Off Track

Australia is full of weird plants and animals. And Dr Ann Jones is on speaking terms with most of them! Each week Ann explores the most unusual elements of our natural world — the ones that make you go What the Duck?! Like why do quolls have spots? Who farts (and who doesn't)? And how do snakes climb trees? Join Ann alongside experts and ordinary Aussies alike to solve mysteries, smash myths and uncover the bizarre truth about nature down under.

A simple flowerpot making a difference to biodiversity in Sydney's harbour.

If you get bitten by a snake in the middle of the bush don't do what this bloke did

Is it ok to squabble over watermelon?

Banteng are an introduced species in Arnhem Land, but in their home range, they are in danger of complete extinction. So, what to do?

The underwater sounds in this creek near Brisbane are like an eclectic jam session.

Over the course of the week, three pairs of shoes bite the dust, soles detached from uppers in the 45 degree heat, one microphone's glue melts and there are about a billion bush flies drinking from sweaty backs. But despite the heat, Karajarri country has a draw towards it stronger than the pull of the sun.

Are you about to get murdered, or is it just a gang gang saying hello?

What sounds like a hiccup, but is actually a lusty mating call for a lothario without a lover?

Ancient creatures hide on Tasmania's secret reefs.

On a coral reef, everyone works to keep the city from crumbling.

To accompany ABC TV's Wild Australia: After the Fires, here is a minute of nature sound.

But do they really say 'bonk' or is it 'tonk',’ and does a foreign accent make a frog sexy?

Imagine spending your whole life searching for the elusive, perfect fiery opal. And then, one day, you realise you're holding — literally in the palm of your sweaty hand — a glittering prize of a gem that burns with a secret that could unlock the history of the Australian continent. Welcome to the crazy world of opal mining at Lightning Ridge, NSW, where prospector Mike Poben is facing a choice that will change his life forever.

Lynne Malcolm lost half a lung, and it was *probably* as a result of a radio story about birds.

Unwittingly shipped almost 3000km across the continent in a hand of bananas, this small frog is going to need help getting home.

Ever heard a sound echoing through the forest and thought, "well crikey, that's gotta be a dinosaur"?

Dragon by name, seaweed by nature

You find yourself awake in the middle of the night and there is a willy wagtail singing to the moon. Are you loosing your mind, or does this bird occasionally turn into a were-willy?

More quollity drama for your ears.

His name is George and he's a bit of a legend.

A pioneering experiment to rid New Zealand of its pest problem.

The Philippines is a reef fish biodiversity hotspot, but it's a delicate balance between livelihoods and sustainability in some fishing communities.

How do you protect Vietnam's pristine forests from the fast-expanding road and dam projects?

Take a look back at some Australian conservation efforts, from tiny reserves to landscape-scale restoration.

Ever wondered how they get those gorgeous shots of nocturnal animals on the TV?

When the icebreaker runs aground and leaves you stranded in Antarctica, what's a scientist to do?

After years of discussions with scientists, a composer writes a symphony for the sea. He calls it ex Oceano.

Where endangered wildlife watches you showering with a bucket in the Antarctic wind.

Where elephant seals smell like feathers and petrels sound like dragons.

Kevin Budden was only a young bloke when he left Sydney for North Queensland with one goal in mind: to find a coastal taipan and bring it back alive.

Just when you thought it might be safe to get back out into nature, it gets you where you least expect it: your nipples.

Just when you thought it might be safe to get back out into nature, there’s a bite from a huge, unknown carnivore and a leech on your eyeball. This is the second instalment of Incident Reports with communiques back to base about the worst (ie: best) fieldwork fails.

Let’s not get too romantic about nature. There’s plenty of times when you end up covered in mud, at the end of your tether and on the receiving end of a love bite from a vampire bat. Hear scientists report back about their worst (ie: best) fieldwork fails.

After 35 years, some of the same sleepy lizards are still alive, still with the same lizard partner. This episode was first broadcast in 2017, but has been updated with news of the new sleepy lizard scientists.

Gliding over a glacier in the Himalayas is a metre long squirrel with a smallish head, silky fur and a fluffy tail - but it's hardly ever been seen alive. Originally aired in 2017, we've got an update on the squirrel story!

It's as if this ship has invisible cat's whiskers extending off her hull - pricked and at the ready, they sense the weather and temperature and map the course ahead.

If you get bitten by a snake in the middle of the bush don't do what this bloke did

No music, no voices, just the sound of a stream and frogs calling on a still, cool night in regional Victoria.

No music, no voices, just the sound of the Roebuck Bay mudflats near Broome, WA. Hear breeze across the water, crabs and mudskippers flipping and flopping, and a tide that slowly comes in.

No music, no voices, just the sing of the forest coming to life early one morning near Canberra.

No music, no voices, just the sound of a valley halfway up a Tasmanian Mountain. This soundscape is full of birds and breeze echoing backwards and forwards across a reservoir.

Right now, more than ever, it’s important to stay in touch with nature.

Is it ok to squabble over watermelon?

Right now, finding joy in nature is just the ticket.

A piece of pumice floats across the ocean like a school bus picking up young organisms – tiny planktonic corals, some barnacles, maybe a crab, an oyster, perhaps a nudibranch.

Every evening at homes in Northern Australia, a tiny yip yip yip can be heard. And, on the other end of the spectrum, a boop boop boop can be heard in more arid zones. This week is a adventure into the big and small sounds of Australia.

Banteng are an introduced species in Arnhem Land, but in their home range, they are in danger of complete extinction. So, what to do?

If you are here in the Off Track feed, then, we're thinking you're probably a person who is engaged with the natural world. So, it follows that you might be interested in this series from RN Presenter Richard Aedy called 'Hot Mess.'

Whipbirds are a favourite in the Aussie bush – secretive little fellows with flat top haircuts and a cutting call. This episode is chokka-block full of whippy (and other) recordings sent in from the audience members of Off Track.