All Creatures Podcast

Chris reframes migration as a planet-connecting system that moves energy and nutrients and keeps ecosystems in sync—now facing a growing “migration collapse,” where patterns break down before species disappear.

He explores three failure modes: disrupted timing from climate change, broken routes from human barriers, and energetic failure when animals can’t find enough food. Through monarch butterflies, gray whales, and salmon, he shows a spectrum from fragile resilience to systems already failing. The episode closes with a hopeful message: when pressure is reduced, nature can respond—and protecting migration corridors is key.

Timeline
00:00 Welcome and Big Question
01:14 Why Migration Matters
03:26 Energy Drives Movement
05:33 Migration as a System
08:26 Monarchs Changed My View
11:07 What Is Migration Collapse
13:32 Three Ways Collapse Happens
19:27 Monarch Migration Explained
24:08 Threats and Cautious Hope
26:21 Resilience Not Recovery
26:47 Gray Whale Epic Journey
29:49 Arctic Food Web Unraveling
31:07 Migration Collapse In Real Time
32:50 Salmon Life Cycle Miracle
36:43 Dams And Route Disruption
38:48 Ripple Effects On Forests
40:02 Three Species One Pattern
43:21 Stages Of System Breakdown
44:33 Hope Over Apathy
46:23 Actions That Scale Up
48:13 Your Role In The Story

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Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. 

Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE.

We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife.

Please contact us at [email protected]

if you would like to advertise on our podcast

You can also visit our website HERE. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this re-release, Chris and Angie highlight why Meerkats may be small, but their world is anything but simple. Native to the arid regions of southern Africa, these highly social mammals live in tight-knit groups where every individual has a role. From babysitters and hunters to vigilant sentinels standing guard against predators. Their cooperative behavior is one of the most sophisticated in the animal kingdom, offering a powerful glimpse into how survival can depend on communication, trust, and teamwork.

While meerkats are not currently endangered, they face growing pressures from habitat degradation, climate variability, and human expansion across their range. In this episode, we revisit one of nature’s most charismatic species and explore what meerkats can teach us not just about life in the desert, but about resilience, community, and the power of working together.

==

Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. 

Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE.

We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife.

Please contact us at [email protected]

if you would like to advertise on our podcast

You can also visit our website HERE. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris draws on his PhD-era experience at Texas A&M—including meeting Dewey, the world’s first cloned deer—to unpack de-extinction and why cloning is far harder and less efficient than headlines suggest.

He revisits Dolly’s breakthrough, explains somatic cell nuclear transfer, and highlights low success rates and frequent abnormalities. Chris explores the only true de-extinction attempt, the Pyrenean ibex, which survived only minutes, and explains why mammoths and “dire wolves” cannot be truly cloned due to fragmented DNA, with current efforts relying instead on genetic engineering.

Chris also outlines major challenges around elephant egg sourcing, embryo transfer, and gestation, questions claims that mammoths could meaningfully impact climate change, and argues conservation resources are better directed toward protecting existing species, while acknowledging potential scientific benefits from the research.

Timeline

00:00 Podcast Intro and De-Extinction
00:38 Meeting Dewey the Clone
03:31 Cloning Hype vs Reality
05:06 Elephant Repro Research Shift
07:02 Dolly and Cell Reset
10:22 How Cloning Works
15:46 Lab Data on Efficiency
20:50 De-Extinction Case Study Ibex
22:32 Why Mammoths Aren't Clones
26:40 Elephant Surrogates and Obstacles
30:36 Elephant Egg Retrieval
31:43 Lab Grown Gametes
32:33 Embryo Transfer Challenges
33:01 Welfare and Ethics
34:26 Climate Claims Debunked
36:28 Funding Priorities Debate
38:50 Real Conservation Wins
40:07 False Tech Fix Narrative
42:58 Forest Elephants Solution
47:01 Moonshot Case for Science
49:57 What De Extinction Delivers
52:02 Choose Protection Today

===========================================================

Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. 

Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE.

We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife.

Please contact us at [email protected]

if you would like to advertise on our podcast

You can also visit our website HERE. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris and Angie venture into the darkest depths of the ocean to meet one of the most bizarre and misunderstood creatures on Earth—the anglerfish.

In this episode, we explore how these deep-sea predators survive in a world without light, using bioluminescent lures to hunt in the abyss. But it’s their reproduction that truly defies belief, featuring one of the most extreme mating strategies in the animal kingdom. We also unpack what anglerfish reveal about life in extreme environments and why the deep ocean, still largely unexplored, matters more than ever.

===========================================================

Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. 

Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE.

We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife.

Please contact us at [email protected]

if you would like to advertise on our podcast

You can also visit our website HERE. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris welcomes Dr. Sammy Ramsey (“Dr. Bugs”), entomologist at the University of Colorado Boulder, to discuss Secrets of the Bees (National Geographic, Disney+/Hulu).

They explore surprising bee intelligence—from navigation using the sun to puzzle-solving, teaching, and even play—alongside fascinating behaviours like the waggle dance and swarm decision-making. Ramsey debunks common myths about honeybees and explains why they’re less aggressive than wasps. The episode also tackles colony collapse, ongoing hive losses, and the impact of varroa mites. He shares simple, practical ways people can help protect pollinators at home.

Tune in on Nat Gro March 31, 2026

Disney+/HULU April 1, 2026

Dr. Ramey's website and socials can be found HERE

Timeline

00:00 Welcome and Introductions
01:12 Why Bees Amaze Us
01:46 Tiny Brains Big Intelligence
02:52 Secrets of the Bees Visuals
04:03 Bees vs Wasps Misconceptions
07:24 Colony Collapse Explained
09:58 Annual Losses and Data Confusion
14:09 Bumblebee Lab Play and Puzzles
18:42 Insect Culture and Conservation
20:25 Inspiring Future Scientists
21:46 Why Bees Deserve Spotlight
22:01 Secrets Series Perspective Shift
23:39 Waggle Dance Explained
25:21 Honeybee Democracy Swarms
28:04 Varroa Mites Threat
31:41 Fighting Mites With Genetics
32:24 Help Pollinators At Home
35:51 Hope And Final Plug
37:19 Where To Follow Dr Sammy

===========================================================

Another thank you to all our Patreon supporters. You too can join for one cup of "good" coffee a month. With your pledge you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With the funds we receive each month, we are have been sending money to conservation organizations monthly. We now send a check to every organization we cover, as we feel they all are deserving of our support. Thank you so much for your support and for supporting animal conservation. 

Please considering supporting us at Patreon HERE.

We also want to thank you to all our listeners. We are giving back to every conservation organization we cover and you make that possible. We are committed to donating large portions of our revenue (at minimum 25%) to every organization we cover each week. Thank you for helping us to grow, and for helping to conserve our wildlife.

Please contact us at [email protected]

if you would like to advertise on our podcast

You can also visit our website HERE. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices