Episode 186 - Owls

Owls are among the world’s most iconic and charismatic birds, and they’re also among the most effective aerial predators. This episode, we’ll take a tour of the amazing adaptations that have allowed owls to achieve their modern diversity and worldwide range, and we’ll explore what we know – and what we don’t – about their evolutionary history. In the news: snake evolution, ancient polar life, dinosaur joints, and dragon teeth. Time markers: Intro & Announcements: 00:00:00 News: 00:05:10 Main discussion, Part 1: 00:40:35 Main discussion, Part 2: 01:23:50 Patron question: 02:03:15 Check out our website for this episode’s blog post and more: http://commondescentpodcast.com/ Join us on Patreon to support the podcast and enjoy bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/commondescentpodcast Got a topic you want to hear about? Submit your episode request here: https://commondescentpodcast.com/request-a-topic/ We’re an Audible Affiliate Partner! Use this link for a 30-day free trial to Audible: https://www.audibletrial.com/CommonDescent 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/