The Wild with Chris Morgan
THE WILD with Chris Morgan explores how nature survives and thrives alongside (and often despite) humans. Taking listeners across the Pacific Northwest and around the world, host Chris Morgan explores wildlife and the complex web of ecosystems they inhabit. He also tells the stories of people working in and protecting the wild around us.
This podcast is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan and Wildlife Media. It is produced by Matt Martin and edited by Jim Gates. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan. Fact checking by Apryle Craig. Our theme music is by Michael Parker.
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Episodes
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Season 3 note
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Sitting on a den of rattlesnakes
Rattlesnakes have long been persecuted, even killed for sport or having their entire dens burned. I head out with two wildlife biologists to look for rattlesnakes as they emerge from hibernation and learn about the important role these snakes play in our ecosystem.
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The rise and fall…and rise...of the island fox
20 years ago, foxes on Santa Cruz started dying at an alarming rate. Their numbers dropped to around one hundred animals. But nobody knew why. It was an ecological whodunnit that needed to be solved before the foxes disappeared forever.
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California’s condor: the dinosaur bird
We’ll meet a man who turned from crime to condors and a life mission to remove lead from this incredible bird’s ecosystem.
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Bears and diversity: a conversation with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant
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People of the forest: the orangutans of Sumatra
Northern Sumatra is a magical tropical home to the endangered orangutan. But their rainforest home is being cut down, and many are orphaned as their habitat is lost. Researchers are working hard to understand how orangutans process and learn, while others rehabilitate young individuals for a life back in the wild.
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Billions of bugs: life of a cicada underground
The shrill calls of billions of Brood X cicadas emerging from the earth have captured the nation’s ears and attention this spring. But what do these noisy insects DO for the 17 years they live underground? In this episode we dig deep into that question.
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A message from Chris
I hope you're enjoying spring wherever you are. I just wanted to let you know that we're taking a short break to work on some new episodes. We just got back from an incredible trip in California for two stories. One is about California condors, North America's biggest bird that almost became extinct and island foxes on the Channel Islands. We'll be back in June, which means that now is the perfect time to listen to past episodes if you missed them. Keep well everybody and stay in touch.
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Salmon and the city
How a destructive earthquake opened up a surprising opportunity to do something good for one of the pacific northwest’s most important creatures, juvenile salmon.
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The brain of the raven
Being a “bird brain” is a complement if you’re talking about ravens. Their intelligence and ability to empathize and read emotions helps them survive but it’s their ability to manipulate others, and even plan for the future that allows them to really thrive in the wild.
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Why it’s so hard to swat a fly
It’s springtime which means sunshine, picnics and flies. But you might think twice about reaching for that fly swatter. Flies are amazing creatures that possess the fastest visual systems in the world, use gyroscopes for precision flying, and can see almost 360 degrees.
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Saving the mountain caribou
This is a tough story to tell. In 2019 the last of the mountain caribou in the lower 48 states disappeared. Extinct. Deforestation threatens those that are left. Professional Wildlife tracker and photographer David Moskowitz takes us to the frigid mountains of British Columbia to learn about the ancient but fragile ecosystem these majestic reindeer call home.