The Behavioural Ecology and Evolution Podcast (the Beepcast)

Oct 22 2017 2.2k
The Behavioural Ecology and Evolution Podcast (the Beepcast) artwork

Want to discover more about how animals navigate their environment, find food, court mates and raise young? Then subscribe to the Behavioural Ecology and Evolution Podcast: The Beepcast! Every month Dr. Hannah Rowland of ZSL & Cambridge University brings you the newest, most fascinating research on the evolved behaviour of animals. Featuring interviews with emerging and established experts in animal behaviour from all over the world.

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Oct 17: Iain Couzin's Scientific Spark, why do deer in Japan bow, and why are some plant nectars bitter?

Oct 22 2017
This month I meet some very polite deer who have a special way of asking for food. I discover why some plant nectars contain poisonous toxins. And in the scientific spark, I talk to Iain Couzin from the Max Planck Department of Collective Behaviour. Iain tells me what sparked his interest in becoming a scientist, and how, if his teachers had had their way, he might have been doing

Sept 2015: Kate Umbers, burying beetle parental care, and tasteless monkey thieves

Dec 27 2015
This month I find out that animals should be careful when choosing a mate, picking a partner that matches them in quality, else they might face an early grave! I discover that a mutation in a taste receptor gene has helped macaques in Japan to become thieves. And in the scientific spark, I talk to Kate Umbers from the University of Western Sydney, who works on a variety of topics,

Aug 2015: ZSL Scientist Patricia Brekke, polar bear welfare at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, and self-medicating ants

Sep 16 2015
This month I hear how a wildlife park in Yorkshire is providing the perfect retirement setting for an old polar bear. I discover that social insects make trips to natures pharmacy to fight infections. And in the scientific spark, I talk to Patricia Brekke from the Zoological Society of London, who tells me about her research on the endangered new Zealand bird the Hihi, and what ins

July 2015: Johan Nilson, sea ducks, and horse facial expressions

Sep 10 2015
This month I find out about sea ducks who enjoy a rather sophisticated fast food diet of mussels. I discover that horses horse around with lots of different facial expressions. And in the scientific spark, I talk to Johan Nilsson from the university of Lund, who researches the physiology and evolutionary ecology of birds. Download the MP3 What does this face say?! Quicklin

June 2015: Lucy Nash from OUP, Dottybacks change colour to hide from prey, and moths that slow their brains down

Aug 10 2015
In this episode I discover that some species of coral reef fish change colour, and they do this to grab a sneaky meal! I also find out how moths find flowers in the dark. And in the scientific spark I talk to Lucy Nash, who is commissioning editor for science at Oxford University Press. Download the MP3 Copyright © N Justin Marshall/Courtesy of University of Basel Quicklin

May 2015: Marie Herbenstein, deception and disguise of orchid mantis and owl butterflies with @jamohanlon @JohannaMappes and @SebaDeBona

Jun 04 2015
This month I’m joined by special guest James O’Hanlon from the Australian museum in Sydney for a deception and disguise special. James tells me about his PhD research on mantids that trick bees by mimicking flowers - or do they?! And we discuss a new paper showing that butterfly eyepsots might really be mimicking the eyes of a predator’s own predator. In the Scientific spark

April 2015: Tristram Wyatt, the hormonal bond between humans and their dogs, and predator-prey flight and fight behaviour

Jun 01 2015
This month I discover what black field crickets do when predatory lizards get too close. I find out how humans bond with their canine chums. In the Scientific spark I talk to Tristram Wyatt, from the University of Oxford, who tells me how he became fascinated in all things pheromone-y. Download the MP3 Borrow my doggy-friend - Milo Quicklinks: Patricio Lago's webpage Ox

March 2015: Shaun Killen, animal personality, and guppy food preferences

Apr 02 2015
This month, I discover that a preference for a particular colour of food can be heritable, and I also have a chat with Niels Dingemanse from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology about how you test animal personality. In the Scientific spark, I talk to Shaun Killen, from the University of Glasgow, who tells me about his inspiration to become a scientist. Download the MP3

Feb 2015: Damien Farine, penguins who can't taste, and shiny tree swallows

Mar 31 2015
This month, I find out that penguins can’t tell the difference between savoury and sweet. I also chat with Sonia Van Wijk from The Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada, about what makes a male tree swallow attractive to a female who's on the look-out for more than one partner. And in the Scientific spark, I talk to social network whizz Damien Farine, from the University of

Jan 2015: Niels Dingemanse, animal arithmetic, and smooth billed ani alarm calls

Mar 10 2015
This month, animal arithmetic from a research group in Italy who investigated how chickens order numbers – I put Naked Scientist Graihagh Jackson through her paces. Also in the episode, Leanne Grieves from McMaster University tells me what Smooth-billed anis do in response to different types of predators. And Niels Dingemanse, from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology tells m