This week, we’re bringing you an episode from our friends at Weirdly Helpful, a podcast we love. And we’re talking about… shenanigans! High-spirited, mischievous activities, as defined by Miriam-Webster. As many of us are gearing up for a season of family gatherings, which are sometimes filled with long car trips, long travel delays, and long multicourse dinners, we thought we’d inject this time with some… FUN! Some pranks! Some shenanigans!

First, Lulu wonders if animals engage in shenanigans: why do chimps tickle each other? Why do octopuses shoot bubbles across the water? Why do dolphins balance seaweed on their snouts for no reason? Are these shenanigans?

Then, host Zak Rosen and artist Rebecca Garza-Bortman share the family shenanigans their listeners called in with, rating each one on a scale from “shenanigan” to “shenananananagan.” You’ll hear about a family that pretends to be squirrels at bedtime, a couple who dance every time the egg timer goes off, and a family that mispronounces words on purpose, forever. Who knows, you might just get some silly ideas to try out at home!

Lulu was also on Weirdly Helpful! Listen to her episode here.

Listen to Megan Stielstra’s episode about screaming at trains here!

If you want to read more about animal shenanigans, read Animals at Play by Marc Bekoff.

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Pull on your wading boots because we’re taking you on a haunted swamp tour… of meat-eating plants! Our journey begins in a bog in North Carolina, where a fly lands on what looks like a tiny pair of green jaws. Suddenly, they snap shut. A venus flytrap has just caught its dinner. But why would a plant eat meat in the first place?

Our resident bug expert, Dr. Sammy Ramsey, reveals the answer as he introduces us to the world's strangest carnivorous plants. From pitcher plants with slippery waterslides of doom, to sundews covered in sticky lollipop traps, to underwater bladderworts that suck up their prey in a millisecond. Along the way, we’ll meet tree shrews that poop into plants, bats that sleep inside them, and baby mosquitoes with butt snorkels! Ultimately, we’ll discover why these fearsome plants might actually be some of the least confrontational creatures in the garden.

Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC studios. This episode was produced and reported by Alan Goffinski with sound design by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Our Executive Producer is Sarah Sandbach. Our team also includes Ana González, Natalia Ramirez, Tanya Chawla and Joe Plourde. Factchecking by Diane Kelly.

HEY GROWN-UPS!
Love the show? Leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us!

Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show by joining The Explorers Club —and we’ll send you a special puzzle as a thank-you gift from our team!

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts about Terrestrials with us.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show.
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Got a badgering question for the team? Email us at terrestrials@wnyc.org or submit a voice memo with your name, age, and your question using this form!

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Just in time to commemorate Day of the Dead, we are releasing a special Spanish version of our monarch butterflies episode! Este episodio nos lleva a las montañas del centro de México para conocer un oasis donde, después de volar miles de kilómetros, millones de mariposas monarcas se reúnen, exactamente en esta época, año tras año. Un fenómeno que desde hace siglos ha maravillado a las personas que habitan estas tierras y del que hasta hace poco podemos entender mejor.

Terrestrials was created by Lulu Miller with WNYC studios. This episode was produced and reported by Ana González with sound design by Mira Burt-Wintonick. Our Executive Producer is Sarah Sandbach. Our team also includes Alan Goffinski, Natalia Ramirez, Tanya Chawla and Joe Plourde. Factchecking was by Hilary Elkins.

Support for Terrestrials also comes from the Simons Foundation, the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and the John Templeton Foundation.

HEY GROWN-UPS!
Love the show? Leave us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating and review on your podcast app—it helps curious listeners find us!

Terrestrials is made possible in part by listeners like you. Support the show by joining The Explorers Club —and we’ll send you a special puzzle as a thank-you gift from our team!

We want to hear from you! Share your thoughts about Terrestrials with us.

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter for bite-sized essays, activities, and ways to connect with the show.
Follow us on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for behind-the-scenes extras and more.

Listen to original music from Terrestrials on Spotify, Apple Music, or our music page.

Got a badgering question for the team? Email us at terrestrials@wnyc.org or submit a voice memo with your name, age, and your question using this form!

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