The Common Descent Podcast

Felines come in all shapes and sizes, but only a handful of them are large enough and in charge enough to have earned the title of “Big Cats.” This episode, we’re joined by special guest Lindsay Nikole as we take a tour through the surprising diversity of the “official” and “unofficial” big cats, and we explore how their evolutionary past has shaped this impressive assortment of apex predators.

Find more of Lindsay here: https://www.youtube.com/@LindsayNikole
And shout-out to the Cheetah Conservation Fund: https://cheetah.org/

In the news: giant sharks, early movements, Cretaceous fruits, and snake venoms.

Time Markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:06:55
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:46:15
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:43:00
Patron question: 02:42:05

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org

Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Happy Snake Month! 

In this bonus episode, we're joined by friend of the podcast Ali Ashraf to talk about his research on the distribution and evolution of water snakes!

This month only! Join the Snakes & Crocs Tier on our Patreon to receive a Snake Month sticker and to contribute to charitable donations toward reptile and other wildlife conservation!
www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

This year, our donations are going toward:
Save the Snakes
https://savethesnakes.org/
The Crocodile Research Coalition
https://crocodileresearchcoalition.org/
The Natural Resources Defense Council
https://www.nrdc.org/ 

Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org

Happy Snake Month!

Some of the most fascinating, famous, and dangerous snakes on the planet belong to the family Viperidae. Vipers include some of the world’s most specialized ambush hunters, and they are one of the most diverse and successful groups of snakes. This episode, we take a tour through the many visages of vipers, we explore their unique adaptations from head to tail, and we investigate the deep history that led them to their incredible modern success.

In the news: colorful crocs, pregnant mussels, tiny migration, and surprising snakes.

Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:04:45
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:40:25
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:26:15
Patron question: 03:04:40

With the help of our Patrons, we’ll be donating this year to:
Save the Snakes https://savethesnakes.org/
The Crocodile Research Coalition https://crocodileresearchcoalition.org/
The Natural Resources Defense Council https://www.nrdc.org/

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org

Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Happy Croc Month!

Most living crocodilian species look pretty similar overall – that’s why there are so many tips for telling alligators from crocodiles – but one group really stands out with their bulging eyes and remarkably slender snouts. This episode, we explore the various features and habits that make gharials unique among crocs, and which have caused no end of confusion for scientists trying to sort out their evolutionary history. And, of course, we’ll take a trip into the fossil record to visit some of the most extraordinary long-snouted crocs of the distant past.

In the news: hagfish eyes, dinosaur arms, fungal spores, and fishing dinosaurs.

Time markers:
Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00
News: 00:06:45
Main discussion, Part 1: 00:40:30
Main discussion, Part 2: 01:09:35
Patron question: 02:12:00

With the help of our Patrons, we’ll be donating this year to:
The Crocodile Research Coalition https://crocodileresearchcoalition.org/
Save the Snakes https://savethesnakes.org/
The Natural Resources Defense Council https://www.nrdc.org/

Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/

Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/

Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org

Musical Interludes are "Professor Umlaut" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Happy Croc Month! 

In this bonus episode, we're joined by friend of the podcast Maddie Turala to talk about her research on estimating body size in fossil alligators!

This month only! Join the Crocs & Snakes Tier on our Patreon to receive a Croc Month sticker and to contribute to charitable donations toward reptile and other wildlife conservation!
www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast

This year, our donations are going toward:
The Crocodile Research Coalition
https://crocodileresearchcoalition.org/
Save the Snakes
https://savethesnakes.org/
The Natural Resources Defense Council
https://www.nrdc.org/ 

Lots more ways to connect with us: https://linktr.ee/common_descent

The Intro and Outro music is “On the Origin of Species” by Protodome. More music like this at http://ocremix.org