Crash Course Zoology

So what is an animal anyway? In our inaugural episode of Crash Course Zoology, we’ll endeavor to answer just that because as it turns out, it’s complicated! But before we get there we’ll need to introduce you to zoology more broadly, tell you about taxonomy, and then

Picture an “animal” in your mind right now. What does it look like? A dog? A lion? Maybe a sloth, pangolin, naked mole-rat, or even just a human? There’s a good chance that you imagined a mammal, which is understandable since we are mammals after all, but there is

We're going to take a closer look at brains, how animals use them, and how some animals have even evolved to lose them! It turns out a brain (and intelligence more broadly) isn't easy to define, but what we do know for sure is that brains

Animals have evolved to eat a lot of different things, even stuff that barely passes for food, and it shapes our entire lives from what we look like to where we live. Today, we’ll talk about why being a carnivore is just easier than being a herbivore, why there

Even though animals can look very different on their surface, there are surprising similarities in how they’ve evolved to solve major problems - like how to support and move their bodies. Today, we’ll take a look at the various ways animals can grow, learn how and why some

One of the most common adaptations seen in the animal kingdom is vision. Nearly 96% of all animals have some kind of eyes and they've proven so evolutionary advantageous that they've evolved multiple times in multiple ways and in a surprisingly short amount of time! We

We talk about what an ear even is, how ears have evolved, how they work, and some of the cool ways animals have tweaked their ears to work for their lifestyle.

Sexual reproduction is part of the very definition of what it means to be an animal and as you'll see life has found a variety of methods to pass down genetic information. We explore the differences between sex and gender, and look at sex determination systems, examine how

We talk about one of the earliest animal senses, - chemosensation -- or our sense of taste and smell. We discuss how animals use these senses to explore their environment and communicate, and how that pair of nostrils of yours is an example of convergent evolution. And, witness how some

Nearly every environment on Earth — and that includes animals — is home to some kind of parasite. We explore parasites not just because they’re an essential part of their ecosystems, but also because by studying them we can learn more about their hosts and even their shared evolution and ecology.

In this final episode of Crash Course Zoology, we review everything we've learned and even look at advances in the field that took place in just the 14 weeks of this course! Rae also shares various ways YOU can get involved in the zoology field!

Social behavior like caring for our young, fighting off rivals, or joining a pack adds a whole other layer of complexity to the lives of animals out there. We dive into the amazing ways animals interact with other animals, live a day in the life of the Portuguese Man O&

So what is an animal anyway? In our inaugural episode of Crash Course Zoology, we’ll endeavor to answer just that because as it turns out, it’s complicated! But before we get there we’ll need to introduce you to zoology more broadly, tell you about taxonomy, and then

Picture an “animal” in your mind right now. What does it look like? A dog? A lion? Maybe a sloth, pangolin, naked mole-rat, or even just a human? There’s a good chance that you imagined a mammal, which is understandable since we are mammals after all, but there is

We're going to take a closer look at brains, how animals use them, and how some animals have even evolved to lose them! It turns out a brain (and intelligence more broadly) isn't easy to define, but what we do know for sure is that brains

Animals have evolved to eat a lot of different things, even stuff that barely passes for food, and it shapes our entire lives from what we look like to where we live. Today, we’ll talk about why being a carnivore is just easier than being a herbivore, why there

Even though animals can look very different on their surface, there are surprising similarities in how they’ve evolved to solve major problems - like how to support and move their bodies. Today, we’ll take a look at the various ways animals can grow, learn how and why some

One of the most common adaptations seen in the animal kingdom is vision. Nearly 96% of all animals have some kind of eyes and they've proven so evolutionary advantageous that they've evolved multiple times in multiple ways and in a surprisingly short amount of time! We

We talk about what an ear even is, how ears have evolved, how they work, and some of the cool ways animals have tweaked their ears to work for their lifestyle.

Sexual reproduction is part of the very definition of what it means to be an animal and as you'll see life has found a variety of methods to pass down genetic information. We explore the differences between sex and gender, and look at sex determination systems, examine how

We talk about one of the earliest animal senses, - chemosensation -- or our sense of taste and smell. We discuss how animals use these senses to explore their environment and communicate, and how that pair of nostrils of yours is an example of convergent evolution. And, witness how some

Nearly every environment on Earth — and that includes animals — is home to some kind of parasite. We explore parasites not just because they’re an essential part of their ecosystems, but also because by studying them we can learn more about their hosts and even their shared evolution and ecology.

In this final episode of Crash Course Zoology, we review everything we've learned and even look at advances in the field that took place in just the 14 weeks of this course! Rae also shares various ways YOU can get involved in the zoology field!

Social behavior like caring for our young, fighting off rivals, or joining a pack adds a whole other layer of complexity to the lives of animals out there. We dive into the amazing ways animals interact with other animals, live a day in the life of the Portuguese Man O&