Episode notes
We add another string to our bow by learning about the fiddler crab. We discuss the arc of history bending towards crab, the MogBot 2000, bad dating advice, non-orientable wormholes, and so much more.
Works Cited:
- “The Design of a Beautiful Weapon” – John Christy, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
- “On the Other Hand: The Myth of Fiddler Crab Claw Reversal” – Judith S. Weis, BioScience, April 2019
- “Sexual selection for structure building by courting male fiddler crabs: an experimental study of behavioral mechanisms” – John H. Christy et al., Behavioral Ecology, May 2002
- “Synchronous waving in fiddler crabs: a review” – Patricia Ruth Yvonne Backwell, Current Zoology, July 2018
- “Robotic crabs reveal that female fiddler crabs are sensitive to changes in male display rate” – Sophie L. Mowles et al., Biology Letters, January 2018
- “Not what it looks like: mate-searching behaviour, mate preferences and clutch production in wandering and territory-holding female fiddler crabs” – M. Peso et al., R. Soc Open Sci.. August 2016
- “Dishonest signalling of fighting ability and multiple performance traits in the fiddler crab Uca mjoebergi” – Simon P. Lailvaux et al., Functional Ecology, March 2009
- “The effects of neighbor familiarity and size on cooperative defense of fiddler crab territories” – Isobel Booksmythe et al., Behavioral ecology, November 2011
- “Beyond Abiotic Decay: Fiddler Crabs Accelerate Plastic Fragmentation in Pollution Hotspots” – Jose M. Riascos et al., Global Change Biology, December 2025
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About the show
Just the Zoo of Us is an animal review podcast by Ellen & Christian Weatherford of Jacksonville, Florida. Every week, each host selects one animal submitted by a listener to research, review, and rate out of ten in the categories of effectiveness, ingenuity and aesthetics. Guest episodes feature experts from all over the world sharing their knowledge and insight into the animal world.
This podcast is made with families in mind and contains no profanity or graphic language. Due to the nature of discussion centered around wildlife and their behavior, some topics such as reproduction, predation and parasitism may not be appropriate for very young children, so parents are encouraged to use discretion when listening with their families.
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