelta Legal Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer Rebecca McLaren, Producer Isabella Tropiano, Sound Engineer This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people. Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

A lost monkey in an Ikea carpark is an illegally traded pet, so does he have a legal owner? When it comes to animal ownership, courts turn to Roman-era laws to try and figure out if an animal is tame or wild. It may work sometimes, but leaves out the modern idea of the animal's best interests. And it doesn't explain how an elephant can have a criminal rap sheet. Content warning: This program contains stories where animals are punished as if they are criminals. Some listeners may find this confronting. Featuring: Professor Katy Barnett, Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne, and co-author of Guilty Pigs Dr Michelle Granden, psychologist Mary Roach, author of Animal, Vegetable, Criminal Professor Sindhu Radhakrishna, National Institute of Advanced studies in Bengaluru, India With thanks to Dr Michelle Granden whose research inspired the title of this episode And extra sounds from bird enthusiasts: Mike Dooher, XC402422. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/402422 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0) Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer Rebecca McLaren, Producer Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people. Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

How much booze does it take to intoxicate an elephant? The answer isn't as much as you might expect, because not all guts are created equal when it comes to metabolising alcohol. This explains why an elephant might be considered a lightweight and your donkey got into a fight last weekend. But alcohol isn't the only cause of misbehaviour — so what motivated the legless serial doorbell pranksters? Featuring: Dr Mareike Janiak,  postdoctoral associate at the University of Calgary Dr Christine Sutton, particle physicist and past editor of CERN Courier Kate Connolly, Berlin correspondent for the Guardian Newspaper Dr Imogen Cavadino, freelance malacologist With news audio thanks to NPR And extra sounds from bird enthusiasts: Mike Dooher, XC355140. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/355140 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0) Lonnie Bregman, XC373738. Accessible at  www.xeno-canto.org/373738 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0) Mike Dooher, XC402422. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/402422 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0) Frank Lambert, XC1031363. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1031363 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0) Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer Rebecca McLaren, Producer Hamish Camilleri, Sound Engineer This episode of What the Duck?!  was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people. Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.

Forget feathered friends — these are our feathered foes. They can wield knives, get involved in the world of organised crime and drug dealing, and even shut down the Large Hadron Collider. But the most pressing question is, why did the duck cross the road at speeds so high local law enforcement was on the case? Featuring: Dr Christine Sutton, particle physicist and past editor of CERN Courier Mary Roach, author of Animal, Vegetable, Criminal Dr Laura Adams, psychology instructor at Langara College Professor Dina Siegel, criminology at Utrecht University Dr Amber Lee, avian & exotic animal veterinarian at The Unusual Pet Vets Sven Montgomery, Police Inspectorate, municipality of Köniz With extra sounds from bird enthusiasts: David m, XC116357. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/116357 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0) David m, XC164431. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/164431 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0) Romuald Mikusek, XC912877. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/912877 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0) Daniel Parker, XC949456. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/949456 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0) Ray Cooke, XC1058578. Accessible at www.xeno-canto.org/1058578 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0) Production: Ann Jones, Presenter / Producer Rebecca McLaren, Producer Harvey O'Sullivan, Sound Engineer This episode of What the Duck?! was produced on the land of the Wadawarrung and Taungurung people. Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.