ScienceNatural Sciences

What The Duck?!

ABC Australia

Australia is full of weird plants and animals. And Dr Ann Jones is on speaking terms with most of them!

Each week Ann explores the most unusual elements of our natural world — the ones that make you go What the Duck?! Like why do quolls have spots? Who farts (and who doesn't)? And how do snakes climb trees?

Join Ann alongside experts and ordinary Aussies alike to solve mysteries, smash myths and uncover the bizarre truth about nature down under.

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35 episodes
weekly
Avg 25 min
English

Episodes 35

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July 3 · 25 min
What's with the electric eel's shocking attitude?
It seems absolutely bonkers that an animal can muster ELECTRICITY, especially enough to send out a zap like a taser. But that's exactly what electric eels can do, and the world record holder more than doubles the voltage of the Australian electricity supply. More than that, electric eels inspired the design of Volta's first batteries, but (hold onto your socks so they don't get blown off) they're not the only ones who've got electricity pumping through their bodies. Featuring: Professor Will
June 26 · 25 min
Gay animals: same-sex science
For around 700 years scientists observed same-sex pairings in as many as 1500 different species, but didn't record or publish their findings due to public perceptions. Now research is catching up and many papers on queer behaviour in nature have been published in the past two decades. This discussion was recorded live at Mardi Gras 2026 and presented by the Royal Zoological Society of NSW for Wildlife at the Watering Hole. Featuring : Daphne Willemsen, behavioural ecologist, PhD candidate at
June 19 · 25 min
Sex is Weird 7: Do we need sex?
Sex comes at a cost, there's energy, time, risks of predators, and diseases… so do we even need it? Asexual organisms don't seem to miss the dating scene, and yet here we are putting a whole lot of energy into sex, even when it doesn't lead to babies when same sexes attract. Of course, sex is a chance to genetically repair faults and outrun threats, but is the pay-off really enough? Sex is Weird is a series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal king
June 12 · 25 min
Sex is Weird 6: Virgin birth
It turns out not everyone was listening when it was written 'it takes two to tango' and some species can go it alone in their quest to reproduce. And then there's the plants that decided THREE or ONE was for them, never an even number. Why is sex so… suspiciously complicated? Sex is Weird is a series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the natural world. Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guidance is recommend
June 5 · 25 min
Sex is Weird 5: Why does it feel good, anyway?
What is the role of pleasure in successful reproduction? Evolution says it's mightily important: every female vertebrate has a clitoris. Snakes have two! Female pleasure has been selected for. Making sex fun and pleasurable is a biologically sensible thing to do, more sex means more potential babies. Some studies of pigs and dairy cows have found an increase of up to 6% in successful conception when the females are stimulated during artificial insemination. Sex is Weird is a series of What
May 29 · 25 min
Sex is Weird 4: How to be hot according to nature
Do animals fall in love at first sight? Every species has different traits that are 'attractive' — they're showing off their DIY skills making a bower, vibrating sexy fruit fly songs, puffing up a wattle, or just having really massive moose… antlers. Is this innate attraction like falling in love or is it more like meeting a (really hot) investment advisor? Because these attractive traits are also messages about genes — who will make a good investment to partner with for the next generation.
May 22 · 25 min
Sex is Weird 3: Sexy females fight back
The energy required to grow, birth and raise young is intense, so it's only fair that the female body has some tricks to make sure reproducing is worth it. From cryptic choice to immune system sperm blockers, the female reproductive system can be a literal maze for those seeking to gain access to her eggs. In the battle of the sexes, this is females fight back. Sex is Weird is a series of What the Duck?! with Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal kingdom. Please note that
May 15 · 25 min
Sex is Weird 2: Why do penises exist?
When it comes to sexual organs, the penis is really 'out there.' Name another organ that can change its form AND function in a matter of seconds! There's a lot of variety in the animal kingdom; from spikes and nails to coils and collagen — so, this appendage is worth investigating… close up. Sex is Weird is a series of What the Duck?! With Dr Ann Jones following the sexual evolution of the animal kingdom. Please note that this program contains adult themes and explicit language. Parental guid
May 8 · 25 min
Sex is Weird 1: The world's first d*ck pic
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 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 emba
April 30 · 25 min
Nature's Most Wanted: Can my dog inherit my house
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
April 23 · 25 min
Nature's Most Wanted: Wild, but not free
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 co
April 16 · 25 min
Nature's Most Wanted: Trunk and disorderly
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 S
April 9 · 25 min
Nature's Most Wanted: Fowl play with real-life angry birds
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 Co
April 2 · 25 min
Nature's Most Wanted: Murder (but not crows)
The fear of being eaten by an animal is so visceral that a mass psychosis, featuring a monkey man, once swept across Delhi. But in the event of an actual attack, investigators look for specific forensic clues to identify which predator was responsible. Was the perpetrator human or animal? Or in one infamous case in the US, was it human … or owl? Featuring: Phoebe Judge, host of the podcast Criminal Euan Ritchie, Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at Deakin University Mary Roach, a
March 26 · 25 min
Nature's Most Wanted: Cat burglars and robber duckies 
Leonardo da Pinchy is a literal cat burglar with more than 350 pieces of evidence against him — evidence that's easy to confirm because when he steals his neighbour's underwear, he brings it home with a satisfied look of great pride. Steven Seagull is banned from the local corner store after a six-year beef-flavoured-chip-thieving spree. Then there are the monkeys holding phones hostage for fruit juice. These aren't the only creatures with a criminal record — far from it So when animals stea

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