For the past seven seasons, How many geese? has flourished atop the twin foundations of whimsy and shenanigans. Well, Jack has decided that season eight is when that comes crashing to a halt - as he blasts through our whimsical bedrock and holds a mirror up to us all to have us question what makes a society... and can utopias exist? He does this, in true Goose fashion, through the medium of some research on rodents in the 20th century. You will never look at an influencer the same again once you've heard what he's uncovered...

It's not just existential philosophy though (hooray!) as we also consider what animals deserve hands and Roddy's arena challenger is sent in by someone who perhaps knows too much...

In need of camera gear? You can check out our show sponsors MPB here https://www.mpb.com/ 

To learn about the work BOS UK do to save Orangutans, and adopt your very own, head over to https://bos-uk.org/bumi-geese/

Need more geese? Our Patreon is up and running - come join the flock for extra episodes and your chance to appear on the show! https://www.patreon.com/howmanygeese 

We're back! A new season is dawning in Gooseland as we kick off series 8 with a banger. We stumble across lots of awesome people in making this show, and when we heard the stories that one of them had to tell, we knew we needed to get him on the show. Enter Ben Callison - CEO of Borneo Orangutan Survival UK, builder of hurricane proof tiger enclosures and carer of one-armed Kangaroo boxers. We sit down with him to learn about how his career unfolded and sending Orangutans to school is helping to return them to the jungle. 

To check out the work of BOSUK, hit the link here: www.borneoorangutansurvival.org 

Our Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here- with 3 special episodes available for subscribers to listen to and a new one every month! 

Today we're diving into one of the most badass ways of fighting back against the overexploitation of the seas as technology teams up with nature with some pretty awesome outcomes. Meet the Ocean Sentinels tracking down illegal fishing vessels down in the Southern Oceans in one of the coolest bits of research we've ever covered.

There's a slight change to the genre in today's fight as Roddy has to do battle with a BILLION insects before we head back to the ocean to recast the Pirates of the Caribbean characters as animals...

Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

With the Academy Awards behind us, the world may be moving on from awards season... but Team Goose is here to deliver one more trophy as we take a look and present the award for one of the most insane movies you've probably never heard of - 1981's "Roar"! It's lions, lions and more lions as we look at one couple's passion project that got A LITTLE out of hand.... just ask the seventy members of cast and crew who got injured on set by their clawed co-stars!

It's not just the chaos of collaborating with cats though, as we also answer the question what five animals would we choose to kickstart life on an island and Roddy faces one of his ....roundest challengers yet - with the American Woodcock. 

Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/ 

If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

It's time to man the harpoons as we hop in the Goose Time Machine and set the dial back to the early 1900s to meet a very special Orca with a fascinating relationship with the local whalers. 

Our Birda chums shine the spotlight on one of the biggest birds in the world as we soar with the Andean Condor, before a child forces Roddy to do battle with Leopards. We round out the show with the question on everyone's minds as we work out what our chosen animal would be to use as the vehicle on Mario Kart's infamous Rainbow Road...

Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

Check out Birda the show sponsors here https://birda.org/ 

If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Grab your nearest Gregorian and summon up a sharpie - we've got some key dates for your calendar this week as we ask the question: why do some days have names?

Not just Christmas, Halloween or Valentine's, we're talking World Marmot Day, World Pangolin Day and ... International Talk Like a Pirate Day? We dive deep into the calendar of the bizarre to go on a journey of all the strange days that are out there, looking at the many environmental days you've never heard of and end up trying to redeem a group of animals we've maybe been a bit harsh too. We're here for the hooved this week as we analyse antelopes, all thanks to that well known international holiday - World Hirola Day.

It's not just a crusade through the calendar of course as we set out to identify the best animal gym buddy (animal knowledge high, gym knowledge low) and Roddy takes up arms against the Arabian sand boa.....or does he? 

Incidentally, taking up arms is THE most mocking way you could describe fighting a snake..

And our show sponsors Birda take us back to Australia aka Nature's Thunderdome as we take a trip to the Barking Owl.

Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

Check out Birda the show sponsors here https://birda.org/ 

If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to falter, your pals at "How Many Geese?" are here to offer you an alternative. Suit up to meet our radioactive team of superheroes as we introduce Wales' nuclear sheep, Bavarian boar and Mutant Turtles as we turn off the lights to see which animals are glowing in the dark.

Continuing our superhero theme, our pals Birda introduce us to their very own Hawkeye as we get acquainted with the Arrow-marked Babbler before Roddy tackles the sea's sharp-toothed master of camouflage, the Tasselled Wobbegong. And finally, every superhero needs their supervillain, and we get asked what invasive species we would introduce to our arch-enemy's desert island to make their life a misery...

Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

Check out Birda the show sponsors here https://birda.org/ 

If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Love is in the air and so too is Season SEVEN as we return to the mics refreshed and renewed for a Valentine's Day special - only.... not quite the most romantic one it turns out!

Looking to show love is all around us, Roddy tried to find the cute and loving side of creatures the world deems weird (see: not you sea otters), except it didn't quite go to plan as we hear how love in the animal kingdom takes many strange (and sometimes terrifying) forms. It's not just scary animal sex though, as we also hear the story of how one zookeeper's commitment to the job helped save an endangered crane species. And do we mean - commitment. 

Sticking to the Valentine's theme, we're asked the age old question of snog, marry, avoid  - insects, mammals, birds - and our show sponsors Birda take us to look at some lovey dovey doves with a double feature special in the diamond and bleeding heart doves.

...... .... oh and also Roddy fights an African Spurred Tortoise. In the 90s. We kind of ... drifted from the theme for that one...

Check us out on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

Check out Birda the show sponsors here https://birda.org/ 

If you're feeling extra generous and want to help support the show, consider leaving us a tip at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

We're back in your ears to kick off 2024 with the episode that was meant to close out 2023 - it's the end (beginning) of year special! So sit down, ignore your resolutions and get ready to listen to what happens when we lose a handle on the conversation...

A seemingly straightforward audience question takes us over half an hour to sift through, as we try and work out which animal would claim the title of Highlander - there can be only one! Let it never be said we are anything other than thorough, as we develop our very own knock out tournament for some of the greatest combatants in animal fighting history. 

Of course, it wouldn't be How many geese? without an animal fight - but we're peeling back the curtain to show they don't always go to plan. We welcome the Titan Triggerfish into the arena and wrestle with everything from plasticine to Pythagoras as Roddy tries to form a plan to fight it!

Lastly, we're letting you know courtesy of Birda to check out the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch - and help take part in vital citizen science for listeners in the UK. Download Birda for free, wherever you get your apps. 

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

Follow our Instagram page for updates here www.instagram.com/howmanygeese 

Our time in Mexico comes to an end with the final episode of the expedition! We park our usual animal heavy chat to speak to Dr Kathy Slater (Mission Mexico: Welcome to the Jungle guest) about the communities who live around the biosphere and the threats it is under. Dare we say it - but we get serious for possibly the first time ever on the show!

Firstly, we talk to Kathy about the honey production which many local communities are engaged in, and her work alongside local NGOs to help them move away from unsustainable agriculture practices. It's not just Kathy we speak to about the honey though - as we interview one of the local Mexican staff members Esteban about his own hives and what it's like producing honey...  alongside wildlife... ... in a drought. 

The other big topic while we were on expedition was the "Tren Maya" train project that was being constructed. While we haven't mentioned this in the earlier episodes, this mammoth construction project was hard to avoid in Calakmul. Kathy helps explain a bit more about the train and offers some insight to the impact it could have to the region. Do read up on it - which has recently featured in the Natural History Museum Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition. 

Finally, rest assured there's still some Jack and Roddy chat squeezed in - as we round up our success in seeing our Big 5, Jack gives his bird breakdown and we have the most grown up conversation we've ever recorded as we reflect on our time in the forest...

For more information on Operation Wallacea, check out www.opwall.com

To support the show by leaving us a donation, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Follow our Instagram page for updates here www.instagram.com/howmanygeese

Today's episode is spreading it's weird fleshy wings and echolocating into your ears as we delve into the frankly absurd world of the bats. We've woken up a trio of guests from their daytime slumber to lift the lid on the superpowered world of bats and bring us face to face with one of the largest species in the Calakmul jungle. 

Oh and yes, don't be fooled by the early outtro. For those who want a real insight into just how crazy you get in the jungle, stick behind after the end to hear HMG reporting live from a fashion show in the middle of the forest...

For more information on Operation Wallacea, check out www.opwall.com

To support the show by leaving us a donation, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Follow our Instagram page for updates here www.instagram.com/howmanygeese 

We are swimming, sliding and hopping into your ears this week as we head out under cover of darkness to look for all things herpetological - aka reptiles and amphibians. With the help of blacksmith-come-herpetologist Stuart and PhD student Fred, we dive into the scaly world of reptiles and (the permanently moist world of) amphibians. 

As ever though, that's not all! We answer that classic jungle question of what animal would you choose to be your karaoke partner and check back in on Private Jamie Hartup from the frontlines of the (his?) war against the ants. Will humanity ever know peace?? Thankfully though, if anything can hoover up ants - it's the herps!

For more information on Operation Wallacea, check out www.opwall.com

To support the show by leaving us a donation, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Follow our Instagram page for updates here www.instagram.com/howmanygeese 

It's the second part of our live Global Birdfair specials and we're coming out swinging as we try to answer the ultimate question - what is the worst bird in the world?  

But we couldn't hope to answer such a question alone, so we've called in the expert when it comes to cretinous creatures and are joined by our pal Alice Vassallo off "Asshole Animals with Alice".

There's 16 species up for discussion, but only one will be left spitting feathers when we present it with the trophy for being atrocious... 

Make sure to check out Asshole Animals with Alice by clicking here!

You can find more info on the Global Birdfair at www.globalbirdfair.org

Our Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here- with 3 special episodes available for subscribers to listen to and a new one every month! 

Today's jungle diary has got us all a-flutter as we explore the world of tropical butterflies. With the help of entomologists Liz and Holly, we're learning about why they're such important indicators for the health of the forest and heading out on a survey to get our hands on some ourselves.

Also in today's episode we join Private Jamie Hartup to get his report from the frontlines of the Ant War, unpack some of our halfway wildlife highlights, decide which Mexican animals would make good video characters, and start to panic that the podcast may never actually get finished when we notice the humidity is starting to corrode our kit...

For more information on Operation Wallacea then check out www.opwall.com

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

Follow our Instagram page for updates here www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

The Mayan journey continues as Jack and Roddy move deeper into the Mexican jungle and set up shop at a new camp that is not without its (small and very, very well organised....) challenges - as they reach the Western front of humanity's battle with a colony of leaf cutter ants! But before they fall prey to the colony, it's time to get the flock together and head out looking at our feathered friends - as this week we're all about birds. 

Learn about the different surveying methods used to study them, as well as that most crucial of scientific questions - WHY bother with birds?! And in a turn of events no one could have predicted when How many geese? started, Jack and Roddy sit down with local eco guide Ezekiel to talk not just birds - but learn some Mayan language along the way!

For more information on Operation Wallacea, check out https://www.opwall.com/

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, pelase visit https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Follow our Instagram page for updates here www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/ 

Part three of our journey into the Mexican jungle and today, we're focusing on the big, fluffy stuff. It's an absolute mammal-fest this episode as we delve into some of the jungle's most famous residents. Find out the difference between Jaguars and your Jaguarundis, which mammal is the Mafia boss of Mexico and why monkeys are such dicks to each other.

We've then got an extra treat at the end as we sit down with expedition medic Dr Stefan Hudson to hear all about he looks after the weirdest mammal of all - us. 

For more information on Operation Wallacea then check out www.opwall.com

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

Follow our Instagram page for updates here www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/

Our Mexican adventure continues as today's episode sees us getting to grips with one of the most important aspects of the Calakmul jungle - the Mayans. Come with us as we explore the ancient city of Calakmul and the ruins of Hormiguero with Holly Cunningham as our guide. From blood sacrifices to Belugas of the underworld, this is the closest you'll get to a How Many Geese? history channel. 

We then list which animals make our Mexican Most Wanted before making time to answer one of your listener questions because, even if we're severely dehydrated and getting bitten to death by mosquitos - we'll still make time for you, dear listener.

For more information on Operation Wallacea then check out www.opwall.com

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

Follow our Instagram page for updates here www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/ 

Come with us deep into the heart of the Mayan jungle as we embark on a once in a lifetime expedition into Mexico’s Calakmul Biosphere Reserve.

Joining the Operation Wallacea team, we head out with scientists and locals to get under the skin of Calakmul, learning about the scientific work being undertaken, the history of the forest and the threats it faces.

In this first episode, we’re getting to know where exactly we are and why it’s so special. Head scientist Dr Kathy Slater explains why Calakmul is so important and captivating before Jamie Hartup opens our eyes to some hardcore jungle trees. We also have a live animal gatecrash a recording session and come face to face with the most bizarre animal either of us have ever seen… in a just as unlikely place.

So make sure you’ve packed plenty of water and follow us into the forest as we encounter some of the most extraordinary animals (and people) and planet Earth…

For more information on Operation Wallacea then check out www.opwall.com

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

Follow our Instagram page for updates here www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/ 

Ahoy sailors! All aboard the good ship HMS Goose as your favourite nature podcast sails into uncharted waters for a meeting with the creatures of the deep. We've travelled down to the Royal Navy's central command base at Whale Island to meet marine biologist Harriet, whose job it is to tell us all about the ocean's weird world beneath the waves....

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

Follow our Instagram page for updates here https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/ 

Greetings ant fans! Today's episode is acting as a super colony of ant facts with Roddy as its queen as we dive into a group of animals we've been in awe of on the show for quite some time. Strap in as we learn about the most sophisticated and fearsome civilizations on planet earth and why ants are the ones running the world. Our pals Birda also introduce us to the Ruddy Woodcreeper of Central America and Roddy needs your help in doing battle with one of the cutest animals alive - the Red Panda. 

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

Follow our Instagram page for updates here https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/ 

We've done Australia at war with the emu, we've done artists in love with wombats, but strap in for one of the maddest mash ups of humans and animals from history as we look at how THE ACTUAL US GOVERNMENT had a plan to weaponise bats in WW2... move over Oppenheimer, we're talking bat bombs!

Then join us as we say hello again to Hollywood in our Birda segment - looking at the Red Tailed Hawk which you may not have seen, but we almost guarantee you'll have heard. Meanwhile, we have a matrimonial special for the fight segment as we bend the rules to accommodate a suggestion delivered to us IN PERSON at a wedding (invite us to your wedding and we can talk special features...) before lastly diving into bed with literature as we give a suitable goose spin to Kafka's Metamorphosis.

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

Follow our Instagram page for updates here https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/ 

After some spectacular summer specials with guests, we're back with just Roddy and Jack on the mics for an episode that returns to the purest of goose roots and looks at a weird animal you've (probably) never heard of before - Australia's own antechinus (..... .... antechini?). 

Then, get comfy with going across the pond as all things goose begin to point towards Mexico - Birda takes us across the Atlantic to look at the Rufous Hummingbird, and Roddy does battle with the Horseshoe crabs of Delaware bay (though, perhaps unsurprisingly,  NOT on their home turf...)

Lastly, where would we be without your questions as we answer what animal would make the best doctor? (The NHS may be in crisis, but don't look to this answer for help...)

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

Follow our Instagram page for updates here https://www.instagram.com/howmanygeese/ 

Ladies and Gentlemen, please take your seats in the auditorium as tonight's performance from the Goose Philharmonic is set to begin!

Join us in welcoming composer Kain Ravaei to our first transatlantic episode (via the power of internet) as he takes us through both his work and the wider world of wonderful orchestra. Looking at how classical music can help conservation awareness, Kian's new piece "California Suite" addresses the unique qualities of a particular birdsong, from the flowing tune of Least Bell’s Vireo to the rapid chirps of the California Black Rail. The pieces are modelled after the musical tradition of Baroque dance suites, such as those by J.S. Bach — but with a modern, conservation-minded twist.

.....but we also use the opportunity of having a bona fide classical composer on the mics to answer some of the more musical questions we've been sent in the past, all of course with a goose spin, including recasting an entire orchestra with mother nature's maestros. 

Plus - we ensure our time across the pond is all encompassing by taking a look at a real bird brainbox for Birda, the California Scrub Jay. To download the free app, head to https://birda.app/how-many-geese 

You can check out Kian's music at his website https://kianravaei.com and listen to the California Suite in full on his Youtube page 

To support the show by leaving us a donation, please visit www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese 

How Many Geese has been on the road again listener, this time pitching up at the UK’s biggest nature festival – Global Birdfair!

For this episode, we’re bringing you two chats we had with some very cool people.

Up first is naturalist, TV presenter and time traveller – the legendary Nigel Marven. He’s been sprayed in the eyes by spitting cobras, he’s free-dived with Great White Sharks and, most impressively of all, he’s tracked down some of the most fearsome creatures from prehistory. We sit down with Nigel to hear all about how he became the British Steve Irwin and his adventures across the planet, and through time…

The second part of our Birdfair bonanza sees us sit down with Axel and Ario Driolo, a pair of brothers who have been on an extraordinary journey following the migration routes of birds that move from Africa to Europe each year. Along the way they have been living out of their 4x4s as they capture the sights and sounds of Germany, Spain, Senegal, Morocco and others to turn into amazing virtual reality experiences to connect local people to the wonders of the birds on their doorstep.

A big thank you to Global Birdfair for having us – you can find more details about them here: www.globalbirdfair.org

Nigel Marven: www.nigelmarven.com

Sounding Wild: www.soundingwild.com

Our Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here- with 2 special episodes already available for subscribers to listen to and a Birdfair special coming soon! 

It's time for our now apparently annual tradition of bringing you a How Many Geese? Slimbridge Summer Special! 

A whole year to the day that that made our first visit to the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust's flagship reserve in Gloucestershire - we returned with our attentions set firmly on the amphibious. Join us as Kay Baxter, Living Collections Supervisor for the ectotherms, takes us on a behind the scenes tour of Slimbridge's assortment of frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and everything else in between. 

Plus - we delve into the simultaneously rarest AND cutest bird we've ever tackled with our pals Birda, as the Spoon-billed Sandpiper is our Birda of the week. 

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

For more on the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, check them out here: https://www.wwt.org.uk/

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

On this, the anniversary of the first scientific paper documenting the theory of evolution being presented to the world, we talk about the man that made it all happen. And no, not that one.

Today's episode is dedicated to shining a light on one of biology's most overlooked figures as we celebrate the life and times of Alfred Russell Wallace - who came up with the theory of evolution by natural selection completely independently of Charles Darwin.

Then, we buckle up for our first trip to the thunderdome with our pals Birda before Roddy gets into a battle with one of the most obscure animals on the planet - the Solenodon. 

And finally, we answer the question on everyone's lips. Where in the world have we gone? And what, exactly, are we doing here...? 

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Today's episode is going all Mythbusters as we take on some of the most outrageous animal facts to grace the internet. Our Birda buddies are talking about Jack's worst bird in the world (the Cormorant) before Roddy does battle with the King of the Avian World; the Harpy Eagle. And finally, we round up the show with your classic "What would a goose do if it had a time machine?" chat. 

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Today's episode is taking on a question that some of the finest minds across human civilisation have put their minds to - what the hell is going on with eels?! Plus; it's hammer time with Birda as we go south of the equator to meet the Hamerkop, debate what animal legs would make the best replacement for our own.. whilst it all gets a little meta in Roddy's fight with the Sarcastic Fringehead.

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

What's in a name? 

Well, today's episode aims to find out just that as we explore the animals that are named after people and if it's really a good idea to be doing it after all. We find Birda skulking around in the reeds to tell us about Clapper Rails before Roddy defends the UK's Ribena stocks against hordes of Wrinkle-faced Bats. Then we put our dancing shoes on for our listener question as we work out which animal we'd choose as our "two" to tango. 

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Today's show offers you a glimpse into podcast future as Roddy asks artificial intelligence to write an episode of How Many Geese? Our feathered friends Birda are tearing out the sky at over 200mph to talk Peregrine Falcons, we discuss which animal will be behind a coup of Planet Earth and it's the Huntsman Spider's turn to enter the HMG battle arena.  

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Today's episode is evolving before your very eyes as we get our Darwin (and Wallace) on to explore animals that are changing at lightning speed. Our Birda of the week this week has made a special journey from the opposite side of the world as we welcome Arctic Tern, before Roddy does battle with the Fiddler Crabs. And we round the show off with a bumper question as we answer - what animals would make the best roadtrip buddies? 

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Today's episode has overthrown the captain and changed course for life on a tropical island as we explore the Mutiny on the Bounty and its repercussions for one iconic animal. Also in this episode - Birda takes us south of the Equator on a search for one of the world's most hardcore geese, we discuss what animal would make the worst emotional support companion and Roddy does battle with the lemur from your nightmares; the Aye-Aye. 

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Today's episode has been cryogenically stored to safeguard all its information on the importance of Frozen Zoos and how they're helping modern day conservation work. We look at how cloning is bringing species back from the brink, get to know which animal is one of the most inbred in the world and take heart from the fact that extinction may not have to be forever... 

We then take our Birda segment across the pond to meet the industrious Acorn Woodpecker before Roddy enters the ocean to do battle with a leviathan of the deep - the Leatherback Turtle. And finally, as any good podcast should, we round off by working out with animal would make the best teen babysitter for our non-existent children...

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

All aboard Roddy's weird & wonderful mystery tour as we explore some bizarre creatures living their best lives in the most extraordinary ways... and yes, most of it is in the sea. We team up with Birda again, this time to look at one of the most accurately named birds on planet Earth - the Dipper. And before we finish off deciding which animal would make the worst replacement for the Easter Bunny, Roddy has a rumble with a band of Badgers on the mean streets of London...

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Roddy and I often reflect on where this silly little show has taken us as we've found ourselves in increasingly absurd places over the years. Standing in a top secret warehouse in Liverpool, holding 2500 year old Ancient Egyptian animal mummies was one of those times. 

Join us as we're welcomed to the vaults of the National Museums Liverpool by Ashley Cooke, their Lead Curator of Antiquities. Hear all about why the Ancient Egyptians were so hooked on making mummies from the animals around them, what it all meant and how tens of thousands ended up getting shipped back to the UK to be ground up and used as fertiliser...

Our Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here-  with 2 special episodes already available for subscribers to listen to! 

You can check out our photography pals mpb here

This episode was also sponsored by Birdfy, check them out at https://www.birdfy.com/?ref=howmanygeese

Today's episode has passed through the gastro-intestinal tract of a Tuna to be delivered straight to your ears as we explore the world of unusual things found inside animals. We take a look at some high flying birds with our new pals Birda, as well as exploring what the world would look like if human jobs were replaced by geese. And we finally answer the age old question of; just how many Bruno's Casque-headed Frogs could you take in a fight? 

To learn more about our partners Birda and download their free birdwatching app, visit their website at https://birda.app/how-many-geese

To support the show by leaving us a donation to help keep growing the podcast, please visit: www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Seasons greetings and Feliz Navidad listeners! Join us as HMG goes all in one of Christmas' favourite animals - the Reindeer. When did they become so hardcore? And what's the reason Rudolph had a red nose?

Then we meet our festive foe, the Common Basilisk, before we get down to your questions about animal arboreal ornaments and which species would be most likely to return a gift...

We've delved into the HMG vaults for today's series finale as we've put together an episode featuring a couple of our favourite segments that we've been sitting on for a while now that just didn't have a home. Join us as we cast animals as the seven deadly sins and virtues before exploring the surprisingly baffling world of animals whose name begins with the letter U...

Today we're looking into one of the greatest competitions in the sporting calendar - the annual Man vs Horse marathon in Wales. We explore the story, the history and just how it's possible for humans to compete with horses over long distance. Then we get back to our own human vs animal trial by combat segment as Roddy does battle with the Southern Elephant Seal before answering the question of - which animal would make the best lawyer? 

Today we're putting 3 of your favourite animals on trial as we uncover their darker sides. For too long has the world been fooled by the cute and cuddly personas of Sea Otters, Ducks and Dolphins and we're about to open your ears to some of their brutal behaviours that Disney conveniently leaves out...

Nature brings all its animals rolled into one for our fight segment as Roddy does battle with the Platypus before we stay on the fighting theme by answering which animals would make the best Pokémon... 

We're stepping into our hazmat suits and picking up our Geiger counter as we take a step into the world of nuclear seagulls and toxic ducks. If that isn't enough avian danger for you, Roddy comes face to beak with the mighty Goliath Heron in today's animal rumble before we lay down our swords with the animal kingdom to work out which species would make the best wingman...

Today's episode is walking with giants as we enter the realm of the biggest organisms on earth. From colossal snakes to humungous fungus, join us as we dive into a world that'll leave you feeling pretty small by the end of it. Roddy takes on the Leopard Gecko in today's animal fight before we answer once and for all - which is better, penguins or monkeys? 

Find us on Instagram at @howmanygeese and support the show with a donation at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

Ever wondered what the Victorian Pre-Raphaelite art movement had in common with a marsupial from the other side of the world? Well thank God we're here to answer all your burning questions as we look into one of the most peculiar animal obsessions on record. Once we've recovered from that bout of marsupial madness, Roddy does battle with the formidable Portuguese Man o' War before pondering which animal seems like it's been home schooled... 

Find us on Instagram at @howmanygeese and support the show with a donation at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/howmanygeese

It's part two of our special collaboration with the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour and we're exploring those organisms that give each other a helping hand to get through the trials of life. Whether it's help finding food or looking for a place to live, these symbiotic species are going to make you re-evaluate your own friendships.

We continue the affectionate vibes by answering which animal would make the best spooning partner but only after we've worked out how many Capybara really are too many Capybara. 

 For more about the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour who we partnered with to make this episode, visit their website at: https://www.asab.org/

How does a Cuckoo know it's a Cuckoo? What's the easiest way to get a Nobel Prize? And just how inanimate is a tortoise?

It's Biology Week everyone and school is in session as we team up with the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour to talk all about the science of animals doing what animals do.

Come for the ethology chat, stay for the parts where we work out which animal would make the best chef & how many Arctic Terns we'd take in a fight...

For more about the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour who we partnered with to make this episode, visit their website at: https://www.asab.org/

Note on Konrad Lorenz: 

Konrad Lorenz was one of the major founders of ethology and is famous for his work on imprinting geese, as mentioned in this podcast. However, there are also elements of Lorenz’s work that have been called into question in recent years, mainly in relation to his use of Nazi-type terminology and potential ideologies in relation to some of his work and extrapolation to human behaviour. We wanted to bring this to the attention of our listeners, as it raises important questions around the influence of society and individual bias on the development of scientific understanding. If you would like to read more about this you can read an article in Animal Behaviour about Lorenz here.

Gather the hive and listen in - we're buzzing into your ears with a whole episode on bees! We've travelled to the World Museum in Liverpool to meet bee expert Leanna Dixon for an awesome apine* hour, and just in the nick of time too - as it was world bee day on the 20th May. With everything from the bumbling to the buzzing, we cover carpenter, mason, honey, pantaloon and even VULTURE bees! 

Our new Patreon is up and running which you can sign up to here - new bonus episodes coming every month, and two lucky subscribers will be drawn to join Roddy in some extra special fight sections next season!

You can check out mpb photography here 

This episode was also sponsored by Birdfy, check them out at https://www.birdfy.com/?ref=howmanygeese 

*bovine. equine. apine. it's a real world I swear...

We're venturing into the great outdoors for this episode as we take the podcast into the field for the first time EVER. And what better place to do it then the home of the goose - the headquarters of the Wildfowl and Wetland Trust at Slimbridge. Reserve warden Scott Petrek is on the show to tell us all about Slimbridge's gambling swans, Hawaiian geese and spill the deets on the biggest soap opera in bird land... 

All aboard the Beetle Bus everybody, as we're packing our bags and migrating north for our first ever episode recorded on location. For this special Insect Week episode, we've been summoned to the National Museum of Scotland collection centre by curator of entomology Ash Whiffin to atone for our crimes against the insects. To repent our sins for overlooking them in previous episodes, we asked Ash if she'd help us explore their world. From working out which insect would be the best lover to visualising Roddy in skin tight lycra, you won't wanna miss this..

The "How many geese?" Hall of Fame is littered with legends. From Pablo Escobear, to Cash Rat via Alex the Parrot - the pantheon is steeped with greats. In today's episode, a new animal takes its seat amongst the greats as we regale you with the Ballad of Ken Allen. Plus - what's the best animal you could show up with as a date to a wedding to impress your family? And how many coconut crabs could you take in a fight...? 

Today we're learning what happens when the wolves of the sea go hunting for the biggest animals to ever live as we react to some truly wild tales of Orcas taking on Blue Whales. Plus - we go all Nick Fury and assemble our animal team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes & we work out how many Shrikes we could take in a fight...