Episode 5: Ice Age (2002)

In this episode we're joined by Dr. Advait Jukar to discuss the 2002 classic Ice Age, the story of three unlikely Pleistocene mammals who team up to rescue a non-adult Homo sapiens, and in the process discover the value of family. If you like Cenozoic mammalian taxonomy, then you're going to love this episode! Find Advait on Twitter @amjukar and at https://advaitjukar.weebly.com/

In this episode:

We geek out over the scientific names of prehistoric mammals, including:

• Wooly Mammoth - Mammuthus primigenius

• Sabre-toothed cat - Smilodon

• Scimitar cat – Homotherium

• Ground Sloth – Megalonyx (Bonus – where are sloths’ nipples?)

• Long-nosed llama – Macraucheniidae

• Glyptodont (giant armadillo relative) – Dædicurus

• Ancient proboscidean – Moeritherium (It’s not a tapir!)

• Not actually a rhinoceros - Megacerops

• Not actually Bigfoot - Gigantopithecus

• Dodos don’t get enough credit

• Scrat was real all along! Pseudotherium argentinus

We also discuss:

• Burrows dug by giant ground sloths

• GABI – Great American Biotic Interchange

• People – what a bunch of bastards!