Off Track - Separate stories podcast

INTRODUCING — What The Duck?!

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2022 25:50

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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The end of the track

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 21, 2022 25:07

The Off Track adventure has come to an end.

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Antarctic blue whales and their amazing hums

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 14, 2022 25:18

The song calls of Antarctic blue whales are so deep that they're almost infrasonic - you feel them as much as you hear them.

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Live long, little lizard [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 7, 2022 25:18

After 35 years, some of the same sleepy lizards are still alive, still with the same lizard partner.

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The bilby, the moon and the Birriliburu Rangers

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2021 25:18

A bilby dreaming story guides a mother with a sick child to an outback town. Decades later, the child returns to repay the favour and look after the bilby.

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The Blythe Star sinks off Tasmania [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2021 25:17

While all ten crew members of the Blythe Star got out alive after she capsized, not all would survive the ordeal that followed.

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Growls, grunts and currawong songs [Earworms from Planet earth XIX]

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 17, 2021 25:13

This is Australia and the world, as heard by you, the listeners of Off Track.

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Nature tells us who we are

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 10, 2021 25:14

Nature can be sanctuary, as well as family and guide.

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Sounds fishy [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 3, 2021 25:15

Just under the surface of the ocean, a cacophony of sound awaits.

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Any louder and that frog will explode [Part 2 RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 26, 2021 25:15

It's all very well recording frog sounds, but what are they trying to say?

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Any louder and that frog will explode [Part 1 RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 19, 2021 25:15

Murray Littlejohn first recorded the moaning frogs of WA on a device made from a gramophone mechanism in the early 1950s.

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Fire, fire everywhere

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2021 25:16

How can you appreciate the ecological importance of fire, but also fight fires with all your might?

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Circling piranhas and a kangaroo fight [Incident Report 06]

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 5, 2021 25:16

Just when you thought it might be safe to get back out into nature, you get zapped back to reality.

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From Darth Vader to Mardi Gras

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 29, 2021 25:16

Can you defend yourself against a predator more than 200 times your size with a costume change?

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Slipping away in the South West

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 22, 2021 25:16

What's been dumped on our beaches and what's been taken away?

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Making every bird count

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 15, 2021 25:13

Why are the birds in our neighbourhoods changing?

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The lone fisher

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 8, 2021 25:15

In a tiny town called Windy, a woman seeks a life of isolation.

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Kukenarup: Possibilities of place

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2021 25:15

This site of huge ecological significance has a violent history.

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The river visitor making a splash

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 24, 2021 25:19

Melbourne's Yarra river has an unexpected inhabitant, and its bringing joy to people in the locked-down city and beyond.

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Spineless swimmers and crawling crustaceans

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 17, 2021 25:12

In the groundwater beneath the Nullabor, there are billions of tiny crustaceans crawling between the grains of sand.

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Crickets and sprickets

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 10, 2021 25:13

Meet the tiny creatures who live in the earth beneath your feet

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Slime in the city

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 3, 2021 25:16

Tanya Latty kept a slime mould in her desk drawer at the University. And that got her thinking – are there other slime moulds living their best urban life in Sydney?

slime off track ann jones

Ticked-off in Sydney

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2021 25:15

Northern Sydneysiders might not like the sound of the latest research into tick hosts in their backyards.

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Going home to a mice plague

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 20, 2021 25:15

When a final visit to the family farm is rudely interrupted by rodents

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Hunting for hoots

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2021 25:14

If you listen closely you might just hear something you've never heard before.

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Owl with attitude [UPDATE]

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2021 25:14

Lurking in the tall trees of our busy cities and suburbs is a powerful hunter.

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And your bug can sing [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 30, 2021 25:17

The underwater sounds in this creek near Brisbane are like an eclectic jam session.

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The butterfly and its goldilocks ant [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 23, 2021 25:14

The survival of one of the rarest butterflies in the world is entirely reliant on an ant.

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In honour of moths

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 16, 2021 25:17

Let's study moths so we can celebrate them properly

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Conserving small things on a big scale

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 9, 2021 25:15

If invertebrates make up over 90% of animals on earth, why do they receive so little conservation funding?

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Like a field of blue popcorn

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 2, 2021 25:12

During summer on top of Australia's highest mountain, fields of brilliant turquoise skyhoppers bloom.

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The BFG of the insect world

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 25, 2021 25:12

What's built like an armoured vehicle, but is super-dooper maternal, has a career as an architect AND is an environmentalist? You'd never guess that Australia's burrowing cockroaches are so incredibly cute and complex.

australia insect off track ann jones

Listening to the Natural World

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 18, 2021 25:15

It's World Listening Day so we are taking a journey through sounds recorded by the audience and one of Australia's most successful nature sound recordists, Andrew Skeoch.

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Do your friends make you smarter?

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2021 25:15

Magpies might be boosting their bird brains with friends.

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The real magpies of Western Australia

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 4, 2021 25:17

When our favourite black and white birds bring the drama!

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Sounds fishy

Play Episode Listen Later May 28, 2021 25:15

Just under the surface of the ocean, a cacophony of sound awaits.

nature environment fish animals ocean outdoors marine wildlife acoustic fishy off track ann jones

The point of zoos [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2021 25:14

At the Bronx zoo in New York, Lynne Malcolm explores its potential as an agent for conservation and public education about the natural world.

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Ethics, extinction and modern day zoos

Play Episode Listen Later May 14, 2021 25:16

With often complex and cruel histories, can we trust zoos to have animals' best interests at heart?

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A tiger, a tortoise and sounds of the zoo

Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2021 25:16

You might have heard an elephant trumpet but have you heard one fart?

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Suction bogs and stealing eagles [Incident Report 05]

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2021 25:17

Just when you thought it was safe to get back out into nature, you get bitten on the eyeball and bog the car next to a crocodile infested river.

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A majesty peculiar to the species [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 23, 2021 25:17

There is something about the Wedge-tailed Eagle which grips this man in the guts.

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The other lyrebird and its anthems

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2021 25:16

The Albert's lyrebird has a tiny range, but an epic song repertoire.

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Lyrebirds: Equality now! [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 9, 2021 25:16

Female lyrebirds should be rock stars in their own right.

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Lyrebirds: Lyre, lyre, dancefloor on fire [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 2, 2021 25:15

Triple Blue is a superb lyrebird stud muffin.

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Lyrebirds: Repeat after me [RE-ISSUE]

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 26, 2021 25:02

You might think you know the story of the lyrebird. Think again.

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Traps, lies, and covered eyes

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 19, 2021 25:14

Lyrebird deception just got deeper.

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Woof-woof, boo-book [Earworms from Planet Earth XVIII]

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 12, 2021 25:13

Endangered animal sounds and scientists imitating them.

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Will the Aussie bush really kill you?

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 5, 2021 25:10

Venomous trees and angry snakes - just what we need.

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Drying without dying

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 26, 2021 25:16

Urban greening takes a tiny turn

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Are we 'burning in ignorance'?

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 19, 2021 25:13

In South West WA, there are concerns that prescribed burning is negatively impacting an internationally recognised biodiversity hotspot.

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It's not a koala bear, it's a koala boom

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2021 25:14

We've all heard the stories of the koala on the brink of extinction, but in parts of Victoria, is the exact opposite – the koalas are booming and it's all our fault.

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