What The Duck?!
ABC Australia
232 episodes
Australia is full of weird plants and animals. And Dr Ann Jones is on speaking terms with most of them!
More about the show
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.
Episodes page 2 of 5
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Warehouse, cemetery, playground: Australia's biodiversity vault
CSIRO's National Research Collection in Canberra is where millions of dead things bring life to Australian science. The specimens, collected over many decades, have just been very carefully moved into a new…
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Girls just wanna have frogs
After receiving a heartbreaking email, Ann goes on a mission to prove that 'girls DO like spiders, frogs and all things nature'.' Featuring: • Lyra and Julie Gould from Canada • Dr. Jodi Rowley- Australian Museum and…
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The bird-eating centipede
It's like a classic horror film. There are huge fangs, a segmented body, a remote location, the ocean bashing against cliffs, you're all alone and there's no one to help. The first bodies that turn up are of the…
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No, centipedes don't have 100 legs
Turns out centipedes versus millipedes isn't as simple as a numbers game. But here at What the Duck?! we never skip leg day. Featuring: • Dr Juanita Rodriguez, Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO. • Dr…
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Are animals musical?
Can animals create, or even enjoy music? Ann rips through the animal kingdom to check out the musical talent of some likely and unlikely performers. Featuring: • Dr. Stuart Watson, University of Zurich. • Dr. Chiara…
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The trap is set: Webs, hypnosis, and mucus tubes
We'll all go to trouble to get a good meal, but some animals take it to the extreme. Some build architectural masterpieces to entrap their prey, or use body parts as lures. But what is your cat doing when it makes…
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Mushrooms: Is the future fungi?
Fungi are already hard at work helping trees survive drought, recycling fallen logs, rotting away carcases, and helping human digestive systems, but could they do more? Is our future made of fungi? Research has shown…
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Mushrooms: What are they, really?
Mushrooms were once lumped in with plants, and they stayed there well after science knew better. But if a fungus is not a plant… is it a closer relative of yours than you might've thought? With millions of species on…
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Mushrooms: Why do they kill?
As daily updates about the 'mushroom murders' monopolised newsfeeds around the country, the What the Duck?! team started questioning the motives. Not the human ones — the fungi ones. Why would a mushroom need a toxin…
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What the Duck?! serves mushrooms
Have you found yourself wondering why a simple brown mushroom would develop a toxin so strong that just a few grams could kill a human? What the Duck?! is investigating the motives of toxic fungi and exploring the…
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Murder birds: The cuckoo's killer instinct
Cuckoo babies hatch in the nests of other bird species then quickly, often brutally, make sure they're the only baby to get fed… So how does a cuckoo know how to be a cuckoo? Well… that is a ducking good question.…
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Slug slime and frog glue: Get stuck into nature's stickiness
There are so many sticky things in nature, but what's the nature of their stickiness? Could slug mucus or frog ooze be used in medical treatments? Ann puts on her spider-woman gloves to find out. Featuring: • Ella…
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What's brown and sticky?
If you ever wanted to be able to stick to walls like Spider-Man, then listen to this! How do geckos and ants walk easily up walls and across the ceiling? Is an insect foot sticky in the same way as a reptilian…
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Mars on Earth: Salt lake life
This place is so extreme that NASA sends scientists to test equipment for Mars missions. And yet, Australia's salty lakes are full of life. Featuring: • Bonnie Teece, Postgraduate Researcher at UNSW • Angus D'Arcy…
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Is anything true blue?
Ann finds out that birds are not really blue. Not even bluebirds. If they're not blue, then what the duck are they? Featuring: • Richard McClure, Stems Flower Market, Ballarat. • Nate Byrne, ABC News Breakfast…
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Australia's most underrated animal: Winner!
Listen back to the What the Duck?! special broadcast with Dr Ann Jones and Cassie McCullagh. After 65,000 votes, Australia has spoken — the rakali has been crowned Australia's most underrated native animal! Raking in…
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Underrated animals: Dugong
They live off seagrass, and sound like a teeny bird, but can weigh in at more than 400 kilograms and will cut you with their tusks. Dugongs (Dugong dugon) were once confused for mermaids. Yanyuwa people in the Golf…
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Underrated animals: Palm Cockatoo
It's a bold claim, but the palm cockatoo might be the most punk-rock bird of all. The black and scarlet parrot lives in the rainforests and woodlands of Far North Queensland, as well as the Aru Islands and New Guinea.…
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Underrated animals: Great desert skink
This little orange lizard lives with his mum and poos outside. What's not to love? The great desert skink (Liopholis kintorei) can be found in the deserts of the Northern Territory, South Australia, and Western…
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Underrated animals: Marsupial mole
What has no eyes, no ears, and is barely ever seen? It's no riddle — it's the marsupial mole! These tiny, golden creatures like to burrow through the sands in central Australia, making the two species of marsupial…
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Underrated animals: Turtle frog
This tiny frog is pasty white, with big arms, a teeny head, and is — somehow — still absolutely adorable. The turtle frog (Myobatrachus gouldii) can be found in a small part of south-west Western Australia. They…
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Underrated animals: Short-finned eel
They can travel over land, climb walls and take down large prey. And that's all before the short-finned eel (Anguilla australis) makes it out into the ocean for their epic migration to mate. The location is so remote,…
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Underrated animals: Rakali
Sure, it's a rat, but it's Australia's own cheeky little water rat! The rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster) is Australia's largest rodent, and can be found in the waterways all around Australia. Cast your vote for…
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Underrated animals: Velvet worm
They shoot glue, puree their enemies, and are about the size of a leaf. With 140 species of southern velvet worms (Peripatopsidae), and most of those in Australia, these tiny creatures are our home-grown invertebrate.…
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Underrated animals: Ghost bat
The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) is Australia's only carnivorous bat, so it's probably not a good idea to make fun of their giant ears and unique nose. They live in large colonies of up to 1500 individuals in northern…
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Underrated animals: Giant cuttlefish
They can grow up to a metre and the world's largest cuttlefish species can also disappear in a puff of ink and mucus. The giant cuttlefish (Ascarosepion apama) is an oddball, and you can catch a glimpse of them around…
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What's in your freezer?
Move the peas over to find that Australian freezers have seals, kangaroo penises and the DNA of 'the Chanel of goats.' Featuring: • Dr Natalie Warburton, Murdoch University. • Dr Jillian Garvey, La Trobe University.…
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Self-medicating species: Animals that say yes to drugs
It turns out self-medicating and herbal remedies are not exclusive to humans. From cats eating grass, to elephants making medicinal tea in their throat pouch — the animal world has its own prescriptions. And…
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Old and smelly: Farts from the past
Fossils tell us a lot about the past, but are there fossilised farts? (Spoiler, YES!) Look back at great farts of history, and the story of methane. Do birds not fart? And which creature is responsible for the…
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Does it fart?
Farts are not just for laughs. There are farts for survival, for communication, and even to attack! But it turns out it's tricky to get scientists to agree on what actually constitutes a fart. Still, from tiny fish,…
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Hybrids, dog breeds and DNA: What makes a species?
It's a seemingly simple question from What the Duck?! listener Skylar: how do scientists determine a new species? Turns out, it's complicated. And it's got Ann Jones impersonating a dog on the internet to try to find…
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Modern dogs: What have we created?
The influence of selective breeding by humans has created a doggo for every occasion, but it's not without problematic results. Some breeds have breathing difficulties, hip problems, aggression, or anxiety. There are…
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Dogs in Australia: What is a dingo?
This is the story of the domesticated animal that feralised itself. Where did dingoes come from and when? Where does a wild dog stop and a dingo begin? How much can genetics really tell us about Australia's only…
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Woofs and wags: What's your dog telling you?
Are puppy dog eyes really a sign of love, or does Fido just want a lil snack? Can dogs really "speak" by pressing talking buttons, or do they just make great content for TikTok? There's more to canine communication…
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Good dog: Survival of the friendliest
'Man's best friend' sure sounds better than 'obligatory symbiont', but what are the true dynamics at play? There's no denying the bond people feel and the attachment dogs have for their humans, but if we put that…
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Designer dogs: What is a breed anyway?
There's designer clothes, but they have nothing on designer dogs! They come in a huge range of shapes and colours and sizes, from the tiny Chihuahua to the Great Dane. In the animal world this much variation usually…
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Wolf to woof: Did we make dogs?
The relationship between humans and big scary wolves has come a long way to give us tiny fluffy lap dogs with very discerning tastes in expensive food. Whose idea was it? Was it the wolves who wanted the warmth of the…
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Introducing What the Dogs?!
A new series from What the Duck?! is coming soon. Dr Ann Jones is exploring the connection between humans and dogs and asking how our destinies became intertwined. How did we get pugs from wolves? How did the…
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Can snakes climb ladders?
How does a snake climb a pole? It's not like they have a ladder... or arms. It turns out that snakes have some pretty crazy skills when it comes to climbing anything and everything. The Island of Guam had between two…
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Snakes on the brain
Would you meet a stranger in a park with a pile of snakes? Comedian Craig Quartermaine took the risk in an attempt to overcome his fears. Featuring: • Craig Quartermaine, comedian. • Sandy Dickinson, Urban Reptiles.…
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Hollywood bird sounds
Have you heard of the Kookaburra that conquered Hollywood? Yes- that was a kookaburra at the start of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. But WHY? Dr Ann Jones is on a mission to find out. Featuring:…
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Spiders: the ultimate assassins
Spiders have gravity-defying ninja skills, they can hear without ears and they work together to gang up on huge prey. Spiders are murder machines! Featuring: Dr Kate Umbers, Western Sydney University. Dr Alfonso…
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Pandas, penises and performance anxiety
A tiny penis, a 12-hour annual fertilisation window, picky females and strawberry bubble bath – these are just a few of the issues that pop up when making a panda cub. Featuring: • Chad Crittle, Acting Assistant…
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Coming out of your shell
There's a whole world of mystery, and quite a bit of maths, inside the humble sea shell. Forget ancestry searches online, shells can tell you the history of the world! Featuring: Amy Prendergast, University of…
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Did Jaws get anything right about sharks?
Jaws (1975) was a massive hit that also created a whole lot of fear, but does anything in the film really stand up to shark science? Do sharks stalk humans? Do they roar? What can they sense? There are so many…
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Girl, so confusing!
Female lab mice have been bred to be passive and breed with ease. But, in the wild they're feisty and even pugnacious. How much of our biological understanding of the world is based on misogyny? Featuring: • Lucy…
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How we really feel about eels
Eels are mysterious and have a fascinating history. People in pre-medieval England used them to pay rent. Early 17th-century maps featured 'eel ships,' and even Sigmund Freud studied their breeding and reproduction…
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Why do animals have penises?
When it comes to sexual organs, the penis is really ‘out there.’ Name another organ that can change its form AND function in a matter of seconds! There’s a lot of variety in the animal kingdom; from spikes and nails…
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Hollywood lied to us: Babe
Aussie classic Babe turns 30 this year, and its story of the little pig that achieves his dream of being a sheep dog is still as uplifting as the day it premiered. But we can't say "that'll do, pig" when it comes to…
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Hollywood lied to us: The Birds
If you have a fear of getting swooped by magpies, mobbed by seagulls or blinded by crows, perhaps Alfred Hitchcock is to blame. His 1963 horror classic The Birds created a generation of ornithophobes, and played on…
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