Zoos And Brews

Zoos: Remember back in the trailer when we talked about our favorite animals? Here they are! Rachel introduces the Rodent of Unusual Size/Coconut Dog/Extreme Guinea Pig (Capybara). It is revealed that both hosts came about their faves via a 4th grade class. Caitlin talks about her favorite, the Party Bird/Standing Goose/Formal Chicken (Penguin). 

Brews: The Lightning Mike makes a comeback as Rachel's Favorite drink, and Caitlin goes Basic(tm) with some white wine.

News: It's the last episode of Season 1! We're about to post a lot of bonus content to the Patreon over the break, so go there! www.patreon.com/zoosandbrews

Zoos: Canid family (dogs), but WILD ONES ONLY
Rachel quizzes new guest Matt on Wild Dogs! Caitlin does some metaphor-infused science explaining of what a "true fox" is. Rachel talks about a philosophical environmental question that leads her into talking about the Dingo, and their invasive origins. Warning: bad Australian accents. Caitlin talks about the smol Bat-Eared Fox! Their family drama is OFF THE CHAIN.
Brews: "I Wanna Be Domesticated"
News: Only one episode left in Season 1! Thanks to our special guest Matt! Nonprofit of the week is The Australian Dingo Foundation.

It's our Valentines Day-Adjacent episode! This episode is all about animals that defy gender roles/norms/expectations!
Zoos: Caitlin introduces Rachel to "Brown Chicken, Brown Cow." Rachel talks about the differences between gender and sex, and queerness in animals. Caitlin talks about the Sandpiper, the Power Mom of the bird world.  Rachel talks about the not-very-sexy "toe biter," the Giant Waterbug.
Brews: Rachel's "Bloody Valentine" & Caitlin's "Teeter-Snipe"
News: Shoutout to our first two patrons, Josh & Elizabeth! Nonprofit is the Cornell Bird Lab. Small correction to this episode: Rachel attributes a quote to Pumba when it was actually Timon's words.

Caitlin & Rachel have something to say...well, two things to say.

Zoos: We're talking bioluminescence! Rachel breaks it down for us: what it is, who's got it, why they use it. Caitlin tells us about the Femme Fatales of the Firefly world, the creepy way that firefly larvae eat, and how those pretty light displays are basically firefly sex orgies. Rachel destroys instagrammers' dreams everywhere by telling them those cool glowing tides are actually the quite dangerous Red Tide.
Brews: We use tonic water to make UV-Reactive cocktails, the Lightning Mike, the Blue Ghost, and the Glow Up.
News: Firefly Conservation and Research.

Zoos: Rachel explains the concept of Cute, why our brains respond to cute stimuli, and introduces us to the concept of the Uncanny Valley. Also apparently babies smell nice? Caitlin name-drops the uncanny-valley-esque Axolotl and goes gaga over the Ezo Momonga. Is Elmire of Looney Tunes the baby version of Elvira, Mistress of the Night? Rachel talks about the Pygmy Hippo in a voice that increasingly rises in pitch. 

Brews: Thicc Mint Cookie

News: Our first Patron on Patreon, Josh is an Awkward Turtle. We just added Discord access to all tiers of the Patreon. The nonprofit is EDGE Of Existence.

Zoos:
Caitlin chooses an interesting moth that is a fake bird, Rachel chooses a creepy fly that sounds like a Greek Chimera. They touch on their runner-ups: pretty beetles, giant moths, and LAND LOBSTERS.
Brews: Mead & "Beetle Juice"
News: Nonprofit Spotlight is the Xerces Society. We launched our Patreon! We had our first Patron!

Zoos: Rachel tells us all the ways that Orcas are assholes: they're mustachioed serial killer bully dictators and not even sharks are safe from them. Caitlin tells us about the deceptively-small metal-as-hell Shrike songbird.
Brews: The Majestic Asshole
Nonprofit: Xerces Society
News: Our Patreon is Live! patreon.com/zoosandbrews

Our first special guest, Sarah, is quizzed on Bears! Rachel tests out some new vocab words and introduces the origins of a beloved bear-themed toy. Caitlin is forever mad about the unnecessary addition of a word to a famous conservationist's name. Rachel really likes kids books about bears. Caitlin really likes Greek Mythology (except for Zeus, duh). Rachel & Caitlin struggle to remember the topic of this episode.
Drink for this episode: Barenjager & Bourbon on ice!
Don't forget to check the blog for show notes & research and this week's nonprofit spotlight!

Rachel talks about how some hybrid species happened due to human greed or error, but also because animals in the wild just get hella curious. Caitlin talks about how hybrid species get their names, some whale hybrids, and pitches an animated movie or children's book that probably shouldn't happen. Rachel talks about dog breeding (?), human chimera-ism, and shares a real-life encounter she had with a coyote. Caitlin tells us that  there's a sea slug that is solar-powered. Then there's fun mythological hybrids, like horse mermaids and soul-eating Egyptian gods.

Caitlin faces her fears and talks of her mortal enemies: sharks. Rachel introduces a cute-but-very-creepy lemur. Then there's some discussion about very creepy looking and/or deadly bugs, and the zombie sex fungus attacking one specific bug right now.

Coming in December 2019: Zoos and Brews, a podcast where two tipsy friends attempt to one-up each other in Weird and Wacky Animal Facts, with hilarious results.