As a podcast fanatic, I spend a lot of time listening to podcasts. When I’m making dinner, tidying my room, walking to the gym, in the bath… you get the picture! I find it a great way to learn about something new without having to stare at a page full of words. Because, let’s face it, I do that all day to earn money. And there are some brilliant podcasts out there – particularly when it comes to learning more about nature and conservation. Here are a few of my favourites:

Tooth & Claw

Please don’t judge me when I say that my favourite podcast of all time is focused on people getting ripped to shreds by bears, tigers, sharks and other predators. It might sound horrendous but check it out – it’s fascinating. This podcast focuses on true stories of the most extreme wild animal attacks ever documented, told and explained by wildlife biologist Wes Larson. Along with his brother Jeff and friend Mike, they share the stories of incredible animal attacks, explain why the encounter might have happened and how to avoid something like this happening to you, and generally give you a new appreciation of how amazing nature is.

The Madagascar Whale Shark Project Patreon

OK so, technically, this isn’t a podcast. As you may know, I help the Madagascar Whale Shark Project with some pro bono comms and the NGO recently launched a Patreon to share the team’s knowledge about sharks, science and setting up a conservation project. There are great interviews with conservationists from around the world plus short videos covering a range of different topics related to the project. Check it out and we’d be really grateful to anyone who can support the project.

Ologies

Hosted by science correspondent Alie Ward, this is a fun podcast asking smart people stupid questions. Alie interviews a range of professional -ologists about their work and their obsessions with their focus subject. The squid, coral and jellyfish episodes are particular favourites of mine.

Stuff You Should Know (SYSK)

Hosted by Josh Clark and Charles W. “Chuck” Bryant, SYSK is a podcast all about, well, stuff you should know. The hosts, Josh and Chuck, go through their in-depth research about a different topic each week in a fun and accessible way. It started back in 2008 as a way of sharing some of the content from HowStuffWorks.com and is, apparently, now one of the world’s most popular podcasts. There are heaps of episodes about all sorts of topics but a few great ocean-y ones include: how ocean currents work, how sea monsters work and how coral reefs work.

BBC CrowdScience

A BBC podcast, each week CrowdScience tries to answer listener questions about a different scientific topic. Each episode is about half an hour so it’s great for a short burst of fun facts. Like SYSK, CrowdScience covers a wide range of topics. But a few interesting episodes related to nature include: how is human sound affecting sealife; why do animals migrate; and do animals have accents?

The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry

This is another fun podcast around a range of science topics where hosts Adam Rutherford and Hannah Fry investigate listeners’ questions. Ever wondered why it isn’t high tide at the same time at all point around the coast? Or how ice forms in oceans and lakes? Wonder no more… Adam and Hannah have all the answers!

Do check out a few of these podcasts – I hope you enjoy them. And do share your favourite pods with me on social media. I’m always up for hearing people’s recommendations.

Hi, I'm Mel and I write about the ocean, marine science and nature conservation. If you enjoyed this blog and want to show your support I'd be very grateful for anyone who considers buying me a virtual coffee.