← Back to all episodes

Ep. 209: The Deer Nut

Published: 2020-02-24 11:00:00
Description Show ▼

Steven Rinella talks to Jim Heffelfinger, Ryan Callaghan, and Phil Taylor.

Topics discussed: an epidemic of llama losses; Grandpa Half-a-Finger and other stories of loss; does killing big bucks screw up deer genetics?; the difference between blacktail deer and whitetail deer, and where they came from; a whitetail fossil from the Pleistocene; Cowz, Cooze, and Couse; telekinetic levitation; why do deer lose their antlers?; Steve's disappointment with having less-than-average Neanderthal genes; wolf recovery and the Endangered Species Act; trophic cascades and surplus killers; jaguars in America; hunting jackrabbits; and so much more.

 

Connect with Steve and MeatEater

Steve on Instagram and Twitter

MeatEater on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube

Shop MeatEater Merch

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Referenced Books

Horns, Pronghorns and Antlers
by Anthony Bubinick and George Bobin
Referenced as 'the Bible for antler science' when discussing the term 'pedicle' and antler research. George Bubinick is described as a famous antler researcher who wrote this with his father Anthony.
Referenced at Discussion around antler terminology
Checklist of Birds in North America
by Elliott Coues
Mentioned as a book where Elliott Cous included a footnote explaining how to pronounce his name (rhymes with 'house'). Cous was primarily an ornithologist.
Referenced at During Elliott Cous discussion
None
by Elliott Coues
A short publication about levitation available on Kindle. Cous wrote about levitation and telekinesis, discussing how future science might explain phenomena not yet understood. Described as 'more of a paper than a book but they make it look like it's a book.'
Referenced at During levitation discussion
Candid Creatures
by None
Described as a book featuring trail cam images, including what may be the only image in existence of a jaguar standing in snow. Used to illustrate the historical presence of jaguars in northern ranges.
Referenced at During jaguar discussion
Borderland Jaguars
by Carlos A. Lopez Gonzalez and David E. Brown
Mentioned as containing an account of historical records of jaguars. Jim offers to send this book to the host to help him understand jaguar presence in the Southwest.
Referenced at During jaguar discussion
A Bestiary of Ancestral Antilocaprates
by Jim Heffelfinger (with illustrations by Randy Babb)
A field guide written by the guest featuring illustrations of 18 different types of primitive pronghorn families that existed in North America. Each entry includes skull illustrations, a descriptive paragraph, and maps showing where fossils were found.
Referenced at During pronghorn discussion
Deer of the Southwest
by Jim Heffelfinger
Mentioned by Jim as one of his publications available as a PDF on his website. Covers Cous white tail and desert mule deer in the Southwest and Northern Mexico.
Referenced at Near end of podcast