That's Just Wild
Fresh Air
Steve Backshall, Lizzie Daly and Sarah Roberts bring you a wildly entertaining nature show filled with adventure, behind-the-scenes stories, and fascinating facts. Think: unexpected encounters, jaw-dropping science, and nature like you’ve never heard it before. Every Tuesday join adventurer, explorer and broadcaster Steve Backshall, wildlife biologist Lizzie Daly, and journalist Sarah Roberts as they dive deep into the wonders of the natural world. From braving Arctic extremes to swimming with sharks, each episode begins with a bold superlative—Flamboyant, Freezing, Venomous—and unfolds into their remarkable tales of the wild. Then, every Friday, it’s your turn. Our Q&A episodes tackle your most need-to-know nature questions—from how not to become bear food to how long is an elephant’s trunk? Because the world is wild, its wonders are endless—and we’re here to tell the stories that prove it.For ad-free listening and special episodes, support the podcast at thatsjustwild.com.Produced in the wild by Fresh Air. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 30, 2026 • 31min
Q&A: Left-Handed Crabs, Skin-Shedding Dinosaurs, and Elephant Baby Teeth
On this week’s That’s Just Wild Q+A, Steve Backshall, Lizzie Daly, and Sarah Roberts tackle more of your wildest questions!Are any animals left-handed? 🦀🤨Did dinosaurs shed their skin like snakes? 🐍🍌And do any animals other than humans have baby teeth? 🦷👶🐘📝 Leave us a review to let us know what you think — every comment means a lot to the whole team 💚🔔 Make sure you follow That’s Just Wild wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episodeGo to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 27, 2026 • 48min
Exoskeletons: Moulting Marvels, Punk Rock Ladybirds and Giant Crabs Losing Claws
This week on That’s Just Wild, Steve, Lizzie, and Sarah dive into the weird and wonderful world of exoskeletons — and why critters and crustaceans deserve more love. 🦀🐞From the bizarre process of moulting 🐛to the mad scientists who tried to build exoskeletons for humans (and then attempted to get eaten by a snake to prove they work 🐍😳),and why ladybirds are a gardener’s best friend 🌱but cause havoc here in the UK 🇬🇧🐞Plus, there’s another banger of a TV blooper from Steve 📺😂📝 Leave us a review to let us know what you think — every comment means a lot to the whole team!🔔 Make sure you follow That’s Just Wild wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!Go to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 23, 2026 • 29min
Q&A: Symbiosis, swarming midges, and rolling in fox poo
On this week’s That’s Just Wild Q+A, Lizzie Daly and Sarah Roberts tackle more of your wildest questions!Why do dogs love rolling in fox poo? 💩🦊Why do pine martens delay having babies? 🧭🤨And how do midges form massive swams in Scotland? 🏴🦟📝 Leave us a review to let us know what you think — every comment means a lot to the whole team 💚🔔 Make sure you follow That’s Just Wild wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episodeGo to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 20, 2026 • 37min
Blue: Glowing Scorpions, WIld Blue Pigs, and Egg Evolution
This week on That’s Just Wild, Lizzie and Sarah are seeing blue 💙 — and discovering why it’s one of the rarest, cleverest and most mind-blowing colour in the natural world.Lizzie dives into the science behind the jaw-dropping blues of the electric blue tarantula, Morpho butterfly, and the Hyacinth macaw. 🕷️🦋🦜Discover why guillemot eggs look like tiny blue works of art, each one totally unique — and how their unusual shapes are an evolutionary masterstroke.🥚💙Hear why Blue-tongued skinks flash their electric tongues at predators.📝 Leave us a review to let us know what you think — every comment means a lot to the whole team!🔔 Make sure you follow That’s Just Wild wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.Go to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 16, 2026 • 18min
Q&A: Gigantic Dragonflies, Anxious Animals and Flying Snakes
On this week’s That’s Just Wild Q+A 🎙️🌍, Steve Backshall, Lizzie Daly, and Sarah Roberts tackle more of your wildest questions!Do animals experience anxiety… even flies? 🧠Why is Alfred Russel Wallace Steve’s hero? 🧭📚And Cope's Rule: why do animals get bigger over time? 🐴📝 Leave us a review to let us know what you think — every comment means a lot to the whole team 💚🔔 Make sure you follow That’s Just Wild wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episodeGo to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 13, 2026 • 39min
Sketchy: Death-defying mountain goats, leaping snow leopards, and trickster fish
This week on That’s Just Wild, Lizzie and Sarah get sketchy. We’re talking animals that thrive on risk & love living on the edge.. and that includes our hosts!And Steve sends us a message from Chile 🇨🇱, where he’s hoping to track down the elusive puma 🎥😼Sarah and Lizzie dig into…How barnacle goose chicks launch themselves off 100 metre high cliffs 😱The sneaky Bluestriped Fangblenny, who loves to take bites out of unsuspecting fish who’ve come for a spa day 🐟 🦷Why you should never step in a puddle in the Northern Territories of Australia without checking for a saltwater crocodile first 🐊📝 Leave us a review to let us know what you think — every comment means a lot to the whole team!🔔 Make sure you follow That’s Just Wild wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episodeGo to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 6, 2026 • 25min
A Bumper Q&A: Flirty Tarantulas, Albinism, and Paternal Pregnancies
On this week’s That’s Just Wild Q+A, Steve Backshall, Lizzie Daly, and Sarah Roberts tackle more of your wildest questions! 🎙️🌍🧬 What’s the real skin difference between us humans, our ape cousins, and our ancient ancestors?🤰 Are there other animals like seahorses where the males get pregnant?🕷️ Do tarantulas recognise or remember their owners in captivity? ...Steve shares a story of one flirting with him!📝 Leave us a review to let us know what you think — every comment means a lot to the whole team! 💚🔔 Make sure you follow That’s Just Wild wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!Go to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 30, 2025 • 42min
That's Just 2025...
This week, on That's Just Wild, we revisit our favourite moments from 2025: Hypnotising a shark by turning it upside down? 🦈Does Sarah have parasites? 🦠Why we need to protect ugly animals... Plus, THAT banana slug story. 🍌📝 Leave us a review to let us know what you think — every comment means a lot to the whole team! 💚🔔 Make sure you follow That’s Just Wild wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!Go to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 23, 2025 • 48min
A Christmas Message From Steve... Plus, let's get Freezing
Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas from all of us at That's Just Wild! 🎅Steve Backshall has a secret he's been burning (or should I say, freezing?!) to let you all in on...Plus, a rerun of our first ever episode: Freezing 🥶What do you get when a polar bear mates with a grizzly 🐻❄️A walrus starts making music 🎶And a scientist decides to freeze themselves on purpose?! 👨🔬❄️A wild podcast episode!Steve Backshall, Lizzie Daly, and Sarah Roberts talk snow blindness, getting deliberately hypothermic in the name of science, and the mashup that is the Pizzly Bear (or Grolar Bear, depending which way round it goes). Plus: walrus songs, narwhals, questionable taxidermy, and even a surprisingly useful penis bone.Follow wherever you get your podcasts so that you never miss an episode.The walrus chiming clip was recorded by Diane Calamar Okonek, and posted to Instagram by wildlife photographer Acacia Johnson.Go to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 19, 2025 • 17min
Q&A: Magic Bats and Ratatouille in Real-Life?
On this week’s That’s Just Wild Q+A, Steve Backshall, Lizzie Daly, and Sarah Roberts tackle more of your wildest questions! 🎙️🌍👩🍳 Are there any chefs in the animal world that prepare food simply for taste?🦇 Why do bats not fall off the ceiling when hibernating?🐟 And how on earth did fish start breathing air?📝 Leave us a review to let us know what you think — every comment means a lot to the whole team! 💚🔔 Make sure you follow That’s Just Wild wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode!Go to thatsjustwild.com to get ad-free listening, special deep-dive episodes and exclusive That's Just Wild goodies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
