Listen to Episode 177 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
Thousands of years ago, our ancestors weren’t the only humans around. This episode, we discuss the deep history and culture of some of our closest extinct relatives, Neanderthals.
Listen to Episode 172 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
The world’s most famous marine mammals come in two varieties. This episode, we discuss the diversity and evolutionary history of the more diverse of the two: Toothed Whales.
Listen to Episode 166 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
You’ll only find them living in Australia and New Guinea, and when you do, you might be surprised at the strange features that set them apart from all other mammals, like the fact that their babies hatch from eggs. This episode, we discuss the unique features and puzzling evolution of Monotremes.
In the news
New mosasaur has strange many-ridged teeth
Tibetan sabertooth cats adapted to open environments
Growth patterns of giant tree-climbing marsupials
Scant remains hint at a giant pliosaur from England
Listen to Episode 159 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
Some animals are so familiar and famous that it’s easy to forget how utterly strange they are. This episode, we discuss the relatives, ancient history, and big questions surrounding the evolution of Giraffes.
Listen to Episode 153 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts!
Body armor is a rarity among mammals, and yet this particular group has made it work in modest modern species and gigantic ancient ones. This episode, we discuss the past and present of Armadillos.
Listen to Episode 129 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or anywhere you can find it!
Known today for their large size and impressive horns, these animals have taken many forms over many millions of years. From horse-like runners to hippo-like waders to gargantuan behemoths, this episode we discuss the incredible evolutionary history of Rhinos.
Listen to Episode 109 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or anywhere you can find it!
These carnivores might have a reputation as uncouth scavengers, but their modern and fossil history is full of a diverse array of specialized hunters. In this episode, we discuss the surprising modern diversity and the rich fossil record of Hyenas.
Listen to Episode 104 on PodBean, YouTube, Spotify, or your favorite alternative!
Seals, sea lions, and walruses (oh my!) are widespread, successful, and invariably charming. In this episode, we examine the adaptations, mysterious origins, and diverse but spotty fossil record of this fascinating group of aquatic mammals, the Pinnipeds.
Listen to Episode 96 on PodBean, Spotify, YouTube, or just search for it in your podcast app!
Kangaroos, koalas, opossums, possums, Tasmanian devils, and their relatives … they all have a few things in common: an unusual reproductive strategy, a pouch for their young, and a shared evolutionary history that separates them from the majority of living mammals. This episode is all about Marsupials.
Listen to Episode 94 on PodBean, Spotify, YouTube, or just search for it in your podcast app!
For tens of millions of years, they were dominant predators in North America, and they have since spread naturally into habitats around the globe, but you know them best as the most iconic domesticated species on Earth. This episode, we explore the diversity, evolution, and history of Dogs.
The Common Descent Podcast 