Science and Nature

Songs for Unusual Creatures

Hi there! My name is Michael Hearst, and this is Songs for Unusual Creatures, featuring some of Earth's strangest animals. You see, I like to create music inspired by these animals. And for this series, I've brought along some my favorite musicians to help me.

The Easter Bilby

6m 31s

Look out! Here comes the Easter Bilby! That's right, in Australia the bilby has become a popular alternative to the Easter Bunny.

Episodes

  • The Easter Bilby: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Easter Bilby

    6m 31s

    Look out! Here comes the Easter Bilby! That's right, in Australia the bilby has become a popular alternative to the Easter Bunny.

  • The World's Largest Salamander: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The World's Largest Salamander

    6m 31s

    "Beautiful, awesome, and disgusting," is how I like to describe the Chinese Giant Salamander: the largest amphibian on the planet, reaching lengths of up to six feet.

  • Hunting for Tardigrades!: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Hunting for Tardigrades!

    6m 45s

    Guess which animal can survive temperatures of 300 Fahrenheit and -400 degrees, and 1000x more radiation than any other animal on the planet? The Honey Badger? Wrong! It's the tardigrade (aka water bear).

  • A Song for the Sea Pig with The Kronos Quartet: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Song for the Sea Pig with The Kronos Quartet

    6m 58s

    Who loves the Kronos Quartet? Who loves a sea pig? Now's your chance to see them BOTH in one video. A dream come true! But, wait, what in the world is a sea pig? Linda Kuhnz at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute is here to tell you all about it.

  • The Incredible True Story of the Blobfish : asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Incredible True Story of the Blobfish

    5m 28s

    The Blobfish was recently declared WORLD'S UGLIEST ANIMAL! But is that really fair? And even if the Blobfish is less attractive that some of its fishy cohorts, does that make it any less lovable? Let's take a closer look at how this unusual creature became an overnight celebrity.

  • Magnapinna Squid: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Magnapinna Squid

    4m 30s

    Join me as I visit David at MBARI in Moss Landing, CA to discuss the Magnapinna Squid. And then undulate along to spectacular footage of this unusual creature, while music is performed on trumpet, trombone, and tuba.

  • Glass Frog: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Glass Frog

    6m 26s

    The glass frog is called so because it has see-through skin on its stomach! How crazy is that? You can see just about all of its inner organs, including its beating heart. The glass armonica on the other hand is one of the rarest and most exotic musical instruments, and it was invented by Benjamin Franklin!

  • Giant Anteater: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Giant Anteater

    6m 20s

    Is that the sound of the Giant Anteater sniffing I hear? Perhaps I'll create a song for this unusual creature using some of my most unusual musical instruments!

  • Elephant Shrew: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Elephant Shrew

    5m 50s

    It's true, it's true, there's an elephant shrew! Surprisingly, it's not related to the shrew at all. In fact, it's more closely related to manatees, aardvarks, tenrecs, and, you guessed it, elephants!

  • The Jesus Christ Lizard: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Jesus Christ Lizard

    5m 40s

    Behold the Jesus Christ Lizard! People have given the common basilisk this name because of its amazing ability to run on water.

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