Life On The Brink
26 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago - ★★★★★ - 1 rating**Next episode Monday 23 March**
What drives someone to track kiwis in the rain, chase lions up trees, or jump on dugongs? And with so many species out there, does it matter if a few of them go the way of the Dodo?
Join Gabriel and Alex talking with incredible conservationists and asking them the big questions: Should we bother saving a population of 400 black cockatoos? Why do all your favourite moments from researching big cats always involve them trying to eat you? How are flightless kiwis so hard to catch?!
Follow the journey behind-the-scenes @lifeonthebrinkpodcast on Instagram
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Episodes
THE AUSTRALIAN MOUSE THAT BECAME "UN-EXTINCT" w/ evolutionary biologist Dr Emily Roycroft
March 10, 2022 13:47 - 51 minutes - 71 MBWhat a title hey? Apologies for this episode being a few days late, we're both still getting a handle on keeping this podcast running while now working full-time! But enough of that, it's time for Episode 18! Our guest on this episode, Dr Emily Roycroft, was supposed to be studying the family tree of eight species of extinct Australian rodents. She then realised one wasn't actually extinct. Listen in to hear that story, and whether this mouse will go extinct for the SECOND time. Follow ...
THE TINY TRUFFLE-LOVING MARSUPIAL w/ wildlife ecologist & educator Caitlin Weatherstone
February 21, 2022 15:09 - 56 minutes - 78.2 MBSeason 2 is heerrreee! Sorry for the delay! Gabe ended up getting and starting a new job since our last episode. So, to preserve what's left of his sanity, we thought it'd be best to push the start of our new episodes back by a week. But Episode #17 is worth the wait! We're bickering about bettongs with Caitlin Weatherstone. We talk about why the northern bettong is balancing so close to the edge of extinction when other bettongs seem to be managing okay, hear hairy stories about being ev...
RETURN OF THE KIWI w/ adventurer & biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic
February 01, 2022 15:55 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBOur final update episode before we start Season 2! This Life On The Brink update features biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic and the Haast southern brown kiwi. The Haast population of southern brown kiwis is a unique group of kiwis that only numbers around 500. Denis has major updates for us on how the recent breeding season has gone for this tiny population of threatened birds, and some corrections to the voice-overs we made over our original interview for Episode 3! Follow Life On Th...
MAJOR UPDATE ON OUR FAVOURITE AUSSIE SONGBIRDS w/ regent honeyeater ecologist & conservationist Dr Ross Crates
January 17, 2022 12:05 - 30 minutes - 41.3 MBAnother update on one of our first-ever stories, and this one's a big one!! Episode 15 of Life On The Brink features the regent honeyeater and Dr Ross Crates. While Alex was away, Ross patched in (on Christmas Eve - what a legend!!) to give Gabriel a rundown on what had happened since we last touched base. He mentioned some big news that was on the horizon for early 2022. Listen in to hear what happened next! Follow Life On The Brink on Instagram instagram.com/lifeonthebrinkpodcast ...
I WONDER WHAT'S HAPPENED WITH THOSE COCKATOOS FROM EPISODE 1? w/ glossy black cockatoo ecologist and conservationist Dr Daniella Teixeira
January 03, 2022 13:50 - 18 minutes - 17.6 MBSURPRISE STORY UPDATE! Episode 14 of Life On The Brink features Dr Daniella Teixeira and the glossy black cockatoo (again!!) Daniella has been busy since we last talked to her in what turned out to be the first ever episode of Life On The Brink. Listen in to hear about new data showing how the 2019/20 bushfires impacted the very rare glossy black cockatoos of Kangaroo Island, the new population of birds Daniella has switched her focus to, and what you can do to save glossy black cockatoos ...
CATCHING CARBON TO SAVE LIONS w/ ecologist & Koobi founder Dr James Allan
December 06, 2021 11:57 - 41 minutes - 56.9 MBLions #2 electric boogaloo you're carbon credits are due! (Alex said we had to say that, sorry) It's Episode 13 of Life On The Brink, featuring LIONS. Didn't we already do lions? Yes we did... deal with it. But also this episode is very different from our first lion episode. Last time we focused on the tree-climbing lions of Uganda, this time we're focusing on the equally unique lions in Kenya known for their maneless males! In the episode, our over-achieving guest Dr James Allan talks ab...
THE SUPER SPEEDY SPERM OF NEW ZEALAND'S LIZARD THAT ISN'T ACTUALLY A LIZARD w/ tuatara reproduction biologist & PhD Candidate Sarah Lamar
November 22, 2021 09:15 - 51 minutes - 71.3 MBWe're back in New Zealand for Episode 12 of Life On The Brink!! And this time, it's all for the tuatara! Some call it a "living fossil", others say they have a mystical third eye, but what we do know is there are a lot less of them than there used to be. In the episode, we run the tuatara rumours past our guest PhD Candidate Sarah Lamar and ask her why she researched the speed of their sperm in the name of conservation! Follow Life On The Brink on Instagram: instagram.com/lifeonthebrinkp...
BONUS: Diversifying shark science
November 15, 2021 11:08 - 15 minutes - 21.5 MBThis is our third ever bonus episode!!! Last week's episode introduced us to Deborah Santos de Azevedo the incredible great hammerhead researcher who works with stressed-out sharks. She also happens to be a member of Minorities in Shark Science (MISS) an awesome organisation looking to build diversity in marine research and support minorities in the field. So this episode focuses on Deb's experiences as a Brazillian immigrant making her way into the wild world of shark science and her messa...
STRESSED-OUT HAMMERHEADS w/ shark researcher & marine biology student Deborah Santos de Azevedo
November 08, 2021 13:12 - 50 minutes - 70 MBWhat could possibly out a 6-metre hammerhead? Humans, of course. This is Episode 11 of Life On The Brink, and the third installment of our little four-part series on elasmobranchs, featuring the Great Hammerhead shark. In the episode we get into how to measure a shark's stress levels, what it's like breaking into the shark science field, and ask our guest Deborah Santos de Azevedo deep questions like 'Why do hammerheads have hammer heads?'. Follow Life On The Brink on Instagram: insta...
BONUS: Tracking a manta ray down a highway
November 01, 2021 07:42 - 12 minutes - 17.2 MBIt's our second ever bonus episode! Last week's full episode with manta biologist Asia Haines left a lot of cool stuff on the cutting room floor, including a story about when the organisation she works with (Project Manta) tracked a manta ray down a highway! She also talked through how absolutely anyone can help Project Manta discover more about manta rays through the power of belly photos. Follow Life On The Brink on Instagram: instagram.com/lifeonthebrinkpodcast and via our website: ...
A MANTA RAY OF HOPE w/ marine biologist & manta conservationist Asia Haines
October 25, 2021 09:07 - 1 hour - 88.9 MBWelcome to the first of four episodes on ELASMOBRANCHS (rays & sharks)! Over the next month, we've got two full episodes and two little bonus episodes headed your way. We know we only just started out fortnightly schedule but we just can't help ourselves!! Episode 10 of Life On The Brink is all about the world of the ocean's wanderers: MANTA RAYS! We're focussing on the reef manta ray, the slightly less massive of the two manta ray species. Our guide through their big blue world is Asia Ha...
THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT TIGERS w/ big cat researcher & statistical ecologist Dr Arjun Gopalaswamy
October 11, 2021 07:01 - 1 hour - 89 MB...is tigers are wonderful things! However we can't verify whether their tops are actually made of rubber nor their bottoms made out of springs. Episode 9 of Life On The Brink is full of tiger talk and more Tigger from Winnie-the-Pooh references! Hear how hard it is to count one of the world's most elusive big cats, and how Arjun once came face-to-face with a wild tiger in a 15-minute standoff. This episode is a big one, full of stories, ways anyone can help conserve tigers, and high-brow...
HOUSE HUNTING FOR ENDANGERED LIZARDS w/ conservationist & reptile ecologist Holly Bradley
September 27, 2021 09:59 - 57 minutes - 79.1 MBGet ready to meet the cutest most baby-dragon-looking-est lizards we've somehow never heard about before on Episode 8 of Life On The Brink! Reptiles are so often overlooked in conservation and these cute critters are a perfect example. They live in family groups and make houses out of logs complete with outdoor dunnies. What's not to love?! In the episode, we hear how the incredible Holly Bradley started off in research keeping honey possums warm, moved on to sloth tracking in the Costa Ric...
BONUS: Meeting New Zealand's kinkiest kakapo
September 20, 2021 08:46 - 14 minutes - 20 MBWelcome to the first Life On The Brink bonus episode! Launching Life On The Brink has been a very humbling experience. The response we've seen so far blew us away, so we kept pushing weekly episodes out so you could get to know who we are and what this podcast is all about. But we've now kicked into our on-going fortnightly release schedule to maintain the standard we want to keep (and, to be honest, to stop us two from burning out too quickly). But that doesn't mean you won't hear from us ...
THE MYSTERY OF BUTTERFLY MIGRATION w/ insect conservationist & photographer Shawan Chowdhury
September 13, 2021 08:19 - 46 minutes - 63.3 MBIt's time to float like a migrating butterfly for Episode 7 of Life On The Brink! Insects make up more than 90% of species on this planet, and yet we know so little about them. In this episode, we unravel the complete mysteries of butterfly migration with Ph.D. candidate Shawan Chowdhury. We hear how Shawan fell into the world of butterflies as a student in Bangladesh's capital city Dhaka, how following the butterflies landed him in a world of leeches, and how the guy who failed eight out...
THE MYSTERIES OF BUTTERFLY MIGRATION w/ insect conservationist & photographer Shawan Chowdhury
September 13, 2021 08:19 - 46 minutes - 63.3 MBIt's time to float like a migrating butterfly for Episode 7 of Life On The Brink! Insects make up more than 90% of species on this planet, and yet we know so little about them. In this episode, we unravel the complete mysteries of butterfly migration with Ph.D. candidate Shawan Chowdhury. We hear how Shawan fell into the world of butterflies as a student in Bangladesh's capital city Dhaka, how following the butterflies landed him in a world of leeches, and how the guy who failed eight out...
LIFE IS A FLYWAY w/ conservation professor & shorebird ecologist Prof. Richard Fuller
September 06, 2021 09:29 - 58 minutes - 79.8 MBEpisode 6 is bringing us back-to-back bird episodes woo!!! This edition of Life On The Brink takes us on the incredible journey of the world’s largest migrating shorebird from Australia all the way to China and features Professor Richard Fuller as our guide. Get ready to learn all about these goofy birds, their marathon journey, their enormous pecs, and how to protect an animal that crosses international borders like it's a competition. Follow Life On The Brink on Instagram: instagram.com...
THE ENDANGERED SONGBIRD THAT'S LOSING IT'S SONG w/ bird ecologist & conservationist Dr Ross Crates
August 30, 2021 09:30 - 59 minutes - 81.2 MBWelcome to the world of songbirds for Episode 5! Episode five of Life On The Brink features the regent honeyeater and Dr Ross Crares. In this episode, we learn about how researchers figured out regent honeyeaters are singing the songs of other species because there aren't enough older mentors for them to learn their own song from, listen to the sounds of young regent honeyeaters singing the songs of other bird species, and hear a brutal assessment on whether or not these birds are going to...
TURTLEY OBSESSED w/ ocean activist & marine biologist Melissa Staines
August 23, 2021 08:35 - 59 minutes - 82.3 MBTime to give the big blue some love on Life On The Brink number four! This is episode four of Life On The Brink featuring the green turtle and marine biologist Melissa Staines. Melissa is a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland who researches the effects of temperature and rainfall on sea turtles with support from the World Wide Fund For Nature in Australia (WWF Aus). In this episode, Melissa talks about a bloody, shark-filled SCUBA-diving incident that pushed her towards studying...
KRAFTY KIWIS w/ adventurer & biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic
August 16, 2021 12:28 - 1 hour - 89.8 MBInstallment three of Life On The Brink is here! This is episode three of Life On The Brink featuring biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic and the Haast southern brown kiwi. In this episode we hear what drives someone to ditch a PhD in geology halfway through to go exploring the natural wonders of New Zealand and discover what a biodiversity ranger working on a small, remote population of kiwis does on an average day. We also hear the calls of kiwis in the wild and listen in as Denis heads ...
TACKLING TOKOEKA - w/ adventurer & biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic
August 16, 2021 12:28 - 1 hour - 89.8 MBInstallment three of Life On The Brink is here! This is episode three of Life On The Brink featuring biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic and the Haast southern brown kiwi. In this episode we hear what drives someone to ditch a PhD in geology halfway through to go exploring the natural wonders of New Zealand and discover what a biodiversity ranger working on a small, remote population of kiwis does on an average day. We also hear the calls of kiwis in the wild and listen in as Denis heads ...
KRAFTY KIWIS - w/ adventurer & biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic
August 16, 2021 12:28 - 1 hour - 89.8 MBInstallment three of Life On The Brink is here! This is episode three of Life On The Brink featuring biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic and the Haast southern brown kiwi. In this episode we hear what drives someone to ditch a PhD in geology halfway through to go exploring the natural wonders of New Zealand and discover what a biodiversity ranger working on a small, remote population of kiwis does on an average day. We also hear the calls of kiwis in the wild and listen in as Denis heads ...
CHASING KIWIS - w/ adventurer & biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic
August 16, 2021 12:28 - 1 hour - 89.8 MBInstallment three of Life On The Brink is here! This is episode three of Life On The Brink featuring biodiversity ranger Denis Stojanovic and the Haast southern brown kiwi. In this episode we hear what drives someone to ditch a PhD in geology halfway through to go exploring the natural wonders of New Zealand and discover what a biodiversity ranger working on a small, remote population of kiwis does on an average day. We also hear the calls of kiwis in the wild and listen in as Denis heads ...
THE LAST TREE-CLIMBING LIONS w/ big cat researcher & filmmaker Dr Alexander Braczkowski
August 09, 2021 01:51 - 51 minutes - 70.7 MBEpisode 2 electric boogaloo… well actually TREE CLIMBING LIONS! On the second episode of Life On The Brink Gabriel and Alex chat to big cat biologist and NatGeo explorer Dr Alexander Braczkowski about the rare lions that spend most of their days up in trees. So get ready to learn about how one of the most iconic species is threatened with extinction, listen to the adorable sounds of lion cubs learning to climb trees, and hear about what goes into being both a conservation scientist and fil...
FIRE & FEATHERS w/ ornithologist & Breaking Boundaries star Dr Daniella Teixeira
August 09, 2021 01:26 - 49 minutes - 68.7 MBHeeeeyyyyyoooo…welcome to the first episode of Life On The Brink with Alex and Gabriel! We speak to the incredible Dr Daniella Teixeira about the endangered Kangaroo Island Glossy Black Cockatoos. So get ready to learn about how these birds and Daniella felt the heat of the 2020 bushfires, discover how they both unknowingly ended up on a David Attenborough Documentary, and hear some amazing vocal performances (both avian and human). Follow Life On The Brink on Instagram instagram.com/@l...
Pilot: Testing One Two Three
July 22, 2021 12:42 - 3 minutes - 5.03 MBEverything has to start somewhere, and Life On The Brink starts here! We are Gabriel & Alex, a couple of conservation scientists and science communicators. During our time studying and researching the natural world, we've been lucky enough to meet some of the most incredible people - people who have dedicated their lives to saving species they love. This podcast is dedicated to telling their stories, and the stories of the species they protect. Check back for the first episodes in August....