The Zooquarium Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Art and Science collide on The Zooquarium Podcast!

Meet Mike Bennett - he's an artist and educator originally from Pennsylvania. After moving to Portland, OR, Mike began creating large-scale cartoon characters cut out of wood. Now, he's the brains behind a number of cartoon establishments, popular yard signs, and art partnerships all over the world.

Meet Chanel - she's the marine biologist and wildlife expert behind the biomes at The Portland Aquarium and the Director of Outreach & Community Relations for the Elakha Alliance, an organization committed to bringing sea otters back to Oregon!

The Zooquarium Podcast debuted in January 2026 and participation is always welcome! Kids of all ages are encouraged to submit their very own questions about animals and their habitats. Information on how to submit is at thezooquarium.com/podcast.

It's art! It's educational! IT'S IMAGUCATIONAL!

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Fitz asks: WHY DO SLOTHS POOP ON THE GROUND? Hosts Mike Bennett and Chanel Hason answer Fitz’s question, share some other cool sloth facts, and discuss Mike’s iconic sloth Slow Down signs.

Visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download activity sheets and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions!

RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

• Learn about the Portland Aquarium
• Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store
• Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquariumpodcast
• Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart
• Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart
• Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel
• Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel
• Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org

The Zooquarium Podcast releases every other Tuesday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you’re informed when new episodes come out! Video versions are available on YouTube and Spotify. Bonus videos for episodes are released one week after the relevant episode drops exclusively on YouTube or by visiting the show page at thezooquarium.com/podcast

Credits

• Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
• Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
• Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
• Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
• Artwork by Fuzzzbrain

Special thanks to

• Teddy Albertson
• Fitz & Fitz’s family
• Michele Kraus Bennett
• Cayley Pater
• The Elakha Alliance
• Dr. Rebecca Cliffe
• Sloths in general

Calvin asks: How long can sea otters hold their breath? Great question, Calvin! Hosts Mike Bennett and Chanel Hason answer Calvin’s question, share some other cool sea otter facts, and invite guest Moddy Himmel to share their experience educating through puppetry!

Visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download Moddy’s Sea Otter Puppets (using Mike’s artwork), quizzes, activity sheets and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions!

RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

• Visit Moddy’s Website
• Learn about the Portland Aquarium
• Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store
• Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium
• Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart
• Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart
• Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel
• Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel
• Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org

The Zooquarium Podcast releases every other Tuesday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you’re informed when new episodes come out! Video versions are available on YouTube and Spotify. Bonus videos for episodes are released one week after the relevant episode drops exclusively on YouTube or by visiting the show page at thezooquarium.com/podcast

Credits

• Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
• Guest: Moddy Himmel
• Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
• Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
• Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
• Artwork by: Fuzzzbrain

Special thanks to

• Calvin & Calvin’s family
• Michele Kraus Bennett
• Cayley Pater
• The Elakha Alliance
• Teddy Albertson
• Otters in general

Izzy asks: What Are Those Giant Beaks on Toucans About? Yeah, what ARE they about?! Luckily, Mike and Chanel are friends with Aimee Owen, the Cincinnati Zoo's Aviculture Senior Keeper (bird keeper), to tell us ALL ABOUT toucans and their giant beaks. And since The Zooquarium Podcast smushes science and art, Mike makes sure to ask about some fictional toucans in movies, tv shows, and breakfast cereal commercials.

Visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download quizzes, activity sheets, and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions!

RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

• Learn more about the Cincinnati Zoo
• Learn about the Portland Aquarium
• Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store
• Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium
• Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart
• Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart
• Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel
• Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel
• Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org

The Zooquarium Podcast releases every other Tuesday. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you’re informed when new episodes come out! Video versions are available on YouTube and Spotify. Bonus videos for episodes are released one week after the relevant episode drops exclusively on YouTube or by visiting the show page at thezooquarium.com/podcast

Credits

• Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
• Guest: Aimee Owen
• Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
• Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
• Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
• Artwork by: Fuzzzbrain

Special thanks to

Izzy & Izzy's family, Our friends at the Cincinnati Zoo, Michele Kraus Bennett, Cayley Pater, The Elakha Alliance, Teddy Albertson, Toucans in general

Sloane asks: Why Do Centipedes Have So Many Legs? Seriously, there's SO MANY! Mike and Chanel get down to the bottom of Sloane's question, explain the difference between centipedes and millipedes, and invite special guest Chuck Duke to talk about his experience animating Mr. Centipede for the 1996 movie, James and the Giant Peach.

Chuck began his professional career in animation in his early twenties and has since contributed to a wide range of feature films and television productions in the animation and visual effects departments. Aside from James and the Giant Peach, his credits include Fantastic Mr Fox, Isle of Dogs, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, as well as stop-motion animation and effects on Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019), and Star Wars: Mandalorian and Grogu.

Visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download quizzes, activity sheets, and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions!

RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

• Learn more about Chuck Duke
• Learn about the Portland Aquarium
• Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store
• Follow Chuck on Instagram: @cdook
• Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium
• Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart
• Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart
• Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel
• Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel
• Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org

The Zooquarium releases episodes about different animals every other Tuesday with bonus content for each episode the following week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you’re informed when new episodes come out! Video versions are available on YouTube, Spotify, and thezooquarium.com/podcast

Credits

• Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
• Guest: Chuck Duke
• Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
• Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
• Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
• Artwork by: Fuzzzbrain

Special thanks to

Sloane & Sloane's family, Chuck Duke, Michele Kraus Bennett, Cayley Pater, The Elakha Alliance, Teddy Albertson, Centipedes in general

This bonus episode features more of Mike and Chanel’s conversation with Derrick Baskin all about EELS! They continue their conversation about eels, the experience of performing on stage for kids, and embodying all different types of animals. PLUS, Chanel and Mike share their own experiences acting on stage for a live audience.

Visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download activity sheets and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions!

• Visit Derrick's website
• Follow Derrick on Instagram: @derrick.baskin
• Learn about the Portland Aquarium
• Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store
• Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium
• Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart
• Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart
• Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel
• Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel
• Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org

The Zooquarium releases episodes about different animals every other Tuesday with bonus content for each episode the following week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube so you’re informed when new episodes come out!

RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

Credits

• Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
• Guest: Derrick Baskin
• Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
• Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
• Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
• Artwork by: Fuzzzbrain

Special thanks to

Agatha & Agatha's family, Derrick Baskin, Tyler Maynard (Flotsam), Michele Kraus Bennett, Cayley Pater, The Elakha Alliance, Teddy Albertson, eels in general.

Agatha asks: Why Are Moray Eels' Faces So Long? Seriously - they're SO LONG! But why? Mike and Chanel answer Agatha's question with the help of actor Derrick Baskin, who played Jetsam in Disney's The Little Mermaid on Broadway. Together, they discuss scientific facts about eels in addition to learning how Derrick embodied one of fiction's most famous eels for a live audience.

Derrick Baskin is a Grammy and Tony Award-nominated actor best known for his performance as Otis Williams in the Broadway hit Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations. His Broadway credits include Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Memphis the Musical , and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. His television and film appearances include Law & Order: SVU, The Good Lord Bird, The Offer, and Marshall. As a former cast member of The Little Mermaid, he feels uniquely qualified to talk about life under the sea…including eels.

Be sure to visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download quizzes, activity sheets, and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions!

RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

• Visit Derrick's website
• Follow Derrick on Instagram: @derrick.baskin
• Learn about the Portland Aquarium
• Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store
• Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium
• Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart
• Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart
• Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel
• Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel
• Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org

The Zooquarium releases episodes about different animals every other Tuesday with bonus content for each episode the following week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you’re informed when new episodes come out! Video versions are available on YouTube, Spotify, and thezooquarium.com/podcast

Credits

• Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
• Guest: Derrick Baskin
• Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
• Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
• Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
• Artwork by: Fuzzzbrain

Special thanks to

Agatha & Agatha's family, Derrick Baskin, Tyler Maynard (Flotsam), Michele Kraus Bennett, Cayley Pater, The Elakha Alliance, Teddy Albertson, eels in general

Footage of the Rose City Raindrops courtesy of the Rose City Raindrops. Video filmed by Dane Sawyer.

This bonus episode features more of Mike and Chanel’s conversation with Alex McInturf all about SHARKS! They continue their conversation about shark sleeping habits and talk more about sharks in pop culture (Sharknado!), how to study sharks, Alex's favorite shark, and Oregon's new "Vibrant Ocean" license plates.

Visit https://www.thezooquarium.com/podcast to download activity sheets and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions!

• Visit Alex's website
• Learn more about Big Fish Lab
• Learn about the Portland Aquarium
• Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store
• Follow Big Fish Lab on Instagram: @big_fish_lab
• Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium
• Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart
• Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart
• Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel
• Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel
• Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org

The Zooquarium releases episodes about different animals every other Tuesday with bonus content for each episode the following week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or here on YouTube so you’re informed when new episodes come out!

RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

Credits

• Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
• Guest: Alex McInturf
• Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
• Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
• Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
• Artwork by: Fuzzzbrain

Special thanks to

Griffin & Griffin's family, Michele Kraus Bennett, Cayley Pater, The Elakha Alliance, Teddy Albertson, Sharks in general

Griffin asks: Do Sharks Sleep With Their Eyes Open or Closed? What a great question! Mike and Chanel get down to the bottom of Griffin's question with the help of shark expert, Alex McInturf from Oregon State University's Big Fish Lab. Not only do they answer Griffin's question, but they also talk about other shark facts that will blow your minds!

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Alexandra McInturf received her PhD in Animal Behavior from the University of California, Davis in 2021 and is currently a Research Associate at Oregon State University’s Big Fish Lab and Graduate Faculty in OSU’s Departments of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences and Environmental Sciences.

Her research generally focuses on how marine organisms respond to biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) environmental variables and uses this information to contextualize and predict behavior, movement patterns, and survival. Alex explores this topic in threatened marine fishes. She is currently examining the foraging ecology of salmon sharks in Oregon and Alaska (including microplastic ingestion), the distributions of Chinook salmon and their overlap with salmon sharks, the movements of Pacific spiny dogfish, the social lives of sharks generally, and many more species and topics! SO COOL!

Be sure to visit thezooquarium.com/podcast to download quizzes, activity sheets, and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions!

RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

• Visit Alex's website
• Learn more about Big Fish Lab
• Learn about the Portland Aquarium
• Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store
• Follow Big Fish Lab on Instagram: @big_fish_lab
• Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium
• Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart
• Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart
• Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel
• Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel
• Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org

The Zooquarium releases episodes about different animals every other Tuesday with bonus content for each episode the following week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you’re informed when new episodes come out! Video versions are available on YouTube, Spotify, and thezooquarium.com/podcast

Credits

• Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
• Guest: Alex McInturf
• Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
• Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
• Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
• Artwork by: Fuzzzbrain

Special thanks to

Griffin & Griffin's family, Alex McInturf, Michele Kraus Bennett, Cayley Pater, The Elakha Alliance, Teddy Albertson, Sharks in general

This bonus episode features more of Mike and Chanel’s conversation with legendary animator Chuck Duke, who helped bring Mr. Centipede to life in James and the Giant Peach(1996). They also talk about Chuck's experience animating Jack Skellington and working with Wes Anderson on Fantastic Mr. Fox. For more of their conversation, be sure to check out Episode 4 of The Zooquarium , "Why Do Centipedes Have So Many Legs?"

Visit https://www.thezooquarium.com/podcast to download activity sheets and bonus materials, upload YOUR art, and submit YOUR animal questions!

• Learn more about Chuck Duke
• Learn about the Portland Aquarium
• Shop the Mike Bennett Studios store
• Follow Chuck on Instagram: @cdook
• Follow us on Instagram: @thezooquarium
• Follow Mike on Instagram: @mikebennettart
• Follow Mike on TikTok: @mikebennettart
• Subscribe to the Mike Bennett Studios YouTube Channel
• Follow Chanel on Instagram: @pschanel
• Learn about The Elakha Alliance: elakhaalliance.org

The Zooquarium releases episodes about different animals every other Tuesday with bonus content for each episode the following week. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts or here on YouTube so you’re informed when new episodes come out!

RECOMMENDED: WATCH this episode on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify!

• Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
• Guest: Chuck Duke
• Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
• Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
• Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
• Artwork by: Fuzzzbrain

Sloane & Sloane's family, Michele Kraus Bennett, Cayley Pater, The Elakha Alliance, Teddy Albertson, Centipedes in general