The Entangled Bank

Hey y’all! Welcome back to The Entangled Bank Podcast! Today’s episode is brought to you by Kessewaah and Chetali on a safari tour where we talk about giraffes, and all the amazing things about them. Get ready to be amazed, and learn about the tallest living land mammal.   Genetic Information and Research: Agaba, M. et al. Giraffe genome sequence reveals clues to its unique morphology and physiology. Nat. Commun. 7, (2016). Brown, D. M. et al. Extensive population genetic structure in the giraffe. BMC Biol. 5, 1–13 (2007). Morphology and Evolutionary Information: Dagg, A. I. American Society of Mammalogists Giraffa camelopardalis. Am. Soc. Mammal. 1–8 (1971). Mitchell, G., Van Sittert, S. J. & Skinner, J. D. Sexual selection is not the origin of long necks in giraffes. J. Zool. 278, 281–286 (2009). Mitchell, G. & Skinner, J. D. On the origin, evolution and phylogeny of giraffes Giraffa camelopardalis. Trans. R. Soc. South Africa 58, 51–73 (2003). Simmons, R. E....

Hi everyone and welcome to Life in the Sloth Lane! Buckle up because students Caroline Briggs, Madison Gallaher and Sarah Shea are about to take you on a crazy adventure exploring the world of Folivora! Folivora is composed of the two and three toed modern day sloth, as well as extinct species such as the giant ground sloth. Join us as we drive along the phylogenetic roadways and explore what makes sloths so unique. How are they able to thrive living such a slow paced lifestyle? Tune in to find out! Sources: Amson, Eli, et al. “Gradual Adaptation of Bone Structure to Aquatic Lifestyle in Extinct Sloths from Peru.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences , The Royal Society, 7 May 2014. Bezerra, B. M., A. D. S. Souto, L. G. Halsey, and N. Schiel. 2007. Observation of Brown-throated Three-toed Sloths: Mating Behaviour and the Simultaneous Nurturing of Two Young. Journal of Ethology 26:175–178. Greenwood, A. D., J. Castresana, G. Feldmaier-Fu...

Hey listeners! On this episode of the Entangled Bank the Slither Boiz (Andrew Carter, Isa Alonso, and Nikki Fox) discuss the reptilian order of Squamata. Squamata are composed of all snakes and lizards. With over 10,000 extant species of Squamata there will plenty for them to discuss. Listen as the Slither Boiz discuss hypotheses for different reproductive strategies within the order, aquatic iguanas, the evolution of venom, and much more! Join them as they discover the the world of Squamata and try to make some jokes along the way. Sources: Squamata Viruses: Ascher, J., A. Geneva, J. Ng, J Wyatt and R. Glor. 2013. Phylogenetic Analyses of Novel Squamate Adenovirus Sequences in Wild-Caught Anolis Lizards. PLoS ONE 8(4). Snake Development: Chipman, A. 2009. On making a snake. Evolution & Development, 11(1):3-5. Chemosensory in snakes: Cooper, W. 2008. Tandem evolution of diet and chemosensory responses in snakes. Amphibia-Reptilia, 29:393-398. Marine Igua...

Hey everyone! On today’s episode of the Entangled Bank Podcast, Bailee and Lexie are checking in to help our special guest, Lonely George, find his bachelorette on “Testudines Test for Love.” Join us while we dive into looking at five different species, which are our candidates, and compare physical attributes such as the evolution of shell size/strength, ecological relationships, geographical location, and other defining characteristic to aid us in our search for George’s true love. Will Lonely George find his bachelorette and live happily ever after? Sources: Shell Evolution Taxonomy, T. 2016. Size, Shape , and Stress in Tortoise Shell Evolution 72:309–317. Asian Giant Softshell Turtle Melvinselvan, G., and D. Nibedita. 2017. On the Occurrence of Asian Giant Softshell Turtle, Petochetys cantorii Gray 1864, In Cauvery River, Tamil Nadu, Southern India . Russian Journal of Herpetology 24:238–240. Pig-nose Turtle Chiotti, A. & Neff, M. (2016) Cleaning Mutualism ....

Hello loyal listeners! In this enlightening publication of Entangled Bank Podcasts Heaven, Taylor, and Natassaja compete to see who knows the most exciting and fascinating information about bees. This podcast starts with a discussion of bee communication and what makes a bee, a bee. The presenters determined that a bee’s dance moves, the waggle dance, is one of the significant defining characteristics of a bee. The publication then goes into an in-depth analysis of the relationship between wing wear an lifespan. Research has suggested an increasing correlation between wing wear and mortality. The evolution of the bee is also a major hot topic for discussion. Not only are there large hives of bees but some species have evolved to live a solitary life cycle. The most interesting piece of information presented in this presentation is the ability of bees to learn. Bees are very complex creatures, and they can be trained to perform a variety of tasks, such as soccer. Heaven, Taylor, and Nat...

Hello everyone! In the latest episode of the Entangled Bank podcast, Tyler Stumbo and Keith Merson inform us about everyone’s favorite little water bear, the tardigrades! In this episode, this duo delves into the phylogeny, habitats, and evolutionary characteristics that make tardigrades one of the most diverse and extreme survivalists on Earth. They discuss in-depth the process, as well as different types of cryptobiosis, morphological characteristics that determine phylogenetic relationships, take a quick biological inventory of the organism, and provide some cool fun facts about tardigrades. We hope you all can tune in to learn about these cute, yet hardy creatures. The sources used in the podcast are provided below if you would like to look for yourself. Sources Nichols PB, Nelson DR, Garey JR. A Family Level Analysis of Tardigrade Phylogeny. Hydrobiologia. 2006;558(1):53–60. Møbjerg N, Halberg KA, Jørgensen A, Persson D, Bjørn M, Ramløv H, Kristensen RM. Survival i...