Radiolab for Kids The Snow Beast: A Mystery Animal with Latif Nasser
May 1, 2025
Latif Nasser, co-host of Radiolab, shares an astonishing tale of prehistoric camels that roamed North America. He recounts the thrilling discovery of a 3.5-million-year-old bone on a remote Arctic island, demonstrating the connection between these ancient creatures and today’s desert-dwelling camels. Nasser also brings humor into the mix, discussing how these camels adapted to survive both snow and sand. Plus, there's a delightful anecdote about introducing a live camel to the audience that will keep listeners entertained!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Natalia's Arctic Bone Discovery
- Natalia Rybczynski found a 3.5 million year old bone chunk on an Arctic island, first bone ever found in that area.
- She pieced together over 30 fragments to identify the large animal it belonged to.
Camels’ Unexpected Arctic Origins
- The ancient bone she found belonged to a camel, surprising because camels are known as desert animals.
- Camels originally evolved in North America before spreading to deserts globally.
Camel Diversity in North America
- Camels existed as diverse species in North America for 40 million years before migrating to Asia and deserts.
- They ranged from tiny rabbit-sized camels to giant Arctic camels as tall as school buses.