Shows / Formosa Fauna
Formosa Fauna
Spend 20 minutes feeding your mind with knowledge about the animal kingdom so you can become smarter than all of your friends! Formosa Fauna aims to entertainingly educate listeners about animals both in Taiwan and abroad while also inspiring them to take action and get involved. Formosa Fauna hopes to connect the world through humanity’s innate curiosity for the unknown and love for animals. Join Tristan Hilderbrand for Formosa Fauna on Fridays! If you have a story or photo you want featured…
Episodes
Formosa FaunaPrison for touching a turtle? Taiwanese laws to look out for | Ep 123
Xiaoliuqiu is Taiwan’s only offshore coral reef island. Which of the following is true about it? a) You can be imprisoned for up to one year for touching a sea…
Formosa FaunaShark stuck in city canal and Halloween dangers for black cats | Ep122
Which of the following is true: A) A shark is stuck in a canal in South Korea B) New York City passes a law to end horse-drawn carriages C) Taiwan search and…
Formosa FaunaClimbing fish, tofu cat litter, and crabs with pom poms | Ep121
Which of the following is not real: A) Climbing fish B) Tofu cat litter C) Bone-eating birds D) None of the above. They’re all real. The answer is D. Formosa…
Formosa FaunaCockroaches are 300 million years old, but sharks are 450 million years old | Ep120
What is a climbing perch? A) A fish B) A frog C) A bird Sharks have been around for 450 million years. Even cockroaches have only been around for 300 million…
Formosa FaunaIceland, Norway, and Japan the only remaining whaling countries in the world | Ep119
How do you think researchers tell whale sharks apart? A) Echolocation frequencies B) 24/7 monitoring C) Spots on their bodies A report of suspected coral…
Formosa FaunaTaiwan: once a 'coral kingdom' | Ep118
Is coral plant or animal? Taiwan's coral reef communities make up one-third of the world's variety of species. Of the 700 species of stony corals on the…
Formosa FaunaNew cat species identified for first time in 100 years | Ep117
Which is the most important sense for schools of fish? A) Sight B) Sound C) Touch Formosa Fauna is back this week to entertainingly educate you about animals…
Formosa FaunaFormosan black bears are getting closer to humans in Taiwan | Ep116
Which of the following was used as currency by people in medieval England, even making it on to some of the family crests? A) Shells B) Rats C) Eels Keep…
Formosa FaunaBlack bear sneaks into man's car and honks his horn | Ep115
Which is the mantra of wildlife experts? A) "A fed bear is a dead bear." B) "A hungry bear is a dead bear." Keep listening to Formosa Fauna to find out. In…
Formosa FaunaInvasive green iguanas reach Hsinchu, a northwestern Taiwanese city | Ep114
How many eggs do you think a mature female green iguana can lay in a single clutch? A) 10-20 B) 30-40 C) 70-80 D) 100-120 Kaohsiung is set to change the way it…
Formosa FaunaTaiwan recorded 3 human rabies cases since 2002; all were fatal
A man in the U.K. this week found a three-foot snake curled up in his: A) Toilet B) Bed C) Couch Listen to this episode of Formosa Fauna to find out which! In…
Formosa FaunaPart 2: I flew a dog from Taiwan to the U.S. to be adopted
Xiaohua, a 50+ pound dog, sat for years in Taiwan waiting for someone to adopt her. Finally, someone indicated they were interested, but they were in the…
- Formosa Fauna
I flew a dog from Taiwan to the U.S. to be adopted
What business does an American family have adopting a Taiwanese dog? Well, they have several stellar reasons to adopt this dog, Xiaohua. Tristan pumps the…
Formosa FaunaFormosa Fauna: Fish | Ep110
Which of the following has their own cleaning salons and massage parlors in the sea? A) One kind of fish B) One kind of octopus C) A human Only one of those…
Formosa FaunaTaiwan's incredibly rich biodiversity | Ep109
How many native feline species does Taiwan have? Formosa Fauna is back this week to entertainingly educate you about animals both in Taiwan and abroad! Spend…
Formosa FaunaGovernment-backed Taichung projects could threaten Taiwanese white dolphins' habitat | Ep108
Which of the following is not a real animal? A) Taiwanese blue frog B) Taiwanese white dolphin C) Pheasant-tailed jacana Formosa Fauna is back this week to…
Formosa FaunaWhy no anti-venom exists for deadly cone snail toxins: There are tens of thousands of them | Ep107
The geography cone, as one type of cone snail is called, delivers a numbing tickle followed by swift paralysis of the diaphragm leading to suffocation. There…
Formosa Fauna50,000 Taiwanese sign to ban boar snares for good | Ep106
Animal welfare groups delivered a petition bearing 50,000 signatures to Taiwan’s Presidential Office on Saturday, urging authorities to completely prohibit…
Formosa Fauna'Like seeing a velociraptor:' Fish appears in Indonesian market after disappearing for 66 million years | Ep105
Which of the following is not true about the coelacanth, a kind of fish? a) Nobody has ever found a fossil younger than 66 million years old b) They don’t…
Formosa FaunaWorking NYC horse's necropsy further ignites debate | Ep104
The necropsy results are in for the recently deceased 16-year-old New York City working horse Deniz. Listen to this episode of Formosa Fauna to find out more…
Formosa Fauna'Donald Trump' the albino buffalo saved from sacrifice by authorities | Ep103
Which of the following is not true? (A) A buffalo has been spared from Islamic sacrifice due to its resemblance to Donald Trump (B) You should always play dead…
Formosa FaunaPunch-kun's enclosure invaded by wannabe influencers | Ep102
Which of the following is not true? (A) Taiwan has zero heavily polluted beaches as of June (B) A carriage horse in NYC dropped dead this week (C) A teenager…
Formosa FaunaHumanity's first knowledge of electricity? Electric rays | Ep101
The first time humans had close encounters with electricity was from the tingle and jolt of electric fish. In this episode: - International Eurasian otter…
Formosa Fauna100 Episodes of Formosa Fauna!
Thank you for tuning into the 100th episode of Formosa Fauna. The show has been producing weekly episodes for nearly two years, bringing awareness of Taiwan's…
Formosa FaunaHow do you accidentally catch a 200-kg sea turtle? | Ep99
Which of the following is true about pet ownership in New York? a) Horse ownership is banned b) New Yorkers cannot own pet rats c) The retail sale of dogs is…
Formosa FaunaTaipei's rat infestation | Ep98
Members of the public have launched websites including "Rat Radar" and "Taipei Rat Tracker" which allow residents to upload photographs, submit reports, and…
Formosa Fauna'The Starry Giant by the Sea' picture book attracts youth to Taiwan's oceans | Ep97
Taiwan hosts over 14,000 marine species, one of which thrives in Taiwan's waters despite having an endangered status globally: the whale shark. Ocean Affairs…
Formosa FaunaKaohsiung's Shoushan Zoo gets primates to "read" | Ep96
Which of the following is not true about Kaohsiung’s Shoushan Zoo? A) Mary was the name of a 30-year-old Formosan black bear B) Ali was the name of a…
Formosa FaunaAre seahorses fish? | Ep95
Are seahorses fish? The answer to that question, and 99 others, are in the Ocean Conservation Administration's publication: "Top 100 Things You Didn't Know…
Formosa FaunaThe real reason cats scratch | Ep94
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), scratching is a natural and essential part of feline life... but why?…
Formosa FaunaMany animal firsts in Taiwan | Ep93
Two Malayan sun bears previously housed at Taipei Zoo have been relocated to Japan as part of a conservation effort for the vulnerable species, leaving Taiwan…
Formosa FaunaToxicity in the animal kingdom | Ep92
Which animal found in Taiwan carries a powerful neurotoxin, and is still somehow eaten as a delicacy in certain parts of the world? Formosa Fauna is back this…
Formosa Fauna"Dinosaur" wasn't coined until 1841 | Ep91
Which of the following is not true? a) Taiwan has a higher density of convenience stores than any other country b) People in the 1700s and 1800s widely…
Formosa FaunaRare pandas, rarer pandas, and rarest pandas | Ep90
Which of the following is not true? a) The leatherback sea turtle is the heaviest non-crocodilian reptile b) Leatherback sea turtles cannot be found near…
Formosa FaunaThe monkey named Punch whose only friend is a plushie | Ep89
Which of the following is not true? a) Human-raised macaques cannot integrate into troops b) Birdwatching can boost cognitive function c) Former house cats are…
Formosa FaunaTaipei's snake-breeding center responsible for all of Taiwan's antivenom | Ep88
Which of the following is not true? A. Four people are responsible for all of the anti-venom in Taiwan B. The Northern White Rhinoceros is “functionally…
Formosa FaunaAnimal abuse registries increasingly common in US | Ep87
One woman realized she didn't have the proper paperwork to fly with her dog, then chose to ditch the dog at the airport and fly alone. What happened to the…
Formosa FaunaTwo-thirds of the world will experience water scarcity by 2030 | Ep86
Isn’t the Earth 70% water? Then why do 1.1 billion people lack reliable access to water? According to 2019 estimates, by 2030 as many as two-thirds of the…
Formosa FaunaPangolins make a comeback in Taiwan and "pangolin diplomacy" | Ep85
Which of the following is not true? a) You can name an un-sterilized cat after an ex, then pay for them to be sterilized b) There are both greater and lesser…
Formosa FaunaJapan is panda-less | Ep84
Which of the following is not true? A) Kangaroos can trace their roots back to the Northern American continent. B) You can buy bear curry in Taiwan. C) Japan…
Formosa FaunaThese fish are transitioning to land animals | Ep83
Did you know that at least 12 groups of living fish have taken steps towards moving toward land? It would seem they’re fish who don’t want to be fish any…
Formosa FaunaTaiwan repopulates salmon by helicopter drop | Ep82
There's something keeping Formosan landlocked salmon in the mountains, and it's not geography. In addition to helicopter drops to repopulate the critically…
Formosa FaunaSpaying cats within one year reduces cancer risk by 86% | Ep81
Need a good reason to sterilize your pet? When you spay female cats is directly correlated to their risk of developing mammary cancer. Kittens spayed before…
Formosa FaunaWhy organizations only sterilize female dogs | Ep80
Faith for Animals isn't what host Tristan expected. Not only do they exclusively sterilize female dogs, dog catchers may even be laughed at for bringing a male…
Formosa FaunaWhen universities hire animal lovers to do their dirty work | Ep79
As a university, what do you do when you have a stray dog problem and years of capturing and culling does little more than spark outrage among the student…
Formosa FaunaThese gender fluid fish poop out beaches | Ep78
Parrotfish are both genderfluid and come in rainbow colors. The crystalline structure of parrotfish teeth is so sturdy it would beat gold, copper and silver in…
Formosa FaunaAge fish by counting scales like tree rings | Ep77
A raccoon was caught red-handed after a drunk rampage in a Virginia liquor store passed out in the bathroom. That and more fascinating animal topics in today's…
Formosa FaunaAngry owner, angry cat. Is it the owner's influence? | Ep76
Plenty of people fear cats because they see them as animals who will love you one second, then attack you the next. As of 2020, 38% of owners surrendered their…
Formosa Fauna'Meet your mama': Placental mammals' common ancestor | Ep75
What do humans, mice, elephants, lions, tigers, bears, whales, and bats all have in common? Well, we are all placental mammals, and we all share a common…
Formosa FaunaTaiwan's AI-powered ocean platform expands to Palau | Ep74
What can Taiwan's AI-powered ocean knowledge platform do for diplomatic allies? “AI Blue” makes its first overseas deployment in Palau, Taiwan's strong…
Formosa FaunaTaiwan's bat that's so large it's called the Formosan 'flying fox' | Ep73
The Formosan flying fox is the largest bat in Taiwan, with a wingspan that can stretch close to one meter — about the length of a standard baseball bat or the…
Formosa FaunaIt's easier for people in Taiwan to become vegetarian: Peter Singer | Ep72
Did you know Taiwan has the third largest percentage of vegetarians in the world? Taiwan has a rich vegetarian culture, influenced by Buddhism, which has made…
Formosa FaunaMajorly influential animal rights book translated for Taiwan audience | Ep71
Every two minutes approximately 316,000 individual sentient beings are slaughtered. Is that truly necessary? It’s certainly not necessary to feed the world’s…
Formosa FaunaEverything you need to know about Taiwan's African swine fever outbreak | Ep70
Taiwan has enforced some of the strictest airport food regulations in the world for years, and with good reason. The island was one of the few places in Asia…
Formosa FaunaEndemic Taiwanese fish species repopulates after disappearing from main island in 1920s | Ep69
The large-scale lesser-bream disappeared from Taiwan's main island in the 1920s. Now, local government is working with Aquatic Renewal Workshop to repopulate…
Formosa FaunaWhy Taiwan banned declawing cats | Ep68
Which of the following is not true: A) Goldfish can grow up to 20 inches (roughly 50 cm) B) Declawing a cat is akin to amputating a human fingertip C) Sloths…
Formosa FaunaThe fascinating source of sea monster legends | Ep67
Which of the following is true: A) Oarfish are up to 36 feet long and swim in a vertical posture B) Jaguarundis eat salad C) Jacanas are also known as “Jesus…
Formosa FaunaJane Goodall's passing, Taipei Zoo's Ghost Festival ceremony, and a panda caretaker's inside look | Ep66
Which of the following is true: A) Taipei Zoo celebrates the Ghost Festival B) Taipei City has wild deer C) Taiwan has two living native cat species Listen to…
Formosa FaunaPAW Patrol move aside, Taiwan's land crab patrol is here! All about Taiwan's deer island and more | Ep65
Taiwan has a deer island, land crab patrol, and now university campus geese etiquette lessons! Formosa Fauna is back this week to entertainingly educate you…
Formosa FaunaWe won't give up on Taiwan's animals despite rejected petition: Local animal coalition | Ep64
A petition with over 10,000 signatures wasn't enough to comprehensively ban the wild boar snares in Taiwan. In this episode of Formosa Fauna we sit down with…