What The Duck?!
ABC
Categories: Science & Medicine
Listen to the last episode:
At first, you might think it is a plot from a zombie movie: that undead animals are coming for you. But it turns out that Australia's animals aren't just dangerous when they're alive — they can be deadly even when they're dead. Ann Jones is joined by science reporter Belinda Smith to examine why snakes can still bite up to 45 minutes after death and are potentially dangerous for years. Think we're lying? Belinda found a guy whose great aunt (and her dog) were killed by a decapitated snake! So if a snake could commit multiple murders from beyond the grave, what other animals are going to get you? Featuring: Ray Miller, relative died after being bitten by a dead snake Dr Christina Zdenek, Australian Reptile Academy Professor Kylie Pitt, Griffith University Dr Olaf Meynecke, Griffith University Len Zell, retired marine scientist and author of Australian Wildlife — Roadkill Production: Belinda Smith, ABC Science Reporter/Producer Ann Jones, Presenter/Producer Petria Ladgrove, Producer Additional mastering: Hamish Camilleri This episode of What the Duck?! was originally broadcast in 2024 produced on the land of the Wadawarrung, Wurundjeri and Kaurna people. Find more episodes of the ABC podcast, What the Duck?! with the always curious Dr Ann Jones exploring the mysteries of nature on ABC Listen (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll learn more about the weird and unusual aspects of our natural world in a quirky, fun way with easy to understand science.
Previous episodes
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200 - Why snakes remain deadly even after they're dead Fri, 06 Mar 2026
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199 - How a rat's smelly towel might be key to rewilding Fri, 27 Feb 2026
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198 - How Marion Anstis became the tadpole whisperer Fri, 20 Feb 2026
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197 - Diane Purcell on how algae grows on you Fri, 13 Feb 2026
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196 - The field guide to a birding life: Peter Menkhorst Fri, 06 Feb 2026
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195 - Creepy crawlies across continents: why Tanya Latty loves bugs Fri, 30 Jan 2026
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194 - Ranger Stacey's totally wild life on and off TV Sun, 25 Jan 2026
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193 - Modern dogs: What have we created? Sat, 17 Jan 2026
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192 - Dogs in Australia: What is a dingo? Sat, 10 Jan 2026
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191 - Woofs and wags: What's your dog telling you? Sat, 03 Jan 2026
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190 - Good dog: Survival of the friendliest Sat, 27 Dec 2025
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189 - Designer dogs: What is a breed anyway? Sat, 20 Dec 2025
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188 - Wolf to woof: Did we make dogs? Sat, 13 Dec 2025
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187 - Is the animal kingdom ruled by tiny worms? Sat, 06 Dec 2025
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186 - Warehouse, cemetery, playground: Australia's biodiversity vault Sat, 29 Nov 2025
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185 - Girls just wanna have frogs Sat, 22 Nov 2025
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184 - The bird-eating centipede Sat, 15 Nov 2025
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183 - No, centipedes don't have 100 legs Sat, 08 Nov 2025
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182 - Are animals musical? Sat, 01 Nov 2025
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181 - The trap is set: Webs, hypnosis, and mucus tubes Sat, 25 Oct 2025
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180 - Mushrooms: Is the future fungi? Fri, 17 Oct 2025
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179 - Mushrooms: What are they, really? Fri, 10 Oct 2025
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178 - Mushrooms: Why do they kill? Fri, 03 Oct 2025
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177 - What the Duck?! serves mushrooms Sun, 21 Sep 2025
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176 - Murder birds: The cuckoo's killer instinct Sat, 20 Sep 2025
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175 - Slug slime and frog glue: Get stuck into nature's stickiness Sat, 13 Sep 2025
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174 - What's brown and sticky? Sat, 06 Sep 2025
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173 - Mars on Earth: Salt lake life Sat, 30 Aug 2025
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172 - Is anything true blue? Sat, 23 Aug 2025
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171 - Australia's most underrated animal: Winner! Fri, 15 Aug 2025
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170 - Underrated animals: Dugong Sun, 10 Aug 2025
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169 - Underrated animals: Palm Cockatoo Sat, 09 Aug 2025
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168 - Underrated animals: Great desert skink Fri, 08 Aug 2025
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167 - Underrated animals: Marsupial mole Thu, 07 Aug 2025
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166 - Underrated animals: Turtle frog Wed, 06 Aug 2025
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165 - Underrated animals: Short-finned eel Tue, 05 Aug 2025
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164 - Underrated animals: Rakali Mon, 04 Aug 2025
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163 - Underrated animals: Velvet worm Sun, 03 Aug 2025
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162 - Underrated animals: Ghost bat Sat, 02 Aug 2025
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161 - Underrated animals: Giant cuttlefish Fri, 01 Aug 2025
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160 - What's in your freezer? Fri, 25 Jul 2025
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159 - Self-medicating species: Animals that say yes to drugs Fri, 18 Jul 2025
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158 - Old and smelly: Farts from the past Fri, 11 Jul 2025
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156 - Does it Fart? Fri, 04 Jul 2025
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155 - Hybrids, dog breeds and DNA: What makes a species? Fri, 27 Jun 2025
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154 - Modern dogs: What have we created? Fri, 20 Jun 2025
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153 - Dogs in Australia: What is a dingo? Fri, 13 Jun 2025
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152 - Woofs and wags: What's your dog telling you? Fri, 06 Jun 2025
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151 - Good dog: Survival of the friendliest Fri, 30 May 2025
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150 - Designer dogs: What is a breed anyway? Fri, 23 May 2025