Episode 35: reviewing Attenborough's Oceans film, Aesculapian snakes, proboscis bats, ladybird swarms, dholes in Europe, biofluorescent marsupials & little kiwi rediscovered

Welcome to the thirty-fifth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In this episode, Emma and Robi start with some news, including good news for spoonbills in Norfolk, and bat-friendly lighting in the Netherlands. Robi and Emma then review Attenborough's new Oceans film, sharing highlights as well as differing opinions about the effectiveness of top-down vs bottom-up influence. They then dive into their species of the week, where Emma talks about the Aesculapian snakes in the UK and Robi talks about the amazingly camouflaged proboscis bat. For their local conservation stories, Emma discusses the ladybird swarms that have been spotted all across the UK due to warmer weather. Robi takes us on an interesting thought experiment about the history of dholes in Europe and their relationship to big bats. They end this episode with their global conservation stories, where Emma talks about glow in the dark marsupials and Robi shares exciting news about the rediscovered little kiwi. Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution! Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation . You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife