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Real Fantastic Beasts


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  • 52. How fantastic is burning poop?

    43:16||Season 5, Ep. 52
    Guest expert Christine Cooper-Rompato regales us with the most excremental of all animals, the bonnacon, which defends itself by ejecting burning poo.

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  • 51. In which we swan with swans

    44:32||Season 5, Ep. 51
    From the OG bird of the soul to the medieval dining table, we explore the long fascination with swans and their (mostly nonexistent) song.

  • 50. The sheep hath paid for all

    43:07||Season 5, Ep. 50
    We're back with our 50th episode on the truly fantastic sheep of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, from the Lamb of God to environmental justice, animal rights, and the lubricants that made the industrial revolution possible.

  • 49. The Egotistical Eagle

    45:41||Season 4, Ep. 49
    The quintessential imperial attention whore.

  • 48. Leave it to the beaver

    49:20||Season 4, Ep. 48
    We journey from the clever self-castrating beaver of the Middle Ages to the near extinction of the North American beaver for the sake of European hats.

  • 47. So. Many. Snakes.

    44:26||Season 4, Ep. 47
    We explore the many versions of the Hydra.

  • 46. Carp e diem: Fish of the Day

    48:31||Season 4, Ep. 46
    For 400 years, the carp was the most popular fish in Europe. What made it so fantastic?